(Chapter 8) Judgment
A/N I was supposed to have this out two weeks ago, but so much happens in this chapter I was determined to get right. I'd love to hear what you think on the evolution of Wren and her relationships with the various characters. Also I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this chapter is dedicated to Blue Kat for so many reasons. If by some crazy random happenstance you have not read her Fred Weasley fics, Playing With Fire or Delicate, please practice some self-care and do so.
Wren awoke to the sound of muffled giggles.
"Shhh!" someone hissed, the sound stuttering through their own muted laughter.
Confused and groggy, Wren blinked awake, her vision slowly focusing in on the high stone ceiling and the drapes that were entirely the wrong shade of red.
This wasn't her dorm.
Wren bolted upright, the action eliciting shrill giggles from the group of first year girls that scuttled away from where they had been peering over the couch at her.
The common room. She was in the common room.
Wait. Shit.
Wren spun around to look at where she'd just been lying and found it blissfully devoid of any red haired boys.
Thank Merlin.
Wren's shoulders dropped, feeling more relaxed at the knowledge that all the girls had been laughing about was a sixth year who fell asleep in relative public. She could handle the mild embarrassment of bad hair and drool. As long as there were no misguidedrumors floating around the school about her and "an unknown Weasley Twin," she was ok.
Wren swung her legs off the couch, pulling the quilt along with her as she trudged up the stairs to her dorm, praying she could slip in undetected.
The door swung open revealing her dormmates up and getting ready for the day. All of them. Even Genevieve Ramsey who spent far more time in her boyfriend's dorm than her own was there, standing in front of a mirror and curling her hair with her wand.
Angelina turned towards the door, hands still gathering up her braids to tie them into a bun. "Good morning," she greeted, raising her eyebrows at Wren.
"Morning," Wren said, dumbly, folding her quilt over her arms. Alicia looked up from where she was tying her trainers, a smile growing across her face.
"Thought you'd gone down to breakfast!" she laughed, straightening up. "I was like, 'Wow, she really meant it when she said we'd be seeing a new Wren.'"
"Not that new," Wren said, catching a slight furrowing of Angelina's brow before the other girl turned back to the mirror to finish doing her hair. Rather than dwell on it, Wren moved towards her bed to deposit her quilt and hopefully herself.
"So, what has you sneaking back into the dorm at this hour then?" Alicia asked in a mock-stern voice. Wren froze, turning to find both of her friends looking at her–Alicia with open curiosity and Angelina…she looked more anticipatory than anything else.
"I couldn't sleep last night," Wren answered with a sheepish smile. "I went down to the common room to see if I could sleep any better there. Apparently, I could."
She expected a laugh out of Alicia or really anything other than the worried look that crossed the girl's face. "You're not still stewing over your fight with Simon yesterday, are you?"
It became significantly harder to keep up her sheepish smile and casualness. She could feel the corners of her mouth straining to stay lifted. "More NEWTS stress than that," she lied.
This seemed to be enough to appease Alicia. Relief washed over her face, and with an acknowledging tilt of her head, she turned to tug a jumper on over her shirt. Angelina, however, remained focused on Wren, her gaze taking on a more appraising look.
Wren pretended not to notice and threw the quilt over her bed, running a hand over it to smooth out any wrinkles.
"We'll wait for you in the Common Room," Angelina said to Wren's back. "So we can go down to breakfast together."
Wren nodded, looking over her shoulder as Alicia straightened the hem of her jumper and Angelina looked passively at Wren. "Thanks."
The two girls left, Genevieve and Fiona following them shortly thereafter, leaving Wren alone in the dorm as if it were just another normal Sunday.
And perhaps if it was a normal Sunday, she would have turned down Angelina's invitation to breakfast. She hadn't planned on going down to eat. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and make up for all of the time she'd lost to sleeplessness and Fred. But she couldn't do that. Not after blowing them all off yesterday and being so distant for the past two weeks. She'd promised to do better, and so, she had little choice but to shimmy out of her pyjamas, dress as quickly as possible, and descend the stairs to meet Angelina, Alicia, and Katie by the portrait hole.
Despite the start of her morning, the stairs aligned to make the walk down to breakfast a quick one with hardly any time for small talk or further questioning. Instead, Alicia and Katie chatted animatedly about whether or not Oliver Wood was indeed dating the Harpies' chaser Wilda Griffiths, and Wren and Angelina simply listened in on the speculation, Angelina throwing in her sickle in every now and then.
