Chapter Two:
Fred or Alicia?
Two years later, the twins were still identical. Angelina could be talking to one of them, not knowing if it were Fred or George until they told her - even then they often joked and lied. Her feelings for Fred had waxed and waned over the months; she'd never summoned up the courage to tell him about it. But for two years she'd liked him, if these feelings kept up she'd have to tell him some time. And there was another small scrap of naughty, frightening, information that screamed blue murdur to tell Fred, and get into a relationship. Now, before she forgot him altogether.
Still it wasn't like Fred really hated her or something. He was fun, easy to get on with - and he had asked her to the Triwizard Ball. Her heart still sung at the memories, (or as the little scrap told her, she imagined her heart sung) of those dances with him. How could any girl not like him the way she did?
So when Fred asked her to try one of his and George's experiments (May have been George that asked) she didn't hesitate to say yes, hoping that the chance to say more would present itself. Soon.
Alicia Spinnet wrinkled her nose in distain, grimacing at one of the Weaslys latest designs.
Canary Creams.
Biting into one of the creations of the twins was like serving your life up to them on a platter.
She turned, to se Angelina over talking to Fred, his arm snug around her waist in a friendly manner, yet Alicia noted the faintest of blushes on her comrades face.
Looking over to see the other Weasly, she found George eagerly scribbling down some notes on the creams.
Hermione Granger was busy telling him off, but it was obvious that George couldn't care less.
Fred moved over to join the two of them, and throughout the common room you could clearly hear Hermione's protests against using the naive first years for lab rats. "But they are getting paid!" exclaimed Fred indignantly.
"You haven't explained the danger to them yet! You are not to feed them any of those things unless they've been fully approved by the ministry of magic, magical foods and potions department!" Hermione said finally.
"Wow!" Fred exlaimed. "You mean that every piece of food we eat came with a certificate signed by the head of magical foods and potions department?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, and turned to the first years. "The first one I see trying one of their," she indicated the twins, "experiments is on detention with me in the library."
Alica chuckled as Hermione walked off, the twin's low voices speaking to the first years: "You heard her. If she sees us..."
Leaving the weasley twins to their experiments, Alicia walked over to where her friend was sitting, a bemused expression on her face.
"All ok Ang?" She asked. Angelina nodded distractedly, before snapping out of her daydreams and giving a more satisfying answer.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Maybe I shouldn't have tried that cream" she said. Alicia laughed, and left the common room. She had an essay for Transfiguration due the next afternoon; although it wasn't Snape, McGonagall could almost be as bad.
"BOYS WHAT DID I TELL YOU?" Hermione's angered shriek startled Angelina out of thought, making her turn and observe what the prefect was so angry about.
"But we're just talking to them Hermione! Not feeding or anything."
A twin answered in response to having been caught chatting to a group of small first years. Hermione shook her head wearily.
"I don't know, it's the sort of thing you'd do." She said tiredly. "It's your bedtime anyway."
She said on a stricter note, to the first years. They all obeyed without question. "You three should go to bed sometime soon as well."
Hermione finished, before heading up to the girl's dorms herself.
You three? Angelina looked around, Hermione had been right.
It was her and the Weasly twins left.
"You know mate, she's actually right this time." Said George, audibly followed by a loud yawn.
"Night both of you."
And suddenly, it was Angelina and Fred remaining in the common room.
When something important has to be said, it's annoying how quickly it twists, curls up and disappears; leaving you with nothing to say.
This happened to Angelina. She knew she had to tell Fred she like him, had to tell him, but it was so hard putting the words together, especially with just her and Fred in the same room alone together and the chance that he would follow his twin to the boy's dorm soon.
Fred seemed to sense her anxiety in a way, and spared her the difficulty of telling him by approaching her first.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, seating himself on the arm of the chair Angelina was in.
"I'm ok, good." Angelina stuttered.
"No side effects or anything? That's the first time we've tried Canary Creams after all."
Fred told her. Angelina shook her head.
"Hey you know the hogsmeade trip tomorrow?" Fred continued.
Angelina smiled, and hoped he was going to say what she thought he would. He did.
"You wanna go with me?" He said.
Angelina smiled. This was what she had hoped for.
"You mean you and George?" She said.
Fred shook his head.
"Nope, just me. Call it a date if you like."
He said, and left the common room in the direction of the boy's dorm, winking at her as he left.
"One two three!" smiled Angelina as she pressed the button on her old Polaroid camera.
The photo came out of the front of the camera, and Fred pulled it out to dry.
Linking their fingers together, Fred pulled her closer towards the shrieking shack.
"Why do you want to go in there? Its haunted." questioned Angelina, gently tugging on his hand.
"Its not haunted!" laughed the ginger haired boy.
"Well... Ok, but if there is one spooky sound, I'm outta there!" she grinned, looking deep into his eyes.
The two made their way up a narrow path and around a bend. The snow was thick around the rickety old stairs, but Fred couldn't be deterred.
Inside the house that could hardly even be called a house were a lot of cobwebs, and atleast a century's worth of built up dirt.
Turning a door handle, Fred put one of his hands over both her eyes, leading her on into the unknown.
Seating her carefully down on a comfortable love seat, he uncovered her eyes.
The room they were in was immaculate compared to the rest of the shack. A fire was burning in the grate off to the side and a red and white picnic blanket was spread on the floor, covered with tiny plates of finger foods. Candle light bathed the two in its warm glow and the shutters were drawn.
"How'd you do all this?" questioned Angelina in awe.
