A/N: This was written for Kore-of-Myth's shuffle challenge on the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges forum.
The idea was to turn on iTunes and press shuffle, play five or more tracks (I did five), and write only for the amount of time the song played. Skipping songs wasn't allowed…and that was definitely hard. Who would have thought the Spice Girls would make an appearance?
I didn't intend for the entire thing to be Katie/George centric, but it worked out that way, and I'm kind of proud of it.
Each section has a different song that inspired it. They appear in the order they were played. They're a little rough, but I suppose that was the point of the challenge.
-- Shuffle --
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Kelly Clarkson: Breakaway
Katie stared out from her bedroom window down at the Hogwarts grounds. The air was quiet but for the laughter floating up to her ears from two feisty red-heads below.
She smiled as she watched them soar around on their broomsticks, tossing a stolen Quaffle back and forth between them.
She often wondered if she'd ever end up like that: happy…content…free.
Free from the constraints of everyday life…the rules and regulations that were all around her. The rules of that cow Dolores Umbridge…those of her parents…the Ministry…everyone.
She pondered the possibility as she gazed out at the twin boys soaring beneath the castle.
They never had that problem. They had always been that way. Carefree, happy…never did they manage to let the constraints get in their way.
Why couldn't she be more like them?
Katie sat there in quiet consideration for what seemed like ages. The sky got progressively darker, and it got harder to make out the bright red of Fred and George's hair.
Then, it suddenly occurred to her.
She was being stupid. She didn't have to stay there. She didn't have to be held down by everyone around her. She was like the twins. Had she not followed Fred and George around since first year? Had she not gotten in nearly as much trouble for skipping class and sneaking out in the night as they had?
Katie pulled on her jeans and a sweater, feeling elated by her revelation. She yanked open her dormitory window and called out to Fred and George. They immediately stopped their giddy banter and looked up at her.
"Oy, Kates, you fancy a fly?" Fred called up to her.
She grinned at them and clamoured up onto the sill of her window, crouching with difficulty in the small space. George realized at once what she intended to do, and made a beeline for the window.
Katie jumped, screaming with delight as she hurtled toward the ground.
She felt a weight lift off of her chest. She was free.
George caught her easily before she hit the ground, and Katie broke into a fit of hysterical giggles. George eyed her with curiosity, but didn't ask. Katie had a tendency of acting strangely.
She hugged him tightly, and demanded to be a part of their game.
She had been right all along. She wasn't free…but she was exactly where she needed to be.
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Def Leppard: Long Long Way to Go
The memory of his cold, dead eyes still haunted her.
She couldn't weep. She couldn't bring herself to move, or to speak to those around her. There were many people there, watching as his body was placed into the ground. They were crying, but she couldn't. She was still in shock.
It couldn't be true.
How could she go on without him? There was so much emptiness…so much pain. And yet, she couldn't express it. She was at a loss. Fred was gone.
George was next to her, crumpled and broken…a shadow of the young man she once knew. He stood still, letting his tears fall freely down his face. Katie couldn't stand to look over and see him in such a state. For her, the twins had always been strong, independent...so full of life. She looked up to them, and to see George torn apart like he was…it was almost as painful as losing Fred.
It was heart-wrenching.
The funeral came to a close, and Katie placed her arms around George. He responded, but only just enough to welcome her embrace. He said nothing.
They fell to the ground together, Katie cradling the red-head in her arms.
She sat with him for what seemed like ages.
She sat as everyone else went home.
She sat as the last of the tears that had been shed dried on the surface of the dirt where Fred lay.
And she sat…sat staring into the broken face of her best friend, and up into the sky at the lost face of Fred Weasley.
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The Romantics: What I Like About You
Couples were dancing all around the room.
As far as Katie was concerned, it was a ridiculous affair, really. She hated dances.
Angelina and Fred's arms were flailing around stupidly. Alicia flirted shamelessly with one of the Durmstrang boys—who very clearly couldn't understand a thing she was saying. And a pretty Beauxbatons girl clung to the shoulders of Lee Jordan, who was looking overly pleased with himself…as usual.
That was one end of the spectrum. On the opposite end were Harry and Ron, who were seated at an empty table feeling sorry for themselves.
Katie didn't seem to be on either end of the stick. No, she was quite a different story.
Despite her strong dislike for dancing, she allowed herself to be captured by the contagious mood of the night.
She flushed up at the sight of George extending his hand for her to take. She smirked and took it, letting him spin her dangerously into the crowd of students.
He was quite good at dancing, surprisingly. Then again, the Weasley twins were full of surprises.
As they swayed back and forth, laughing and tripping over each other, Katie noticed she didn't look all that different from her other friends. She was…enjoying herself.
George dipped her low, and Katie realized…
Maybe she really did like dances.
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Van Halen: You Really Got Me
There was one word for Quidditch practice:
Intensity.
There wasn't much else to it.
Angelina drove everyone mad with her practices. She definitely took over as Quidditch Nazi after Oliver left. In fact, she seemed to have dominated the title…and that was saying something.
Of course, her authority didn't seem to affect all of the team members…namely, the Weasley twins.
Fred and George were goofing off, as usual. But something caught the eye of one Mr. George Weasley, and his attention momentarily lapsed.
Katie Bell.
She was so fluid in her flying. So graceful…and yet, George knew she was anything but that off the pitch. She was clumsy, loud, and definitely unladylike.
And yet, he couldn't stop himself from staring.
He watched her with quiet awe as she sped around the pitch, tossing the Quaffle back and forth between Alicia and herself. She really did have an arm on her.
George ignored the calls of Angelina as she tried to refocus his attention on the task at hand. She failed miserably.
"Would you quit staring at Bell and get your head back in the game?" Angelina barked.
George frowned, and Katie spun around to glare at him.
"Hey! Bugger off, George, or I'll beat you over the head with that bat so hard, you won't be able to stare at anything!" Katie threatened.
She spun back around to send the Quaffle flying easily past Ron.
Yeah, Katie Bell was something else.
And George liked it that way.
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Spice Girls: Wannabe
After all the years Katie Bell had spent following the Weasley twins around, one thing became quite certain.
George was in love with her.
He was quite sure she was in love with him, too. That much he thought was obvious.
And yet, any time he tried to break through her exterior and dig deeper…tried to take the relationship to the next level, she brushed him off easier than turning down a date with Severus Snape.
It was a strange sensation that it left him with. Not quite heart-broken…but definitely a little upset.
After all the years they had been friends, there was no doubt in his mind there was no one better for him than Katie Bell.
The thought was frustrating, but he tried to let it roll off his shoulder. He wasn't about to force her into anything she didn't want…even if he knew deep down that they should be together.
Because George knew, friendship was more important than anything else.
He knew that after school, life was going to get progressively more difficult. The idea of the outside world was foreign to him. And with the return of the Dark Lord, who knew what was in store for any of them.
He knew beyond all else, that the most important thing for he and Katie was friendship.
It was their friendship that was going to get them through the best…and worst…that life had to offer.
And for now, that was good enough for him.
Because George knew…friendship lasts forever.