A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews, I honestly do love hearing from all of you. For those of you who asked if Fred could see Katie with Cedric on the Marauders Map, I just assumed he grabbed the map as she was headed back to the Common Room. So we will go with that. Please ignore the brazen Hercules quotes I stole for use in this chapter; sometimes Disney says it best.

Some miraculous act of God found me in Fred’s bed the next morning with his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. This was miraculous because while Fred was definitely a physical being, he had never stored much in the way of cuddling purely for the sake of cuddling. And yet here we were spooning in the wee hours of the morning in his four-poster bed, boxes of firecrackers and other odd materials littering the headstand. I think it may have had something to do with the ‘I love you.’

After my hasty declaration in the Common Room last night, Fred had brought me up to his dormitory where we had sat on his bed and talked until three o’clock in the morning. George and Lee grumbled slightly about having a girl in the room, but as it was me, they didn’t really press the issue and were soon snoring. Fred and I talked about everything there was to talk about—except what really needed to be said by me. Nevertheless, it helped to dissolve some of the strain our relationship had had for the past couple of weeks.

“I’m glad we’re actually spending time together, Katie Kate,” Fred had said around a quarter to three. He then yawned and cuddled into me, throwing his blanket over us both. “It feels like it’s been a while.”

“That’s because it kind of has been,” I admitted, sighing as I allowed him to bury his face in my neck.

“You’ve been a little distant lately,” he continued.

“I know,” I said quietly.

“Glad you’re back, Kates,” Fred said sleepily, tightening his hold on me.

“Me too,” I had agreed.

Before long, Fred was breathing slower and evenly and I knew he was asleep. I turned around to face him, keeping his lanky arms across my waist. I watched the moonlight cross his freckled face, usually alight with some sort of hidden mischief, now completely relaxed. I sighed, biting my lip. I had made my decision. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried myself into his chest. Fred stirred a little in his sleep and pulled me closer.

Now, he yawned widely and squinted in the sunlight that was coming in through the curtains.

“What in the name of Merlin are you doing awake this early?” he asked, gently pushing my messy hair out of my face. “You miss dawn practice at least twice a week and the rest of time, you’re at least fifteen minutes late.”

“Which is why Oliver loves me,” I grinned.

Fred laughed softly. “I think I like waking up next to you,” he murmured.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “It’s kinda nice.”

“Except your breath stinks,” he added, almost as an afterthought.

“WHAT?!” I cried, pushing him away from me. “You go to hell!”

“Meet you there!” he called back, tackling me. We wrestled for a while until both of us fell off of his bed and landed on the floor.

“Fred, what in the bloody hell?!” George shouted moodily from his four-poster. “If you want to shag, can’t you just wait until after practice??”

“Merlin’s beard, how many times have I asked you both to keep it down in the mornings!” Lee now joined in, throwing open the curtains around his bed. “Just because you have Quidditch practice does not entitle you to make a bloody racket every morning!”

“Katie’s fault,” Fred said immaturely. “She pushed me.”

“Sorry, George, love,” I laughed, getting up from the floor. “Your brother just can’t seem to keep his hands off me!”

“Yeah, yeah, well I’m using the toilet first so you two can just pop back into bed and have your merry time while I’m brushing my teeth, alright?” George grumbled.

Fred saluted George stupidly and then lifted me up and threw me back onto his bed. Lee rolled his eyes and pulled his curtains shut.

Fred hopped up to join me and I laughed, attempting to stifle the sound.

“Katie Katie,” Fred said seriously now.

“Yes, Freddie pie?” I asked sarcastically. He just looked at me.

“What?” I asked, starting to feel slightly panicky.

“Katie,” he said. “Before we can go any further with this, I need to know why you lied to me last night.”

My heart leapt to my throat. “What do you mean?” I asked, my voice obviously shaky.

“Come on, Kates,” Fred said. “I’m not stupid. I know you weren’t with Jessica Finch-Fletchley last night. I passed her snogging her boyfriend outside the kitchens. And your Charms marks are good—I copy off your papers half the time. You don’t need study help.”

“I—“ I stumbled.

“Whatever it is, Katie, I’ll understand,” he said seriously. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me.”

Fred’s piercing blue eyes almost caused me to give away everything right then and there. But then I remembered Oliver’s charm and I thought of George and Alicia’s relationship and my own spot on the Quidditch team and I bit my lip. I had to do some quick thinking.

