Katie sat at the edge of Hogsmeade on the cold ground as snow fell softly, perfect juxtaposition to the hard ground it fell to. Her brown jacket and old jeans had bits of dirt and grass clinging to them as her shoulders seemed to have white sprinkles layered across them. Her holed gloves barley fit her hands and her six year old Griffindor scarf was hanging loosely and frayed from around her neck. As an early, cold March breeze swept through the lightly wooded area, Katie drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on her knees. The strong breeze not only brought a sudden chill to the 17 year-old's bones, but also carried the laughter from town.

Letting out a long sigh she looked at the chipper town with a longing, loving look. She could see the hustle and bustle of the students. From her spot on the side of a small hill, she could see the third years laughing together, the fifth year couples holding hands and could just make out Madame Puddifoot's on the other side of town. Her eyebrows curved upward and her jaw locked in place at the sight of the frilly tea shop. She didn't need super eyesight to know that there were couples among couples among couples sitting in there. Now there was nothing wrong with that but she also knew that one of her closest friends was sitting in there by herself and probably on the verge of crying into her tea. She sighed as she ran a hand through her shoulder length, shaggy, golden blonde hair. Alicia and George had been going out for two years now, Katie had thought she had it bad.

Katherine Ann Bell and Fredrick James Weasley had been the closest of friends since their first train ride to Hogwarts, seven years back as 11 year olds. She smiled into the sleeve of her sweater as she reminisced about the thought. She herself had been as nervous as hell. She had always been a daddy's girl and even up to that day, so leaving home for a solid nine months was a tremendous thing for her to accomplish. She remember how "Her two redheads" had been bursting at the seams with unrestrained excitement. Sharing a compartment with them on their way made her more at ease and she found herself soon shaking off the anxiousness that had been thriving in her lately. She laughed at their jokes and told her own-she couldn't have been more ecstatic when all three of them were sorted into Griffindor.

Over the years she found herself spending more and more time with Fred rather than George. George, although as big of a prankster as his carbon copy, always seemed to be the more sentimental and compassionate one. Fred was loud, rash, hysterical, and almost as stubborn as herself. She often doubted the old saying about how opposites attract. Their friends would always joke about how they would wind up getting married someday and having enough kids for two Quidditch teams. Katie and Fred would always laugh it off with some well placed hits-to-the-shoulders. They would goof off when every they could, playing simple pranks on first years, sneaking into the kitchens for a midnight snack ceremoniously every Wednesday, and feeding French toast to the giant squid in the lake. Although George was the more touchy-feely one, Katie could always depend on Fred to rant to, to talk to, to tell him her current meaningless woes, and ask him for help with potions. Her freckled redhead told her he would always be there for her.

She remembered the day he told her that. She remembered that it was on the day that her mother owled her and told the beloved family border collie died, about a year ago. She remembered being completely devastated. She remembered sobbing into his broad shoulder, soaking his oxford, as she told him that she used to be able to tell Kaz anything as he held her tight. She remembered that that was the first time she had cried since she was in second year. She remembered him rocking her back and forth in the empty corridor and whispering comforting words in her ear. She remembered him reminding her of what a tough girl she was, that she had been knocked off her broom and broke her wrist only to get back on her broom and finish the game earlier that year. She remembered telling him that she thought Kaz would always be around for her. She remembered him promising that he would.

Her brow furrowed. A lot of good that promise had been. Now the rest of the school year was laid out before her and he wasn't around. He had always been her pillar of support. Even though everyone knew she was independent, sarcastic, stubborn as a mule who could kick just as hard, she felt somewhat lost without her redhead who would always making studying fun with his endless pot of jokes.

Katie had to admit it, she wanted to slap Fred across the face at the moment. Hell, sometimes he needed it and now was one of those times. She had thought it was pride swelling her up inside as he and his twin flew the coop in their greatest, and final, Hogwarts feat-sending her a wink just before flying off. But looking back she know new it was just a preview of the loneliness she would have to endure until the end of the school year. Tugging on a few blades of grass, Katie made a promise to herself that the second she had her graduation papers, she would march over to their new joke shop and hex the man ten times over.

