Chapter 8

"You comin Freddie?" George asked his brother.

"To watch Mason with Lily? No bloody way." was Fred's reply.

"It might not be that bad." George said.

"You know, Mason doesn't even love her." Fred's tone of voice told George that he was pissed.

"I know," George said, "c'mon. Come to Hogsmeade with me, we can drink your troubles away." George said giving Fred a pat on the back.

Lily waited at the entrance hall for Mason. It was 8:23, and he was nowhere to be seen. Yes, she knew she said 8:30, but he should've been early. Fred was always early for their dates; he said he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, so he would always show up early.

'Stop thinking about him!' she thought to herself. She pulled anxiously at the hem of her purple sweater, awaiting Mason's arrival.

She was growing impatient when it reached 8:32. She was beginning to think he was blowing her off. She breathed a sigh of relief when he rounded the corner and held out his arm.

"Shall we go?" he asked formally. Lily took his arm and they headed for Hogsmeade.

They walked around for a while, neither of them really spoke. Lily was telling herself that she was over Fred, and she didn't care about him. Mason was telling himself that Lily still had feelings for him.

"Do you want to go to The Three Broomsticks?" Mason offered after many minutes of awkward silence.

"Uh, sure." Lily said plastering on a smile. They walked to The Three Broomsticks. She felt Mason slip his hand in hers, and she took it. They walked in and spotted Tina and Draco sitting at a table in the corner. Tina and Lily waved to each other, and Draco gestured that they join them.

"I'll go get our drinks." Mason said and placed a kiss on Lily's temple. Lily didn't get the same warm, fuzzy feeling she got when Fred kissed her, but she smiled at her date and walked to Draco and Tina.

"Hi." Lily said sitting across from the other Slytherin girl.

"Hey." she replied, a hint of pity in her voice because she knew Lily wasn't happy.

"Lily," Draco began trying to find the right words, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Lily shrugged.

"For what our parents did," he said, "and for not being there for you when you needed me. You were right, I was your friend but I didn't act like it. If it wasn't for me, you and Fred might still be toget-"

"Forget it." Lily said before Draco could finish the sentence. Mason placed a large glass of Butterbeer in front of Lily and sat beside her, "thanks." Lily said turning to face him.

"No problem beautiful." he said and kissed her on the lips, taking everyone by surprise. Lily grinned at Mason, although her stomach was filled with butterflies, but not the good kind. For a second she thought she'd just cheated on Fred, but then she remembered.

Lily saw the look on Tina's face. It was a mix of disapproval and sympathy. She knew what she had coming when the day was over. At this moment though, she just wanted to leave.

"Let's go for a walk." Lily said grabbing Mason's hand and dragging him away from the table, forgetting their drinks. He willingly followed. They walked around the grounds once again. Mason stopped her when they reached a tree that Lily knew all too well. It was the place where she and Fred had their first kiss, where they first said the words 'I love you'.

"Lil?" Mason asked, "What's on your mind? Aren't you enjoying yourself?"

"No, no, I am." she lied convincingly.

"Good," he took a step closer to her and snaked an arm around her waist, "I really want to make this work."

Lily looked around and saw Fred and George walking towards Hogsmeade. Her head flooded with thoughts when Fred looked back at her. Emotions flooded in, so she reacted. She ran her hands through Mason's hair and she pulled him into a deep snog. His hands found their way to her hips and he gripped her tighter.

Fred looked over at the tree where he first told Lily he loved her, and saw her there with Mason. She caught his gaze and looked away quickly. She pulled Mason down into a kiss, making Fred's stomach turn. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"You know George; a Firewhiskey sounds good right about now." Fred said sadly.