Chapter Two: Angelina and Fred
Angelina had never doubted that Fred was going to ask her to the Yule Ball. She'd caught him staring at her too many times that year to think otherwise.
Of course, the way in which he'd asked her had been a bit of a letdown. Really? The best he could come up with was calling across the common room while he was talking with his brother and friends? She hadn't been expecting him to send singing gnomes to her dormitory or anything, but still…
Not that it mattered anymore. She'd caught up with him later and asked if he was being serious and he'd responded with a kiss. So she forgave him.
And now she was getting ready for the ball in her dormitory with Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell. Katie was currently tying up the back of her robes while Alicia helped Angelina with her hair.
"You are so lucky that Fred's your boyfriend," said Alicia, pulling Angelina's hair into a half-updo.
"I don't know if he's my boyfriend; we kissed. We haven't said too much since then."
"Well, it's more than Lee did. I mean, all he did was pass me a note asking me a week ago. No kisses. No cuteness. Nothing."
"Aw, cut him some slack, Alicia. Would you even want to kiss him if he tried?"
From the mirror's reflection, Angelina saw her friend blush. "Ha! You would!"
"I just— I think he's cute and funny and all."
"Don't lie— you've been ogling him since fourth year," Katie said, sliding onto the bench next to Angelina. "Well then, I hope tonight works out for you." She winked.
"I have not been ogling him," muttered Alicia as she finished up the hair. She stepped back and examined her handiwork. "That should do. All right, we're all set!"
"The guys are meeting us downstairs at about…" Angelina checked the clock. "Five minutes ago. Let's go."
The three girls hurried down the stairs and saw their dates lounging by the fire.
Fred was the first to notice their arrival. He hurried to his feet and stood up straight, before walking erectly to Angelina. "Good evening, Madam," he said, taking her hand and brushing his lips over it. The twinkle in his eye messed up the formality.
"Pleasure meeting you here, Sir," she responded. She heard Alicia and Katie groan at the sight of possibly the rowdiest couple in Hogwarts putting on such airs. But tonight was a night for fanciness… At least until the really good music started playing.
Lee and George greeted their respective ladies (and Angelina gave Alicia a not-so-subtle nudge when Lee presented her with a corsage) and after a minute of small talk, they headed downstairs.
Angelina was amazed when she saw the crowds downstairs. It wasn't the number of people that astonished her, but the elegance and poise with which everyone carried themselves. Students who she knew to be boisterous and, to put it mildly, sloppy were dressed in perfectly pressed dress robes and had nary a hair out of place as they stood straight-backed and talked to their dates. Although, she noted as she looked more carefully, Ron Weasley would have to be an exception to that; he looked downright miserable.
The group hadn't realized how late they were until students started being ushered into the Hall before they even made it to the bottom of the stairs. The six picked up their pace and made it into the group. As she passed the champions, Angelina did a double-take back at the girl on Viktor Krum's arm; was that who she thought it was? Unfortunately she didn't get a chance to verify if that was really Hermione Granger before she was in the hall and out of view.
Fred led her over to a table and pulled out a chair for her. She sat down with a small curtsy in his direction and he gracefully plopped down in the seat next to her. George, Lee, Alicia, and Katie took the remaining four chairs and they waited for the champions to come in.
"Did you get a good look at the girl with Krum?" Angelina asked Fred.
"A little. I could've sworn she was—" Fred was cut off when a light-hearted fanfare signaled the champions' entrance. And, sure enough, the brunette in the blue dress robes hanging on to Viktor Krum's arm was Hermione Granger.
"Well I'll be," muttered George as she passed. "Little smarty pants cleans up nice."
Dinner began as soon as the champions were seated at the front of the hall. "Lobster thermidor," said Angelina to her plate, coming up with the fanciest, yet still edible-sounding dish she could for such a fancy night.
"Bo-ring," Fred said with a shake of his head. "You have the option of any, let me say that again, any dish in the world for dinner tonight, and you waste it on lobster?"
"Sorry, then what should I have ordered?" Angelina asked, rolling her eyes.
Fred leaned back in his chair, lightly scratching his chin as he pondered this. After a moment, he leaned forward again. "Nettle wine, monkfish and conger bouillabaisse in vegetable broth, chicken and mushroom pot pie, and dark chocolate treacle fudge with a little sprig of cinnamon in the whipped cream."
It took significantly longer than anyone else's to appear, but appear it did, little sprig of cinnamon and all. "Aaaand that's how you do it," he said with a grin.
The six of them conversed excitedly all through dinner, wondering if there were going to be any good, upbeat songs to dance to, wondering who so-and-so's date was, wondering if Hagrid had a thing for Madame Maxine. (As George argued: "Look, he's the height of a man and a half. She's probably taller. I'd suppose that even if she were the ugliest woman ever created he'd still go for her so he'd at least get something before he dies." This earned him a punch on the arm from Angelina.) Every once in a while Angelina's arm would brush against Fred's, or his hand would graze hers as he reached for something, and she felt her face grow warm. She knew that at some point that night she'd have to ask if they were really and truly a couple; although she had to admit that, as much as she'd like the answer to that to be yes, spending the first two weeks as a couple without any sort of romantic interaction was not a brilliant beginning. Still, it was Fred, and Fred didn't always know about these sorts of formalities. Or anything with the word "formal" in it, for that matter.
Shortly after they finished eating, Dumbledore stood and motioned for the students to stand up. After everyone had done so, he scooted all the tables to the edges of the room with a flick of his wand and the Weird Sisters marched in and set up on the stage. They began with an elegant waltz which the champions were supposed to lead.
"I must say, I don't envy Harry in the slightest right now," Fred muttered to Angelina as they watched the youngest champion try not to trip over his own feet.
She laughed softly. "Good thing that aging potion didn't work then."
He grinned, then stood up. More couples were beginning to make their ways to the dance floor. He held out his hand. "Angelina Johnson, may I have this dance?"
"Of course you may, Fred Weasley," she said as she took his hand. He gripped hers more tightly than she expected and led her right to the center of the room. He kept ahold of her right hand and put his other hand on her waist. She put her free hand on his shoulder and jumped slightly when he pulled her close to him.
"Now let's show these novices how a master tears up the floor, eh?" he said, his mouth right next to her ear.
To her surprise, the action made her shiver. "Lead the way, captain."
Angelina's mother had taught her how to dance when she was eleven, feeling it was a skill that no lady, witch or Muggle, should be without. Angelina had never had much patience for it, but the handful of lessons that Hogwarts had offered in the weeks leading up to this ball had helped refresh her memory and she considered herself at least a halfway decent dancer. What shocked her was how good Fred was.
The redhead was by no means a ballroom star, but he stepped and twirled with unanticipated grace. His inevitable missed steps were rare and he recovered quickly from them. And when the song ended, he caught Angelina in a surprise dip, lowering her close to the ground but not even quivering as he supported her weight.
"You're really good," Angelina admitted as he pulled her back up.
"George and I spent a few nights practicing," he responded with a shrug, but his wide smile gave away how pleased he was with himself. "You know, making a good impression and all. Showing those Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs the kind of dancers they're dealing with."
Angelina opened her mouth to comment, but at that moment the Weird Sisters switched up the mood with a popular song that was great fun to dance to. So she just reached for Fred's hands and started to dance.
They spun and jumped and boogied so fast that Angelina noticed, with some amusement, people were actually moving out of the way so as to avoid being hit. The rest of their party had joined them and Angelina heard George wolf-whistle.
Fred wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, spinning around once, twice, three times, and then the song ended. They were both giggling like first-years as he set her down and they were both sweating up a storm.
"Shall I get drinks?" Fred asked breathlessly, his temporarily formal façade back.
Angelina was about to say yes, but then another song came on that she loved. "No, just after this one!" And they continued their near-violent jigging and jostling.
Then on came another song she loved. And another. And another. And another.
At the end of the fifth song, Fred put his hand on her shoulder. "Ange," (pant) " I" (pant) "would really" (pant) "love it if," (pant) "we got some," (pant) "drinks now."
Angelina tried to laugh, but she was also pretty exhausted. "Well," (pant) "if you insist."
Fred took her hand and led her through the crowds over to where crystal fountains with animated cherub statues sat, some filled with pumpkin juice, some with butterbeer, some with other colorful liquids. Fred poured two goblets of pumpkin juice and handed one to Angelina.
She downed it in five seconds. "Thanks," she said.
He had already finished his as well. "Refill?" he offered, holding his hand out for her goblet.
She handed it to him and he fetched them more juice. As they drank these more slowly, Angelina scanned the dance floor for people she knew. Alicia and Katie seemed quite happy with their respective dates, though none of them danced as enthusiastically as she had with Fred. Fred's little sister and that bumbling Gryffindor fourth-year were dancing very formally; it was cute. With a chuckle she noticed that Harry and Ron were nowhere to be seen, and their dates appeared to have moved on to some Durmstrang boys. Classic.
"Hey, you wanna go out in the gardens for a spell?" Fred asked, tearing her concentration away from a group of fervently dancing Hufflepuff girls.
"Sure, that sounds fantastic," she responded, setting her goblet down.
Before they had taken four steps into the gardens, it became obvious what most students were using the area for. The high-pitched giggles, rustling bushes, and occasional grunt caused Angelina's cheeks to grow quite warm. Was this what Fred had in mind?
To her relief, she saw his cheeks turn bright red as well. "Let's— let's move on, shall we?" he said, taking her hand and leading them further into the maze of rosebushes.
However, the deeper into the gardens they walked, the more pronounced the sounds of snogging couples grew. Finally, they came upon a stone bench with ivy-covered legs in a peaceful enough dead end.
"Thank Merlin," Angelina sighed. "If I had to say 'Oh, excuse me,' one more time going around a corner, I would have had to hit someone."
"Hormonal teenage gits," Fred said with a shake of his head. "Anyway, would you like to sit for a while?"
"Sure," she replied, trying hard to make sure her voice didn't squeak. Her heart was racing. Was he about to make some sort of move?
Fred sat down next to her. He leaned back and put his hands behind his head, appearing to be deep in thought. Angelina rested her elbows on her knees and looked at him.
Partially to break the silence, and partially because she felt she should make some things clear, Angelina spoke first. She cleared her throat. "So, Fred Weasley, when I asked if you were serious about me going to the Yule Ball with you, you kissed me."
He leaned forward and brought his hands down. "I did."
"However, in the time between kissing me and tonight, the Ball itself, you have demonstrated only friendly actions toward me, nothing romantic. So I feel I am completely justified when I ask this: are we a couple or not?"
He smirked, and then responded with the perfectly ambiguous, "Why do you ask?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Because, Fred, I would quite like to know if I have a boyfriend right now. I mean, if I decide to take Lee up on one of his offers to take me out after a Quidditch game, I should know whether I'd be cheating, right?"
Fred blinked in surprise. Then he smirked again. "You'd never do such a thing."
Well, this wasn't exactly the direction she'd been intending on going. "And why wouldn't I? Lee is a very nice boy. He's funny, he's friendly, he's attractive—"
"Oh please, we all know that I'm far funnier, friendlier, and more attractive than that old boy," Fred said with a roll of his eyes.
"Say that if you like, but at least he's very upfront with his feelings for me. Unlike a certain boy I could name." This wasn't one hundred percent true at the moment; sure, Lee had been very brazen with his attempts to win her heart for a few years, but he hadn't acted that way at all this school year. And she had to admit she hoped it was because he'd finally moved on.
"Ah, and you maneuver the tangent. You're a clever girl," the redhead said, tapping her nose with his finger.
Angelina looked up at the sky and groaned. "Fred, I want to be serious for just one minute with you. Thirty seconds if you can make this quick. All I'm asking is how you feel about me. When you kissed me, did it actually mean anything? Or was it just how you felt like saying yes at the time?"
