We've seen dickhead Fred, slutty Fred and prankster Fred so far - now get ready for caring Fred!

I hope you guys feel lucky - this is the second update in as many days! What can I say, I've been bitten by the writing bug. I'm enjoying not having to do anything and going back to this story is giving me hope that I might finish it someday.

Just to make you aware in case you missed the first update - I posted a new chapter yesterday as well, so go check that one out if you haven't already. We're getting into the meat of the story now, romance is heating up a little, and we'll get a nice dose of angst next chapter. And some humour as well.

Chapter 16: The Second Tournament

Fred Weasley would never admit this aloud to anyone, but the knowledge that Ron was down there, in the water of the Black Lake - that scared him. He could tell that his twin, ever at his side, ever-present for his flaws and successes, was scared for their younger brother too.

But then again, George had Angelina Johnson now, so he wasn't stewing in his terror like Fred was right now. The pair were huddled up, at the front of the barriers protecting the stands from the waters of the lake below. They were sharing a scarf now, too. Fred grimaced to keep from throwing up in his mouth and took a long breath in.

The cool air stung his cheeks and his nose, but it was a welcome reprieve from whatever was going on down there. It had only been five minutes since the clock started to tick down the hour, but it already felt like twice that time had passed.

Trying desperately to distract from his worry (although he knew rationally that Harry would rather die himself than allow Ron to drown), Fred began to look around, pulling his hat further down past his ears, the ends of his long red hair poking out. It was freezing cold, and the majority of the Hogwarts population had come kitted out in full winter regalia. The Durmstrang lot seemed mostly unconcerned with the weather, probably having experienced much worse at home, and the Beauxbatons group were shivering in their poorly designed blue wizards robes.

Fred, despite himself, cracked a small smile, and winked at one of the French ladies who had been eyeing him up. She giggled, shyly meeting his gaze before turning to her friend and whispering frantically. Fred smirked back, enjoying the attention. Yeah, he's still got it.

But the sight that kept drawing his attention was of the girl sitting on the steps at the very far left end of the stands, light blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and dark blue scarf wound tightly around her neck. Selene had the same sharp features as her brother, but the beauty was somewhat more pronounced on a feminine face. Did he just call Draco Malfoy beautiful? Fred grimaced. Well, at the very least, he could admit that Selene was hot.

When she wasn't threatening to cut his balls off, that was.

Fred sighed, and glanced over to his twin, whose arm was now firmly nestled around Angelina's shoulders. He could have done anything else, realistically, he could have walked over to Lee and had a look at the betting list, he could have gone over to McGonagall and bothered her until she gave him detention.

But no, today he was going to walk over to Selene Malfoy and sit down next to her on the steps, ignore the wind as best as he could and engage in a little playful banter to lift his spirits. It was a little weird that he wanted to talk to the Pureblood Princess, especially with her usually frosty demeanor, but the truth was, he'd barely been able to keep his eyes off her since she turned up in his Common Room at 5am.

"Sickle for your thoughts, Malfoy," Fred bit back her first name, which probably would have aggravated her enough to push him into the lake. Selene glanced over at him, grey-blue eyes regarding him with disinterest before she returned her focus to the judges and waiting Medwitches.

"Presumptuous of you to think I want to share them," she sighed, tone somewhat less cold than usual. "Diggory 'lost' Cho. I haven't seen her since last night."

Fred followed her gaze to the waiting Headteachers, Dumbledore in the centre. "Diggory's a good chap," he said awkwardly, not really expecting this outburst from the girl next to him. "He'll get Cho back safe."

"Still," Selene tucked her knees up closer to her chin, her empty look replaced with a slightly more pensive one. "It's one more thing to worry about than I'd prefer, Weasley."

She looked over at him now, and Fred could have sworn that he saw the flicker of a smile on her face. He saw what Angelina meant now, she really didn't have much of a chin. Not that it really mattered, there were worse things, such as having Snape's nose - or even worse, Snape's hair.

"Anyway," Selene continued, crossing her arms and resting her chin (lack of) on top of her wrist. "Cho's not the only one down there. How are you feeling about Ron?"

