A/N: Hello everyone! So happy to have you back! As you can see, I am starting to get over my writer's block and the chapters will be coming your way. At least that's the plan. I hope you are enjoying Life after Lie and will be leaving a review, comment or question for me. I want to thank everyone who has commented so far. Also, if I get enough questions, I will answer each and every one of you in a PM. Love you guys!
Chapter 15
The weeks flew by, filled with studying, spending time with friends, trying to figure out how to get a clue from the golden egg, writing to Sirius and secret snog sessions in between classes and after curfew. Somehow Amelia and Fred grew closer and closer, without their friends realizing what exactly was happening. The steady pace that had been building the past few weeks didn't last, however. Amelia and Katie made their way down to Transfiguration, when the twins, and Lee caught up to them.
"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" Katie asked. Before the twins could answer, Angelina and Alicia joined them as well, shortly followed by Harry, Ron and Hermione, who they had started referring to as 'the golden trio' after joking about trouble always finding them.
"There must be something big going on." Angelina decided as they entered the class room, which had been cleared of tables. They were still looking around the room, when McGonagall entered the room, telling them to find a spot. They subconsciously split up, boys to one side, girls to the other. They listened to what McGonagall was telling them, excited squealing and soft groaning coming from different sides of the room. There was going to be a dance! (although McGonagall had called it a ball.) The explanation of the ball reached a high point when Ron, red as a beet, was forced to dance with McGonagall to show the rest of the students how it was done. Then it was their turn to practice. Amelia looked at Fred, a grin apparent on both of their faces. Without a single word, they found each other to the side of the makeshift dance floor, Amelia confidently putting her hand on Fred's shoulder, as his hand found her waist. As they practiced, they quietly started talking about the dance.
"How are we going to do this?" Fred asked softly, putting a little more pressure on her waist and leading her the way he wanted to go.
"We could go as friends." Amelia smiled at him, but was surprised when he shook his head.
"I don't think that's a good idea." He spoke quietly.
"Why not? It's not like anyone would question us going together. Or do you not want to go with me?" She felt strangely hurt by that idea.
"I do want to go with you. But I can't keep this up Lia. I can't keep randomly snogging you in some dark passageway and then pretend to just be friends." Amelia frowned at him.
"What are you saying?" She asked, scared of the answer.
"I'm saying that I'll take you to the ball as my date, or not at all." Amelia narrowed her eyes at him.
"Are you kidding me, Fred? You know I don't want to rush this. Whatever this is."
"Suit yourself then." There were undertones of hurt and anger in his voice. Getting angry herself, Amelia motioned for Angelina, who was dancing with George, to switch places with her. Leaving behind a dangerously quiet Fred. As she took her place with George, she ignored the other twins' eyes burning in her back.
"Is my lovely brother being a prat again?" George asked, immediately noticing Amelia's change in behavior.
"Kind off. Let's not talk about that. Who are you going to ask for the dance?" George's ears turned a lovely shade of red, as his eyes flicked over to Angelina, making Amelia laugh heartily. "No surprises there." The rest of the lesson was spent joking around and switching partners every now and then. Amelia, however, refused to dance with Fred again.
X- Harry Potter –X
"He what?!" Amelia tried really hard to remain calm as she listened to Harry talking about how Fred had asked Angelina to the ball. "That wanker. Where was George when this happened?"
"Sitting next to him." Harry shrugged. That was it! She was going to kill Fred. That he wanted to take someone else to the ball, because she refused to be his actual 'date', she could live with. But asking his twins' crush? She realized she wasn't going to let George go unscathed as well, he should've at least tried to stop his brother. It didn't take her long to find George, hidden away in a corner of the library, sulking.
"You are unbelievable, George Weasley. How could you let your bloody twin ask the girl you like?"
"Don't need to tell the whole world, you know." He hissed softly.
"You're mad, aren't you? Because he asked? Or because she said yes?" George let out a sigh.
"Mainly the last. She doesn't like me. Not the way I like her." She rolled her eyes.
"Yes she does. She's probably trying to make you jealous by saying yes. So how about repaying the favor?" George frowned.
"Would that work?" She winked at him. "So, who should I ask?"
"Really George? What am I? Air?" He grinned and held out his hand for Amelia to shake.
"Deal. Thanks, Lia. But won't this get in your way of asking someone you actually want to go with?" Fred's face flashed through her mind, forcing out a sarcastic laugh.
