Author's Note: Thank you to Burgundy Hope for beta-ing this for me. She writes some really wonderful fics, for McGonagall in particular, but her real talent is for writing Missing Moments. It's like being dropped into the book, but from a new perspective. Go check out her work and leave a nice review!

Disclaimer: The characters and world belong to JK Rowling.

A Girl Like Her

"Okay, which one do you reckon it will be?"

Alicia Spinnet looked up from her Ancient Runes notes to stare at Lee Jordan who had just joined her library table. "What are you on about?"

It was the Tuesday before the end of term. Final essays were due in half her classes, the other half were administering tests. As the most serious student amongst her Gryffindor year mates, Alicia had long ago given up studying in the common room in favor of the library. Unfortunately, trouble frequently followed her to her quiet haven, all too often in the annoying form of Gryffindor's biggest loud mouth. Lee had already dumped a load of books out of his knapsack and started drumming his fingers against the table—she hated it when he did that.

"The twins," Lee said, much too loudly for the Hogwarts library. He didn't even bother to look at Alicia, too busy scanning the room for something more interesting no doubt. "Which one do you think will ask Angelina to the Yule Ball?"

The Yule Ball. Of course. That was all anyone wanted to talk about these days.

"You live with them," Alicia retorted. "Shouldn't you know?"

"Nah. They won't talk about it. Acting rather funny about it, actually."

"No surprise there."

Lee looked at her. "How do you figure?"

Alicia set her quill down and pinned Lee with the withering glare she reserved specifically for him. "Well, it's obvious, isn't it?"

Lee stared at her dumbly. Alicia rolled her eyes.

"Angie and George—they're sweet on each other, always have been. Surely even a prat like you has noticed." It was obvious from the look on Lee's face that he had not, still Alicia pressed on. "Fred's only been interested since…"

Well, since Angelina started wearing a bra. Alicia's friend had been one of the last girls in their year to develop, but she'd made up for lost time going from a sprout to a blossom over night. The moment Angelina stepped on the train in third year with new and enticing curves and long, long legs, it had seemed as though every boy took notice. Including her old mates Fred Weasley and Lee Jordan.

"Since when?" Lee persisted.

Alicia huffed. "I'm busy, Jordan, shut it or leave."

She knew better than to think that would deter him, but it was better than answering that question.

"So?" Lee said, and scratched his temple with his quill. "Your Galleon is on George then?"

"That's not what I'm saying," Alicia bit out. "And I don't have Galleons on anything."

Returning to her books, Alicia was determined to shut Lee out.

"So, do you have a date yet?" he asked.

She paused before looking up. "No. How about you?"

"I thought maybe I'd go stag with whichever twin doesn't take Angelina."

"I'm sure the entire female population of Hogwarts is sighing with relief." Alicia slammed her book shut on her notes. "If you'll excuse me."

On the pretense of needing a different book, Alicia moved briskly into the stacks. Really, she just wanted to get away from Lee. With only five Gryffindors in their year, they were a close-knit bunch, but that didn't make Lee any less annoying. Come to it, Fred and George were pretty annoying too. Add all of this business with the Yule Ball and Alicia was nearly at her limit. She just wished the stupid dance would get here so that people would shut up about it already.

The only topic anybody wanted to talk about these days was what are you wearing? Who are you going with? Have you been asked yet? Alicia had more important things to think about with the end of term than all this gossip, especially if she wanted to be accepted to the Healer program next year.

Still, some small and traitorous part of her wished that somebody would invite her to the Ball, though under no circumstances did she want a prat like Lee to ask. She would be perfectly happy to go with her girlfriends and have a good time, except that Katie was already going with some Ravenclaw boy in her year. Angelina didn't have a date yet, but she had turned down three people—including a seventh year Slytherin girl. That spoke nothing of the number of times Lee had asked, but that didn't count because Lee always asked and Angie always turned him down.