Something was definitely wrong here. Selene was asking how he was feeling. The closest he had got to that was when they tested out the Canary Creams on her and she asked him if he was all there in the head. The shock obviously expressed itself on his face too, because Selene cracked a slightly bigger smile. "I've got a younger brother too, you know," she said quietly, eyes glancing over to where Draco Malfoy was laughing with his cronies over their 'Potter Stinks' badges. "I may not always like him… But he's my brother."

"Ron can be a twat too," Fred joked, returning Selene's smile. "But… yeah, you got me. It's worrying. I would trust Harry with my life though."

"Little bit of Malfoy wisdom for you here," Selene's smile had dropped now, replaced with a grim look of passivity. "Never trust anyone but yourself with that. When it comes down to it, you're the one that's got to save yourself."

"Bleak outlook there Malfoy," Fred replied blandly. "Us Weasleys stick together. You should try it sometime."

Selene scoffed aloud, looking away from him now. "Nah," she said quickly, after a slightly too-long pause. "I'm happy as I am."

"Really?" Fred somehow couldn't believe that. First there was her hot and cold outlook towards him, from that night on the Astronomy Tower when he cursed her out, to the previous month when she had made him beg for mercy. She obviously couldn't make up her mind about him, and although he saw her softer side around her brother, that was not afforded to anyone else. "Selene-"

"Oh, so I'm Selene now?" the girl was looking at Fred again, seemingly not angry, but more quizzical. "Shame. I quite like Malfoy. I think it suits me better."

"Selene is a bit too sweet for you," Fred nodded along, smirking as Selene glared back at him. "Goddess of the moon? You're a goddess of thorns."

"Black family tradition," Selene said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "They name their kids after celestial objects. It was a full moon the night I was born, so they took their inspiration from that."

"Ew," Fred laughed, ignoring his companion's scoff. "I'm not a fan. My family uses nice, normal names, thank you very much."

"Luckily, you'll never be a Black," this time, Fred could definitely hear the venom in her voice, especially as she shook her head and added: "Think yourself lucky."

They both fell silent, returning their attentions to the Black Lake. Fred couldn't think of a suitable follow up to that. Sorry? That was too patronising. Selene would be one of the most wealthy women in the Wizarding World one day, there were definitely upsides to being the Black heiress (well, apart from Sirius Black, but Selene probably didn't know that he was alive). Try being a Weasley? He obviously had a better home life than she did, and he wasn't being married off to Theodore Nott.

"Nott's a bastard, isn't he?" Fred eventually settled for, and was rewarded by a rare laugh.

"You try having to marry him," Selene chuckled, shooting Fred a look. "Thanks for that, by the way."

A thank you? Fred was taken aback by that. He'd obviously come at a good time, for once. "Well," he rubbed the back of his neck and prayed that his blush wasn't showing. "Uh… no problem."

"It doesn't hurt that you've got Beater arms, too," Selene smirked, reaching over and patting Fred's shoulder. "You can tell you bat things around a bit."

"I've hit balls at you a few times," Fred returned her smirk, chucking at Selene's blush. "Do you fancy me hitting them at you in private, too, darlin'?"

"If you call me darling one more time," Selene muttered, ignoring Fred as he continued to laugh. "If you weren't such a pig, Weasley, I might actually sleep with you at some point."

"I can't expect anything else, then?" Fred raised an eyebrow. "You're obviously in high demand, Malfoy. Sure you don't want a nice strong redhead to protect you from Nott?"

"I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, thanks," Selene spat back. Fred raised his arms and scooted back, away from her. "You're just a bit of fun on the side."

Wow, Fred was actually a little hurt by that admission. With the friendly banter going on there, he had felt that there might even be somewhat of a connection buried under all her spite. Maybe there was - Selene didn't seem like the most outgoing with her emotions. Even knowing that she was concerned about her friend was news to him. Malfoy Queen had feelings? That was new.

Suddenly Selene shot to her feet, eyes wide, leaving Fred blinking in his wake. There was some sort of commotion down at the lake shore, but it took Fred climbing to his own feet for him to be able to see what it was. Fleur Delacour was shivering in a blanket, tears streaming down her face, screaming in French for someone named 'Gabrielle'.

