AUTHOR'S NOTE I'd just like to say again that this fic is movieverse, not bookverse. The second half of this chapter comes right out of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie. I don't own it, whoever owns the movie does.
DISCLAIMER You should all know who I own by now and you should DEFINITELY know who JK owns if you're reading Harry Potter fanfiction.
All of Slytherin arrived at breakfast to a shocking sight. Students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were clustered around the Gryffindor table. Loud, excited babble filled the room. Through the sea of black robes, Michelle saw Fred, George, Ron, and Percy Weasley at the center of the crowd. All four of them were beaming.
"How did it happen?" Michelle heard a Hufflepuff girl ask her friend.
"Harry Potter went in after her!" the friend replied. "He fought the monster and everything!"
"Wow. But…" The girl's voice changed. "What happened to Professor Lockhart?" she asked sadly.
Michelle didn't bother to listen to anything more. They must have been talking about Ginny! Harry Potter had saved her! Only that could make the Weasley boys so happy. She felt like a huge weight had lifted from her chest. Ginny was safe.
"Saint Potter will get what's coming to him," Michelle heard Draco growl from somewhere behind her. "He bloody will."
She tried her best to ignore him. She was far too happy and didn't want him to ruin it. Professor Lockhart was indeed missing as that girl had mentioned, but Michelle had never been that fond of him.
George caught Michelle's eye through the crowd. He looked completely happy. She just grinned at him. He grinned back, then turned back to his family. Michelle wished she could be there with him but the green patch on her robes kept her away.
i.i.i
The end of the year was almost upon them. Students were busy studying for finals and everyone was breathing a sigh of relief now that the Heir of Slytherin had been stopped.
Michelle went back to the way things had been before. Still none of her housemates spoke to her and still she felt alone. Diana had to study all the time for her OWL's and the twins spent all their time hovering protectively over their little sister.
The time of the closing feast drew nearer. Michelle desperately wanted to talk to George again, but he never left Fred's side anymore. She didn't see him until the night of the returns of the petrified students.
After Hermione, Penelope, Justin, Colin, and Nearly Headless Nick had rejoined their classmates again, Professor Dumbledore stood up to address the students. "Before we begin the feast, let us have a round of applause for Professor Sprout, Madam Pomfrey, whose mandrake juice has been so successfully administered to all who had been petrified." The students broke into applause. Few Slytherins clapped along with Michelle.
"Also," Dumbledore continued. "In light of recent events, as a school treat, all exams have been cancelled!" At this, even every Slytherin cheered.
Suddenly the door burst open and Hagrid, the giant grounds keeper, strode in. "Sorry I'm late," he said. Everyone turned and looked at him. "The owl delivering my release papers got all lost and confused. Some ruddy bird called Errol."
Michelle half-giggled. George had told her all about Errol. His brother Ron looked sheepishly at Dumbledore.
Hagrid stopped next to the Gryffindor table where Harry Potter sat. In a quieter voice, he said, "I'd just like to say that if it hadn't been for you Harry and Ron and Hermione of course, I would, I'd still be You-Know-Where. So I'd just like to say thanks!"
Harry stood up, dwarfed next to Hagrid's huge size. "There's no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid." Silently, he hugged him.
Dumbledore stood up, clapping. One by one, students began to join in and soon the Great Hall was aroar with applause. Michelle leapt to her feet first at her table, figuring the Slytherins' opinions of her couldn't get any lower anyway.
The cheering eventually died down and the feast began. Michelle wouldn't believe it. No finals! How could she be so lucky? Everyone in the Great Hall seemed ecstatic. Looking over, she saw Fred and George heading for the door. She rushed to follow them.
"George!" she called after him.
He stopped. Fred turned back, gave George a meaningful look, and then continued on. George turned around. "Hey Michelle."
"Where are you going?"
"To get one of our new inventions," he answered with a glint in hi eye. "Fred wants to show them off."
"Oh." Michelle giggled. "Let me know how all that goes over the summer!" George shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I will hear from you over the summer…right?" she asked hopefully.
"Maybe." George sighed sadly when he saw her disappointed face. "It's just, this shouldn't go any further than what it is."
"Why? Because I'm in Slytherin and you're a noble Gryffindor? Being in Slytherin doesn't make me a bad person! You never cared about that before!" Tears stung Michelle's eyes.
"It has nothing to do with that!" George replied sharply. Then, in a softer ton, "I just realized how young you are. I look at Ginny and she's still a baby to me. And then I realized that you're just as young as she is."
Michelle stayed silent. There was nothing she could say to that. She was younger than George by a lot, both in age and maturity. Not that he or Fred were all that mature, but they didn't do dangerously stupid things like almost jump off a balcony.
"Have a good holiday, Michelle," George said quietly after a moment.
"You too," Michelle replied. But George had already gone.
Morwen Amlug Yes, Michelle really should have chosen Gryffindor. And yes, she definitely is flirting with George. But that doesn't mean that everything is going to be hunky-dory between them.
The Rave Raven Thanks for reviewing this one then! I'm glad you're enjoying it.