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warning; sex jokes cuz...teenagers.

Chapter 17.

Maybe you need to start stretching

The next day, Amanda was not happy. Sat at the Gryffindor table with Lara and Erin, she placed her palms on her forehead and sniffled.

"I can't believe I wasn't there," she lamented tearfully, causing Erin to pat her shoulder. "I've waited months for this. MONTHS."

Lara rolled her eyes at the melodramatics. "It's not like I planned on snogging him. He pulled me aside to give me his present and…it just happened."

"It was a firework," Erin quickly filled in. "In the shape of a heart."

"It's true love." Amanda said. "Actual true love. I'm going to cry."

"Love? It happened yesterday—"

"What was it like?" Amanda cut in, ignoring Lara completely. "Was it as good as the first time? Better? Worse?"

"It was…" Lara began, unable to stop the smile coming to her face. "It was good. Really good."

Erin giggled and said, "They were going at it like rabbits on heat—"

"Excuse me—"

"So he's still focused, huh?" grinned Amanda.

Lara smirked at the reminder of how she'd described her and Fred's first snog at Stan's party back in September. It seemed so long ago now.

"He is," Lara sighed dreamily. "It was better this time, though. It…I like Fred this time, not David. So it was different."

"Awww," Erin cooed, while Amanda put a hand to her heart and sniffed loudly. "Well, we whole-heartedly approve."

"I'd pretty much figured that out by now," chuckled Lara, then tucked her hair behind her ear awkwardly. "And thanks, y'know…for supporting me through the David thing…and making me realise I like Fred."

"You realised that on your own, mate," Amanda reached over to pat her hand. "We just provided the teasing."

"And the insulting names for Brentford," grinned Erin. "But you're welcome, La."

"What about you guys, anyway? Any boy drama—"

"Oh, no, don't think you're changing the subject," Erin interrupted, wagging her finger at Lara. "So are you and Fred together now?"

"I don't know, we haven't talked about it—"

"More importantly," Amanda said, leaning forward and wiggling her eyebrows. "Do you think he's the one?"

"The one?"

"The one you lose your virginity to," Amanda elaborated with a wicked smile. "And have sex in broom cupboards and in hallways and on the tables in the kitchens…"

"And on the Quidditch Pitch and in Snape's office, if Fred has anything to say about it," sniggered Erin.

Lara felt her neck heat up. Her initial reaction was a mortified OH MY GOD, but thinking about it…being with Fred didn't seem that bad. In fact, the very thought caused butterflies in her stomach, both from anxiety and excitement. If he was as good at sex as he was snogging, well…

"You're thinking about it!" squealed Amanda, causing several people to glance over suspiciously.

"Shhhhh," Lara hissed. "I—I'm not—"

"Fred and Lara sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G—"

"Oh, this is great," Amanda chirped over Erin's terrible singing. "I've always wondered if they're beefy everywhere, you know?"

"Even a bloody troll would know what you're on about—"

"'cause if their shoulders are anything to go by," Amanda continued, either not hearing or simply ignoring Lara, "Well…good luck, mate. You'll need it."

Erin suddenly stopped singing and scrunched her nose. "Maybe you need to start stretching, Lara—"

"Shut up," Lara gasped, flailing her arms towards her friends as she noticed the Gryffindor sixth years entering the Great Hall. "He's coming."

"That's what she said," muttered Erin, as Angelina and Alicia plonked down beside her and reached for the food.

George, Lee and Fred walked around to Lara's side of the table, so they took a little longer. Fred and George took a seat either side of her, Lee beside George, and after throwing the two boys on her left a welcoming smile, she turned to Fred as he reached for the bacon.

"You have a bacon obsession," Lara murmured with a smile.

"Who doesn't have a bacon obsession?" he replied as he began to make a sandwich.

"I prefer sausages."

Fred looked at her and winked, bringing his hastily made bacon sandwich to his mouth as he said, "I bet you do."

"Don't you start. You and Amanda should host an innuendo battle together."