"Selene-" Fred began, reaching out to grab her by the arm, but she was already running down the steps to the lakefront. The Weasley twin looked around quickly before following her down, not questioning his actions until he was already halfway down the stairs. She had just said that he didn't need his defence, but she seemed genuinely upset by Fleur's emergence. This is just what friends did for other friends.

"Fleur!" Selene yelled, as Fred struggled to keep up with the girl in front of him. She reached her friend and grasped her by the shoulders, before pulling Fleur into a hug. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Gabrielle," Fleur sobbed, clutching her friend close to her. "She ees down zere! I do not know… Selene… My leetle seester!"

"Sssh," Selene met Fred's gaze over Fleur's shoulder, not looking massively surprised to see him there. "Can you get her a drink please?"

Fred nodded, awkwardly staring at the girls before turning away to get a cup of Butterbeer, helpfully placed on the side for the contestants. When he returned, Fleur was still shaking, but had a second towel wrapped around her, along with Selene's scarf and hat. He passed the drink to her, making sure Fleur's hand was securely wrapped around the stem before letting go. He didn't expect a thank you, but the small, warm smile he got from Selene made his insides slightly warm and fuzzy.

"Gabrielle?" he whispered to Selene, moving over to her side. Her hair had begun to escape from her ponytail now, and he resisted the urge to tuck the wayward strands behind her ear.

"Her sister," Selene glanced over at Fred. "Why are you down here, anyway? Shouldn't you be with George?"

Fred resisted the urge to point out that he'd been sitting with her for the past ten minutes, but decided not to. Selene didn't seem to be in the greatest mood now, and he was genuinely concerned she would make good on her threats if he pushed her too far. "Angelina," he said, by way of an explanation.

"But why me," Selene hissed, looking the Weasley up and down. "I didn't know we were friends, Weasel."

Ah, that was back to normal. Fred just grinned, sticking his hands in his pockets. "You're my fake girlfriend, remember?" he laughed aloud at Selene's eyeroll, and opened his mouth to say something more.

"And the first champion returns!" Ludo Bagman's voice, magically amplified, boomed across the Grounds. Fred set his jaw, remembering just how royally fucked over he and his twin had been by his dodgy gambling business. "Cedric Diggory!"

Selene ran over to the waterside again, gasping with relief as Cho Chang and Diggory emerged from the murky depths. "She's my friend!" she exclaimed, grabbing a towel from a Mediwitch and gathering Cho up in it. "Cedric, you-"

"Nice to see you too, Selene," Cedric beamed at her, and Fred immediately raised his hackles, a strange feeling developing in the pit of his stomach. Cedric was topless, and that smile he was giving Selene was a slightly flirtatious one…

No. No, he was not jealous. Not of the girl who had threatened to castrate him more times than he cared to count. Urgh, but Diggory was such a player, and he had no doubt that Selene and him had probably had a fling at some point or another-

"Butterbeer!" Selene snapped in his direction and Fred rolled his eyes, giving her a mock salute before wandering off to do as he was asked, quietly thankful that he didn't have to see Diggory anymore.

Selene shrugged off her coat and draped it around Cho's shoulders, gently teasing her arms into the sleeves. She was shivering now, but the look of relief on her face to see her friend alive and well was probably enough.

Once Fred had passed the steaming Butterbeer to the champion and his girlfriend, he unzipped his own coat and placed it around Selene, who looked up in surprise. "I'm used to the cold," he said, at her quizzical expression. "Don't worry about me,"

"Well," Selene looked at the coat, and back at him. "We're the same height, or thereabouts. We can share it."

Fred was blushing again now, he was sure of it. Luckily the cold was hitting his face now, turning it bright red, especially as the lakefront was directly in the wind. She wouldn't be able to tell, surely?

A careful hand dropped one side of the coat onto Fred's right shoulder, and Selene huddled in close, her arm brushing against his. "Probably easier if I do this," Fred muttered, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in even close. Now they were mushed up right next to each other. And he could smell her shampoo. And if he wanted, he could probably zip them up inside the coat too, but that might be going a little far.