Soon enough, the girls pushed through the doors to the Great Hall, and Wren was met with the second surprise of her morning. Fred, George, and Lee were not only all down at the table, but they were very much awake and sitting hunched together in deep discussion. Fred was speaking to them with an intense look in his eye and his hands gesturing around wildly, all the while George and Lee had mirrored hesitant looks. Her stomach flipped. That couldn't mean anything good.
"What are they on about?" Katie asked, eyebrow quirked as she looked at Angelina and Alicia.
Alicia shook her head, "I don't know, but we better intervene before they turn the castle purple."
The group took off towards them, Wren wishing that "turn _ purple" had not become a common phrase within their friend group.
Lee caught sight of the girls first, his expression brightening as he lifted himself out of the discussion. "Oi! Who's the new girl?"
Fred and George both turned to look in their direction, Fred's agitation shifting into a grin, and George...shooting a look at Fred.
Wren offered a hesitant smile, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Hi," she offered meekly as Alicia slung an arm around Wren's shoulders.
"She's come back to us," Alicia said, cheerily as Lee beamed up at Wren.
"Excellent. Things weren't the same without you."
It was a disarmingly kind thing for him to say–so much so that Wren could only blink in response. She wanted to explain to them then exactly what had happened with her. She wanted to let it all out the way she had last night on the couch with Fred. She wanted them to know that it wasn't about them, and that she was more sorry than they could know, and she wouldn't ever let it happen again. But every time she went to vocalize Simon's jealousy, the words seemed to collide into each other, smashing into pieces before they could make it out. Even his name seemed impossible to say, and all she managed was "I'm sorry I was so distant."
It wasn't even half the apology they deserved.
"I have my priorities sorted now though, so I'm afraid you'll be stuck with my constant presence for the next two years," she added, lowering herself into the seat next to Fred.
Lee barked out a laugh as the other girls sank into the surrounding seats at the table.
"We'll have summers off at least," Fred supposed, and Wren allowed herself a real smile.
"I wouldn't count on it," she disputed, pulling the plate of scones closer to her. "I plan on showing up on each of your doorsteps at random and demanding you let me stay with you for a few days."
"Does this mean George and I will be stuck with you for twice as much time as the others?" Fred asked, a smile playing on his lips.
Wren grimaced, slicing open her scone. "I'm afraid so." She looked up at George expecting him to join in the banter, but instead he was sharing a look with Angelina that made Wren's stomach clench.
There was something the two of them weren't saying.
And it had to do with Wren.
The uneasy feeling that had made itself at home in Wren during Sunday breakfast hadn't gone away by Monday. If anything, it grew.
It was difficult to pin exactly where this feeling had come from or why it only seemed to grow in severity, but after several hours of obsessing, Wren came to the conclusion that the reason for this unsettled feeling was three-fold.
First, there was the fact that she hadn't so much as seen Simon since their semi-public fight in Hogsmeade, which left her feeling like their relationship was on shaky ground.
Then there were the shared looks between Angelina and George whenever she did as little as laugh at one of Fred's jokes.
But worst of all was the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she could do something to settle all of this uneasiness–if only she had any clue what that something was.
"Callendum," Cedric whispered from next to her. Wren looked up from her parchment to shoot him a quizzical look.
"You wrote calendula. It's callendum," he said, pointing to the word on her page.
She followed the gesture, eyes landing on what was clearly the wrong word. Marigolds weren't going to do much when it came to making someone's skin impervious to physical damage.
"Thanks," she murmured, striking through her error and adding the correction over top of it.
She could feel Cedric's attention still on her, and for a moment she thought he might say something else to her…
But then, the moment passed, and he turned his attention back to Snape, prompting Wren to follow suit. Except, she found it particularly hard to focus on what he was saying as his levitating chalk spelled out words on the chalkboard. There were several more times that she found herself stopping mid-word to correct her notes or asking Cedric to repeat what the professor had just said.
It was a relief when potions ended, and Wren was able to pack her things up. Packing up was methodical and practiced, and she found herself going through the motions without paying much attention to what she was doing or the fact that Cedric was casting concerned glances in her direction.