"I'm up for that," Amanda piped up, grinning widely at Fred. "Might be a bit hard, though."

"I'm sure you'll be on top of it."

"Are you going to be stiff competition?"

"I'll put on a banging performance—"

Erin reached over and covered Amanda's mouth before she could respond. "People are eating," Erin stressed forcefully.

"At least we weren't talking about toilet habits," replied Fred. "Although, George had a right eventful morning in the bathroom."

"I really did," George agreed, sighing. "I shouldn't have eaten that curry last night—"

"Alright, alright!" Angelina whimpered, balking as she waved her arms around wildly. "I'm eating, shut the hell up."

Meanwhile, Alicia had her head in her hands as she whispered, "Oh, God. The images."

As the group began to bicker, Fred gently touched Lara's knee, turning her attention back to him. "Have you eaten?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Definitely."

Fred grinned and stood up, waiting a moment for Lara to join him. As they began to walk away from the table, Fred reached over and took her hand. This, along with the fact that they were walking away alone, garnered wolf-whistles from their friends. As Angelina clapped her hands together, Lee grinned and called out;

"Have fun, love-birds!"

"Yeah," agreed Amanda laughingly. "And use protection!"

Lara let out a long suffering sigh and turned towards them, glaring over her shoulder. They simply waved and winked at her; Erin made a shooing motion with her hands, urging Lara to turn back towards Fred. Giving them the finger behind her back, she squeezed Fred's hand tighter as they left the Great Hall.

"Sometimes," he said calmly, dropping her hand to wrap an arm around her shoulders, bringing her snuggly into his side. "I question our choice of friends."

"Me too," she smirked, enfolding her arms around his waist. He smelt slightly floral and tangy, a mix of laundry detergent and aftershave, and it was wonderful. "I think they wanted us to get together even more than we did, though."

"Did you know they have a bet going on?"

Lara looked up at him, her mouth dropping open. "Honestly, I'm not even surprised. Who won?"

"Amanda. That's why she's so smug," he grinned. "Didn't they tell you?"

"Probably didn't want me to hex them."

"Yeah, I don't think they wanted me to know, either," he chuckled. "However, they clearly underestimated the power of being a twin. George can't keep anything from me forever. He told me everything last night. Mostly because he was annoyed he didn't win, but still."

"What did he bet on?"

"He said I'd snog you on the last day of school," he peered down at her, his expression one of carefree joy. "I think his exact words were 'I reckoned you'd ravage her on the platform, give her something to remember you by, obviously'."

"Obviously," snorted Lara.

"Mandy bet something would happen on one of our birthdays. Birthday snog and all that."

"As if we wouldn't have any real ideas for presents and snog each other instead."

Fred snickered brightly. "Yeah, I suppose."

They walked down to the lake, Fred talking about the bets all the while, and chose a private area underneath an oak tree, away from the main bank where other students were hanging out. Fred stretched himself out across the grass and Lara propped herself against the tree, picking daises from the ground and playing with the delicate petals. Smirking, she threw some onto Fred's chest.

"Is that your way of saying I'm as pretty as a flower?" Fred grinned lazily, plucking the petals from his chest and blowing them back towards her.

"You're prettier than any flower."

"Aren't you a charmer?"

"I'm trying to get into your pants."

"It's working," he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers. "For every compliment I get, I'll loosen my belt by one hole."

"You haven't even got a belt on."

Fred looked down at his jeans, which were dark denim and belt-free. "Oh yeah," he smirked and sat up, their hands still laced together, the fingers on his free hand raking through the roots of her hair by her right ear. His lips stretched into that stupid, goofy grin, his dark pupils glancing between her eyes and her lips.

Unable to help it, Lara laughed as she cupped his neck with her hands.

"What?" he murmured.

"That smile," she replied quietly. "So cheesy."

"I'll take it," he shrugged. "I like cheese."

His lips met hers and he tipped her head backwards, his tongue sweeping across her sensitive skin. Lara held back a moan as the kiss escalated and she threaded her fingers into his hair, pulling him towards her. Scooting closer, he draped an arm around her waist, holding her firmly against him until they ran out of breath.

