Oneshot: Yule Ball

Miranda was in the same year as Fred and George Weasley. She was one of their best friends, and everyone, but Fred knew that she was secretly in love with him. Angelina was one of the first people she had told, they shared a dorm. She was going to ask him, she had finally decided to pull herself together. She was so nervous, she wringing her hands. She saw Ginny Weasley sitting over in a corner watching Harry, begging him with her eyes to ask her, but he didn't notice.

"Hey Ginny, looks like we are both in the same predicament. Waiting for a guy to ask us, too scared to ask him. I'll make a deal with you I'll ask your brother but you have to ask Harry." Ginny smiled at her.

"Deal." As they were shaking hands Fred's voice echoed the common room.

"Oi, Angelina." He yelled.

"What!" She glanced up from her conversation with Alicia.

"Will you go to the dance with me?" He asked her, and Miranda felt her heart fall down to her feet.

"Yeah!" Angelina told him, with a smirk in Miranda's direction. Miranda turned to Ginny. Harry and Ron, who were good friends with Miranda, looked up at her and when Harry saw her face he stood up instantly, followed by Ron.

"Hey Randy, me and Ron were wondering if you two want to go toss a quaffle around with us?" He asked. "You don't have to really, just to get out of here." He added in a much quieter voice.

After getting an approving shrug from Randy, Ginny said "Sure, oh and Harry will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" She fidgeted nervously as she got up to head over to the portrait hole.

"Sure." Harry told her, she beamed then stopped after a glance at Miranda who had finally broken down to tears.

Ron quickly slung an arm around her shoulder and told her "Don't worry about it Fred it a git."

"Thanks for trying but we both know that he just didn't want to ask me, what upset me the most, is that Angelina said yes." Miranda said as she carefully wiped her eyes.

"So do you really want to go play quidditch, or did you just want to get out of there?" Harry asked looking unsure of whether to unlock the equipment.

"The latter, but we can play anything to get my mind on different things." She said, fiddling with her sleeve.

"Okay well, you can ride my Firebolt if you want too, I'll just ride a Cleansweep." Harry told her.

"I should get heartbroken more often." Miranda told him playfully.

"There's the Randy we know and love." Ginny said reaching out to hug her.

**Back*in*the*Common*Room**

"You git!" George yelled at his twin.

"What did I do?" Fred asked, which just earned him a slap upside the head. He turned to see Hermione Granger, shaking her head in disapproval.

"How could you do that?" Hermione scolded him.

"Do what?" Fred asked stretching out the word what as he leaned against the wall. But neither would tell him, they just walked away muttering things like "git", "insensitive", "clueless" and such, under their breath. "Do WHAT?" He yelled at their backs but they just shook their heads.

"What's wrong?" Asked Angelina.

"I don't know, George won't talk to me, Hermione called me a git, Ron and Harry gave me awful looks when they were leaving and I'm pretty sure Ginny made a rude hand gesture at me.

"I'm sure they are just angry at how you got someone as wonderful as me, to go to the Yule Ball with." Angelina told him. Fred laughed and then pressed his lips against hers trying to erase the one thing he hadn't mentioned from his mind, the look on Miranda's face. He was so distracted he didn't hear the gasp or the footfalls as someone ran up the stairs, so they could burst into tears. He did however notice Hermione smack him again and mutter "git" while storming up the stairs to the girl dormitories.

**Up*in*the*Girl's*Dormitories**

Hermione walked through the open door and asked in a calm voice "Mir, you okay? If it helps any me and George devised a plan." Hermione told her soothingly.

Through her tears Miranda said "George and I, that's grammatically correct." Hermione laughed.

"I won't stand here and be insulted, now would you like to hear the plan, or not?" Hermione asked her, putting her hands on her hips in a faux angry way.

"I'm sorry, do tell." Miranda said giggling slightly which mixed with her crying only caused her to begin to hiccup.

"You should take George to the dance, it would make Fred jealous." Hermione told her smiling.

"No, I don't want to sink to that level. It was a great idea but I think I'm just going to, wear a killer little black dress, and have Ginny do my hair and make-up. I can go alone, and dance with all my friends and their dates." Miranda told her.

Hermione sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug. They heard whispering and footfalls, and looked up to Angelina enter. "So Randy, like my date?" She asked with an evil smirk.

"Yes, congratulations! May I suggest you wear a white dress it would look amazing on you?" Miranda said all this, in a falsely happy voice.

"You are so right, I think I will." Angelina told her humming to herself, as she started to thumb threw a catalog of Owl Order dresses.

