"Finally, the exams are over!" Tyler's exclamation was greeted b many tiresome sighs as the fifth years returned from their History of Magic OWL exam.

It was mid afternoon in June, and the common room was filled, everybody having just finished up their exams. The four marauders took up the best seats around the couch, feet propped up upon the couch.

"Hey, I'm going to go get changed, I'm melting in these robes," Dell said standing up and heading up into the dorms. She heard noises that couldn't be accounted for words from her friends and just shook her head. As she went up she felt a pair of eyes on her but didn't even have to look to know it was Hailey.

Dell quickly changed to simple pants and a t-shirt, and soon heard noise behind her. "Why must you pester me, Hailey?" She asked without even looking, fingering Fred's sweater.

"Until you come out," She replied as usual before adding something that wasn't normal. "You might find a surprising response." Dell looked behind her but Hailey was already gone, as though she hadn't been there to begin with.

Dell continued to finger the sweater thinking of the year passed. After Christmas everything had gone by in a flash. She'd worked hard to act even more normal after what had happened at the Potter's – and nobody else ever heard about it as far as Dell knew – and had succeeded. Except for the Hailey factor, who still took every chance she could to pester Dell.

Dell still couldn't help to feel as though she was missing out on something important – with all the hints Hailey gave, and it was just a nagging feeling. Plus she was just tired, tired of hiding everything, from her best friends no less. She just wanted to come out and say it, but she didn't want to ruin her friendship.

What was life without it risks, though? Hadn't Dell always lived by that, than had it drilled into her brain by Tyler, James and Fred? Take risks, see where they take you. Have fun. Dell was tired of hiding it all, she was going to take a chance, the plunge, as Hailey had been saying, and tell him.

That was about the moment she froze in her tracks, the sweater clutched in her hands. Her brain was quickly going through all the things that could go wrong, and it was a pretty long list, and it was as though she was on repeat. It kept going and over.

Kicking herself and jerking back into action, Dell dropped the sweater, and turned around. She didn't know how she was going to do it, she just knew she was. She quickly walked down the steps, and entered the common room. She spotted Hailey sitting in the corner, and she looked at her, and Dell knew that Hailey knew what she was going to do by the smile that spread across her face.

Dell scanned the room once more and saw her friends sitting exactly where they had been before, and more importantly Fred. She walked up to them, and saw Tyler glance at her before looking startled and turning his total attention to her while Fred and James were caught up in their conversation. Was she really that readable?

"Fred?" Dell asked, stopping beside the couch that he and James sat on, and more specifically the end he sat closest to. She had no idea what she was going to say, so when he looked up at her and asked, "Ya?" All thought of words went out the window and she kissed him. She just leaned down and kissed him. It was just kiss, two, three, five seconds at the most kiss. Then without waiting to see what their reactions were to be she turned around and left the common room.

"Di…did she really just kiss me?" Fred stuttered, lightly touching a hand to his lips, as he looked at the shocked expression of James and the thoughtful one of Tyler's.

"And about time too, I thought I'd have to steal Kailey's bird so I could send her letters in the summer." All three boys turned their heads to the back of the common room to see it was Hailey, the one who seemed to have been watching Dell's every move the past year, which had spoken.

"What-so that's the secret-and why she-and-ohhhhh….." A dawning expression came on James face, and suddenly Fred was starring at the exit longingly, as though wishing Dell would come back through, for it was common knowledge at Hogwarts that Fred liked Dell. Everybody knew, even the teachers, except for Dell.

"I know where she is," Tyler said suddenly, standing up. The two others stood up too, but sat down quickly when he gave them the death glare. "Don't follow me. If she is where I'm pretty sure she is, then that means she just wants me to come."

"Why can't we come?" James said with a pout, and Tyler pretended to think for a minute before replying. "Because you're her cousin – doesn't matter if it's third – and as protective as a brother, and I should think it's obvious for you Fred." With that Tyler turned and left the common room.