"Well," he panted once they'd pulled apart. "At least we know we're good at that."

Lara gulped thickly. "Not to inflate your ego, but…you were always pretty good at that."

"Better than Brentford?"

"You're such a boy," she smirked, rolling her eyes. "I'm not answering that."

"Just nod or shake your head."

Giggling slightly, Lara put her head to Fred's bicep and nodded twice. He whooped and gently tugged the end of her hair. "Sucks to be him," he chirped.

Lara sat back against the tree again, straightening her dress over her legs. Taking her attention away from Fred for a moment, she glanced at her surroundings, staring particularly at the lake for any sign of the Giant Squid. It still wasn't warm enough for him to bathe in the shallows, but the weather was definitely getting better, marking the beginning of summer. The sun was warm when it actually peeked out of the clouds and there was only a slightly breeze, though it picked up every now and then, blowing Lara's hair over her shoulder. In the distance, the castle was dark and foreboding against the blue sky, tall and grand, the turrets pointed and twisted, hiding a multitude of secrets.

Having been here for seven years, Lara forgot just how amazing Hogwarts actually was. Settled into her daily routine of lessons, friends and studying for N.E.W.T.S., it was easy to think of the castle as simply just school. But it was so much more than that; it was history, it was the pinnacle of British Wizardry, the pride and joy of many witches and wizards across the nation…it was home.

And she was leaving in two months.

"I graduate soon," Lara said, tearing her eyes away from the castle to look at Fred. "Like, really soon."

"Two months," nodded Fred. "Eight weeks."

"How do you feel about it?"

"I feel like you should fail all your exams and stay an extra year with me."

"I'd rather snog a flobberworm than disappoint McGonagall," Lara said and Fred snorted amusedly. "So that's not an option."

"So…what shall we do?"

Shrugging, Lara picked a dandelion and blew the white fluffy seeds towards Fred. "I don't know," she said eventually. "Doesn't it seem silly to…be together when I have to leave in two months?"

"We'll have the summer, too."

"I start my job with Walter pretty much straight away," Lara sighed. "In fact, we're travelling to France in July to look for the graphorn colony the Beast Department has been keeping an eye on."

"So do you…do you want to stay friends…"

"No," she gulped, biting her lip. "But I'd rather be your friend than be together and break-up in two months, you know? I don't want it to be awkward…even before my birthday, you were one of my best mates."

"Yeah," Fred laid back on the grass, staring out onto the lake, his eyebrows pinched together in thought. "And I don't want to fall in love with you, then be forced apart when summer starts."

Lara's eyes widened; fall in love? Her mouth opened to say something—however, no sound came out. Fred had always been blunt and straight to the point, almost to a fault sometimes. It was nice because she never had to worry about him hiding his feelings, but at a time like this, where it was sudden and she was caught off guard, it shocked her into a stunned silence.

Fall in love?

"Oh." She breathed, her body unnaturally warm, her stomach churning erratically. "I…I wouldn't want that either."

"Maybe we should just see where it goes," he said casually, not noticing Lara's astonishment. "And if in two months' time we decide it's worth it to stay together, then…we'll put the effort in."

"Okay," she agreed, clearing her throat, which was suddenly extremely dry. "That sounds smart. You never know, we might get on each other's nerves and break it off before the two months."

"Aw, Lala," cooed Fred, tilting his head like a sympathetic puppy. "You're not that annoying."

"I meant if I get sick of you, you git," she grinned and prodded his thigh. "Ouch."

"Beater."

"I forget!" she huffed, holding her aching finger and glaring down at him. Taking in his easy grin, his wide shoulders and messy hair, Lara was reminded of Amanda's comment earlier that day; I've always wondered if they're beefy everywhere. Her whole body suddenly burning, Lara began to fiddle with the ends of her hair and, mostly to distract herself, said, "I might not be here next year, but at least Quidditch will start up again."

"Yeah, with Angie as the Captain," snorted Fred. "I'm not sure whether to be excited or scared."