"Yeah, totally." After her little encounter with George, Amelia left the library in search of the second twin, so she could give him an earful.
X- Harry Potter –X
She found him in the boys' dorm room, alone.
"Fred Weasley, you are a prat! How dare you! How could you ask out Angelina! You know George likes her! You are unbelievable! It's fine that you want to try and hurt me, but hurting your brother is a no go! You'd better hope that George is willing to forgive you for this!" When she was done screaming at him, she turned around and left the room, deciding not to talk to him until absolutely necessary. He was left in complete silence, shock apparent on his face. Amelia made her way over to her friends, who were discussing where they wanted to go shopping for their dresses. All students had been given permission to go home through the floo for a day, so they could get dresses or dress robes for the Yule ball. They soon settled on muggle London, deciding to drag Hermione and Ginny along.
X- Harry Potter –X
The air between Fred and Amelia had been frosty to say the least, during the weeks leading up to the Yule ball. Amelia couldn't lie, it hurt. She missed the stolen moments during the day and the time spent together. She made sure to avoid him as much as possible. And soon enough the day of the Yule ball had arrived. The girls had spent about two hours getting ready, doing each others' makeup and hair, before slipping into their dresses, ooh-ing and aah-ing at each other. Amelia looked over her group of friends, smiling. Angelina was wearing a form-fitting golden dress, which looked beautiful on her dark skin. Alicia had gone for an extravagant purple mermaid dress, the color ranging from a darker shade, slowly changing to a light, almost white. Katie's dress started with a crisp white, leading in to a hot pink, the hem of the dress barely touching the ground. Before they made their way downstairs, Amelia took one last look in the mirror, studying her own appearance. Her hair was done up in a beautiful, slightly curly look, showing of the beautiful silver-blue earrings and necklace. Her silver peep-toe shoes sparkled under the gorgeous dress she had found. The dress had a silvery bodice, adorned with hundreds, no thousands, of rhinestones and ended in a midnight blue princess cut. She had fallen in love with the dress the moment she saw it in the shop, after almost settling for a simple black dress. Deciding everyone was happy with their look, they all headed towards the main staircase, where their dates would be waiting for them. As Amelia carefully descended the stairs, she tried her hardest not to look at Fred, telling herself that she didn't care about what he thought about her. She could not resist the urge to let her eyes flick over to the redhead. She immediately regretted that decision, because he looked damn good in his dress robes. Amelia had to swallow heavily, aiming her eyes for the other redhead that was standing there. She almost laughed out loud when she saw the star struck look on his face as he looked at Angelina, who was walking right behind her. As she reached him, she gave him a light elbow in the ribs.
"Nice date you are. Checking out one of my best friends. I really thought I'd raised you better." He grinned and gave me a side hug, before leading her into the great hall, followed by the rest of their group. The room had been beautifully decorated with giant Christmas trees and snowflakes that melted just above their heads. Amelia turned to point a little snow-nymph out to Angelina, when she caught Fred's gaze. His blue eyes locked on hers, making her freeze to the spot. The way he looked at her made her warm up inside, making her cheeks turn a rosy red color. Their eyes kept locked on each other, until the first dance of the evening began and they had to turn and watch Harry stumble through the first dance. After that, Amelia was swept away to dance. First with George, then Lee, Harry (oh her poor toes), Ron (who was surprisingly good) and even Dimiter (Katie's Bulgarian date). George had just gone to fetch her something to drink, when Fred made his way toward her. He held out his hand, wordlessly asking her for a dance. She gave a barely visible nod and put her hand in his, ignoring the butterflies she felt. Those stupid butterflies were going to be the death of her. They found a place on the dance floor, a little ways from their friends, just as a slow song began to play. Without a second thought, he pulled her closer, not caring about what people would think of them. This moment was for them.
"I'm sorry." The words were spoken quietly, just for her to hear. She felt the anger she had been feeling over the past few weeks melt away, just like that.
"I'm sorry too." She looked up at him. "I hate it when we fight."
