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"I'M TELLING YOU GUYS, I'm really feeling good this year. Slytherin will be successful, I'm sure of it." Dawn says, on another one of her Quidditch rants, as her two friends nod, only half listening as they take in all that they were walking past in Hogsmeade.
"I've heard that Gryffindor's got Harry Potter on their team though, and he might possibly be the best Seeker they've had." Willow says, pulling her two friends with her into Honeyduke's, ready to get as much candy as they can possibly smuggle back to Hogwarts.
"Wait seriously? The Harry Potter's on the Quidditch team?" Willmur asks, with his brows raised.
"Yes. So hate to say it Dawn, but you're screwed." Willow laughs, picking up a chocolate cauldron and then a stack of cauldron cakes. Handing them to Willmur, she then continues through the store, to grab more treats to take back to the common rooms.
"I just hope he's terrible, or down right chicken, because we're done for if he's any good." Dawn groans. She was a keeper for Slytherin, and was praised by her fellow housemates. Especially, a young Draco Malfoy, a mousey, arrogant first year.
"You'll always be good enough for Malfoy, that's for sure. Whether you get beaten by the famous boy or not." Willow sighs teasingly, signing the words out carefully so that Dawn could still understand over all the noise in the store.
"Shut your mouth. He gives Slytherins the worst reputation, all because of his stupid pureblood beliefs and family of You-Know-Who followers." Dawn grunts, picking up a few Fizzing Whizbees and handing them to Willmur. He was glancing over the fudges, and didn't seem to notice.
"But...you're a pure blood." Willow says, walking up next to the dark haired girl and dropping few packets of Droobles onto the growing stack Willmur was carrying.
"So? All his claims are ridiculous non-sense that frankly make me want to barf when I think about the fact that we're in the same blood group." Dawn shrugs, making Willow smile. She always felt that being a half blood made her automatically stick out like a sore thumb, considering Slytherin was overwhelmingly filled with pure bloods and beliefs that they held superiority. She could always count on her best friends to make her feel better though.
"Do they have bags? Or anything?" Willmur asks over the tall stack of candy, now reaching above his own head. The two girls laugh, and take some of the weight from his arms.
Meanwhile, a group of Gryffindor boys had entered the shop, the Weasley twins and Lee amongst that group.
"Alrighty, time to make a move." Lee says, slapping his hands together and rubbing them, causing Fred to groan, rolling his eyes.
"Okay, you see the Pumpkin Pastie?" George says, walking over to a small table in the middle of the room and tossing up a Pumpkin Pastie, it's wrapper shining in the fluorescent lights, making Fred want to squint his eyes and leave. The pastie falls back into George's grasp. "You'll get this if you ask her. That's all you have to do. On me."
"Alright. I'm doing it. Just don't make a big scene or anything." Fred rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, pushing his way through the crowds reluctantly. George nods approvingly, crossing his arms and watching his brother get lost in the crowd, while Lee almost lets out a squeal of joy, excitement, and amusement.
Fred swallows the embarrassment as he approaches the small girl, her blonde hair blinding, and shaking as she laughed. She was helping Willmur Jacobs scoop handfuls of candy into a basket, which Fred was not sure the origin of it was. He looks back at Lee and George, and they both shoot him daring looks, Lee adding a thumbs-up for good measure. Fred turns back, to see Dawn Jeffrey staring back at him.
"Uh,"
"Can we help you?" Dawn cuts Fred off, making Willmur and Willow to turn around too. Willow's eyebrows raise, making Fred's stomach twist.
"Willow Grace, I have a question." Fred says, a little too loudly. Dawn and Willmur step back, and Willow smiles slightly. This gives Fred the power to continue, his normal Weasley confidence retuning sooner than it had gone.
"I was wondering if you would like to go over to Hogshead with me to get a drink...or something. Don't worry, I know it's intimidating getting asked by the coolest, bestest looking guy around-" Fred can hardly finish his sentence before Willow cuts in.
"Bestest isn't a word I'm afraid."
Fred grits his teeth, hearing snickers around him as his ears turn slightly pink.
"Oh, sorry. Please continue. What were you saying?" Willow giggles a little, sarcastically putting her hand over her mouth as if it shut herself up. Fred huffs, crossing his arms.
"Willow Grace, come with me to Hogshead." Fred stops. "Please."
"Well, this is a sudden request." Willow says, her eyes wondering behind Fred to Lee and George, snickering away, then flicks immediately back to the boy in front of her. She taps her chin with her pointer finger, as if to be thinking, until she finally has a look of realization spread across her pale face.
"Sorry, I just remembered. I already have plans to go to Hogshead with my friends. Who, you know, aren't arrogant jerks." Willow says, motioning to her two best friends, then turning around to continue looking through the stacks of sweets. A small triumphant smile spreads across her face, but she tries to hide it.
There are a few impressed and shocked sounds from the surrounding crowd, and Fred deflates slightly, trying not to let his guard down too much as he begins to walk to his friends, and pretends not to notice Willmur scoot over to Willow and give the girl a small high five.
Fred didn't want to face Lee or George, and get taunted for being rejected. At least now he didn't have to worry about her saying yes and him having to suffer through the most awkward 'date' ever.
So then why did it hurt so much?
Fred forgets the pastie, and his friends, and instead walks out of the store all together.
Right then and there, standing outside of Honeyduke's as the snow slowly falls around him, Fred Weasley makes a vow. A vow to get Willow's attention. To get in her good graces.
He was going to go on a date with Willow Grace Turner.
