Chapter 18

Alex shivered as she walked quickly towards the castle. She saw Fred up ahead, and ran to him.

He turned when he heard her footsteps behind him. "Alex?"

Her face was red, she was shivering from head to toe, and she was completely out of breath from running.

"What are you doing? It's snowing out here!" Fred gasped as he pulled off his jacket and draped it around her.

"H-H-Harry Kn-kn-knows." She shivered.

Fred swore under his breath and put his arm around her and walked her up to the castle.

"It's freezing out here Alex, what were you thinking just taking off without your coat?" He asked softly.

Alex shrugged. "I just wanted to g-get out of there as qu-quickly as p-p-possible."

They walked together in silence the rest of the way to the Gryffindor common room. Once there, Fred sat Alex by the fire and wrapped her in a blanket he found on the sofa nearby.

"Now, what happened?" He asked.

Alex sniffled quietly. "He heard me talking to Seamus. I was saying how I should have never been with you, and he was behind me and-" She wiped her face. "And I ran out."

"Why would you say that?" He asked sadly.

Alex shook her head. "Because it never should have happened. The whole thing was stupid. Trying to have a relationship that was all lies and deceit, it was wrong. We were wrong."

Fred sat down on the floor with her next to the fire. "It wasn't wrong, I love you, that has to mean something."

Alex shook her head sleepily. "Harry's going to kill you."

Hermione sat alone in a large hallway, looking idly out the window. She hadn't gone to Hogsmeade, instead she decided to stay in where it was warm, and pack early to be ready to leave on the train the next morning for home. A throat cleared behind her and she turned to see Draco, standing with a crumpled letter clutched in his fist.

"Draco-"

Draco held up the paper. "You told me I wanted you because I couldn't have you, and you were right. But I told you I loved you and I meant it, and now I can prove it to you."

Hermione looked as if she'd been slapped in the face. "What are you talking about?"

"I've been disowned!" He shouted happily. "Isn't it wonderful!"

Hermione frowned. "Oh, you've gone completely mental haven't you?" She stood up and began walking away.

Draco grabbed her. "No wait! It's all right here! Someone told my father about us, he's stripping me of my fortune, my title, I can't even come home! I'm virtually penniless, homeless, and completely one hundred percent madly in love with you."

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. "You've gone mental."

Draco let his arms fall to his side. "I was an ass, and I want to make it up to you."

Hermione crossed her arms. "How?"

Draco smiled. "I can take you on a date!"

Hermione laughed. "With what, you just said you were broke?"

Draco frowned. "Oh right. Well what do poor people usually do?"

Hermione began walking away. "They usually just enjoy each other's company, and enjoy life."

Draco stared after her, "But that doesn't sound fun at all."

Hermione turned around. "Draco, once you snap out of it, and truly understand your situation, then we can talk about us."

Draco watched her turn the corner out of site. He sighed. "Well that didn't go as planned at all."

Harry walked into the common room and saw Fred sitting on the sofa near the fire, completely downcast.

"So, you and my sister?" Harry asked awkwardly. All his passion for wanting to pummel him went out of his system as he faced Fred.

Fred shrugged. "I wanted to date her, but she said she couldn't because of you, and so we thought maybe if we just dated in secret it would be ok. Then I broke up with her because I didn't want her to betray you, and now she hates me."

Harry sat down and frowned. "All this time I thought I was protecting her."

Fred let out a bitter laugh. "She doesn't need protecting, has she hit YOU yet?"

Harry smiled. "No, but now I understand."

"Harry I love her." Fred said sincerely as he looked up at Harry. "I love her, and I ruined everything."

Harry shook his head. "I think I ruined it. I was so concerned about keeping her safe; I never once thought it would blow up like this. I thought I was doing her a favor."

"I don't think she's ever going to talk to me again." Fred said sadly.

"Me either." Harry agreed.

Alex lay on her back in her room, her hair dangling off the bed. She sang quietly to herself, something she rarely did, but always enjoyed doing. She heard the door open and saw Ginny come in.

"Was that you?" Ginny asked.

Alex rolled over onto her stomach. "What?"

"Singing?"

Alex shrugged.

"Well it was really pretty, I had no idea you could sing." Ginny sat down on the bed next to her.

"Don't go telling everybody. I may have to kill you." Alex said quietly.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Someone has some humor left." She sighed. "So I talked to George. Apparently Harry decked Seamus, Fred can't stop sulking, and here you are singing the blues. What is going on?"

"Harry hit Seamus?" Alex asked wide-eyed as she pulled herself into a seated position. "Why?"

"After you ran out, he made a comment about you and Harry didn't take to kindly to it. In light of the situation, I don't think he was all too happy to begin with."

Alex laid back down again. "Everything is just messed up."

Ginny nodded. "I can see that."

"What am I supposed to do Gin?" Alex moaned into her arm.

"What do you want?" She asked.

Alex just sighed. "I don't want anything. I just want to be alone."

Seamus nursed his black eye tenderly in the common room, keeping his other eye sharp for any sign of Harry. He cursed himself for ruining everything with his big mouth. He just needed one more day and he could have convinced Alex to be his girlfriend. He was sure of it. The portrait opened and Seamus jumped, but it was only Hermione. She saw him cowering in the corner and stopped.

"Seamus? Are you alright?" She asked softly.

He straightened himself out. "Yes, I'm fine. Harry hit me."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What is with all the violence this year?"

Seamus shrugged. "I deserved it. Where have you been?"

Hermione's eyes darted around the room nervously. "Talking with someone, not important."

"Draco?" He asked smoothly.

Hermione sat down in front of him and glared. "How is it, that you know everything? Alex told me you little weasel, that you've been in HER business too."

He sighed. "I just pay attention, that's all. Really. And just so you know, if it hadn't been for me, you two wouldn't have been able to be together. So you should be grateful."

Hermione opened her mouth in shock. "YOU? You wrote to his father!"

Seamus smiled. "I was the one who gave Summer the pictures of you and Draco to begin with. Then I figured if you really liked him, then I'd fix it even more for you."

Hermione was beside herself. "Are you completely mental? What makes you think you have the right to meddle in our affairs? You're a little rat! That's what you are!"

Seamus waved his arms, "Now you calm down, I have a reason for everything!"

"Oh you better start talking or I'll give your other eye a reason to envy the one with a steak on it!"

Seamus swallowed hard. "All I ever wanted, was to get Alex to like me."

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "Why is it, that every boy in this school is completely off their rocker?"

Seamus frowned. "I saw you and Draco in an alley over the summer, and I knew he had been dating Summer, so I thought if I blackmailed him I could get money so I could take her out on a really nice date sometime. Then when I found out that it hurt you so bad, I felt guilty so instead I wrote his dad so he'd disown him and in return I'd get the money from him. Meanwhile I was helping Alex with Fred because maybe she'd see a different side of me and actually get to know me a little, so when I could really ask her out on a date she'd give me a chance."

Hermione stood up. "You need help." As she walked away Seamus called after her.

"You'd do the same thing if you were me!"

Hermione turned to him angrily. "No I would not you demented little weasel. YOU need to have your head checked!"

Seamus sighed. "I can't do anything right."