Chapter 12
Dear Lydia and Arian,
Man, there is so much for me to talk about!! I just don't know where
to start...well, I guess I can start by telling you about Hogwarts.
This is one awesome school! It is so much bigger than Notalans is!
But one thing I don't like is the fact that we're not allowed to
apparate on school grounds. Oh well...I have pretty good teachers here,
although a few of them are really strict. Oh! And they have four
houses here just like at Notalans. At least the house rivalries isn't
something that I've left behind...I'm in the house called Gryffindor.
It's colors are red and gold and it's mascot is a lion. And speaking
of my house, I'm actually on the Quidditch team here!! I'm a Chaser.
I know you two are really surprised, but I just thought I'd share.
Never thought it would happen, 'eh Arian? And we just won a really
amazing game! I'll give the details to you guys the next time I see
you. Also I bet you guys are really curious who my friends are here
now. No! I am not antisocial! I actually have friends here. You
guys just won't believe who! I'm actually friends with Harry Potter!
He is so nice! He's not stuck up at all! How I met him was the
funniest thing...I was actually late to class on my first day here
because I forgot you couldn't apparate. Then when I was trying to
find out exactly where my class was, I bumped into him, literally. At
least he didn't think I was a total klutz! But, after that, I got to
talking to him and his friends at the wizard village here called
Hogsmede. One of his friends is a girl named Hermione who's actually
the top of our year here. I really think that she and Harry have a
crush on each other. Speaking of crushes, I have a massive guy
problem! Which brings me to Harry's other friend, Ron. He's a really
cool guy...He's really into Quidditch and is a fellow Chuddley Cannons
fan! But, anyway...he has a crush on me, and I think I kinda like him
too. We actually went on a date of sorts. He set up a picnic for the
two of us in an empty classroom. After we were done eating, he
actually kissed me! What's the problem you ask? He's not the only
one that likes me. On to guy number two. I know that you're going to
think I'm insane for even liking this guy, but I need to clear my
head, so here is the info about him. I'll start at the beginning from
when I met him. On the way to Hogsmede I rode in a carriage with a
guy named Draco Malfoy. He's in the Slytherin house (Which is
Gryffindor's arch rival, like Grendelon is ours). He basically
insulted my family for being mixed blood, so I put a truth telling
spell on him. That was pretty funny since he basically got all of his
friends mad at him and got detention for telling his true thoughts on
things. But that's not actually all that happened...he's changed so
much since then! How do I know, you ask? Well, he actually got me in
detention as well, so that he could talk to me alone...I was angry about
that, but I was quickly distracted by other things. Our job was to
swab the entire third floor corridor the Muggle way! No magic at all!
But anyway...we never actually got to the cleaning...we both went into
the broom closet to get the brooms and mops. Draco held the door open
while I went to get the things. I didn't really watch where I was
reaching when I was getting a mop and I knocked down this really heavy
cauldron from a high shelf. Draco shouted, but it was already too
late. For a split second, I thought I was done for. But Draco pulled
me out of the way, just before it hit me. That's when things got
weird. When we both recovered from the ordeal, I warned Draco that
he'd better not try anything because there was no one to save him from
me this time, since we were both stuck in the closet. But instead of
making a biting retort, he pulled up close to me and said that he
didn't want to be saved. You would think that having him this close
to me would have made me sick to the stomach, but it didn't.
Actually, quite the opposite. Then he kissed me. I just couldn't
believe that I was actually liking it and participating myself! Now
you guys see my problem...I just don't know what to do! I guess I'll
just have to think this through...but I'm just glad I finally told you
guys what's going on because if my friends here found out about Draco,
they'd probably hate me, think I was insane, or both. They all had
bad run ins with him, but none of them have seen how he's really
changed since then. Well, write me back soon, okay? I miss you guys!
I can't wait to see you guys again!
Friends Always,
Violet
Violet re-read her letter once and folded it up.
I'll just ask Ron if I can borrow Pig later...Violet thought.
But this brought her thoughts back to her problems with Ron and Draco.
