„George are you even listening to me?"
"What?" George asked, taking his eyes off the book and turned sideways.
"What's the matter with you?" Alicia asked, eyeing him with concern.
Well, two days ago I witnessed you talking to someone in the middle of the night and you weren't really dressed, so it made it that more complicated to forget about it.
"Nothing." George mumbled.
"Anyway, during the Prefect's meeting Celeste Zabini, who is the most arrogant person I've ever had the misfortune to meet. I mean look what an evil vampire she is! I know, she's very good looking and everything, but that doesn't make her a nicer person and anyway I can't believe that hair colour is real, because-"
"Alicia." George interrupted, suppressing a grin.
"You wanted to tell me, what she said, not list her faults."
"Yes of course." Alicia said "Well she suggested, that we have a ball this year. I mean, not a big one and only for the students in fourth year and older. She said it would help get rid of the rivalry between the houses. Of course she only said that, because she's been having her eyes on Roger Davies from Ravenclaw for nearly four months now and-"
George threw her a look and she blushed slightly.
"Sorry. Anyway, there's going to be a ball at the end of next month. Just thought I'd give you the heads up."
"A ball? What do we need a ball for? Isn't it bad enough, that we have to share the Great Hall with the Slytherins at meal times?" George whined.
Alicia sniggered. "I most definitely agree. But who knows, it might be fun."
"Fun? Are you kidding? Please explain to me how stepping on each others feet, drinking punch without fire whiskey and making boring small talk with people you don't like is fun." George said her.
"It's not that bad." Alicia informed him, looking rather angry.
"You've never been to a ball, don't have so many prejudices."
"Alicia? Are you telling me, that you're actually looking forward to going to this…this ball?" George asked, his eyes wide.
"Yes, I am." Alicia answered, holding her head a bit higher.
"But … but why?"
Alicia blushed and looked at her fingers.
"Well…I just am! I think it'll be fun." She said finally not meeting his gaze.
"Well, if you insist." George sighed. "Wait. Does this mean we have to find dates?"
"Yes." Alicia said, beaming for some reason.
"Okay, why are you so happy about that?" George asked bewildered.
Alicia bit her lip and cleared her throat.
"No reason." She said her voice higher than usual.
"Alicia, you can't lie to me, you know that. Come on, tell me." George said.
And then a thought crossed his mind, which he didn't like at all.
"Alicia… Has someone asked you already?" he wanted to know through clenched teeth, while trying to keep an interested and not furious look on his face.
"No, not yet." Alicia said, shaking her head.
And then she looked at him in a funny sort of way.
"What? Do I have something on my nose?" George asked.
"Er, no. it's nothing." Alicia said, her voice unnaturally light.
"Okay." George said, shrugging.
Alicia bowed her head over her book again and her long silver blonde hair fell into her face, hiding her from view.
George resisted the urge to tuck it behind her ear.
"Ugh, I'm so bored." Alicia said and threw the book onto the table.
"Too bad." George replied.
"Can't we do something? Stuff Mrs. Norris for example." She said a longing look on her face.
George laughed.
"Well, I wouldn't have any problem with that, but I think it might be a bad idea at the record we're going with making life more difficult for Filch."
"Yeah. You're probably right." Alicia muttered and looked around the Common Room.
"Where are Fred and Angelina?" she asked.
"I bet they're in some broom closet snogging." George said, a look of distaste on his face.
"That's just sick." Alicia said and shuddered.
"I agree." George said nodding.
Alicia looked out of the window and sighed in frustration.
"Why does it have to be dark outside already? Now we can't even go for a fly." She complained.
"Hey, Alicia," George said, suddenly remembering. "Remember when we first got to Hogwarts and we had our little wars?"
Alicia laughed and her eyes sparkled.
"Yeah, I remember that."
"Well, how come we stopped? I can't remember. I just know it had something to do with Quidditch." George mumbled, searching his brain for the memory.
"Yeah. We were arguing again. About our favourite Quidditch teams and we went a bit too far. I tried to throw you off your broom and you accidentally hit me with your bat. It didn't really hurt that much, I was just surprised. And I slid off my broom. And before I hit the ground you decided you couldn't deal with all the horrible guilt and caught me. Which of course meant, that I had to thank you. I think that was the most embarrassing thing I ever had to do." Alicia said and smiled at him.
"Saved you, did I?" George said grinning.
"Well it was your fault I fell in the first place!" Alicia exclaimed.
George was just about to retort, when his brother Ron climbed through the portrait hole.
"Ronnie! What a delight!" he yelled and everyone sniggered.
Ron's ears went beet red and he mumbled something.
"Ignore him!" Alicia called, glaring at George.
"You know, if your brothers had done that to you when you were younger, you wouldn't do it now." She hissed.
"I would actually. You might not have realized, but my self esteem cannot be touched and I never get embarrassed. Least of all by my family." George said smugly.
Alicia lifted an eyebrow and grinned at him with an evil gleam in her eye,
"I so don't believe you." She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Well, try to prove me wrong. When have I ever been embarrassed?" he asked her.
