It's the week of uploads! Thanks to everyone who commented, followed, and favorited. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I've liked writing it. I'll be uploading tomorrow too so you wont need to wait long. I'll being doing about the same thing next week...I think. Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful Wednesday and I'll see you (virtually) tomorrow.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter...unfortunately.

Chapter 18: Fugitive

My heart was beating out of my chest and it was growing hard to breath. I focused on the rhythmic patterns of my feet pounding on the damp dirt in between the vines. I slowed down not wanting to trip or get caught and a figure appeared in between the vines. You could never be too careful. I crouched down to avoid being seen and watch carefully as the shadow moved only father away from me. I approached the gazebo cautiously. There would surely be someone patrolling there. I could see Hermione and Ginny were on the outside of the gazebo meaning they had already been caught. That means Zach and Ron were left, along with me. I hadn't even seen Fred, George, or Harry, which made me a little more nervous to the point I was practically shaking. Disbelief hung in the back of my mind, I couldn't believe I was getting so emotionally involved in a game of Fugitive.

Suddenly, I felt a yank on my arm and I fell from my knees to my butt under a bare vine. It would've been so much easier to play if it wasn't winter. Not only would there be leaves on the vines, but it wouldn't rain every few second making the game not as…wet. I turned to see Zach's face barely recognizable in the shadows. He laid one finger over his lips and another pointed diagonally to his left. I noticed it was Fred and George holding onto Ron. He was struggling to be released from the twins grip, but they didn't seem to notice.

"Stop trying you're already here." George said as he pushed Ron in the direction of Hermione and Ginny.

"Where was Harry?" Ron asked still panting from running.

"Some where out there." Fred said. "This will be easy to find Zach and Auden. They'll probably be together."

"I see what you're saying brother." George added suggestively. I'm sure George was nudging Fred and bouncing his eyebrows, but I didn't dare stick my head far enough out to look.

"No, I didn't mean that!" Fred exclaimed.

That's weird, wouldn't he normally play along with George? Maybe something is bothering him. He didn't make any jokes when we were in my own personal library a day ago either. I mentally slapped myself. I shouldn't let my mind wander at an important time like this. I held my breath. The thought that they will still searching for us and were right about us being together, only insured I wasn't even close to being safe. I glanced to see that Zach was no longer behind me. I waited till I could no longer see Fred and George and crept up to the end of the row. Harry was nowhere in sight only adding to my fears.

Before I could make a break for it, I saw Zach running from the other direction. He was going to make it. Just as I was about to join him, Harry swooped in on his broom. He tackled Zach down in one fluid motion, jumping onto Zach's torso. I held back my laughter and charged forward. With Fred and George gone and Harry distracted I had a good chance of making it. I pushed my self off the ground and to my feet. I stumbled with my first few steps, but I quickly regained my footing and ran as fast as I could. My focus turned to filling my lungs and exhaling. The cold wind whipped at my face, drying up any sweat I could be generating. I forgot how great it felt to just run. I guess I didn't really get to run much at Hogwarts, with my strange sleep pattern and tutoring in the afternoon there was no way I could fit it in. Still, with my aching legs pleading me to let them just collapse, I regretted ever giving it up.

Just a few feet away, I felt to strong hands grab both my arms and yank me back, making me slam into two solid bodies behind me.

"Oh no you don't." They said in unison. The twins.

I couldn't think clearly. My eyes flickered from the safe zone that was no more then 3 feet in front of me to Zach who was being dragged next to the others that had gotten caught. I did the first thing that came to my head.

"I'm really sorry." I said to them.

Not waiting for a response, I kicked my foot back, one at a time. Both released me as my foot made contact with their body. I didn't know where I hit them exactly and I didn't look back to check as I forced my feet to run to the Gazebo. When I made it, I turned to see Fred on the ground, in a ball, cursing at the top of his lungs. While George, on the other hand, was doubled over laughing.

Crap, I hit him there.

"Fred!" I said. "Shit!" I ran to him, kneeling down next to him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even think I would be able to hit you there. I didn't think I was tall enough. Shit, I'm really sorry. Can I do anything to make it better?"

He rolled from his side and on to his back. His blue eyes sparkled up at me playfully. It was the look I had seen before school started and he hated me. Things were getting back to normal.

"You could kiss it and make me feel better." A small smile played at his lips and I smacked him gently.

I could feel heat race to my cheeks. If it weren't so dark, I bet all of them would be laughing at how red it was.

"Look, Fred, her face is completely red!" George called out.

So much for it being dark.

George's laughter continued. I was so distracted by him rolling around on the ground I didn't realize Fred was moving until it was too late. I felt his big hands grab my wrists and push my back to the ground. I groaned as I hit the dirt with a thump. Fred held my wrists pinned above my head and laid on top of me. I was paralyzed. Even in my position I couldn't help but notice how close we were. The thought that our breath was mixing together didn't help my nerves. I was no longer scared about the game, but I was scared at the tingled that seemed to be resonating on my skin and exploding where his skin touched mine. My head went fuzzy and I was only awakened when Fred shouted.

"George we got her!" Fred called out, grinning smugly down at me.

"Wait what?" I asked.

George appeared in my view behind Fred. "You are caught and within 5 feet of the jail. We won!"

