A Girl Worth Fighting For

"Fred likes you, Angie," Katie insisted. "I think he's probably going to ask you to the Yule Ball."

Angelina shrugged. "Let him ask. I'll turn him down."

"You will?" Katie bit her lip.

"Of course," Angelina said, wrapping an arm around the other girl. "I'm taken, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but Fred doesn't know that," Katie fretted. "Neither does anyone else, for that matter, because you insist on keeping this relationship a secret!"

Angelina sighed and pressed a kiss to her girlfriend's temple. "You know why I have to do that, Katie."

"Look, I get it," Katie said, "but do you really think anyone from Hogwarts it's going to let it slip to your parents that you're dating me?"

"You just can't trust anyone," Angelina said darkly. "Trust me, it's better this way."

...

"Oi! Angelina!" Fred's voice cut through the din of the common room with ease.

Angelina rolled her eyes and muttered, "Can he not just walk over here like a normal person?" before calling back, "What?"

"Want to go to the ball with me?"

Angelina looked him over. As far as dates went, he wouldn't be so bad. Better him than, say, Adrian Pucey, who had taken to leering at her more than usual in the corridors. And at least if anyone else decided to ask her, she could say she was already going with someone.

"All right, then," she told Fred before turning back to Alicia.

Alicia nudged her. "What's the grin about? Won't Katie be...you know, a bit upset?"

"Katie knows we can't go together," Angelina said, pulling Alicia's Potions essay back towards her in an attempt to ward off the growing guilt she was feeling. "She understands."

...

"Alicia told me that Fred asked you to the ball and you said yes," Katie said angrily. "What happened to turning him down, Angie?"

"Shhh!" Angelina looked around frantically. The empty Transfiguration classroom amplified their voices more than she had expected it to. "Do you want people to hear you?"

"I don't care if people hear me! You're the one who seems to have a problem with people hearing me!" Katie shouted.

"I'm sorry, Katie," she whispered. "It's just...since I couldn't go with you, I figured I'd go with Fred for a laugh. I'm sure someone will ask you, too."

"I don't want anyone else to ask me," Katie said defiantly. "I want to go with my girlfriend, not some guy who thinks he'll get lucky."

"Maybe you and Alicia could—" Angelina began.

Katie snorted and crossed her arms. "Alicia wants to go with George. I'm not about to make her go with me out of pity."

"Then don't go," Angelina snapped. She grimaced and shot her girlfriend a contrite look. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"No, I think you did," Katie said softly, blinking back tears. Angelina tried to take her hand, but she pulled away. "See you at dinner."

...

Katie wasn't at dinner, and Angelina was worried. "Did she say anything to you?" she asked Alicia, pushing a piece of chicken around on her plate.

"Aside from some cryptic comment about hating you, no," Alicia replied. She tilted her head. "Is everything alright with you two?"

"No," Angelina sighed, setting down her fork. "She's... she's not happy that Fred and I are going to the Yule Ball together."

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Can you blame her?"

"No." Angelina sighed again. "I know I shouldn't be so worried about making our relationship public, but I am."

"It's a scary step to take, for sure," Alicia said bracingly, "but just think of how much happier you'll be. How much happier Katie will be. You want her to be happy, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Angelina said, stung. "But it isn't that easy."

"Of course it is." Alicia took a bite of chicken and contemplated Angelina as she chewed. "Do you love her?"

"Yeah, I do," Angelina admitted.

"Then you owe it to her to make this right," Alicia said simply.

Angelina let out a soft groan. "Why do you always have to be right?"

...

"I'm not talking to you," Katie said, her voice muffled by the crimson covers she was busy hiding under.

Angelina sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. "You'd be well within your rights not to. I've been acting really stupid."

"Well, I'm glad you've finally noticed," was the other girl's sarcastic reply.

"I guess I just got swept up in the moment," Angelina said quietly. "That was very wrong of me, and I'm sorry."

A moment later, Katie's brown eyes appeared over the edge of the duvet. "What was that last part?"

"I'm sorry," Angelina repeated, trying to inject as much sincerity into her voice as she possibly could. "There's no one I'd rather go to the ball with than you, Katie Bell."

Katie threw the covers off, revealing a radiant smile that made Angelina's stomach turn over. "Really?"

"Really," Angelina confirmed. "And, um, maybe it's time we told everyone about us. That is, if you still want to be with me."

"Of course I still want to be with you, Angie. You're not getting rid of me that easily, you know," Katie teased.

Angelina laughed and pulled her girlfriend in for a kiss. She was very glad that Katie wasn't going anywhere.


Word count: 884