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chapter fifteen | battle of the shop

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"DID YOU ASK HER?"

"Not yet,"

George and Lee both groaned.

"Why?"

"Because she was with all her friends!" said Fred. "I wasn't gonna do it in front of all them, was I?"

"Well, Freddie, if she gets bagged by someone else, don't get all sulky with me," said George.

"She won't- I mean- she might not- ah, shit, what am I gonna do?"

Lee huffed, crossing his arms.

"Well, we've got Transfiguration next, so you can ask her then."

"You'd better make sure he does, Lee," said George. "I can't deal with his moaning any longer,"

"Me neither," said Lee. "Sulky ass,"

Fred made a face at them, which they reflected back.

Kaya was already sat next to Cedric, deep in conversation, when Lee and Fred walked in.

"Look, there she is! Go ask her now!" Lee barked.

"No!" said Fred. "I'll do it later, I'm not doing it in front of Cedric,"

Lee rolled his eyes and sat down.

Throughout the lesson, Fred turned around to Lee and called over to him, or made faces at him. Kaya always glanced, incase he looked at her like he always did. She soon became aware that he wasn't even trying to look at her, not this lesson. He didn't glance her way once.

Kaya wondered why and, although she'd never admit it to herself, felt a little down because of it. Did he not like her anymore? Maybe as he'd gotten to know her he realised she was really annoying. She never shut up, as much as she wished she could. Maybe she's annoyed him all the way out of a potential friendship with her. The girl couldn't even remember the last time he'd winked at her... Shit!

Fred was too nervous about asking Kaya, and so he tried to ignore the situation for now. He didn't like this feeling - his default was really confident, so to feel anxious was perplexing. The ginger turned around and tried to keep his attention focused on joking around with Lee. He could notice out of the corner of his eye she was looking at him - don't look! If he made eye contact he'd be thinking about it for the next ten minutes. Even worse - he'd be getting his hopes up. Because Fred was sure there was absolutely no way she'd want to go with him. Not in a romantic way, anyway.

Kaya tried to not think about why Fred was ignoring her. Maybe he wasn't ignoring her and she was just overreacting. Maybe he just wanted to joke around with his friend. Because, come on Kaya, not everything is about you!

Kaya decided not to look his way in the time they had left of the lesson. She chatted to Cedric, learning he was taking Cho Chang, a Ravenclaw in the year below, to the Yule Ball. She explained how she was dateless, and he practically told her the same thing Maisie told her.

After what felt like forever, their Transfiguration lesson had ended. Kaya was packing her books away, and began to walk out the door, when a familiar voice that wasn't Cedric called out to her.

"Erm... Kaya?"

She turned around to see Fred, lurking behind. Kaya didn't bother to mention the unusual lack of eye-contact this lesson. She didn't want to start anything.

"Y'Alright?" she said, with a warm smile. She noticed how uncomfortable Fred looked at first, but he straightened himself up and put on a friendly grin.

"I was thinking," he said. "About the Yule Ball? And with Jaeden going with Alicia and everything..."

"...Yeah?"

"...And well, I just thought, to make it easier, you know, since you've got no-one to go with..."

Kaya chuckled. "Thanks for the reminder,"

"Yeah, well, I don't have anyone to go with either," he said. She raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you?" she said with surprise.

"No... and since we're both dateless, wouldn't it kind of make sense if... you know, if we could go together?"

A small smirk crept up on Kaya's face, which didn't go unnoticed by Fred.

"I'm not saying like, romantically, it doesn't have to be that way, if you don't want it to be... I just mean... like friends? You know?"

Kaya nodded. "Yeah, I get you," she said. She was rather enjoying making Fred a bit nervous.

"So... do you want to?" He asked.

"I think that'd be lovely," she said with a smile. He raised his eyebrows.

"Really?"

"Yeah," she said. "Why not?"

Fred broke into a large grin.

"Great," he said.

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"Ha! I fucking called it!"

Kaya had just told her friends that Fred had asked her to the Yule Ball, and Maisie had gone mental.

"Didn't I call it, Jae?! I said it! I was right! I'm psychic!"

"She did say," Jaeden admitted.

"Awe," Milo said to Kaya with a smile. "That's cute!"

"Oh behave, you lot," said Kaya. "We're only going as friends. It just made things easier, since neither of us had dates,"

"Yeah, alright," said Maisie, unconvinced. "Does Fred see it as 'just friends'?"

"...Yeah,"

Kaya would never, ever, admit it to anyone what she was thinking. But she had a little inkling that Fred might perhaps like her a little bit more than a friend. Maybe she was wrong. But... if she was right? She wasn't sure if she liked him like that. Her head felt like scrambled eggs at the moment.

"Right, well we've got to go to Hogmseade as soon as," Maisie said. "I'm getting my hands on the best dress there. I'm not being left with the shite ones,"

"I agree," said Kaya, turning to the boys. "And we'll have to come to see you buy robes as well. There's no way you two'll be able to dress yourselves - well, Milo can. We're thinking more about you, Jae,"

Jae flipped her off.

"I dressed myself this morning, didn't I?" He said.

"You sure?" said Kaya, eyeing his messy green tie.

"Piss off,"

On the weekend, the group of four, after receiving money from their parents, decided to go shopping, as they were all in need of many things. Snow had started to fall, wrapping the village in a soft white blanket. It was a very busy day in particular, as many students were rushing to do their Christmas shopping and buying their dress robes for the Yule Ball.

