Serendipity (Fred Weasley HP)

Chapter Thirteen - One Step Forward Two Steps Back

"Are you sure you're okay?" Violet asked for the sixth time. She, Halley and Alex were sitting by the lake during a spare one February afternoon, Alex was sketching her friends, Halley was reading the chapters she'd missed while taking her potion nap and Violet was playing with her cat who just wanted to be left alone to nap in the sun.

"Yes, Violet. I'm not about to drown myself and become the giant squids' bride." Halley rolled her eyes and closed her book. "This is for the best, given everything that's happened and everything that's still happening with my dad it's just better this way. Cedric is a great guy and he deserves someone who can be more emotionally available."

Alex put down her pencil and looked at her dark-haired friend with a curious expression. "Does this also have anything to do with Fred? You'd have to be blind not to see the way he looks at you."

Halley hadn't told anyone, aside from Harry, that she'd heard everything people had said during her siesta. Mainly because she didn't want anyone feeling uncomfortable about the things she'd heard, but also because she was scared of how Fred's confession made her feel. Her crush was in the past, or so she'd convinced herself, and now there Fred was ready to return her feelings and all Halley could think was how painful it would be to lose him as a friend if they didn't work out. "Yes... I know he feels something for me, but I can't go down that road. How many relationships have we seen break up? How many friends have we comforted? I don't want that to happen with us." Halley tucked her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, looking at Violet and Alex who were shocked at her sudden confession but didn't care interrupt her.

"We're still so young, school isn't forever and maybe one day in the future something could happen... but for now I just want to do well in my classes, I want to make my family proud... I want to bring my dad home. I just don't have the emotional capacity for a relationship as well..." 

Violet stopped annoying her cat and wrapped her arms around Hal. "Oh look, our girl's all grown up. She's so mature and responsible." Halley felt like the air was being squeezed out of her and had to tap Vi on the arm to get her to let go. "Sorry sugar."

"You're the Prefect out of the three of us, shouldn't you be the most responsible and mature?" Alex asked with a small smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Halley sniggered and Violet narrowed her eyes playfully, "I see how it is, you sit there never talking, only observing and then you land fatal blows just when it'll hurt the most." She threw her cat toy at the Ravenclaw and the two began bickering like an old married couple. The funny thing was that Alex still didn't say a lot when she argued, somehow she managed to annoy Violet with her logic with few words, which only aggravated Violet more. She may have been a kind-hearted, soft around the edges Hufflepuff, but you were kidding yourself if you didn't believe she had a tough streak in her. 

"Right well, I'm going to leave you two to that, I have potions to get to."

As usual, the three boys were waiting outside the classroom for her with big smiles. They knew potions had become her least favourite subject after the incident so they did what they could to make it as painless as possible. "What fresh hell has Snape lined up for us today?"

The three laughed and they took their seats towards the back of the classroom and Halley avoided Snape's stare as she did every lesson. Apparently he'd just set them quiet revision and a piece of homework. However, it was something Halley had already done revision for so she was able to go back to the stuff she'd missed and studied that instead.

No one spoke, even Fred, George and Lee were quiet, although they still passed secret notes to each other every now and then, however, what caught her eye was how a group of Slytherins were staring at her. Halley tried to ignore it but the feeling of their eyes boring into her skull was too distracting, so she looked over and mouthed 'What' and the group turned to look at one of their own who grinned and placed her hand on her head then fell backwards off her stool, catching the attention of everyone in the class. The Slytherin side started laughing and the Gryffindors glared but it was Snape's reaction that shocked everyone.