It's a Secret

Fred watched her quietly, though he still found himself wishing that she would just tell him, rather than dodging his question. Maybe it was a silly desire, but oh well.
"I just want the truth," he told her quietly, running a hand through his hair before he shook his head, his attention still fully on her. "That's all I want, I promise. Once you tell me the truth, if you want me to leave you alone, I will."
Though he wished that she wouldn't want him to leave her alone - because he really didn't want to leave her alone, not after whatever had happened in the Great Hall.
Trying to ignore that thought, though, he let his hands drop to his sides and frowned slightly, trying to figure out what was going on in her mind.
That wasn't too hard to figure out, though. Maybe she was lying to him because of her buddy, Draco. The thought made him feel a little bitter.
Did Malfoy have to ruin everything?

~

Amelia cringed slightly when she heard him questioning it again. Hadn't she just said that she hadn't been blushing? Why couldn't he just let it go?
"You're just going to keep asking until you get an answer, aren't you?" she asked in a low mutter before she let out a sigh and folded her arms over her chest.
Lifting her head, she glared up at him, trying to debate whether there was a point in actually being honest about this.
And she decided that there wasn't.
Because she would lose her best friend if she was honest about it.
"I just thought you were somebody else. A cuter somebody else. When I realized it was you, though, I got angry at myself for thinking it was somebody else and rushed out. Happy?"

Jane frowned, "Fine, but if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will have no mercy on hexing you."
It was true. Jane Cerberus was no person to mess with, especially when it came to hexes. It was where she exceeded and she'll be damned if anyone tried to challenge her.
Her frown deepens as she begins her sentence, "I was blushing because of the way you were staring at me. I was blushing because of way your arms were wrapped around my waist. I hadn't been held, or looked at like that in a long while, and it made me feel important."
She cringes at the amount of emotion in her voice.
Important really wasn't the word she should have used, it was more or less of how wanted she felt.

-

He crossed his arms, letting out a soft snort at the words.
"Honestly Amelia, if there's anything I'm an expert at, it's lying," he starts, staring into her eyes, "and that's what you were doing."
He takes a deep breath, relaxing a tiny bit.
He wasn't exactly sure why he wanted to know so bad? Honestly, why should he care at all? She wouldn't benefit him, and he knew it, but something was drawing him closer to her.
It was stupid, but there was definitely something.
"Look, I just want to know the real reason why, and then I'll leave you alone. I won't bother you and the tall Weasley. I know he's the reason you won't tell me right?" He questions, "I won't tell him. Anyone for that matter, I just want to know why."
He surprised at how calm his tone was, when his heart was beating with anticipation.

Fred blinked several times as he listened to her. Though it was pretty much what he had wanted, had hoped, to hear, he was still surprised with her words and he couldn't help but to stare at her for a long time.
After a moment, he rubbed the back of his neck, trying to determine how to respond to her words. "I won't tell anybody," he promised, offering her a subtle smile, though he hoped it didn't reflect how nervous he felt now.
"Besides... It made me feel different, too," he muttered quietly, keeping his attention on her to make sure that she understood the seriousness of his words, before he glanced away again and ran a hand through his hair.
"I don't know what it means, but... It was a good different. And I kind of liked it. A lot. So..." He trailed off, unsure of how to continue his statement. Gulping quietly, he shook his head, trying to sort his thoughts.
"So, don't worry, alright? You're not alone."

~

Amelia stared at him for a long moment before she forced her attention away, trying to ignore how tense she was with the subject. Eventually, she let out a frustrated sigh and turned her attention back to him.
"Because I liked it, okay?" she finally said, her cheeks flaming at the admittance. "I liked the way that our eyes just connected and I liked the way it felt to be in your arms and I... I just liked it and that's not okay!"
Each word that escaped her only made her cheeks darken, but she eventually breathed out, a little relieved to get the words out. And, at the same time, she was horrified with her admittance.
How could she trust him not to tell anyone, after all? He was the Slytherin jerk that her best friend hated. One wrong move and he probably wouldn't waste any time with telling everybody - and on top of that, he'd probably get satisfaction with telling everybody that his enemy's best friend had said such things to him.
She visibly paled at the very thought of it.

Jane was shocked by his words, "Really?"
She agreed with what he said, awkwardly rubbing her own arm. She was surprised, honestly, afraid that he was lying for a moment.
She glances at the floor, then looked up at him. She stared him in the eyes, noticing that he seemed truthful.
In her eyes, you could see the emotion swirling around. She didn't know what to do, she hadn't experienced something like this before. Not something that she would totally risk everything, all for a boy that she couldn't stand less than 30 minutes ago.

