In the weeks that followed after Alex's birthday, she made a point to avoid Fred, or rather, make sure that they weren't alone again. It wasn't that she hated him for trying to kiss her, she just felt like it would be awkward between them, seeing as she had rejected the kiss.

School had been beginning to get stressful for them. Though, almost everyone had to agree Defense Against the Dark Arts was their favorite class. Even Alex enjoyed it, despite the boggart lesson. Lupin had tried several times to talk to her but Alex was avoiding it, knowing he wanted to address the boggart.

With the beginning of October, it meant quidditch season was upon them. Most of the team had gathered after dinner one day to have a heart to heart but one person was missing from the team.

"Where's Alex?" Wood asked.

Everyone sent confused glances, especially to Harry as they were close friends.  "She wasn't in the common room this morning," he told them.  "I think she mentioned something about studying after dinner last night when I last talked to her."

"I think I know where she is," Fred spoke, standing from his seat.  "I'll go and get her, be right back!"

Without waiting for a response, he took off out of the Great Hall and in the direction of the library.

☽

Alex sat next to Cedric, rubbing her temples as he tried to re-explain the wand movement for the spell they were working on.  In front of them sat two incomplete transfiguration attempts of turning a gecko into a goblet.  While they both held the shape, the goblets themselves still had the curled tail and the sides were scales.

"My head is going to explode," she grumbled. "I just can't get it."

"That's not true," he laughed before demonstrating the moment with his own wand, returning the gecko to its original shape.  "See?  Now you try it."

After another failed attempt, Alex's head fell on the table with a groan.  "Can't I just drop Transfiguration?" She mumbled, slamming her head gently against the table with each word.  "I'm doomed to never be good at it."

"You just have to picture the shape the gecko was originally in your mind as you do the spell," he told her, which caused her to groan.

"Now you tell me," she joked.

"C'mon, one more try," he told her.

Grumbling, she grabbed her wand before taking a deep breath and looking at the scaley goblet.  She did as Cedric suggested and pictured the original shape in her mind before looking at the goblet again.

"Reparifage!" She spoke, mimicking Cedric's wand movement that he had shown her.

Suddenly, where the scaley goblet had been, there was now a gecko, crawling across the table, seeming relieved to be back to its shape.  "I did it!" She exclaimed, turning to hug Cedric, who laughed and hugged her back.

"Thank you," she gushed, pulling away to smile at him.

"No problem," he told her. "You've helped me quite a bit in potions, so it's not like I'm not grateful also."

"I guess that's true," she told him with a laugh before hugging him again.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Alex and Cedric jumped apart at the new voice and looked to see Fred standing there, an unrecognizable look on his face. Alex watched as his jaw clenched slightly before realizing that Cedric still had his hands on her waist.

"Fred, what's up?" She asked, pulling from Cedric.

He eyed Cedric before looking down at you. "Did you really forget?" He asked, trying not to let his emotions get to him.

"Forget what?"

"The quidditch meeting?"

Suddenly, she remembered the letter she had received from Oliver a few days before. She gasped before turning to Cedric. "Can we meet up after this?" She asked. "Wood will kill me if I don't go to this."

"Sure," he told her. "We can study until curfew if you want to."

"Thank you, I'll be back soon!" She told him before running out of the library, earning a sharp look from Madam Pince as the young girl ran by.

Fred stood there for a second and looked at Cedric suspiciously. "What's going on between you two?"

Cedric looked at Fred bewildered.  "We're helping each other study in subjects we both struggle with, why?" He asked.

"There's no ulterior motive?" Fred questioned, his tone accusingly.

"No," Cedric stated firmly, not believing Fred's assumption.  "I'm not interested in getting quidditch secrets out of her or anything like that."

"WEASLEY, C'MON!" Alex yelled from the entrance of the library before running when Madam Pince sent another sharp look her way.

Fred walked backwards before following after Alex, leaving Cedric confused as to why he sounded so hostile. But in Fred's mind, it wasn't quidditch secrets that he was worried Alex was going to give up to Cedric 'Pretty Boy' Diggory.

