✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

15 | F R E D E R I K

   Okay. Okay, fine. Fine, yeah. You can do this. Now or never, Emmie. You can do this.

   "Hey kiddo, what are you up to?"

   By the sound of his voice, Ember jumped three feet in the air, her heart hammering against her ribcage.

   "Have I already told you, you'll be the death of me?", she hissed through gritted teeth, all while trying to calm her heartbeat.

   "You mention something like that every now and then", he chugged, "but then on the other hand I hear you saying this to so many people that it clearly lost its deeper meaning, and all that's left is you being a scaredy cat." Mischievously he winked at her. "So what are you up to? You look like you're about to kiss a Dementor. What's wrong?"

   "Oh, I — I —", she stammered, cheeks burning under his glare. "Erm, I heard that — that Anthony Goldstein is about to ask me to the ball", Ember then blurted, quickly looking away. "I'm trying to — well, to say yes."

   "Oh."

   "Oh?"

   "Oh", Fred replayed, "Goldstein, yeah? That's the Ravenclaw, isn't it? Didn't know you knew him."

   "I don't really ... He's in my potion class, that's all."

   "What happened to your plan to go with someone knowing you? And you knowing him?"

   "Oh, that one went awfully wrong, obviously", she bitterly laughed. "So this is my contingency plan, you can tell. See, it's just seven days to the ball and it seems like everyone has a date by now, but me. So my plan B is somewhat bulletproof."

   "And that would be?" Fred cocked an eyebrow, watching her intertwining her own fingers and nervously wringing.

   "Just taking the next poor bloke being desperate enough to ask me out."

   This stupid ball definitely got out the worst in her. Sure, Ember had never been that outgoing. But never had she felt so flustered and shy. And now feeling Fred's warm brown eyes examining her, as her own hazel ones stared at the ground, she could slap herself for being so stupid. What Fred might think about her now, she didn't want to know. She also refused to look at him, afraid of what she would find in the depths of his eyes as she did.

   "Do you want to go to the ball with me then?"

   Her whole body stiffened in this split of a moment the words tumbled out of Fred's mouth. Forgotten was her purpose to keep her gaze fixed on the ground; her eyes snapped up in a flash, immediately finding his staring back.

   "I — what — no — I mean — uhm." Her face now the color of a Quaffle, she watched the corners of his mouth twitching, and her eyebrows knitted to a straight line. "This isn't funny, Fred ...", she hissed. "This freaking ball is driving me mad enough, I don't need your stupid jokes."

   "I'm not joking!" Nevertheless, he was laughing. "I really do ask you to go to the ball with me. I would love to. If Snape hadn't chimed in, I would have asked you weeks ago."

   "So you were serious back then?"

   He nodded and bowed a little bit closer down to her face, the crooked smile still plastered on his lips. "And obviously you have already guessed it, or why else did you hide from me during the last two weeks?"

   "I didn't hide!", Ember replied in a defiant voice, crossing her arms, while she tried to zoom out how close Fred's face was to her own, wondering when it ever had been a problem that Fred was somewhat close to her like this. It hadn't. It was this bloody ball making everything complicated for reasons that were more ridiculous than anything.

   "Yes, you did", Fred chuckled. "See, I don't want this to be uncomfortable or strange, we're just going as friends. It's just like hanging out, but you'll wear a dress and I will look even more handsome than I already do right now."

   "You're a terrible human being, Frederick Weasley", Ember snorted, giving her eyes a roll.

   "Of course I am, it was part of the job description", he told her with a shrug. "So will you finally say yes now, or do you really wanna wait for Goldstein to ask you?"

   Tilting her head, Ember watched Fred for a long, long second. His offer was by far the best option she had, that's one thing she couldn't deny.

   "And you really don't want to have a — well, you know, a — erm — real date?", she then stammered, her face heating up some more, even if she hadn't thought this was possible.

   "It's four days to the Yule Ball, Emmie", he snickered, "Don't you think that if I would have wanted a real date —", he scoffed at the tiny word, "— I would have already gotten me one? A hang-out-date with you is pretty more than enough for me, believe me."

   "And you aren't just doing this out of pity or —"

   "Ember Lilian Potter!", Fred groaned, grabbing her shoulders. "Will you now finally say yes?"

   "Y—yes", she squeaked, and wouldn't have wondered if the skin of her face had started to melt now. She was pretty sure she was glowing in the dark, if someone would just turn out the light.

   "Perfect!", said Fred, clapping his hands, obviously deeply satisfied. "Prepare for a night you won't forget!" Winking at her, he then turned around and walked away.

   "Hey Fred!", she called after him, as the Great Hall slowly emptied and she spotted Anthony in the midst of all the students streaming into the entrance hall, not even looking at Ember. "You already told him that he didn't need to ask me for I go with you, did you?"

   "Ridiculous, Ember!", Fred yelled back, being already halfway up the main stairs. "Do you really think I was this certain that you'd say yes, that I told this poor bloke he doesn't even need to ask you? C'mon!"

   "Yes, yes, sure, I'm sorry", Ember muttered, shaking her head, when Fred's called, "I told George to tell Goldstein!"