"You think Angelina will get Captain?"

"Of course. It's not going to be me or George, is it? And Alicia isn't bothered about it."

"Well," Lara smirked. "I'm not sure who I feel sorrier for; you and George, or Angelina for having to keep you in line."

"Wood did a pretty good job," Fred grinned. "And we were with him from being twelve. Imagine twelve-year-old Fred and George with beaters bats and brooms."

Lara cringed into her shoulder. "Poor Ollie."

"Poor Ollie," Fred agreed, nodding solemnly.

Time quickly went by as they sat together, talking about everything and nothing, looking out for signs of the Giant Squid, and the sky began to darken and the wind got colder. When they were cast into a murky gloom under the oak tree and Lara began to shiver, Fred said they should head inside, which Lara quickly agreed with. Grabbing his outstretched hand, she hurriedly pulled him towards the castle, desperate to be out of the cold.

"I regret not grabbing a jacket," Lara said, her teeth chattering as they finally entered the castle.

"I'd offer you mine, but…" he glanced down at his t-shirt and jeans. "You can have my t-shirt, if you want."

"Won't you be half-naked?"

"Yeah," he smirked. "But you'll enjoy it."

Lara rolled her eyes and yanked him towards her, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'll just do this instead," she grinned, putting her cold hands up his back.

"Why do girls always have cold hands?" he grumbled, flinching as she spread her fingers over his skin. "Annnnd…I have hypothermia."

"So dramatic."

"Do you fancy going to the kitchens for dinner?" he murmured, glancing down the corridor, where groups of friends were heading to the Great Hall to eat. "I'm not ready to share you yet."

"Hell yeah," Lara beamed. "I've never been to the kitchens before."

Fred's eyes almost bulged out of his head. "Never?"

"Normal people don't know where the kitchens are, Weasley."

"You tickle the pear," he said simply, and then laughed when Lara gave him a blank look. "Come on, I'll show you."

He took her hands, pulling her along with the other students. Instead of heading through the Great Hall doors, however, he headed for a regular-looking door in the Entrance Hall, where a staircase led them to the floor below. They came to a long, brightly lit corridor that Lara knew led to the Hufflepuff common room, thanks to her previous conversations with David. Glancing around the walls, Lara saw various food-themed pictures, most of which were unmoving and vibrantly colourful.

Suddenly coming to a stop, Fred reached out towards a picture of a fruit bowl, his long fingers coming into contact with a small, innocent looking pear. Gently wiggling his fingers on it, he stepped back and winked at Lara. She could only stare in wonder as the pear let out a childish giggle, then turned into a large green door handle, popping out from the stone wall. Fred easily grabbed it and pushed open the door.

The kitchens were bigger than Lara expected, at least as wide and long as the Great Hall. The ceiling was high and arched and five tables were set around the room in the exact same position as the house and teacher tables upstairs. Pots and pans lined the stone walls on counter-tops and stoves. At the back, a large brick fireplace took up much of wall.

"Mr Weasley, sir! How is you today, sir?" a small voice squeaked, making Lara look down. At her feet was a small house elf with floppy, bat-like ears and large blue eyes the size of tennis balls. Dressed in a pink, flowy dress, she peered up at Fred with a look of awed approval, her right foot twisting on the spot as she fluttered her thick eyelashes.

"Hey Tippy," Fred chirped, bending to pat the elf's head. "I'm good, how're you?"

"Tippy is great, sir, except Tippy is tired of Winky," she leaned forward and whispered, "She gets drunk every night, sir. Tippy is sick of it, sir. And I is not the only one."

"Sounds like Winky's a girl after my own heart," murmured Fred, at the same time Lara said;

"Drunk? Why is she getting drunk?"

"She misses her master, Miss," Tippy glanced towards the fireplace, where a small house elf sat upon a stool staring at the fire. "Winky thinks her master cannot survive without her, Miss. But he does not want her."

"That's so sad," Lara sighed.

"It is not sad, Miss!" Tippy squealed. "Winky is a bad house elf, Miss! She does not want to work!"

