Prologue

Star-Crossed

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The most beautiful discovery true friends make
is that they can grow separately without growing apart.

–

Author's Note: This is Part II of my "Crossed Series."
Please read Part I, titled "Crossed Hearts" to understand this plot.

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I sat on the ledge beside the enormous open window inside what was deemed my room for the last six weeks. It was a large room, a king-sized bed in the center with sheer, shimmering golden curtains surrounding the four-posts. I hadn't had my own room since Ginny was born, and I had found it difficult to sleep without any noise for the first week or so after arriving at Wood Manor. I missed the noise, I really did.

It was disturbingly silent within the elegantly decorated walls and sparklingly clean mahogany floors of the mansion that had been erroneously called a cottage by Oliver. Everything was always in order, virtually perfect. It was too perfect in my opinion. I felt rather out of place to be honest, my summers typically entailed mud fights, cookouts and bonfires with the occasional invention creation. At the Manor I found myself reading more than a student on holiday rightfully should, finding excuses to escape into the seaside town of Whitby which was almost as dry and formal as the home itself. Oliver had been gone much of the past couple weeks, making constant trips to several different Quidditch try-outs, leaving me alone. Finally, he had accepted an offer from Puddlemere United to be their new Reserve Keeper. I guess the starting Keeper was deciding whether or not to retire in the fall, so Oliver was hoping to claim the starting position by the first match of the year. I was extremely happy for him and so were his parents, though you really wouldn't know it.

Liam and Agatha Wood were as I anticipated they would be. They were older, in their mid-fifties and were more likely to be at work than in their beautiful home or with their equally beautiful son. They weren't hateful people, quite the opposite actually. Aggie had taken me shopping a few times, making time for me even with her busy schedule and Liam had taken the four of us out to dinner to the fanciest restaurants in the area on several occasions. However, their relationships between the three of them were rather shallow. Oliver's father only spoke to him about Quidditch and Aggie seemed to only speak fondly of me to him, no substantial or significant topics were ever touched upon. I could tell Oliver knew I had noticed, but wasn't keen on dabbling on the subject.

Aggie had taken me to a spa the second week I arrived, convincing me to trim six inches off my mop of hair. My hair was still longer than it rightfully should be, but it appeared much more healthy. It was even across the bottom as well, a straight line cut down my back, my locks so shiny it could blind someone in the daylight. I sort of liked it, probably because I didn't have the twins to distract me from silly feminine things as they usually did in July and August. She'd bought me a few skirts, and I even conceded and wore a couple. When I looked in the mirror I no longer recognized myself, I was this doll who was dressed up as someone else, and because I no longer knew who I was anymore, I was indifferent to the image reflecting back at me.

I imagined the twins would ridicule me for my new apparel choices, if they were around that is. I had heard no word from George since leaving Hogwarts, no letters, nothing. Fred wrote often, however, keeping me updated on family goings-on and invention ideas and critiques, acting like nothing had happened to compromise our friendship. He never once mentioned George, and I wager that was because George didn't want to be mentioned. I didn't ask about him, either, still too furious with him to inquire about his well-being. My blood still boiled at the idea of him and Alicia, the sheer audacity! I received at least a couple letters a week from both Molly and Ginny as well. Ginny wrote in a similar fashion as Fred, nothing of George but minus the inventions. Molly just rambled about how much she missed me and how badly she wanted me home. If she only knew how terribly I missed home... but I couldn't come home, not just yet.

Arthur had managed tickets to the Quidditch World Cup which would be played between Ireland and Bulgaria, an ironic competition considering my opposing family trees were from both countries. My alliance remained with Ireland. I'd agreed to meet the lot of them at the Cup a week in the future and would spend my remaining week before school began again back at the Burrow after much convincing from their end. Liam and Aggie had also gotten their hands on tickets, though surprisingly not as good as Arthur's. They had offered a seat to me, but I was forced to decline. I would have liked to go with them if the Weasleys weren't attending the match, but I was going to get to meet Oliver's aunt and Agatha's much younger sister, Caddy, her husband Felix and their little son Finnigan before separating myself from them.

