LOVE ISN'T EASY (but it sure is hard enough)

DECEMBER 27TH, 1994

For once, the sixth year boys dormitory in the Gryffindor tower was actually quiet. Fred sat on his bed, staring down at the messy sheets. His eyes looked upwards to see Lee swinging about the blue stick thing that Olivia had bought him for Christmas, making strange buzzing noises as he hit the posters of his bed frame. George had his legs covered by the patchwork blanket he had strangely become more fond of over the past few days, silently flicking through the pages of the yellowing book covered in Olivia's scribbled appreciation of her favourite quotes.

Olivia, thought Fred. He hadn't seen her since...

"What's up with Olivia?" He asked, noticing how George and Lee glanced at each other nervously before even considering answering his question.

"What do you mean?" Lee stuttered, barely able to get the question out.

"I haven't seen her in days. You didn't scare her off did you?"

George glared at his brother, staring down at the book and praying that he only felt warm, and that he wasn't blushing thinking about her.

"No, I didn't scare her off." He mumbled, gripping the book tighter.

"What did you do then? Snog her?"

Fred and Lee laughed slightly, going quiet as George refused to respond to them. They stared him down, watching him shudder from the intensity of their looks.

"Might've done."

The boys erupted, hollering and shrieking with excitement.

"What happened then?" Fred asked, as George refused to look him in the eye.

"Left the hall, found ourselves under the mistletoe."

The short, blunt answer was the exact opposite to what the boys were looking for. However, Lee began to realise why details were being withheld as Fred's confusion only grew.

"And?"

"She kissed me first, then I snogged her again. She tasted like peach, then she ran off to find Juno and take her back to London."

Fred suddenly realised why George didn't tell him, a frown setting on his face as his brother slammed the book shut and fully turned to face him.

"London?"

He stared between his brother and his best mate, brows furrowing as he realised that the two of them had known the entire time. Lee wouldn't look him in the eye, but George looked directly at him.

"London."

Fred looked over at Lee, who was studying the blue light radiating from the stick very intensely. He didn't seem to want any part of this, which was too bad.

"How long have you known?" He asked, tips of his ears turning red as his frustration grew.

"She told me just before they went."

The room was silent, not in the comfortable way it had been before but in a cold, tense fashion.

"I didn't know until after they had gone." Lee piped up, voice trailing off as Fred glared at George.

"You both knew they had gone and didn't tell me?"

Rage bubbled in his chest as the pair refused to answer the question despite Fred already knowing the answer to it.

"Didn't want to ruin your night." George's whisper seemed to pierce him in his chest, it was as if he wasn't even considering how things had felt for his brother after he watched the girl in the emerald dress leave.