Being with Angelina was different than being at the Burrow the past few months. Whether it was better or not I've still yet to decide.

By the time I had finished packing my things and left with Angelina I felt as if I had done something I wasn't supposed to do. Almost like a child who takes a cookie before dinner when an adult tells them not to. Angelina hadn't stopped talking from the moment we got alone until now. She had run to the kitchen to grab us something to eat while I sat in her room playing absentmindedly with my hair.

"I guess I'll see you on the train then?"

I didn't look up at Fred as he spoke to me. Guilt was gnawing at my insides from the moment I told him I'd be going back with Angelina. I knew it was unfair to him with how I was acting, but honestly, I don't think I could have helped it if I tried. I didn't trust my voice, so I nodded as a response to his question.

I saw his feet shuffle. I knew this must be awkward for him. Fred didn't have to treat me special just because I had screwed up and seduced him into shagging me. He probably felt like he owed it to me seeing as how good of friends we are—or is it were, now? Had I really mucked things up between us?

Either way I knew I was doing us both a favor by acting the way I have been. If I show Fred that I don't care maybe he'll get the hint and stop being extra nice to me just because we shagged. Then things can go back to normal and we can all be friends again.

And maybe I can see that I don't have feelings for him, either.

"I'll, uh, save you a seat then." His voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I peeked up at him.

"Yeah, that'd be, er, nice. Thanks."

Fred shrugged and flashed me a smile. "Listen, Katie—"

"—are you even listening to me?"

I looked up at to see Angelina standing there with her arms full of snacks and drinks for us. She looked irritated and then worry flashed across her face.

I shrugged and she threw the food down on her bed and walked over to my spot on the floor. She plopped down and stared at me for a long moment.

"Katie, you've been acting strange lately. Are you alright?"

Knowing that this question was coming sooner or later, I made a non-committal sound. Angelina sighed grumpily and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're going to tell me what's going on, Bell. Why else do you think I had you come stay with me before school?"

I opened my mouth to protest—to at least try and sound like I had no idea what she was talking about, but the look on her face told me that she wouldn't believe any excuse I would come up with.

The truth it is, then.

….The Burrow...

"I just don't know if asking Angelina out right now would be the best time, y'know?"

I nodded to show that I was listening and continued playing with some loose strings in the rug on our floor. George hadn't stopped talking about Angelina ever since the girls had left earlier today. I had stopped listening to him about an hour ago.

What had I done wrong? Katie was clearly not acting as I thought she would after what had happened between the two of us. Weren't girls supposed to be happy and excited and all mushy when something that intimate happens? Surely they weren't supposed to be as standoffish and bipolar as Katie was being about the whole thing.

Clearly I was missing something important here.

I had thought I was over thinking things up until about two seconds ago. After I had asked Katie if I had done anything to upset her, she had told me that I didn't do anything wrong.

The look on her face told another story.

"Katie, look, I—" But I was interrupted by Angelina poking her head into Ginny's room where the two of us sat.

Katie had scooted away from me. Apparently we were sitting too close for her liking.

Angelina looked between the two of us curiously and then gave me a sad look. What in Merlin's beard was that for?

"You about ready to go, Katie? My mum just flooed over here and is waiting for us."

I looked over at Katie waiting for her to respond. She didn't.

Instead of making things any more awkward than need be I decided to stand up and make my way out of the room. "She's all yours, Ange. I'm just gonna pop out and say hi to your mum and make sure George isn't making too big a fool of himself in front of her."

Angelina's eyes widened and she mouthed a 'thank you' to me. I laughed and made my way out of the room to go find George.

"You're not even listening, are you?"

George's voice snapped me out of whatever stupor I was in and I looked up at him. He was staring at me for who knows how long and now I felt like an idiot.

"Er, not really, no." I gave him a sheepish look and went back to playing with the loose parts of the rug. "You have my full attention now, though." I cast him a goofy grin, but I knew it was halfhearted. By the look on my brother's face, he did, too.

I heard George give a heavy sigh and toss something at my head. Dirty socks, probably, or an old shirt that needed washing. "You're hopeless, y'know that?"

I shrugged my shoulders in response, not knowing how to answer that. In truth, his words stung a bit. Maybe I was hopeless. Katie didn't care about me, right? I was just another shag.

