A/N: This is it! The last chapter. I won't say much just yet, so I shall just lay this chapter in front of you and hope you enjoy it.

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I lay on my back, completely unable to sleep. The day had been a bizarre, and rather exhausting. We'd woken up at the crack of dawn and had crawled up a loathsomely steep hill, to arrive at the World Cup by Portkey. I'd seen - much to my irritation and embarrassment - a rather handsome Cedric and his father, but I'd not got to say a word to him as Fred had whisked me away whenever we got too close to one another. Cedric had been confused, but gracious, and hadn't questioned it.

Then the Quidditch match itself had been annoying. The height we were sat at was incredibly terrifying and I'd hidden my face for the majority of it - only looking down when all the men's interests were peaked by the Veelas, which led me to ignore Fred for the rest of the day. I was pleased the Irish had won, but the sounds of celebration outside were rather over the top, I mused, as I lay in the tent and stared at the ceiling.

Ginny and Hermione were fast asleep across the room, and I envied their slumber. My mind was alive with thoughts of Fred and Cedric and those damn Veelas, and then Fred again. Alarmingly, though, I found myself feeling quite content with the world. After all, after so long of pining, I was actually going out with Fred Weasley. I still couldn't quite believe it.

Rolling on to my stomach, I sighed heavily and buried my face into my pillow. I felt restless, but the position was comfortable, and the bed was quite warm. With thoughts of Fred and I in my mind, I closed my eyes, and felt the comfort of sleep begin to wash over me. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were really heavy … then I was suspended in the air, looking down upon an arguing Polly and Cedric … then masses of broomsticks flew past, with giggling Veela riding them … and then …

"Claudia? Claudia? Hello? Wake up, you idiot!"

"Mmm. What?" I mumbled, not opening my eyes. Just my bloody luck; I'd finally dropped off, and now somebody was trying to wake me up. "Go away. Too sleepy."

"There's no time for sleep!" a voice protested, and I felt my covers being yanked off me. "Get up. Now. This is serious, okay?"

Finally, I opened my eyes as the cool of the night washed over me, and sat up, blinking groggily. I realised, much to my surprise, that Fred was stood next to my bed, looking much paler than usual. Across the tent, George was shaking his sister and Hermione awake. Seeing the unusual worry in Fred's expression, I pulled myself out of the bed and pulled my dressing gown around me.

"What's going on?" I asked, but before anybody could reply, there were a number of screams outside somewhere, and then cackles of laughter. Fred's eyes widened, and he shook his head.

"Get your shoes on, quick. We need to get out of here."

I quickly slipped my boots on - the feeling quite horrible as I wasn't wearing any socks - beginning to get a little unnerved. What on earth could be happening out there? Once I was done, I straightened up and meant to question Fred again, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the tent without an explanation. George and a startled looking Ginny and Hermione followed, the lot of us shivering as we came out into the night.

Harry and Ron were waiting outside the tent for us, and we hurried across the campsite, amidst screams and flashes of light and pushing bodies. I glimpsed backwards as we did so and saw, to my horror, a number of masked wizards marching towards us, setting tents on fire and levitating what seemed to be Muggles above them.

As I watched one of the small, pale figures spin upside down, I wanted to throw up.

Whoever those masked, frightening figures were, they were sick.

As I came to a halt, staring, almost mesmerised by what was going on, somebody forcefully banged into me and I staggered over on to the floor. People were, understandably, running at full pelt to avoid the wrath of those strange beings, and so I quickly got to my feet for fear of being trampled.

However, as I did so, I suddenly realised that I couldn't see Fred, or any of my friends, anywhere.

"Oh," I remarked, to nobody in particular, panic begging to swell inside of me for their safety. "Shit."

I bit my lip, shivering and wondering what the hell to do. If I went looking for them, I met just get lost, and anyway, they could have gone off to any direction. If I went back to the tent there was a chance I'd be set on fire. I considered lingering where I was, but a fresh explosion of screams from mere metres away, and the sight of the advancing witches and wizards, made me think again.