Why am I even having a problem here?!? Ron's sweet and he's my friend. We spend so much time together and have so many things in common! But there's just something about Draco that I just can't resist...he has this intenseness about him that is just so intriguing! But he's an arch rival to all my friends! Man, this is so hard! I'm just not going to think about this anymore...it's probably getting really late anyway...Violet thought, putting the letter on her bedside table and climbing into bed.
* * *
The week passed pretty uneventfully for George, and he was looking forward to that weekend's Hogsmede visit. More specifically, he was looking forward to seeing Sophia.
It will be really great to see her again but, it's such a shame she thinks I'm Fred though...but what if Fred finds out? That will be a problem...I need to figure out how to keep him from going to Hogsmede! George thought, sitting in the Common Room, trying to think up a plan.
Just then Fred walked in.
"Hey, George! The team's been looking all over for you! We're doing practice earlier today because we wanted to get some extra training in before our game with Slytherin!" Fred said, waiting impatiently for George at the door of the Common Room.
"Oh, right! I forgot all about that!" George said, kicking himself for forgetting.
"Man, you should have stayed with Lee and me though...he figured out how to transfigure a teddy bear into a slug! It was fantastic!" said Fred.
George smiled at the prospect, and then the idea hit him.
Slug, huh? Now I know exactly what to do...I'll do it at dinner tonight... George thought.
"Well, let's get going!" said Fred.
* * *
After the long, hard practice, the team made their way to the Great Hall for dinner. George thought out his plan in his head one more time, hoping everything would turn out okay.
I hope I remember the spell right...What if Fred finds out it was me? Man, he'd kill me! Not because of the slug thing, he'd probably think it was funny later, but he'd think I was horrible for doing this to him for a girl! A girl that actually wanted to talk to him in the first place, and not me...Maybe I shouldn't do this. Maybe I should just come clean to Fred. George thought guiltily.
But as they all were approaching their table, he happened to catch Sophia's eye at the Ravenclaw table. She smiled at him and he smiled back. This strengthened his resolve once again.
Well, it's not like I'm going to let her think that I'm Fred forever...I'll just tell her I'm George the next time I see her...George thought.
As they took their seats, and George got ready to put his plan into action. Everyone piled food on their plates. As Fred helped himself to some roast beef, George muttered an incantation and the charm hit the beef. George waited a second to see if Fred or anyone else had noticed anything. They didn't seem to, so George relaxed and began to eat dinner.
About half way through dinner, Fred tapped George on the shoulder and said, "Hey George, could you pass me the pump –"
Fred suddenly cut off. He suddenly looked like he would be sick to the stomach.
George tried really hard not to laugh and said, "Fred, what's wrong?"
This got everyone in their near vicinity's attention. They all gathered around him.
"Fred, say something!" yelled Ginny.
Fred could not answer because he was too busy throwing up slugs.
Ron cringed and said, "Man, I never thought I'd be seeing this again."
"Who could have done this?" asked Violet, "It has to be someone around here, they couldn't have shot the spell from the other side of the room."
George didn't like the direction of this conversation, so he decided to get everyone distracted again.
"Let's figure out who did this later. Let's move Fred to the infirmary before he gets slugs all over everything." Said George taking one of Fred's arms.
Ron grabbed the other and they took Fred up to Madam Pompfrey.
* * *
"So what did Madam Pompfrey say?" asked George.
"She said –" Fred paused, throwing up more slugs into a borrowed cauldron from the infirmary, "–I'll just have to wait it out. I can't go to Hogsmede this weekend."
"That stinks! I heard the joke shop was getting in a new shipment of fake wands this weekend!" said Lee.
"I know!" Fred said, indignantly, but quickly was interrupted by a new barrage of slugs.
"Fred just take a break...talking is just not helping you..." said George, just wanting to end this conversation, "We'll bring you back something..."
Man, I just hope he doesn't find out about Sophia... George thought.
"Hey George –" said Fred, throwing up slugs and then continuing, "If you see Sophia, tell her I said hi, okay?"
This made George feel guilty again.
"Sure Fred...no problem..." George replied.
