Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns everything Harry Potter, but the plot is mine J
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, but I'm not going to be able to do personal notes this time just because it takes up so much space, but I really do appreciate everyone's suggestions, comments, etc. This chapter is gonna be kind of short, but I promise the next one will make up for it. Hope your 2006 is going great!
/All my love
Like a lost balloon
Rising up through the afternoon
'Til it could fit on the head of a pin./
--Norah Jones, "What Did You Say"
"Katie, I can't believe you did that to Fred in the hallway today," Alicia said conversationally.
It was after dinner, and she was lying on her bed, flipping through an old photo book of our friends, pausing at the one of Fred and I smothering each other with a cake Mrs. Weasley had made a couple of summers ago. Angelina was likewise on her bed, sitting criss-crossed, writing a note to Oliver. She was trying to pass it off as homework, but we could all see the little hearts bordering the letter.
"What are you talking about?" I asked. I was sitting at the vanity, pulling my hair up into a ponytail. I'd straightened it before dinner, just in case Cedric decided to come talk to me again (and he did!), and now I was putting it up again. I ran my fingers through it, admiring the silky dark smoothness.
"You put your arm around Fred! His waist!"
"So?" I asked.
"You don't see anything wrong with that?" she asked incredulously.
Angelina set aside her note. "It does seem like a little bit more than a friendly gesture, Katie. You don't think so?"
"I don't know," I replied carelessly, reaching for a spare elastic. "Maybe. Maybe not. Why does it matter anyway?"
"Because you're not going together with him!" Alicia cried. "That's the way people who are going together walk! It's not something friends do."
"Well you and George snog all the time," I said, fastening the elastic and turning around to face her. "And you're not going together either. In fact, George has a girlfriend right now, doesn't he? Little Miss What's-her-Name tow floors up?"
The words were out before I could stop them. Alicia opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. I instantly regretted what I had said.
"Katie!" Angelina cried. "That was uncalled for!"
"I know it was!" I snapped, and then turned to Alicia. "Sorry, Al," I said softly. "It's different, I know it is. You and George like each other. Me and Fred…we'll just only ever be friends. It was maybe a little out of line. But I don't think it hurt anything." I looked up at my two friends for their approval, but I didn't get it.
"I don't know, KB," Alicia said warily, looking over at Angelina. "For the past few days we've been thinking--"
"That Fred likes you!" Angelina blurted before Alicia could finish. "I mean he has always liked you, but now we think he knows he does! C'mon, Katie, it's so obvious…and if you and Cedric are going to be going together soon, we don't think you should lead him on like that. You should have seen his face. He looked like he'd just been named owner of the HolyHead Harpies. It's just not right."
I stared at both of them for a couple of seconds and then burst out into peals of laughter.
"You--" I giggled, "Think that Fred Weasley…likes me? Oh, that is a good one. Props for that."
Angelina glared at me disapprovingly. "Well, even if Fred didn't think anything of it, which I know he did, Cedric Diggory sure did!"
I sat straight up and stared at her. "What!"
"Yeah," she said, still glaring at me. "He saw your little stunt today and asked Alicia and me what was between you two. Why do you think he came over to dinner tonight?"
"Because…I'm hott?" I guessed jokingly.
"No," Angelina snapped. "Because he was trying to distract you from Fred!"
"Well, now that's just silly," I said. "I'll be sure to clear it up tomorr--Oh, Merlin, our date's tomorrow! Goodnight, kids, I need my beauty sleep."
"You haven't even picked out your hairstyle yet!" Alicia said.
"Or your outfit!" piped up Angelina.
I yawned. "Raid my wardrobe and enlighten me tomorrow," I said, and pulled the covers over my head.
-----------------------------------------------------
When I awoke the next morning, I was delighted to find that my friends had actually pulled together to help me. Laying out at the foot of my bed were various articles of designer name clothing that my rich aunt from Paris bought me which I never wore. They were all assembled into one very trendy, very chique outfit. No doubt the work of the fashion princess Angelina.