As a tent five metres away from me burst into flames, I did what any sane person would do.

I ran.

As I managed to dodge clashing with anybody again, I noticed that up ahead was a large forest, and made a beeline straight for it. There would be many more places to hide there, I was sure. I jumped over an abandoned cauldron (evidently, some people had been in such a hurry to leave that they'd scattered there belongings everywhere), and ducked into to the cover of the trees a stitch forming in my side.

I slowed as I made my way across the dirt path, my breathing heavy and deep, and kept my eyes roving around in search of a Weasley. I couldn't see them, although there were gaggles of other witches and wizards, anxiously talking. There wasn't a familiar face among them. Once again, panic began to spread through me, as I wondered where on earth they'd gotten to. One moment I'd been with them, the next moment they'd disappeared. What if they were looking for me, and strayed into the path of those horrible, masked people?

Just as I was imagining all the awful things that could happen, all of them being my fault, a voice cut through my agony and made me pause. "Having fun?"

I looked, sharply, to the source of the voice, and once I'd registered who it was, froze. Draco Malfoy was resting against a tree, inspecting his nails as though the world was perfectly at ease. His light blonde hair reached his ears and hung in his grey eyes, which glanced at me, causing the corner of his mouth the lift in a smirk.

Without hesitation, or really thinking of what I was doing, I grabbed the front of his shirt with both hands and pinned him, hard, against the tree.

As I've mentioned in the past, Draco Malfoy and I were indifferent acquaintances. His family and my family were cordial with one another, and more than once had the Malfoys come round to ours for dinner, and vice versa. I despised Slytherins on principle, but Draco had never done me any harm and so I usually ignored him - until now, that was.

He was taller than me, and so looked down, startled, as I slammed him into the trunk of the tree. He tried to struggle, but I had a firm grip, and so in the end he just gave up and merely glared at me. "What's wrong with you, Paisley?"

All of the memories of his faults rushing back to me, I scowled. "You! You thought you could just get away with everything, and I'd forget? You nearly messed up my life completely, you pale prat!"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're on about. I've not seen you since -"

"Yes you do!" I protested, angrily. "You gave Polly that Polyjuice Potion! Not only did you come close to killing her, but you came close to losing me my best friends. Don't act innocent, you Slytherin -"

"Killing Polly?" he asked, raising a slim eyebrow. "You mean your Muggle sister?"

"Step-sister," I corrected, somewhat sulkily. I hated it when people got it wrong.

"Whatever," he dismissed, finally pulling himself from my grip and smoothing down his clothes. "I only gave her the potion because she asked for something to make her look like somebody else. I didn't know why she needed it. How is that nearly killing her?"

"It's poisonous to Muggles, you git!" I growled, even though I was beginning to see that he couldn't be faulted for much more than naivety. "If you're going to break the law and give a Muggle a potion, at least make sure it's safe for them! She had to go to St. Mungo's!"

"How would I know it would poison her? She shouldn't have been so stupid to ask for it. What did she want it for, anyway? Why did you accuse me of nearly losing you your friends?"

"Never mind," I snapped, pulling my dressing gown further around me. He looked affronted at my sharpness, but we were suddenly interrupted by further cries from the campsite. I moved closer to him, without thinking. "What's going on out there?"

"Hmm." He inspected me, as though wondering how much to trust me. Then, he shrugged. "Death Eaters. You-Know-Who's old supporters and all that."

I blinked. "How d'you know that?"

"Everybody knows what they look like," he sniffed, haughtily. "People were screaming about it earlier, too. You'll be fine, I wouldn't worry. It's only blood traitors and Mud-"

"Don't use that word," I hissed, angrily, colouring. "You Slytherins really are all the same, aren't you? Stuck up, arrogant, prejudice pigs, who can't be arsed to -"

"Is everything okay?" came a concerned, male voice from behind us. We both turned, me feeling increasingly on edge, but the moment I saw the speaker I relaxed, and flushed. Cedric Diggory.