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot!" She exclaimed as she came up to the team in the Great Hall, Fred just right behind her as she was still trying to make sure they weren't alone again.

"It's fine, just don't let it happen again," Wood sternly told her as she sat in between Angelina and Harry.

"Sir, yes, sir," she teased but the look on Wood's face shut her up rather quickly.

"This is our last chance - my last chance - to win the Quidditch Cup," he began, sounding desperate. "I'll be leaving at the end of this year. I'll never get another shot at it."

He then got lost in his thoughts as he rambled on about the previous years as to why they hadn't won the cup yet. "But we also know we've got the best ruddy team in the school!" He stated as he punched his hand. "We've got three superb Chasers," he told them, pointing to Alex, Angelina, and Alicia, who all nudged each other with pride. "We've got two unbeatable Beaters."

"Stop it, Oliver, you're embarrassing us," the twins spoke at the same time, which caused Alex to snort.

"And we've got a Seeker who has never failed to win us a match!" He finished, glaring in Harry's direction with such pride, you would've thought he was looking at the face of his own son. "And me," he finished nonchalantly.

"We think you're very good too, Oliver," George stated.

"Spanking good Keeper," Fred added.

Wood shook off their comments before looking back over everyone. "The point is, the Quidditch Cup should have had our name on it these last two years. Ever since Harry joined the team, I've thought the thing was in the bag. But we haven't got it, and this year's the last chance we'll get to finally see our name on the thing..." he trailed off, a distant look in his eyes.

Everyone fell silent as they exchanged sympathetic glances. They all knew how bad he wanted this, it was evident the previous year when all the Slytherins had been gifted the Nimbus 2001s by Draco Malfoy. But with everything that happened regarding the petrifying of students, the tournament had been cancelled anyway. This was Oliver's last chance and none of the team members wanted to let him down.

"Oliver, this year's our year," Fred stated, slamming his hand on the table.

"We'll do it, Oliver," Angelina added.

"The other house teams won't know what hit them," Alex told him, determination coursing through her now.

"Definitely," Harry finished with a proud smile.

Oliver looked over everyone before nodding, his face now determined. "Alright, practices start tomorrow night after lessons end and I expect everyone to be there," he sternly told him, his gaze holding on Alex a little longer before they were all excused.

Alex immediately made a run out of the Great Hall. Fred watched as she went, feeling that same knot that was in his stomach anytime he saw her and Cedric together, which was more now that they were helping each other study.

"You okay, Freddie?" George asked as he came up to his twin.

Fred only nodded before they both began to make their way back up to the common room. As soon as they got there, Fred took out the Marauder's Map and watched the library, where he saw Cedric and Alex's name remain close for quite awhile.  Eventually, as curfew drew closer, he watched them exit the library.

However, when he thought they would part, seeing as Cedric's common room was in the basement and Alex's was in the towers, Cedric followed after Alex.  He was obviously walking her to her common room, which irked him more than he cared to admit. But he didn't know why.

Putting the map away, he walked down to the common room to find several groups of students just studying before he walked over to the portrait door.  He opened it to see Cedric and Alex walking up, Alex laughing at something Cedric had said before they both noticed Fred standing there.

"Hey Fred," Alex greeted.  "Everything alright?"

"Just coming to make sure that you made it back okay," he stated, his eyes still on Cedric, who looked confused.

"Alrighty then," she mumbled before turning back to Cedric.  "Wood's starting us on quidditch practices tomorrow, so we'll have to start just meeting Sunday mornings like we originally planned."

"We can do that," he told her, his eyes flickering to Fred, who was still standing there and watching intently. "Have a good night, Alex, I'll see you later."

She bid him farewell one last time as he walked down the corridor before turning to see Fred still standing there. "Something I can help you with, Weasley?"

"Don't you wonder why Cedric has taken such an interest in you recently?" He asked as they both made their way back into the common room.

"Why do you care who has an interest in me?" She asked, turning to face him.

He felt his face get somewhat hot, but the dimly lit common room seemed to work in his favor as Alex didn't notice. "B-Because you're my friend and I don't want you to get hurt," he stuttered slightly.