-

Draco nodded, shocked at her words.
"You know..." He starts, "I felt the same way."
He bites his lip, "I liked the way you fit into my arms and the way you looked up me."
He couldn't believe it, him, Draco Malfoy actually admitting his feelings.
He had a horrible feeling that she would tell Fred about what he said and then the damned Weasley would have things to spread about him. Or worse, Fred would try to beat him up. Atleast Jane would back him up...
Or maybe not? What would she think?
He frowned, afraid that he would lose his best friend.
All these thoughts clouding his mind.

Fred would have laughed at the fact that she was so shocked if it weren't for the fact that he was shocked, too. Instead, he nodded and let out a sigh. "Yeah, really," he told her quietly, his eyes meeting hers when she stared at him.
He could see all the emotions in her eyes and he wasn't sure how to respond to all of it.
All he could really do was stare at her eyes and try to even his breath and steady his heartbeat - neither of which were really working.
"But what are we going to do about it?" he asked quietly.
The dreaded question that he really didn't want to ask, but he knew he had to.
Because they couldn't figure out anything if they didn't know if they should or not.

~

Amelia paused after hearing his words, her cheeks only darkening. Shaking her head quickly, she took a step back, refusing to believe his words.
Not because she didn't want to, of course. She wanted to believe him, more than anything.
But she couldn't bring herself to, not with her friendship with Fred being on the line.
"That's ridiculous," she muttered quietly as she took another step away from him, a frown appearing on her features as she forced her blush away. "You can't feel like that - I can't feel like that."
She couldn't let herself be happy with his words.
It would ruin everything.

Jane stared up at him. It would be so easy for her to walk right back into his arms, to pull him down to her level. So easy for her to wrap her arms around him and stay there for hours. But she couldn't. She couldn't because someone could see, or worse, Draco would see. She covered her face with her hands, "I don't know! We can't...! I can't without risking everything."
Her voice had cracked slightly and her emotions went overboard.
She felt her face heating up and her eyes began to water. She didn't dare move her hands away, not wanting Fred to see her that way.
Jane was so disappointed with herself.
She was usually so strong.
She was a confident Slytherin, never being broken even by the worst insults, but here she was, nearly breaking down.

-

"I-I'm sorry." Draco stuttered, taking a step away from her, "I just...couldn't ignore that feeling..."
He felt like he was ruining everything, yet at the same time he couldn't help but feel bitter towards Fred.
She would do anything for him, he could tell, and he here was, getting in the way.
"I want this work.." He starts, "But I know it can't. Not without us giving up everything. Godric, you probably don't even fancy me! I'm sorry..."

She had a good point, Fred realized. They would both lose everything. Not only could he possibly lose his best friend, but his brother probably wouldn't like it, either.
This was Malfoy's best friend and here he was having complicated feelings for her that he didn't even understand.
Seeing that she was just as confused about this as he was, though, made him feel a little relieved that he wasn't alone in his thought process.
He didn't like seeing that she had covered her face, though, and he took a step forward, lifting his hands slightly and slowly prying her hands away.
What he was greeted with shocked him and he stared at her for a long moment, seeing all the turmoil he had caused the girl.
It hurt him to see her so upset and he didn't understand why.
"Hey..." he muttered quietly before adjusting himself so that he could stare her in the eyes. "It's okay. Everything will be okay."

~

Amelia quickly shook her head, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as if the gesture would stable her, control her better.
Everything was so crazy, though.
When she heard him mention that she probably didn't fancy him, she couldn't help but to quickly say, "You're wrong!"
But, then, she realized what she had said, and her cheeks flamed all over again, her hand quickly finding her mouth and covering it as she shook her head quickly once more.
"I-I mean..." Her eyes drifted to the ground and she frowned slightly behind her hand. "I don't know what I mean..."

Jane stared into his eyes, a few stray tears spilling from her eyes.
"How can you say that?" She questioned, her voice cracking, "How this going to be alright?! I don't wanna lose everything."
She tore one of her hands away from his - although she didn't want to - and wiped away her tears.
She let that hand fall to her side, the other one still in his hand.
It was calming almost, but if somebody saw this..
It would just end badly.
She knew that he would lose his best friend, and possibly all of his brothers.
She couldn't be the reason of that, she wouldn't let herself do that.
"I want something to happen, but I can't let it. I would never forgive myself if I caused something bad." She said through sniffles, although this time, more calm.

-

He looked up at her, "Really?"
He was quiet shocked with what she said.
Draco felt a blush spread across his face, and he reached his hand towards her.
He placed his hand under her chin, bringing her face up to meet his.
"it's okay. We can work this out...some how." He starts, "Maybe."
He tries to remain calm, but he could hear the fear make its way out.
"I don't know about you, but I felt something. When I looked down at you, I just felt something different. It was a good feeling." He says, before adding, "One I haven't felt in a long time."