"Everything is fine," I smiled, suddenly feeling a lot safer, and moving towards him, away from the Slytherin. His dark hair was tousled from sleep and he, too, was wrapped in a dressing gown. He looked invitingly warm, but I quickly attempted to banish such thoughts from my mind. "How are you? Any idea what's going on?"

"I'm alright, just tired," he smiled, running a hand through his dark hair. "My dad talked about Death Eaters -" Draco make a satisfied noise at this "- and he's gone to try and stop them with other people from the Ministry. Where are all the Weasleys? I thought you'd be with them."

I noticed his eyes lingering suspiciously on Draco, and quickly explained. "I got separated from them. I bumped into Draco here a couple of minutes a go, but I have no idea where Fred or George or the rest are. I didn't really want to stay out in the open."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Cedric mused, crossing his arms and shuddering. "God, it's freezing, isn't it? Should we go and try to find somewhere warm?"

"Might as well," I shrugged, feeling pretty cold myself. I glanced at Draco, questioningly. He was hardly in my good books, but I'd feel a little guilty leaving him alone in the middle of the forest. "You coming?"

"I suppose so," he sighed, looking perfectly composed despite the temperature. "Lead on."

Cedric shrugged and smiled at me, holding out a hand. I hesitated, and he withdrew it, frowning slightly. "Everything okay?"

"Y-yes, it's just -"

"You're not still awkward about that night we got drunk, are you?" he asked, looking uncertain. I shook my head, even though I was a lying a little bit, and his expression cleared slightly. "Okay. No holding hands, though? I guess you don't like -"

"I'm kind of, well." I paused, and then looked him straight in the eye. "I'm kind of dating Fred Weasley now."

His eyes widened, and I heard Draco clear his throat next to us. He probably wanted us to get a move on, but neither of us spared him a glance. Cedric stared at me a moment longer, and then looked at the ground. "You're dating Fred Weasley."

"Yeah," I said, slowly, and then blinked, coming to my senses. Hearing somebody else say it, well… I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I am."

"Ah," he nodded, looking now across the forest, and beginning to walk, slowly. "Well. I had kind of guessed that you. Well. That's good, I'm very glad for you both."

"Thanks," I murmured, running a hand through my tangled hair, and then reaching out for him. I placed a hand on his shoulder, and he turned round, looking hopeful and hurt and resigned all at once. Something squirmed painfully inside. "Look, Cedric, I'm really sorry if -"

"Claudia!" came a breathless, anxious voice, and I looked over Cedric's shoulder to see - much to my relief - Fred, George and Ginny rushing towards me. I took my hand off of Cedric and offered him a small, sad smile, which he barely returned. Fred pulled me towards him once he'd reached us, hugging me tightly.

"God, I don't think I've ever been so worried," he said, letting out a shaky breath. Then he withdrew, frowning slightly. "Never do that again, Miss Paisley, or there will be serious consequences."

"Never do what?" I asked, though I was grinning. "I fell over and then you were nowhere in sight. Hardly my fault."

"Still! You nearly gave me a heart attack. I was so -"

"Yes, yes, he was very worried," George sighed, rolling his eyes. "You should of heard him going on. It was though you'd been kidnapped or something, honestly."

Fred laughed, relaxing. "I wasn't that bad at all."

"Where are Ron, Harry and Hermione?" I asked, suddenly, noticing their absence. "I thought they were with you."

"We thought they'd be with you!" Ginny explained, looking terrified. "You don't think they've gotten lost, do you? They could be anywhere! We should split up and -"

"They walked through here a few minutes ago," Draco said, sounding bored, and everybody looked at him in surprise. "They were going to hide Granger because the Death Eaters would probably target her if they saw her. You know, what with her being a -"

"Yes, yes, let's not get back into that," I interrupted, hastily, as the twins bristled indignantly. "I guess they're just deeper in the woods, so I'm sure they're perfectly safe. I reckon we should wait here, they're bound to come back this way to the campsite eventually. It probably won't be a good idea to go too deep ourselves though, in case we get lost."

