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

FEBRUARY 23RD, 1995

Fred Weasley had been sneaking around with Juno Lennox for 47 days, and he was convinced that they may have been the best 47 days of his life.

George would have been lying if he said he didn't know, noticing the spring in his twin's step and the smile that seemed stuck on his face whenever she was around. Pranks got bigger and more daring, like he was showing off, but he wouldn't dare say a word. When he was ready, Fred would tell him.

Lee and Liv had noticed it too, all of the subtle touches and flirtatious glances exchanged when they thought nobody else was paying attention. They would never tell them, but Juno and Fred were the two least subtle people they had ever encountered.

During lunch on that Thursday afternoon, Liv, George and Lee were subjected to the relentless giggling and obnoxious flirting. Lee lost his appetite as Liv buried her nose in another classic, doing whatever she could to ignore the couple to her left. George was making faces at her from over the top of the hardback, clearly making fun of the pair. He watched her bite the inside of her cheek to suppress her laughter, focusing on the page in front of her.

"Bloody Merlin, is he trying to knock her up or something?" Lee whispered, mouthing the words to George, who sat across from him beside Fred.

Liv snorted loudly, burying her face in the book as her face turned red. Lee and George burst out laughing, the sound ringing round the hall. Fred and Juno looked at them, glancing back at one another as if hoping the other knew what was so funny. Harry and Ron stared at the group, only looking away when Fred shrugged.

"What happened there?" Juno asked, Liv taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"Doesn't matter, just something in the book made me laugh."

"What?" Fred asked, turning to George, his eyes locked on the girl sat opposite him.

"Well... oh my god they killed him. It's not funny, he's dead!"

Liv's distraught look only made the group laugh even louder, and her eyes reached George's, creased in laughter. His heart stopped as she looked across at him, laughing in spite of herself and her embarrassment. And when she made her excuses, leaving lunch early for a driving lesson during her free periods, George Weasley knew.

He knew that the very same night, he would officially ask her to be his.

He saw her again at dinner, hair loose and windswept and her cheeks pink. She was making polite conversation with Neville as she walked in, grinning over at George when he caught her eye. Olivia bid him goodbye, the giant smile never leaving her lips as she made her way over to sit right beside him.

"Hi." She whispered, her smile softening slightly as he looked down at her.

"How was the lesson?"

"Yeah, great! They think I'll be able to take the test pretty soon."

"That's amazing!"

Lee sat beside George, looking between him and Fred and Juno, who sat opposite him. Merlin, he was so single.

Dinner came and went, and even from tables over Liv could see that Cedric was nervous. To others, he seemed normal- chatting with his mates like usual, but Olivia knew Cedric better than most did.

She could probably call him her best friend.

Sure, she was incredibly close with the Gryffindor boys, and Juno was the person she would miss most in the world. Her friends from back home were more like family, and she was sure that if Cedric was asked who his best friend was, her name would come up.

After dinner that night, Fred and Lee were encouraging George to go and find her, and just fucking ask! They walked aimlessly through the corridors, as though George was hunting for the lost courage he needed to ask her out. The excitement radiating off his best friends seemed to vanish as Professor McGonagall approached them.