Angelina had been holding out for Cedric Diggory, but he asked the simpering Cho Chang. While Alicia understood why Angelina fancied Diggory—he was fit after all—he would bore Angelina to tears. He was a little too noble, too earnest for the likes of Angelina. And, honestly, Angie was too much woman for the likes of the Hufflepuff Champion. If there was a Gryffindor Chaser that Diggory did fancy it would be their youngest. On the pitch, when Diggory wasn't looking for the Snitch, he was looking at Katie. It's a wonder that Wood never noticed, but Alicia could just imagine what would have happened if he had. Knowing her Quidditch-crazed, former Captain, Wood would have written specialized plays that kept Katie in Diggory's line of sight for the entire match. Or perhaps Wood have hexed Diggory. The Hufflepuff wasn't the only one who fancied her.

But that was all for nothing because there was no way that Angelina would go to the Yule Ball alone. In the end, Angie probably would go to the Ball with one of the twins, more than likely Fred. Not because Angie preferred Fred to George, not at all. For Fred, asking Angelina would be noting more than a lark so he would dredge up all his bravado and get it done. George, well that was a different story. If George asked there was a good chance that it would be more than a simple date, the two of them might actually admit the depth of their feelings for one another. It would take more than bravado for George to ask Angelina to the dance, it would take real courage.

As for Alicia herself, she had been asked exactly zero times. This did not come as a surprise to her, not really. She had always been overlooked, sandwiched as she was between her two more dynamic friends. Alicia knew she was pretty, but she didn't posses Angelina's confidence or Katie's vivaciousness. On the pitch, Alicia was known to be a good flyer, but again, she didn't have Angelina's sheer talent or Katie's exuberance. She was just Alicia in the middle.

At random, Alicia yanked a book off the shelf, stared unseeingly at its blue leather jacket, then shoved it back in. If only the Yule Ball would get here already! Then she wouldn't have to watch the twins have their silent argument over which one would ask Angelina. Or put up with Lee's attempts at flirting (any more than usual). Or mask the secret fear that she would be crushed if no one asked at all.

Feeling disgusted with herself, Alicia pulled the elastic from her hair and combed her fingers through it. Privately, she always thought her hair was her best feature. It was a thick chestnut brown that reached the middle of her back. Not that anyone would know, she always wore it in a ponytail.

"Oh. Hey, sorry, Spinnet."

Alicia looked up at the sound of the deep, smooth voice that was vaguely familiar to see Adrian Pucey standing at the end of the aisle. The tall, lean Slytherin was in her year. They'd shared Potions and Defense since first year, but now they also shared Ancient Runes and Arthimancy as well. He was quiet, though not shy, and very polite. A part of Alicia had always wondered about that. Was it arrogance, or was he just extraordinarily self-possessed? Both were off-putting, and intriguing. Not that it mattered, the only thing she really needed to know about him was that he played a good, fair game when he was on the pitch.

"Why?" Alicia asked.

Pucey's brow furrowed. Merlin's beard, he was good looking.

"Why what?" he asked.

"Why are you sorry? Am I about to be hexed? Pranked? In some way publicly humiliated?"

"Uh, no," he replied and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It' just… well, it looked as though I'd interrupted a private moment and I was sorry to intrude."

Alicia's cheeks flared with color. "Oh. Well, don't worry about it. I just couldn't take another conversation about the blasted Yule Ball."

"That makes two of us."

"So, why didn't you play Quidditch last year?"

Pucey smiled so that small lines crinkled around his eyes. "Ah, Quidditch, much better. Flint decided he was taking the team in a different direction."

"You mean trollish."

Pucey laughed. "No comment."

"Will you come out next year then?"

"I haven't thought about it honestly. Having not played for two years straight does put a damper on one's abilities."

"You should. You were always Slytherin's best Chaser."

"You're just saying that because I didn't try to knock you off your broomstick."

"That was an added bonus, yes," Alicia agreed with a laugh.

Pucey leaned one shoulder against the shelves, his hands still in his trouser pockets. When he was at his leisure like that, Pucey was devastatingly handsome. Feeling caught by his friendly gaze, Alicia tried not to fidget. His eyes were hazel, she thought. Not brown, but not quite green either, and fringed by long, black lashes. It made him seem kissable.

"I'm going to ask you the dreaded question," he said, a small smile playing at his lips. "Are you ready?"

Alicia squared her shoulders. "Prepared. Fire away."

"Why don't you wear your hair down more often? It's very pretty."

"That's—" Alicia fidgeted, pulling a long hank of hair over her shoulder. Averting her eyes, she just managed to keep from gaping at him like codfish. "I thought… It's just… It-it gets in the way, I reckon. So much easier to just put it up."