“Fine,” I said slowly. “So I wasn’t with Finch-Fletchley. If you have to know, I was with…”

“Yeah?”

“I was with…”

“Who, Katie?”

“Madame Pomfrey,” I finally settled on, breathing a sigh of relief for having actually thought of someone viable.

Fred raised his eyebrow. “Why?” he asked curiously.

“Because,” I stammered. “I’ve got…a condition.”

“What kind of condition?” he pressed.

“Oh, do you always have to be so nosy?” I snapped. From the bathroom, I heard George flush the toilet.

“Kates, seriously, tell me,” he said, ignoring my outburst.

“It’s embarrassing,” I persisted.

“So?” Fred said. “I don’t care.”

“Well I do,” I said stuffily.

“Is it irritable bowel syndrome?” he asked candidly. “I heard a First Year say there was a Gryffindor in the hospital wing with irritable bowel syndrome. It was you, wasn’t it?”

“Fine!” I shouted. Lee grunted and I lowered my voice. “Sorry,” I whispered. “But yes, fine—it was me. You happy?!”

I definitely wasn’t. Now thanks to Oliver’s stupid meddling and my own ridiculous stupidity, Fred thought my bowels were bursting with—well, I didn’t even want to think of it.

The red-headed devil just smirked. “So that’s your flaw,” he laughed. “Well, Kates, it could have been a lot worse. I was starting to worry you had changed your mind about me!”

“Ha!” I burst out ridiculously. Fred gave me a look and I attempted to make my laughter more normal.

“As if,” I brushed off awkwardly.

“Um, I’ll meet you at practice, kay Kates? I don’t think we should make Lee any more angry than he already is. He casts nasty hexes in the mornings.”

“Yeah, sure thing Fred,” I said, slipping out of his bed and padding across the room to the door.

“Hey,” he said. “Where do you think you’re going without a kiss?”

“You said my breath stinks,” I said bluntly.

“I was only joking,” he said. “It’s only mine that does.”

And he laid a characteristic kiss on my before opening the door, slapping my bum, and ushering me out.

“You’re so sweet,” I said sarcastically.

“I’m one of a kind,” Fred grinned.

XxX

I studiously avoided Oliver’s glances and comments during Quidditch practice, focusing all of my attention on the Quaffle.

“Ease up, Katie!” Angelina shouted as I unforgivingly slammed into Alicia and stole the Quaffle which she dropped.

After we landed, Wood called me over to help him pack equipment.

“So level with me, Bell,” he said as we both wrestled the pair of Bludgers to the ground. “Where do you stand with Diggory?”

“I thought you were going to let me take care of this on my own, Oliver,” I grunted, attempting to strap the fighting black ball back into the trunk.

“I am,” he insisted, exerting a huge amount of force and trapping the Bludger for me. “You just need to update me from time to time. I’d like to know how this operation is working.”

I flicked my fringe out of my eyes and looked at him, deciding how to phrase this.

“I’m just going to say this once, Wood, so pay attention,” I said firmly. “I don’t like this. I want out. And you can’t kick me off the team if I refuse. You need me.”

Oliver narrowed his eyes. “Bell, listen to me. I thought we had an agreement. Your friends Weasley and Spinnet get to stay together if—and only if—I am in receipt of that playbook before our match. You hear me?”

“Like you can break them up!” I shouted, suddenly angry. “What power do you have?”

“I’ve got complete jurisdiction over my team,” he countered. “And I can replace them. And you, whatever you choose to view the situation as.”

I glared at him. “You’re just an overgrown child, you know that?” I said angrily.

“You’re one to talk,” he returned.

We held each other’s gaze for a moment.

“I want to win,” he hissed.

“I know, Oliver, I know!” I said. “But there are better ways to do it than by stealing!”

“Does he even have it?” Wood asked, prying. “Does Diggory even have a playbook?”

I pursed my lips. “Yes,” I answered finally. “I saw it. Last night.”

“Get it,” he said.

“Have you even been listening to what I’ve been saying to you?” I asked, exasperated.

“Katie,” Wood began, a rare instance of using my first name. “Do you honestly think Diggory’s worth this? Because I’ve got news for you—he’s not. I know he put you in detention. He’s just another Hufflepuff prefect wingnut who puts his career and his ambitions over his friends. Don’t make this about him.”

“Don’t you talk about him like that!” I shouted, suddenly offended for Cedric. “You don’t know him, okay?”

“I know enough!” he yelled back.

