CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
STATIC ELECTRICITY
[18]

song: Electric Love by BØRNS

+++++++++++++++

Everyone was practicing their disarming and stunning spell, but Lin sat down on the ground and pulled out her sketchbook. She began to draw the scene, kids and teenagers alike pointing wands at each other but happily smiling and laughing.

She made the background the half pillars and mirrors. When it was finished she took a piece of muggle tape and taped it to a wall where their list and a photo of Cedric was and some newspaper clippings.

"Woah." Fred said when he approached her. "I didn't know you were so talented. Blimey, this looks great!"

"Thanks Frederick."

He stepped closer to her ear and whispered, "Do you wanna sneak out again tonight?"

"Sure why not."

After the DA meeting everyone goes back to their own common room but Fred drags Lin away. George stops them.

"And where are you two going?" George says with a knowing smirk.

"We uh..."

"We're going to hang out." Fred gives his twin a look with an ulterior meaning behind it.

"Okay! Use protection kids!" George laughs then walks away to follow Lee like a puppy dog.

Fred resumes to drag Lin down the corridor. He leads her up the astronomy tower.

When they get there, a picnic blanket and some lit candles are on the ground.

Lin looks to him confused. "What's all this?"

"I just thought we could have some alone time and to look at the stars." Fred sat down on the blanket and she followed suit. Lin shivered slightly. "Are you cold?" Fred asked.

"Just a little. It's fine." Lin shrugged it off.

Fred pulled off his Weasley jumper. "Here." He handed it to her. She hesitantly pulled it over her head. The bright orange 'F' shown on the front compared to the violet purple sweater. It was oversized on her, but that's just how she liked them. And it smelt like Fred too. Fireworks and chocolate. "It looks way better on you anyways..." He said, more so to himself.

Lin stared at the stars and admired them, wishing she were as bright and beautiful.

"Lin...."

"That's me." She replies bluntly.

Fred lets out a chuckle. "I've been wanting to say this for a while now...." He rubs his neck sheepishly.

"Go ahead then." Lin says, still oblivious.

"I like you." Fred blurts out.

"I like you too." She tilts her head in confusion.

"No I mean, I fancy you."

At that, Lin's mouth made an 'o' shape. Then realization stuck. "Is this a bet? Is this a prank?"

"What?" Fred asked confused. "No, no. It's nothing like that."

Lin looked at him skeptically.

"I would never pull a prank on you." He said sincerely, taking her hands in his. "I don't want to pressure you or anything—" Fred started but Lin cut him off by pulling on his shirt collar and connected their lips.

A slight breeze blew by as Fred snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Her hands left his collar and wrapped around his neck.

The kiss was passionate and they both felt sparks, but it wasn't static electricity. Their lips moved in an eternal dance.

His stomach did a summersault.

Lin hadn't felt these sparks when she kissed Viktor... She wondered what they meant.

They pulled away for breath and looked into each other's eyes. Lin stared into his light brown eyes and Fred stared into her dark eyes that seemed to be a black abyss, making him want to pull her closer. They reconnected their lips again.

+++++

"Now, focus on a fixed point and try again." Harry told Neville.

"Expelliarmus." A spark sound faded into nothing. He went to help some other students.

"Very good. Keep your concentration." Harry told Hermione who was levitating a fellow student.

"Great." He complemented Fred who was levitating Nigel.

"Just a little higher..." Lin told him and guided Fred's arm up a tab bit. He looked to her and smiled, remembering the events of last night's kiss.

Nigel dropped with a thud since Fred lost his focus.

"I'm okay. I'm okay."

"Think of it this way." Harry encouraged. "Every great wizard in history has started out... as nothing more than what we are now: students. If they can do it, why not us?"

+++++

The students formed a circle with the mechanical mannequin in the middle.

"Stupify." It then went on to another student.

"Expelliarmus."

"Expelliarmus." Luna said dreamily.

It went to Lin. "Reducto!" The metal figure magically exploded into ash. The Patil twins exchanged a look and Harry smiled happily at her.

"Get it queen!" Ginny shouted. Hermione gave Lin a thumbs up and a smile.

Fred was staring at her intensely.

+++++

"What?!"

"I." Fred pointed to himself. "Think." He pointed to his head. "You." He pointed to Lin. "Should try out for seeker."

"But why?" Lin asked, obviously still confused.

"Because..." Fred gave a cheeky smile. "I think you'd be brilliant."

Lin gave him an 'I don't believe you' look.

"Just try out. For meee—"

"Ok, ok. Fine." Lin sighed out. Fred kissed her lips softly and slowly.

The next day Angelina Johnson held tryouts for two new beaters and a seeker.

"Um... if you're trying out beater form a line here." Angelina pointed to one spot. "And if you're trying out for seeker stand here." She pointed to a different spot on the field.

"Beaters will be first."

A couple of people tried out for beater. But none were as good as Fred and George.

"Thank you for trying out! Those trying out for seekers!" Angelina called. "I will be releasing three snitches. Whoever catches the most will be the new seeker." At that, she released three golden snitches. They zoomed out of sight and the people trying out flew up in search.

So far Lin had gotten two snitches and no one had gotten the third. Lin was looking around the quidditch field for the third when she spotted it hovering above Romilda Vane, a girl one year below her.

Lin didn't want to risk her knowing it was so close to her so she made her way towards it slowly, purposely looking as if she was still searching.

When she was close enough, Lin dived and caught it in her right hand.

"YES!" She heard Fred and her friends cheer from the stands where they were watching her.