"Hey Wren," he started, and Wren jumped a bit before looking at Cedric up over her shoulder with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry," he apologized, and this time she noticed the concern that passed over his face before he continued. "I don't mean to overstep–I know we're not exactly friends, but…are you ok?"
Wren blinked in surprise at the question, and Cedric, mistaking the expression for confusion, hurried to explain.
"Nora and I saw you and Simon on Saturday," he said, flushing. "You seemed really upset, and Nora was really worried–then you seemed distracted all class…" he trailed off, reassessing Wren's expression. "I just–I hope you know that if you ever need to talk to someone–besides Nora and your friends of course– you can talk to me."
The corner of Wren's mouth twitched up into a small smile and somehow managed to stick, drawing a similar smile out of Cedric.
"That's really kind of you, Cedric," Wren said, folding the top of her bag over before hoisting it over her shoulder and starting towards the door of the classroom. "I'm ok, though."
Delving into the nuances of her relationship with Simon and Nora's years-long crusade against him was honestly the last thing she wanted to do right now. Plus for the fight to make any sense, she'd have to fill him on the specifics of her relationship with the Weasley twins, and even she couldn't sort out exactly what was going on there.
But thankfully, unlike some Hufflepuffs, Cedric seemed to pick up on her reluctance to talk about Saturday and decided not to push her on it. Instead, he let the subject drop with a nod.
Which was more of a relief than she possibly could have expected because hovering outside the door to the potions classroom was Simon.
Wren felt her stomach drop out from under her as his eyes gaze fixated on her and Cedric, who had his arm behind her back to hold the door open. It wasn't until Cedric followed her through the door and came to an abrupt stop by her side that Simon moved his gaze from the arm to Wren. His mouth pulled down into a slight frown.
"Diggory," he greeted, dispassionately. "Wren."
"Hi." The word fell soft and small to the stones at Wren's feet. She shifted her weight on her feet, tracing the path of her shoe laces' path through the eyelets. The air between them grew thick, and she swallowed hoping that he would either say something or pass her to go into the classroom.
"Can I walk you to class?" Simon asked, and Wren looked up from her feet at him before nodding. His eyes shifted to over her shoulder, and Wren turned, finding Cedric a bit closer than expected and his face uncharacteristically expressionless.
"Erm, I'll meet you there, Cedric. Thanks."
He nodded, hovering for a second more before he took off down the hall and, with one last quick glance back at Wren and Simon, disappeared up the stairs.
Wren followed Cedric's path, eyes focused ahead and decidedly not on Simon.
"So, you're friends with Diggory now?" Simon goaded, coming up alongside her.
She shook her head, turning up the staircase. "We've been friends."
Simon scoffed at this. "Don't tell me you're running around the castle with him too now."
"I'm allowed to have friends," Wren said, the statement sounding weaker from her lips than it did from Fred's.
"Merlin, Wren. You're always putting words in mouth. I'm not saying you can't have friends. Just that it's rather suspicious all of your new friends are guys."
It was tempting for Wren to take a turn at scoffing, but instead she simply sped up her step, taking the stairs quickly with Simon right on her heels.
"We need to talk about Hogsmeade," he called after her.
"Go ahead then," she said back, not bothering to turn around as she rounded the corner to head to the second floor.
"All I did was kiss you, my girlfriend mind you, and you completely lost your head over it because you didn't want your other boyfriends to see."
"They're not my boyfriends!" Wren exclaimed, coming to a sudden stop, and turning to look down at where he stood two steps down. "They're just my friends. And I wasn't mad because I didn't want them to see you kiss me. I was mad because you did." She spun back around, finishing her jog up the stairs and exiting to the second floor hallway.
"That doesn't make any sense," Simon snapped, grabbing hold of her elbow and pulling her back so she had to slow down or risk toppling over. He turned Wren towards him, ignoring the glower she was giving him as he maneuvered her. "Can you please stop being so emotional and just talk to me like a rational adult?"
Wren pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. She opened her mouth to speak, testing her voice to make sure it wouldn't give out on her. "I was mad because that kiss wasn't about how much you love me or how much you wanted me. It wasn't about me at all." Wren shook her head, pressing her lips together to keep her voice from breaking and regain an even tone. "You only kissed me because you thought it'd piss them off and because you wanted to show everyone there that I'm with you."