* * *
"I have had so much fun today Fred!" said Sophia, "Those fake wands at Zonko's were fantastic!"
"Yeah, umm...George...and I have made a few prototypes of fake wands ourselves." George said.
"Wow, that's great! By the way, why isn't George here?" Sophia asked.
"Ah, well...George was on the wrong end of a practical joke...he's throwing up slugs at Hogwarts right now." George replied, feeling pretty weird for referring to himself in the third person.
Sophia made a face picturing it in her mind and said, "Well, that's too bad..."
"I actually have one of our fake wands on me right now," George said smiling and handing Sophia the wand, "When you try to cast a spell, they explode and cover the person holding the wand with blue dust."
"Really? Let me try that." Sophia said, wielding the wand.
"You sure? I'm serious about the blue dust." said George, laughing.
"Why not? I'll give it a go. Lumos." Sophia said.
The end of the wand did light for a split second but then the wand suddenly blew up in Sophia's hand and she was covered in the blue dust. Sophia coughed, surprised at first, but then she started laughing. People gave her some weird looks as they passed her, but when they saw who she was with, they started laughing too, thinking she was the victim of one of his practical jokes.
"These things really do work! So you and George thought of this all by yourselves? Who's idea was it?" Sophia said, very curious about these wands now.
"Well, both of us came up with different ideas and put them all together in our creations. We're thinking of opening up a joke shop when we get out of Hogwarts, but I don't think our parents are so keen on that idea. They want us to work in the Ministry of Magic, just like my dad and one of my older brothers." Said George.
Why am I telling her my whole life story?! George thought, wanting to slap himself.
"I think that you and George should really take this joke shop thing seriously...you two seem really good at this. This wand was brilliant!" Sophia said encouragingly.
"Yeah..." replied George.
"It's really too bad George couldn't come to Hogsmede...I'd really have liked to get to know him better too..." said Sophia.
"Yeah...It would have been great if George could have come..." said George.
That's it! I can't take referring to myself in third person one more time!! I'll just have to tell her that I'm George. If I tell her now, there's less chance for her to get mad at me and for Fred to find out what really happened. George thought.
As they were walking they happened to pass the Three Broomsticks.
"Hey, want to get some butter beers? They're some of the best drinks on earth!" George said, smiling.
But what George really wanted was to talk to her in a quiet corner and break the news to her that he really wasn't Fred.
"Sure!" Sophia enthusiastically replied.
They went inside, placed their order with Madam Rosmerta and sat down at a table in a back corner of the Three Broomsticks.
"So...I've pretty much told you my life story...what do you want to do after you graduate from Hogwarts?" asked George.
"Well, I haven't actually given it so much thought...maybe something with dragons. I've always liked them." Sophia said, fingering her dragon claw necklace.
"Oh really? That's really cool...my older brother Charlie actually works with dragons himself. We all went and visited him in Romania this last summer." Said George.
"Wow...they have some really vicious ones out there, don't they? I read all about them." said Sophia, with great interest.
"Yeah...Charlie's one of the best with them though." George said, showing off a bit.
"Man, I wish I had a brother like that..." Sophia said.
But this brought her thoughts to who her brother really was. The thought made her cringe. George didn't know what to make of this, so he decided not to ask. Since they had this break in conversation, he decided that it was time to tell her that he was not Fred.
"Well, there was actually something I had wanted to tell you." Said George.
He's already telling me he loves me! I hardly even know him! Sure he's nice, but I can't trust him that fast! No matter how nice they seem, men just can't be trusted. Just like mum...even slimy Lucius probably seemed nice to her...I refuse to be the victim of a situation like that! I'd just better stop this right now...Sophia thought.
Before George could even begin speaking Sophia said, "Look, Fred, this probably isn't the time for this, okay? I really should get going...Cho is probably looking for me right now. I did have fun today though...I hope I see you around."
With that she got up from the table and left George sitting there, very confused.
Now what was that about?! he thought.
* * *
Violet, Ron, Harry, and Hermione had just stepped out of Honeydukes, stuffed with every sweet imaginable.
