"Thank you, Freddie!" I said friendly. My anxiety instantly melted away.

We sat down on the blanket and started looking over the signs that correlate with birth months. I worked on plotting Scorpio and Fred worked on plotting Sagittarius.

"So what's your star sign?" I inquired casually.

"Oh, I think I am an Aries."

"Oooo, that's lovely."

"And what about you." Fred continued.

"Me? I'm an Aquarius."

***

After an hour of plotting constellations, we had filled a quarter of our map and were exhausted.

I decided to lay down on my back so I could see the stars. Fred was just finishing packing up so he came and laid next to me. I felt so comforted with him. We had been laughing all night about quidditch recounts and stories about pranks on professors. He was truly the most hilarious boy alive.

We stared above at the stars for a while pointing out familiar patterns and arrays we had seen and learnt about in our textbooks.

"And that last there is Indus, it looks like a triangle" Fred informed me.

"Yes, yes I obviously already saw that one" I lied.

"Then why are you looking in the wrong direction?" He giggled.

I tried to keep a straight face, I really did but as soon as I saw his wide grin I couldn't keep it together, we burst out laughing. We laughed for a little longer until it went quiet. I could tell Fred wanted to say something. I could feel the tension in the air. I felt him sit up.

Fred let out a loud frustrated sigh.

I quickly sat up and put my hand on his back. I rubbed my thumbs in small circles just like he did to me that morning, "what's wrong?" I asked.

Fred looked as though he had finally decided on what he was going to say.

"Miranda..." My heart dropped. He never called me by my first name. Ever.

"Miranda I- I want more to be more then friends" He looked into my eyes with such love. But I was overwhelmed. I was frozen.

"I have since the first day of the term, but I didn't want to rush things when you-"

"Fred, Fred stop, I'm so sorry I don't feel the same way, and I don't think I ever will." Fred's face fell into utter sadness. I was getting out of breath again. I had to get out of here. I stood up quickly before Fred could respond and I grabbed my bags which were already packed neatly by the stairs.

***

After a while, I had finally reached the common room and controlled my breathing.

I walked inside and saw George sitting by the fireplace lazily reading a book. He jumped at the sight me. George quickly stood up with excitement.

"Okay, okay I am so glad he finally told you! And don't bullshit me, I see the way that you look at him when you think no one is looking. I'm fine with you keeping your relationship a secret from everyone else but not from me. I simply must know" The words coming out of his mouth didn't even make sense.

George suddenly realised the mistake he made when he took a closer look at my face and stopped talking.

"Oh my god! Please don't tell me he backed out and didn't tell you" Gorge shouted.

"George he told!" I shouted back to shut him up. "But I don't like him back if that's what you are asking" I continued much more quietly.

"WHAT!... but why?"

"You what to know why?"

"Uhh... yes please"

"Well, first of all, he is great and all and I am so glad we are friends again but I am not stupid! There wasn't one-day last year where he wasn't chatting up a girl or better yet sleeping with them! I am not going to get with a guy who will throw me away as soon as he gets bored. I have more self-worth than that." I stated, feeling quite content with my words.

George turned to me seriously this time, "Look, I know he has a past, and I know it could create some trust issues but believe me he really likes you. In fact so much that he hasn't even talked to a single girl this year except you." I was taken back by what he said. Was it all true?

"He is not even capable of a relationship!"

"Miranda-" George said with a warning tone.

"No, George, let me finish. Even if I did have feelings for him, which I don't, I would never make a move or allow him to because he is nothing but a downright player and if you can't see that then you are clearly blind!" I huffed.

But George wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking at something behind me. I turned around to see him standing there completely dishevelled with tears streaming down his face.

Fred.

He walked quickly past me and up the stairs I heard his dorm door slam shut. I looked up to see George already leaving the room, running after his brother. I felt my eyes start to water. The emotion overtook me. "Why I am so stupid" I sobbed out loud. I moved myself to the fire and cried some more.

When I eventually came back up to my room I didn't get much sleep and I couldn't stop replaying the events in my mind about last night. What was I going to do tomorrow?

***

When I woke up I joined the girls for breakfast. I had classes with Fred today but not astronomy nor Muggle studies so I was sure I could avoid him. I arrived at breakfast with the girls and sat down. I couldn't help but look down the bench wondering if Fred was there. But he wasn't. Lee and George were there. But no Fred.

The next three days I tried to stay out of Fred's way. This was hard. We had bumped into each other in the hallway a couple of times and Fred had always smiled at me, but I couldn't even reciprocate that action so I just kept walking. By muggle studies on Thursday, the tension was still high. We spoke no more than two words to each other the whole lesson but I caught him staring at me multiples times throughout the lesson. We went or separate ways after class. But I knew that by tomorrow I could not avoid him.

***

The annual sleepover was something my fellow Gryffindor classmates and I came up with on the first year. Ever since then it has been a tradition. This year was no different.

On the first day of Winter, December 1st, we gather on the 7th floor outside the room of requirement. This year it fell on a Friday. I had finished classes for the day and was getting my things ready, we normally skipped dinner and instead snuck into the kitchens to grab some food. I brought a small bag full of essentials and headed up to the seventh floor. If people were already in the room it was enchanted that anyone invited could get in. Of course, this was advanced magic and we didn't figure it out until our third year.

What looked like an old broom cupboard was actually the entrance to a room full of sleeping bags with the fireplace and couches blankets and pillows scattered everywhere.

I arrived with Frankie and we were greeted by Toby and Connor who had already set up the room.

We helped ourself to butterbeer and sat by the fireplace. Next to arrive were Angelina and Alicia and last Fred, Lee and George holding something in that hand that looked like a vial.

We got to talking and then Lee suggested a game of truth or dare but with a twist. If you were to refuse the dare you had to drink a drop of vertiaserum which would expose your most truthful answer to any given question.

We all agreed, I thought it would definitely spice up the night and couldn't wait to see all the outrageous dares. By 12:00 I had taken multiple shots of fire whiskey including a body shot off Frankie as one of my dares I had seen Alicia kiss a very flustered Angelina and Toby's bare bum all courtesy of the game.

"Miranda," George said mischievously.

Oh god. I braced myself for the words that were about to come out of Georges's mouth.

"I dare you to make out with Fred" George announced proudly. Cheers erupted from the room. It was obviously something everyone wanted to see.

"Or what" I faltered turning to George.

"Or you can tell us your deepest secret, something only you know."My heart dropped. I didn't have an option. I had to kiss Fred no matter how awkward it was.

"What do say Fred..." he looked at me and nodded in consent. "...A friendly old kiss?"

I crawled over to him and leaned close to his face inching forward until there was almost no space between us.

"Hey, hey..." Fred pushed me off him "We probably shouldn't do this, I know you don't want to and I-"

"Oh shut up you big baby" Before he could say another word I pulled him by his shirt forward and smashed my lips into his. He responded instantly expertly moving his mouth to kiss mine. I felt so electric after we touched, just like in the Muggle movies. This is what a kiss is supposed to feel like.

I could feel the kiss coming to an end but I didn't want it to. So with the courage of the voice in my head, I climbed onto his lap and straddled him not breaking the kiss. This is so much more then I had ever done before.

I could feel something poking me in his pants. Oh god, Oh My god! I realised maybe I had gone too far so I broke away the kiss abruptly and looked into Fred's eye. He looked so shocked but so happy.

As I turned around I saw everyone's eyes staring at me with there jaws hung open.

"We said kiss him not dry sex Benson" Lee laughed. "But thank you quite the show."

My breath was unsteady again for the third time this week. I had made such a big mistake. How could I be so stupid? Fred had me wrapped around his finger like any other girl. He let me carry on when he knows I don't like him like that. Am I stupid or is he just...

I realised everyone was still staring at me, not laughing anymore. I got up and ran out of the room. I felt dizzy again.

"Miranda wait" Fred called after me.

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