Decree No.29 (O.C) Fred Weasley/ Draco Malfoy

The First Burden

"Just because I know about you guys now, it doesn't mean that I'm your lookout," George whispered to Fred as Jessica joined them at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. She had just escaped another brush with the Inquisitorial squad, where Draco and Pansy were listing everything wrong with every school teacher to Umbridge except Snape. Jessica got by just saying nothing, but Draco was happy she was there to show her apparent allegiance after his little talk. She had decided not to tell anyone for fear of it causing a more significant scene, though it was hard hiding the dark red mark that Draco had left on her neck from Fred.

"Come on, I would do it for you!" Fred begged him.

"What's going on?" asked Jess, sitting opposite them as Harry, Ron, and Hermione were studying further away.

"He's trying to get me to cover for him so that he can take you out of the castle tomorrow," George moaned.

Jessica's eyes lit up and sparkled as she looked at Fred, who was taking her out. On a proper date?

Fred hit George hard on the arm, his mouth falling open. " Way to ruin the surprise, George. What the hell!"

"Out of the castle?" Jessica asked him. As George rubbed his arm in the spot, Fred hit it. Do you think we can sneak out of here?"

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise," Fred told her as he glared at George, "but as we just got the first profits in from the business and I realised we haven't actually been on a date yet, I thought I'd plan something fun. Show you the little secrets we keep to ourselves."

"You're too sweet," said Jess, feeling overwhelming affection for him but restricted from showing it to everyone, "but please, don't spend your profits. I'll pay my way if there's money involved."

"I knew I always liked you," said George with a wink, who hadn't been too keen on Fred using his cut for something as frivolous as a date.

"Well, either way," said Fred, ignoring his brother and leaning forward on his elbows, "meet me by the one-eyed witch statue at 8 pm tomorrow. Dress however you want, as long as it's nothing of Pansy's this time."

"I think I can do that," Jessica replied as she leaned in, too, smiling. George looked between the two of them fondly, staring at each other, and rolled his eyes, though Jessica knew he was supportive of them.

"Are we still in for tonight as well?" Fred whispered. "Practice is cancelled; they're still doing something to the pitch."

Umbridge had blocked anyone from using the Quidditch pitch the last couple of days due to ground work that needed to be done. Because the whole game was played up in the air, no one saw the point of it, but she had to have done it for some reason. Jessica, however, had found out that reason just ten minutes before.

"I can't," she sighed, pulling out a bit of dirt that had gotten in her hair during her Herbology lesson two hours earlier as it was the same colour as her hair she hadn't noticed until now. "I've got homework to do, plus I'm meant to be meeting Draco at the astronomy tower to do this project we've been assigned together."

"Ouch, tough luck," groaned George.

"I can't believe you're ditching me for Draco Malfoy," Fred exasperated sarcastically, and he shook his head so that the flat bits of red hair at the front fell over his forehead in a fringe, "I don't think we can survive this you know, we might as well just end things now."