~Everything's Not What It Seems~
Alex and Justin are siblings sent to Hogwarts to learn about magic just like their father. There they meet new friends, fall in love, and find out that truly everything is not what it seems.
Disclaimer: J.K Rowling and Disney Channel own the right to all these character. I am only borrowing them :)
Harry had been looking forward to attending the Quidditch World Cup since he had first heard about it from Ron. It was his first time attending so he was excited for his first experience. Alex and Harry had spent a lot of the summer discussing their excitement for the World Cup in their owls to each another. As time passed, Harry excitement grew at the possibility of spending more time with Alex. At the time, he had forgotten about Alex's boyfriend.
"You're staring." Harry heard behind him. He turned to see Justin walking tailing him, looking at him with a pitiful look. He sped up slightly to come into step with Harry.
"Pardon?"
"You're staring... and kind of glaring at Cedric. Cedric is actually a really decent buy. I spent a lot of time studying with him last year. I think you both would get along quite well." Justin said matter-of-factly.
"I'm not staring at anyone." Harry replied flatly before turning forward. The others has somehow managed to get ahead of them, leaving Harry and Justin tailing way farther back from the group. Splendid.
"I was actually kind of hoping to get you alone for a moment." Justin continued.
"And why is that?"
"Harry, you're a great guy. There is no doubt about that. And you're our dad's godson, so you're practically family. I just don't want things to get weird because of your crush on Alex and your apparent dislike for her relationship with Cedric."
"What are you talking about?" Harry stopped and turned towards Justin.
"Look, as I told you already... Alex might have had feelings for you when you guys met but because of me, she didn't pursue those feelings. Then she started dating Cedric and her feelings changed. She's moved on and she's really happy so I think it's time that you move on too."
"Who… who said I haven't moved on?" Harry could hear the lack of confidence in his voice. He wasn't over his feelings over Alex. He knew it, and so did Justin. If anything, that summer of exchanging owls with her made his feeling towards Alex grow.
"You know what, it's fine, continue to be in denial. Just remember one thing. Alex is one of your best friends and your godfather's only daughter. I don't think you want to do anything to hurt her, do you? How do you think she would feel if she knew you still liked her? Imagine what kind of position that puts her in."
Harry looked at Justin in surprise. "Does Alex know that I like her?"
"I… I can't really say. To be honest with you, she hasn't really said anything about you in that way since she started seeing Cedric. I think she knew you had feelings for her at some point, but she might think those feelings are gone now. Or maybe she stills knows but doesn't want to hurt you. I can't be sure Harry, but I do know you two are good friends and that could change in an instant if she were to find out you still had feelings for her."
Harry frowned. Justin was right. He liked Alex too much to lose her as a friend. Despite knowing her for only a day, Harry hated that Alex has stopped talking to her after the first day of class. Now that their friendship had grown, he definitely didn't want to lose her. He had to move on, whether he liked it or not. "You're right." He sighed. "I'll try to move on."
Justin smiled at him, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "It's for the best." He nodded towards Harry before turning away and walking towards the swarm of tents. Harry let his face drop as Justin disappeared amongst the tents. How does he figure out not move on from a girl he fancies?
~~~~~
Justin felt accomplished after his conversation with Harry. He knew it was a conversation that needed to be had for the sake of their family. Alex was his sister and Harry was their father's godson. There was no need to complicate those relationships. And while he didn't want any complications with those relationships, he sympathized for Harry. He would be upset too if the girl he liked so much was dating someone else. He imagined Ginny with another boy and it made his blood boil. He didn't want to feel the way he imagine Harry felt. But... he also didn't want to scare off Ginny by admitting his feelings for her so soon.
"Justin!" Harry looked up to see Fred and George standing outside a massive white tent. They both looked at him with identical looks of displeasure. Justin made his way towards them as the twins crossed their arms over their chests and walked in his direction to meet him halfway.
"What are you two up to?"
"Your sister made us stand out here and wait for you since you disappeared so suddenly." Fred responded with a frown.
"You and Harry." George corrected.
"We've been standing here for at least half an hours it's rubbish!" Fred complained.
"Where is Harry, by-the-way?" George scanned the area behind him.
"He was right behind me so he should be coming." Justin looked at them then towards the tent behind them. "Is this the tent?"
Fred and George both smirked immediately and approached both sides of Justin. They begin to move Justin with them, towards the entrance of the tent. When they opened the front flap of the tent, Justin's eyes went wide with wonder as he took in the source of the twins' excitement. Justin scanned the tent, noting their were four sections to the tent, one of which, the main room, he was standing in. Each room was littered with furniture, looking more like something that took days to set-up rather than a couple minutes. Amazing.