"Oh," said Lara as Fred sniggered at her side. "Oh, well, eh…I'm sorry, Tippy. That must be difficult for you."

Tippy nodded her large head, her ears flopping with the movement. "It is, Miss. It is difficult for all the house elves, Miss, not just Tippy."

"Speaking of house elves," smiled Fred, "Could we have dinner here, Tippy? The Great Hall's a bit overcrowded."

"Of course, sir! Choose a table, sir!"

Fred thanked her and walked towards the tables. He sat at the end of what would be the Slytherin table, making Lara raise her eyebrows as she sat down beside him. "Imagine their reaction if they knew," he grinned, wiggling his butt into the seat. "Blood traitor germs all over their bench."

"Ferret boy would be having a fit," smirked Lara.

"Oh, Merlin! I forgot about that! Moody's a great teacher, great teacher…"

Fifteen minutes later, Tippy returned with plates of food, which she placed in front of the duo with a bow. After filling their stomachs with potatoes and chicken, Lara ate a piece of chocolate cake while Fred had treacle tart. Lara grinned as she reached over to his plate with her fork, taking a good piece of the tart for herself.

"I feel like I'm in a restaurant," she said before placing the food into her mouth. "Why don't we do this more often?"

"Some of the house elves get testy about it," Fred said, motioning his eyes towards some old-looking elves washing up by the sink. "The older ones don't think students should be allowed down here."

"Well, technically, they're not. You're just a trouble maker."

"If I'm a trouble maker, you're a trouble maker," he tugged the end of her hair teasingly. "If you come here more than once a week, the older ones start hexing your food to get you to stay away."

"They hex the food?"

"They don't admit it, of course. Hexing a wizard would practically be a sin in their world, but who else would it be? I'm pretty sure I saw one of them laughing when George got turned into a blowfish last year, too."

Lara slowly shook her head. "I'm not even going to ask."

"Best not," he nodded. "I also want a taste of your cake."

He leaned over to grab a piece, so close that his neck was only an inch away from Lara's lips. Unable to help herself, she leant forward and kissed the creamy skin, his floral and tangy scent overwhelming her. In one swift movement, Fred turned his head and pressed their mouths together, as if he'd been waiting for her to make a move all along. Lara couldn't help but grin.

As it always did, the kiss escalated and deepened quickly, with Fred dipping her head backwards and Lara tangling her fingers into his hair. Fred gently nibbled on her bottom lip and Lara's toes curled in her shoes, her breath catching in her throat. Taking this as a good sign, Fred took the lip between his teeth, pulling it outward until Lara gasped and grasped his shoulders. Without a moment's hesitation, he crushed his mouth back to hers, just as passionate and heavy as before.

Lara's head was spinning; spinning, spinning, spinning, and she wasn't even aware of her own name, never mind her surroundings, until a voice said;

"Hello."

The couple jumped apart, panting and dishevelled, Lara still clutching Fred's t-shirt. She was so dizzy from the snogging that it took her a minute to realise who had spoken; it was another house elf, this one with bright green eyes, a pencil-thin nose and large ears. He wore at least five beanies, odd socks and a large jumper with the letter 'R' on it.

"Dobby!" Fred said cheerfully, as if the elf had merely interrupted a game of Gobstones. "How's things, mate? Still enjoying freedom?"

"Oh yes, sir. Dobby is most pleased, sir," he nodded, and then peered over at the depressed house elf by the fire. "Dobby's only worry is Winky, sir. She is very depressed without her master, sir."

"She'll be fine," Fred said, patting Dobby's shoulder. His large hand made Dobby look even smaller. "She just needs to realise how much better it is at Hogwarts than some crotchety old manor. The Crouches are boring old prats, anyway."

"Don't let Winky hear you say that, sir," Dobby whispered, though he looked thoroughly amused. "Whenever Mr Crouch's name is mentioned, sir, she cries. And she will not stop drinking butterbeer, sir."