The sun was setting from outside my window, the hillside was nearly concealing the reddening sun completely. I held my knee up against my chest, wrapping my arms around my bent leg and resting my chin upon my kneecap. I remembered the time Fred, George, and I had sneaked out when were eight and walked all the way to Nottingham to watch the sunset because Charlie had convinced us the sun changed to bright green before it turned to night. It was a total lie and we knew it, but it got us out of a whooping when we got home after midnight and blamed our ignorance on Charlie. I remembered the look on his face when Molly gave him a stern talking to for putting such foolish ideas in the heads of such innocent children... as if we were ever innocent.

I released a curt laugh that was more sad than anything, thinking of how hard the three of us had laughed and how much I missed their laughs. It suddenly hurt to breathe, the feeling of a sharp blade in my chest had returned. I guess I was so distracted by my thoughts that I didn't notice that I was no longer alone.

"You missed dinner again," said Oliver, leaning casually against the open door frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I wasn't hungry," I lied, turning my attention to him and smiling weakly.

"Ah, I see," he nodded condescendingly, pushing himself off the door frame and striding over towards my enormous bed and hopping up onto the golden comforter that matched the currently tied back curtains. "I'm sure it had nothing to do with your obvious overwhelming homesickness."

I sighed heavily, hating how well he had begun to know me and stepped over to my bed, climbing up beside my boyfriend. I snuggled up beside him, resting my head upon his shoulder. His arm pulled me close against him as I hung my own arm over his chest, memorizing his heart's rhythm beneath his button down shirt and brown corduroy jacket. He'd just returned from a team meeting and it was obvious his mood was rather good. He looked up at the ceiling while I nestled myself in the crook of his side.

"It's not like I don't like it here," I said gently. "I love it, honestly, but I've never gone this long without seeing Fred and George. I miss them both, no matter how much of a prat George is being. I deserve it anyway."

"You deserved the grief Fred gave you," said Oliver, "but George has taken this too far, and I can understand why."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because he obviously has feelings for you–"

"Ollie–" I began nervously.

"'S alright," he grinned at my uneasiness. "I'm not upset, and I can hardly blame George for being upset himself. The two of you have spent your entire lives together, and right when he starts to realize he has feelings for you... he finds out that the one girl he fancies has a boyfriend and has for months."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, am I wrong?" he asked.

"I–I don't know," I lied, "but it doesn't matter. He's got Alicia now, if he does then he'll get over me soon enough."

"And you honestly believe that he is with Alicia because he fancies her?" Oliver smirked. "Come off it, Winnie, we both know he's only with her to try to make you jealous. Besides you don't even know if they're dating, you haven't heard word of anything."

"Well, his attempts to make me jealous not working," I frowned. "I could care less what he does."

"I'm just saying that's exactly what he's trying to do," he said, placing a quick kiss atop my forehead. "Don't go getting all up in arms over it."

"Me, up in arms?" I smirked, rolling over to straddle him. "I'm always cool as a cucumber, don't you worry."

I leaned down and kissed him zealously. Oliver smiled against my lips, playfully rolling me over onto my back and pulling away just for a moment to grin down at me. He seductively raised his eyebrows and I couldn't help but laugh at him, grabbing his collar to pull him down to my lips. Oliver was the only thing keeping my mind off how desperately I missed George, and I don't know if seeing my boyfriend as a distraction was a good thing exactly.

"As long as his feelings are one sided, I won't worry about anything," said Oliver hoarsely.

I swallowed hard and simply leaned in and kissed him once more.

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A/N: Yeah, this wasn't much, but I wanted to be able to post Part II so everyone can alert it etc. I'm going to at least wait until I get 25 reviews AT LEAST.

PS: So we learn how miserable Winnie is whilst she's away from the Burrow...and George. She's changed her appearance to our surprise but will her new found femininity be here to stay? I mean, Winnie in a skirt? WHAT THE FRICK!

PSS: What do you want to see happen?

Coming Soon: Winnie meets up with everyone at the Cup and gets one hell of an unpleasant surprise, George is still a git, the Burrow may not seem so appealing to return to after the World Cup after all...

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Review.