A quiet cooing noise came from somewhere to their left, and Selene blushed, glaring at Cho, who looked positively overjoyed at what was happening in front of them. "Give me your coat more often, Sellie," Cho winked, smirking at Fred's expression. "Ah, Weasley, we know you're whipped for my friend. Let nature take its course."

"No," Selene snapped back, shifting uncomfortably next to Fred, who winked at Cho from behind her. "We're just… Just friends."

"Sure, Sellie," Fred cooed into her ear, gently blowing on the rim. "Friends that share coats and cocktease each other. Just. Friends."

"This is ridiculous!" Selene exploded, attempting to disentangle herself from the coat. Fred kept his arm firmly around her, pulling her tight against his side. "Lemme… Go!"

"But you'll get cold!" Cho said innocently. "Selene, you're being nasty. Fred just wants to make sure you're warm!"

"Fuck off Cho," Selene muttered, but regretfully stopped struggling, allowing herself to be pulled close to Fred. "Urgh… Fleur? Where's Fleur?"

The blonde girl was now over with her headmistress, having appeared to calm down a little now that Cedric assured her that Harry was down there making sure that Gabrielle would be safe. Selene attempted to move over towards her friend, but Fred held her fast, shaking his head. "You'll get cold," he said innocently, ignoring her glare. "You were so nice earlier, Malfoy, what happened?"

Selene didn't deign to dignify that with a response, instead letting out an audible huff and trying in vain to tuck a loose strand of her hair away. However, with only having one arm free (the other was reluctantly tucked around Fred, slightly gingerly) it was proving rather difficult. She blew it out of her face several times and attempted to grab it, but her arm couldn't reach very well, and it kept escaping.

Fred watched this display for a while, before snorting and decided to put her out of her misery. He batted her arm away the next time she attempted to move the strand, and hooked it around his finger, twirling it once, twice, around, before letting it go and gently tucking it behind her ear. "There you go," he said, mouth very dry all of a sudden. Selene was staring at him like he'd just killed her Puffskein.

"Thank you," she said quietly, looking at the hand that had tucked the hair away, before grimacing and looking away. Fred, a little deflated, followed her gaze, which was looking up to the stands. Theodore Nott, glaring at them both, scribbling on a piece of paper. Of course.

"Hey," Fred murmured, looking back at Selene, who looked quiet. "Look at me."

"Kiss me," Selene whispered, turning back to him. Fred must have looked surprised, because she repeated her instruction. "Fred Weasley. Kiss me. Now."

"Why?" Fred questioned, especially at the unintelligible look on her face, but Selene gripped his collar and levelled her gaze. "I guess I could," he managed a smirk before he kissed her, and wrapped his free arm around her other shoulder.

This kiss was very different to the others, it wasn't angry or particularly passionate. Yes, Selene was gripping the collar of his sweater like her life depended on it, but she was being gentle, less demanding than the last… however many times they'd kissed now. Even though the rational part of his mind knew he was only doing this to help her piss off Nott, his stomach was doing flips and dancing the Funky Hippogriff. And it wasn't like he could easily forget what she'd looked like in his bed, blonde hair streaming out around her and… Well, no underwear.

He swept his tongue along her bottom lip, noting the quiet moan in her throat as she pressed herself up against him, moving her tongue into his mouth in response to his own. His hands were moving down her back now, and he inwardly thanked Godric for the length of his coat as he squeezed her arse.

Selene broke away from him first, resting her forehead against Fred's, eyes burning with something he couldn't exactly place. "Thank you," she whispered, taking a deep breath of fresh air. "Nott… He's… Getting territorial."

Fred growled in his throat before he could stop himself. "He couldn't handle you," he murmured, pressing a searing kiss to her lips before she could reply, sweeping his tongue around her mouth before quickly pulling away.

Selene gasped for breath, eyes wide. "And you think you can, Weasley?" she snorted, once she'd regained some sort of composure. "You're getting awfully territorial yourself there."

"You'll be the death of me, woman," Fred laughed, glancing over Selene's shoulder. To put it lightly, Diggory and Chang were both looking a little embarrassed at what they'd been witnessing. "I'm not sure if I can."

