Chapter Twelve: Shocking News and Quidditch Resentment.
AN: Reeally short chapter here guys, the next one is a super long one to make up for it :)
Later that same evening I decided to finally risk showing my face in the common room. Rebecca and I were sat in a corner of the room chatting about Harry and Cho, Tabitha had joined us but as soon as Zacharias and his now girlfriend started kissing right beside us she'd disappeared. Taylor and his friends were sat by the fire chatting Rebecca kept informing me when Taylor was looking over, which seemed to happen every few minutes. She'd just asked me how many people I thought Danielle had managed to tell about Harry and Cho at dinner, as I was laughing at our guesses Rose came quietly into the common room. It wasn't until she was stood beside me saying my name that I even noticed the quiet little blonde.
"Verity..." She whispered out I looked up at her she just smiled one of her sad smiles. "George is waiting outside for you... He asked me to come get you." She explained,
"Oh..." I said my eyes glanced over to Taylor who had taken a new interest in our conversation and heard what Rose said. He glanced at me with what I was sure was a foreboding look but I just broke the contact and looked back at Rose.
"Thanks Rose." I nodded to her as I got up and left the common room. As the barrels rolled around to allow my exit I found George nervously stood at the end of the hallway glancing left and right at the other pathways. I frowned as I approached him.
"George... No Fred?" I asked, he whipped around to face me as soon as I spoke. He shook his head to my question his eyes nervously glancing up at the barrels until they finally rolled back into place then he spoke.
"How was your date?" He asked glancing back behind him now suspiciously looking up the pathways again. I could tell he was just making small talk so I decided not to explain the disaster that was my morning.
"It was okay..." I lied. "How was Quidditch?" I finally asked as his eyes now glared back at the barrels assuring himself they hadn't opened.
"Awful, your team might actually have a chance in this... But you know, if they win.. I don't I dunno what I'll do..." He said melodramatically making me laugh at him only he didn't laugh. His eyes once again suspiciously glanced around behind him. I looked around him now myself expecting to see something to explain his behaviour. When I didn't however I finally questioned him.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked forcing him to look at me now as I slipped my hand on to his arm.
"Look... Fred didn't want me telling you or Tabitha this until we were absolutely sure that we were going ahead with it.. But I don't think I'd be able to face you without telling you..." He sighed I raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "So in other words... Don't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you okay? Not even Tabitha..." I nodded at him but that wasn't enough he just raised his eye brows.
"Yeah, okay I promise I won't tell anyone... Not even Tabitha." I added when he still didn't look like he was going to continue.
"Fred and me, well, we've been talking a lot lately.. I mean, we were considering not even coming back in the first place.." His thoughts were jumbled and it was clear in his words. I moved my other hand to his other arm now. My grey eyes bore into his own brown ones.
"You're not making sense George..." I smiled out he nodded at my words.
"Right yeah well, Fred and me, we didn't really want to come back to Hogwarts this year.. I mean with our Weasley products doing so well we don't really need to..." He explained I felt something drop in my gut as my wide eyes examined his face for any sign that this was a joke.
"And well we've got the money to do it so..." He sighed. "We're gonna leave, Fred and me... With the added insult of Umbridge being here this year too, and now she's banned us from Quidditch. I mean we just don't see the point in staying in this place when we have nothing to look forward to anymore... Without Quidditch Hogwarts has become pretty much pointless..." His words cut me like a knife, was there nothing not a thing else he could think of to stay for other than Quidditch. I blinked back some tears and they went unnoticed by George.
"I mean it's only a matter of time until Umbridge expels us anyway right? Plus we're thinking of opening a shop, selling our stuff y'know.. Oh Verity no don't cry..." But I'd hardly heard what else he'd said. I was still fighting the tears that were threatening to disperse over the fact that he didn't care for anything in Hogwarts other than Quidditch. He pulled me in for a hug and I took the opportunity to hide my face even though I didn't exactly feel like hugging him right now.
"I promise we'll still see each other, don't cry cause then I'll cry!" He joked but he didn't get it. I wasn't upset over his leaving, well maybe that was part of it, but mostly I was just mad. Hogwarts was pointless without Quidditch?! What about me?! I just allowed his hands to rub my back though before he pulled away from me slipping his hands to my cheeks and holding my face.
"Please don't tell Tabitha about this okay? It's still not a sure thing and Fred wants to be the one to tell her..." He said right into my face I just nodded blinking, a few tears slipping down my cheeks. He wiped them away with a sad smile on his face.
"We will say a proper goodbye to you both before we leave, if we leave, but for now I just wanted... I don't know... I guess I wanted to prepare you?" He sighed pulling me in for another hug we stood for a good minute just cuddling. I realised how much I'd miss the trickster which only made more tears come to my eyes. I tried talking myself out of crying right there by telling myself it wasn't going to happen. He pulled away again smiling at me.
"I'll see you tomorrow okay?" He asked before slipping away as quietly as I had appeared. I just stood there in the entrance way to the common room for what felt like hours, he'd left me in such an emotional rush of feelings. Finally I moved my eyes to look at the barrels don't tell anyone rang through my head in George's voice. I wiped my face taking a couple of long deep breaths hoping I'd sorted out my possibly puffy face. Then I walked back into the common room trying my hardest to place a fake smile on my face. Taylor approached me almost instantly making me actually jump back slightly. I smiled at him regardless.
"Taylor..." I nodded once towards him remembering that he'd heard Rose's message to me.
