It is April 1st, a day of laughter, and I am feeling particularly at the depths of my despair. Elora has been giving me the silent treatment since I hexed Bronwyn. Silas is not talking to me, although he wasn't before. Robbie is as distant as ever.

Then, I realize why. Rumours spread like wildfire. Marietta Edgecomb, a Ravenclaw in the year below me, has broken out in acne that reads "sneak" across her entire face. She revealed to the imperial squad, and by extension, Professor Umbridge, the existence of a club. A certain Dumbledore's Army, supposedly run by Harry Potter, with members across every house but mine.

At lunch, I want to whisper to Robbie, but she doesn't come. I eat at the end of the Slytherin table.

Bade Shafiq sits down across from me.

I lean forward, balancing on my waist. "Was it worth it?"

He looks up at me, furrowing his brow. "Excuse me?"

"Kissing that girl," I ask him.

Bade leans back and wipes his face with a spare serviette. "Merlin, you don't even know her name."

I push my food away from me. Suddenly, my appetite has been spoiled rotten. "I'm sorry."

"You should be," he points out. "The shit you all put me through. Unfair. You almost got me disowned."

I hardly think that's fair. His actions almost got his disowned, just like my actions put me in trouble. Bade needs to take some responsibility. I'll gladly carry the burden of ruining my relationship with my father and brother if it means I get to be who I am.

"Well, everything turned out fine," I point out.

He shrugs his shoulders. "I'm still dating Julia if that's what you're asking. My parents have come to terms with it, even if they hope we split up after graduation."

Why is he being so bitter with me? I would ask if I wanted to create a scene, but I don't. I just want one quiet meal, all by myself.

"I don't stand by the things I did," I point out.

He smirks, running a hand through his black hair. "I know. I've enjoyed watching your downfall too, you know? I feel bad about it, but I'd rather be honest than live a lie. I can't tell if you feel the same."

"I do," I tell him.

He bites his lip. Finally, he stands. "You're going to need to do some work to convince people of that."

When he walks away, I can feel myself sinking deeper and deeper.

I don't need work to convince anyone, I just need to make the right choices. I just need a little bit of luck on my side.

With that, I tear off into the corridor, going up to one of the washrooms and hiding in a stall. I take out my little necklace with the liquid luck dangling on a chain. I'm supposed to let it stew for six months before I consume it, but it still works if consumed early. The side effects are just a bit more, potent.

With that, I down the glass.

I throw up. All in the toilet, wretching over and over. I don't even have time to turn around and aim for the toilet. It ends up drooling down my uniform. From there, I run back to the dormitories, feeling decently dizzy. I change my clothes, ignoring that I am seeing double. Laughter bubbles out of my throat as I brush my teeth.

This, this was an amazing idea. It was spectacular.

From there, I am freshly clean, and my vision is clear once more. The giddiness doesn't subside. With a spring in my step, I skip down the hallway until I find a secret passage. I know to lean my hand against the brick in just the right spot for it to reveal itself. Inside, I fumble my way through the dark until I hit something. Soft and fabric.

"You know boys and girls aren't supposed to be within six feet of one another?" a voice asks.

I jump, before I burst into giggles. "Freddie! What a pleasure. How'd you know it was me?"

"I saw you enter," he points out.

I can't see him in the dark. He leads me back out the other side, and down the hallway. We end up in the back of a storage room, one that I can only assume belongs to Flitch, given all the cleaning supplies inside. Fred looks at me.

"Your pupils are massive," he points out. "Are you bewitched?"

I pull out the flask and wave it in front of his face. "Not quite. Just a little lucky."

"How'd you get your hands on Liquid Luck?" he asks, taking the bottle in his hands. "How much did you take? Enough to overdose? We should go to Madam Pomphrey."

Not yet. There are so many things he needs to know. "I sent you letters."

"What?" he asks, looking over his shoulder. "What do you mean you sent me letters? I never got any."

"I sent you two," I elaborate, grabbing his tie and twisting it between my fingers. For the first time, he's in uniform and I'm just wearing casual clothing.

Not even a cloak. A red jumper, one of the few casual items of clothing I own. Of course, I'm still wearing a neat black skirt. You might mistake me for a Gryffindor in uniform. I feel as brave as one, at least.

"I..." he blinks. "I thought you were too busy with Ander Ander."

"Nothing ever happened between us," I tell him. "I was doing a favour for Silas by being with him."

Fred looks around as if he expects Filtch to be back any second. "So, you sent me two letters."

"There's more," I tell him. "My brother cursed me. Most painful experience of my life. And do you know why? Because he heard I liked you. Wonder what he would do if he caught me with you in a broom cupboard."

Fred looks at me. He takes my hands in his. "Merlin, I wish we were having this conversation while you weren't bewitched."

"I am just a little more confident now," I don't want him to stop holding me though, so I lean in. "And I wanted you to know."

"I've known for a while," he tells me. "Maybe not that it was your brother specifically. Robbie told George about the tinctures since she was worried about you, and George doesn't keep secrets from me. We thought it was your father. I was hoping you'd tell me when you weren't right pissed."

I feel vomit bubbling up in my throat again, and I swallow it down. Maybe I do need to go to the hospital wing. That feels like a very very bad idea right now. After all, Bronwyn is there.

"I'm fine," I insist, feeling my knees crashing beneath me.

Fred catches me. "You hexed with the Jelly-Legs jinx too?"

We sit down on the little space that there is. I reach forward and touch his face. Stubble pokes through, scratchy against my hand. Every part of him is just a little bit rough in all the right ways.

"No," I tell him. I look around us, finally realizing where we are. I feel a splitting headache come on. "What are you doing here? If Professor Umbridge catches you, she'll do worse than give you a blood quill."

"George and I are dropping out to start our own shop," he offers. He tucks a strand of hair out of my face.

I pause. "You're leaving?"

"In a few weeks," he says. "Not today. Which is my birthday, by the way."

I blink at him, trying to find the words to speak. It feels like they've been sucked out of me. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," he says. "You're pupils are becoming smaller."

I slowly lower my hand from his face. What am I doing here? I must look crazy. Oh God, I'm coming down. I skipped class for this. Professor Sprout is going to have my neck in.

"Merlin, even bewitched you're gorgeous," he says.

Across from me, his eyes flicker from mine down my face. He's handsome too, but I don't have it in me to say it. I think the liquid luck is wearing off, and now I'm back to poor old me. With a splitting headache and a sore stomach. I close my eyes for a second, trying to combat the headache.

When I open my eyes, I realize how close we are in this confined space. I can feel his warm breath against my face.

"I really like you, Fred Weasley," it feels like the wrong move, but if I don't say it there is a chance that I might never see him again, which feels all too likely to me right now.

"When I smelled the Amortentia, I smelled you." He tells me. "I couldn't identify what it was made up of, except that it was you. All of it. Definitely. And I've been so confused ever since."

A wave of nausea hits me and I tilt forward. Our noses brush each other. Fred reaches a hand up and runs it through my hair. My hands find their way on to his knees, using him to sturdy myself. We are so close.

"I want to kiss you," I admit.

He smirks. "I thought you were brave enough to do it."

Then, his lips are on mine. And I smell firewood. And I feel happy, even though my body feels like it's tearing itself apart from the inside out. Because, at least, if this is good-bye, I have him right now.

~~~~~

Welp, I like this a lot. Good thing Larkin brushed her teeth, otherwise she'd be screwed. It seems that her time at Hogwarts is almost coming to an end and I am so excited! I hope that you'll enjoy it too!