The bed creaked and I knew George had gotten up, probably to talk to me. He knew something was wrong. We always knew when the other was off.

Before I knew it, Ginny had popped into the room to tell us lunch was ready. Bless her.

"Last one down to the kitchen has to de-gnome the garden before school!" I shouted gleefully as I flew out of the room. I heard George laugh and run behind me down the stairs.

….On the train...

Angelina and I had gotten to King's Cross extra early that morning, after owling Alicia to do the same last night. After I filled her in on everything, she felt that I needed another opinion after I had scoffed at her advice and shut her out. After a lot of protesting and pillows being flung back and forth between us, she won, and I agreed to talking to Alicia about it.

Two heads were better than one, right?

After putting our luggage away and saying goodbye to her parents, the two of us made our way onto the train. The familiarity of it made me both uneasy and comforted. We passed by the trolly lady, bought some things from her, and passed by a few friends and soon to be first years who didn't want to be late. After finding our usual car, she shoved me in and made me sit by the window so I couldn't escape. I gave her a halfhearted glare and sighed dramatically to show my disinterest in the upcoming conversation that would be taking place.

Angelina snorted, but before she could speak, we heard Alicia laughing airily and plopping down into her seat.

"Sorry about that, I'm not too late, right?"

Angelina just shook her head and reached over to close the door. "No, you're just on time." She shot me a threatening look, daring me to speak up, and I just looked out the window like an impotent child.

This would be a long morning.

….The Burrow...

"All of you better get down here now or you'll be late!" Mum screeched from the living room. "If you're not down here in ten seconds you're as good as—"

"We're coming, Mum!" I heard Ron bellow from the stairs. He was dragging his trunk behind him and nearly fell down the stairs doing so.

"Me too!" Ginny joined in, and by the sound of it, she was already down there.

George and I shared a knowing look, and grabbed our things and made our way downstairs before we gave our mother a heart attack. We couldn't be late, after all. What fun would that be?

Just before we reached the rest of the family, though, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and knew that George was about to say something.

I cast a glance over my shoulder and waited for him to speak.

"Look, just talk to her, alright? Maybe she was having an off day." I nodded, and slapped him on the back appreciatively. Last night George had restored my confidence, and I had promised to give Katie and I another shot. She could have been having an off day, I knew that. I also knew Katie, and I knew that it was probably more than that, though.

….The train...

"Katie Bell, I can't believe you! The nerve!" Alicia shrieked, jumping up angrily. "You shag Fred Weasley, and you wait to tell me until now?! What kind of friend are you?!"

Angelina laughed, but quieted after Alicia practically snarled at her. I gulped, and tried to calm the girl down before she hexed me.

"Now, 'Lic, I meant to tell you, but how would you feel if I had put that in an owl? 'Right, 'Lic, hope you're having a smashing summer, things have been great here, oh, by the way, I shagged Fred. Best of wishes, and I can't wait to see you soon!' Splendid, right?"

At this, Alicia calmed come, and plopped down next to me. "Katie, I'm mad about that, but I'll get over it. I'm just mad I was stuck vacationing with my parents all holiday."

I sighed in relief, but Alicia wasn't done yet.

"However, you need to fix things with Fred. By the sound of it, he likes you just as much, if not more than you like him, sweetie."

Angelina made a sound of agreement in the back, and opened up a pouch of Berty Bott's beans.

I knew they'd be on the same side. And I knew they were both right. I just couldn't bear to hurt Fred, and I'm afraid that I've already done enough of that. How would I even talk to him now? Hey, Fred, nice to see you. Sorry for shagging you like that back at your house, but I think I'm in love with you and I don't want this to make our friendship awkward, so let's just forget this whole thing and go hex some Slytherins, alright? Peachy.

I looked up at two of my best friends' faces, and I knew that they were sincere. They wouldn't lie to me, and I know that they just want what's best for me. And for Fred, a voice chirped in the back of my mind. I nodded, and pulled them each into a hug.

"Are we interrupting anything, ladies?" Just then we were joined by two red heads who poked their freckled faces into the doorway.

"Or maybe we could come back later." One of the two piped in. Angelina shot a glare, so I assumed it was George who spoke.