“This is ridiculous,” I said, walking away. “I’m going to McGonagall.”

“You do and what do you think pretty boy Diggory will think of you then?” Oliver called after me. “Probably won’t be too impressed, will he?”

I stopped in my tracks.

“You get that book, Katie. As long as he keeps being fooled by this, I’m going to keep hounding you,” he warned. “You promised.”

“I did,” I echoed hollowly.

XxX

Stupid mad Oliver and his stupid mad need to win the Quidditch cup that was clouding his better judgment. I watched him chew his eggs with the type of ferocity over breakfast he usually only reserved for goalkeeping.

I ignored the girls who were giving me knowing glares all throughout the morning meal and instead chatted pleasantly with Fred and George, the latter of whom had forgiven me for our previous dispute this morning. Lee then showed up with a garter snake he had managed to trap outside the window earlier and distracted the entire table. Intermittently, my gaze transferred to where the Hufflepuffs sat.

Cedric stared at me unabashedly, clearly attempting to get my attention. Every time our eyes met, he would open his mouth as if to mouth something to me but I quickly looked away. I scooted closer to Fred who draped his arm around my shoulders. I looked at Cedric pointedly. He flushed with what had to have been jealousy, but held my gaze. I dropped it.

XxX

It wasn’t until in between Charms and Potions that he finally caught me. I had broken away from my friends in order to avoid Alicia’s condescending gaze and found myself being pulled behind a tapestry by an unseen hand.

“What the--?” I griped, pulling away. “Oh, it’s you,” I said, looking up into Cedric’s pale, handsome face. His jaw was locked and his eyes were rather cold.

“I didn’t know you knew this passageway was here,” I said matter-of-factly.

“I learn a lot from you,” he said shortly.

I paused. “Well,” I said. “What do you want?”

“Katie, what is going on?” Cedric demanded. “First you run out on me out of nowhere last night, and now I see you with—with him?”

“He is Fred Weasley,” I said coldly. “You know his name.”

“Whatever!” Cedric said, looking hurt. “Katie, I stopped seeing Cho Chang because of you. Her roommates tell me she cries at night because I dropped her so suddenly, and I did that so I could see you. I’ve broken rules I promised to help upkeep for you. Don’t you think I at least deserve some sort of explanation from you?”

He was looking at me earnestly, his eyes searching my face for something he couldn’t read.

“Cedric, leave me alone,” I said quietly. “Leave me alone before you get hurt.”

“What?” he asked, confused. “Why? I can’t just leave you alone—I’m involved now. I care about you.”

“If you care about me,” I said. “You’ll do as I say and you’ll leave me alone. Trust me. I’m doing this for you.”

“Why would I get hurt though?” Cedric cried. “Katie, I’ve felt more alive in the past few weeks with you than I have in my whole life! You couldn’t possibly hurt me.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” I said solemnly. “Now leave me alone. I’m dating Fred. He’s asked me to go out with him and I’ve said yes. I suggest you move on as well.”

“You cannot be serious.”

“I am.”

“Was it something I did, because…”

“No, Cedric. Drop it. I’m with Fred. Not you. Let’s leave it at that.”

I attempted to go, but he took my shoulder.

“God, what is it with you men?” I cried, whirling around. “You think ‘no’ means yes, and ‘get lost’ means ‘take me, I’m yours’!’”

“What’s going on?” Cedric pressed. “Katie, this isn’t you.”

“You don’t know me,” I said coldly. And I walked away quickly to avoid having him see me cry.

I ran into Alicia as I turned the corner. Cedric strode past quickly, his mouth clenched tight.

“Oh,” Alicia said, folding her arms. “I’m sorry, was I interrupting something? A little tryst in the broom cupboard, perhaps?”

“Leave me alone, Alicia,” I spat, attempting to move past her. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh don’t I?” she called after me as we both turned down the stairs toward the dungeons. “Because I was fairly certain that of the two of us, I have been the one to have obsessed over Cedric Diggory for the past five years and I know what he can make girls do.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked, turning around to face her. “Well guess what, you may have been the one to have had a pathetic little crush on him for five years, but I’m the one who loved him, okay? So don’t you dare lecture me on how to handle it.”

And I slipped inside the Potions classroom, slamming the dungeon door shut before she could enter. I clenched my jaw tightly to keep myself from crying and sat down next to Fred who greeted me with an unknowing smile.

--A/N: When you review, please vote! FredxKatie, or CedricxKatie? I’d love to hear your opinions!