"I'm gonna hit you so hard, it'll make your ancestors dizzy."
-Yao (Mulan)
"I hope you aren't going to be doing homework next Saturday," Justin said one night about two weeks later. He and Scarlett were sitting at a corner of the common room, doing homework together.
"I just might be," Scarlett answered. "Are you?"
"Am I what?" Justin laughed and kissed her cheek.
Scarlett giggled. "Are you going to be doing homework next Saturday?"
"No, I'm not."
"And why's that?"
"Well, it's the first Hogsmeade trip of the year," Justin said with a smirk. "I was hoping we could go together."
"Oh," Scarlett said, looking up. She had completely forgotten about Hogsmeade. "Well in that case, I'm sure I can ignore my homework for one day." She grinned at her boyfriend and nudged him with her knee.
"Good," Justin smiled. "You've been working way too hard."
"So have you," Scarlett pointed out.
"Yeah, but you've been working harder. If this," Justin gestured to Scarlett's huge stack of books, "is any indicator of what it's like to be a NEWT student, then maybe I don't ever want to be one."
"Oh, please," Scarlett snorted, rolling her eyes. "Of course you do. This isn't that bad."
"I'm not stupid, you know. You and all the other seventh years have been swamped with work."
"Maybe just a little," Scarlett sighed.
"A little?" Justin teased.
"Okay, fine, you're right," Scarlett laughed. "I've been busy, but next Saturday, I'll get to spend the day in Hogsmeade with you."
"I like the idea of that," Justin said with a smile.
"So do I," she answered, smiling back.
"How does it feel to be away from your homework for a little while?" Justin asked, swinging his and Scarlett's intertwined hands as they walked into Hogsmeade.
"Wonderful," she sighed. "How does it feel to be away from yours?"
"Amazing," Justin said happily.
Scarlett laughed and squinted in the bright sun. "Okay, so where should we go first?"
"Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks, the Shrieking Shack…." Justin began rambling off suggestions.
"The Shrieking Shack?" Scarlett asked with a laugh. "Why would you want to go there?"
"We could get some alone time," Justin responded, bumping her arm.
"Technically, we're alone now," Scarlett said with a smirk.
"Not really," Justin answered, looking around at all of the people moving through Hogsmeade.
Scarlett looked at him. "Okay, then the Shrieking Shack it is."
"Really?"
"Yeah, why not? Let's go."
As they were passing the Three Broomsticks, Scarlett glanced inside and saw Harry sitting with Ron and Hermione. "I kind of feel bad," she said, gesturing at their table that was just inside the window.
"Why?"
"Nobody believes him. Everyone thinks he's lying about You-Know-Who being back. The papers are bad enough, but even some of the students at school don't believe him. I talked to Ginny the other day and she said Seamus and Harry even got into a little argument on the first night back."
"Seamus believes the Daily Prophet?" Justin asked.
Scarlett nodded. "It's pathetic, really. People will believe anything they read without even getting both sides of the story."
"Oh, and you have?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah. I've talked to Harry before. Granted, I don't know him all that well, but he doesn't seem like the type to make up stories about You-Know-Who for the fun of it. Why, don't you believe him?"
Justin sighed. "I don't know, Scar."
Scarlett stopped and stared at him. "So you believe what the newspaper's been saying?" she asked, trying to ignore the fact that if he said yes, she had unknowingly called him pathetic only moments ago.
"Maybe it's because my parents are Muggles, but they're a little more skeptic about this whole thing, so naturally I-,"
"You're not a Muggle, though," Scarlett argued. "You've been in the wizarding world since you were eleven. And don't you have Herbology with Harry? Don't you think he's trustworthy? Don't you think Dumbledore's trustworthy?"
"Scar, ever since I got my Hogwarts letter—ever since I showed my first signs of magic, actually, I knew I was different than my parents and most of the relatives I knew. Coming to Hogwarts, I knew most people came from wizarding families and I knew that while everyone else at Hogwarts was a witch or a wizard, I was different and I just wanted to make sure I fit in. It's so…easy to just agree with what most people are saying. Not everyone likes Muggleborns. That's obvious enough, isn't it? I don't want to draw any more attention to myself."
Scarlett squeezed his hand. "You fit in fine."
"You're supposed to say that."
"I'm not. I'm saying it because it's true." After a pause, she continued. "So, are you just saying that you don't agree with Harry or do you really mean it?"
Justin hesitated. "I'm not sure what to think. I haven't taken any sides."
"Well, I'm not going to try to convince you either way, but you know what I think," Scarlett shrugged.
"I suppose if you believe him, then that should be good enough for me."