"What was that about?" He asked I blinked a couple of times at his brashness before shaking my head another false smile coming to my lips. In truth though my mind was reeling for some excuse to give him as my eyes fell to the watching Rebecca at my side.
"That? Oh it was uh-" He cut off my deceptive words.
"Nothing?" He asked in a tone that did not sound like his own at all. My eyes shot straight back to his own, there was venom behind them a venom I'd never seen from him before. I just nodded he did too but with a vicious look on his face. He stormed away from me and through the boys' dorm doorway. I blinked a few times not moving I felt that gut wrenching feeling coming over me again and was sure I was going to cry. From the corner of my eye I saw Rebecca give me a pitiful smile walking over to me and ushering me upstairs.
The next week passed without me speaking to Taylor and, surprisingly, without me telling Tabitha George's news. All the girls were in our room that night I was using my wand to paint a badger on to my cheek. I'd already written 'HUFFLEPUFF' in yellow on the other cheek. The five of us were either in yellow or black and Rebecca, one not normally known to take part in Quidditch fun, even had 'GO BADGERS!' painted on her cheek. I grinned around at the girls as we now left the room heading down for the Quidditch pitch. As we arrived we heard a fresh chorus of 'Weasley is our King' being sung by the Slytherins. I was shocked to discover that even some of out own Hufflepuff's were singing along. I scowled at those who were we were not known for our anger in Quidditch and I didn't want our house to fall to the foolish whims of Slytherins. Once we got to the top of the stands, I noticed Taylor stood a few feet away from us. He didn't scowl at me though, that was a first for the week. The other girls and I found a good spot on the stands as the match started. Within the first few minutes it was already clear that Gryffindor were going to lose. Zacharias was on his top form and Gryffindor's new beaters had nothing on Fred and George. I just allowed a chuckle to leave my lips at the sight of one of their new beaters screaming and falling off his broom when Zacharias flew past him with the Quaffle. My laughter was cut short however when two red-haired sour faced boys joined my side.
"Hello boys!" I said turning to the twins George only nodded to me and Fred didn't even acknowledge me his face set in a glare at Zacharias. I wondered how good an idea it was to have the twins sit with us, in amongst a bunch of Hufflepuffs and right beside Verity, when he started cursing Zacharias Smith. Loudly. The tenth goal was scored and Fred stood out of his seat calling Zacharias every word he could think of gaining a scowl from a few surrounding Hufflepuffs. The day didn't get any easier however when Taylor decided to come rushing over to our group with a huge smile on his face.
"We're beating Gryffindor! Can you believe it!?" He shouted ecstatically I felt a little too loudly as he gained glares off the twins. I wondered if he was doing it on purpose but the way his voice dropped whenever I discreetly pointed out the twins to him made me think otherwise.
"Oh..." He grumbled now glaring from me to George who was stood right beside me. "What are you two doing over here?" He questioned as though they weren't allowed to be here. Just before I could point out that there was no set rules to where people had to sit George spoke.
"Beating the crap out of any Hufflepuffs who are getting a little too overconfident..." He hissed out I just sighed at his anger as he glared straight at Taylor now.
"George!" I hissed reproachfully batting his arm Taylor looked a little guilty for his words.
"Ah, sorry man..." He apologised which seemed to even shock George, until.. "You gotta admit though your Keeper is absolutely rubbish!" At his words a few things happened, I rushed forwards gripping Taylor's arm and pulling him down the stairs of the stands. Tabitha and the girls all moved past me and over to the twins holding them back. While the twins had both lunged towards Taylor going to grab him.
"Taylor, what the hell are you thinking?! You know that Ron's their brother!" I hissed at him once we got far enough down the stairs. Taylor still looked a little shocked at the twins' attempts to attack him but quickly snapped out of it.
"What the hell am I thinking?! What the hell are you thinking?! Those two are so much older than you and their in Gryffindor! You shouldn't be hanging around with them so much!" He hissed I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "And you especially shouldn't be hanging out with them when we're against them in a match!" He hissed I scowled at him.
"Taylor, did you get hit by a jinx or something!? You're acting like a nutter! You boys and your resentment at Quidditch! It's not needed! Fred and George are my friends and I will hang out with them whenever I want!" I hissed at him he just let out a patronizing laugh.
"Oh just your friends huh!?" He questioned I couldn't help the blush that rose to my cheeks at his words. I didn't have time to defend myself before he spoke again. "Exactly what I thought!" He hissed storming away. I stood there in the stairwell for what must have been at least five minutes, I heard cheers, roars and the voice of Lee Jordan telling me what was happening pass right by me as we scored more goals. Finally I broke out of it and climbed back up the stairs finding my place once more between Tabitha and George.
"So... What did the little prick have to say for himself?" He growled out to me as soon as I got back. I looked over to him his eyes stayed glaring at the match ahead of him. I just looked at him for a few moments realising that I had just had an argument with Taylor, a boy who has wanted nothing more than to be with me since I met him four years ago. Over this guy in front of me, George, a boy who had never shown any sign of ever having been or going to be interested in me. We'd argued over a non-existent relationship that I was fooling myself into believing I had with George when there was no need for it. It could all be so easily resolved by me stopping my foolish beliefs that I had something with George when he doesn't even realise I care.
"He's not a little prick!" I snapped at him turning my eyes back to the pitch George looked my way now but Hufflepuff scoring, yet another, goal cause everyone to break into cheers and George to get distracted.