(Y/n) slid her back down on the cold pavement, allowing the cold air to press up against her cheek. She was just able to escape the Great Hall without anyone questioning her further on what had happened. In truth the whole day was a spiral and she was pretty sure she had made most of it up in her head.
She pulled out a single roll of parchment and a quill. She knew that whenever she was sad or unsure Aiden had an answer for everything, and she was missing him.
Aiden,
I'm sorry that it's been so long since I last wrote you. With everything going on in the tournament I've been a little busy. Ad, I need you. I'd be lying if I said everything was fine here. It's not.
Sincerely,
(Y/n) Carter
(y/n) looked the letter over before picking herself up from the ground and walking to the owlery. It wasn't that long of a walk from where she was. The cold air relaxing her a bit as she let her mind wander lost in thought. Within minutes she reached the entrance of the Owlery- climbing up the stairs, and walking over to Peanut who was happily sitting on his ledge.
"Take this to Aiden," she whispered as she fed him a small treat. He hooted happily before flying off.
"Writing a letter?"
(y/n) turned around and drew a breath as Fred stood behind her. He was still in his school robes; his hair was a little disheveled and he was starring everywhere but at her.
"Aiden," she said turning back around as she looked up at the sky. "I was letting him know how excited I am for the Yule Ball."
"Are you?" He asked, coming to stand next to her. "Excited? I mean. With Pucey?"
She turned to look at him, taking in all his features as he rested his head on top of his hand. He was leaning against the railing looking up at the sky. "Does it matter?" She let out as she drew in another breath. Standing next to him was making her head dizzy, and she was having a hard time concentrating.
"Of course, it matters. I'm your-"
"You're my what, Fred? My friend? Because you haven't been acting like one. What happened to us?"
Fred hung his head low as he tried to come up with a good enough answer, but he couldn't think of one. He hadn't been a friend, and the more he thought about it the more he hated the idea. He stayed silent for a few moments. It was so quiet that (y/n) didn't think he was going to answer.
"I wish I could give you a better answer then what I'm thinking because you deserve one, but I don't have one. No matter how hard I try to understand myself I get lost."
(Y/n) smiled up at him before nodding. For once in a long time, she didn't have anything to say to him. She stiffed a yawn before walking away from the ledge. "It's almost curfew. You might want to hurry and write your letter," she said walking towards the door.
"Oh, I don't need to write a letter."
(Y/n) turned around as she gripped the doorknob. "Then why did you come to the owlery?"
"To escape," he said turning around to meet her eyes. "Looks like my git of a brother wrote to mum and I received a howler about the ball. Don't give me that look. It's fine. I deserved it anyways. I wanted to ask you."
(Y/n) looked at him in confusion as she dropped her hand from the door. "Then why didn't you?"
"Cedric, I thought after the article and everything- there were whispers, you know. I figured when he asked you you'd say yes. I mean why wouldn't you. He's top of his class, popular, and every girl at Hogwarts wants to be with him."
"Not every girl," (Y/n) said opening up the door and walking back down to the common room before she could hear Fred's reply. She was tired of all the back and forth. Tired of all the wasted tears. She didn't know what she needed to do to show Fred she wasn't interested in Cedric, and she didn't know if she had anymore energy for it.
She took a deep breath as she approached the stairs that led to the seventh floor. It was all too much to think about. Fred was her best friend. He had always been her best friend. Someone she could always rely on. Him and George to the end.
She touched her hand to the railing as she tried to steady herself. She was starting to get woozy, and as she took a step forward on the stairs she felt herself instantly fall to her knees in pain. Her head was pounding uncontrollably. She threw her hands up trying to stop the pressure that was wanting to burst, but it wouldn't stop.
Then everything went black as she drowned out all her surroundings.
"Ah my child," a voice called out. (y/n) tried squinting her eyes but there was nothing but darkness around her. "Mistakes can only happen so many times. That poor boy."
"Get out of my head," she snarled as she tried to focus on light.
Images were flashing in front of her eyes. To the time she scraped her knee on her first broom ride. Fred had fallen to her side in an instant trying to heal it. He got yelled at by Molly for trying to use magic that day.