"No, you can't," and just like that, the moment was over. Selene pulled away from Fred, and Bagman was calling out, Krum returning to the surface of the lake with a waterlogged Hermione. She pulled off her side of the coat and ignored Fred as he protested, moving over to her friends and taking an offered cup of Butterbeer. Diggory looked questioningly over in Fred's direction, but he just shrugged. Cedric, for his part, seemed to take that as explanation enough (Selene being Selene, then).

"Freddie," Fred glanced over at his twin, who was grinning straight at him. "I see you and Miss Malfoy have made up a little, then."

Fred snorted, zipping his coat up again, trying to ignore the long blonde strands clinging to the hood. "Think I scared her off," he joked, crossing his arms over his chest. "How we doing in money, Georgie?"

"At least 10 Galleons," George waved his hand, looking over in Bagman's direction. "Would be much better if we could get Bagman's cheating funds… Any progress with that?"

"None," Fred groaned, running a hand through the ends of his hair. "At this rate I think we could get Malfoy to seduce him, though. Add it to the contract, y'know. That might work."

"That bad, huh?" George grimaced. "Mate, I think you've just gotta let her come to you. Like a cat."

"I did," Fred rolled his eyes - although that wasn't strictly true. And did he even like her, the way George 'liked' Angelina? Sure, she was attractive, and surprisingly witty, but she could be a pain in the arse. And then she kept doing shit like this, where she acted sweet and kind and then bit his head off.

But as George moved away, and Harry finally emerged from the Lake, Fred's attention kept being grabbed by Selene. As she laughed with Fleur and Cho, and as Diggory hugged her, and as she left the Lake to return to the Castle with her coat firmly back around her body. He might never figure Selene Malfoy out, but he was beginning to think that he might want to try to.

oOo

She half expected the Howler, now. In fact, Selene was surprised that it hadn't arrived sooner. Every morning she surveyed the post for the telltale red envelope with her name on it, but nothing. Evidently, she hadn't done anything quite worthy of one yet.

Just the Daily Prophet, a couple Flourish and Blotts parcels, and nothing from her parents. Total silence, to the point that Selene considered going to neck Fred for a while until Draco got pissed enough to inform them that she was engaging in PDA with a Blood Traitor.

It was a couple of days after the Second Task, and Selene had successfully managed to avoid Fred - again, as she always seemed to end up in this predicament. What the weird fuzzy feelings she'd felt as he kissed her by the Lake meant, she wasn't sure. But it wasn't good. It wasn't love, that was for damn sure. She would have to go up to Madame Pomfrey and get herself tested as soon as she could.

She was triumphantly eating a spoonful of morning porridge when that morning's post came, and the red envelope sparked a grand total of zero fucks inside her that she just continued to eat. "Let it open itself," she smirked, as Cho looked at Selene questioningly. "What? I'm hungry."

Soon enough, the letter began to smoke, before it hopped into the air. The Great Hall was silent now, everyone excitedly anticipating this dose of drama for the day. Selene just ate another spoonful of porridge, bracing herself for the booming voice.

"SELENE NARCISSA MALFOY!"

Ah, so it was her father. Promising. Selene just glanced behind her, and found Fred's gaze, before winking and turning him a bright shade of red. Now everyone was staring at him, too. Perfect.

"I AM ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDED AT YOUR CONDUCT OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS! FIRST YOU DEFY US AND REFUSE TO ATTEND YOUR ENGAGEMENT BALL, THEODORE HAS ALERTED US TO THE FACT THAT YOU'VE BEEN REFUSING HIS ADVANCES, AND WORST OF ALL - YOU ARE DISGRACING THE MALFOY FAMILY NAME WITH YOUR WHORISH ANTICS! THIS ENDS NOW, SELENE! I AM TAKING YOU OUT OF HOGWARTS AFTER THIS YEAR, YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME AND IF IT WASN'T FOR PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE YOU WOULDN'T FINISH YOUR SIXTH YEAR! I EXPECT TO SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND FOR A RECONCILITORY BALL WITH US, THEODORE AND THE NOTTS, NO EXCUSES."

The letter smoked for a little longer before bursting into flames, the ashes landing all over Selene's porridge. She blinked, finally taking in the enormity of what was before her, the words washing over her like a curse.