Fred frowned deeply when he spotted the tears and he quickly helped to wipe them away.
He stayed silent, thinking over her words before chewing the inside of his cheek as he thought for a few moments.
"Nothing bad will happen," he eventually decided, figuring he could be a little brave, for her sake at least.
"We can go to one of the secret spots in the castle, meet in places like that. Nobody will know."
He wasn't sure what he was saying. Why was he suggesting things like this? This was Jane, after all.
Would she think that he just wanted to take this chance to spite Malfoy?
He hoped not, because that wasn't the case. At all.
He just couldn't shake that feeling from earlier. He wanted to understand it. He wanted both of them to understand it.

~

Amelia's cheeks darkened with feeling his touch. She felt flustered and confused and...
And scared.
She wanted to pull away or push him away, but she couldn't bring herself to because she actually liked the feeling of it. She just didn't want to admit it to herself.
For a long moment, she was silent, trying to sort her thoughts and stop her heart from beating so rapidly. Nothing was helping, though - especially since she was pretty much repeating his words in her mind.
Despite that she wanted to keep looking at him, she forced her eyes to divert downwards, away from him.
"I-I felt something, too. But..." she muttered quietly, her emotions making it hard to speak. "But there's no way to work it out, Draco. I don't... I can't lose my best friend."

Again, she was shocked by what he said, but he was a Gryffindor after all.
"I don't know Fred." She pauses, "Are you sure?"
She knew that he was laying a lot on the line, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to ruin things for her.
She hoped that he knew that he wasn't doing this at anyone's request, because if it wouldn't have ran into him, everything would be the same tomorrow.
After taking one last glance into his eyes, and biting her lip, she says, "Okay, okay. Just..." She pauses, "I'm not doing this at anyone's request. You know that, right?"

-

He frowned, "Please. I know I can make this work. I know the hiding places here and outside of the castle."
He was nearly begging at this point.
Draco wanted this happen so badly for her to agree, but he knew that she was risking a lot.
Hell, so was he.
He could lose his respect, his best friend, his everything, yet he still wanted this.
He hoped she would see that.

Fred didn't waste any time in nodding. "I'm absolutely sure," he assured her quietly, offering a broad grin as he eyed her, nodding again.
He was thankful she had agreed. It made him feel much better since he would have otherwise looked like a complete idiot.
"I know, I know," he assured her again, before letting his hands drop and smiling slightly.
"We can meet somewhere when we want to hang out and I can show you some of the cooler places to go to."
Because he was bloody determined to make sure that neither of them regretted this decision.
He was putting everything at risk.
But so was she.
So he had to work twice as hard to make sure that nobody found out.

~

Amelia's eyes widened at his words. He really was serious about this, wasn't he? What was he thinking, wanting to put everything at risk just because they both felt something that they didn't even understand?
But, then, the fact that he was so willing to put everything on the line made her feel a little selfish.
"Okay," she eventually murmured, resigning herself to agreeing to it. "But if I lose my best friend because of this, I'll make you regret it."
Part of her was just teasing, but she was serious.
And being a Gryffindor, she was brave enough to actually do something reckless to make him regret it, too.
Still, she offered him what she could manage of a smile, despite her nervousness.

Jane nodded, "Alright. When do you suppose we meet then?"
She eyed him carefully, seeing confidence and bravery nearly pouring off of his aura. She crossed her arms over her stomach, waiting to hear what he was going to say.
All the while, she was trying to figure out what she should do after she leaves this small area.
She would probably, for starters, head back to her dorm room and change. Possibly shower.
But she also hoped that he would want to see her tonight.

-

He smiled, "I promise I won't. I can watch out for us."
That was the Slytherin in him, the cool, calm and cunning part of him.
Draco was sly, and with proper thinking, he could pull this off.
"Just find me and pull me to the side, if you want to hang out. I can find us hiding places." He says.

Fred smiled slightly when she agreed and thought over her question.
When would be the right time?
He knew he had to hang out with Amelia in a while, so he knew they couldn't go off hiding right now.
"How about in a few hours?" he suggested, wondering if that would be good with her.
It gave him time to hang out with his best friend for a while, then to go and spend time with her.
He just hoped that she'd be agree to it.

~

Amelia nodded slightly to his words, though she couldn't help but to smile when he did.
"Okay," she murmured, figuring that it was good that he seemed so confident.
Typical Slytherin.
"It sounds like a plan to me," she decided.
Admittedly, she was still nervous about this, but the fact that he was confident that it would work put her thoughts and nerves a little at ease.