Then images of them in Hogwarts. The first day when she got stuck behind older students and both Fred and George stayed by her side.
The day she had woken up in the hospital after going down to the forbidden door in the third corridor with Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Fred had stayed by her side. It was the day Fred had said she should have been in Hufflepuff because she was more worried about her friends then herself.
Then the image changed, and she was seeing her first kiss with him, their first I love you. Fred wrapping his arm around Alicia as she said yes to the Yule Ball.
"No," she said, shaking her head as she drew away from the images.
"You're stronger than I expected you to be. Tell me, do you know what the real danger that lurks in the darkness is? The Dark lord will be pleased to know that you are alive and well."
"Go away!" (Y/n) screamed.
"Ms. Carter, are you okay?" (Y/n) opened her eyes to see Professor Moody standing in front of her. He was kneeling on his cane as he looked at her. She shook the chills she got from him as she picked herself back up from the ground.
"Yes, sir. Just exhausted. I'm going to head to the common room now," she said continued to walk up the stairs. She tried to shake the weird feeling she got as she entered the room and headed straight to her bed.
***
A week had already passed, and (y/n) threw on her red jumper that Molly had knitted her one year for Christmas. Today was the day she was going to head to Hogsmeade with Angelina, Hermione, and Ginny to look for dresses.
"If you don't hurry up I'm pretty sure Angelina is going to drag you down the stairs," Hermione said as she leaned on the door.
"Her, and Ginny," (y/n) said laughing as she grabbed her money pouch. "Hey, you never told me who you were going with to the Yule Ball with."
"It's probably best that I don't say," Hermione said turning around and walking down the stairs.
"Will it at least make Ron jealous?" (y/n) called out- which resulted in Hermione closing the door with her wand to shut her up. (Y/n) just shook her head as she went back down the stairs. Angelina and Ginny were chatting happily as the looked up at the commotion.
"Finally!" Angelina said, "we need to go before all the good dresses are gone."
(y/n) rolled her eye as she walked out of the common room with her three best girl friends. She was starting to feel the nerves of the event as they walked down to the corridor and out the door to where the carriages were.
Her palms were starting to get sweaty the more she thought about her date with Adrian. She never even considered him someone she would hangout with. She couldn't even remember the last time they had a civil conversation.
"(Y/n) are you even listening to me?" Angelina asked as they exited out of the carriage.
"Oh, what? Yeah. Sorry. Just-"
"Thinking about your hot date for the ball?" Ginny asked with a smirk. "What? He's good on the eyes," she said sticking out her tongue.
"I say we focus on Hermine and her mystery date," (y/n) said with a laugh as she bumped the bushy hair girls shoulder.
"I know who it is," Ginny sang, walking in front of the group as she wiggled her fingers in front of her face.
"Hermione!" (Y/n) screamed practically tackling the girl. "How could you tell Ginny, and not me!"
Hermione's face went a bright pink as she sent Ginny a glare. "Fine," she mumbled as she looked around to make sure no one would be listening in. "It's Viktor Krum."
"What?" Angelina and (y/n) screamed at the same time.
Hermione tried to hide her face in the sleeve of her sweater as she looked away. "It's not really that big of a deal."
"You're going to the ball with one of the hottest bachelors!" Angelina said looking over to Hermione in shock. "And he's someone that is a Triwizard champion! I say it's a big deal."
"Yeah 'Mione, I wish you would have told us."
"I didn't want anyone to know. The only reason Ginny does is because she was there when it happened. Oh, look here's the shop!" Hermione said, opening up the door.
"You brat," (Y/n) said shoving Ginny playfully. "You made it seem Hermione told you."
"Not my fault you assumed," Ginny said shrugging as she entered the shop.
(Y/n) stopped in her tracks as she looked at all the dresses displayed. She had never realized so many different colors existed.
"Ah! Welcome in. Welcome in! Free range of all the dresses, and if you find one you like, please let me know," A middle aged women said approaching the small group. "Ms, you are (y/n) Carter right?"