"Wow...I just can never get enough of those Chocolate Frogs!" said Ron.
"Why don't we stop by the Three Broomsticks for some butter beers? A Hogsmede visit is not complete without them!" said Harry.
As the four walked over to the Three Broomsticks, Violet reached into the pocket of her robes and realized that her money bag was missing!
"Oh no! I think I left my money bag inside Honeydukes! I need to go back and look for it." Said Violet, "You guys go on without me. I'll catch up."
"Are you sure you don't want us to help look for it?" Hermione asked her.
"No...I'm sure that I just left it at the front counter. But you guys should really go and save us a table at the Three Broomsticks. I bet it's really crowded by now." Said Violet, a little worried about her money bag.
"Well...okay...We'll see you in a little bit then..." said Ron reluctantly.
Harry and Hermione started walking towards the Three Broomsticks, while Ron stayed back and gave Violet a hug before running after them. Violet smiled a little before walking back inside Honeydukes. Right away she saw Draco standing near the entrance tossing her money bag in the air and catching it. Her heart jumped in excitement. She hadn't talked to him since their detention together.
Draco gave her a friendly smirk and sarcastically said, "Wow, Black...took you long enough to separate yourself from the Gallant Do-Gooder Trio and realize this was missing."
Violet tried to keep herself from smiling and said, "You'd better watch yourself Malfoy...they're still my friends..."
"I think we should find somewhere more private to talk..." said Draco, handing back Violet's money bag.
They walked outside of Honeydukes.
"Where do you want to go? It can't be that far...the Trio, as you called them, are waiting for me in the Three Broomsticks...if I never show up, they'll think something happened to me." Said Violet.
Draco narrowed his eyes in anger.
My time with her is further compromised for those Muggle loving – okay, I'd better stop this line of thought...I really need to stop thinking like this! Draco thought.
He got control over himself and said, "Well, do you have any ideas? I was just about to suggest ditching them."
"You know I can't do that..." Violet said, a little sadly.
"Oh I know exactly where we can go!" Draco said.
"Where?" Violet said curiously.
"Let's go...you'll see when we get there..." Draco said, grabbing her hand and running.
Good thing no one is out here to see us! I don't even know why I let him hold my hand...but it does feel kinda nice...Violet thought, a smile breaking out on her face.
Finally Draco stopped in front of a creepy, old, rundown house.
"Oh, you're kidding, right?" said Violet.
"Well, this is the best I can think of in Hogsmede. If you can think of anything better, you are welcome to suggest it." Draco said, slightly frustrated.
"Since I really don't know Hogsmede, this will have to do." Violet said playfully.
"This is called the Shrieking Shack. People usually steer clear of it because they think it's haunted by really vicious ghosts, but I know that it's not true. It's perfect. We'll have to go in the back way though...we wouldn't want people catching us going in the front...we'd probably get in trouble if we were caught." Said Draco, leading her to the back entrance.
Draco pulled off the loose board that covered the back door and they carefully stepped inside.
"Man, I just hope this place doesn't cave in on us!" said Violet.
They stepped into the main room of the house. Since there was no where to sit, they just stood in the empty room.
"Look, Draco, I think we need to talk..." said Violet, "I just don't know what to think about us at all..."
"Yes...well, one thing I want you to know is that it was me who gave you that rose..." said Draco.
"That was you?!" Violet said in surprise, "I thought it was from –umm...someone else..."
"I know who else...Weasely, isn't it?" Draco bit out, the jealousy obvious in his voice.
Violet just didn't know what to say. She really did not want to hurt Draco, but there was still Ron to think about.
"Draco..." Violet started, slowly and hesitantly, "I still need to sort out my feelings for you...and my feelings for Ron..."
"Please...don't choose Weasely..." Draco said, a fervent tone in his voice.
Violet said nothing. She didn't know what more she could say at this point, her feelings for each guy mixed indiscernibly inside her. But Draco would not accept defeat. He would do everything in his power not to lose her to Ron. Both lost in their thoughts, Violet checked her watch.
Oh no! It's already been too long! Harry, