AUTHOR'S NOTE - In case some of you are confused, I have updated my name from JerveGirl to IamMrsGeorgeWeasley for reasons relating to my personal life. And partly because George is my favorite character!
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Chapter Nine
A Lost Bet and A Hasty Goodbye
George
George and Maryse reappeared as instantly as they had disapparated from underneath the Black Alder tree only seconds before. Having done side-along apparition in the past and knowing what the first time felt like, he kept his hold on Maryse for a moment to ensure she didn't fall down. While he knew he could prevent her from falling, he was hoping she could prevent herself from vomiting.
"You alright?" he asked her after a while.
"My entire body feels like it had just been vacuum-sealed," Maryse responded through several deep breaths.
"At least you haven't vomited," George offered encouragingly.
"That may yet still happen," she said although George couldn't tell if she was joking or being serious. After a few more minutes and no indication that she would, indeed, be sick, her breathing returned to normal and she was able to stand up straight. She looked George dead in the eye and said, "Next time, give me a little more warning."
"Sorry. I keep forgetting that what I got adjusted to growing up, you're still learning as you go," he apologized wholeheartedly, glancing at the ground uneasily.
"So this is where you live?" George looked up and saw Maryse staring at the crudely-put together structure that he had called home for the last 17 years.
"I know it isn't much compared to where you live-."
"It looks homely," Maryse said, cutting George off. She turned to look at him with a smile. "Your family has done a wonderful job giving this house character. Is your mum inside? You said she would absolutely love to meet me."
While Maryse began to walk towards the house, George stood rooted to where he was, flabbergasted by her response. It was definitely not what he was expecting her to say and not what he expected her reaction to be. Many other families made his family the laughing stock of the wizarding community because of their finances, or lack thereof. He couldn't help but be confounded.
Maybe, just like Maryse, he had his own insecurities he needed to work on.
"Are you coming or am I going inside without you?" she called to him when she noticed he wasn't walking with her.
Seeing that she was almost to the front door, George quickly raced to catch up to her. Once he did, however, he grabbed her arm and brought her to a stop, turning her to face him.
"I do have to warn you. My family can be a little...," George began, searching his mind for the right word to use. "Curious. Especially my dad. He'll want to know everything about you and your life growing up as a Muggle. And my mum-."
Maryse silenced him with a kiss, cutting him off midsentence. When she pulled away, George looked into her eyes, left speechless once more.
"I'm sure your family is wonderful. You don't need to worry about them scaring me off," she told him assuredly before caressing his cheek with her free hand. "I truly can't wait to meet them."
Nodding, George led her the rest of the way to the house. He opened the door and walked in, Maryse closely behind him. After having been inside of her home where everything was nearly brand new, it left him feeling chagrined at his own family's rustic-like dwelling. George closed the door behind them and called out, "Mum, I'm home."
Almost instantly he heard a clatter from the kitchen and rustling feet as someone made their way towards the front door. Soon, a lady with hair as red as his own appeared from around the corner.
"Oh, you made it back safely and all in one piece! I was worried you may have splinched yourself," she exclaimed upon seeing her son. Her eyes roamed past him until she was looking at Maryse standing behind him. "Who is this?"
"Mum, I'd like you to meet Maryse. She's the one Fred's been telling everyone about," George answered, feeling his face breaking out in a blush. "Maryse, this is my mum, Molly Weasley."
"So this is her?" Molly asked exuberantly, scurrying past George until she was standing directly in front of Maryse. She immediately cupped Maryse's cheeks and gave her a warm, welcoming smile. "She's absolutely stunning! Very beautiful. Arthur! George is home and he's brought company!" Molly grasped Maryse by the hand and led her into the house.
Maryse looked back at George and gave him a look that insinuated he was in trouble when she got back. He only laughed and shook his head before calling out, "I warned you!"