"But I was in the Gazebo. I was safe!" I insisted. "And you were-"

"Faking it." Fred finished my sentence for me. I felt my jaw drop open. "Careful. You shouldn't keep you're mouth open like that, I might just slip my tongue in there."

I promptly shut my mouth and Fred stuck out his tongue, drawing it closer to my face.

"AHHHHHH." He made the noise from the back of his throat. I turned my face to the side and slipped my wrists out of his grasp.

I tried to push him away but he repined my wrist. "You can't leave till you admit the cops won."

"No." I refused. They had won every other game, this time the victory was going to be all mine.

"Fine then I guess my tongue will jus-"

"No!" I exclaimed as he stuck his tongue out again. "Fine, whatever, you win but that's because you played dirty."

"Playing dirty is still playing." Fred said satisfied.

He pushed himself off of me and offered his hand to help me up. I turned it down so he didn't have the satisfaction of that.

"We should probably go to bed. It's already 1 am." Hermione said.

We grudgingly agreed and made it back to the guesthouse where I did my best to try to get everyone towels and enough blankets. As well as anything else they needed. After that I retreated to my room. Sneaking through the halls, trying to not wake my parents. It was all very new to me.

I felt gross and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I looked even worse. Parts of my hair were matted to my forehead while other parts stuck up. However all of it was covered in dirt and tangled with twigs and fallen leaves. My face had a few small cuts and there was a thin layer of mud dried all over it. It was the same story for my clothes, so I quickly kicked off my shoes and slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top before trying to work through the mess that was my face.

A gentle knock on my door stopped me from ripping out yet another twig. I opened the door to see Fred wearing only his muddy jeans and shoes. My eyes linger on his bare chest, but when I heard him snicker, they shot straight up to look him in the eye. He had a similar case of mud on his face, but he was saved the pain of having to fish out leaves and twigs form his hair.

"Sorry for interrupting you, but George decided to be a… meaniebutt and use two towels. Where could I get another?" He asked. "Are you okay?"

He probably noticed my eyes tearing up from the last object I pulled from my hair. I nodded knowing that if I said anything I would start to break down. I was about to get a towel for him when he shut the door behind me. I backed up to give us more space between us, but he only came closer to inspect my face.

"This is all my fault." He said. His usual happy eyes fixed on me with clear sadness. "Let me help."

"No it's fine." I refused partly because he shouldn't feel responsible, I did kick him after all, and partly because I didn't want him to see me cry. "Let me just get you that-"

To my surprise he picked me up bridal style and carried me to my bathroom, setting me down on the counter next to the small pile of leaves and twigs. He pulled out my brush and wet it. I cringed at the thought of a guy brushing my hair. They didn't know to brush hair, they barely had any. It would hurt less if I just did it. But when Fred ran the brush trough my hair I barely felt a thing, I didn't even realize he was able to pull out two leaves and a twig until he set them next to me.

"Don't look so surprise." He said in a fake hurt tone. "I do have a younger sister, you know. When she would get like this, I would clean her up."

"How sweet." I teased him as more twigs and leaves fell out.

"It's the least I could do given I did this to you." He said, each word was dripping in guilt.

"It's not your fault. I was running around and hiding in the vines. I probably got most of it there."

"Then why are Ginny and Hermione not fishing twigs and leaves out of their hair?" He asked.

"They always got caught first." I argued back.

"Why do you not want it to my fault so badly?" He asked.

"Why do you want it to be your fault so badly? I guarantee anyone else would agree it was my fault just so they could get out of it." I asked him. "Why do you want to be guilty?"

Fred brushed through the final bit of hair and I was already looking ten times better. He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with warm water. I watched his muscles flex as he wrung it out.

"I was terrible to you during school." He started, bringing the washcloth to my face and lightly scrubbing at the mud. "We need to be even."

"I was pretty terrible to you too." I said, as he rinsed the washcloth and continued to clean my face.

"But I started it."

"I could've ignored you."

"But I still would've been mean."

"I should've talked to you."

"I wouldn't have listened."

"Can't you just let it go and let me forgive you?" I finally said. "We all make mistakes and you made one. The fact that you feel bad about it shows it enough. Now forget it. You shouldn't feel guilty for being stupid. We're all stupid."

Fred didn't respond. He soaked the dirty washcloth in water when he was finished and summoned some medicine he had brought. Using his fingers he dabbed it on my cuts. Electricity shot through my skin and up and down my spine as soon as he touched me. I was surprised at my reaction to his touch, I did an involuntary jump.

"Sorry, I forgot to warn you, it's a t little cold."

I smiled weakly; I don't think that's why I jumped. When he was done fixing me up, I gave him the towel he asked for.

"Sorry for keeping you here." I said as I followed him out my room.

"No worries. I forgive you." He smirked. "I really didn't mind. It's much better then spending time with George. I love him and all, but sometimes I need a break."

"I get what you mean. Zach is nice, but I just wished I had more friends."

"Well now you're stuck with me."

"Good, I love being stuck with you." As soon as I said it, I felt a blush rise to my cheeks.

"I love being stuck with you too." He returned then left my room. "You should get some rest, you're gonna need it when we play Kick the Can tomorrow."

"You're so on." I called after him.