"What are you two wankers talking about? We should join in!" I heard Lee's voice pop into the conversation, and I laughed as we all pulled away from one another to make room for the boys. One by one they filed in, and I noticed that they all made it perfectly clear that I was either infected with Dragon Pox, or that the seat next to me was meant for Fred.

I looked up and caught him staring down at me, an easy smile on his face. "Is this seat taken, milady?"

I found myself staring, as well as the rest of our friends in our car—who quickly went back to minding their own business—and cleared my throat.

"N-no, you can sit there." Fred nodded and sat down.

Everyone was trying as hard as they could to talk to each other and ignore us, being extra loud and even more animated than they usually are. Idiots.

An uncomfortable silence filled between Fred and I. He was busy bouncing his leg up and down, a nervous habit of his. I turned to him, opened my mouth to speak, but now words came out. I ducked my head and fiddled with my fingers, feeling stupid. Who knows how much time had passed with us sitting together in silence.

….Fred's POV...

Merlin, this was uncomfortable. How do you even talk to the girl you're in love with when she can hardly look at you and you're stuck in a train car with four of your best friends chattering loudly and obnoxiously?

I looked over at Katie after she tried to speak to me. What was she going to say? Does she feel the same as I do, or does she want nothing to do with me?

She was fiddling with her fingers, a nervous habit of hers, I noticed, and I found a smile tug at my lips.

Gathering up the courage I knew I possessed, I turned to Katie and cleared my throat. "Can I, er, talk to you?" She looked up at me, still twiddling with her fingers, and waited for me to continue. I looked back over my shoulder, and then back to her. "Alone?"

She cast her eyes down and nodded, following me out of the care. The moment we stepped away from our friends, it had quieted, and I knew that they were talking about us. I led her to a quieter section of the train, where less people were, and stopped. I released a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

"Listen, Katie, I wanted to talk to you."

She looked up at me and smiled. "Yeah, I never would have guessed otherwise."

Sarcasm. Good, so things weren't completely ruined between the two of us at least. This made me feel ten times better, so I continued.

"Look, about the thing between us at the Burrow—" But before I could continue, she held up a hand and cut me off.

"Fred, look, before I let you finish, I just wanted to apologize." Apologize? For what, acting like it meant nothing and practically ignoring me? An uneasy feeling filled my stomach, and I nodded to show that she should continue.

….Katie's POV...

I took a deep breath, ready to continue. Merlin, this wouldn't be easy. Please don't let him be mad.

"I just want to say that I'm sorry for, er, shagging you, Fred." Somehow I got the nerve to look up at him, and I saw his face fall. God, this was hard. Why did he make me feel like this? This didn't feel right, apologizing to him after what we did, but I knew it was right. It had to be. I couldn't lose my best friend. "I don't know what I was thinking, and it just sort of happened."

By the time I had finished, my voice was shaking. No, this definitely wasn't easy. But it was too late to take anything back.

….Fred's POV...

That was it. Just like that, in the couple of seconds it took to have Katie speak, I felt my stomach drop. A buzzing filled my head, and I felt my throat closing up.

That whole thing meant nothing to her. You idiot, how could you think she liked you back?

Don't listen to him, idiot! Remember what I told you last night? Talk to her, she's your best friend. Right after me, of course, but let's open up that can of worms later. Don't get discouraged, brother, man up and talk to her.

I shook my head to rid it of the voices arguing. I looked down at Katie and saw her looking anywhere but me. Good sign, right?

"No, it didn't." I was surprised at my own voice and how calm it was. Katie looked up at me startled, and I could tell she was close to crying. "It didn't just happen, Kates, and you know it."

She opened her mouth to speak, but I kept talking. "You might be ashamed of what happened the other night, but Merlin, I'm not. That was one of the best things to happen to me, and I'll be damned if I hear you say that you're sorry for it." I took a step closer to her, and she backed up. "You wanted to sleep with me just as much as I wanted to sleep with you. That doesn't change anything."

By now, Katie was crying, and she let out a choked laugh through her tears. "Doesn't change anything? Of course it changes things, Fred! It changes everything!" She wiped her tears away furiously and shook her head.

"It doesn't change that it happened! It happened, and it mattered, and it's done. You've been ignoring me and made me feel like a complete wanker for thinking that—for thinking that—"

She was still crying, but she looked up at me, almost angrily. "For thinking what, Fred?"