Fred's grin faded to a more sheepish expression. He scratched the back of his head. "All right, all right. The problem is, I'm really awful about trying to talk about how I really… Yeah, anyway, the answer is yes, Angelina. Er, that is, yes, when I kissed you it definitely meant something. I've liked you for over a year now." He smiled apologetically. "Sorry about being so unclear about this. It's just… I'm good at joking around. It's kinda my thing, in case you haven't noticed."
Angelina smiled back. "That's all right. I'm just glad we got that sorted out. You can go back to joking in just a second, but first answer me this: are we dating?"
Fred raised an eyebrow. "I'm no expert in relationships, but isn't it supposed to go more along the lines of one of us asking the other out first?"
The Chaser rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove. "Fine. Fred Weasley, will you go out with me?"
He shoved her back. "Of course, sweetie."
She made a face. "Okay, please never call me that again. I'm not big on pet names, and even less so regarding terrible ones like 'sweetie'."
The prankster just laughed in response and wrapped his arm around her waist. Angelina snuggled up to him, his body heat combating the frigid December air.
A few minutes passed and Angelina found herself growing almost sleepy. She vaguely wondered what time it was, and if they should head back inside soon. Then she heard Fred talk.
"So, Ange… When am I allowed to kiss you again?"
She leaned away from him and shifted her body so she was facing him better. "We're dating now, Fred. You can kiss me whenever you want."
He chuckled. "You might come to regret saying that." And before she could say anything to that he took her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her.
Their first kiss, the one confirming her invitation to the Ball, was a short and simple peck on the lips. This was not. This kiss was long, and tender, and loving. His lips molded around hers and caused her to open her mouth ever so slightly. She felt his tongue brush against her lower lip as if asking permission. She obliged and opened her mouth further.
However, he didn't continue. Instead, he moved on and kissed her jawline, then up to her forehead, then back down to her lips. He kissed her lips multiple times, each kiss more drawn-out than the last, and she ran her fingers through his hair. Finally, he kissed her on the tip of her nose and leaned back, gazing into her eyes.
She giggled. It was hard to believe that she was kissing Fred, her best friend for six years, her crush for the last two. It was hard to believe that they were alone right now, in the middle of a rosebush maze, on a bench, their arms around each other.
But there would be other opportunities for kissing and privacy. What she didn't want to miss out on was the other part of the Ball. She stood up and held out her hand. "Come on. Let's go dance."
He was all too happy to oblige, and he took her hand. They walked back to the castle, arms around each other, with quite the spring in their synchronized steps.
They made their way back into the castle just as a buoyant melody started. Angelina smirked when she noticed that George and Katie were missing and Lee and Alicia were talking intently at a table in the corner.
"Come on!" Fred said, pulling her out to the dance floor. It didn't take long to get back into the rhythm of spinning and twisting and leaping around the floor. And Angelina felt so good right now, she probably could have flown if it were in the choreography.
She kept ahold of Fred's hand as he twirled her and at one point even slid her across the ground through his legs. They received a bit of applause for that move. But as the song faded out, and a slow, romantic one took its place, their audience paired off to sway with their dates, leaving Angelina and Fred to themselves.
Fred took Angelina's right hand in his and once again put his free hand on her waist. He tugged her close to him and began to lead her in a relaxed, measured rocking motion.
Angelina wrapped her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt him rest his head on her as well. No fancy dance moves right now. Nothing but the two of them, close together in a warm embrace, swaying with the music.
The night continued in a similar fashion; tearing up the floor during fast-paced songs, getting close during the slower ones, and never leaving each other's side. (Aside from one quick trip to the washroom, which Angelina also used to catch up with Alicia. Apparently Lee stepped on her feet every time they tried to dance, so they'd just been hanging out at the snack table most of the night. But they were still having fun. And George and Katie were still nowhere to be seen.)
Then Angelina noticed the clock. The Ball was scheduled to end at midnight, and it was almost eleven forty-five. She felt a pit of dread in her stomach. While she knew that she and Fred were now officially together, she hated the thought of this night coming to an end so soon. Thinking fast, she came up with a plan and whispered it into Fred's ear. He nodded enthusiastically.