"I guess," Fred agreed, and everybody nodded. Then, he looked at me, smirking mischievously. "Since when did you get so sensible?"

"Well," I retorted, pushing him. "We can hardly depend on you, can we?"

He shook his head, laughing, and then pressed a kiss to my lips. I kissed back, smiling into it, and slipped my hands around his neck. His found the familiar place around my waist, and he pulled me closer. I could feel many exasperated exclamations at this, and so pulled back, giggling.

Wait, giggling? When did I become such a bloody girl?

"I wonder how the Ministry are getting on?" Cedric asked, pointedly looking away from the pair of us, and his talking seemed to alert Fred to his presence. He tensed, and took my hand protectively, glaring coolly at the brown-haired boy. Cedric raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, looking ready for a challenge. "What's wrong, Weasley?"

"Oh, nothing," Fred replied, rather stiffly. "I'm just wondering what you were doing in the middle of a forest with my girlfriend."

"Fred," I cut in, sharply. "We were just -"

"We're friends," Cedric replied, unconcernedly, inspecting his nails. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"She can be friends with whoever she likes," Fred snapped, eyes narrowed, "but if you try anything more, then I'll -"

"You'll what, exactly?" Cedric asked, loudly, flaring up. "Hex me? I'd like to see you try."

"Oh, would you?" Fred snarled, pulling his wand from his pocket.

"What the hell?" I asked, swiping it from his hand and putting my hands on my hips. "When you two have quite finished. Fred, Cedric and I are friends and I'm afraid that that's not going to change for you, and please don't call me 'she' when I'm right next to you."

Cedric smiled, whilst Fred muttered sulkily, and so I rounded on the taller boy, too. "We may be friends, Cedric, but provoking Fred isn't going to get you any favours, you know. I know things are a bit awkward now, but can't you please both just -"

I was cut off, suddenly, by an outbreak of screams in the woods around us, and so shut up quickly. Fred's hand around mine tightened, and he pulled me closer to him. I didn't try to resist, instead looking around to try and see the problem.

"Up there!" Draco exclaimed, pointing towards the sky.

Everybody's eyes followed his gaze, to see a huge, green, smoky shape against the black of the sky. I squinted at it, trying to place it, when Draco breathed, "That's the Dark Mark."

"The Dark Mark?" George asked, looking unusually grave. "You don't mean You-Know-Who's sign, do you?"

"Yeah," Draco replied, looking unnerved for the first time.

"Don't Death Eaters shoot that up when someone's been killed?" Cedric asked, paling. "What if - you don't think that anyone's been hurt, do you"

"Maybe," I said, nervously, casting a glance round to see many pale, scared faces. "Shall we go back to the tents? If the Mark is in the forest, we might be safer there."

"Sounds like a good idea," Cedric nodded, and we all cautiously made our way back to the campsite. Everybody was silent, and I assumed they were all thinking the same as I was; who was hurt? What if somebody was dead? What if it was somebody we knew? The thought was too horrible to bear, and so I did my best to banish it from my mind.

As we reached the edge of the forest, we came to a halt. Cedric was in another campsite to us, and Draco probably was, too. Draco smoothed back his light hair from his face, and glanced at us.

"Well," he said, swallowing quite heavily. "I assume I'll see you all at school. About your sister, Paisley…"

"What?" I asked, more distractedly than aggressively.

He started to say something, then paused. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

With that, he turned on his heel, and hastily made his way back to wherever he'd been staying. Next, Cedric shook himself, and ran a tired hand over his face. "I'd best be off too. I'll feel safer with my wand with me, anyway. I'll see you all in a few days. Bye, Claudia."

"See you," I replied, smiling a little nervously, and everybody murmured a similar goodbye. Once he had left, we carried on our worried journey back to the tent. I was sorry to see Cedric go; his presence was a comforting one, and I'd felt a little more safe around him. Fred, however, compensated for it quite well, and I felt a lot braver than I usually would with him by my side.

