TW for Sexual Violence but nothing too heavy.

That night as they entered their dormitory Fred flopped down on the bed, the rejection still heavy in his chest. Angelina had said yes, so at least there was that, but he couldn't shake the feeling, the sad look Lilith gave him as she had said no, it was haunting him.

Then suddenly a pillow is hitting him in the face. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?!"

Fred tugs the pillow from his face and glares at George as he sits up. "What was that for?"

"You've been moping all day!"

"I have not been...Shut up."

George holds up his hands and leans back into his bed, opening his copy of the quibbler that weird girl from Ravenclaw had passed out at dinner. Fred sits up, rubbing his face from the impact and looks over at his brother. He hadn't mentioned anything yet, and quite frankly he didn't see the point now, but he really needed someone to talk to.

"Do you...fancy any of the Slytherin girls?"

If he was going to break it to George, he was going to do it in the most subtle way possible.

George seems surprised by the question, but he plays along.

"I mean, Travers isn't terrible. Albeit a-she demon from hell. And who's that one in seventh year...Audrey something? Blonde?"

"What about...Lestrange?"

He sees George smirk. "Wouldn't be lying if I said I haven't had a dirty thought about her once in a while."

"Dirty thoughts about who?" Lee enters the dormitories chewing on a liquorice straw as he takes a seat next to Fred.

"Lilith Lestrange." George says with another smirk much to Fred's annoyance.

"Not half." Jordan grins. "Excellent legs. Probably wicked dirty."

"Nice arse too."

"Why are we talking about Lilith Lestrange's arse?" Lee asks between chews. If either of them mentioned her arse again..

"Because my dear brother was asking if there was any Slytherin girls I fancied."

"Lestrange would be top of my list to be honest."

"Most peoples" George mumbles. "Just a shame about the whole Deatheater thing." It was now George's turn to get a pillow to the face. "Oi! What was that for!"

Fred clenches his jaw as he sits up straighter. "What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room."

George and Lee exchange a look and nod.

"I asked her to the Yule ball."

Both burst out laughing and Fred glares at the pair of them.

"What's so fucking funny?"

Suddenly the laughing dies and their expression of amusement slowly slip into horror.

"Wait, you're serious?"

Fred nods and George's mouth drops slightly.

"I mean...I knew you fancied her but so do half the bloody boys in our year..."

"Yeah but in like a low key she's also terrifying kind of way." Lee says and George nods slowly in agreement, his expression suddenly changes, and he throws away the newspaper.

"Is that where you've been sneaking off too?"

Fred clears his throat dramatically. "Possibly."

"But...wait, you asked Angelina today?" Lee says as he finishes off the last bit of his sweet.

'Saw right through that Weasley charm huh?" George laughs. "Or she hasn't completely lost her mind! What were you thinking she's - "

"Nice." Fred says interrupting his brother. "Beautiful."

"A Lestrange." George interrupts. "A Slytherin?"

"Related to Malfoy." Lee chimes in.

"So?" He says looking between the pair of them, his voice cracking slightly. "I just...wanted to get to know her I guess." Fred shrugs. "I mean six years of school do either of you know anything about her?"

His twin and friend look as if they are searching for an answer and Lee suddenly does some strange dance like he knows the answer. "I know she smells like Cinnamon."

"Cinnamon?" George chortles. "How do you bloody know that?"

"I sat next to her in charms last year didn't I. " Lee says. "I made her laugh once, actually...she's kind of nice."

"Cinnamon! That's what it bloody was! I thought I recognised it."

"Well apart from her smelling like a Christmas candle" George says with an eye roll. "What exactly do you know about her."

"She likes Sugar mice." Fred exclaims.

George sighs. "The worst one."

"Had the hots for lupin."

"So did every other bloody girl!"

Fred did want to say something about the quilt she obviously felt about Neville parents, but he knew it wasn't his place to tell George that.

"I just...I like spending time with her." Fred shrugs. "I want to get to know her, why's that such a bad thing?"

"Well, it's not like it matters anyways. She said no, so clearly she isn't into you."

"Who is she going to the ball with?" Lee asks, seemingly intrigued.

"Ambrose Fudge." Fred says darkly, imagine him as a giant slime ball.

"A Fudge? Well, there you go then! Clearly she's into posh boys so it's not like mere mortals such as yourself had a chance anyway." George heads out to the bathroom and Lee turns to Fred.

"So, what do you have planned?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, Come on Fred. You're not just going to let it slide right?"

Fred smirks slightly. "You're a romantic at heart aren't you Lee?"

"Yeah, besides, if you don't get with Angelina after the ball, I've got a shot."

Fred stood at the bottom of the Great hall stairs feeling like a bit of a prat in his dress robes. His tie felt too tight, and he suddenly despised his hair and kept using his fingers to scruff it up. Angelina had told him to meet him down here at eight on the dot, but it was now ten past and she was nowhere to be seen. As he waits one of the Durmstrung boys shows up in his impressive red uniform and stands in the middle of the corridor, flashing a quick smile to Fred as both stand in the corridor.

"Do I know you?" He asks. The boy stares at him and Fred glares right back, shrugging his shoulders gently.

"Are you... a Weasley?"

Fred glares harder. "What of it?"

"Your father works in the muggle artefacts office, doesn't he?"

"What of it?" Fred repeats, slightly more irritated this time.

"Nothing." He shrugs and Fred clenches his jaw. "I'm Ambrose Fudge"

Fred immediately recognises the name, but he doesn't say anything.

"Nice robes by the way."

Fred looks him up and down and can't help the contempt on his face. Ok, yeah, he was handsome and well-spoken and extremely well-polished. Didn't mean he was better though.

The noise of shoes on the stone floor distracts him from the intense rage he was feeling, and she suddenly appears from one of the corridors, her eyes catching Fred's before carrying on and heading straight to the walking excuse for a fungal infection.

"Hello beautiful." Slimeball says as he kisses her cheek and Fred notices the distain on her face.

There's noise from behind them as a group of Durmstrung walk in and Fudge looks back behind him. "Oh, let me just say hello to them lot and then we'll go in?"

"Sure."

They both watch him leave before Fred turns his attention to her. She looks gorgeous in her off the shoulder gown and long hair plaited back, but that didn't surprise him. He must have looked like a potato next to her.

"So, he's very...sophisticated." He finally says. It's the first time they've spoken since the rejection and he's not sure she's even going to say anything to him, but she does.

"I suppose." She shrugs, not seeming very impressed.

"You know, I can't figure it out."

"Doesn't sound any different to normal."

He chuckles and shakes his head.

"What is it you can't figure out Weasley?" She asks and he can hear the intrigue in her voice.

"Well, why you would go with custard boy…actually."

"I think you're thinking of Ambrosia?"

"Same difference." He shrugs which causes her to smile slightly. "I mean yeah, handsome, I guess. If you're into that obvious pretty boy thing."

She's still gently smiling at him. "Well, he wasn't my first choice as it happens, but my Aunt insisted."

Fred feels his stomach tighten slightly. "She did?"

Lilith licks her lips as she shifts her weight, not daring to look at him. "In my family you do as your told, even when you have your heart set on someone..." She pauses her a moment and corrects herself. "Something else."

"So, he's not – You didn't – "

"I just want you to know you're not the reason I said no. I would never want you to think that. And I quite like your hand me downs actually; I think you look handsome."

He feels the confusion wash over him as they stand there. He wants to tell her how beautiful she looks, stunning really. He can feel his palms sweaty in his pockets as he swallowed hard, that is until he feels the hand on his arm, pulling him from his gaze.

"Sorry I'm late." Angelina says and wraps a hand around his arm. "Hi Lestrange." Fred notices the surprise in her tone, but then again this wasn't exactly normal.

"Hello." She nervously smiles. They stand there awkwardly for a few moments before Lilith speaks again. "You look lovely Angelina."

"Oh." Angelina shares a confused look with Fred. "Well you look...nice too, I like your dress."

"Thank you. I like yours too."

This whole conversation couldn't have been more awkward unless Snape decided to run butt naked through the middle of them.

"Ready?" The ponce is back, and Lilith takes his arm and leaves to go into the hall.

"Well, that was weird." Angelina murmurs as they start to walk too.

"Very." Fred murmurs quietly.

"Also, Lestrange complimented me before you did."

"Sorry, you look lovely."

Lilith kept playing the scenario in her head, trying to think of what she did. He had asked her for a kiss, it was rather innocent, he had even taped his cheek and she remembered just agreeing since that's all it was, but then he just had to turn his head and plant one on her lips.

Fine. She would let him have it. Maybe it would be convincing enough to keep her uncle off her back if he had decided to report back to them, but then suddenly he was kissing her harder, gripping her shoulders and she remembers shoving him off and saying no, clear as day.