Holding tight to each other's hand, they maneuvered through the mass of people and managed to slip out the Great Hall unseen. From there, it was relatively easy to avoid Filch and any other late-night wanderers to get up to the astronomy tower.
The tower was set up with an interior room with windows that had a door leading out to the open tower. The room was filled with trunks, torches, and telescope stands, and its purpose was to allow astronomy students to continue stargazing and planet-watching even when snow or heavy rain inhibited the outside location. It also provided a lovely amount of privacy, as the door opening into it from the castle could be easily locked with a simple charm, it was high enough that nobody would be able to see inside from the grounds or other towers, and it was completely illogical to think someone would unexpectedly come in from the tower top itself.
It was the perfect place to conclude a magical night such as this one.
Sex was not what was on Angelina's mind. It wasn't the last thing on her mind, but she knew that she was young, and she knew that this was technically her and Fred's first date, so she had no intention of trying anything tonight. And she was quite sure Fred felt the same. She'd rather try something else.
Fred closed the door behind them and locked it with a soft "Colloportus." By the time he turned back around, Angelina was already standing by one of the windows, looking out at the December sky.
Fred's arms snaked around her waist and he rested his chin on her shoulder as he followed her gaze out to the nightscape. "It's beautiful," he said quietly.
She nodded. "Amazing." Then she grew quiet for a minute. "Do you… do you suppose we'll be missed tonight?"
"Well I'm sure Filch'll notice we've run off when he makes his usual rounds inside the dormitories while all the underage students sleep," Fred joked. "But yes, there'll probably be a handful of people who'll note we're not in our beds tonight. Don't think about it too much, though."
Angelina smiled and shifted her gaze to the ground. She turned around so she was still in Fred's arms but facing his chest and she looked back up. "I had a brilliant time tonight, Fred," she said.
The redhead smiled down at her. "I did too." Then slowly, hesitantly, as if making sure she was okay with it, he leaned down and kissed her.
She kissed back enthusiastically and pulled his head down further. Fred smiled into the kiss and hoisted her up so he was holding her thighs and her legs were wrapped around him. Angelina tangled her hands up in his orange hair and laughed into the kiss, even though there was nothing apparently funny at that moment.
When they were too tired to keep going, Fred pulled out a few lumpy sheets of cloth from the trunks (were they curtains? Drapes? Heavy blankets? The world may never know.) and laid them out so that from sitting on them one would still have a good view out the window. Angelina cast a quick charm on the blankets to rid them of any pests (fearless as she might appear, she had a healthy fear of mice) before settling down.
She kicked off her shoes and lounged so her legs were extended and she was resting on her elbows. Fred kicked off his shoes in the same general direction and removed his jacket. As Angelina watched, he muttered a few enchantments and his jacket expanded to the size of a four-poster bed sheet.
"Figured we should cover ourselves with something a bit more sanitary," he explained.
"If that's more sanitary, I'm slightly concerned," Angelina replied.
Fred grinned, and then lunged forward and pinned the Chaser to the ground in a hug. "Yes, because you're so much less sweaty than me. I seem to recall a fairly equal amount of dancing between us, would you agree?"
Angelina laughed and squirmed under him until she found his lips with hers. When she let him go again, she smiled tiredly.
"It's getting late; we should call it a night."
"All right then; it's a night."
She shoved him lightly and he conceded by rolling off of her. Angelina reclined with her head resting on a balled-up blanket and gazed out the window at the night sky. She saw out of the corner of her eye Fred in the same pose, but with his head turned and looking at her.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" she mocked.
The Weasley shook his head. "I'm just really glad I got to spend tonight with you. I can't imagine this having gone any better." He reached one hand over and hesitantly stroked her hair a few times.
She smiled at him. "I concur."
And with that, she snuggled up close to her favorite redhead and soon fell asleep.
A/N: It's been a while, but I promise I haven't forgotten this project! Neville and Ginny will be next, with hopefully less than nine months between chapter uploads. Reviews are appreciated; let me know what's good, what's not so good, the works.