This news seemed to completely take George off guard. I stood there like a moment waiting for him to reply, not knowing what to do. I felt like a complete idiot, asking him the way I did. Sure, it's not as if I fancied George or anything like that, but I was supposed to act like a good fake date, wasn't I?

George blinked a few times, bewilderment clearly shown on his face.

"Me?" He had done about as good a job of hiding how confused he was as he did with his face. "N-not... Fred?"

I felt my face grow hot again, and I immediately looked down at the snowy ledge, away from George's face. Great, I thought cynically to myself, now I've really mucked things up between the two of us.

"Yes, George." My voice was small, and weak, and timid. All things which I was not. "But if you don't want to, please, don't feel obligated. I just—"

George grabbed my arm, pulling me back towards him as I began to walk away. "—No! Kates, I just thought... Never mind." I dragged my eyes to look up at his, and George smiled. "I'd love to go to the ball with you."

I gave a wide smile up at the tall, freckled boy. "Yeah? George, you really mean it?"

All George did was laugh loudly. "Yeah, Katie, I do."

I grinned and slung my arm around his. The two of us talked and cracked jokes all the way back to the Great Hall.

Just as we were making our way into the large room, Angelina nearly knocked both of us over. "Katie! Oh thank Merlin I found you." Angelina steadied herself and gave me a frazzled smile. "I really need to talk—" Angelina looked up at George and gave him a nervous smile. "—oh, hello, George. I... Didn't see you there."

George shrugged his shoulders. "N-no worries, Ange." He turned to look at the two of us, and I gave him a look that told him to go away—this was girl talk. "I'll just... Go see what Fred's doing then."

I nodded, grateful that he wasn't completely stupid. "That would be a good idea."

So, with a smile for me and eyes lingering on Angelina a little longer than necessary, George went off to go find his brother, leaving Angelina and I alone. Angelina took one look behind her and proceeded to drag me off.

When we were finally in our dorm room, door shut, Angelina turned to talk to me.

"Now Katie, this doesn't change anything between us, okay?"

I plopped down on my bed, and began to put some of my homework away. "Yeah, Ange, just spit it out, okay?" I was stuffing forgotten homework assignments and notes covered with my doodles into my books. Not hearing her speak, I looked up at her, leaving my things forgotten on the bed.

Angelina took a heavy sigh and sat down on her bed across from mine. She kept looking at me worriedly, as if she thought what she were about to tell me would upset me or not. I smiled, and nodded my head towards her. "Well," Angelina started heavily, as if to tell me that someone dear to me has died, "here's the thing. When you and George walked off together just now, Fred…" And here Angelina trailed off, not wanting to continue. I had a good idea of what she was going to say, so I spoke my suspicions.

"Do you mean to say that Fred asked you to the ball, Ange?"

Despite her chocolate brown skin, I saw a scarlet colored blush color Angelina's cheeks. She suddenly spoke quickly, seeming as if she didn't talk fast enough I might never hear what she had to say. "Yes! But Katie, I just didn't know how to tell you. I just—"

Here I cut her off, confused. "Angelina, what are you talking about? Why would I need to know who Fred asks to the ball?"

Angelina's blush still remained on her face, and she began rearranging things on her nightstand. "Well, I just thought... I mean, when you came down to the Great Hall holding his hand and all—"

I decided to cut her off, ready to clear up any confusion. Plus, I had to have her believe that I had asked George because I liked him so that my plan would work. I couldn't have her believing I liked Fred if I wanted to get George and her together, now could I? "—Ange, please, Fred and I?" I gave a short laugh for good measure, and swung my legs off the edge of my bed where I sat.

Angelina looked shocked, and stopped organizing things on her nightstand. "You mean to tell me that you and Fred aren't together, and you don't want to go with him to the ball?"

I couldn't help but think for one brief moment of what it would be like to go to the ball with Fred, but shook that from my mind quickly and shrugged indifferently. "Why would I want to go with Fred when I'm going with George?" I cheered in my head, hoping and praying that my bait would work.

"W-what?" Success! "George asked you?"

Again, I gave an indifferent shrug. "Well, I asked him. But that doesn't matter, he seemed really excited about it, and I just know we're going to have a great time together." I gave her the most sincere smile I could right then, with thoughts of Fred and I going to the ball together still inside my head. Angelina looked a little upset, but offered a strained smile anyway.

"Well that's good..."

Tucking my foot underneath myself and leaving the other one dangle off the side of my bed still, I began to trace patterns into the quilt with my fingertips. "You're not upset with me, are you?"

Angelina looked completely taken off guard by that comment, and flushed again. "N-no! Why would I be upset that you're going with G-George..."

I smiled knowingly at the tall, beautiful girl sitting opposite from me on her bed. "Angelina, don't you like George?"

Her head snapped up, and she looked at me. "What would make you think something like that?"

"Well," I said offhandedly, still trying to get her to come out with her secret of fancying George. "for starters, you can never keep your eyes off of him."

Angelina's eyes narrowed. "I could say the same to you about Fred."

My eyes too, narrowed, and I decided to keep going. "You talk about him all the time."

"You talk about Fred all the time." She countered.

"Well, you blush like a little schoolgirl at just the mention of him!"

"You blush around Fred all of the time! Like just now, in the Great Hall when we saw you holding hands."

Touche. I felt cornered now, and determined to not have Angelina win this. "You want to go to the ball with George!" I crossed my arms triumphantly over my chest.

Angelina's eyes grew larger, and she snorted haughtily. "And don't even try to tell me that you've never entertained the idea of going to the ball with Fred, Katie."

"Alright then, so what if I have? That still doesn't change the fact that you fancy George!"

Angelina gave a deep, defeated sounding sigh. She sat down slowly on the floor, and drew her knees up to her chin. "So what if I do?" I felt pity for Angelina right there. She looked as if she didn't know what to do, and I felt truly sorry for a moment that I had come up with this plan to trick my friends in the first place. "It still doesn't change the fact that you're the one going with him to the ball."

I sighed softly, and sat down next to my friend. "Ange, that doesn't matter. Just tell him that you want to go with him, I'm sure he'd like to go with you."

Angelina rolled her eyes. "Katie, he just sees me as another person on the team and a good mate."

Snorting at her comment, knowing full well that George liked Angelina much more than that, I offered her a comforting smile. "Ange, George hardly thinks that of you. He likes you, really, he does."

Angelina turned to me, looking half hopeful. The other half looked like she thought I had sprouted another head and was talking troll to her. She looked at me skeptically for a moment before speaking. "I still don't know, Katie..."

I straightened up. "Well I do. Just trust me, Ange." She nodded her head, and I smiled. "You're going to go to the ball with Fred, and then you'll ask George to dance. I'm sure neither of them would mind."

Angelina gave me a heartwarming smile, and hugged me tightly. "Thanks, Katie."

I hugged back, glad to feel that my plan was working so far—and on day one. "Anytime, Ange. Anytime."