Into a new world

Disclaimer: None of the characters you recognise or that are from the Harry Potter world are mine. All belong to the fantastic JK Rowling. The bits highlighted are taken from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

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Chapter 16: Just do it

5th September 1994

That night Harry barely slept. After his conversation with Uncle Sev, he hardly knew what to think anymore. He told Neville, Ron, and Hermione everything in the Gryffindor common room in hushed tones after ensuring the privacy barriers were up.

After his friends knew why the rift between Draco and Harry existed, they stopped being so suspicious.

"No more secrets." Neville said, "Not between us five. I understand why you are Draco are not friends in your world, but you are in this one, so you need to start acting like it."

"The thing is, Nev, we are different people in the other world. The rivalry between Draco and myself was present in our parents, grandparents, and even is in our houses. Draco may be a Ravenclaw in this world, but he is a Slytherin in the other one. And has or at least had views about muggle-borns that I just can't forgive all that easily."

"I get that," Neville sighed, "But this rivalry is unmaintainable. You are already suspicious, and it's making you seem more so. Plus, I can tell it's bothering you, I know you are enemies, but I'm not sure you even want to be."

"Yeah, there seems to be a conflict within you, and within him, it's what made me realise something was going on with you two," Hermione added. "You two never fight, but when you do, there isn't this conflict within you like there is now."

"It's certainly a lot of work, and the guy is growing on me." Harry sighed, "I'm not even sure I hate him anymore. It's kinda hard to when we are forced together all the time."

"If you really hated him, he wouldn't be growing on you." Ron pointed out, speaking for the first time in this conversation. Harry had noticed he was reticent lately. "And spending all this time together would cause you to hate him more."

Neville looked at Ron in mock astonishment, "That was actually really profound."

"Shove it," Ron muttered, throwing a cushion at the laughing Neville.

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20th September

Cian was finding his life in the Slytherin house very strange indeed. He has several family members in with him. Although he never usually got on with Alija, they seemed to be sticking together so far. His little brother was running around with shape-shifting wolves, and he heard very little from him, and Jarlan (his little cousin) was all out ignoring him. This was weird for two reasons, one, he was the closest to Jarlan, and two, Jarlan was quiet but fun, enjoyed pranks, and hated to be bored. Still, he had gotten very close to Byron Black, the arrogant, off-handish, and boring cousin (it seemed like everyone in this school was related to him).

Cian didn't understand what either boy saw in the other. Still, he often saw them together whispering and laughing, and Merlin-dammit, he was jealous. Although he disliked Byron, he wanted to be brought in on their new friendship.

He was sat in the corner of the Slytherin common room, with a charms book propped open in front of him. His quill was in his hand, and a piece of parchment was on the desk. He was supposed to be doing his charms homework but found himself staring at his cousins, who were laughing at the other side of the common room.

"You could be less obvious," Alija commented from beside him. Cian jumped out of his skin.

"Where did you come from?" Cian demanded; Alija was lounging in the other seat that was empty a few seconds ago.

"I was following Cierra." Cierra was Alija and Jarlan's little sister who had taken to delivering letters very early in the morning. This wouldn't be too suspicious if Cierra wasn't so shady about who she was talking to and given their history, they were concerned.

"I just talked to Jar, and he said Cierra had been writing to someone in the middle of Transfiguration,"

"When did you speak to Jarlan? I have been watching them this entire time."

"Which isn't creepy at all," Alija smirked.

"He's ignoring me!" Cian defended himself.

"Not the point. You know how much she loves Transfiguration." Alija continued so if Cian hadn't spoken.

"Why does he speak to you and not me?" Cian responded, completely ignoring his cousin's previous sentence.

"Because 1 I'm his twin, and two I don't mind his friendship with Byron. You, on the other hand, hate Byron."

"I don't hate him; I just strongly dislike him," Cian said defensively.

"You're more possessive over Jar than Jules was over Cierra."

"Am not!" Cian shot back before he properly took in what he said, "Wait, what? What does Julian have to do with this?" He spat the name venomously.

"It was a comparison Ci, that, and a nice Segway into why I came over."

"Spit it out then."

"I think the person Cierra is sending letters to is Julian." He leaned back in his chair with the satisfied smirk of someone who has set a bomb off and doesn't care what the consequences are.

"What? They stopped speaking to each other when we came over to England."

"You are very naïve for a 14-year-old boy. What world do you live in, where kids actually do what their parents tell them?"

"I do!" Cian said defensively.

"Okay, fair point," Alija conceded, "But Cierra almost certainly never does what she is told, drives mum mad."

"How did you come to this conclusion?"

"Well, I tried talking to her about friends she left, when we left, the, er," He waved his hands in a gesture that suggested that Cian knew precisely what he was talking about (which he did). "She was pretty open about talking about Janice and Laura but was super cagey about Julian."

"That's not a lot of proof, Ali."

"I know, but it's more than what we had."

