Fell in Love Without You

Chapter 7: Do Not Try at Home

I rested my head against my charms essay and stared into the fire. It was about 11 o'clock and I was the only one still left in the common room. Crazy I know, but I liked to be finished my homework so I could actually have free time during spares.

I jumped up as the portrait hold burst open and someone stumbled in swearing like a fisherman.

"Fucking, stupid bitch. Fucking – OW FUCKITY FUCK... FUCK" They growled. I sat up straighter and watched them. It was Fred Weasley. He was clutching his hand tightly and looking frantically for something. Something red oozed out from between the fingers clutched around his hand.

Blood.

"FRED!" I exclaimed, jumping out of my seat. Fred froze and stared at me.

"A.V?" He blinked. He hid his hands behind his back. "Uh... what are you doing up so late?" He tried to act nonchalant. I could see he was shaking.

"What happened to your hand?" I ignored his question and walked toward him.

"This? Ah nothing... just a scratch" He shrugged, still not bringing his hand forward.

"Fred you're bleeding... a lot" I added. "Let me see"

"No A.V... go to bed, I'll be fine"

"No let me have a look" I demanded, pushing my hair off my face.

"No really you don't want to look" He shook his head "...Girls don't like blood"

"Please Weasley, who patched you up when you busted your knee last summer?" I rolled my eyes. I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to the couch. I grabbed today's daily prophet and opened it on my lap so I didn't get blood on my skirt. "Let me see"

He stared at me for a minute before sighing and putting his hand on the news paper in my lap.

I gasped when I saw the back of his hand. It was completely ripped to shreds and bleeding steadily. (A/N – I know that it wasn't quite as dramatic as this, but when I read the book, this is how I imagined it ) I pulled a tissue from my pocket and dabbed at it. "Fred how'd you do this?" I asked, looking up at him. He was biting his lip and had his eyes closed.

"Hmm? Oh uhm... clumsy I guess" He shrugged and puffed himself up when he realised I was watching. "It's just a scratch babe, I swear" He tried to pull his hand away but I pressed down on the cut. "OW FUCK!" He exclaimed, glaring at me.

"Just let me clean it and heal it would you?" I sighed and looked back down to the cut. Now that I'd cleaned the blood away I could see it wasn't just one cut, it was words. That surprised me. I never took Fred as the type to self harm. "Are these words?"

"No... really Avery I'm tired and want to go to bed"

"Does this say 'I will not disobey'?" I tilted my head. "In your handwriting" I looked up in shock. "Umbridge did this didn't she?" I shrieked.

"It's her detention... she had this quill... it writes in blood... your blood" He said quickly, looking guilty and hurt and like a little child all in one. "I had to keep writing till the message had 'sunk in'"

"Fred that's barbaric!" I exclaimed. He nodded and closed his eyes. I grabbed my wand and tapped the cuts, muttering the healing spell at the same time.

"OW FUCKING HELL!" He jerked upright and pulled his hand away from me "I thought you were going to heal it, not make it worse!" He glared at me.

"I was... at least I thought I was... give me your hand again" I grabbed it before he could protest and muttered the spell again.

"OW FUCKING HELL, STOP!" He yelled, pulling his hand away.

"Alright I'm sorry" I bit my lip. "There must be some sort of spell on it stopping it from healing or something" I thought for a moment. "Murtlap essence" I clicked my fingers.

"Bless you?" He raised an eyebrow.

I felt a smile tug at my lips but I stood up. "I'll be right back ok?" I turned and ran up the stairs to my room and grabbed a vial of murtlap essence, a bowl and some bandages out of the first aid kit in the bathroom. Then I ran back down the stairs. Fred was where I left him, looking at the dried blood on his fingers.

"Ok, soak your hand in this" I poured the vial into the bowl and grabbed his hand before he could pull away. I knew he was watching me, I could feel his eyes on my skin.

He winced as I immersed his hand into the potion but then he sighed with relief.

"What would I do without you A.V, my love?" He opened his eyes and looked at me. I shrugged and sat beside him on the couch.

"I don't know how you and George made it through the summer without me" I smiled.

"It was hard, trust me" He chuckled.

I felt my cheeks redden and I looked at his hand in the potion.

"This is the first time in ages it's just been us" I murmured.

"Hey yeah it is, isn't it" Fred agreed. "Normally we're surrounded by friends"

"Or you have your faithful Golden Retriever following you" I added with a grin. He frowned slightly for a second before he laughed.

"Annabelle? Fitting" He ruffled my hair with his good hand. "You still don't like her do you?"

"I'm trying" I promised. "I dunno, there's just something off about her" I shrugged. I tended to Fred's hand and wrapped it in bandages.

"You know you're still my favourite girl right?" He nudged me with his elbow when I was done. I turned to look at him and realised he was so close to me. The fire reflected in his blue eyes, making them glow. "No one could replace you"

I smiled, not wanting to look away from him. "I know, I'm not worried about that" I lied. Of course I was worried about it. Apparently Annabelle liked jokes and pranks and was super pretty and just everything I wasn't.

"Do you have a date for the dance?" He asked softly.