Likewise, thousands of self-heating curling irons, straighteners, crimpers, and bottles of hair potion were spread all over our vanity and Alicia was running up and down, checking each one. I smiled to myself. Now this is when you know you have true friends.
"Morning, beautiful," Angelina called cheerfully, tossing an orange in my direction. "Eat, shower, and get dressed, and then we can start getting you ready for Mr. Sexy!" She winked.
I squealed and kicked my feet, flopping down again on my bed. "It's today!"
--------------------------------------------------------
I hadn't been this nervous since I'd tried out for the quidditch team.
"Oh, gosh, there he is," I whispered to Angelina. "Excuse, I'm going to be in the bathroom. Puking."
Angelina caught me around my waist and thrust me toward Cedric. Thankfully, for grace's sake, I was able to stop myself in time to walk up to him in a dignified manner.
"Hey Cedric," I said in the most confident voice I could muster.
"Katie," he smiled. "I was getting worried. You look beautiful."
He slipped his arm around my waist and guided me to the line where Filch was checking to see if we had permission to go. I put my own arm around his, and strongly hoped he wouldn't be reminded of the incident with Fred in the hallway yesterday.
"You're too sweet," I said, doing my best to try and steer the conversation away from it.
It didn't work.
"Katie," he said seriously. "I want you to tell me what's going on between you and Fred Weasley."
I'd prepared an answer for this moment, but suddenly I didn't want to give it. I was annoyed that Cedric thought he was entitled to an explanation of my life and I didn't particularly care for the way he said Fred Weasley. I took a couple steps ahead of him, releasing myself from his arm and folded my own.
"I thought you already asked that question to Angelina and Alicia," I said cooly.
He seemed to gather that he'd disappointed me. Running to catch up with me, he said, "Katie, I did, I just wanted to make sure that--"
"And what did they say?"
"That you two were just friends, but I couldn't help but notice that--"
"Well, if you can't trust my friends, I don't know where this is going," I said firmly.
"I--" He seemed lost. "Okay, Katie. I'm sorry, I'll let it go."
"Thank you," I said happily, returning back to his side. I suddenly noticed that I'd never clearly answered the question, and that I was oddly relieved that I didn't have to. I pushed it to the back of my mind.
We'd reached Hogsmeade now, and the tiny village was covered in the first snow of the approaching winter months. It was still daylight, but in a couple of hours the sun would set, and probably bring another few inches. It was beautiful, I was beautiful, and the boy I was with was beautiful. What more could I ask for?
"So," I said. "What are we going to do today?"
"Well," he said grinning. "I'm kind of excited about this--I got tickets to 4:00 showing of The House Cleaner!"
I forced the smile on my face to get a little bigger. "That's the--um--house elf ballet, isn't it?" I said through my teeth.
"Yeah!" he said, "I knew you'd like it, c'mon!"
And he grabbed my hand and we ran through the streets until we got to the theater where the wretched thing was playing.
Now, normally, I don't mind ballets. I even like them. And I like house elves too, I think they're kind of cute. But put them together and you get--
"Katie, wasn't that cute? Katie…you're not sleeping are you?"
I jumped up with a start. "Oh, no, Cedric. Of course not. Yeah, it was adorable."
And I watched as the boy I'd been too apt to dwell on for the past five years of my life laughed at a house elf doing a pirouette over a tea kettle. I sighed. Fred, George, Lee, Alicia, Angelina, and Oliver were probably scaring each other over at the Shrieking Shack, or stuffing their faces at Honeyduke's or laughing while the twins made improvements on the stuff at Zonko's. And I was sitting in one of the worst productions ever put on by wizard kind. I couldn't take this much longer.
"Hey--hey, Ced, what do you say you and me take off and blow this thing, and go try and break into the Shrieking Shack?"
I looked at him pleadingly, but he just met my puppy face with stone cold disgust. "Katie, how can you think of breaking into private property when Bobby the house elf just lost his slippers?"
"Oh--right." I sighed and leaned back in my chair. Only two hours left to go…