"Don't just believe him because I said so," Scarlett laughed. "Believe something because you want to believe it, not because other people are."
"Easy for you to say. You fit in just like everyone else."
"If you remember, one of my parents was a Muggle, too."
"Yeah, just one of them. I grew up knowing nothing about magic or wizardry."
"What do you think?" Scarlett asked. "Forget about me and forget about everyone else. Just tell me right now what you think."
"Well, like you said before, it seems odd that Harry would make that up, but on the other hand, there's no proof."
"It's not like we can get any, though. It's not like anyone can force You-Know-Who to come out into the open until he's ready. Of course, anyone who'd want to is mental."
"Yes, and that's just the way it is. There's no proof and it's not easy to get any proof."
"Why do you always need proof?" Scarlett asked. "Haven't you ever just trusted?"
"I don't trust just anyone."
"I didn't say just anyone."
"So you're saying you want me to trust Dumbledore and Harry and you, seconds after you just told me to come up with my own beliefs? What if I told you I truly believed Dumbledore was out of his mind?"
"Then you wouldn't still be here at Hogwarts," Scarlett said. "You would have left. Besides, you did just say it seemed odd that Harry would make something up about You-Know-Who. I thought that meant you believed him."
"Yeah, but then I said there's no proof."
"So, you're still on the fence."
"Yes, and that is my decision," Justin said, nodding decisively. "See? I'm not picking one side or the other. I'm making my own choice and picking the middle where it's safe and nobody can pick me apart for what I believe. Including you," he laughed.
Scarlett giggled. "Fine, fine, I'll stop."
"You're good at this whole debating thing," Justin said.
Scarlett shrugged. "I think too much. Sometimes my mouth just runs off ideas and thoughts without stopping as if I expect other people to think as much as me. I'm always considering every possibility of every situation."
"Not necessarily a bad thing," Justin said. "Look at it this way: you'll be a really thorough Healer."
Scarlett smiled at him and blushed. Moments later, they reached the Shrieking Shack and tiptoed inside.
"This place is even creepier than I remember," Scarlett whispered, looking around the dilapidated building.
"You've been in here before?" Justin looked surprised.
Scarlett nodded. "When Erica and I were thirteen, on Halloween night, we snuck food from the kitchens, then came all the way out here and had our own little mini Halloween party It's obviously not haunted, and we knew that, but it's still creepy. That's what made it fun to come here. Professor Sprout caught us right when we were coming back into the castle and gave us a detention, but it was so worth it."
"Yeah?" Justin asked, laughing slightly.
"Yeah, we had fun," Scarlett said. "It's less creepy here in the daytime, though."
Justin nodded and gently kicked the door shut with his foot.
"So," Scarlett said with a slight giggle.
"So," Justin repeated, smirking as he reached out and brushed his thumb across Scarlett's cheek and backed her against the wall.
Scarlett couldn't help but feel nervous. She knew that they wouldn't be doing more than kissing, but being in the silent, eerie Shrieking Shack made it seem so much different than any other time.
"Did I ever tell you the first thing I noticed about you were your eyes?" Justin asked, his voice low.
Scarlett shook her head. "No, you never told me that."
"Yeah," he whispered. "I had never seen anything like it before."
"It's called heterochromia iridis," Scarlett whispered.
"You would know that, Miss Future Healer," Justin teased.
Scarlett let out a quiet laugh as Justin leaned in to kiss her.
Five minutes later, Scarlett heard a sound from outside, causing her to pull away from Justin.
"What's wrong?" he muttered against the side of her mouth.
"I thought I heard something," she whispered. "From outside. Maybe someone's coming." Justin's hand was resting against the wall just beside her head and she peered over his arm to look at the door.
"Nobody's out there," Justin assured her. "Mostly everyone stays away from here."
"We didn't," Scarlett argued.
Before Justin could answer, the door burst open and Fred and Angelina came into view, looking as if they were attached at the lips.
"Hey!" Justin yelled in surprise as Scarlett let out a squeak of shock and widened her eyes.
Fred and Angelina jumped apart and looked around. Their eyes finally fell on Scarlett and Justin.
"Oh, looks like this room's taken," Fred said, smirking at Scarlett.
"Yeah, it is," Justin said crossly. He was glaring at Fred and Angelina. "We were here first."
"Well how were Angelina and I supposed to know that?" Fred asked, wearing an expression of annoyance to match Justin's.
"Fred, it's okay. We can go somewhere else," Angelina whispered.
"No, stay," Scarlett said, tugging on Justin's hand. "We're leaving."
"No, why should we have to leave? We were here first."
"It doesn't matter anymore," she answered, pulling on his hand again.
Justin looked at Scarlett before looking at Fred. Finally, he dropped her hand and turned towards the door. "Leave it to him to ruin everything."
"What was that?" Fred asked loudly.
Scarlett and Angelina groaned. The last thing either of them wanted was a fight between their boyfriends.
"You're just…always around." Justin said, turning back towards Fred. "You've never shown an interest in Scarlett before and now-,"
"I'm showing an interest in—what?" Fred asked, looking dumbfounded.
"You're showing an interest in Scarlett?" Angelina asked at the same time.
"What? No!" Fred answered quickly. He turned towards Justin. "How could I be interested in Scarlett when I'm clearly dating Angelina? As you've just witnessed, of course."
"I don't know," Justin snorted. "Maybe you just like having other girls on the side."
"Justin!" Scarlett scolded her boyfriend as Fred lunged for him. Angelina grabbed Fred's arms and Justin took a step back.
"Scarlett and I are just friends!" Fred said. He gently tore his arms from Angelina's grip but didn't make another move for Justin. "If you knew anything about me, you would know I'm not the type of guy you seem to think I am."
"Fred, it's okay," Angelina whispered.
"No, it's not! Scarlett, tell your boyfriend that we're just friends."
Scarlett met Fred's eye and she knew he was silently pleading with her not to say anything about the vow. As if she would. This was not a good time for that.
"Fine." With that, Justin hurried out the door.
"Hey, Scarlett," Fred said as Scarlett turned to leave as well.
"What?" she asked tensely.
"It seems as if the Finch's feathers are a bit ruffled."
Scarlett whirled around and pointed her wand at him. "One more word, Fred Weasley, and I will hex you. This is not the time for jokes."
"Sorry, but I had to," Fred chuckled.
"No, you didn't have to! You just said it to make me mad!"
"Relax. I'm just joking around. It's supposed to be funny."
"Well, I don't think it is! Are you begging for me to hit you?"
"No," Fred said quickly. "We all know how well that went last time."
A ghost of a smile flickered across Scarlett's face. "You deserved it. You lured me into that cave behind your house on Halloween night and then grabbed me from behind. You should have expected me to hit you."
"Yeah, but I didn't expect an eight year old to break my nose."
"She broke your nose?" Angelina asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Fred said, "which is why I don't want to be on the receiving end of another one of Scarlett's punches."
"Please, Fred, just leave Justin alone," Scarlett pleaded.
"I don't think I want to, though," Fred laughed.
"You know, sometimes the things you say—well, never mind."
"No, say it," Fred ordered, his grin fading as he crossed his arms.
"Sometimes the things you say," she said quietly, "well, they make me somewhat see why Justin can't stand you." She turned for the door again.
"Scarlett, I'm sorry," Fred whispered.
"Don't apologize to me," she replied.
"Well, I'm not apologizing to him."
"Fine, don't, but I don't really want the two of you getting into fights, and I'm sure Angelina agrees with me."
"Most definitely," Angelina nodded.
Scarlett sent her a half smile, and before Fred could add anything else, she hurried out the door after her boyfriend.
"I thought you weren't threatened or jealous," she said quietly when she had finally caught up to him.
"Maybe I am," Justin said furiously. "Maybe I'm getting paranoid now that I actually have you."
"Fred wouldn't cheat on a girl," Scarlett said. "He really isn't like that. And even if he was, you have to know that I would never cheat on you." She paused and grinned. "If I wanted to be with another guy, I would break up with you first."
Justin glared at her but then broke into the tiniest of smiles. "How kind," he said. He took a breath and slowly let it out. "I don't think I'll ever really be completely fond of Fred, though."
"Why's that?" Scarlett asked quietly.
"Well, I guess it's because he and George are just the ones who all the girls drool over."
"I'm not drooling."
"Yeah, but you're still his friend." Justin shook his head. "Do you think I'm being ridiculous?"
Scarlett took a deep breath. "Maybe, but I can see where you're coming from."
"At least I can have the satisfaction of knowing he can't ever have you," Justin continued.
"Ever?" Scarlett asked, half kidding.
"No, not ever," Justin teased. "Seriously, though, I don't think I want to give you up."
Scarlett smiled and giggled nervously. The more she waited to tell Justin the truth, the worse the situation was going to get. But it would be best if Fred told Angelina as well. Maybe she could talk to Fred and convince him that telling Angelina and Justin was the best thing to do.
A/N: I hope it's not too much of a problem that there's more Justin than Fred in this chapter. Fred will be around a little more in the next few chapters, though.
Thanks so much for all of the reviews and favorites so far! You're all awesome and I really appreciate the fact that people take the time to do that. :)