With an angry moan Katie got to her feet. She brushed the grass and dirt off her jeans before rewrapping her old scarf. She looked down at her emerald sweater underneath her jacket and affectionately smiled at the large gold 'K' that Mrs. Weasley had stitched on the chest this past Christmas. With a deep breath, the 17 year old purposely marched into the quaint town.

Pushing her frustration towards her best friend to the back of her mind, she concentrated on reaching her destination. She side stepped laughing third years and managed to keep her lunch down when she saw a pair of sixth years eating each other's faces off. She could've sworn she saw Angelina laughing with Lee in The Three Broomsticks, but instead of going in for a butterbeer with them (like how she would normally interrupt their dates) she continued to the highly decorated tea shop.

Madame Puddifoot's was known for several things: the exuberant owner. The corny decorations. And couple upon couples upon couples eating each other's faces off as if their life depended on it. In short it was snog-o-rific. Looking through the large front window she wondered why Alicia and George had ever stepped foot inside the place.

Katie took a step closer to the window, pressing her hands and nose up against the glass. She caught sight of her friend and her brow furrowed and her throat clenched instantly. Alicia Spinnet looked as if she was on the verge of crying into her tea cup.

Sitting in the back of the shop Katie had to squint a bit to see the dark haired girl. In many ways, Katie and Alicia were very different people. Katie was loud while Alicia was timid. Katie was rash while Alicia over-analysised almost everything. Katie read a poem and saw a bunch of rhyming words and Alicia saw a masterpiece. Katie was stubborn while Alicia was willing-to-please. Katie had an athletic build while Alicia could disappear if you turned her to the side. Katie almost always had a smile plastered on her tanned face while Alicia's paler one always looked deep in thought. But though two very different girls, they were two very close friends.

The past four weeks Katie would rant to her about how her best friend left her high and dry and Alicia would listen patiently and then calmly help Katie recollect herself after a long outburst. But other times Katie would find herself giving the smaller girl long comforting hugs. And although the dark haired, dark eyed girl would quake, Katie noticed that she hardly shed a tear. That was one thing they had in common. Katie was too proud and stubborn and Alicia was too quiet and allergic to attention to sob and cry.

Katie watched as Alicia ran an elegant finger around the rim of her tea cup. She caught sight of one of her hands pressed up against the window and scowled at it. She really needed to learn to stop biting her nails. Pushing that to the back of her mind she dropped her hands and was about to go in and give the skinny girl a hug and join her for a cup of tea Katie could rant over. But just as the idea struck her, she saw Alicia looked up with a shocked expression on her face. And soon that turned into a broad smile. Her brow furrowed and pressed her nose up against the window as much as possible, hoping that this would give her some light on what was going on.

She became even more confused when she saw that Alicia stood up as tears started running down her face. As Alicia practically started sprinting across the shop from here she was tucked away in the back corner, she was meet halfway and threw her arms around the redhead man that was running towards her. Realizing that the redhead man was none other than George Weasley, Katie beamed for her friend and had to stop herself from jumping up and down with joy. Instead she kept smiling against the window.

"Couples just make me sick."

"They always have," Katie muttered offhandedly to the familiar voice coming behind her.

"I mean, look at them," they said as Alicia and George had quickly become part of the snogfest. "and then gag me."

"Fred," Katie laughed, "Don't be so mean, Alicia thought she lost him for good and-wait…" Katie turned around to see her redhead smirking down at her. "FRED!" she cried happily, throwing her arms around his neck before pulling away quickly and slapping him across the face.

"Ok," Fred said, placing a freckled hand over the red one on his equally freckled face, "I suppose I deserved that."

"How could you just take off on me like that?" she demanded outside the tea shop. "How could to two of you leave us? Alicia has been in a right state!" she slapped him again, "You could've made sure George at least sent her one owl." She slapped him once again, "You could've sent me one owl!" She raised her hand to slap him again but this time Fred grabbed her wrist. "Let me go Fred! I need to knock some sense into you!"