Wait, had Pucey paid her a complement? Should she thank him? She felt shy and tingly, but also suddenly tongue-tied. She couldn't quite find her voice to thank him even if that was what she was supposed to do.

"Then why keep it long?" he asked. "If it's such a hassle?"

"It's just what girls do, isn't it?"

"Has anyone asked you to the Yule Ball yet?"

There it was, the dreaded question. Just casually thrown out there when she wasn't expecting it. Alicia swallowed hard, regarding Pucey from under her eyelashes.

"No," she admitted. "Do you have a date yet?"

"No one's asked?" he demanded and rolled his eyes, pushing away from the shelves. "I always suspected it, but that is definite proof that Gryffindors are idiots."

Alicia blinked. "Did you just call me stupid? On that note, it's been not quite a pleasure talking to you."

Whipping around, hair flying, Alicia started to stalk away only to be stopped by a hand on her arm. She looked at the hand, then glared at its owner. Pucey flushed, releasing her and holding his hands up in a show of peace.

"I-I just meant…" He fisted his black hair, his gaze darting from her face to the shelves and back again. "It's just that the whole bloody school must be daft if no one's asked a girl like you yet."

"A girl like me? What does that mean?"

"Well, I mean," Pucey sputtered, blushing. "Just look at you!"

And he did.

The nervous energy melted off Pucey as his eyes lost their friendliness, replaced by something hot. His gaze burned a path down her blushing face, over her full breasts, through the valley of her pinched waist, across the curve of her hips and down to her feet. Molten lava erupted in Alicia's belly. There was a tingle in her spine. Breathing suddenly seemed much less urgent than the prickling, red-hot heat between her thighs.

"If you think I look so great," she said, embarrassed by how raspy her voice had come out, "why don't you ask?"

Pucey's eyes were looking into hers again, but then they slid away. "You know I can't."

Irritation fired behind Alicia's eyes. "I don't actually. What I do know is that you're messing me about."

"It's just… you're not a-a pureblood."

Irritation hardened into disgust. Alicia felt as though she had just been slapped. She knew that some wizards held Muggle-born prejudice, especially in Slytherin house, but she was a half-blood. Not that it should matter one way or the other. Blinking rapidly, Alicia began to back away. Pucey moved to grab her again, but Alicia held up her hands to ward him off.

"Wait, please," Pucey pleaded. "I didn't mea—"

"You didn't mean to be a racist prick?" Alicia challenged.

He rocked back on his feet, cocking one eyebrow at her. "I know what you Gryffindors think about Slytherins, but we're not all like that festering git, Malfoy."

"Could have fooled me."

"I don't come from a family of Death Eaters," he hissed and looked around furtively. "Far from it, as quiet as it's kept, but that doesn't mean there aren't expectations for someone like me."

"Oh, poor rich boy," Alicia mocked, rubbing her eyes with her knuckles and affecting an exaggerated pout.

Pucey stared at her blankly, then he smiled. "I sound like a complete pounce."

"On that we agree."

Pucey laughed. It was a good laugh—no it was a great laugh, all smoky rolls made even better by the fact that he was laughing at himself. It made Alicia want to stick around a bit, but it also made her feel wrong-footed. This boy was different from the others she'd known. There was Lee, who she always thought of as a buffoon but loyal. Fred and George were brilliant tricksters. Oliver was sturdy for all of his Quidditch madness. And Harry was Harry. Adrian Pucey was something else altogether. There were contradictions in him, which thrilled and scared her, but like a true Gryffindor, she didn't know where the thrill ended and the fear began. Nor was she smart enough to back away when she ought to.

"There's nothing I can say now that won't make me sound like a complete arsehole," Pucey admitted. He put one hand on the bookshelf and leaned against it. His eyes reminded Alicia of autumn, she decided, and the look in them was resigned. "Just know… If I thought I was free to do so, I would like to get to know a girl like you."

Alicia cocked her head to one side. "And what's keeping you from doing what you want?"

"My family for one. They expect me to keep up appearances and that means bringing home a pureblood witch. That might be antiquated, or even prejudice, but I'm a good son."

"We're just talking about the Ball, aren't we?" Alicia replied, her mouth curling up in one corner.

