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Chapter 8.

A cute sheep

"That's what you're wearing?"

Lara, who was in the process of putting on mascara, jumped in shock, effectively poking herself in the eye with the wand. "Ow, bugger." Lara spat as her eye stung and began to water. "What the hell, Erin? I think I'm blind—"

"You can't wear jeans and a t-shirt to a date!"

"It's not a date," Lara snapped for the hundredth time in twelve hours. "You're coming with us, you bloody idiot."

"But Fred asked you."

"He asked us both," Lara pointed out logically. "And we're going as a big group. So shush and get me a tissue."

Erin huffed, but did as she was asked, grabbing some tissue paper from the bathroom and handing it to Lara. Plonking herself onto Lara's bed, she stared down at her friend with narrowed eyes. "Will you at least change the t-shirt?" she asked after a stretch of silence, where Lara went back to her make-up. "Put on a nice jumper?"

"You can chose me a jumper, if you like," Lara sighed. "I warn you, however, that I own about fifty fluffy jumpers."

But Erin wasn't listening. As soon as she got permission, she began to dig through Lara's winter trunk, throwing jumpers and coats across the room. Fiona, who was sat on her bed studying, let out a frustrated sigh and Lara sent her an apologetic look.

"Here, wear this," Erin threw a thick, pink knitted jumper towards Lara. "The colour suits you and it looks incredibly soft, which will make Fred want to touch you all the time—"

"For Merlin's sake," muttered Lara, sending her best friend an angry glare. "I don't want Fred to touch me."

Erin only smiled teasingly. "Okay, sure. Put the jumper on."

Muttering insulting things under her breath, Lara stripped out of her slogan t-shirt (DUE TO UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES, I AM AWAKE) and changed into the jumper. She guessed she would be grateful for the outfit change once she was in Hogsmeade given the village was always above the snowline, but right now she just felt silly.

Last night, after Lara agreed to go to Hogsmeade with the sixth years, she remembered she had also promised to keep Erin company, as Omar and Amanda were staying behind to do homework and Stan had a date with a Beauxbatons girl. Fred simply told her to invite Erin along. At the time, Lara thought it was a great idea—that was her first mistake.

Erin decided to completely ignore the fact that a group of them were going and danced around the dormitory singing about Fred and Lara going on a date. Whenever it was mentioned that not only would Erin herself be with them, but also Lee, Angelina and Alicia, she waved it off, as if this was a minuscule, trivial detail and didn't really matter. She spent the rest of the night talking about what Lara should wear, how her hair should be, how her make-up should look, etc., etc.

Lara didn't want to shoot down Erin's excitement, but she thought all the dramatics were rather pointless. Even if it was a date (which is categorically wasn't) Fred wouldn't care about clothes and hair and make-up. He wouldn't notice the difference between a tracksuit and a million galleon dress. It was one of Lara's favourite things about him, his ability to not give a crap. She never felt like she had to do something to impress him.

With a shake of her head, Lara finished off her make-up, grabbed her coat and headed downstairs. As she pulled on her gloves and scarf, Erin came up behind her and hissed. "Your scarf is going to mess up your hair."

"I'm cold," Lara huffed.

"But—"

"You're impossible."

"Are you girls ready to go?" a voice asked as Erin opened her mouth to argue. Looking over, Lara saw the twins and their friends standing and pulling on their winter attire, as Lee looked at them expectantly, having been the one to ask the question.

"Yeah," Lara replied with a quick smile as Erin stuck her tongue out at her childishly. "I hope someone bites it off."

"Hopefully Viktor Krum."

Lara couldn't help but giggle as they joined the sixth years. Fred and George were talking about going to Zonko's, Lee was flirting with Angelina and Erin, Lara and Alicia trailed behind, chatting about what sweets they were getting from Honeydukes. Alicia got so hyped up by the conversation that by the time they actually got to the shop, she couldn't decide what she wanted to buy.

"We'll meet you in the Broomsticks," moaned Lee, already backing towards the door. "I can't deal with this."

"Pumpkin fizzes—no, wait, Acid Pops—but what if I want something chocolatey? Chocolate wands and Acid Pops? But what about Sugar Quills and Jelly Slugs? They last longer, so I can eat them while I study—"

"Go quickly," Angelina shooed the boys towards the door. "Save yourselves."

