May the Best Man Win |×| Fred Weasley | 1 |×|

×| FIFTY-NINE |×

FRED WASN'T AS BOTHERED BY THE TEASING AS HE THOUGHT HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN. Whilst George would go red in the face the moment Fred suggestively brought up Léonie's name, Fred had found it easy to take the jokes and comments in his stride.

When Lee and his brother had started singing the wedding march when he'd kissed Evelyn quickly in a doorway, Fred had grabbed the Ravenclaw by her waist and started waltzing exaggeratedly to their mocking tune.

When Harry and Ron had walked behind him making kissing-and-what-happens-after noises for the whole walk up to the common room one night after dinner, Fred had happily turned around and suggested that the two boys had ought to get a room.

When Ginny had sauntered over to him one evening, insisting that he should let her know what his next prank would be or else she'd write to their mother and tell her all about he and Evelyn, Fred had winked and told her she wouldn't have to wait long to find out just as Neville Longbottom started squeaking from across the room; his nose having been transfigured temporarily into that of a mouse.

All in all, life was treating Fred very well. He had an almost-girlfriend (speaking of which he thought he really must work out how he was going to make all that official) and hadn't lost any of his Weasley charm. He could simultaneously put a smile on Evelyn's face and a sour frown on George's when he resisted those teasing jabs. Angelina and Alicia had each slapped him multiple times since the quidditch pitch for "being too cocky about all this" or because he "should stop acting all invincible or one of these days Evelyn will realise you're actually not as charming as you seem and dump your arse." But their smacks didn't sting at all really, and he finally had a way to get his friends back for all the bullying when he'd still been in the so-called "friend zone," and he was quite enjoying having significantly fewer detentions per week now that he spent more time in the kitchen's with Evelyn and designing products for the shop than devising evil pranks. Yes. Life was good.

And today, well today would be better than good. It was Sunday, and the sun was already high and bright in the sky when Fred woke up fully, and whilst he blinked away the last of his sleep with his hands folded behind his head, Fred thought he might go and find his favourite blue-eyed Ravenclaw and - so long as she wasn't busy of course - steal her away to hogsmead for a re-do of their slightly chaotic but apparently well loved first date.

He was only half dressed - would have been still naked from the bottom down if it weren't for his boxer shorts - and humming to himself when George barged back into the dormitory, demanding that he hurry up or he'd make them late.

"Late for what?" Fred wondered aloud, taking his time to pick out his nicest pair of Muggle jeans.

"For the game." George leant against the doorframe with his arms crossed, "Don't tell me you've forgotten? Or you've been too busy daydreaming to register anything I've been saying, huh?"

"My daydreaming is none of your concern. And just this once I'll fail to mention again how you've been moaning Léonie's name in your sleep." Fred grinned at his twin, hastily shoving his legs into some dark blue jeans and jumping to his feet, "come on then, where are you taking us this time?" He asked, pushing past George who still stood in the doorway with his face quickly reddening.

"The great hall," George called, following Fred down the stairs whilst trying not to sound too rattled, "breakfast is over already so we have a few hours until lunch to get on with it. I should warn you though, Fred, we're kind of running low on ideas..."

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"Chess? Really? You guys are getting lazy," Fred rolled his eyes at the game board laid out at the end of the Gryffindor table. Evelyn was already sat down opposite him with her elbows on the table and her chin resting on her fists. Fred thought he should tell her how much he loved it when she pinned her hair up like that with her wand and that she looked very pretty when she wore red - but he lost his train of thought when they made eye contact and Fred's mild disappointment at the morning's activity melted with Evelyn's shoulder shrug.