…
After only five minutes alone with Arthur Weasley, I began to wonder if George had felt as overwhelmed when my own father had been asking him questions about his upbringing. He asked me everything from what I normally ate at home, to the time my old school started their days, to what games I played as a child. Every answer I gave seemed to intrigue him even more and would ensue another round of questions down to the fine details. Molly, on the other hand, kept asking us from time to time to see if we would like something to eat. It made me feel bad every time I would see her look of dismay when I would decline until I eventually caved and agreed to every little morsel Molly offered.
George came to my rescue a couple of hours after I had been whisked away for my own line of questioning. I had to take a silent breath of relief once I was away from their line of view. They were friendly and I enjoyed meeting them, but one could only take so much before they needed a break.
"I'm sorry about that," George apologized to me sincerely as we made our way to the living room slowly.
"I should be apologizing to you. I know how you felt when my own dad was questioning you," I laughed lightly as we sat down on the couch.
"No need for it. I'm sure your dad was far easier to handle than my own dad was," George said, winking at me with a sly grin on his face.
"Anyone's dad is easier to handle than our own," Fred chimed in from the doorway as he, too, entered the living room. He walked over and plopped down on the couch next to me, sandwiching me between the two of them. "I do have to give you props, though. Anyone who can make it away from our dad before freaking out deserves respect."
"He's done this before?" I asked Fred, shoving him away as his arm wound around my shoulders playfully.
"All the time! You should ask Harry sometime what he went through when he first met our folks," George answered, replacing Fred's arm with his own.
"I can only imagine what his line of questioning was like…"I said, trailing off as I noticed Ron in a far corner of the room in front of a chess set. Seated across from him was a very bored looking Ginny. "Are they playing Wizard's Chess?"
"That's all he plays. There's a reason why he's the best player at school," George whispered in response.
"I swear he's the only one at school that even plays anymore," Fred whispered after George.
I pondered to myself a moment before saying, "I think I could beat him."
Both the twins looked at each other and laughed in unison at my remark.
"You don't think I could?" I asked, looking back and forth between them.
"Not a chance," Fred answered casually, crossing his leg and leaning back into the couch, looking completely relaxed.
"No one has beat him in years. In fact, nobody ever wants to play with him anymore because he never loses. The only reason why Ginny is over there is because she lost a bet to us and has to play him whenever he asks for the rest of the summer," George said, beaming and looking proud of himself.
"A bet, you say?" I asked fiendishly, my mind buzzing as an idea formed in my head. "I have a proposition for the both of you. How would you feel about making a bet with me?"
"With you?" George asked, looking at Fred with inquisitiveness.
"If I win against Ron in a game of Wizard's Chess, you both have to cut your hair," I said smoothly, crossing my own legs and sinking back against the couch.
"And if you lose?" Fred asked ambivalently.
"If I lose, I'll cut my hair," I offered without blinking, looking back and forth at the two of them.
They looked at each other once more before saying together, "You're on."
"Excellent," I purred deviously, putting one hand on each of their legs and hoisting myself off the couch. I casually strolled over to where Ron and Ginny were and stood behind Ginny's chair. "Wizard's Chess. I've heard a lot about this game. Mind if I play?"
"Be my guest!" Ginny said hurriedly before evacuating her chair and walking briskly out of the room.
"Have you ever played before?" Ron asked me skeptically, arranging the chess pieces back in their starting positions.
"Not Wizard's Chess, but I've played muggle chess before and I was quite good at it," I answered simply, sitting down in the vacant chair across from him.
"I've got to warn you, I'm no beginner in this game," Ron warned.
"So I've heard. Neither am I," I responded. "Ready to play?"
…
George
"Oh, it doesn't look that bad!" Maryse laughed as she and George sat on his trunk next to the open window in his room after George had finished receiving a haircut from his mum.
"I can't believe I agreed to that bet," George said, running his hands across his head as he mourned the loss of his hair. "If I'd have known you were that good, I'd never have said yes."
"Come off it, George," Maryse said, taking both of his hands in hers. "You look fine."
