Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own characters.

Note: No matter who you might hate at the end of this chapter the end I know I will surprise you at the end of the story (SiobhanPhelps). Not my favorite chapter though.

Explanations versus Apologies versus Words

On my way back to the Gryffindor Tower I saw Lavender next to Matt, but as soon as he saw me he forgot Lavender was there. "Tammie" he started but I was quick to speak first.

"You played us!" I shouted at him, pointing my finger.

"What?" he asked as if no clue what I was talking about.

"You enjoyed watching your sister nearly kill my best friend and cousin. I saw you smiling" I said as his face slowly showed a little understanding.

"Oh, that…?" he said taking a step closer. "I can explain—"

"I don't care, you were smiling, Draco could've gotten killed. Courtney is dangerous, I'm starting to think you are too" I said as he stopped moving, his face a little harder looking. "How long before you hurt one of my friends or me?" I asked though I wanted to remind him he hurt me by the whole pushing emotions.

"I would never hurt you Tammie" he said quietly, his face still serious, his voice a little hurt.

"Do you hate Fred? Did Melinda do something to you?" I asked not wanting to let his words affect my anger at him.

"I don't hate anyone and I wouldn't want to see your friends get hurt" he explained in short.

"Did you play us?" I asked folding my arms over my chest.

"No" he said in serious very convincing tone.

"Whatever you did, can it be undone? Can you push me and Fred back together?" I asked as Matt continued to look at me.

"I already did, after that vision you had," he said. I wanted to be relieved, but that only meant he wasn't responsible for anything I said. I couldn't blame any of my words on him.

"How can I be sure?" I asked as we
continued to stand our distance.

"You're angry, for whatever reason" he said with a shrug.

"I'm angry because my boyfriend overheard me tell him I wasn't sure how I felt about him" I hissed as Matt continued to look expression. "Why were you smiling?" I asked trying to loosen myself up.

"Because I had a vision, right before you, Draco let himself get hit, that last play before he fell" he said with another shrug.

"Why didn't you say something?" I asked angrily. "Now because of all that Melinda and George broke up and Melinda wants Draco again. Do you know what that means? Do you know you could've prevented that?" I continued in anger.

"I said let it play out!" he shouted. I couldn't help but stare at him; that was new. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Tammie, you can't pick and choose what you want to happen because of visions. They're there for a reason, they have to play out" he said as I shook my head. "Yes they do, it's the way of the universe. It's the balance of things. You don't—can't—decide what happens to your friends because you care about their feelings" he said, his tone still strange to me.

"What other visions have you been having Matt?" I asked, a new thought occurring as he shook his head.

"None, pushing—Sealing as it's formally called—takes a lot of energy and mind power, I'm surprised I had the one with Draco at the game" he explained.

"Sealing, why didn't you just call it that before?" I asked but he was silent. "Matt, did you fix it?" I asked as he glared at me.

"I told you I did" he said as if it were something he didn't want to do. "I don't have any physical proof Tammie or I would show you, but, you're 'Unsealed,' you and Fred both" he said as he started to walk away. "And Tammie," he paused as he reached a separate staircase. "Please, don't go meddling into Seals and Fate. I know you and friends think I'm some kind of experiment but, I'm a human, I'm allowed to have secrets" he said.

"My friends don't have secrets" I told him as he laughed a little, it was off and unfriendly. "Matt…" I started feeling a strange disconnect from him. I just wanted him to be okay, to open up to us, to not feel however he was feeling, to not look so trapped. But he didn't turn back around, he continued up the flight of stairs and then another. I wanted to run after him, to tell him whatever I could to make him feel better but I knew my destination laid the other way, I had to talk to Fred.

I walked as slow as I could back to the Gryffindor Tower, I felt like a prisoner awaiting a dementor's kiss. This wasn't supposed to happen, I wasn't supposed to snap. Matt was supposed to be wrong. I reached the last step, coming face to face with the Fat Lady, I didn't want to go in, I didn't want to see Fred. He looked so hurt, so sad. And that was all my fault. What hurt me was that it wasn't even over, he didn't dump me on the spot like he should've, he didn't let me say anything. He walked away.

The common room seemed fairly full of students but they looked like blurs to me. I noticed George and Lee who were sitting with Harry and Ron, none of them looked to be talking. Did they know? I couldn't help but wonder. Hermione was off to the side working on homework, she glanced at me when I walked in but quickly her eyes went back to her paper. Fred was in a chair by the fireplace. He didn't move even when I approached him.

"What can I say to make this better?" I asked as I stood in front of him. He stared at the fireplace, the only sign that he heard me was that he stopped twirling his wand. "Just tell me what to say" I added, my chest tightening.

"I thought you were sleep last night" he said flatly, his eyes still on the fire.

"I was falling asleep" I said as if that were some kind of defense. He snorted and shook his head. Just dump me already. I told him in my head.

"How do you want me to react? What am I supposed to say?" he asked but shook his head again, his voice was off, I could hear it, I could feel it.

"If you don't want to be together anymore…" I started as I dropped my eyes but only for a minute when he didn't respond.

"Always want the easy way out," he said coldly as he stood up.

"Stop, please" I said grabbing his arm but he jerked away.

"I'm not sinking to your level. If I continue to stand here I will hurt you, and that's not something I'm willing to live with" he said, his voice stiff as he walked off, down to his room. I bit my tongue, I bit my cheek, I licked my lips, anything to keep from crying.

"What?" I sneered at George who had been watching.

"Nothing, I just enjoy watching you get hurt for once" he said coldly as he moved to the top of the stairs. "Anything I should tell him? Do you give up yet?" he asked as I searched his face. He hated me. Not just because I was being a jerk but because I was related to Draco and Draco was everything George tried so hard to protect Melinda from.

"I'm not giving up George" I told him. He narrowed his eyes at me, as if I were joking or seconds from cracking. I wanted to say more but I had nothing else to say, nothing Matt said would help my case, the past hour I spent with Draco definitely wouldn't help and telling him I told Melinda off was probably just another reason he'd continue to hate me.

"Then I can only hope he will because you really hurt him" he said in a firm voice before disappearing down the stairs. I closed my eyes and plopped down in the seat, we weren't even over yet and I just wanted to cry. More importantly I had no one to blame but myself. I did this, I said those things.

"Tammie," I looked up to see Abby, her hair was curled today, she looked bright as always but a little more concerned. "Are you okay?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together as she pulled over a little stool to sit closer to me.

"I dunno" I said as I shook my head. I wasn't okay, I was far far from okay, but I had to be okay because something in my gut told me Madison was waiting for this, waiting for the cracks, waiting for the game. Something told me she knew. Had Matt told her? Had he lied to me yet again? Did I let him lie to me again?

"Fred looked really sad when he came a while ago, I think you need to give him a hug, or, you know, something to cheer him up" she said with a laugh as I tried to let out a laugh but it failed.

"I'm the one who made him sad" I told her as she tiled her head in surprise.

"How?" she asked as if it were entirely impossible for me to ever hurt him.

"I said some things I didn't mean and he overheard them" I said going over my 'speech' to Melinda in my head.

"Did you apologize?" she asked, this time I did laugh.

"Abby, it's really not as simple as that" I told her but she was shaking her head in disagreement.

"Sometimes all people need are apologizes, not explanations. Too many words can generate a lie, too many words can hide the truth" she explained. I stiffed loudly. "I'm sorry is simple, just like I love you, that's why they're they're so powerful" she continued.

"You're smart" I said as she smiled brightly.

"See, short and simple; I believe you" she said as I glanced at the opening portrait, Matt coming in. "What's the deal with you two anyway?" she asked as she followed my look to Matt who didn't give me any particular look just went off and down the stairs to the boys dormitories.

"We're—" I sucked in air, what was the deal with me and him? "I don't know" I said shaking my head as I looked back at Abby who gave me a sad sort of sympathy half smile.

"He's cute" she said as I laughed. "I only asked because when I see you two together there's something there but like, it doesn't make sense because you don't know him and he doesn't know you but it's like he's a different person. Not in appearance, I know he looks different to everyone—" she paused when she caught my surprised expression. "I'm young, not stupid" she said. "Anyway, you get visions, he gets them too, he's comfortable around you but doesn't know what to do about it because of Fred who adores you. I think you just have to remember to trust people, Matt does seem to genuinely want to help you and I whole-heartedly believe Fred would throw Ron to a dragon before he pulled a piece of hair out of your head" she explained as again I laughed.

"Words," I said to her as she gave me a knowing smile.

"Trust people Tammie, it's okay, we're not like that crazy Professor from your third year and there's no competition" she concluded as she stood up. I stood up too, giving her an unexpected hug.

"I'm depending on the advice of a first year" I said, my arms still wrapped around her as she giggled.

"You've hit bottom" she teased as we pulled apart. "Maybe he'll come around by morning" she added as the portrait opened again, some giggling first years coming in. "I'm gonna go do some homework" she said thumbing at the group. I nodded, watched her go off in a corner with her group as I sat back down.

I only stayed downstairs for another few minutes, the looks from Ron were enough to push me close to the edge but once Ginny came in and heard what happened—from Ron—I had to leave. If anyone hated when I hurt Fred it was Melinda, if anyone hated me more than that it was George and more than that was Ginny. I could only cross my fingers in hopes I wouldn't be getting a howler from Mrs. Weasley.

The next day I was the last one to get dress, the last one to leave my room and I was hoping to be the last person to leave common room but was surprised—and certainly unprepared—to see Fred standing at the bottom.