Two Of A Kind - Discontinued

Chapter 10 - By xXMade2LoveXx

**Rae's POV**

"This is out of control!" I cry, grabbing Fred's arm, "what the hell is going on?"

"I don't know, Ange just sort of lost it," he says, exasperated.

"God, Fred, why would you use her like that?" I explode, "she's liked you for ages! How could you not think that she'd be upset?"

"How was I supposed to know she liked me?" Fred yells, "you girls get so caught up in your stupid games, if you were just direct-"

"If we were direct?!" I exclaim, "are you kidding me?! Fred, you're the one playing games! You like Elena, just TELL HER! You didn't need to get Angelina involved! Now she's in trouble with McGonagall and she feels like crap because of how you treated her!"

"I didn't think-"

"I KNOW!" I yell, "YOU NEVER THINK! NONE OF YOU EVER THINK ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELVES!"

I turn and storm off, shaking like a leaf. I run out of the castle and into the dark grounds. I know I'm not supposed to be out, but I need to get away. This has all been too much. I have no idea what is going on any more. Elena is dating Oliver, which would be great, except now things are weird between her and Fred. I wish we could go back to a few days ago when we did their homework and joked about them falling in love with us.

I walk towards Hagrid's hut. I like to go and talk with Hagrid when I'm feeling lonely. He knows what it's like to lose your family. As I approach I see that there are no lights on. He must be out. I burst into tears. I just need someone to talk to right now! I sit down on the steps of the hut and sob into my robes. I hear a soft whine and look up. There's a large dog standing a few paces away from me, looking at me with its head cocked to the side. I wipe my face, watching it carefully. It's quite a big dog, but it doesn't seem aggressive at all. It's got long, shaggy, black fur and dark eyes. It approaches me cautiously, as if trying to see if I'm afraid. I hold one hand out to it and it jogs straight up to me and sniffs at me.

"Hi," I say in a soft tone. It looks at me and makes a soft noise, then sniffs at my school bag.

"There's nothing in there for you," I tell it, but it sticks its nose in anyway. It pulls out a book of mine and drops it on the step. It looks like it's examining the cover. It sniffs at it again, then flicks the cover open. This dog is seriously weird. The dog sniffs the book for a bit, then lets out a happy bark and jumps on me, licking my face.

"Get off!" I laugh, batting it down. It quietens immediately and sits down on the step next to me. It nuzzles up against me. I lean my head on it.

"I wish I was a dog," I tell it, "this would be so much simpler."

The dog watches me as if listening intently. I reach out and strokes its ears. Then I start to tell it everything.

"And now I'm fighting with Fred and I don't even know why," I finish with a sigh, "I just want things back the way they were!"

The dog stares at me with huge eyes. It puts its head under my chin, lifting my head up, then huddles close to me. I put my arms around it and give it a big hug.

"I'd better go," I sigh, "curfew is nearly up. I wish you could talk, I bet you'd have some great advice."

I pick up my book and tuck it back into my bag, then stand up. The dog stands too and gives me a nudge with its nose.

"Bye, then," I sigh. It gives a short bark and trots off into the forest. I take a deep breath and head back towards the castle. Somehow I feel a lot calmer, like I can deal with this, I can figure out a way to help everyone get on again. First I have to find Fred.

Fred is in the library. Fred and the library just don't fit. It's strange, seeing him sitting there with a book open in front of him. I tap him on the shoulder and he looks up.

"Can we talk?" I ask him quietly. He nods and follows me out of the library.

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you," I tell him, "it had nothing to do with you, it was me. I shouldn't have taken my problems out on you."

"What're friends for, if not to be punching bags," he jokes lightly. I give him a small smile and take a deep breath.

"We have to fix things," I tell him, "with all of us. We used to hang out all the time and now it feels like-"

"It feels like Elena is choosing Oliver over us," he says, his smiling disappearing. I sigh.

"Fred, it's not that," I say, "she's in a new relationship. It's exciting and of course they want to be with each other all the time, it's what happens. Look, you're my mate, so I'm going to be honest with you. You had plenty of time to make a move on Lena, but you didn't and someone else did. You have to live with that. I don't particularly like that she's going out with him, but it's her choice and we should be supportive, okay? No more playing games, trying to make her jealous. Just... Treat her like a mate, yeah?"

Fred sighs after a long moment.

"Yeah, I see your point," he says, "I'll be good."

"Good," I say, relieved, "and now, Angelina. You owe her a big apology. If you hadn't been messing with her she never would have hit Elena."

"But-"

"No buts!" I say, "you need to be responsible for your actions."

Fred is staring at me with his eyebrows raised.

"Okay, where did this come from?" he asks, "where did shy little Rae go?"

I feel tears in the backs of my eyes.

"Nowhere," I whisper. Fred pulls me into a tight hug.

"Are you okay?" he asks, sounding anxious. I choke on a sob and shake my head. Whatever magic strength the dog gave me has worn off and I feel like a tiny child trying to carry the weight of the world.

"Rae, what's going on?" Fred asks, leaning back to look at me, "I've never seen you like this before."

"I just feel like everything's falling apart," I cry, "I can't deal with having my father out of prison and Elena is always with Oliver or talking about him and I don't want to ruin this time for her. I just feel so... So alone!"

Fred squeezes me tightly.

"I've got your back," he says, "now, come on. Let's go and get you a nice, hot cup of tea."

I wipe my eyes and shake my head.

"I need to go and talk to... Professor Lupin," I say, "I'll see you later."

I start heading downstairs. I turn along a corridor to take a short cut when I hear sobbing coming from a classroom. I hesitate at the door, then push it open. Angelina is sitting with her head in her hands, crying.

"Angelina?" I ask, shocked. She looks around at me.

"What?" she snaps, wiping her eyes angrily. I approach her cautiously.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Oh, liked you'd care," she huffs, "you with all your friends."

"I-"

"You don't get it!" she cries, standing up, "none of you! You've always had Elena, who do I have? No one! The only time anyone hung around me was during Quidditch and now I can't even enjoy that! It's all because of her!"

Angelina storms out. I'm speechless. I'd always assumed that she hung around with Alicia and her friends. This is getting far too complicated for me. I step out into the corridor again.

"Miss Black!"

I turn and see McGonagall walking towards me.

"What're you doing out?" she asks, "it's nearly curfew."

"I was going to see, uh, Professor Lupin," I say. She frowns slightly.

"I don't think tonight would be the best night," she says. I glance out the window and see the moon. Of course, just my luck.

"Back to the common room," McGonagall says. I drag my feet walking back up. Right now, the common room is the last place I want to be. If only I knew of somewhere I could go and just be alone...