Insomnia | Fred Weasley |

20. The problem coming back to slap you in the face

"Not exactly a hello, but I'll take it, I guess," he told her, trying to push back his annoyance over seeing her kiss Cedric Diggory earlier.

George helped Alex stand up and then Fred. She immediately shoved the both of them after steadying herself. "What on earth were you boys thinking giving Harry that map?!" She snapped.

"Whoa, calm down!" George told her. "It was a bit of holiday cheer that he desperately needed. Is he in Honeydukes?"

"That is not the point!" She growled. "Do you know how dangerous it is for him to be out here in Hogsmeade when someone like Sirius Black is on the loose?"

"No more dangerous than us walking around here as well," Fred told her, crossing his arms across his chest.  "What makes Harry different?"

"Sirius Black is after him!" She exclaimed quietly.  "He should be up at the castle, safe and you boys giving him that map was completely reckless and stupid!"

"You're sounding like our mum," George added, both of them clearly getting annoyed.

"Well, good!" Alex told them sternly as she placed her hands on her hips. It was almost as she were morphing into Molly Weasley right before their eyes. "At least she has the sense for Harry's safety, unlike you two!"

They both remained silent as tears began to well in her eyes.  "I would never forgive myself if something happened to him at the hands of Sirius Black and you two might as well have put Harry on a silver platter for that raging lunatic!"

"Alex, please calm down-" George tried to say but Fred quickly cut in.

"So now you're concerned about Harry?" He snapped.  "I thought you were too busy spending time with Diggory to notice any of your old friends."

"Fred, stop-" George continued, trying to come between Fred and Alex as they stared each other down.

Alex narrowed her eyes at him.  "I've always been concerned about Harry!" She exclaimed.  "But just because I make other friends doesn't mean I care any less about my old friends!"

Fred scoffed.  "Could've fooled me!" He bit back.  "I saw you two quite cozy at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, lip locked for a few seconds."

"Oh, so you're spying on me now?!" She yelled.  "Cedric and I agreed that we're better off as friends.  That kiss didn't even mean anything!"

"Why don't we all just calm down-" George kept trying.

"Shut up, George!" Alex and Fred chorused before turning back to each other.

"If you were really my friend, Fred, then you wouldn't have a problem with who I become friends with but ever since I have become friends with Cedric Diggory, you've just had it out for him and I don't understand why!" She yelled, angry tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.

"Then maybe I don't want to be your friend anymore!" Fred responded, immediately regretting it when he saw the look that crossed Alex's face.

"Fred!" George scolded.

Alex's gaze dropped to the ground as a few more tears rolled down her cheeks.  "Fine," she spoke softly as she wiped some of the tears from her cheeks.  "Then I will save you the trouble."

Without another word, she stormed back into Honeydukes as her friends went to purchase their candy.  Fred and George stood there, Fred kicking himself for having exploded on her like that.

"You're a bloody git," George told him with a shake of his head.

"That's exactly what I needed to hear right now, George, thanks," Fred grumbled before stalking off with George following right behind.  He knew trying to talk to Alex at the moment was futile.  He'd wait until they both cooled off to apologize for what he had said.