Alex's brow furrowed. "Do you honestly think Cedric Diggory is just trying to get something from me and then just leave me in the dust?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

A smirk rose on Alex's face. "I can protect myself, Fred," she told him. "I don't need you to be my knight in shining school robes like last year, okay?"

With that final statement, she walked up towards her dorm without waiting for Fred to say anything else as she didn't want to spend anymore alone time with him. Her mind went back to her birthday party and the almost kiss they had shared, which made her stomach tighten with an unfamiliar excitement. She did wonder what it would be like to kiss Fred, but she didn't want to build her hopes up, only to have it come crashing down if he didn't reciprocate what she was beginning to feel.

And ever since she had been hanging out with Cedric more recently, she couldn't help but feel as though she was developing a crush on him.  He seemed to enjoy her company as much she did his.  Was it romantic?  She didn't know, but she didn't mind letting it run its course to see where it went.

☽

"Merlin's beard, I don't think I have ever been as exhausted as I am right now," Alex grumbled as the team made their way back to the common room after practice.  Harry nodded in agreement, but practices had been going well, so they couldn't complain entirely.  After all, it made Wood happy that the team was taking his words seriously.

Upon entering the common room, everyone was buzzing around in excitement, which confused Alex as they walked over to where Ron and Hermione were working on their star charts for Astronomy.

"What's happened?" Harry asked.

"First Hogsmeade weekend," Ron told them, pointing to the bulletin board on the opposite wall.  "End of October.  Halloween."

"Excellent," Fred spoke as he came up to the group, causing Alex's stomach to leap as she immediately took interest into examining her Comet, the lingering thought of the Firebolt under her bed.  "I need to visit Zonko's.  I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets."

Alex couldn't hide the smile that had formed on her face at Fred's comment.  Of course him going to Hogsmeade had to do with gaining supplies to prank more people. She looked over the group as they began working on their star charts.

"Well, I'm going to shower and then I will be down to work on our star charts because I need desperate help with it," she told the group before disappearing up the stairs.

With much satisfaction, she stripped out of her practice clothes before entering the hot shower waiting for her.  Instantly, it warmed up her skin that had gotten cold while being out on the quidditch pitch.

As of recent, there had been no sightings of her father and Alex couldn't help but wonder if he would try to show up in Hogsmeade that weekend. At the beginning of the summer, Severus had been hesitant to sign Alex's permission slip but after much begging and whining, he gave in and signed it, which meant she would be able to go. 

But that had been before Sirius Black had escaped.

As selfish as it sounded, she was glad that Harry's permission slip wasn't signed because that meant that her father wouldn't be able to get him if he actually risked making an appearance. She was grateful that Harry would be up at the castle.

Safe.

Standing under the shower head, she also couldn't help but wonder if she did come face to face with him, would she be able to duel him or just let him do whatever he wanted to do, whether that be kidnapping and torturing her or killing her?  She knew she had to be ready in case anything happened.

After she exited the shower, she changed into some warm pajamas and slipped her Gryffindor Quidditch sweater over her head to keep her extra warm.  Walking back down to the common room with her bag over her shoulder, she found that Ron and Harry had left, leaving her confused. 

"Where are the boys?" She asked Hermione as she claimed a seat next to her.

Hermione looked clearly upset as she stroked underneath Crookshanks' chin.  "Crookshanks attempted to attack Scabbers again and Ron got mad at me," she admitted.  "He just doesn't understand that all cats usually go after rats."

Alex gave Hermione a sad smile.  "Don't worry, 'Mione," she told her.  "I'm sure he'll be much better tomorrow.  Besides, he doesn't even like Scabbers that much, why the sudden change of heart?"

Both girls laughed before they went back to working on their star charts.  As the night went on, the common room began to thin once again and slowly, there was only a handful of students left. Hermione helped Alex with her star chart before the older girl's eyes began to droop with exhaustion.

"Alright, Hermione," Alex told her when she noticed, "go to bed, we can work on this tomorrow night."

Hermione looked at Alex and went to protest before a long yawn left her mouth and she succumbed to Alex's request, bidding her good night and venturing up to the girls dorm. Alex wasn't quite tired as she wanted to be, so she stayed in the common to work on her star chart some more.