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. It didn't help. "It doesn't matter. You're scared of something, Katie, and I want to know what it is. I know you've been avoiding me, and it's driving me crazy not knowing why. Just tell me what I've done so I can fix it!"

This seemed to make her even angrier and upset than she had been just a moment ago. She choked back a sob before she started yelling at me.

"You didn't do anything wrong! It was me, okay? I screwed up, not you. I was stupid and screwed up and didn't know what I was doing. I shagged you because I love you, you idiot. And then I got scared. I was scared and didn't want things ruined between us! I didn't want to lose my best friend!"

And just like that, it's as if the whole world slowed down around us. We were arguing in the train on the way back to school, and the next moment, my best friend—the girl I'm in love with—confesses that she's in love with me. I didn't know what to do with myself. My whole body felt both numb and jolting with electricity after hearing this.

I looked down at Katie and saw that she was still crying. It was like the night I found her in the common room when she told me her parents had died.

It struck me then that this had more to do with losing her best friend. It went back to her losing her parents.

Seeing her like this made my stomach drop even further than I thought possible. But it didn't stop me from telling her how I felt. It wouldn't.

"Katie, stop crying." This made her sniffle louder. I lowered my voice and took another step forward. She didn't move. "Kates, please, stop crying."

She had calmed down some, and looked up at me through watery eyes.

This is it, Fred. It's all or nothing.

"When I first met you, Kates, you were just a little second year. You were tiny, and spunky, and never let anyone intimidate you." I smiled, recalling George and I giving her her first detention. "And you really haven't changed too much, since then, to be honest." I took another breath, and pushed myself to continue. "And over the years, I got to know you more and more. We've stuck together through Quidditch matches and Wood's hellish practices. I've watched you grow up, and I've watched you shine from the inside out. You've always had a certain light about you, Kates. Like the sun or something." I laughed a little, and it calmed me down some. Not much, because there were still butterflies in my stomach, but it made me feel like I was finally doing the right thing. "And then I watched you go out with that wanker, Davies." Katie had darkened a bit at this, but she had finally stopped crying and was looking at me earnestly.

I took a step forward, and this time, she didn't budge.

"And then, when you weren't with him anymore, I felt like maybe I had a chance. Maybe if I showed you that I could be there for you more, if I showed you that I could be different, you'd give me the time of day."

This it it, I thought. Right now, Fred, just do it.

"And before I knew it, Katie, I had fallen in love with you. I still am in love with you."

And there it was, just like that. Everything that had transpired between the two of us recently seemed to build up to this moment right here, and I knew that somehow, this is how it was supposed to happen. I don't know how or why, or even how to explain it, but I knew that it was right.

Katie seemed shocked, to say the least. Like she had been petrified, or something. She was staring blankly ahead, and I knew that she must be thinking something. What, I don't know, but I had hoped it was good.

It had to be.

And then the unexpected happened. As I was waiting for her to speak and she was presumably waiting for me to speak, we heard someone shout at us from a little ways down the hall.

"Oi, would you two just kiss already?" Both of our heads snapped to the voice simultaneously, and we both were startled to see our group of friends and a few other students poking their heads out of their compartments, waiting expectantly.

I looked back down at Katie and cracked a grin.

"Well then, shall we give our audience a little show, m'dear?"

Katie laughed gleefully and gave me a devilish grin. "I think that's exactlywhat we should do, Mr. Weasley."

And just like that, at the same moment, the two of us were tangled up together, lost in the other. I faintly remember hearing wolf whistles and cat calls, and maybe even a few galleons being passed around filled with 'I told you so's'.

Author's Note: It's been well over a year for this to be updated and finished, and there's no excuse for my absence. The only thing I can say is that I'm sorry for the long wait, and give you my condolences. Truth be told, this chapter is a little short, and to be frank, I hate it. I know it was kind of a cop-out way to end this story, especially after everything that has gone on with it, but it had to be ended one way or another and this was the only way I could get through some major writer's block with this story and get something out. Hate me, hate this story, like it, do whatever, but leave a review. I should be back to posting more soon, but I won't be posting works in progress any longer. I'll only be putting up finished pieces so I don't run into any writers block and go on year-long hiatuses any longer. Have a lovely day/night!