"No..." my breath caught in my throat.

"Well do you want to – "

"Am I interrupting something?" Annabelle's voice was like a bell bringing me out of a trance. I sat back up straight, finding I'd been leaning forward toward Fred. I turned around cursing in my head. Annabelle was standing in the doorway in her silky pink pyjamas, her hair out and trailing in soft curls down her body. She looked like she'd just stepped out of an Undercover Witchery catalogue.

I stood up and tried to ignore the fact that my daggy uniform was splashed with potion, my hair hadn't been brushed all day and I probably had ink on my nose.

"No not at all... I was just helping Fred with homework" I smiled. She grinned at me and I nodded slightly. "I'm going to bed now though"

"Wait Avery..."

"Goodnight Fred" I smiled sadly as I gathered my things and walked up to my room.

I flopped face down onto my bed and screamed into a pillow. Fred was just about to ask me to the dance, I knew it... and then she had to ruin it. How did she even know we were THERE? Why is she always taking my things?

I wanted to go with Fred to the dance. He was my best friend and I wanted to go with him. I was also completely in love with him. I rolled over and clapped the pillow over my face as the reality sunk in. I continued to scream.

I swear to god, it's only a new thing, since coming back from Romania I guess. It was what had been bugging me since the train. Since I realised how attractive he was... since the oh wow moment... And then Annabelle ruined it.

I stopped screaming and rolled over. I was falling head over for my best friend and it was the worst thing ever. I do not recommend you try this at home.

I woke up the next morning, wondering if I could just skip the day and stay in bed. Unfortunately I didn't have the guts to do that and got out of bed, showered, dressed and down to breakfast in record time. Most of my friends were already seated anyway and I took a seat beside George.

"Morning A.V." Riley greeted me as I sat down.

"Morning" I answered, pouring myself some cereal and stirring it around the bowl.

Roe slid onto the bench next to Riley a second later, looking like I felt and reached for the pancakes.

"Oh Fred you're so funny!"

I rolled my eyes. Only one person could be that chirpy in the morning.

"How is she so damn chirpy in the morning?" Roe grumbled "It's disgusting"

Ahh she was my favourite sister for a reason... that reason being voicing the opinions I was too scared to say outloud.

"Oh my gosh Avery, Fred just told me the funniest joke... tell her Fred" She laughed as she sat down. Fred grinned at me.

"Why was the chicken so happy?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow in response. "Because everything was eggcellent"

Everyone around us groaned and rolled their eyes. "Har har" I said dryly, reaching for the juice. He shrugged and turned to talk to George on his other side.

"Oh my gosh, Avery, you'll never guess what happened last night" Annabelle squealed quietly (Yup it's possible). The juice went down the wrong side and I choked. Annabelle thumped me on the back while I choked.

"Sorry..." I muttered after I was done. "What happened last night" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Fred asked me to the Halloween dance!" She exclaimed.

I actually had to force my cheeks to pull into a smile and let me tell you, it hurt!

"That's awesome!" I managed to choke out.

"Thank you so much for whatever you said" She hugged me. I took a deep breath in through my nose.

"Not a problem" I smiled. I breathed out and stood up. "I need to go take a book back to the library" I lied.

Really I just had to get away from her.

I scooted as fast as I could from the hall. I rounded the corner and smacked into someone hard and broad.

"Oh I'm so sorry" I apologised, bending to pick up the papers they'd dropped.

"It's alright Avery" I looked up and saw Roger smiling at me.

"Oh Roger, hey" I smiled back. I don't think it really made it.

"You ok A.V? You look a little sad about something?" He asked.

"Oh just... silly... people. Just people" I composed myself and smiled. "I'm ok"

"Yeah... me too" He sounded sad and when I looked at his face I saw he didn't look too good either.

"Are you ok Roger?" I frowned.

"Eva and I broke up" He shrugged.

"Oh Roge I'm so sorry" I patted his shoulder. Suddenly my stupid problem seemed irrelevant.

"Thanks, but don't worry. I guess it was for the best" He shrugged again. "Now would your 'stupid person' be blonde, annoying and go by the name of Annabelle Valentine?" He smirked.

"Am I that obvious!" I exclaimed, clapping a hand to my mouth. He laughed and shook his head, his hair falling in his eyes.

"No. She just bugs the crap out of me as well"

"Well least I'm not the only one" I grinned. "I'm trying so hard to like her but I just can't..." I trailed off.

"Don't worry I didn't even try to like her"

"We're a sucky head boy and girl then"

"We sure are" He grinned, putting his arm around my shoulders. "Let's go to Dark arts"

I smiled, my whole day picked up by one random meeting with a friend.

Plea's Note: I know, I know... I said one a day but here it is, the second one. I'm just in a good mood and liking where this story is going. Also, Flyingcrispi was 'super' ;) nice and reviewed. It was such a lovely review as well. Anyway, I think you'll hate Annabelle after this one, be frustrated with Fred and be pleasantly surprised that Roger is back but trust me, it's not as you're all thinking

Hope you enjoyed it, please review.

Xo
Plea!