Angelina blew her whistle, signaling the end of tryouts.

Lin flew down to the ground and her friends were already waiting for her.

"You did so good!" Hermione said excitedly.

Lin smiled at her best friend and thanked her.
Harry wasn't here, no doubt serving a detention with Umbridge.

"Good job, Lin." Fred smiled at her. He tried his best to keep from kissing her sweaty and flushed face right then and there. They agreed to keep their relationship low-profile for now until they were ready.

"Thanks." She smiled back.

+++++

Lin dragged Fred into a corner table at the library.

"We could've just snogged in the common room instead of going to the library." Fred made a gagging sound when he said the word 'library.' He smirked afterwards.

"We're not here to snog." Lin gave him an annoyed look. "We are here to talk. In private."

"Well then talk." Fred urged.

"I think we should make a contract." Lin said and sat up straight.

"A what?"

"A contract is a deal where—"

"I know what a contract is." Fred interrupted. "But why do you want to make one?"

"Because I think we should have some ground rules." She pulled out a standard muggle lined paper and a muggle pen. "Rule #1: no public affection." She wrote down exactly what she said.

"Woah woah woah. If you're gonna be my girlfriend, I want to show the world you're my girlfriend." Fred tried to reason.

"But you know I don't like people. And affection. So no public affection." Lin cleared her throat before continuing, "Rule #2: Don't tell anyone until we both agree the time is right." She scribbled it down, skipping a line.

"So you want to keep us a secret?" Fred asked skeptically.

"Just for now.... Until I'm ready to tell people." Lin replied. "You know Ron will act out or something."

"Okay. I can see that." He nodded. Fred didn't fully agree with this but it's what Lin was comfortable with for now.

"Rule #3: I don't do sappy romantic stuff."

"I don't know..." Fred teased. "This all sounds pretty sappy to me."

She just ignored him. "Rule #4: I don't fall in love."

Fred looked kind of disappointed at that. He recovered and nodded, even though he didn't mean it.

Now his goal was to make her fall in love with him. He was already knee-deep himself....

+++++

"Expelliarmus!" Cho said in a small voice. She looked behind her and stared at Harry.

He looked at her and walked past to Neville.

"Expelliarmus!" Padma's wand flew into the air, disarming her.

Everyone rushed over to congratulate Neville.

"I knew you could do it!" Lin encouraged him.

"Fantastic Neville." Harry congratulated. "Well done."

"So that's it for this lesson." Harry told everyone. "Now, we're not gonna be meeting again until after the holidays." Everyone groaned at that. "So just keep practicing on your own as best you can. And well done, everyone. Great, great work."

Everyone started clapping at Harry. "Well done mate." Ron whispered to Harry.

"Thanks."

Lin and Hermione exchanged a smile among themselves when they see Harry staring at Cho.

"See you in the common room Harry." Hermione tells him and walks away with Ron.

Harry starts to walk through the crowd wishing him a happy christmas to Cho.

Ginny stops in the doorway and looks back at him. Lin remembers her little crush on Harry and flings an arm over her shoulder. "Come on, Ginny. Let's go get your mind off him."

+++++

After Lin talked and walked with Ginny to the common room, Ginny went up the stairs and went to bed. Lin stayed by the fireplace with Hermione and Ron to wait for Harry.

"Well, how was it?" Hermione asked when Harry got back.

"Wet." Lin, Hermione, and Ron gave him a look. "I mean, she was sort of crying."

"That bad at it, are you?" Ron teased.

"I'm sure Harry's kissing was more than satisfactory." Hermione told Ron. Harry gave a small nod. Ron stifled a laugh but Hermione saw it. "Cho spends half her time crying these days."

"You'd think a bit of snogging would cheer her up." Ron joked.

"Don't you understand how she must be feeling?" Hermione asked him. Ron didn't answer. "Well, obviously she's feeling sad about her friend Cedric... and confused about liking Harry and guilty about kissing him... conflicted because Umbridge might sack her mum from the Ministry... and frightened of failing her classes because she's worrying about everything else." Hermione said quickly.

"One person couldn't feel all that. They'd explode." Ron said exasperated.

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon." Lin remarked.

The four exchanged looks before bursting out into laughter.

Fred and George walked up to the four and greeted everyone. "Hey, Lin. Come up to our dorm. We want to show you something." Fred told her. Hermione wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at her best friend.

"Sure."

Lin and the twins walked up the stairs and went into their dorm. Lee was inside and he greeted her. "Hey Toh."

"Hi." She said back awkwardly.

George walked to his bed and reached down underneath it. He pulled out a notebook. He handed it to Fred and Fred opened it.

"This is our book of ideas and orders." Fred explained.

"Sorry it's a bit messy." George apologized.

The book was your standard composition notebook. Inside were scribbles and quick drawings in ink.

"Why are you showing me this?" Lin asked confused.

"Well..." Fred flipped a few pages. On the page he flipped to were their plans for her ideas.

Lin looked up to meet his eyes. "You went through with them?"

"Of course we did, love. They were bloody brilliant."

George noticed them staring intensely at each other. "Well, I'm heading off to bed now. Wouldn't want to be your third wheel." He hops into Lee's bed and they start to cuddle. (I SHIP GLEE)

Fred gets into his covers and so does Lin. They start to cuddle too. "It's getting late." Fred says after a couple of minutes, tracing shapes on her shoulder.

"Actually..." Lin trails off. "Could I stay with you tonight?"

Fred looks at her shocked. "Yeah.. Yeah of course."