Weasley Twins - A Fate You Can't Escape

Chapter 12 - Pen Pals

The days went by in a hectic blur.  Between the amount of classes I'm trying to pass for N.E.W.T level, quidditch, and the pens, I hardly have any down time.  Thankfully, dad came through on the pens and has agreed to make a weekly shipment as needed.  The password pens are a hit.  Especially with Umbridge around.  That woman is a menace.  She'll take any opportunity to belittle and humiliate students, all with a terrifyingly bright smile on her face.  Fred and George have been using the term "Umbridge Disapproved" whenever selling the pens.  Partly as a warning, partly as a selling point.

Quidditch training is going well.  Edwin and I get along great, and our teamwork is only second tot he twins.  To be fair, we can't expect to beat a lifetime of constant teamwork in a week.  Without all of the pressure from my mom, I can finally enjoy quidditch fully.  The feeling of flying, never staying still.  The thrill of dodging a well aimed bludger.  The satisfaction of of making the perfect swing.  I've never felt so alive.

It's Friday evening after practice in the second week of school.  I'm working on homework in the library, waiting for Celeste.  We're supposed to study leaf patterns for our upcoming Herbology quiz.

I check the clock.  She's eleven minutes late.  She's normally very punctual, but I try not to worry.  Instead, I start copying the leaves in my notebook, using different colors to outline the key shapes.

She finally arrives twenty-three minutes late.  She looks flustered, but happy.

"Hey!  Everything okay?"  I ask as she drops her book bag on the floor and takes a seat beside me.

"It's great.  Guess what just happened?"  She's grinning so big, it's a miracle her face can handle it.  Not giving me a chance to guess, she goes on, "there's a big group of third year Slytherins that want our pens.  Both regular and password.  Between all of them, we have an order for seventy-six pens!"

"Seventy-six?"  I exclaim a bit too loudly.  Remembering I'm in the library, I drop my voice.  "That's amazing!  I'll have to make sure dad sends enough next week."

"Yeah, he might have his hands full."  She pulls out a piece of notebook paper with the orders written down in orange pen.  "Here, this is the specifics."

"You're amazing."  I tell her, looking it over.  Everything is so organized.  She's even assigned them order numbers.

"You are too."  She blushes a bit, but quickly busies herself with her bookbag.  I tuck the order form into my bag, making sure to keep it safe.

"I went ahead and started on the leaves.  I hope you don't mind."  I slide my drawings over so she can look at them.

"Wow!  They look great!"  She opens her own notebook and we get to work.

We work as late as we can, only leaving when the librarians shoo us out.  We walk down the halls through the castle together.

"Do you have any plans for the weekend?"  She asks.

"Is it a Hogsmeade weekend?"  I have no clue what's going on anymore.

"Yeah, it is.  Are you planning on going?"

"I hadn't really thought about it."  I shrug, "I guess I better figure it out, huh?"

"Well, we could go."  She glances over at me for a brief second.  "Together."

"Sure!  I'd love to hang out with you."  I agree quickly, pleased to have someone to go with.

"Not to hang out."  She stops in the corridor to face me.  A shy smile spreads across her face.  "As a date."

"Oh!"  I blush bright pink.  "Okay.  We can do that."

"Sounds great.  And no pressure, okay?  Let's just give it an honest shot, and see what happens."  She gives my hand a quick squeeze.  "And if it doesn't we'll still be friends."

"Promise?"  I'm a bit nervous.  I really don't want to lose her as a friend more than anything.

"Absolutely."  She leans over and gives me a quick peck on the cheek.  "See you tomorrow."

With that, she turns down a hallway, headed to the Slytherin dorms.  I just stand there for a few minutes.  Trying to process.  She just asked me out.  Celeste asked me out!  She's amazingly beautiful, smart, witty, and clever.  I can't believe someone as wonderful as her would ask me out.  For all their teasing, maybe the Weasley twins had been onto something after all.

I meander back to the dorm, blushing, my head lost in the clouds.  This would be my first date ever.  What would I even wear?

I enter the dorm right before curfew.  Mia is the only one up here, the rest are down in the common room.

"Hey."  I sigh, flopping back on my bed, contentedly gazing at the canopy above me.

"Hi."  Mia says uncertainly.  "What's up with you?"

"I have a date."  I smile at the words.

"You have a date?"  Mia rushes over and sits beside me on the bed.  "With who?  One of those Weasley boys?  Was the MASH game right?"

"What?"  I sit up, frowning.  "No!  I have a date with Celeste."

Mia just stares at me, speechless.

"What?"  I suddenly feel defensive.  "Do you think she's too out of my league?"

"No!"  She shakes her head.  "Not at all.  I just didn't know you... liked girls."

"Well, yeah."  Why wouldn't I?

"So I guess the MASH prediction was hopeless from the start."

"No.  What would make you say that?"  What is up with Mia tonight?

"Well, we only put boy names.  And you like girls."  She explains her reasoning, causing me to giggle.

"I like boys too, silly.  I like someone based on who they are, not what they were born as."  I lightly push her shoulder.

"Alright, alright.  I didn't know.  You'd never told me."  She wraps me in a tight hug.  "I'm happy for you."

"I thought you already knew."  I admit, feeling a bit guilty.  "Especially after last year with all the girls from Beauxbatons.  There was one girl, Rayna, I was head over heels for her the whole year.  I talked about her all the time!"

"I guess I just thought you found her really cool."  Mia flushes, realizing she just overlooked all the signs.

"No.  I was trying to get up the courage to ask her to the Yule Ball, but Misty from Slytherin beat me to it."  I climb down off of my bed and put my homework away.  "Any chance you can help me pick an outfit?"

"You couldn't stop me."

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