But before she could knock some sense into him he grabbed her in a tight hug. She tried to struggle against the strong arms wrapped around her waist holding her close to him. She tried to fight against the urge to hug him back. She fought against the urge to reach into her pocket, grab her wand and hex him ten times over.

"Kates," he groaned as she fought against him, "Just stop. I'm sorry, you know it. I should've owled you but I couldn't and I l-….I'm sorry."

"Fred," she sighed, pulling her head back to look at him, "If you knew then why didn't you?"

He hung his head, "I dunno…" he looked back up at her, "I guess I flew out before we learned that lesson."

She laughed lightly before hugging him back. She let her head fall against his shoulder, smiling to herself at how he was four inches taller than her and the perfect height for such actions.

"I really am sorry," he said as he rested his chin on her head. "And I promise I'll beat George over the head for not writing 'Lic. I could've sworn he was."

"So why didn't you write me?" she asked, her cheek laying against the base of his neck and enjoying the soothing coolness it brought.

"We really need to fix this stubbornness problem of yours."

"Fred."

"Ok, ok," he sighed. "I must've started a dozen, really though," he assured her with a tight squeeze. "I just didn't know what to say. 'hey Kates, I'm sorry for taking off and letting you deal on your own'. yeah, that sounds real nice."

Katie laughed against him. "I missed you Fred," she said after a moment or two.

"You say it like I haven't seen you for years," he chuckled.

"Well it feels like it," she looked up at him, "Honest, I've never been so bored in my whole life."

"Am I that charming?" he smirked as he cocked an eyebrow towards his deep red hair.

"You have no idea," she groaned, "I was actually trying to substitute you with Ron."

"Ronnie-kinns?" he laughed, "How did that work out?"

"Terribly. He refused to put a spider in this annoying Hufflepuff's soup." Fred laughed as she mumbled on about how he had start twitching when she mentioned the idea.

He leant over and planted a kiss on the side of her cheek which stopped her mumbling and caused her to stare blankly at him, "Thanks Kates."

"For what?"

"For slapping me across the face several times," he explained, "I deserved it."

"Like hell you did," she agreed. "Leaving me in a right state."

"I said I was sorry."

"And yet you still have not made it up to me."

"Let me?"

"No."

"Wha-what do you mean, no?" he stammered before she tilted her head up and caught his mouth in hers.

Though caught off guard by her actions-she even more than him-he rebounded quickly, holding her tighter to him, kissing her back as fiercely as she was. Ignoring the giggling second years, Katie felt all the anger and resentment residing in her quickly morph into unrestrained euphoria. If Fred hadn't been holding her so tightly she probably would've been jumping up and down in ecstasy if she had also been able to pry herself away from the freckled redhead which currently seemed impossible and inhuman.

"So umm," he stammered as he pulled his head back, his arms still wrapped around her shoulders, "Do you want to get some tea?"

"Hell no," she laughed, grabbing his hand as his brow furrowed confused, "Lets get some butter beers."

Her smile grew as he laced his fingers with hers and gave her hand a tight squeeze as they headed to the brightly light pub.

ok, so obviously i wrote the first author's note as long ago as when i actually started this oneshot. i am truly sorry though, i've had some inner and outer turmoil going on for a while and i never meant to put this into the back seat. honest. i know i probably should've asked for forgiveness with an Oliver/Katie fic but hey, i thikn this was pretty damn good. might at an epilogue somday. but hey, if i could dig this up gods know what other Oliver stories i've got for you guiys. and i think i even started the 60th chap. so ha! but if i do wind up making it the last chapter please don't yell at me! it's just that 60 is a nice, round, wholesome number and you all know it. but honestly,how many people have written 60 chapters anyway? it's not anything to scoff at, you know? but i will get it up. i promise i promise i promise. i wouldn't leave you all hanging, okz?

now if you could all proceed to review about the STORY with a tid bit on my long author notes that would be great. but the STORY NEEDS LOVE! thanks a bunch guys... i missed you and your little reviews so much!-honest.

lots o love!