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George was not having a good day. After Lyas finally talked to Katie, they seemed to be working things out. Katie spoke to him about giving Lyas a second chance. George reluctantly agreed but still felt weird around him.

He sat in the Gryffindor common room next to his twin, trying to concentrate on his potions homework.

"What has gotten into you Gred, you seem distracted."

"I'm always distracted." He replied lamely; he was too busy staring at Hermione leaning over a book. Fred followed his line of sight and chuckled.

"Ah, now that is funny."

George glared at his twin, finally taking his eyes off of her, "none of this is funny, Forge."

"The fact that you just said that proves it is. Since when do you not find something funny?"

"Well, considering I can't sleep or eat or do anything that normal humans need to survive, I apologise if I'm not in the mood." George snapped, not sorry at all.

Fred laughed harder, "Merlin, you have got it bad." He grinned broadly, "Ask her out, Gred."

George looked at him like he had grown an extra head, "I can't do that."

"Why? You fancy her, and I see no reason why you shouldn't."

"Considering Ron has had a thing for her since their first year," He started, but Fred waved him off.

"Ron has had 3 whole years to ask her out, and he hasn't. You know as well as I do these are just poor excuses."

"I, I," George growled in frustration, "She's making me crazy, Freddie. I don't know what to do. I can't just ask her out,"

"Why?" Fred challenged, interrupting him, "You asked Katie out in fourth year, no problem."

"That was different."

"Why?" Fred repeated.

"Because I wasn't," George stopped suddenly and shoved his hands through his hair.

Fred stared at him, realisation dawning, "You're in love with her." It wasn't a question.

"I'm not sure about that," George cut in lamely.

Fred shook his head, "You're my twin Georgie, I can tell. I've never seen you like this. Heck, I've never been like this."

"I'm not in love with her?" Unfortunately, it came out as a question.

"Georgie, you have to tell her. You have to tell her, even if you are scared it's not the right thing, even if you're scared it'll cause problems with Ron or her. Look, even if you are scared it'll ruin everything you tell her, you say it loud and go from there. But you can't tell her."

"I think that's the most sensible thing you've ever said, Freddie," came a voice from behind them, making them both jump. George felt a stab of fear go through him until he turned around and clocked who had said it.

Lyas was standing just behind them, his hands in his pockets with his lopsided grin plastered on his face. George hadn't wholly forgiven Lyas yet, but he was trying to.

"Ah Ly, how are you?" George asked.

Lyas saw straight through his attempt to deflect the attention onto him and waved his hand, "Nice try, George, but you aren't getting out of this that easily."

Then Lyas locked eyes with Freddie and nodded, apparently agreeing on something silently with him. He suddenly stood up and walked over to Hermione.

George was frozen in disbelief and horror as Lyas walked over to the four and asked Hermione to step outside the common room with George for a moment. Ron frowned in confusion, asking him what George wanted with her; Lyas answered smoothly that he wasn't sure and that it was none of their business. Ron looked like he wanted to argue, but Hermione stood up and walked over to George.

George saw her mouth moving but heard none of the words that she said. He was too busy staring at her mouth, wondering if she would mind if he just kissed her.

"George?" She waved her hand in front of his face, "Is everything okay?"

George stared dumbly for a few more seconds before nodding, "Yeah, yeah, everything is okay."

"Lyas said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh that yeah, erm," he fished around in his mind for a valid believable reason why he would want to talk to her. "I'm stuck on my potions homework and was wondering if you'd help me with it."

George thought he had imagined it, but he could have sworn a flicker of disappointment flashed through her eyes. "Oh, of, of course. What is it?"

George drew a blank, "On the swelling solution?" And he had to make it into a question, didn't he? He was going to kill Lyas.

Hermione's eyebrows rose, "Isn't that a second-year potion? I thought you were good at potions."

"I am, well, normally that is, but not today, today I'm bad at it," Oh Merlin, he was babbling; George never babbled.

"George, are you sure you are okay? You know, if you want to ask me something, you can just come out with it. Are you sure it's really about the swelling potion?"

"Do you wanna go out with me sometime?" He blurted.

Hermione looked shell-shocked, "With me?"

"Well, you were my first choice," George said, some of his usual self coming back to him.

"Well, where do you want to go?" Hermione responded, a smile tugging on her lips.

George shook himself, all of the bravado he gained a second ago disappearing into thin air with his last shred of dignity. "Wait, what?"

"I asked where do you want to go. We could go out on the next Hogsmeade weekend?"

"I wasn't actually expecting you to say yes," George said, pulling his hands through his hair.

"I never thought I'd see George Weasley actually nervous."

"I never thoughtI'd feel it." George confided. "So next week?"

Hermione nodded, "Next week."

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Authors Note: The speech Fred gives George at the end of the chapter is based on a speech Mark Sloan gave to Jackson in Grey's anatomy. I'm hoping my life will start to calm down now, giving me more time to write. Much love, Abs xxx

P.s. please review, and let me know how you found it.