"And?" Simon asked, dropping her arm and looking at her as if she had well and truly lost her mind. "You spend all of your time hiding out around the castle with other boys. Everyone could do with a reminder that we're the ones dating. Apparently even you."
"Me? I'm not the one who–" she stopped herself, swallowing the end of her sentence as Simon grew very still, a cloud passing over his face.
"You're not the one who what?" His voice was cool and even. Dread knotted itself in the pit of Wren's stomach.
"Nevermind," Wren shook her head quickly, turning to continue on to class.
"No, Wren, what were you going to say?" he asked, grabbing her arm and yanking him towards her. She stumbled over her feet a few steps before her shoulder collided with his chest.
"Nothing," Wren murmured, going as motionless as she possibly could. Simon bent his head closer to her ear.
"Were you going to say you're not the one who slept with somebody else?" he bit, and Wren flinched.
"I didn't–"
"Because if you were, then I'd have to remind you whose fault that really was," he ground out, releasing her arm and taking a step back.
Wren didn't dare meet his eyes, instead staring at the ground and counting the number of stones between her and the staircase behind them.
"It all comes down to the fact that you don't really care about me or how I feel, doesn't it?" he snarled. "I tell you it hurts when you choose the twins over me, and you do it anyway. I tell you I want to take our relationship to the next level, and you refuse and make me do something I can't take back."
He began pacing then, running a hand through his hair before shooting her a dirty look. "Sometimes I wonder why I even put up with you. No one else would."
Wren breathed in sharply, retreating a step towards her classroom, but Simon didn't stop.
"I came to work things out, but it's like you're set on pushing me into the same situation again."
Wren opened her mouth and then shut it. The words wouldn't come.
Simon shook his head at her, disgusted. "Come find me when you're ready to apologize," he spat. And then, he turned away from her to head back down the stairs to the dungeons, leaving Wren alone to attempt to gather herself before she hurried to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Wren was the last person to walk into the classroom. Thankfully, she managed to somehow make it on time, but even still, she could feel stares on her as she walked briskly to her seat, sliding into it as quickly as possible.
"And here I was thinking you were skiving off," Fred grinned. Wren looked over her shoulder to him, and his smile instantly faded. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head maybe a bit too quickly for it to be at least somewhat believable that it was nothing. Or maybe it was the fact that she could feel her eyes watering and throat constricting.
"I–I can't–" Wren choked.
"Wren." His voice was as gentle as it had been when it'd been just the two of them on the couch in the common room, and the image caused Wren to bolt out of her seat and towards the front of the classroom.
Professor Moody was hunched over an array of papers on his desk, reviewing them with an air of intense focus. But as Wren grew closer, he acknowledged her gruffly with a "Collings" without even looking up.
"Professor Moody, I–" her voice caught, and she tried again. "I don't feel very well. May I go to the Hospital Wing?"
He looked up at her then, both eyes fixated intently on her. She wondered briefly if his blue eye could see more than just through her but into her. Could it read her thoughts? See her memories? But before she could crumble under its stare, it swiveled off into the side of his head. "Sit down, Weasley. You aren't going anywhere."
Heat rushed to Wren's face and she bent her head towards the floor, her hands fidgeting with the strap of her bag. If she had to stay here for a second longer she was going to throw up.
"Randolph?" Moody barked, and a chair scraped across the stones as Nora shot up out of her seat. Wren's head snapped to her cousin, but rather than focusing on Nora, her eyes fell on Cedric who was frowning up at her.
"Yes, sir?" Nora asked, her eyes flitting between Wren and Moody.
"You're cousins, right?" he asked, gesturing between the two girls. Nora and Wren both nodded, Nora repeating a,
"Yes, sir."
"Escort Collings to the Hospital Wing," he instructed with a nod as if making a Wizengamot ruling.
Wren murmured a quick thanks, spinning around as quickly as she could and keeping her head down to avoid the looks from her friends. But even if she could avoid looking at them, she couldn't avoid feeling them on her, following and analyzing her every movement.
The queasiness in her stomach gave way to a tight panic that bound its way around her chest and began squeezing the air out of her lungs. She was suffocating.
Nora was waiting for her at the door, concern clear on her face but blissfully quiet as they walked out of the room, Moody calling the class to attention as the door swung shut behind them.
And then Wren was practically running, Nora taking off behind her and shooting off apologies to various ghosts Wren almost ran through and paintings admonishing them for running in the halls. The pair wound their way through the twists and turns of the castle, getting as far away from Simon and Fred and George and Cedric and any other boy Wren was remotely friendly with.
