Chapter 13

Fred interupted Kerri playing. "May I talk to you for a second privately?" He asked. "No one is to go anywhere until Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore arrives here to tell us what's going on." "Well, Fred I guess you have to say what you wanted to say in front of everyone." Kerri told him. Fred glanced warily at Oliver and tried to say it in a whisper. "I love you." He turned beet red. "Can you say that again louder?" Kerri asked stunned. Harry watched Oliver stand up his fist balled. "I love you." Oliver strode over to Fred and Hermione trip jinxed him. "Sorry can't have you beating up poor Fred here when he's helping out."
As Oliver helped himself up Professor Snape and McGonagall appeared. "Whatever problems you've been having as a group I don't want to hear about it." Professor Snape began glaring at Oliver and Fred. "You students are to stay here until the end of this term. Then you may return to the school. Professor Snape and myself will be tutoring you in your studies in the evenings alternating." Professor McGonagall said. "Goody." Ron muttered. Snape glared at him and he shut up. "Oliver and Fred I trust you will behave professionally and watch the students and not flirt with them." Hermione looked annoyingly smug. Kerri glared at her. Hermione it seemed could not wipe the smirk off of her face.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape had bought up their school things. Fred and Oliver helped them place their trunks in different rooms. "Thank your parents for us will you?" Professor McGonagall asked. "I will." Oliver said. "Don't do anything stupid like mess with locals or send owls." Professor Snape said. "Of course that's beneath Professor Snape." Kerri couldn't help chiming in. "You can't always tell by simply looking Potter who is a wizard and who is NOT. Be smart, be vigilint and well you know I suppose. Get to bed as soon as you can. Good night." Kerri rolled her eyes as Professor McGonagall dissappeared.

Fred turned to Kerri. "Can I please take a private walk with you?" Fred asked. Kerri felt uncomfortable. It's not that she hadn't thought of Fred in that way. In fact she had. That's what was the problem. "No she can't." Oliver snapped. "Don't you ever tell my sister what to do." Harry snarled raising a wand. "I think a nice romantic walk on the beech is just what we need." "You heard Severus." "Since when are you and that greasy haired oddball on first name basis. I'm not mixing with the locals I'm not taking her far and hey she's with me." Fred said. "We're supposed to be watching all of them." Oliver said. "Oh shut up I'm too old to need a baby-sitter they might as well have called Percy in." Ron said. Oliver looked hurt. "Go on before it gets dark." Hermione said smiling. Kerri followed Fred out onto the sandy beach.

They were in a white picket fenced back yard looking out at the Ocean. A few ways away but you could still see it was "Azkaban." Fred said. "That's why it's so chilly." Kerri said shivering. "Yes odd place to have a summer beach home and with such a lovely view." Fred said making a face. "It's a nice place though and Oliver will be getting it from his parents." "Yes but there's more to a bloke then money usually however in his case..." Fred's voice trailed off. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Kerri asked him nervously. She had said yes to Oliver but then this complication had arisen. She had hidden feelings for Fred Weasley and had never spoken about them to anyone. "Well about this really." A mistletoe appeared over his head. "Fred Weasley!" Kerri said giggling a little. "Well?" Fred asked her. He seemed kind of nervous. He took her hands in his. Oliver's ring slid off her finger onto the ground and Kerri kissed him. "I love you Kerri Potter I have since I met you why do you think i tried so hard to be with you?" "Then why on earth did you hook me up with Oliver?" Kerri demanded. "That was the biggest regret of my life." Fred told her honestly. "Next time you like a girl and god I hope she's me don't try to hook her up with someone else." "So will you be my girl?" Fred asked her. "Yes." Kerri had decided. And she was going to stick with this decision. Fred lifted her up into the air and kissed her again.

They returned inside twenty minutes later. "That was a long walk." Oliver said. "Yes well um Fred you tell him the bad news." Kerri said trying not to smile. Ron gave her a funny look. "Well you just lost your fiance and your girl." Fred told him. Oliver ran at Fred and threw out a punch that missed. Fred swung and hit Oliver in the face. "It was her decision and she made it. If you have any respect for her whatsoever and you care for her as you say you do you'll let it be Oliver." Fred said. "Easy for you to say." Oliver said he swung at Fred again and punched him in the stomach. Kerri hexed Oliver. "Good luck fixing that because I won't help you. Leave Fred alone get over it. Not like you had a problem not talking to me for a year." "I thought we'd work past that." "Yes well." Kerri stormed off. Harry followed her and so did Fred. "Well I think for one we should all get some sleep. Snape will smell trouble if we stay up to late." Harry said. Fred and Kerri agreed. They kissed. Harry smiled his sister was actually happy now. And Fred was a decent bloke.