Soon enough, she realized how quiet it had become, only to see she was the last one in the common room. Glancing at the clock, it read that it was nearing close to midnight and she still wasn't tired. A groan escaped her before she set the star chart back into her bag and claiming the spot in front of the fireplace, she stared into it as she held a pillow to her chest.

Her thoughts went back to her dad and she couldn't help but wonder where he was. How close was he to Hogwarts? Would he recognize her when he saw her? If she was found by him, what spells should she use to defend herself? Did he even know what she looked like? So many questions and it felt as though a million more were flying in through her head. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps descending down the staircase.

"Alex?"

Upon hearing her name unexpectedly, Alex jumped and turned to see Fred walking towards where she sat, dressed in pajamas and wet hair from a recent shower.  She felt her heart rate rise a little at the sight of him before he came and claimed a spot next to her by the fire.

It definitely felt warmer as they both just took to staring in the fire. Alex glanced at him from the corner of her eye but neither of them bothered to say anything. A little while later or what seemed like it, Fred finally turned to Alex.

"You've been avoiding me, haven't you?" He asked. His tone didn't sound offended or hurt, more just curious.

Alex felt her throat tighten slightly. "More just making sure that we're not alone together," she replied, telling the truth as she glanced around the common room, "like right now."

"Why, was it because I almost kissed you on your birthday?" He questioned, clearly wanting to make things better and hopefully move past this.

Alex could only nod. "Yeah," she replied once she found her voice.  "I guess I was just nervous because I've never had my first kiss and I want it to be special and save it for when the moment is right, you know?"

Fred watched her. "And how will you know the moment is right or if it's even with the right person?" He asked. He hated how in the back of his mind, it immediately went to Cedric and the thought of them kissing made his jaw clench involuntarily.

"I'll feel it," she told him simply, "in my gut. And whoever I'm with at the moment, I'll just go for it if they're okay with it.

"Even if it's with Diggory?" He asked, hoping his tone didn't sound as bitter as he was feeling.

Alex heaved a heavy sigh before turning to face Fred fully. "Alright, we are talking this out right here and right now," she firmly told him. "Cedric and I just barely began talking this year and it was because he found me crying. Being the gentleman that he is, he was making sure I was okay. From there, we just began talking in passing and then found out how we could help each other in subjects that the other excelled at. We are just friends as of right now, why do you have such a vendetta against him?"

Fred simply folded his arms and shrugged. "He's the Hufflepuff quidditch captain," he stated like it was a common fact.

Alex narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.  "And that's all that there is to it?"

Not trusting his voice, Fred only nodded.

"Alright, well I can tell you that I have no plans to try to kiss Cedric Diggory, okay?" She reassured him.

He didn't know why, but that thought eased Fred's mind and stomach immensely.  Then he smirked and looked at her.  "And if the opportunity arose to kiss me?" He asked, noting the blush that formed on her face almost immediately.

She turned to look at him.  "Maybe," she teased, though they both began laughing a few seconds later.  "I just don't want to waste my first kiss just to get it over with."

Fred nodded.  "That sounds like a good idea, I'll do the same."

"Wait, you haven't kissed anybody?" She asked, somewhat shocked.

It was no secret that Fred and George were popular, Alex surely thought that they both had their first kiss by that point.  She knew there several girls pining after the twins, which was part of the reason she was reluctant to try and pursue things with Fred.  He could have his pick of the lot.

Why would he choose her, his little brother's friend?

Fred merely shrugged. "Haven't found anyone worthy of smooching," he told her with a smug look.

"And yet, you tried to kiss me," she pointed out, causing the smug look to drop from his face and Alex to giggle his expression.

"Guess I just found you to be worthy then," he told with a wink, causing a light blush to cross her face as she looked towards the fire.  He laughed before nudging her gently.  "Don't worry, I won't kiss you unless you make the first move."

Alex laughed and shook her head.  "I feel like talking about this could be foreshadowing a kiss between us in futures time," she told him, causing him to shrug.

"Guess we'll just have to wait and see," he replied.

