The One

Chapter 5.

The Teeniest, Tinniest Little Thing

George and I let go of each others' hands, and walked back inside the castle in silence, both of us in deep thought. I thought about George's words. Why had Fred asked out Angelina? And why had he scowled at Harry and Ron when I shook their hands? I know that they both had a crush on me. I'm not that stupid. I finally asked George, "What do you suggest that I do? I know that Fred tells you everything, or close to it. You have to know something about what he likes in a girl. Come on, George. Give me something to work with."

George nodded, thinking. "He likes girls that are kind, of course. Smart, pretty, funny, won't reprimand him for pulling pranks. Actually, you have a greater chance because you could prank with him. Hmm. He likes when girls are blunt with him, like not hiding things from him. He likes when girls wear makeup, but not too much. It should look natural."

"Geez. I feel like I should be taking notes," I said.

"Eh. I can have Ginny help you as well. She knows this stuff too. Last summer we found out that Fred has, get this, a diary! And he writes all this weird gushy stuff about girls and stuff," At this George made a disgusted face. "Ginny and I got photos of it and then put it back underneath the floorboards. I'll admit, it was a pretty good hiding place."

I was smirking," Thanks! Now I know too!"

We lapsed into silence for a bit before he said," You know, I am really quite surprised that he asked Angelina out. I know that Angelina has always had a crush on him, but I never knew that he liked her back. I'm pretty sure I would've known. And besides, he's become more and more distant from me. Well, not just me, from everybody. And it bothers me because, like you said earlier, Fred spills everything to me. Each time I've tried to talk to him I just get one word responses. I just don't get it."

This confused me as well. I thought he'd been acting a little strangely as well. "Did Angelina slip him a potion or crap?"

"Nah. I've been with Fred twenty- four hours seven days a week.

Then something dawned on me. "Wait! What about the day on the train? He disappeared to change, but he passed by the compartment after he was dressed to the other direction. I wonder... maybe she did give him something."

"But we could never prove it," George pointed out. " And Fred wouldn't believe us either if we couldn't provide proof."

I pointed at George's chest. "Tonight, you check around Fred's belongings. I'll check Angelina's after she falls asleep. We need to find out what's up."

George nodded. "Wait- Cathy..."

I was running through the castle hallways because it was freezing outside and I wanted to get in front of the heater in my dorm. "What?" I called over my shoulder.

George sprinted to catch up to me and pulled my arm, leading me around the corner to one of the broom closets. He pulled me close and kissed me. Not very long, not very hard, but a few seconds. When he pulled away, I was just kind of frozen on the spot.

George quickly said,"Sorry. That meant nothing. I just wanted to see if I felt anything. But nope. Nothing."

"Okayyyyy... well I'll see you around. And don't forget to look-"

"Already on it!"

"Bye!" And as I walked away, I felt like such a terrible person. Because even though he felt nothing, I did. The teeniest, tinniest little thing. A small little firework.