Rebel Rebel (A Fred Weasley fanfic)

13

I am so sorry that this is so long overdue. I just wasn't happy with the chapter I had written and so rewrote the whole thing but honestly, I don't think that this one was worth the delay.

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Fred Weasley fancied Stevie Nicholson.

If you asked him when he realised, he would tell you that he thinks it was during the Easter holidays.

He'd found her in the library studying one day and well, that's just something he couldn't allow and so he'd swiped her textbook from in front of her and held it out of reach until she promised to stop studying and join him and his siblings for dinner - he hadn't quite realised how much smaller she was until she was standing in front of him standing on her tiptoes as she tried desperately to get her book back.

Or perhaps it had been when she'd used her wand to tie an unsuspecting Slytherin's laces together under the table at breakfast; he'd caught her eye when their fellow fifth-year had fallen just in front of the Gryffindor table and she'd given him smile so bright, he thought it put the sun to shame.

Fred Weasley fancied Stevie and he had no idea what to do about it.

He tried to not let his newfound feelings for the Ravenclaw get to him but it was almost impossible. He found himself looking for her every morning when he came down to breakfast and staring at her in the classes that they shared (he couldn't quite bring himself to sit next to her again just yet). When he heard her laugh from across the hall or saw her in the corridors, it felt as if someone had whacked him in the stomach with his Quidditch club.

He wasn't subtle so it wasn't surprising that her housemate and one of her best friend's had noticed him. Ribh would whisper in her ear when they walked by him and Stevie would shush her before giving Fred a shy smile and a wave which made him think that maybe...could she like him too?

But he couldn't let her distract him any more than she already had - especially not today. It was the Quidditch final. He had to focus. They all did.

The week between the end of the Easter holidays and the match felt like the longest five days that they'd had to get through. The whole of Gryffindor, the whole school, was excited about the match. There was an electricity in the air and it came to the point where Gryffindor and Slytherin students couldn't even pass each other in the corridors without some sort of fight breaking out.

The team were applauded as they entered the great hall for breakfast on Saturday morning - not only were they been cheered on by the Gryffindor's but by the Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's as well.

Oliver had encouraged them to eat -despite touching nothing himself- before sitting down and launching into another lecture on tactics. One that he'd given them every night at the training sessions he was putting them through.

Fred tries to listen. Honestly, he does but Stevie's not down yet and every time someone walks into the hall, he thinks (hopes) it's her. But it's not, it's Ribh.

"Hey," Kaye greets her with a smile when she wanders over to their table, "Where's Stevie?"

"She's just outside," Ribh throws her leg over the bench so she can sit down, "She's talking to Tristan."

"McLean?" Fred asks before he can stop himself and his twin sniggers into his orange juice.

The blonde nods and Kaye frowns, "He's a git. Why is she talking to him?"

Once again, Fred tries to listen to their captain - who has now moved on to giving them a pep talk but he can't and instead, he leans across the table, "I agree with Kaye, he's a git."

"Everyone agrees with Kaye," Ribh tells him "But you know what he's like. He just says that stuff because he knows he'll get a reaction from her. Though if you ask me, she dodged a bullet there."

Kaye nods in agreement, noticing that Fred is looking at them with raised eyebrows and she laughs, "What?"

"Dodged a bullet how?" he asks, "What is she talking about?"

Kaye makes sure to lower her voice so Oliver doesn't hear that they're quite obviously not listening to him, "Tristan and Stevie's families have been friends for years - since before they were born. Anyway, Stevie said that since they were kids, the plan had been for them to get married. Their parents saw it as the union of two rather wealthy and powerful families."

Fred scowls and George once again is struggling to hide his laughter as Stevie finally comes into the room. He was as subtle as a brick through a window in broad daylight.

"Look alive," he whispers and Fred sits up straighter.

"Hey," she greets as she sits down, smashing her wat into the small space between him and Neville, "Sorry about that..."

She has red and gold stripes painted on her cheeks...Fred thinks he's staring until George is nudging him.

He hates that his brother knows.

"What was Tristan saying to you?"

"Nothing that we haven't heard before," she shrugs, taking some toast from one of the many plates on the table before she turns to Fred, "Hi!"

"Morning, nice paint."

"You like it?" she grins, "I thought I'd better show some support and well, you guys are the lesser of two evils."

"Charming," George pipes up as Oliver stands.

"I'm going to head down to the pitch now," he tells the team and Fred takes a sip of his orange juice, "I want the rest of you down there in five minutes."

"He seems nervous," Stevie whispers and he smiles.

"Have you met Oliver?"

The team finish up what little breakfast they have in front of them before they head to the pitch.

"Good luck!" Stevie chirps, standing up to move around the table so she can give Kaye a hug, "And we'll see you all down there."