-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to update! I hope you didn't forget about it!

I never knew

I never knew that everything was falling through

That everyone I knew was waiting on a queue

To turn and run when all I needed was the truth

But that's how it's got to be

Everyone knows I'm in

Over my head

With eight seconds left in overtime

She's on your mind- The Fray

It had been three days since "the kiss" and I had been attempting to avoid Alicia like a rabbit avoids a rabid wolf. This, certainly, wasn't an easy task to do, because we had many of the same classes. I sat as far away from her as possible in Potions, I waited until the last possible second to go down to the Great Hall for meals, and during Quidditch practice, I spent most of my time flying at the other end of the field.

I knew she could tell something was wrong, but I didn't have the courage to confess. If I had never agreed to Fred's stupid idea, then none of this would have happened. I would never have fallen for Alicia, I never would have kissed her and I never would have felt like a total prat for tricking my sworn enemy turned crush.

After classes had let out, instead of heading to the common room, I rushed to the library. Can you believe it, the library! With reference to the previous years, setting a toe into the library was as appealing as contracting a disease. Now it was becoming the spot for potential romances and a haven for this prankster turned love-sick idiot. Who knew that such a place could offer so much more than a bunch of dusty books? Wonders never cease.

Anyway, I had spotted Alicia in the Common Room and wasn't up for a confrontation. I figured that if I retreated into the library, I could at least cower behind a stack of books if she came looking for me. I mean, like I said, it would be the last place she'd ever look.

Imagine my total surprise when I ran into another unlikely rogue. I spotted a familiar flash of ginger hair, ducking behind the Biography section. Indulging in the residing feeling in my gut, I hastily followed the trail. Rolling my eyes, I tapped him on the shoulder. Fred nearly had a hernia, whipping around like a toddler that's been caught rummaging in the pantry.

"Oi, you sod, what are you doing in here?" I demanded.

My twin's wide-eyed gape slowly transformed into an enraged scowl, as he attempted to recollect the shards of his dignity that had been splattered across the floor.

"Shut up wanker, you want to get caught?" he fretfully hissed.

Before I could push any more of his short-circuited buttons, Fred latched onto my collar like a sticky squid and yanked me behind the stack of books. Suddenly fanatically paranoid like a solider during guerilla warfare, Fred's eyes darted back and forth like an owl.

"What in the world has gotten into you?"

My momentarily insane brother shoved a ratty lock of hair away from his face, chewed on his bottom lip and then sighed. All right, could we make this anymore dramatic? Jeez.

"Angel. I mean Angelina. It's like….the more I hang out with her, the more…I want her."

The urge to laugh slammed into the depth of my senses like a metal mallet. How ironic. We both started out with the sole intentions of humiliating our sworn enemies and now that we'd finally leapt without actually looking, we were drowning. I had approached this situation like a game of chess, mapping out effective strategies and plans of silent attack, secretly glowing with my upcoming victories.

However, I had never planned for a breach in the wall; I had never strengthened my defense. Now I was left out in the open, exposed and terribly vulnerable, just another sucker for a pretty face and sparkling eyes and doses of wit to make my head spin. Yep, it looked as though the tables had been completely turned before the rules had even been created.

And so, I stifled the compelling need to chuckle, because as I studied Fred's horrified and shocked face, I truly was staring back at my external and internal reflection.

"So let me get this straight. You're hiding in the library like a hermit because you suddenly realized that you have the hots for Angelina Johnson?" I clarified.

Fred clenched his teeth together, his eyes flashing with indignation.

"Would you shut your fat mouth? Christ, if I wanted the entire world to know, I'd go and shout it from the rooftops. Anyway, as twisted as my reasoning may be, it's true. I mean…I know this was all a part of the plan, to lead the girls on, but blimey, I've started to question who's really in control, you know?"

I thought about this confession for a solid moment, noting that Fred had dropped his usual tone of immature goofiness for serious contemplation. Without admitting anything, my brother had unintentionally read my mind and formed sentences to the vague sentiments that had been floating around in my conscious.

I nodded and Fred took this as encouragement.

"Last night I told her that she was beautiful- and she is, I'm not going to deny that. But as soon as I said it, she got this look in her eye; a cross between wanting to slap me and wanting to snog me senseless. And then I felt like a real wanker, because I knew my initial goal had been to embarrass her and-"

"I kissed Alicia," I automatically regurgitated.

Fred stared at me in disbelief and then snickered.

"Nice going. And was this before or after you told her that you'd secretly been planning her cringe-worthy downfall?"

I sighed, my eyes straying to the shelves and then back to my brother.

"Uh, that'd be option C, as in neither. I don't know, one minute we were just talking and the next, I was thinking about how soft her lips looked and then before I could get a hold of myself, I was just going after her lips like a shark! I'm telling you, this bloody raising hell through romance is messy. One minute I feel like I could knock her off her broom, the next bloody minute I want to…I want to…run through a field of daisies or something!" I bellowed, my words ceremoniously colliding.

Somewhere in the distance, cutting through the forest of her Simba mane, Hermione Granger screeched a command of silence. Naturally, we ignored her and continued to talk. This was a real crisis, if you know what I mean.

Fred nodded, his sneer adapting into somber accord.

"Quite right. Not saying that I want to thunder through a meadow or anything, but I get your drift. Once I start talking to Angelina, I mean really talk to her, without all the bickering…I forget why I'm supposed to hate her."

I let my head rest in my cupped hands for a minute, tumultuously snorting out oxygen like a raging bull. After regaining my composure, I looked up again.

"Should we tell them, call the whole thing off?" I questioned.

Fred coughed out a sarcastic laugh.

"I think it's already been called off. As for coming clean…I'm not too keen on that idea. It might be good for the old conscience, but both of them would hate us for eternity. I mean…if Alicia has the audacity to kick you in the balls when she's irritated, imagine what she's capable of when she's furious!"

I shuddered, easily generating possible scenarios. None of them involved a passionate kiss.

"True. And I reckon that walking into the hospital wing with a broomstick shoved up my arse would only bring about centuries of unshakeable shame," I theorized.

Fred chuckled, in spite of the current conditions.

"I really don't know, George. I'd like to tell Angelina…I don't think I can continue with our little…fling, or whatever you want to label it, knowing that everything has been built upon a lie."

Without having to use a lengthy analysis, I knew that Fred had never been more serious in his entire life. He finally understood that every action came with a consequence and that these consequences would not always be pleasant.

"You know what times like these calls for?" I began.

Fred brightened.

"Desperate measures?" he eagerly finished.

I shook my head.

"A kitchen raid! A few pieces of cake…maybe a pizza or two…and I'm sure we'll be able to come up with a better plan of attack," I reasoned.

Fred rolled his eyes and sighed.

With an affectionate pat on the shoulder, he wistfully replied, "You know twin, I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but let's be serious. I doubt a mock paralysis due to gluttony is going to solve any problems."

My eyes widened. So it was true. Fred Weasley, the five year old trapped in a gangly, fifteen year old's body, was now thinking and acting like a mature adult. The world had come to an end. I felt my spirits sink into a brief tub of melancholy, as I recognized our sparring perspectives.

"Look, I'm going to go find Lee. Maybe he can talk to Angelina or something. Or have Katie do it."

I nodded, allowing him to pass.

"I'll see you later, I guess."

With a short wave and a lopsided grin, Fred sauntered out of the library, leaving me alone with my conflicting thoughts.