The twins and Lee walked out the shop, past the windows and disappeared from sight. Lara watched them go wistfully; she really wanted a butterbeer, and maybe a larger if she was feeling particularly reckless. Her sweets and chocolate stash was fully stocked thanks to Fred and George, so she had nothing to buy. But she didn't want to give Erin extra ammunition by going off with Fred.

Sighing, Lara stared at the toffee section for a while, waiting until Angelina told Alicia to, "Shape the bloody hell up," and Alicia finally grabbed a few things and went to the register. Erin all but rugby tackled Lara to the door and dragged her to the Three Broomsticks. Among the crowd, Lara could see three ginger heads and Lee's dreadlocks sat in a booth at the back.

"That woman." Erin cried once they were stood at the booth.

"She finally got her stuff, then?" smirked George.

"Eventually." Erin huffed as Lara sat down beside Lee and opposite Fred. She gave a small smile to Ron Weasley, who was sat in the corner of the booth with a sad frown on his freckled face. "She's just paying—Lee, want to come to the bar with me?"

Lee's face stretched into a cheery smile. "Sure," he replied. "George, Ron, why don't you come with? Drinks on me."

"What about me—"

"You've got one," Erin interrupted Fred's insulted whine.

"So has George—"

George quickly picked up his butterbeer and gulped it down.

Fred blinked slowly at his twin, then said, "Okay. So does Ron—"

George reached over and grabbed Ron's butterbeer, gulping that down, too. The fourth year boy scoffed indignantly.

"Great!" yelped Lee, getting to his feet. "Come on, then."

George scrambled over Fred, dragging Ron with him, who looked thoroughly befuddled and put-out. As the four of them rushed off together, Lara watched their retreating figures until they'd vanished in the crowd. "Subtle," she said once they'd gone, leaving Fred and Lara alone. "I should've known they were up to something."

Fred still looked very puzzled. "What just happened?"

"They want us to spend time alone together," Lara said with a smirk. "Erin, at least, seems to be under the impression we're in love and just haven't admitted it to ourselves yet."

"But—doesn't she know about David?"

"Yes. But that doesn't fit in with her plan, Fred."

"What plan?"

"For us to marry and have hundreds of ginger babies."

"I—what?" Fred shook his head confusedly.

"I know." Lara sighed, shrugging off her coat and pushing it aside. "Try sharing a dorm with her. It's highly stressful."

"And I thought Ron was going through some personal drama."

"How is he?"

"A moody git." Fred replied with pursed lips. "But I'm suddenly having an epiphany. George and Lee were in on this, too, right?"

"Looks like it."

"That makes so much sense. George made me comb my hair this-morning. And Lee attacked me with deodorant."

"I was made to change out of my slogan t-shirt."

Fred finally looked away from the area where his friends and brothers had disappeared, his brown eyes moving up and down Lara's form. "I love your slogan t-shirts," he grinned slowly. "They're funny."

"But this jumper is soft."

"You do kind of look like a pink sheep."

"A sheep?"

"A cute sheep."

Lara rolled her eyes. "And to think I was going to compliment your hair."

"I don't need compliments. I know my hair is fetching," he responded and dramatically flipped his imaginary hair.

"So sassy."

"Thanks," Fred flipped his hair again with a grin. "Want a drink? I'll buy first round."

"Sure, thanks."

He went off to the bar, leaving Lara to contemplate her surroundings. This wasn't how she expected her Hogsmeade trip to go, though she felt slightly stupid for not predicting Erin's schemes. Her dancing and celebrations last night were strange, but her insistence that Lara dress up and look pretty for a group outing should have made it so plain to see.

She wanted Lara to look good because she planned to leave her alone with Fred—obviously.

Sighing, Lara rested her elbows on the table and then placed her chin in her hands. Glancing around the pub, she tried to spot any of her friends, wondering if they were around here somewhere watching their ingenious plan be executed. Even Angelina and Alicia had to be in on it, as they still hadn't returned from Honeydukes. However, Lara couldn't see any of them; in the distance the Creevey brothers sat together, Hermione Granger was sat on her own with stuff probably related to S.P.E.W., and Stan was in the corner chatting up his pretty Beauxbatons companion.

Just as she was about to relax again, Lara spotted a familiar head of dark hair. There, sat at a rectangular table with some friends, was David. He had a butterbeer in his hand, a smile on his face as he laughed at something his friend had said. Dressed in a thick jumper and jeans and not his regular black Hogwarts robes, he looked incredibly handsome.