"Wren!" Nora finally called out, reaching out to touch Wren's arm in an effort to get her to stop. The brunette flinched from the touch, and Nora snatched her hand back, looking wide-eyed at her cousin.
"I–I'm sorry," Wren stammered, and Nora's brow furrowed, her lips turning down.
"You're scaring me, Wren."
She didn't have an answer to this, and even if she did, she wasn't sure she could have managed to say it. Because when Wren opened her mouth, the only thing that came out was a choked sob, and then she was flinging herself into her cousin's hastily thrown up arms.
She tried several times to catch her breath, to gather herself up and pull herself together to tell Nora she was fine and just having a bad day, but every attempt sent her back into renewed sobs and so she allowed her cousin to rock her side to side, squeezing her every now and then.
It was unlike Nora to be so quiet.
Which is what ultimately helped Wren come to a stop, pulling away and wiping frantically at her eyes. "I'm sorry," she croaked, tucking her hair back behind her ears. "I shouldn't even be crying. I'm sorry."
"Wren," Nora said, the name somehow sounding equally sympathetic and stern. "I've known you your whole life, and you've never cried over something that wasn't worth crying over. So come on, what's this about?"
Wren shook her head, running the heels of her palms under her eyes. "It's nothing."
"No, it's not," Nora snipped, her voice adamant. "Ced told me Simon walked you to class, and I swear on Merlin's grave, I'll attempt to use legilimency on you if you don't tell me what happened."
Wren glared at Nora, but for her part, the Hufflepuff seemed both completely unperturbed and ready to make good on her threat.
"I don't want to talk about this with you," Wren said. Nora opened her mouth to speak, but Wren continued on, hoping to head off any argument. "I know exactly what you're going to say, and I don't want to hear how much you hate Simon right now. I already feel like absolute shite, so please just pretend to believe me and go back to class."
"No," Nora refused, crossing her arms. "I'm not going back to class until you're actually alright. Now tell me what he's done, and I promise I'll keep my mouth shut about what an absolute wanker he is. Starting now."
Wren considered this. Nora had never made any offer like this before. Anytime Wren begged Nora to let her loathing go for just five seconds, she'd been met with a staunch resistance and the declaration that Nora would give up actively detesting him when Wren gave up dating him. But now…Nora looked earnest in her promise.
"Ok," Wren relented, moving to sit in a nearby Window, Nora taking the seat next to her. Wren gave her cousin a sideways glance. "Aren't you supposed to be offering me a sweet?"
"I only have licorice right now," Nora said apologetically, and Wren pulled a face. "It's not my fault you're the one person in this entire school that doesn't like licorice."
"I can't possibly be the only person who doesn't like licorice. There's got to be at least one other person at Hogwarts that thinks it tastes like that potion parents always give their kids when they're sick. What's it called?"
"You're stalling," Nora accused, reaching over to lightly pinch Wren at the waist. "The more you stall, the worse it becomes in my head."
It was truly horrid, how well Nora knew her.
Wren sighed, looking down at her lap. "Recently it just–it seems like I can't do anything right," she shrugged. "No matter what I'm either a terrible friend or a horrible girlfriend."
Nora didn't speak right away, instead waiting for Wren to continue. But as the silence dragged on and it became clear that Wren wasn't going to add much more on her own, she finally asked a question. "What happened to make you feel like this?"
Wren ran her hands down her knees, looking out ahead of them. "Simon was upset that I spend so much time with Fred and George," she explained. "And then Fred and George were hurt because I stopped talking to them and spent more time with Simon."
She changed a glance at Nora and found her cousin sitting there with as much of an impassive face as she could muster. The only tell that she was feeling anything other than concerned was the straight line of her mouth. She was dying to say something, but she kept quiet just as she promised, and maybe that was why Wren continued.
"This weekend," Wren paused, wetting her lips as if that would make it easier to relive the moment. "Cedric mentioned you guys saw me and Simon fighting. I was angry because he kissed me just because he saw Fred looking at us. I know it's stupid, but it made me feel like I was just some sort of prop." Her fingers tangled together over top of her knees. "It was like the only reason he chose me over his friends was so that I didn't hang out with mine."
