Chapter 17

"I still can't believe you hit him." Summer said as she shook her head.

"Drop it Summer. He deserved it." Alex snapped into her homework. She had a hand tangled in her hair as she leaned over her parchment, trying to make sure she did it right.

Summer sighed heavily. "By standing there?"

Alex ignored her.

"Look all I'm saying is, you didn't have to physically assault him." She said defensively.

Alex looked up from her paper, "And why do you feel I shouldn't have physically assaulted him?"

Summer shrank under her stare. "He has nice hair?" Alex glared at her. Her eyes widened, "But I hate him!" She said nervously.

Alex glared back into her paper.

Summer threw up her hands and shut her book. "Fine, if you're going to be a sour puss all night, I'll go study elsewhere."

Alex said nothing and went back to her homework. Hurt, Summer walked away. She saw Ron and Hermione on her way out.

"Beware," She said to them as she was passing. "The lion has a huge thorn in the paw."

Ron, not getting it at all, looked at Summer like she was an alien. Hermione shook her head at Ron's look and pulled him into a different corner. Alex stared at her work angrily, not really even knowing what work she was even working on. Giving up she slammed her book shut, and stalked out of the Library.

As she left she ran into Fred, literally. Her books flew as she landed hard on her backside. Sitting on the floor, she put her head in her hand and looked up at him squarely.

"Well, fancy meeting you here." She said bitterly.

Fred held out a hand to help her up, which she ignored. "What are you doing?" He asked her quietly.

"Sitting." She replied curtly.

Fred sighed and leaned into the wall. "You know what I mean Alex. This whole date thing with Seamus. What are you doing?"

Alex rolled onto her feet and looked up at him with a pained expression.

"I no longer take orders from any stupid boy who comes into my path. I'm doing whatever the bloody hell I feel like, and if that means taking a creepy boy who is obsessively in love with me on a date, then I'll damn well have a jolly good fucking time with him." She stomped off still muttering to herself as Fred stared after her in disbelief.

Harry came up behind him. "She is REALLY angry with me." He said blankly.

Fred shook his head. "No mate, she's angry with everybody."

Draco sat bitterly in his room thinking about Hermione. He shouldn't think about her, had absolutely no right to, yet he kept coming back to their memories. What was so different about her? He slammed his fist into his pillow and thought about how he could make it right. He knew she felt used, and it killed him inside.

"It's the only thing I've ever wanted in life, and I can't have it." He muttered darkly to himself. He got up and paced around the room. A slight tapping sound brought him out of his reverie. It was an owl at his window, his Father's owl.

'Probably writing to tell me off about not holding onto Summer.' He thought to himself.

He unfolded the message and read it carefully. Then he read it again. Crumpling the paper together he put a hand over his mouth and half laughed, and half cried. Running out of the room, he knew exactly what he could do to make everything right.

The next day, everyone lined up to go to Hogsmeade for the last time before the winter holidays. Alex stood shivering in her coat next to Seamus, wondering how on Earth this was going to work.

"Seamus I don't think this is a good idea anymore." She said as they walked towards the town.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Well, I kind of just don't want to date anymore. I mean, real and otherwise. Maybe my relationship with Fred really wasn't worth saving. I just…I just don't want to be-"

"Trapped?"

Alex shook her head and smiled. "Around boys."

Seamus nodded. "Well why not give it a go anyways, I mean, we still have a shot."

Alex sighed. "For what? For Fred to come running back into my arms? Then maybe my brother will tell me he's been wrong all along," She gasped and turned to him, dramatically grabbing him by the coat. "And then Unicorns will poop butterflies and we'll have world peace!"

Seamus laughed. "You just never know what might happen."

Alex crossed her arms as they walked on. "I don't know if I want anything to happen. That's the problem."

Fred sat in the Three Broomsticks with George and Summer, warming up with their butterbeers. Fred heard the bell tinkle and watched Alex and Seamus come through the door. She didn't even look over at him.

George looked at him sadly. "Talk to her." He suggested.

Fred shook his head. "About what?"

Summer smiled. "Well, look she's out on a date, YOU could ask her on one. She's obviously taken on a whole new crazy persona with a 'take no bull' attitude. It's just crazy enough it might work."

"I think she hates me." Fred moaned into his cup.

"We're going home for Christmas, why don't we just make her and Harry come along. We can settle this nonsense once and for all." George said cheerily.

Summer perked up, "That's a great idea!"

Fred shrugged. "I'm not asking. She'll just tell me to go shove it up my bum."

George nodded. "Well yea, probably."

Summer put her head in her hands and her eyes sparkled. "What if you asked her, George, and you just didn't tell her that Fred would be there. You could say he's going to stay here since he's SO heartbroken…then maybe she'll feel bad too!"

George looked at her proudly. "Genius!"

Fred shook his head. "That would never work."

George ruffled Fred's hair. "Well Sour Sue, guess we'll never find out since you're so pessimistic about everything."

Fred waved him off and got up. "I think I'll go back to the castle, I'm just not feeling very cheery right now."

George and Summer waved good bye to him as he walked out.

Seamus grabbed Alex's hand as Fred walked by, he kissed it and noticed Fred's ears turn red as he shoved the door open particularly hard.

Alex pulled her hand back. "Ugh. Please don't." She said, wiping the back of her hand on her jeans.

Seamus looked her in the eye, "Alex I want to date you. I mean, for real. You know, since you sort of disowned your brother and what not."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Seamus, talking to you is like talking to a wall. I don't want to date anyone. I'm flattered by your offer, but really enough is enough." She stood up. "I think I'm going to fake break up with you now Seamus. Thank you for your help. You did at least get Harry off my back. I should have just never been with Fred in the first place." As she turned around she met a very confused look from Harry.

"Fred?" He asked, completely surprised.

Alex's stomach dropped into her feet. Her face whitened as she tried to think of something to say.

"You've been with FRED?" He shouted.

George and Summer looked up across the room as everyone went silent. They watched as Alex quickly ran out of the bar and into the cold, forgetting everything, including her coat.

Harry stared at Seamus. "You knew?"

Seamus shrugged. "I was just hoping she'd give it up like she did to him."

Harry's mouth dropped. He leaped over the table and socked Seamus square in the jaw. George ran quickly across the room to pull him off.

"Harry! Come on, snap out of it!" He was yelling, as he dragged Harry out of the Three Broomsticks.

"DID YOU HEAR WHAT HE SAID TO ME!" He screamed.

George pushed him against the building, not letting go of him. "You need to calm down."

Harry took a deep breath and looked at George angrily. "I'm going to KILL your brother."

George smiled. "Good luck mate, but let me say something first."

Harry shrugged him off and crossed his arms. "Fine."

"Haven't you learned anything from Alex's yelling at you? Leave it alone." George said simply.

"Really? That's all you're going to say to me?" Harry stared at him evenly.

George shook his head. "You're never going to get it Harry, until you let it go."

Harry breathed in heavily as he watched George go back into the Three Broomsticks. He stood there in the cold for a few moments, thinking about what he was going to do.

He nodded his head. "Yea, I'm gonna kill him."