The Art of New Beginnings

Chapter Thirteen: Crazy and in Love

Ever since Christmas day Erica had been getting increasingly flustered around Fred. He'd been surprising her with kisses in the hallways whenever he saw her. Run into each other in the Entrance Hall on the way to breakfast; he kissed her on the cheek. Doing homework in the library in the corner by the window, only to have Fred pop up out of no where; he kissed her on the forehead, smoothing down her hair and tucking her fringe behind her ear. Snowball fight in the courtyard to celebrate the last day of the Christmas holidays; he kissed her just on the corner of her lips, so close she could have sworn she stopped breathing for a moment there.

"I swear he's doing it just to annoy me!" She whisper-yelled, not used to the rush and chatter of people all around them after spending two weeks with pretty much just them in the Castle.

They were lounging in the common room, somewhere she knew would be safe from any more attacks from Fred, wrapped in a pile of blankets in front of the fire with Draco bundled up next to her, the makings of an Exploding Snap tower in between them.

"He's kissing you to annoy you," Draco repeated, tone laced with sarcasm in a way even the most oblivious couldn't miss it. Erica glared at him. "Has it ever occurred to you that you kissing him in the Entrance Hall after Christmas dinner in front of everyone remaining in the castle, and then again in the courtyard afterwards, might have given him the hint that, oh, I don't know, you like being kissed by him?"

"How did you know about the courtyard kiss?" Erica crinkled her nose, missing Draco's snort of laughter which he hid in his arms.

"You told me," he reminded her as soon as the chuckles had subsided enough that he could lift his head. "Plus, you're completely missing the point."

"Which is?" She raised an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes in focus as she added another card to the tower. Using Exploding Snap cards really brought another level to the game, considering the tower could blow up at any second.

"You kissed Fred first," he nodded to himself. "So now you're fair game as far as he's concerned."

"Not true," she insisted, "He knows I'm not-"

"You're not?" Now it was Draco's turn to raise his eyebrow, flinching a little when she shot upright.

"No!" She shook her head, struggling to climb to her feet wrapped in blankets as she was, eyes wide with panic. "Merlin, I need to find Fred."

She hurried to the entryway to the dungeons, not even caring that she was in her pyjamas.

"What did you figure out?" Draco called after her, laughing a little again now.

"I'm in love with Fred!" She yelled back, running out of the common room and down the hallway without another thought, whispering it to herself again, quieter this time, as she ran up the steps to the Entrance Hall. "I'm in love with Fred."

It didn't take her long to jog up the grand staircase, and in no time she was stood in front of Gryffindor's guardian portrait, who happened to be Sir Cadogan as the Fat Lady was still recovering from Pettigrew's attack.

"Please, I just need to talk to him for a moment," she begged, tugging the blankets tighter around her body as she practically hopped from one foot to the other. "Only a moment, I promise."

"Stand back you scurvy cur," Sir Cadogan yelled back at her.

She was just about to call the situation hopeless and go back to her own common room when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Erica? What are you doing here?" Ron frowned.

"Oh, thank Merlin," she sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Can you get Fred? It's kind of really important."