"Hermione, why don't we go to your dorm since you were talking about how you had the perfect earrings?" Miranda said raising her eyebrows.

"Sure, come with me." Hermione told her, leading her from the room. "You know, my mom does have this pair of the most brilliant diamond earrings. I could owl her to let me borrow them."

"Thanks! What do they look like?" Miranda asked trying to get into the preparations.

"Well they have this long silver dangly chain, that has little diamond hearts studding of it and at the tip has a small round ruby." Hermione told her.

"So do you have a date, yet?" Miranda asked her waggling her eyebrows, only her streaked eyeliner a hint to her earlier mood.

"I wanted Ron to ask me, but Krum did first. He's really nice once you get past the accent." Hermione told her.

"KRUM? YOU'RE GOING TO THE DANCE WITH VIK-"Her startled screaming was cut off by Hermione slapping a hand over mouth.

"Yes. Now shut up before they come." Hermione whispered.

"Who comes?" Miranda asked confused.

"The fangirls." Hermione told her, Randy blinked then burst into a fit of laughter, which Hermione soon joined in.

"Let's go pick our dresses." Miranda told her pulling out a catalog.

"Let's do it in the common room, that way we can see if Fred gets jealous. Even if he is a git, he does like you, even George thinks so." Hermione told Miranda.

"Okay, but I get to choose first, and Ginny looks with us, she's going with Harry." Miranda told her.

"Perfect!" Hermione squealed in a very un-Hermione-ish, way.

"Ginny, want to look at dresses with us, we can buy you one, it can be your be your birthday present for the rest of your time at Hogwarts." Ginny beamed and hugged them.

They went to the largest couch near the fire and flopped down. "Okay, I get to choose my dress first. I want it to be black, and not too formal." As they bent over the magazine they didn't notice Fred looking suspiciously at them. They flipped through almost the whole magazine when Ginny shrieked and pointed at it. The perfect dress! It was a black dress, with slightly shiny material, it was tight in the bodice, a layered skirt with tulle underlining the skirt, and a sash around the waist in the same material as the dress.

"Ginny, you are truly the most awesome person on the planet." Miranda exclaimed hugging Ginny.

**The*Night*of*the*Yule*Ball**

Ginny had curled Miranda's hair into soft, messy ringlets, and pinned part of it up onto a loose bun on the back of her head leaving most of it down, then she added small black flower pins, that popped against her vibrant red hair, throughout her hair. Her make-up was very classy, Ginny had done the technique of the smoky eye, but with a dark pink eye shadow, brown eye liner and mascara, she had simple pink lip gloss on and that was it. With Hermione's mom's earrings, a necklace with a delicate chain and ruby heart, and brilliant red high heeled stilettos Miranda looked beautiful.

Ginny was wearing a flowy green that just almost reached her ankles and golden heels. Hermione had a layered, floor-length pink dress that made her look like a princess.

They slowly walked down the stairs to see Angelina in a beautiful cream dress with baby blue flowers trailing up the bottom of the dress. She was leaning against Fred and laughing. George looked up at the stairs and let out a low catcall.

"Hey, George you do realize one of us is your sister right?" Hermione yelled to him, and he shrugged,

"Who said she was who I was whistling at." He smiled softly.

"If Fred got a D on cluelessness you'd get a T." Miranda whispered into her ear.

"What do you mean?" Hermione whispered back.

"I mean, never mind I'll tell you later." They were now standing in the middle of the common room.

"We have to go so Professor McGonagall can tell us what to do, see you in there." Hermione told her.

"'Kay" Miranda watched them leave then turned back to the room.

"Hey, Randy, who are you going with?" She looked up to see Angelina.

"I don't have date." Miranda told her holding her head up high.

"That's so sad, you couldn't get a date." Angelina said laughing, but making sure Fred couldn't hear her.

"Hey Angel, we need to head down to the dance now. Hey Miranda, you look…" Fred trailed off unsure of what to say, that wouldn't upset Angelina but still covered how beautiful he thought she looked.

"Bloody brilliant?" Ron suggested coming up from behind them.

"Yeah." Fred nodded. They all walked down to the great hall together, Ron looking glum, probably because he didn't have a date, or maybe because Hermione did.

Once they got there Miranda noticed they had missed the beginning and the Ball had already started. She saw Harry and Ginny at the punch bowl, and went over and whispered her idea into Ginny's ear, who smiled and handed her a full, cup of bright red punch. Miranda slowly made her way back to Fred and Angelina, when she was about a foot away she threw her weight so the cup flew from her hand landing right on Angelina staining her white dress. "I am so sorry. I was just bringing you a cup of punch to thank you for what a great friend you've been lately." Miranda turned on her heel and once her back was to them she smiled and walked back over to the punch table.