The main room consisted of three sofas surrounding a coffee table and a few folding chairs. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Diggory were occupying one of the sofas, drinking tea as they discussed the World Cup. They waved as Justin passed by them but continued in with their discussion. Justin looked at the first adjoining room to the right of the main room, where there was long wooden dining table with chairs and a small kitchen. Hermione, Ron, Max and Ginny were already situated at the dining table. Hermione and Ron were arguing about something while Max and Ginny attempted to de-escalate their argument. Ginny gave Justin a hopeless look as she looked from him to the fighting couple. He smiled at her sympathetically before walking past them towards the next room The other two adjoining rooms were behind the main room and left of the main room. They looked to be the sleeping quarters with multiple bunk beds and chests for storage. Justin smiled when he spotted his sister and Cedric in the first room. They had found a private spot at the corner of the room on the bottom bunk of a bed. Alex was seated on the bed with her legs spread out in front of her while Cedric was laying on his back with his head resting on her lap. She was running a hand through his hair while Cedric looked up at her in adoration. The two laughed as they chatted with one another, oblivious to the world around them. Seeing Alex so happy with someone made Justin feel even more confident that his conversation with Harry was the right thing to do. It also made him think about Ginny.
"Want to settle your bag somewhere?" Ginny asked as she came up behind Justin.
"Sure. Any free spots?"
Ginny nodded. "Max saved you a bunk here." Ginny motioned to the room to the left. They both started making their way in that direction. "There are three bunk beds in each room. Alex took the bottom bunk where she and Cedric are now. Cedric took the bottom bunk across from her bed."
Justin nodded as they arrived by the bottom bunk of a bed. "Thankfully Max didn't give me the top bunk."
Ginny smiled. "He said you hate the top bunk."
"I do." Justin smiled, nodding. The two looked away from each other silently, both hoping to change the topic from sleeping arrangements.
"What took you so long?" Ginny eyed the entrance to the tent before looking back at him. "And where's Harry? We thought you both were together."
"We were. I wanted to talk to him so we trailed back a little. I talked to him about moving on from Alex." Justin noticed Ginny's expression morph to an expression he didn't actually recognize. She stared at him silently, as if carefully choosing her next words
"Do you think it is wise to get involved in your sister's relationship again?"
"Again?"
"Yes, again." Ginny frowned, narrowing her eyes at him. "The first time you told Alex to stay away from Harry. Now you are telling him to do the same. You shouldn't be-"
"Shouldn't be what?" Justin interrupted her. He was somewhat irked by the way Ginny was looking at him in disapproval. As if he was the bad guy there. "I didn't tell him to stay away from her. I told him it would be wise for the sake of their friendship and our family that he move on. It is in his best interest!"
Ginny's eyes went wide momentarily at the slight increase in volume of Justin's voice. They both looked around them quickly, relieved that no one was paying attention. As their eyes returned to one another, the frustration was apparent on both their faces. "How exactly is it in Harry's best interest to hide his feelings?" She whispered curtly.
"How? How about by not causing a strain on their friendship! How long before Harry's feelings become more noticeable to my sister and her boyfriend. Don't you think that will cause a strain on their friendship and possibly even on her relationship with Cedric! Not to mention how awkward it would be when we reunite with my father. This is bigger than just Harry having a crush on my sister. It could really hurt my family!"
Ginny expression softened slightly. "That's bad, I agree. But Justin, it's not your place to get involved. It's Alex and Harry's problem and they should be the ones sorting it out, not you. It's simply none of your business." She looked at Justin expectantly, a glimmer of hope in her eyes that he'd agree with her. But Justin wasn't going to agree with her. She's wrong. Alex was his little sister and he had been looking out for her almost his whole life. It was his responsibility as Alex's big brother to make sure she didn't get hurt. "Justin?"
"You're wrong. Alex is my little sister and it's my job to protect her. And if that means telling someone to back off, I'll do it." Justin said sternly.
"But what are you even protecting her from?" Ginny crossed her arms over her chest, the frustration returning to her face.
Justin stared at her silently. He didn't know how to explain to Ginny that his situation was different. It wasn't like her brothers being a little overprotective of their little sister, it was Justin, being Alex's only family her whole life, always protecting her as their parents would have if they were around growing up.
"Face it Justin, there is nothing to protect. Alex is fully capable of taking care of herself. You just want to be in control of the situation."