"When I caught you ogling Angelina's chest."
George turned around to see Fred standing behind his chair.
"That was you." George and Alicia said in unison.
"Well, it was worth a try." Fred said shrugging.
"Where's Angelina?" Alicia asked Fred.
"With Katie somewhere. Talking about girl problems." Fred answered.
"Do you know where?" Alicia wanted to know.
"No idea." Fred said.
"Alright. I'll just go looked for them." Alicia said and got up, knocking down one of her books in the process. She sighed and bent down to pick it up.
George swallowed. He suddenly realized, that she had opened two or three buttons of her blouse, which gave him a very good inside look.
Stop it!
George found he couldn't look away.
"Whoa!" Fred said, looking at his brother.
"What?" Alicia and George asked together.
"Believe it or not Alicia, my brother just looked at your chest like you were a piece of meat."
George felt his neck and ears grow hot and he glared at Fred.
"I did not!" he said angrily, but turning bright red all the same.
Fred snorted. Alicia, who had stood up by now, put her hands on her hips.
"Is that true, George?" she wanted to know.
George squirmed in his seat. This had to be the most uncomfortable situation ever.
"Ha! Would you believe it? Alicia you did. George is actually embarrassed!" Fred yelled.
Alicia grinned winningly at George.
"No, I'm not!" George said through clenched teeth.
"Oh you definitely are." Fred laughed.
"Okay, I was looking at her chest! Sue me! I'm just a bloke!" George exclaimed.
Alicia gasped and glared at him.
"So you think, that being a bloke justifies you ogling me?" she hissed.
"Yeah." George and Fred said.
"Sorry, Alicia, but it's true. Even if blokes have girlfriends they check out other women. It's just nature at its work." Fred said.
"Oh, bullocks!" Alicia snapped.
"No, no, it's true." George said and grinned at her.
"No, it's not! Do you think girls check out every bloke and start drooling over their chest?"
"Of course not! It would be boring, seeing as we don't have any of that." Fred said, gesturing at her chest.
"Well, you're wrong! Girls do it as well. Which is why I can tell you, that you should work out more, because one could be afraid your chicken arms might snap in two." She hissed.
"Ouch, Alicia, that hurt." George said, feigning a hurt expression.
"Really, Alicia." Fred said shaking his head. "And it's not true. For your information Angelina thinks that I have a magnificent-"
"Fred!" George and Alicia yelled together, looking alarmed.
"Were really not interested in that." Alicia said, an expression of utter horror on her face.
"Suit yourself." Fred shrugged grinning.
"So d'you know about the ball already?" George asked his brother.
"Yeah, Angelina told me. Bet it's going to be boring as hell." He muttered.
"What is the matter with you?" Alicia sighed exasperated.
"Why do you just assume, that balls are boring?"
"Because they are." Fred and George said in unison.
"How would you know, you've never been to one, have you?" she asked.
"Well, no." Fred said. "but we still know. I mean, we'll have to dance!"
"And that is a bad thing, because?" Alicia wanted to know.
"Because we're not in the 18th century anymore! The next thing you know, we'll have to start curtsying or something." George whined and Alicia grinned in spite of herself.
"I mean obviously girls totally dig the fact, that they get to dress up and compete for the best looking bloke as a date. Which naturally the guys do as well. Of course trying to get the hottest girl, not bloke, but you knew that." Fred said and winked at Alicia who rolled her eyes at him.
"Yes, I knew that. But like you said, there's a perk for guys as well. If they ask out a girl and she has fun with him at the ball she might give him a good snog afterwards or something."
"Now that you mention it" George said "it's good that we're finally having a ball, isn't it?"
Alicia glared at him, as he grinned at her.
"You two are hopeless." She muttered.
"Why thank you." Fred exclaimed brightly.
"I think I'll go kill myself." Alicia mumbled and turned to leave.
"Alicia, darling, do not even think about such a thing!" George said, taking hold of her arm.
"Seriously, one should not joke about things like that." Fred added, gravely shaking his head.
"Oh, shut up!" Alicia yelled irritated.
"Now, now, my dear, there's no need to shout, we can hear you quite well." George said.
"Sometimes I really hate you." Alicia said calmly, looking at George, who grinned.
"I know. But then you remember just how funny and extremely good looking I am and you're at my mercy once more."
Alicia made a hissing noise at him, yanked her arm out of his grip and stormed out of the portrait hole.
"You know, mate" Fred said conversationally "you two are acting like an old married couple."
"Oh really? If I'm not very mistaken, it was Angelina, who cut your bacon, because you were too weak to do it yourself. So you'd better think twice about who's acting senior and who isn't." George said coolly.
"Alright, alright, don't bite my head off." Fred said, raising his arms in alarm.
"What's with the good mood anyway? Caught Alicia snogging Filch or something?"
"Bugger off, Fred." George muttered.
"Ah, so it does have something to do with Alicia!" Fred exclaimed triumphantly.
"Shut up."
"George and Alicia sitting in a tree-"
"I said SHUT UP!"