Lara sucked in a sharp breath and straightened in the booth, suddenly very aware of her hands. She laced her fingers together, then placed her palms on the table, then grabbed the sleeves of her jumper; Merlin, what did she normally do with her hands—

"Here you go." Fred appeared again, placing a butterbeer in front of Lara. "Why are you jumping around like a nervous rabbit?"

"I—it's nothing—"

But Fred was already looking around the pub, searching for the source of Lara's nervousness. When he spotted David sat with his friends, a grin spread across his freckled face. "Ah, I see," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Dashing Dave, huh?"

"Well…" Lara gulped thickly. "I suppose it's better than Dreary Dave…that's what Erin and Mandy call him."

Fred bit his lip as if he was trying desperately not to laugh. "That's—that's awful…"

"I know you want to laugh."

"No, no," a few giggles burst from his lips. "No, I don't want to—anyway. I'm going to get his attention."

"His attention? How the hell—"

Fred dug into his pocket and produced a small box that looked suspiciously like a firecracker. Lara reached over to grab it from him, her eyes wide with terror, but with a simple flick of his thumb the box flew into the air. Lara yelped and pushed herself into the seat, her fingers gripping onto the side of the table, just as there was a loud explosion above her head. Looking up, Lara saw the box had turned into a firework, which glittered bubble-gum pink above her head in the shape of a heart.

A few people let out gasps and shrieks, most of the girls sighed admiringly. Blushing the colour of a tomato, Lara brought a hand to the side of her face to hide behind it, throwing her hair over her shoulder for extra protection. "Fred," she whispered, mortified. "You bloody idiot—"

"He's looking," Fred sang brightly, almost bouncing up and down in his seat. "He doesn't look happy."

"I can't even look."

"The other girls seem to think I'm terribly romantic."

"If that's true, the girls of Hogwarts are absolutely mad."

"Or maybe you don't appreciate my brilliance."

Lara giggled and peeked at him from behind her fingers. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know you're just trying to help."

"Don't worry about it. I forget that other people aren't as mental as I am," Fred grinned widely. "Sorry if I scared you."

"I'll get over it," Lara said, biting her lip and taking her hand away from her face. "It was actually rather sweet."

"I know. I'm a gentleman."

Lara smiled and chanced a look towards David. He was talking to his friends again, his eyebrows slightly pinched. She must have stared a little too long because he peered over, catching her eye. Her heart thudding in her chest, Lara gave him a small smile and turned her attention back to Fred.

"You're blushing," Fred whispered, leaning forward onto the table.

"I always blush," muttered Lara irritably.

"Not like that. You look like a fire truck with a blonde wig."

"I do not."

Fred sniggered and leaned forward even more. "I'm going to touch your hand," he said barely moving his lips. "Because Brentford is staring and he'll see."

Sure enough, Fred reached out and placed his hand on top of Lara's. She automatically laced her fingers with his, mostly to anchor herself to the moment, to clear her muddled brain. It had been a very strange day; in fact, it had been a very strange three months. She felt like everything was changing and yet staying the same, like something was slipping through her fingers and she couldn't figure out what.

But Fred's smile was bright. His laughter and jokes were infectious. He never seemed to lose that mischievous glint in his eyes. And he made everything seem so simple. It was like he saved people from themselves, from their slumps and their self-loathing. He just came along, all grins and winks, and he made everything seem lighter.

After a long moment, Lara pulled her hand away and put her chin into her palm. Fred grinned teasingly, still bent forward, and they talked about the Quidditch League and the likelihood of mermaids breeding with centaurs and what kind of woman would go for Filch. By the time Fred declared that no woman deserved that kind of life, it was time for the students to head back to the castle.

"Walter never taught you Quidditch?" Fred asked, horrified, as they walked up the pathway.

"Well, he wanted to, but I said no."

"Why?"

"Because the only position I'd be good at would be beater," she grinned. "And we've already got those."

"I reckon you'd be a decent seeker."

"And go up against Harry Potter?"

"Chaser, then," snorted Fred. "Although, after that incident in the Great Hall, maybe not."

"You caught me off guard!"

"Oh, yeah, 'cause that never happens in Quidditch. When bludgers are coming left, right and centre, you can totally tell when one is going to knock you off your broom so you can fall a hundred feet—"

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit."