That was when he had grabbed her wrist, tightly of course, it was still red even now as she stood in the girl's bathroom and her lip...she couldn't recall what happened there, she remembers his lips harshly on hers and then suddenly she tasted blood, her own.

She could only be grateful that something had told her to bring her wand, just in case. When he felt it prod into his stomach, he had backed off then, looking at her spitefully and asking her what the fuck she thought she was doing, then she pressed harder and after calling her a fucking whore and a tease he stormed off, but she was grateful none the less.

Lilith stood there staring at her reflection, wondering if she could just fix her lip herself as she couldn't find the courage to go to Madame Pomfrey, trying to think of an excuse that wasn't the truth but was at least plausible.

She's so consumed in her own thoughts she doesn't even notice the Gryffindor staring at her until she's sees her reflection in the mirror, startling her slightly.

"Are you ok?" Angelina asks, concern and unease in his voice. Lilith couldn't help but envy her slightly, it's not as if the thought that if she had just grown a backbone and stood up to her aunt that she could have gone with Fred and be twirling with him in the great hall right now.

"I'm fine." She lies with a smile; she has become so good at that over the years. "I fell over. This bloody dress is pretty but lethal."

But Angelina is still staring at her with that complete and utter look of pity, her eyes on the mark on Lilith's neck, she had forgotten about that, his hand on her throat.

"Do you want me to get a teacher?"

"No!" It comes out harsher than she intended. "Honestly I'm fine. I don't need help." Angelina is still watching her and Lilith sighs. "I don't suppose you know the charm, do you? I don't trust doing it on myself."

"No but Fred does, he uses it for us lot during quidditch practice. A lot of balls to the face."

Lilith chuckles slightly, of course he did. "It's ok. I'll just clean it up."

Angelina walks into one of the stalls and grabs some tissue, handing it to her.

"Thank you." Lilith wet the tissues and dabs her lip, wincing slightly.

"Are you sure you're ok? I can go and get someone?"

Lilith hated that she was being so nice. It made her a lot harder to hate. This was probably the longest conversation the two girls had ever had.

"There's no need."

"I mean did he...do...anything- other than – "

The question makes her feel sick, but she tries to play it off.

She wipes the last bit of blood from her lip and throw the tissue into the bin. "Honestly, I'm ok. This school is a death trap." She shrugs, but for a moment she thinks Angelina might have believed her ridiculous lie.

"You've got to bloody cheer up. You're being a right downer."

Ron huffs as he sinks down in his seat. Fred has decided to sit with him while he waited for Angelina to return from the bathroom, and he couldn't believe how much of a miserable sod he was being. He could see him staring at Hermione and Krum, glaring actually and he slightly understood it, he had been doing the same thing half an hour earlier at Lilith as he watched Fudge hands slide down to her arse, but she had corrected him quick enough. It still imade his blood boil.

As Angelina appears and takes a seat, he turns to her and grins but she' staring out at the crowd, he notices her staring at Ambrose, then he realises she's glaring at him.

"You alright?"

She nods but continues to glare, he can see the worry on her face, and she sighs. "Actually...No never mind, It's nothing."

"Well alright then." He chuckles. "Seeing as it's nothing."

Angelina sighs slightly. "I don't know if I should tell you."

"I can keep a secret." He says with a grin and she does smile slightly but it falls quickly. "

You know Lilith's date?"

"What about him?"

"I think..." She hesitates for a moment before finally breaking the gaze and turning to Fred. "I think he did something to her."

The smile instantly disappears from his face. "What do you mean?"

"I saw her in the girl's bathroom, and she had," Angelina motions to her neck "and her lip was messed up as well. Maybe I should tell Snape? No... maybe not Snape. McGonagall? but then…she just played it off…"

Fred can feel the rage building inside his chest.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm certain."

Fred wants to leap from his seat, he wants to march across the great hall and smash in Fudge's face, but he forces himself to sit there, jaw clenched tightly. He looks around the room and spots Lilith over at one of the tables with Draco, who is now also glaring angrily at Fudge. He even sees the little twerp stand from his seat in anger and Lilith drags him back down.

Well, if Draco wasn't going to...

Fred forces himself up, marching across the great hall to group of Durmstrungs. He ignores the calls from behind him as he reaches them, standing there for a moment, waiting for them to notice until Ambrose finally does, eyebrow arched and smirk on his face.

"Alright Weasley?"

"Alright Fudge?" Fred says back with a grin before his fist comes into direct contact with his face.