"Excuse me?" Justin looked at Ginny incredulously. In control of the situation. He scoffed, shaking his head at her. "You're one to talk. No one even asked for your input on the matter Ginny."
Justin ignored the looked of hurt that passed on Ginny's face. He quickly dropped his backpack on the bottom bunk of the bed and turned away from Ginny, not giving her a second glance as he made his way towards the exit of the tent.
~~~~~
Max looked on in concern as Justin made his way towards the front of the tent, a sour expression on his face. Ginny now stood alone on the other side of the tent, her eyes glued to the floor and the hurt apparent in her face. Just as Justin disappeared through the entrance of the tent, Harry entered, looking behind him in confusion. His eyes scanned the tent, stopping in Alex and Cedric's direction as frown dawned his face before they continued towards the kitchen. When his eyes fell on Ron and Hermione, he started to make his way towards them.
"Where did Justin just go?" Harry asked as he took a seat beside Ron. Ron and Hermione finally stopped bickering, both looking at Harry then around the room in confusion.
"Justin left? I didn't even notice him come in." Ron looked at Harry in alarm. "Where have you been Harry? We were beginning to worry."
Hermione smacked Ron on the head and shot a glare at him "We?! I was beginning to worry! You were just wondering when we were going to eat supper!"
"I was not!"
"You were too!"
As the two began to bicker again, Max looked at Harry. His attention was not on his friends anymore though, instead he was staring across the room at Alex and Cedric. Why did he keep looking at them? Max wondered. Was there possibly a bug there? Alex hates bugs. "Hey Harry, where's the bug?"
Harry's head shot towards Max in confusion. "Bug?"
"Yeah! Where's the bug that's on Cedric and Alex?"
"There's a bug on them, that's why you're looking at them, right?"
Harry stared at Max silently a moment before slowly nodding his head. "Yes… sure, there is a bug on them. But it's okay, they'll realize it. Do you know where Justin went?"
"No. But the Wizard Cup should be starting soon, maybe I should go find him." Max stood up the same time as Harry.
"I'll help you."
"Where are you two going?" Hermione and Ron both asked at the same time.
"We are going to go look for Justin." Harry answered quickly before ushering Max towards the exit. Ron and Hermione barely acknowledged their departure as they returned to their argument.
Once they were outside, the two stopped in front of the tent and had a look around. Harry frowned as he scanned the area. "I think we'll need to split up to cover more ground." Max nodded in agreement.
Max watched Harry head in the direction to the right side of the crowd before heading to the left direction himself. He made his way through the crowd of people, scanning the area in hopes of sighting his brother. He waved and high-fived some classmates and friends as he passed more and more people. After a few minutes of walking aimlessly, he stopped by some shopping stalls. Where could he be?
"Books for sale! Books for sale!"
Max turned towards the voice, a new sense of hope in him. Justin loves books! He has to be at the stalls! He turned in the direction of the stall, scanning the area for his brother. He got a few strange looks from vendors as he made his way past each shopping stalls without a second glance at the merchandise. As he was about to reach the end of the cluster of stalls, he stopped suddenly. His eyes fell on the side profile of a new but familiar face with blonde hair. Standing out in another colorful dress. Max smiled as he watched Mikayla talk excitedly to a stall vendor about a book. How is she always so pretty? He couldn't help being drawn to her. His feet started moving automatically towards her.
"Max!" Max felt two hands grab onto his bicep and pull him in the opposite direction. He turned to see a familiar brunette looking at him with an excited smile. "I'm so happy I found you!" Marietta gushed. She quickly wrapped her arms around him in a friendly hug. Max's eyes went to the book stall where Mikayla was now walking away from, a pile of books in her arms. He frowned as he watched her disappear into the crowd.
"Are you okay? You're frowning." Marietta said when she pulled away from their embrace.
"Oh... uh, nothing. I just thought I saw someone…" He shrugged, looking at her with a smile. "Anyway, what's up Marietta?"
"Oh Max, I love your English slang. Come with me, some of our friends are here somewhere!" She grabbed onto one of Max's arms and started pulling him after her.
"But I-"
"I won't hear it Max! You are coming with me. Whatever you have to do can wait!" She didn't stop as she continued to lead him through the crowd. Man she's strong. Max gave up and allowed her to lead him away. Guess he'll just have to look for Justin later or maybe Harry will find him. Or maybe he'll see Justin on the way. Or maybe he'll see Mikayla on the way... That would be nice.
Updated!