"A true marauder never gives away his secrets." grinned Fred.
The two sat together, eating happily and sharing small talk. Then when she was least expecting it, he reached over and kissed her softly on the lips.
Surprisingly there was no burst of excitement deep down within her. Tingles crept up her back slightly, but only slightly. It was nice.
Not excellent, not mind blowing, but nice.
Fred broke away, and grinned like a Cheshire cat after its filling of milk.
They left in silence, leaving the room as it was.
The trip back up to Hogwarts was reasonably quiet, Fred's arm snug around her waist.
Through the portrait hole and to the girls dormitory door, (Somehow Fred had managed to freeze the stairs so he wouldn't go toppling down, supposedly another of his marauder tricks) they walked.
"Well this is it, thankyou for such a wonderful time," she smiled up at him.
"Next weekend, ten?" he asked hopefully.
"Definitely." she replied. "Until then," she turned to open the door.
He stopped her before she could fully enter, the rest of the Gryffindor females looking on from inside the room.
"Oh and next time," he caught her elbow, "I'm sticking the tongue in!" and with the famous Weasly grin he was off and down the stairs to meet his brother.
"Ooooh, next time you'll get the tongue!" chorused all the girls loudly.
"Shutup." grinned Angelina good naturedly.
"Angelina and Fred, sitting in a tree, F U C-" started Katie, but was silenced as soon as a pillow hit her over the head. "Oh you did not. Please tell me she didn't just do that." the girl laughed.
"I'm afraid she did, and you know what that means." said Alicia solemnly.
"Pillowfight!" screamed the three girls in unison.
What ensued next was one of the most splendid pillow fights to ever go down in Hogwarts History.
By the time it was over, due to lack of pillows, the room was covered in feathers.
"Whoops." smirked Angelina.
Over the coming weeks Fred and Angelina's relationship blossomed, and life looked good tinted through rose coloured glasses.
December weather brought a chill to the whole castle, yet the room of requirements fire was ablaze, lifting the spirits of 7 particular students. Fred, George, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Oliver and Lee were sitting in a circle on the floor of the large room, alcoholic beverages spread between them like blankets to the outside world.
"Dare." grinned Oliver, too intoxicated to care.
"I dare you to streak across the Quidditch pitch." smirked Katie Bell.
Oliver simply smiled and made his way down to the pitch, the cold not disturbing him in the least.
In a flash his clothes were off, and running he was. All the girls were laughing, as Oliver felt the wind beneath his privates, flying freely in the night sky. Grabbing up his clothes before the young heart throb could return, Alicia sprinted off back to the room with the rest of them in tow, Oliver walking unashamedly down the halls of Hogwarts. Thankfully they didn't meet filch or Mrs Norris at all on their journey. Angelina pulld the Polaroid camera from her pocket and snapped a photo of Oliver.
Coming back to settle on the floor, fully clothed, Oliver spun the bottle.
"Da… hic!... Dare" said Alicia, trying to control the hiccups she had developed.
"Dare you to kiss the next person the bottle lands on." Yelled George, smirking at her suggestively.
Angelina barely had time to register the bottle spin before her friend was on her, full lips pressed against hers.
She opened her mouth to gasp, as something exploded deep inside her feelings.
Alica's tongue darted in and out of her mouth, sending shivers like ants racing up and down her spine.
And it was over. Alicia removed her mouth, to the shrieks and laughs of the others, and spun the bottle.
And so the night went on.
At some point of the night though, the drink ran out (as it does). One can only assume the creators of the room of requirement knew how much alcohol to provide to those who wanted some harmless fun.
Soon after, the portraits lining the walls between the Room of Requirement and the Gryffindor common room observed, with sleepy interest, a group of giggling youths making their way to bed.
Tears streamed down Angelina's face, running in a trillion different tributaries down her smooth cheeks, her dark mascara staining her fair skin.
Her pillow slowly becoming saturated with emotion, as the self loathing seeped into her skin.
Why couldn't life ever be as easy as romance novels?
Punching her pillow seemed to make her anger subside temporarily, as her silent tears gave way to gasping sobs.
Time elapsed and eventually the sun began to rise over the grounds of Hogwarts, creeping cheekily through the girls drapes.
"Hey, rise and shine!" came Alicia's voice from her bedside, her tone instantly softening to that of a child's as she registered her best friends mascara stains on unopened lids. "Open up your eyes, and give this world some colour."
Angelina smiled and rolled over, forgetting the troubles of the day before at hearing her friend's voice.
"One day that will become part of a song," she mumbled, squinting at the brightness.
"Yeah right," laughed the youth in front of her.
"Lets get you into a shower huh? Then you can tell me the latest woes of the world." Alicia winked, pegging a purple towel at her.
"Mmmmph." groaned Angelina as the towel hit her in the face.
The water was steamy in the shower and stepping out, Angelina moved over to the fogged up mirrors of the girls bathroom. Rubbing a spot clear with her towel, she let the full effects of the day before her come rushing back.
She was in love with her best friend.
None of the kisses Fred had stolen had felt as good as the one given by Alicia that night.
It was no use; putting it down to the alcohol just didn't work out. Now the idea was fully present, it awoke many memories that could all mean the same thing.
How could this happen to her? What about Fred? What about normality?
Angelina sucked up the impending tears and preceded to dry her hair on a near by towel.
She dressed quickly, pulling on her tie last.
Deciding to leave her hair out and messy, she made her way out of the bathroom and to her bed to find her misplaced shoes.