Pucey leaned in. "Are we?"

Alicia smirked, but Pucey sighed and pulled away.

"Even if my family would come around, and they might eventually, I'm still a Slytherin. I negotiate enough politics in my house without taking a half-blood witch to the blasted Yule Ball." Something dark passed over his features. "I have to live with them, and it wouldn't be altogether safe for you either. I mean, you know what type of thug Flint was."

"I can take care of myself, you know. We've been in the same Defense class all these years, I may not be as good as you but I do well enough."

"You noticed?" He smirked.

"Everybody's noticed, you're top of the class."

Pucey shrugged. "I wouldn't put you in that kind of danger, nor would I ask you to sneak around with me. I figured out too late that's not how you treat somebody you respect."

Time stretched as they looked each other in the eye. He was talking about a lot more than the Yule Ball. Adrian Pucey fancied her, enough to have thought it through and decide they could never work. A dozen or so emotions flickered through Alicia at once: Excitement at having somebody like her, desire because he was fit, longing to know more about him, anger at his defeatist attitude, and sadness because she knew he was right. Pucey pushed away from the bookshelf, but Alicia stayed him with a hand on his wrist.

"Wait!"

Pucey looked at her expectantly.

"I-I hope you'll come out for Quidditch next year."

Covering her hand with his other one, Pucey's thumb rubbed against the back of it in slow circles. It was a gentle, almost platonic touch, but it made Alicia's skin prickle with yearning. There seemed to be so much feeling in that simple caress, the main one being regret. It didn't seem foolish to believe that they were both experiencing the same thing. Reluctantly, he removed her hand from his wrist.

"See you around, Spinnet."

Alicia watched him go. What had just happened here? Had she just missed out on something unforgettable?

Yanking her hair back into its elastic, she wandered back to her table, and found Lee still sitting there.

"Hey!" he greeted, a little too loudly.

"Lee, we are in the library, not the pitch." Alicia pulled out her chair and sat on the edge. What had she been working on? Runes. She was bored with Runes.

"Oh, right," he said in the loudest whisper Alicia had ever heard.

"You are hopeless, Jordan."

"Hopelessly in love." He clutched his chest.

Alicia sighed, then, "Angelina will never love you back, you know that right?"

"Not Angelina, that was last week."

"Oh, fickle, are we?"

"You know you're my true love, Al." Lee leaned halfway across the table and batted his lashes at her.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Don't call me that."

"It's my pet name for you, Al. Because I like you so much, Al."

"Charming as always." Alicia started packing up her books.

"Honestly, would you like to go to the Ball with me."

Stopping what she was doing, Alicia eyed Lee for a long time before saying, "I don't want to be your pity date."

"The only pity here is what you feel for me."

Alicia didn't say anything for a moment. Lee was serious, she realized. There was an earnestness in his eyes that was rarely there, but not unheard of.

"You know this ball is going to be a right drag, don't you?" Lee continued. "There'll be a lot of first dates going about their business awkwardly, and a few snogging their faces off, and a bunch of gossip. I figure we'll have a lot more fun if we go as friends. You, me, and whichever twin doesn't ask Angelina. Hey, you'll have two dates!"

Alicia had to admit that there was some sense to what Lee was saying.

"Yes," she said slowly. "I'll go with you."

Lee smiled broadly. One thing about Lee was that he had a nice smile, it lit up his entire face.

"Great, but I won't hold you to it. If you get a better offer, I'll understand."

"You're stuck with me, Jordan, I won't back out. I respect you more than that."

"Huh, well that's a first."

"But if you try to kiss me, I'll bloody your nose."

Lee clutched his heart. "Oi!" he boomed. "Someday you'll be begging for my kisses, Al!"

"Mr. Jordan!" hissed Madam Pince. "Out of my library! And Miss Spinnet, I am disappointed in you."

Alicia gathered the rest of her stuff while shooting Lee dirty looks. Meanwhile, he could barely contain his mirth. Getting kicked out of the library was a weekly occurrence for the bloody sod. Slinging her knapsack over her back, Alicia marched away from Lee as fast as she could. Just before she exited the library, Alicia caught sight of Pucey watching her. She offered him a small wave on her way by.

He smiled.

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