Nora hummed her displeasure at this, but now that she had started, Wren couldn't stop. The words came pouring out of her, rubbing her throat raw on their way out. "And then today, right when things were finally settled between me and everyone, he stopped me outside potions and just–" Wren's voice broke, and she bent her head into her hands, shaking and sobbing once more. "I don't know what to do anymore, Nora. I just want to go home."
Next to her, she felt Nora scoot closer, looping an arm around her cousin and leaning her head on Wren's shoulder. "That's awful, Wren."
Wren nodded, giving herself a few more minutes to cry before she pulled herself back up and wiped at her eyes. Nora didn't let her go though. Instead, she threw her other arm around Wren so that she was hugging her. "For what it's worth, I don't think you're a horrible girlfriend."
"Just a terrible friend then?" Wren asked with a cracked laugh.
"A distracted friend," Nora corrected. "It's not your fault though," she added quickly. "I mean, that's a lot of pressure for Simon to put on you—to always have to do everything right and choose him over everything else."
It was the most level criticism Nora had ever levied against Simon. So Wren decided it didn't count as Nora breaking her promise.
"It feels like my fault, though," Wren murmured, and Nora gave her a quick squeeze.
"I'm not allowed to tell you why that is."
Wren let out a laugh through her nose, and Nora smiled warmly at her. "Honestly though, it's not normal to feel this way in a relationship. You shouldn't feel like you have to choose between your friends and your boyfriend. Your boyfriend should be one of your friends."
"He is my friend," Wren objected.
"Simon was never your friend," Nora dismissed. "He was the cute boy in Honeydukes when Iain Stebbins accidentally stood you up 'cause he gave himself the bubbling hiccups." She offered a sympathetic smile then. "He went from dashing stranger to the person you're dating. He's not your friend. At least not a good one."
"Nora," Wren sighed, wiggling out of Nora's arms, and the Hufflepuff held her hands up.
"I'm sorry. I really am trying, but it's so hard. Just know that if you knew half the things I was saying in my head, you'd be really proud of me for only saying that."
Wren snorted at this, and Nora gave her a shit-eating grin.
"And you should also know that even if your friends get mad at you for choosing Simon, and even if Simon gets mad at you choosing your friends…you'll always have me," Nora promised, squeezing Wren into a tight sidehug once more. "And I won't let you leave me."
Wren laughed as Nora clung even tighter, rocking the pair back and forth so that they were dangerously close to teetering off the windowsill and onto the floor. "Thanks, Nora."
The other girl releasing her from the hug, reaching up to push a lock of her cousin's dark hair behind her ears. "You'll be ok?"
"I'll be ok," Wren nodded. "We should probably get back to class, though."
"You know, he's only expecting me to come back to class…" Nora started, and Wren stood with a huff of laughter.
"You know me better than that."
Nora sighed dramatically but stood. "Where's your sense of teenage rebellion?"
"Must've left it at home."
Nora rolled her eyes, but took Wren's hand, the two of them walking back to class together.
Professor Moody welcomed them the pair in with a nod of his head before continuing on in his lesson. Nora squeezed Wren's hand quickly before peeling off to head to her spot next to Cedric as Wren slid into the seat beside Fred.
He tilted his head towards her, eyes still on Moody as he whispered, "Are you ok?"
"Fine," Wren whispered back, reaching into her bag and pulling out her parchment and quill. She turned and flashed him a quick smile. "Promise."
Nora singlehandedly salvaged Wren's Monday.
Thanks to her, Wren was actually able to learn in at least one of her classes and even found herself recovered enough to join in joking with her friends at dinner. The group went from laughing around the Gryffindor table to laughing up in the common room, teasing George for his inability to beat Wren at Exploding Snap. He had lost two games back to back and was presently losing a third when Angelina stretched and stood up from her armchair, claiming she had work to do and couldn't focus with Lee's commentary of the card game.
Wren looked up at her tapping the deck with her wand and solidifying her win. "I'll come with you," Wren offered. "I should probably finish my potions essay."
It was a rather poor lie. Potions was her last and only class on Wednesday, giving her plenty of time between now and then to complete an essay.
Also there was no essay to complete.
But while her departure did give rise to a chorus of complaints and wheedling for one more "winner takes all" game, it did not raise any eyebrows. Even Angelina's remained in place, making this the first time in two days that Wren's actions didn't result in Angelina raising her eyebrows.