She nodded, glad that he wanted to hang out so soon.
"That works," Jane starts, "It gives me time to clean up."
She finishes, referring to her robes and hair.
She smiles once last time, getting ready to leave, before it hits her, "You started the food fight didn't you?"
Jane waits for his answer, an amused smile playing on her lips.

-

"I'll...see you soon then?" Draco offered, finally removing his hand from her face and letting it fall to his side.
He backs off slightly, a small timid smile still on his face.
Draco was glad that she was trusting him, but he knew that it take time for her to fully trusted him, and he understood that.

Fred laughed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I kind of wanted to get back at Malfoy for being so rude," he said simply, offering a shrug.
He clearly wasn't denying the accusation, though.
"At least it was fun, right?" He grinned at the mention of it, knowing that everybody had seemed to enjoy it.
It was rather rare to see everybody enjoying something, aside from Quidditch matches.

~

Amelia offered a smile and nodded slightly. "Definitely," she told him.
Or, at least, she hoped so. She wasn't sure how soon she'd be able to see him, though.
Deciding to think about that later, she lifted her hand to run through her hair, making a face at the fact that it was sticky due to the drink being spilled on her.
"I'm gonna go before whatever food is on me starts to stink," she said with a laugh before she moved towards the staircase again.

Jane frowns at the comment about Draco, but brushes it off.
She wouldn't lie and say that Draco was a nice guy, quite the opposite actually, but he was still her best friend and if it wouldn't have been Fred who said that, she probably would have hexed them.
She snapped out of it and nodded, "Yeah. It was, although, I'm not quite fond of having food in my hair."
She smiles softly, before questioning, "Before I go, what time and where do you want to meet at?"

-

Draco nodded, offering her a small laugh, "Alright. I'll talk to you again sometime soon."
He offers one last smile, before slipping away from the area they had been in.
He had a new found feelings, and he could only hope that everything would work out.
Hell, he'd make sure that it worked.
Even if it meant that he would lose some things.
He could only hope she wouldn't regret this decision.

Fred thought about it before he grinned.
"Two hours. We'll meet here," he decided with a nod.
Not only would it give him enough time to hang out with Amelia, but there also wouldn't be very many students roaming around that area at that point in time.
And that would definitely be a bonus for them.
"Is that okay with you?"

~

Amelia took a deep breath when she got into the Gryffindor common room. Going straight to her dorm, she went to take a shower, a little nervous and excited about the entire thing.
Maybe it was because it was a form of rebellion - going against the social norm and such.
Either way, once she took her shower and cleaned off, she went ahead and got ready, knowing she'd have to meet Fred soon.
She had to remind herself to act normal.

She nods, "That's fine. I'll see you then."
Jane smiled and waved at him, turning to leave.
As she walked away from him, she was definitely giddy.
She was so excited to have him stop her and talk to her like that.
Sure, she knew that she would have to calm down and start to act a little more monotone when she meets up with Draco.
Jane takes a deep breath before heading back to the Slytherin dungeon.

When she arrived, she headed start to the lavatories to shower.

-

Draco was definitely really happy, but he knew he would need to stop soon, or someone would know that something's up.
He walked into the Slytherin, he began to relax his walking and turned his smile into a smirk.
He knew that he represented himself differently infront of most people, but this was the Draco that was respected.
No, he wasn't Draco, he was Malfoy.

Fred went straight to his dorm when he got to the Gryffindor common room. After washing himself off fairly quickly and changing into a new set of clothes, he made his way back downstairs, only to spot Amelia waiting on the sofa.
"Took your time, didn't you?" Amelia asked, slight amusement in her voice. By now, she had already cleaned up and gotten ready to hang out with her best friend.
And, in turn, had gotten ready to hang out with Draco later, as well.
Rolling his eyes, Fred made his way over and stared down at the girl. "I doubt you were waiting long," he drawled bluntly before he grinned and straightened up.
"Come on, let's go outside." It seemed like the best idea to Fred.
And Amelia seemed to agree because she stood and gestured for him to lead the way, essentially following him.

Jane had quickly showered off, charming her thick hair to dry and straighten. She made sure her robes had been completely clean, along with the clothes she had worn with them before heading back out to the dungeon common room. She quickly spotted her friend walking in from outside, the usual smirk still on his pale face.
She puts her own smirk on, "How was the food fight?"
Draco stops a little shocked to see his friend before regaining his voice.
"It was. I got Potter a couple times." He lies smoothly, putting a proud smile on his face.
Jane could see right through it but decided not to question it. "Well go clean up. You've got pieces of potatoes in your hair.."
Dracos skin begins to turn a slightly pink rosy color, "Shut up."
Jane smirks at him, "Hurry up. You know I don't like waiting."
He rolls his eyes and quickly going to the boys lavatories.