"At least bring her back!" Fred yelled as the portrait closed behind him.

"I always thought it be Fred finally revealing his feelings to Dell. I never even realized she liked him," Dominique said into the quietness and the majority of the common room agreed.

"So does that mean nobody wins the bets?" Asked Albus who had his book out with all the bets made for when Fred would confess and how.

"I actually believe I bet for Dell," Said Hailey slyly.

"Hey," Tyler said quietly. "May I join you?"

Dell looked up from where she sat under the old beach tree by the lake. She smiled slightly, glad that he had known she would be there, at their spot, and simply nodded her head. She turned her attention back to the lake as he sat down beside, and to the sun that had barely begun to set.

"You know, I wasn't expecting that. Even after all that's happened this year, I was not expecting that." Tyler said as he too kept his eyes on the water and off of the person he sat next to. "I guess it makes sense though, the way you've been acting. Plus, the knowing looks Hailey have been giving to you; it all fits together, especially the part where you wouldn't tell us. That was the most stupid, but it makes the most sense."

Dell chanced a glance at him for the last part before she looked back at the water and chanced to ask the biggest question of all. "How did Fred react?"

"He was ecstatic, of course," Tyler said, and couldn't help but laugh at the confused expression on Dell's face. He turned to look fully at her with a smile. "Dell, you're the only one in all of Hogwarts, including the teachers, ghosts, and maybe even the house elves, that do not know Fred likes you. He has liked you since the first year, which he spent all of explaining to everybody how it was possible for you and James to be related but not you and him. There are bets within every house – even among the teachers! – for when he was going to tell you, and Al has them all written down, though I don't think anybody betted for you, so that probably screwed it all up."

Dell just starred at her best friend for a few seconds, mouth open, before hitting him, hard. "Everybody knew this, and nobody ever took the chance to stop once and tell me? Nobody ever thought that maybe, possibly I liked him too? I mean, I hang out with you guys 24/7 I was most likely to fall for one of you two (since James was out of the question) – and Hailey! She knew both! That's what she meant by all that 'you might be surprised'!" Dell seriously wanted to blow something up but all she had was Tyler so she once more hit him.

"Stop! Bloody Hell, you can hit hard women. You never wanted Hailey to tell, did you not? You were afraid of what might happen, and you never stopped to think he felt the same way, and everybody knew! Only one person knew how you felt. You see why nobody ever told you?" Tyler said rubbing his arm while also trying to shield himself from more hits.

"Maybe," Dell said followed by some more mumbling. Then she looked up at Tyler with the look of an innocent child afraid to be hurt. "He truly likes me?" She asked as though their conversation had meant nothing.

Tyler looked into Dell's eyes and put a hand on his shoulders and said, "No doubt."

That was all that was needed to get Dell up and headed back to the castle. Tyler wrapped an arm around her and led her up to the common room. When they reached the Fat Lady he looked her in the eyes and asked, "You good," A question that meant so much more.

"Never better," Dell replied in full confidence. Tyler smiled as he slid his arm from out around her. He pushed the portrait open and the common room went deadly silent. All eyes were upon Dell. She ignored this and bounded over to the couch where James and Fred still sat, but not without noticing that Hailey was counting a lot of money. Remembering Tyler's comment about bets, she had a feeling Hailey would have cheatingly applied the only one for Dell.

Dell sat down on Fred's lap, and as he looked at her she saw hope in his eyes which just made her smile grow. "So, I heard there's going to be a party tonight for the end of exams and all, right?" Dell said, playing with the hem of Fred's shirt. He just nodded. "I was wondering if you wanted to be my date."

Fred's smile lit up the whole room in Dell's opinion, or maybe it was just her heart. "I'd love that," He said, and, if possible Dell's smile widened. As she heard many shouts of 'finally' and 'let's get this party started, then' she knew that she was at the beginning of something great.

A/N

Check out my 'bio' if you want to see where this story's headed.