She was talking with Ginny and Harry about quidditch when suddenly Ginny got a look of horror on her face and pointed over Miranda's head, the second she looked up the giant punch bowl levitating over her head flipped over spilling onto her, then returned itself to the table. She screamed so loud the band stopped playing, everyone stopped dancing to stare at the soaking wet girl, with makeup down her face, deflated hair and angry, humiliated tears in her eyes. All was silent for a second and then everyone began to laugh, and through the crowd she could see Fred was one of the many laughing. Ginny noticed this too, she grabbed her punch and Harry's then walked over to Fred and Angelina and up-ended a cup onto each of their heads. She then followed Miranda, who had pulled off her heels and ran, from the Great Hall after quickly apologizing to Harry.

Miranda was sitting with her back against a wall and her knees hugged tight against her chest."Ginny, he was laughing. She still had the wand in her hand, he knew she did it, and he was laughing. I was wrong, totally and completely wrong, he doesn't love me or like me or even care about me at all and I should just except it. I'm a huge joke not one person tried to help me not even a teacher, besides you and Harry of course." Miranda managed to say all this before bursting into tear which mixed with the red liquid all over her face.

"I'm going to go to bed, you go back to Harry." Ginny nodded with smile, and stood up and walked back into the Great Hall.

As she was walking up to the dormitory Peeves dropped a towel on her head. She looked so hurt, and miserable that Peeves choose to help, rather than taunt her. She managed a thank you through her heavy flow of tears. When she got to the Portrait Hole, the Fat Lady rather than asking for the password, asked "Are you okay?" refusing to open until she got a response, Miranda told her she didn't think so, then climbed through. She ignored the stares from the younger kids who hadn't been at the ball, and ran up the stairs to her room where she changed quickly and laid down in bed, but she didn't fall asleep. She didn't sleep at all that night.

When the morning came, she trudged to her classes ignoring the looks from the people who recognized her to be the sopping wet girl. In all of her classes her teachers went easy on her in Charms she fell asleep, and when a kid ask if he should wake her up Professor Flitwick said not to. In transfiguration, they were supposed to be transfiguring geese into, salad bowls, but she accidently turned it into a punch bowl. All day she heard the taunts and saw the pointing, and not once in all the times she passed people she knew with tears in her eyes did anyone try to help, in any way then to make her feel worse.

She went into the girl's lavatory when she heard, Angelina enter talking to someone, "That was so funny did you see her face? I am so happy I did that, Fred thought it was hilarious too. I don't really like him, I'm just so sick of Miranda."

Miranda decided now was a good time to but in, she walked out of her stall and said "I know I just pop up everywhere." Then the person standing next to Angelina registered with Miranda, "Katie? You thought it was funny, too?"

"I… I, I mean-"

"Never mind," Miranda cut her off and ran from the bathroom.

On her way back to the dormitories she saw Fred who she had her next class with. "Hey Fred, tell the professors I don't feel good and won't be coming to class." Before he could ask what was wrong she just walked away.

George walked up behind him and looked around, "Too bad, Hermione's not here, this is a perfect hitting you moment. It's all your fault." With that he too, walked away.

Later that day Miranda, was sitting in the common room talking to the Grey Lady who had floated through in search of Nick, because the Bloody Baron had asked her to find him. "So then the punch bowl flipped over onto me and I am about to cry, and everyone is laughing, and he is laughing too, I ran out. Ever since he asked her out my life has gotten steadily worse. I saw Professor Snape, looking sorry for me."

"You'll get through it. Maybe he'll come around and if he doesn't he isn't worth it. Now I better go find Nick." Miranda smiled at her then turned back to her potions work, which she had almost finished.

The bell then rang and students began swarming into the common room, many pointing and whispering toward Miranda, making it just loud enough she could hear them. She then noticed Fred hurrying towards George who had been ignoring him. "Please explain why everyone of you guys hates me." She heard Fred say to George who simply turned back to Ron and asked him if he would like to play Exploding Snap.

"I told you to figure it, or the person that it involves the most can tell you, but why would they after how you've treated them." George told him in a calm voice keeping his back turned.

Fred looked frustrated, "I haven't treated anyone bad lately! OW, Hermione why do you keep hitting the back of my head?" Fred asked while rubbing the back of her head.