"Says the one who got to keep her hair," he mumbled to himself.
"Well, I like it," she said while leaning forward and placing her forehead against his. "You look absolutely handsome, with or without your long hair."
George planted a kiss on her lips, gripping her hands firmly in his. "I still can't believe you won. Out of every bet I've ever made, this should have been one that I won."
Exasperated, Maryse threw her hands up in the air and leaned back against the window frame. She stared out into the night, gazing at the stars in the sky. George looked at her and found he had to fight for breath. He was instantly brought back to the night of the Yule Ball at the top of the Astronomy tower. The way she looked then was how she looked now. The only difference was she was wearing a light blue tank top and blue jeans instead of her silver dress.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you look in the light of the night?" George asked.
Maryse half-turned her head to him, staring at him out of the corner of her eye. It looked as if she was waiting to see if he would say something that would entice her to forgive him for his moping about his hair.
"The way you become illuminated in the full moon," George started, scooting closer to her. "The way the stars make your eyes appear darker, but yet make them sparkle at the same time." He moved a little bit closer, gingerly reaching his hand out closer to hers. "I noticed it the first time in the Astronomy tower. You've always been beautiful, but there's something about the night that makes you stand out above everything else." George closed his hand around hers and pulled her towards him until their foreheads were touching again. "What have you done to me, Maryse?"
"What do you mean?" she asked curiously, staring into his eyes.
"You make me do things and feel things I've never done or felt before. No one else has ever had this much of a hold on me before and it terrifies me," he confessed, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest with each word that he spoke. "It terrifies me because I don't know if I'm ever going to do something that fucks everything up and you leave because of it.
"George-," Maryse started before George cut her off by placing a finger to her lips.
"Please, don't say anything or I don't think I'll ever have the courage to do it again. I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but I love you," he said, pulling his head back and looking at her face for her reaction.
"I love you, too," Maryse said back, smiling.
George smiled back as she leaned in, kissing him slowly. He cupped her face in his hands and pulled her closer to him, replaying her words over and over in his mind.
"I'm giving you my heart," George said when they pulled away, her face still in his hands. "Please don't break it."
Maryse was about to say something response when they were interrupted by someone opening the bedroom door. Molly stood in the doorway, ashen-faced.
"George," she said, seeing the two of them sitting on the trunk together. "Oh, I'm sorry if I was interrupting something, but George needs to take you home now, dear. Something important has just come up and it requires us all to leave as soon as possible. It was so nice to meet you, Maryse, and I do hope to see you again." Molly gave a quick smile, but George noticed that it didn't reach her eyes like it usually did. As quickly as she had come, she was gone.
"I wonder what this is all about," George said, staring at the open door.
"I hope it wasn't because of me," Maryse said back.
"No, it wasn't you. I'm sure of it. She only looks that way when something big happens," he assured her quickly, looking at her apologetically. "It sounded like it was pretty serious, so I better get you home. Hang on."
George grabbed her around the waist and disapparated.
…
George and I apparated right outside the front door of my parent's house. This time, however, I was more prepared and was able to recover more quickly than I had earlier that day.
"I guess this is where we part ways," I said sullenly, looking up at him.
"Unfortunately. I wish we didn't have to, but I don't think this is something my mum wants anyone else to know about, whatever it is. I'll see you on the train though, yeah?" George asked, stepping closer to me.
"Of course," I answered, wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug. His arms held me just as tightly, keeping me next to him for as long as possible. When he finally let go and stepped back, I didn't see a smile on his face.
"Write to me," he said before he disapparated once more, leaving me standing alone in the dark.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE#2 - I hope you all were able to put two and two together when it came to the ending. I also wanted to put my own twist on why the Fred and George had left GOF with long hair and came back with short hair in OOF. It only made sense since my story is based around George and my OC. Hopefully it was enjoyable! To all my followers, thank you! It's you guys who keep me writing! Please review!