"Don't be a Ravenclaw." Fred grinned playfully. "What makes you think you'd be a good beater, anyway?"

"Look at these muscles," Lara lifted her arm up and then realised she had a thick coat on. "Oh, damn. Never mind. You can't see them right now, but they're there."

"I've known you for six years—never seen muscles."

"I don't think anything before this year counts, Fred—"

"Okay, so I've known you three months," he corrected. "Still—no muscles."

"That's just rude." Lara scoffed and Fred raised his eyebrows challengingly. "Let me show you—stay still—okay, when I say go, jump on my back."

"What?"

"Jump on my back," Lara repeated, stripping off her coat and throwing it to the snow-covered floor. They were two of the last students to head back to the castle, so there wasn't many people behind them, just a few couples wrapped up in each other and a drunken teacher here and there. "Right, I'm ready. Let's do it."

"I—are you kidding? Absolutely not—"

"Don't be a baby."

"I'll crush you. I'm literally double your body weight and triple your height—"

"I'm offended you didn't say that the other way around," Lara gave him a flat look. "I'm not that short."

"You're pretty teeny."

"Get on my back."

"No."

"Fred."

She then tackled him in the stomach, grabbing his leg and trying to pull it onto her back. Fred grunted and whacked her on the head a couple of times, muttering, "I'll squish you—I'll literally squish you like an icky bug—blood and guts everywhere—"

"How heavy do you think you are?"

"I am trim, thank you very much! I'm worried about your strength—"

"I'll be fine," she muttered as Fred squeaked anxiously, his right leg wrapping around Lara's hip. "Right, jump."

Fred seemed to realise that she was going to be stubborn about this. With a sigh, he clasped his hands on her shoulders tightly, and said, "Three…two…one…"

He leapt into the air and landed heavily on her back. For one glorious, perfect second, Lara thought she'd won this particular argument…and then she began to tumble backwards. "Fred!" she squealed as she realised she'd lost her footing. "Bugger—bugger—"

They fell back and to the side, Lara half on top of Fred and Fred half in a bush. Lara cringed and pushed herself into sitting position, turning to Fred worriedly. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Fred, I'm so sorry—"

However, Fred didn't look like he was hurt at all. In fact, he was laughing so wildly his whole body was shaking and his face was turning red. A smile slowly stretched across Lara's face at his loud howls.

"Are you hurt?" Lara asked laughingly. "Bleeding? Anything broken?"

"No, no, I-I'm fine!" he yowled cheerfully. "I knew that was going to happen—Merlin, it was like slow motion—"

"I think I overestimated my abilities."

"Definitely not beater material," Fred sat up, twigs snapping under his palms and leaves stuck in his hair and clothes. He looked like the definition of dragged through a hedge backwards. "Are you alright?"

"Eh, well…"

"What's happened?"

"I think I've twisted my ankle," Lara smiled sheepishly. "I stupidly tried to save myself and my bottom half moved slower than my top."

Fred shook his head slowly. "This is why we shouldn't have been left alone."

"I feel like we're bad influences on each other," snorted Lara. "My ankle hurts."

"Dear Merlin," Fred mumbled and scrubbed his hands through his hair, knocking out the leaves and dirt. Getting to his feet, he also brushed down his jumper before reaching down for Lara. "Let's get you to the hospital wing."

Lara grinned as she grabbed his outstretched hands, allowing him to lift her to her feet. Once she was stable, he grabbed her coat from the floor and then wrapped his arm around her waist, taking most of her weight as she hopped up the pathway.

"What a way to end a fake date," Lara joked.

Fred chuckled and said, "Certainly one of the most memorable."

"Every encounter with me is memorable."

"Yeah." He smiled that brilliant smile of his. "I think I'm starting to realise that."

Well, here it is! One of my favourite chapters, I have to say (and based on a true story...sort of, but anyway). Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter, I got some lovely ones that really made me smile. You guys are the best.

I don't know what the next chapter is called yet, so I don't have a teaser this time, oops! HOWEVER, the first task will happen, so I guess that's kind of a teaser? Maybe? Also Walter (Lara's brother) makes another appearance, if you happen to like him.

PS. As for the question from Mrs Shawn ;well, I don't want to give too much away, but I think it's clear from this chapter Fred is starting to get a little more than friendly feelings? So we'll see how he reacts if David and Lara get closer...