"Because Fred Weasley, you a total arse, and you have treated someone bad lately, you are just too thick to figure out whom." Hermione ranted, raising her hand to hit him again.

He jumped back and said a little bit too loud, "Okay, I'm an arse, no need to hit!"

"We are all aware Mr. Weasley, no need to vocalize it." A cool voice, said. They all turned to stare at Snape.

"Why are you here?" Harry asked, in a rather disrespectful tone.

"To bring Ms. Stone her work from the classes she missed today for her other professors. " Snape told them handing her a pile of work. "This will cover Friday, as well, so you need not come to class tomorrow."

"Thank you Professor. I have finished my essay that was due tomorrow if you'd like it now." Miranda told him picking up the piece of parchment.

"Okay. That will be all." They all watched as he walked out of the common room.

"I wonder why they sent him?" Hermione said once the portrait hole had closed on him. They all shrugged.

"George, I'll play Exploding Snap with you." Miranda said walking over closer to the group.

"Or you could play with me, since you're not mad at me." Fred told her.

Miranda looked up at him her eyes flashing, "I would consider that an incorrect assumption."

She was looking down so she didn't see the hurt eyes, that hadn't been there when any of the others rejected him. "Well, will you at least tell me who it was because I have no clue?" He told her.

She stood up and glared at him, "All the person ever does is try to clue you in. All they ever do is try to help you figure it out but you go and do something stupid like…" She trailed off and then turned and stormed up the stairs to the girl's dormitories, followed closely by Hermione and Ginny.

"What's wrong with her?" Angelina asked coming up behind, Fred.

George glared at her, "He doesn't know, but you do, so why don't you tell him?"

Angelina pretended to be confused, "What are you talking about? I wouldn't have asked if I knew what was wrong."

Fred looked at George, "But you do know so why don't you tell?"

George stared past him to Angelina, "Because, unlike some people I know I don't betray my friends trust."

**With*Miranda**

"I'm going to do it. I need to tell, him and you all need to stop fighting my battle, arse he is I hate seeing him so hurt." Miranda told them staring at her feet, silent tears rolling down her face. "And Hermione, remember yesterday when I said that if Fred got a D in cluelessness, then you would get a T?" Hermione nodded. "Well, what I was going to tell you is that George likes you."

"No he doe-" Hermione began to argue, but Ginny cut her off.

"I know my brother and he definitely likes you. You don't see how he looks at you, I'd go as far as to say he's in love." Ginny told her staring out the window at the rain.

"Are you sure, because I like him, I never admitted it because I never thought I had a chance." Hermione said a small smile falling into place.

Both Ginny and Miranda nodded, "Can you guys go tell George to be nice to Fred, and that I'm going to tell you everything this weekend? I'm gonna go to sleep I didn't sleep at all last night and I'm exhausted." They smiled at her and left.

**In*the*Common*Room**

Fred was sitting in a corner when he saw Ginny and Hermione come down stairs. Hermione went over to Harry and Ron, and Ginny went to George. They whispered something quietly and then all three guys jumped up and shouted simultaneously, "No!", "I don't want to.", and "Do we have to?" Then they all trudged over towards, Fred.

"Apparently we have to be nice to you again." Ron sighed.

Fred grinned, but then his smile fell, "Why?" They shrugged.

George was the one who answered, "We aren't at liberty to saw but I promise if you don't know by Monday, I will tell you." He noticed that behind Fred, Angelina's smile fell when he said he tell Fred the truth.

**That*Weekend**

Fred was sitting in the common room with George; everything was almost back to normal with them. They were working on some top secret work for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, when a shadow fell across the paper they instantly flipped it over. "Calm down it's just me." Miranda said flopping down between them, George scooted over a little but, Fred stayed still so he was pressed up against her. "Fred I was wondering if I could talk to you in private?" He looked confused, but nodded and asked where she wanted to talk. "Let's walk down to the lake." They walked in silence, until they were met by Angelina halfway.

She smile, "Hey Fred, if you aren't doing anything do you want to hang out?"

He looked down, "I was going to go down to the lake with Miranda."

"Oh, well are we still going to Hogsmeade together?" At this Miranda's face fell, he must really liked Angelina.

"Fred, you know what, what I had to say isn't important, go with Angelina." She smiled, one of the fakest smile ever smiled in the halls of Hogwarts. Fred nodded, but because she was studying her shoes Miranda didn't see the hurt in his eyes.

She stood there watching them walk away and then rather then head back to the common room, she walked the rest of the way to the lake were she took of her shoes, and rolled up her pants and waded into it, watching the water hit her feet. She didn't even notice the tears slowly streaking down her face, she sat down in the sand and stared at the horizon. She didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind, until a hand landed on her shoulder.

