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Felix Felicis was something that Angelina never thought she would use. It felt like cheating. She only had three hours' worth, and already she had managed to tame her hair into a style that had always failed before, score a prime table at Madame Puddifoot's that never seemed to be free, and talk her way out of helping to clean the common room later that night. Now, with the last ten minutes of her luck left, there was only one thing to do.
"There you are! Been looking all over."
Angelina smiled as Fred wandered into the common room. She knew that he most likely wouldn't notice her hairstyle, and hoped desperately that he wouldn't notice the fact that her hands clenched by her sides with nerves.
"I've been here all morning. You probably walked past me to get out."
"Were you?" Fred grinned. "Did I? Huh. Shame."
Angelina rolled her eyes. They had been to the Yule Ball together just the previous week, and she knew that Fred had been paying her a lot more attention than probably either one of them had expected ever since. So, it wasn't like she was taking an enormous chance. Glancing at the clock, she took a deep breath. Five minutes to go.
"What d'you think about those guys from Durmstrang?"
Angelina blinked. "Huh?"
"The guys who came over from Durmstrang. Or the girls, either way. Have you spoken to any of them? What are they like?"
Fred stepped forward to collapse down onto one of the lounges in front of the fire. He patted the seat next to him with a grin.
"Come on, tell me all the gossip."
Shaking her head, Angelina took a couple of seconds to try to collect herself. This was not going the way she had expected. Three minutes to go. She moved over to sit on the lounge with Fred, her hands still clenched, but this time in her lap.
"I haven't actually really spoken to them, no." When Fred raised an eyebrow at her, she sighed. "Alright, fine. We all go frolicking through the Forbidden Forest together in the moonlight. What do you want from me?"
Reaching out, she gave him a shove. He nudged her in the ribs with his elbow in response, grinning all the while.
"Knew there was something kinky about you."
"Oh, shut up." No, this definitely was not going how she wanted it to. Only one minute left. "Fred, can I ask you something?"
"You just did."
His grin was beginning to irritate her. "Do you know how annoying you are?"
Fred's grin widened. "I worked hard to be this annoying, so thank you."
Sighing, Angelina considered just giving up on the idea. Maybe she could sell the table. Without mentioning that fact to Madame Puddifoot, of course. No sense in letting it go to waste.
"I was going to ask you something. Something important, but don't worry about it. It doesn't matter."
Standing, she turned towards the girl's staircase, determined to go up and have a nice hot, relaxing bath. She didn't know what she had been thinking, wanting to actually ask Fred out. Maybe the Yule Ball had sent her a bit nutty? She gasped when he reached out to grab her wrist.
"What–?"
"You were going to ask me something?"
The grin was gone from Fred's face. It had been replaced with a look of what Angelina could only term confusion. She shook her head.
"Doesn't matter." She twisted her wrist, trying to break his grip on her. "It was stupid."
"Stupid?" Fred stood, his hold on her wrist firm. "Come on, Ange. You don’t get much more stupid than me. Maybe I'd like it?"
"Fred–"
"And I've never heard you say something stupid in my entire life."
"You've only known me since we were eleven."
"Alright, so for all my school life."
She sighed. "Let me go."
"Ask me."
"Please let me go."
"Not what I meant. What were you going to ask me?"
He took a couple of steps forward, bringing them closer together. The grin was back, but there was something different about it. Angelina's stomach flipped pleasantly. Still, she shook her head.
"Nothing. It was–"
"Stupid. Yeah, you said." He paused to run his thumb over the back of her hand. "Ask me anyway."
Rolling her eyes again, Angelina tried again to yank her hand back. "You're so…"
"Charming? Handsome?"
"Irritating. Like a stone in my shoe."
Fred's grin widened into a true smile as he watched her. He took another step forward, his grip loosening a little.
"How long have you wanted to ask me?"
She raised an eyebrow at him, not falling for his bullshit for one second. "How long have you wanted to ask me?"
He broke eye contact, glancing down at their joined hands. "About a year now."
To her surprise, Angelina felt desire shoot through her when he glanced back up. The grin was gone, but his eyes were still dancing with a warmth that she recognised from the Yule Ball. An unexpected smile broke on her face as he stepped forward again.
"Yeah?"
He licked his lips. "Yeah. You make me nervous, you know."
"You didn't seem nervous when you yelled at me across the bloody room."
"Well, no." He shrugged, looking slightly awkward. "Had to show my idiot little brother that speaking to girls isn't that scary, didn't I?"
Looking up into his eyes, Angelina felt the exact same rush of adrenaline that she remembered so clearly from the Yule Ball. Despite everything, he still excited her. It was her who took the final step forward that closed the gap between them. Standing in Fred's personal space was thrilling, even if he did irritate the living hell out of her. Raising her chin, she grinned.
"Go out with me?"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, then."
Adjusting the grip on her wrist so he could hold her hand instead, Fred leant forward silently. Angelina knew it was a question. They had kissed once the night of the Yule Ball, but that was it. Closing the small distance between them, she brushed their lips together gently. When Fred sighed and deepened the kiss, Angelina smiled. He may be unbelievably annoying, but there was something about him that was irresistible at the same time. When they broke apart, she glanced over at the clock, realising that her Felix Felicis had run out well over five minutes before.