Alex only smirked.  "Guess we will."

☽

The next morning, Alex awoke earlier than usual and more rested than she had been getting over the previous weeks, despite having gone to bed late. She smiled to herself over the conversation she had the previous night with Fred and how it had brought some peace of mind to her and hopefully him as well. 

She got up immediately and got ready for the day ahead of her.  After grabbing some toast from the Great Hall, she made her way into the dungeons to have a talk with her godfather before classes were due to start.

As she went to knock on the door, it opened to reveal Professor Lupin. Alex gasped and took a step back out of his way. He looked at her, who couldn't help but look down and avoid eye contact.  He wanted to say something to her but she made it clear that she didn't want to talk to him quite yet.

With a heavy sigh, he made his way back towards his office to prepare for his own lessons that day. Alex waited until he was a safe distance away before rushing into her godfather's classroom. Severus stood at his blackboard, writing down ingredients for what his class would be brewing that day.

Alex cleared her throat, causing him to turn quickly and reach for his wand, only to lower it once he saw Alex. "You really should be more careful, you know?" He stated.  "I very well could've cursed you."

She chuckled lightly before taking a bite of her toast. "No, you wouldn't have," she stated with a mouth full of bread.  "I'm too cute to be cursed."

Severus grimaced at her full mouth and rolled his eye before looking at Alex.  "You never want to come and talk to me, you obviously came here for a reason, what do you need?" He asked inquisitively.

Alex let out a heavy sigh.  "Should I be nervous about going to Hogsmeade?" She questioned, feeling her stomach turning at the thought. "What if my dad shows up?"

"As far as I know, there will be aurors in Hogsmeade during each trip that the students take there," Severus told her.  "You won't necessarily have a personal auror following you but you will have someone watching from a distance to ensure your safety and if Sirius Black makes an appearance, he will be apprehended."

That put Alex's mind more at ease as she finished the last of her toast. "Well, thank you for that, Severus," she replied.  "I will see you later."

She quickly left his classroom and made her way back to the Great Hall to retrieve her mail that she had neglected to grab. As she entered, she spotted Fred and George talking amongst themselves as they ate breakfast. She quickly made her way over, grabbing the one letter with her name written across it in slightly sloppy hand writing.  Immediately recognizing the handwriting, she opened it, reading what was read:

'Dear Alex,

In the next few weeks, I will in London to deal with some business pertaining to the sanctuary. 

I  remember your mother mentioning something about Hogsmeade weekends at the school and if there was one coming up soon, if you would like to meet up so that we can talk in person. It's not a long distance to apparate from London to Scotland, so it won't be a huge hassle.

Please let me know as soon as possible so I can be sure that I'm there!  I would love to see you and catch up like old times if you're wanting to.

Hope to hear from you soon, Velkan.'

Alex couldn't help but smile at the letter, which didn't go unnoticed by Fred and George.  "What's got you all smiles today?" George asked curiously.

"Just a letter from an old friend asking to see each other during the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend," she replied as she pulled out some parchment to reply, letting him know the day and time that she would be in Hogsmeade and for them to set up a meeting place and time.

Fred couldn't ignore the smile on her face or the nagging feeling that she was meeting up with a guy. First Cedric, now whoever this guy was.  He didn't want to say he was jealous but he was feeling a little jealous. Why was he though? Him and Alex were only friends. Sure, they'd stayed up late talking to each other a few times and he almost kissed her but he thought he only saw her as a friend.

Though, even he couldn't deny that over the summer, she had grown up a bit, especially when it came to looks.  She was very easy on the eyes and the boys around them seem to be noticing that as well, which he didn't like. 

He finally chalked it up to just being protective of her.  She was his little brother's friend for, Merlin's sake.  Not only that but she was his friend as well.  He was not jealous, or at least, that was what he was trying to tell himself.

Now he wasn't sure.

☽

Orlando Bloom as Velkan Crane

Currently having an internal battle over what the future will hold for Cedric and Alex, not going to lie lol

What do you think will happen??? And Freddie boys I getting jealous, this will get very interesting.

Don't forget to vote and comment!

Love you guys!

-Squid☽