This isn't what she'd expected. Threats, yes. Not an attempt to take her out of Hogwarts, and certainly not a well-placed insult. If she wasn't so angry, she would have been impressed, as for once, her father had managed to hit home where it hurt the most. If she didn't have Hogwarts, she didn't have freedom, and her chances of escaping this hated marriage were slim.

Theodore was looking incredibly pleased at the Slytherin table, but Draco looked stricken. I'm sorry, he mouthed, looking pained at his friend's glee. Selene shook her head, shrugging her shoulders in a That's not your fault gesture - because it wasn't. She knew her little brother, and he would never go that far. Their rivalry wasn't to the point of actively fucking up each other's lives.

She was going to be okay, she had to be. Selene trembled as she picked up her spoon again, pushing it into the porridge and willing herself to have the strength to pick it up again. Why was the Great Hall still silent? Why hadn't people moved onto their own lives yet?

"Selene-"

Selene looked up sharply, aiming to catch Cho before she continued her sentence, but it wasn't Cho who had spoken. And it wasn't Marietta either. Selene turned around, looking up and into Fred's face, a look of frightening calm on his face. "Yes?" she replied, silently willing conversations to start up again. "What do you want, Weasley?"

"OI! EVERYONE!" Selene jumped, as George climbed up on top of the Gryffindor table, banging a pot and pan together. "NOTHING TO SEE HERE! CONTINUE WITH YOUR DAY!"

Selene choked back a laugh, for the first and only time in her life glad for the Weasley twin's antics. Fred slid in next to Selene, pushing away Marietta (who didn't seem too bothered to be moved by a - in her words - 'gorgeous hunky boy). "Selene," Fred repeated, voice serious. Selene's hand stilled, and Fred laid his on top of hers. "Can I help you?"

The tenderness in his voice was almost scary, especially considering the awkward, stilted conversation beginning to spring up around them. She wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Why?" she eventually asked, abandoning her food and crossing one leg over the other. "Fred, we're nothing. Not even friends. You're a guy I've been using to get at my parents. It seems it's just worked a little too well."

Fred twisted his smile into a frown, trying not to let his feelings at that particular sentiment show. He'd been wrong in thinking she felt something between them too, then. He wasn't even sure if she liked him at all, by her wording. But he was pretty sure that, for whatever godforsaken reason, his feelings for Selene Malfoy stretched somewhere beyond hate.

"We have a contract," he said finally, dismissing his initial thought of I like you as being just everything she didn't want to hear. "You help me and George get our shop running, I help you piss off your parents."

"Well," Selene ran a hand through her long blonde hair, and Fred took a deep breath. Surely she felt something, too? It couldn't just be one-sided, not with the way she'd kissed him at the Second Task, and the times in his dormitory, and the way she'd flopped in his arms when he carried her to bed after the Yule Ball.

Christ, he was thinking this way about a Malfoy. He almost felt disgusted with himself. Almost. Because when it came down to it, Selene wasn't a Pureblood supremacist, or a stuck up bitch, or a whore (how dare her father call her one - that was beyond fucked up). She was just… Selene. Someone he didn't completely hate being around.

Maybe he did need to thank George for getting with Angelina. If that had never happened, Fred would never have run after Selene as he saw what Nott did to her, and he wouldn't have held her hair back. He wouldn't have tucked her up and let her nestle into him as she slept off the Firewhiskey. He wouldn't have had that kiss in front of the Great Hall, and they wouldn't be where they were now.

"I need a date," Selene continued, after what felt like an age. Fred obviously looked quizzical, because she immediately. "If I'm not making it to seventh year anyway, why try to appease my parents?"

"To the ball?" this girl was definitely a Slytherin in disguise. He liked her style. He almost wished he'd thought of the idea himself. "Well, I'm game. You'll have to get me suitable dress robes though."

"Yeah," Selene wrinkled her nose at the thought of Fred in his Yule Ball dress robes. "Thank you, Weasley."

Fred reached out his hand and Selene took it, awkwardly unsure if to shake it to pull him in for a hug. Fred chuckled and dropped a kiss to Selene's cheek. "See you Saturday," he grinned at her, before retreating to the waiting, curious Gryffindors.

Cho was right.

He was whipped.