"Me too. I'm sorry I tried to push you, Lia. I just- I hate it. I hate that I don't know where we're heading. I know what I want, but I can't expect you to just jump in." The pain in his eyes was clear. Fred Weasley had never been one to open up easily, so for him to come clean like this was a big deal. Then it dawned on her that she had missed everything about him in the past few weeks. His sparkling blue eyes, his booming laugh, the way he tried everything to find out what had happened if a prank went wrong, the secret snogging sessions and evenings spent in front of the fire. She also realized that she felt more at ease with him that she had ever felt with Oliver. She made her decision right then and there. She shouldn't be afraid for her feelings, just because their friendship could end. She glanced over at her friends, who were laughing at something Lee had said, before looking back up at Fred. He had a small smile on his face, the grim look he had spotted over the past few weeks completely disappeared. Amelia gave a small gesture towards the doors of the great hall.
"Meet me at the main staircase." Fred nodded and let go of her, after giving her hand a light squeeze. Amelia motioned Katie over. "I'm going to bed, make sure George and Angelina dance at least twice." Katie looked at her, confusion in her eyes. Amelia was always the last one awake, so it was uncommon for her to leave this early.
"Is something wrong?" Katie asked.
"I'm just tired. I've been spending too much time on that freaking golden egg. I'll see you in the morning." After these words, Amelia turned and made her way out of the great hall, in search of Fred.
X- Harry Potter –X
He was waiting for her on the bottom step of the main staircase, elbows leaning on his knees. He started grinning when he saw her coming his way and let himself willingly being pulled away. They walked in silence for a while, fingers linked together without much thought. Eventually they wound up in a hallway that was rarely used during the day, and was definitely deserted right now. They finally sat down in a little alcove, facing each other and knees touching. It was silent for a few moments longer, until Fred couldn't take the silence any longer.
"So why did you drag me to the most deserted spot in the castle?" Amelia smiled at the floor, thinking about how she was going to say what she wanted to say.
"Because I've been thinking. About this thing. About us." It was strange to use that word, but it felt good at the same time. Fred looked at her with a confused, unsure look in his eyes.
"Us?" Amelia nodded, still looking at the floor. She felt Fred's hand taking a hold of hers. "You don't have to feel rushed. I can wait as long as you need me to." She laced her fingers with his.
"Idon'twanttowait." The words were blurted out. She was confident that Fred hadn't understood what she said with that inhuman speed, but the way his fingers tightened around hers made clear that he had.
"Y-you don't?" Amelia finally looked up from the floor and noticed the flicker of hope in his eyes. The feeling she got when she looked at him made her own feelings clear to herself.
"No." A smile broke out on his face.
"Then let me ask you this properly. Amelia will you be my girlfriend?" She let a little giggle escape, before nodding.
"Yes, Fred. I will be your girlfriend." Her words were met by a heated kiss. One that she answered passionately. His hand found its way into her hair as their kiss deepened and Amelia let out a soft sound, subconsciously letting Fred know how much she'd missed him. His free hand moved down her back, pulling her even closer. Amelia melted into his embrace, forgetting where they were and how they were going to bring this development in their relationship into the world.
X-Harry Potter –X
There was no telling how long they had been sitting in that little alcove, attacking each other's lips. It could have been minutes or hours, neither of the two teens cared. They kissed, cuddled and talked about their new relationship, deciding that they wanted to keep it a secret for now. That idea was shattered, however, when a voice broke the silence in the hallway.
"What is going on here?" Amelia broke away from the kiss, terrified of who had discovered their secret. To her horror their friends were all standing there, still dressed in their Yule ball attire. It had been Alicia to speak the words, one eyebrow raised. Katie and Angelina were trying to hide their giggling behind their hands, while George turned to Lee.
"You owe me two galleons mate." Lee rolled his eyes at George's words. Amelia, realizing that she was almost in Fred's lap, moved to the far side of the alcove.
"Are you bloody kidding me?" Katie had finally stopped giggling, and was now looking at the two of them sternly. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? Both of your beds were empty when we went upstairs even though you left hours before we did! It was pure luck that George somehow knew you'd be here!" Amelia and Fred raised their eyebrows at George.
"Pure luck, eh brother?" Fred asked with a grin, knowing full well that George had nicked the map from Harry's trunk to find them.
"Well, what can I say… I'm just a lucky fellow. Must run in our blood." George's quip was anything but subtle.
"Well, we're sorry for not letting you know where we were. Can we drop the subject now?" Amelia tried, hoping they'd just leave them alone about the situation. Of course she had no such luck, as the girls kept pushing for answers, until they had told them quite a few things about getting together.