"Is there not like…a grieving therapy she can go to?" Lara asked, glancing towards Winky, who now had her head in her hands, empty beer bottles surrounding her. "I'm sure Madame Pomfrey would talk to her."

Dobby shook his head, his eyes wide and sad. "Dobby has tried to talk to her, Miss. But she tells Dobby to mind his own business, Miss."

"I'm sure she doesn't mean it, Dobby," Lara smiled encouragingly. "You're just being a good friend."

"Oh." He squeaked and his great eyes filled with tears. "Oh, thank you, miss. That's very kind of you, miss."

Lara glanced worriedly at Fred, but he only grinned in response. "You're welcome, Dobby," she said, giving him a small smile. "And I like your jumper."

"Harry Potter's Wheezy gave it to Dobby, Miss!" he presented the jumper to her proudly. "Wheezy is sir's brother, miss."

"Yeah," Lara turned to Fred with a grin. "They have the same hair, don't they?"

"They do, Miss. And they are all very kind, Miss. I's never seen Wheezy…" he eyed Lara and Fred suspiciously, "Do that with a girl down here though, Miss."

Fred blushed from the roots of his hair to the tips of his ears. "Eh, sorry about that," he said, coughing slightly. "Got a bit carried away."

"We won't do it again," Lara hurried to say, wincing embarrassedly. "Sorry, Dobby."

"Dobby forgives you, Miss," he looked back at his house elf friend, who was now sobbing on the floor. "Dobby shall go and check on Winky. Sir, Miss," he bowed and hopped off the table.

Lara waited until he was far enough away not to overhear to say, "Did we just get told off by a house elf?"

"We did," Fred replied.

"Fair enough." Lara nodded. "We should probably find more private places."

"Your fault. You kissed my neck."

"You put it in a kissable area," she retorted and stood up, pulling him with her. "Let's head back to the common room. It's getting cold."

The moment they stepped through the portrait, however, Lara regretted her decision. Erin and Stan were sat on the couches with Fred's friends and George, chatting amongst themselves and Angelina seemed to be doing homework. The moment Erin spotted them, she rose her eyebrows and pointed at her wrist, although she didn't actually have a watch on.

"And what time do you call this?" she demanded.

"Eight PM," responded Fred cheerily. "I've actually got a watch, you see—"

"How have you spent nine hours in his company without wanting to kill him?" Lee asked Lara, sounding absolutely astounded.

George nodded at his friend's side. "Even I can't do that sometimes."

"I have wanted to kill him," Lara said and flopped onto the floor, leaning back against Alicia's legs. "I just didn't go through with it."

"She'd miss me too much," Fred grinned, collapsing beside her and stretching out across the floor. He casually put his head onto Lara's lap, making her roll her eyes, though she made no attempt to push him away. "As would all of you people. I'm the light of your lives—"

"Shhhhh," hissed Angelina, flailing her arms around. "If you're not talking about the properties of unicorn hair, shut the hell up!"

"Potions homework," Stan said unnecessarily. "She's mildly stressed."

"Mildly?" snorted George. "I think you mean severely."

Angelina threw a chocolate frog at him, which he proceeded to eat, and she leapt to her feet to steal it back. As they fought on the couch, Lara glanced down at Fred as he lay peacefully on her thighs. Softly threading her fingers through the front of his hair, she smiled, remembering the beginning of the year when she spent hours denying her attraction to him.

One thing was for sure; Lara had never been happier to be wrong.

Some may consider this a fluffy filler, but i'm all for it. Fred and Lara in Hogwarts is forever my favourite thing to write.

Thank you to everyone that reviewed, I got so many last chapter and I was over the moon! I wish I could hug you all for being so bloody amazing. I love that so many of you have taken this story, and Lara, to heart.

P.S. apologies for the late update, my grandpa died kinda suddenly and everything was all over the place for a while and I lost the will to write. But then I sat at my computer at the weekend staring at my screen, and I just opened the document to give it a go and this chapter came flying out. 99% sure it was my grandpa telling me to snap out of it, so yeah. Here we are. Hopefully the next one will be out sooner :)