(Y/n) shot a quick glance at her friends before nodding her head. The lady let out a happy shriek as she walked behind the counter and pulled out a huge rectangular box.
"A young man came in a few hours ago. Picked this dress out just for you along with a note. Here you go." She said handing the note and box over.
"You don't think Adrian picked out your dress for you?" Hermione asked as she took a step closer.
"Ew, he probably has horrible taste," Ginny said scrunching up her nose in disgust. "Or expensive."
"Well, what does the note say?"
(Y/n) put the box on one of the side tables as she opened up the note. Her heart dropping as a small smile touched the edge of her lip. She looked up at her friends who were starring her down intensely.
"Why don't we take a peek at it?" She suggested as she opened the box. Her eyes widening as she saw the dress. It was an elegant black ballgown. The front of it was a v-line that dropped low. She felt the fabric in-between her fingers, the softness weighing nothing as the shimmer from the dress danced for her.
"Adrian got you this?" Angelina asked, shocked by how gorgeous it was.
"No," (y/n) said smiling. "A close friend. Now come on let's help you guys out!" she suggested, taking one last look at the dress before closing the lid.
Within a few hours of shopping around all three girls had found their perfect dress. Ginny had picked a light green dress that seemed to compliment her features perfectly. Hermione's dress was by far (y/n)'s favorite as it was a periwinkle pink with purple running through the edges. She had spun around in circle watching it flow elegantly around her. Angelina had opt for a burgundy dress that hugged the curves of her body. She was stunning, and above all the happiest among the three.
"I'm beat, who knew dress shopping could be so exhausting," Ginny complained. "You guys heading back to the castle?"
"I am, I just want to head to the library and read a nice book," Hermione said as she picked up the pace. The temperature had dropped dramatically and (y/n) could feel the wind pierce through her sweater.
"You coming, (y/n)?" Angelina asked as she looked back.
"No," she said, feeling the letter burning a hole in her pocket. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to meet up with someone."
The girls nodded as they walked back, not before Angelina shot her a quick look.
(Y/n) found herself walking to the Three Broomsticks, her dress bag in hand. The second she entered she could feel the heat of the room warm her up instantly. It only took her a few seconds to find who she was looking for as she ran and leaped into his arms.
The familiarity of his scent was overwhelming, and in this instant she felt home. All the pain, all the heartbreak that she had adored over the course of the month seemed to vanish. "You have no idea how much I needed this."
"I know," Aiden said as he held onto his little sister.
She tried to hold back a sob, but she let everything out as she gripped tighter to his shirt. Aiden held back the tears that were threatening to spill as she sobbed in his chest. This was his little girl, and she was more heartbroken than he had ever seen her. "Time will heal all wounds," he whispered as he stroked her hair.
She leaned away from him, wiping her eyes as she tried to compose herself. "Thank you for the dress by the way. It's beautiful. I didn't realize you had such good taste," she said laughing as she took a sip of the butterbeer on the table.
"Let's just say I had a little help," he winked as an arm wrapped around her. She looked up to see a smiling Wren behind her.
"Hope you don't mind if I have some of your butterbeer," he said reaching over and taking a sip. "And I can't take all the credit. Aiden was the first one to point out the dress- I just approved it for him."
(Y/n) laughed as she tried to take her drink back from Wren. "Thank you, both of you."
"Well, I needed you looking the best at the ball. Got to show weasel up for not asking you," Aiden said with a laugh as he took a sip of his own drink.
"You told him?" (Y/n) asked turning towards Wren.
"What? Don't look at me like that. I mail Aiden weekly about your love life. It's my favorite topic to talk about." Wren said wrapping his arm around her. "Not my fault you adopted me in your family. Family gossips."
"You guys are impossible," she said shaking her head. Her heart filled with happiness as she looked to the two people who were nothing but family to her. Aiden had taken her in when she had nothing, and then above anything, without even truly knowing Wren, had down the same thing for him.
She couldn't ask for anything more as she laughed with her family.
A/N: Below is the dress Aiden picked out. Happy Sunday! Also, next chapter will be the Yule Ball.