"So is the lake really that interesting?" Miranda didn't need to turn to tell whose voice it was.

She shook her head, "No, I just needed to think and it's really calming." She turned her head to face him, forgetting about her tear tracked face.

"You were crying." Fred said, taking her face in his hands and tracing the trails with his thumb, then realization hit him. "You were the one I treated badly. Randy tell me what I did, I would never hurt you on purpose. That I swear."

Miranda smiled a weak smile. "I'll tell you but you have to promise to hold all comments until I finished." Fred quickly promised, Miranda stared back out at the lake and began. "When you guys first let me share a compartment with you in first year, I instantly liked you and George. Later that year I started becoming a closer friend to both of you, but as I did I realized something. I liked you more, and by the end of that year I liked you liked you. I don't know when but eventually I fell in love with you." Miranda stopped for a second her throat going dry. "Everyone but you knew how I felt, some I told some could just tell. Angelina was one of the first I confided in." Miranda told him, tears starting to fall again. "Then Professor McGonagall, told us about the Yule Ball, and I thought it would be the perfect chance to suck it up and tell you. That day you asked out Angelina, I had just made a deal with Ginny that I'd ask you out right then. I was walking towards you to ask you out, when you asked out someone I thought was one of my best friends. It felt like I was like Nearly Headless Nick, one blow wasn't good so I had to suffer from another, Angelina said yes. Then the Yule Ball, I dressed as nice as I could, I wanted to impress you. I spilled that punch Angelina, after I set her up, I told her to wear white, so I could do that. When she flipped that punch bowl onto me the whole great hall, three schools worth of students, were laughing at me, but I didn't care because the one person I wanted to stand up for me, was laughing just as hard as everyone else. That was the one that hurt the most, you thought my humiliation was funny." Knowing he'd try to interrupt her there she put up a hand, "I'm not finished. And you never even realized what was going on. Angelina took advantage of you to get to me, I know I heard her say so. She did things to get to me, like when I walked into the common room and you two were kissing." She stared down at her bare feet and sighed. "You don't even care how bad you hurt me, when everyone told you, you had hurt someone, you brushed it off and just focused on trying to get them to like you again. I worked so hard to keep my heart unbroken, and you went and shattered it." She was running out of steam, and crying harder, this time when she paused, Fred wrapped his arms around her.

"Hermione was right I am an arse. I am the biggest arse on the planet and an even bigger idiot. Now let me tell you my story." He pulled her into his lap, and held her there when she tried to get off, "When I was on the train to my first year I was really nervous and then this really pretty klutzy girl tripped into our compartment, looking scared to death, we offered to let her stay. She told us she was upset because she had promised her best friend, who moved to America, that if she ever got into a boarding school she'd try to get kicked out in under a week. We told her we could help her, cause mayhem without crossing the line. So begins a beautiful friendship, but after a week of knowing this girl I realized just how amazing she was. I didn't admit it to myself until I was a second year, but I really liked her. Then I'm not really sure what happened, but I realized I loved her. So this year we hear about this ball, and my mind that is convinced the girl could never feel the same hatches up a plot, I'll make her jealous. So I asked out Angelina, the first girl who came to mind, well the second, you were the first, you're always the first. When you said you were mad at me too, it really hurt, so I asked out Angelina again. I'm sorry and don't ever say I don't care about you, because it will be the biggest lie to ever come out of your mouth." With that said he bent forwards and kissed her, she fought for a second but then what he had said sunk in and she kissed him back.

"My, heart just went back to being unbroken. I trust you to keep it that way." They walked back to the school hand in hand.

***The**End***

**For*Now**

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AN: This was going to be a oneshot and I stuck by that choice until, I got to the part where Fred was telling his story and I was like light bulb, I can write a story about their entire life at Hogwarts! This story took a lot of work on my part it's 9 and a half pages on word, most of mine are two, three max, so please no flames. I love Fred/OC's so if you have any good ones please suggest.

Oh and I will won't be starting this story for a while, because I am already in the midst of a very longterm project. I'm re-writing Harry's life at Hogwarts with him as a girl. The plot will be tampered with quite a bit to fit my imagination and it will like most my stories, turn into a Fred/OC. I just love Fred! Check it out I want to have the first book typed before I post it because I want to keep it rolling. So bare with me.

Thanks For Reading,

EABFCL2 (Even Amazing Bouncing Ferrets Can Love Too)