Professor Snape spoke in monotone and expected them to pay attention. Kerri was bored. The sky was darkening. Oliver was nursing a black eye and cursing under his breath. Fred a bruised stomach. Neither men had spoken to each other. Fred was speaking to Kerri and Oliver was now avoiding her like the plague. If Professor Snape noticed anything unusual it didn't seem to bother him or make him curious. Finally nearing nine oh clock Professor Snape left them with a bunch of homework to do.

"I'm bored." Ron said. "Congradulations little brother what do you suggest we do about it?" Fred asked grumpily. "Well let's think of something Ron we could study." Hermione said brightly. "We have new notes and - "Hermione I'm not that bored." "Oh." She looked crestfallen. "Here's an idea how about you two get it on in the broomcloset." Fred said testily. "We're supposed to be stopping situations like that from happening in case you'd forgotten." "How can I with you reminding me every ten seconds?" Fred snapped. "Not another arguement what about hide and go seek?" Hermione said. "What's that?" Ginny asked finally looking up from writing in her journal that had been purchased from Fred and George's book shop. Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley now approved of every journal she owned since the Chamber of Secrets problem. Ginny was heartily sick of it and would think of a way around it. "Well we pick one person to be it and we all hide from him or her and they have to find us. The first person they find is it." Hermione said. "Well it's better than nothing." Ron said slamming down his book. "Count me out." Oliver said bitterly. Kerri felt slightly guilty. "Are you going to play?" Fred asked Kerri. "Yeah." "Okay I will."
Harry ended up being it. Fred and Kerri hid behind the sofa. Behind the piano bench were Ron and Hermione. Ginny had found a broom closet to hide in. "Kerri check this out." Fred whispered. Ron and Hermione bonked there heads. They looked up to see a mistletoe that had not been there seconds before. Kerri and Fred giggled as they heard them whispering franticly and rather loudly. "Who put that there?" "And what are we supposed to do." "Kiss I suppose." That was Ron. "Kiss? KISS?" Hermione asked him. "Well it is tradition." He shrugged. "You got a point there." "DO I?" Ron asked. Kerri had to bite her lip to keep her from laughing. "Kiss it is then." They did it rather ackwardly but then they got the hang of things very quickly. In fact Harry found them first. "Ron and I um. Wow I'll go find the others." "Not a bad idea huh?" Fred asked Kerri. She kissed him with out hesitation.

Oliver stood over him with his arms folded. "Ahem. The game is over. Harry got Ginny out if your interested in knowing." Oliver said. Kerri and Fred looked up. "We weren't." "Well you can - "Uh let's get the second round started shall we?" Hermione asked. Ginny began counting. Ron stomped off to hide muttering, "I'm still bored." Ginny found Fred, then Harry, then Hermione, but no Ron. "RON! You can come out now!" Ginny shouted. There was no answer. "Stupid git probably thinks I haven't found anybody and I'm trying to trick him." Ginny said. "He is not stupid and would you have?" Hermione asked shrewedly. "Well yes." Ginny admitted. Hermione nodded then. "Oy Ron Fred's IT!" Harry shouted. Oliver led the search party. They had searched over an hour when they started getting worried. Finally they found what they had been looking for in the kitchen. Part of the pantry wall in the cupboard had been taken out revealing a hole in the wall.

Harry, Kerri and Fred peered in it.Oliver stood back a little ways. "Wands out everyone Lumos." Kerri said. "We think we know where Ron dissappeared. Oliver did you know about any secret passage ways?" Harry asked. "My parents never mentioned any." Oliver confessed. "Well there you go. I wonder where could it possibly lead?" Harry asked sarcasticly. Kerri gave him a silent look and he nodded confirming. Hermione lit her wand. "Don't yell for Ron in case he's not alone if you know what I mean." Harry whispered stepping through the hole in the wall into a long black tunnel.