A.J RYAN IN THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Chapter 18 - Who Won The Bet?

When A.J entered the common room that morning, George nudged his twin and Fred looked up and beamed at her. She gave a smile and wave as she headed over to the portrait hole.

"Hey? Where are you going?" Fred called.

"Breakfast." She looked at her watch. "Some of us have class in forty minutes. Are you coming?" She added when he just continued staring at her.

He jumped to his feet and jogged to her.

"Is he coming too?" A.J asked.

"Come on George, we can get back to that." Fred yelled.

A.J liked how George didn't act like a third wheel, because in reality she felt she should be it. They had walked their way into the Great Hall when George asked with a wink how she slept last night.

Whispers started along the table as A.J sat down beside Fred, with George on his other side. Fred, sensing her discomfort glared at anyone who dared to stare at them.

Ron had sat down in front of them with Harry and a sceptical expression on his face; "You two are together?"

"Yep." Fred nodded with a piece of toast to his mouth.

"She only just split with that Hufflepuff guy." Ron's raised voice reached some of the Hufflepuffs, who turned to glare at him. A.J shot an apologetic smile at Riley, who had also heard.

"Want to shout it any louder you nit-wit-" George glared at him.

"-only half the hall managed to hear you." Fred finished.

Ron lowered his voice to murmur; "Right. Sorry."

"You do realise she is Head Girl?" Hermione, who had just joined them asked.

"What's that supposed to mean Granger?" Fred's eyes narrowed.

"It's just ironic. You unable to behave yourself, and A.J's an authority figure." She shrugged.

Fred, safe in the knowledge she didn't mean anything offensive by her words, shrugged.

A.J, finishing her crumpet and spreading jam on another finally spoke; "Right, well, I'm going to get going, it'll at least give everyone a chance to talk about me behind my back." She said amused. Standing with her crumpet and walking away.

"Nice one, you two scared her off." Fred said reproachfully.

"Why's every guy throwing themselves after her anyway?" A female voice said.

A.J chuckled, causing the Creevy brothers to turn and look at her. They smiled and waved. She stopped and whispered something to them, which made them beam happily. She reached the back of the hall, where Simon caught up to her.

Meanwhile Fred glared at his little sister; "That happens to be my girlfriend you're talking about."

She shrugged unabashed.

"You jealous, Ginny? Is she taking too much of the boys attention for you?" George sneered.

Ginny's eyes widened; "I just don't get what all the fuss is about."

"She's beautiful, smart, funny, popular-" Fred was checking things of his fingers. Ginny turned back to her friends, bored with the discussion.

"She's like the hottest witch in the school." George backed his brother.

The last D.A meeting of the term took place the following week, Harry made it a revision lesson.

At nine that evening, A.J was out monitoring the corridor near the Room of Requirement. She knew Harry had the Marauder's map and would-be sending people out in small groups. But she kept watch none the less.

Harry came out last, moments after Cho Chang, in some state of shock. A.J leant against the wall and surveyed him with a small smile.

She headed to the common room not long after hearing a single note sound in her ear – signalling Harry had just entered there.

She stepped through the portrait hole and was immediately grabbed around the waist. Fred pulled her against him and held a small clump of white berries above their heads. A.J looked up and laughed as he called; "Mistletoe."

There were wolf-whistles and cheers from the remaining students in the common room when Fred snogged her.

Someone called out, "So how many snogs did she get?"

"Yeah, who won the bet?" Lee Jordan piped in.

"Ah, it'll be rigged anyway now. Fred's been controlling the number of snogs she's had in the last week." George joked.

A.J raised her eyebrows at Fred, "Has he now?"

Fred winked at her. "I'll take my bet out of it anyway. Why don't we do how many up until last week?" Fred called out to the room.

There were a few murmured consents.

"So how many?" George prompted.

"Before Fred," She pretended to think about it, "twenty-nine."

Fred's eyes widen, "You had twenty-nine guys snog you?"

She shrugged, "A couple were repeats."

George consulted the piece of parchment in his hand; "Alright, Alicia Spinnet, step on up and claim your prize."

Everyone cheered as she came over and took the small coin purse from George. "Wow that's heavier than it looks." She commented surprised.

"Twenty galleons." George explained.

A.J's mouth dropped open in surprise; "What? How many people bet?"

George turned the list around to show her. On it were the numbers ten to one hundred and fifty, and all the spaces were filled.

A.J laughed.

A.J sat and pretended to do some homework as Fred and George talked in low voices beside her about some new products they wanted to start.

She was smiling to herself as she listened in to Hermione giving Ron and Harry a speech for being insensitive to Cho's feelings at the moment;

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have." Hermione shot angrily after Ron's comment.

A.J kissed Fred's cheek and headed to bed after he gave a soft; "Goodnight Love".