The two girls climbed the stairs in silence, Wren chewing at her lip and wishing very much that she had any of Nora's tact. How was she supposed to start this conversation?
"I wanted to apologize," Wren blurted the minute the door closed behind them. Angelina visibly started before turning to face Wren, her eyes wide in confusion.
"What for?"
Wren shrugged. "For being such an awful friend recently. You were really kind to invite me to the Quidditch shop in Hogsmeade, and I just blew you off and expected you to accept me back when I finally came round again."
"Wren, I already forgave you," Angelina said, her eyebrows now aloft. But unlike the other times, her face was soft and voice gentle.
"I…you did?"
"Several times, I believe," Angelina nodded with a slight laugh. "Why?"
"I just thought…" Wren started, suddenly second-guessing every look she thought she'd seen. "It seemed like there was something on your mind…about me. That sounds so self-centered and ridiculous when I say it out loud. I'm sorry."
Angelina opened her mouth before looking to the door and then back at Wren. "Actually, there is something I've been meaning to ask," she admitted, gesturing for Wren to come over and sit on her bed with her. The two girls sank down onto the mattress, Wren's stomach tying itself in knots as Angelina stalled for a moment more before finally turning to look at Wren. "What's going on between you and Fred?"
It felt like all of Wren's senses turned off. Like she'd fallen into a frozen lake and had gone numb to all that was going on outside of her. Instead, all she could hear was the beat of her own heart picking up speed. And then, suddenly, there was a sharp tingling sensation that shot down her arms to her fingertips.
She must have looked confused because Angelina started to explain herself. "This afternoon when you came in, he said something to you, and you panicked. And the other night…" she trailed off, looking out the window by her bed as if she would find courage out there to continue her thought. And she must have, because continue she did. "I saw you sleeping with Fred. I got up for some water and noticed you were out of bed, so I went to find you. I didn't mean to snoop or anything. I was just worried about you."
Oh.
Oh.
"That wasn't anything or-at least, it was nothing-I'm not cheating on Simon with Fred," Wren finally managed.
"I didn't mean to imply that you were," Angelina hurried to explain. "It just seems like there's something between you two. That's all."
"We're just friends," Wren said with a shake of her head. "He found me on the couch when they got back from Hogsmeade and asked if I was ok, and I ended up having a bit of a breakdown in front of him." She paused, wondering if she should explain what happened in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but even she wasn't sure why Fred's question had pushed her over the edge. And she wasn't exactly keen to dig into it either.
Angelina eyed Wren assessingly before finally giving a nod. "Alright. I suppose this means I can stop trying to analyze your interactions."
Wren laughed, standing up from the bed. She didn't say anything in response though. It felt inappropriate to ask Angelina if maybe Wren had missed something. Because even if she had, it wouldn't change much.
She was still dating Simon.
Wren woke up in too good of a mood for a Tuesday.
To be quite honest, Wren woke up in too good of a mood for any day where she had to be up and functional by eight o'clock in the morning.
But, she only had to attend one class today, and it was her favorite of all of them. Plus, there was the first task after lunch, and the weather was not altogether horrible. Her friends also seemed to be in particularly good spirits. Angelina even took Fred's side in the debate as to whether they should cheer for Harry in the Gryffindor or the Hufflepuff section, surprising all of them when she made a compelling argument for Hufflepuff. And while Gryffindor eventually won out, there were no muttered comments of annoyance from those lobbying for Hufflepuff.
So Wren was fairly certain that today was going to be as good as yesterday was bad.
She was wrong, of course.
That much became very clear when, on the way back from retrieving her forgotten scarf at the lunch table, she heard someone call out, "Oi, Colllings! Where're you going?"
There was a laugh underneath the words that did nothing to stop the feeling of having her broom disappear from underneath her.
She turned, offering a forced smile she hoped Hector Martín-Delgado would take for real. Because given the looks on his companions' faces, neither Edmund Whittle nor Simon would.
"Almost walked right past us," Hector said in greeting as the boys approached her.
"Sorry, my friends are just waiting for me outside so we can go to the task together."
"Oh no," a look of horror dawned on Hector's face. "Don't tell me you're a Potter fan," he said, holding a hand theatrically over his heart. Wren offered a slightly more genuine smile and despite herself, laughed.