The campsite was quite now, with people scattered here and there looking worriedly over at the forest, and the Death Eaters were nowhere in site. We reached our tents quickly, to find them empty, which caused my stomach to squirm horribly. I'd hoped that Ron, Hermione and Harry would be here, or any of the other Weasleys. George helped Ginny into her tent, as she was getting rather upset, and then looked back at us. He smirked, despite the worry present in his eyes. "I'll give you two a moment."

"Thanks," Fred laughed, causing George to wink and then disappear after his sister. Fred sighed, heavily, and stared over at the forest. The Dark Mark was still there, shining and ghastly, and a cluster of people were at the edge of the forest, trying to see what was happening.

"I know I've said this a lot, recently," Fred said, suddenly, causing me to look at him, "but I'm - well, I sound like a prat, I know - but I'm happy we finally got our act together and all that."

"You do sound like a prat, yeah," I sighed, happily, a warm feeling spreading through me. "But, well, you're my prat, aren't you?"

"Yeah," he grinned. He let go of my hand, instead putting a few fingers underneath my chin and tilting my face up towards him. Before I could react, he'd pressed his lips to mine, gently, and all thoughts of asking what he was doing dissolved from my mind, replaced by a nice, content feeling. I ran my hands through his red hair, kissing him back, and teasing open his mouth to deep the kiss. He made a small noise of happiness or relief or contentment, and slipped his arms once more around my waist, pulling me closer against him.

He pulled back, slightly breathless, and smiled. "I never thought I'd sound like such a git, but. Well. I love you, Claudia."

I couldn't say it back, not yet. The feelings got stronger everyday, but I had no idea if it was love or just a strong crush. I hated not to reply in words, and so instead kissed him more passionately. I felt him smile into the kiss, and so pulled back, instead nestling my head into his shoulder.

"You're so lovely," I whispered, and closed my eyes, knowing I'd be strong enough to face whatever horrors the night might bring.

x

It was the last night of August, and I was stood in the bathroom, running a brush through my hair.

I couldn't believe I'd be back in school at the same time the next day, and the thought didn't exactly make me jump with joy. School would mean homework, Cedric, Quidditch, lessons and early mornings. Whilst it would be nice to catch up with Lee (even if it meant he'd be having stern words with Fred), I wasn't looking forward to trying and get through sixth year with my bad grades and my lack of motivation in the homework department.

The whole school would soon find out about Fred and I, too, but that wasn't such a bad thing. I didn't know if people would even care past being happy for us, but it would be strange walking the corridors hand in hand. Let alone seeing McGonagall's face. Now that would be a funny sight.

I remembered myself at the beginning of the summer, and smirked. If I'd had any idea what agreeing to staying with the Weasleys would bring, I don't think I'd have believed it. A conniving step-sister, a beautiful, nasty shop assistant, a drunken kiss with the heartthrob of Hogwarts, a broken leg, and then, to top it all off… a boyfriend.

Fred Weasley.

I smiled a little as I thought of our relationship. Things could only go up, surely. He was lovely and sweet and funny and said he actually loved me, and I was feeling happier with it all with every day that passed. I was pretty sure we were in it for the long-run, and I told myself that I was going to do everything I could to ensure things didn't fall apart.

Glancing once more in the mirror, I stuck my tongue out at my reflection, and then left. It was my last night here, and I felt sad to be leaving the place, but at least the summer had been interesting.

Scratch that. This summer at The Burrow had been just about brilliant, and I hoped things could only get better.

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A/N: Wahey! It's over! Well, not completely. I'm going to start working on the sequel, Of Boys and Broomsticks, very soon, and so expect the first chapter up sharpish. Thank you to everybody who has ever reviewed, you've all been so lovely to me, and without you I wouldn't have got to the end.

Stay tuned. Things are far from over for Hogwarts' newest couple.

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