They decided to go and buy their clothes first, as, like Kaya and Maisie had said, they wanted to get the best dresses. Jaeden and Milo were in no way going to help them pick out dresses - they'd be there for years. And so, they deserted the two, heading to the left of the shop, searching for their own dress robes.

The shop was filled with pretty much all Hogwarts students, rustling through racks and shelves in hope of finding something to wear.

Kaya somehow just kept bumping into Fred Weasley everywhere - ten minutes in, she'd only looked across the room to check what Jaeden and Milo were doing and noticed the flaming red hair of Fred and his twin standing next to them, along with Lee.

"Ooh!" said Maisie, lifting up a red dress. "This is cute!"

"I think you'd look good in that," said Kaya. The strawberry blonde stared at it for a minute, before shuffling through some more racks.

They both continued doing this for around half an hour, until they both decided on a dress each, extremely excited with their purchase.

Kaya had her back turned when Fred looked over at her holding a silver blue dress. He couldn't help but smile a tiny little bit.

"That is gorgeous!" said Kaya, looking at Maisie holding up her favourite dress. It was a trombone gold, with an overlay of transparent tulle, decorated with glitter and sequins. It had Maisie written all over it.

"I think I'm gonna get it," said Maisie, with an eager smile. "You should get that one,"

She pointed to the silver blue satin Kaya was holding.

"Do you think?"

"Definitely!" said Maisie. "It'll compliment your eyes as, well."

After purchasing their dresses, the two girls walked over to meet the boys, who were somehow still trying to decide what dress robes to buy. Fred, George and Lee has disappeared by now - Kaya was a tad disappointed.

They both sat down, putting their bags on the floor and waiting for the boys to come out from behind the curtains, trying on some dress robes.

The curtain whisked open, Jaeden stepping out from behind it, and Kaya burst out laughing.

"...That looks nice, Jae," said Maisie, trying to be nice.

Jaeden stood unamused, wearing his bright, almost luminous, dress robes. The shoulder pads were extremely large, and they came together with a V shaped cut, which had pointed parts of fabric sticking out over the shoulders. The collar stuck up around his neck, which was surprisingly on purpose.

"You look really stupid!" Kaya snorted.

"I feel it,"

"You look an absolute tool!"

"Mais, will you tell her?!" said Jae, turning to the red headed girl.

"You do!" Kaya giggled.

"Kaya..." Maisie began.

"You look like Peeves the Poltergeist!"

Jaeden snapped and walked straight up to the girl, pointing his finger in her face. She folded her lips, trying not to laugh again.

"Right, one more comment. Make one more comment about me in these dress robes - or in fact, just about me - and I will take off those boots-"

Kaya glanced to the side and bit the inside of her cheek, really trying not to laugh now.

"-Look at me! I will take off those boots and stick them up your arse! Okay?"

Maisie kept quiet as Jaeden glared at Kaya, who was staring back with an amused expression. Neither blinked, until Jaeden raised his eyebrows and back away slowly, before turning back to the mirror.

"...It's alright, isn't it?" he said. His facial expression said otherwise.

"It is actually," Kaya lied, before grinning. "Peeves-"

"Right!"

Jaeden stormed forward, and the two began another one of their physical fights - right in the middle of the shop, much to Maisie's dismay.

"Argh! Get off!"

Jaeden was struggling as he fought for the girls led to proceed with his promise to remove her black boots. She kicked as they both grunted and yelled.

"Get off!" Kaya grumbled, grabbing a handful of his hair and pulling it away.

Jaeden picked the girl up and put her on the floor, also falling over, but still lifting her leg up to get ahold of her boot. She repeatedly whacked him on the back.

"Do I hear Jaeden and Kaya fighting?" Milo called from behind his curtain.

"Yep." Maisie replied, staring at her friends with a bored expression. The sound of Milo's voice laughed loudly.

"Ow! I warned you-" said Jaeden through gritted teeth, wobbling as he stood up. Kaya was still lying flat on the floor. The boy's hands gripped onto her foot and dragged her down the, thankfully empty, isle.

Kaya started doing an impression of Peeves the Poltergeist in between laughs, causing Jaeden to become even more worked up. Maisie held her head in her hand in embarrassment.

"Shut up!" Jaeden told the girl, who's voice was still doing a high pitched, annoyingly really good, impression of the school poltergeist. "Shut... up! Argh!"

"No!"

Jaeden slipped off one of Kaya's boots, and threw it as far away as he could - which wasn't very far. Kaya's mouth dropped open, and she scrambled to get up.

"Maisie!" she called for the girl to tell Jaeden off. "Maisie-!"

The two turned around to find Maisie's seat empty - she was a few racks down, in deep conversation with one of the boys from Durmstrang. Was his name Stefan? Kaya couldn't remember.

She gave Jaeden a dirty look as he frowned at Maisie, wondering who the hell she was talking to.

Kaya elbowed him and he pushed her so hard she fell over with a thump.

Milo emerged from the curtain, wearing his dress robes, and looked towards Jaeden before his eyes widened, sniggering.

"Fuck me!" he said, looking the boy's clothes up and down. "I thought you dressed like a twat normally, but even for you, that's shit!"

Jaeden sighed in defeat.