"Me, not so much, but I think they're fairly loyal. You know, something to do with being Quidditch teammates." She shook her head dismissively.
Hector tsked. "Obviously their judgment is suspect, and you should sit with us."
For the first time, Wren cast a quick glance at Simon. He was looking over her shoulder, eyes distant and face carefully impassive. Next to him Edmund was desperately trying to shoot Hector a warning look. "Thanks, but I should probably catch up with them."
"Come on," Hector needled. "We have your boyfriend on our side. Doesn't your love for him outweigh your house loyalty and however much you like your friends?"
Edmund's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, but Simon's face remained the same.
"Of course–" Wren sputtered. "But I promised I'd sit with them and…"
Simon scoffed, turning his back to her, and Hector seemed to finally pick up on the tension between the couple. He seemed both uncomfortable and confused as he looked between Wren and Simon.
"Simon, please," Wren said quietly, and he spun on her.
"Please what? Ignore the fact that once again you're choosing them over me?" he snapped.
Wren swallowed as Hector murmured something about this seeming private and headed towards the doors with Edmund clearly telling him off as they walked.
"I just think we could do with some space after yesterday," Wren mumbled. "I didn't like the way you spoke to me yesterday, and I don't want to pretend-"
"You don't like the way I spoke to you?" Simon asked, stepping closer. "What about the way you've been treating me?" he hissed, looking around the crowded hall to make sure no one was watching or obviously eavesdropping. "I'm not allowed to tell you how your actions have hurt me? I'm not allowed to be cross?"
"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that I don't want to spend my afternoon with someone who's cross with me," Wren argued back. "I think we'll both have a better time if we watch the task separately."
"You mean you'll have a better time if you get to watch it with your boyfriends."
"They're not my boyfriends!" Wren shouted, gaining the attention of a few students around them. Simon made a show of rolling his eyes and guiding her to the side of the room and away from the students coursing out to the task. When he turned back to her it was with a dark look.
"Stop trying to fucking embarrass me every chance you get."
Wren shook her head, and started to walk back towards the door, but he grabbed her wrist, yanking her towards him, and causing her to stumble into his chest
"I swear on Merlin, Wren, I've just about had it with you," he seethed.
"Simon, let go. You're hurting my wrist," Wren whispered, attempting to tug her hand free. His grip tightened.
"You owe me an apology."
"Simon–" Wren said, tugging harder and wincing as pain shot up through her arm.
"You owe me a fucking apology Wren," he demanded, shaking her wrist.
"I want to break up," Wren gasped.
The words shocked them both.
Simon let go then, throwing her arm back at her so she staggered back, cradling her arm to her chest.
"You're overreacting." Some of the rage had seeped away, and there was a desperate undercurrent to his voice now.
Wren shook her head, eyes welling up with tears. "No. I'm not."
"Yes, you are. You're just cross with me and trying to make yourself the victim," he insisted.
"I'm breaking up with you," Wren whispered, and the rage returned full force. Before he could say anything though, another voice broke in.
"Ah, there you are."
If Wren had thought that this moment couldn't get any worse, she obviously hadn't considered George Weasley entering the situation. But here he was, face bright and painfully oblivious to the distraught and irate faces before him.
"Thought you'd gotten lost with your scarf. Simon," he greeted with a nod.
Wren wet her lips tearing her gaze away from Simon and to George. "I was just on my way out."
Before either of the two boys could say anything she took off in long strides towards the door, quick footsteps following behind her. George appeared by her side but didn't say anything even as they stepped out into the brisk November air.
Wren's eyes fell on the tree her group of friends had been waiting under and found they weren't there.
"Where is everyone?" she asked, looking up at George.
"Went down to keep Alicia from losing her head. I said I'd stay behind and wait for you," he explained.
Wren nodded, returning to silence as they made their way down to the forest and whatever it held.
"You ok?" George asked, bumping her shoulder with his.
She started a bit, looking back up at him. "Hm? Yeah, I'm-I'm ok."
"Very convincing," he quipped, raising his eyebrows, and Wren shook her head.
"I'll be ok," Wren amended.
"Do you want to talk about it before we get there?" George asked, pulling to a stop, concern replacing the sarcastic amusement from earlier.
Wren shook her head. "Not particularly."
He nodded before stepping forward and hugging her. She hugged him back, squeezing him tight as if that would keep the tears back.
Thankfully, it did.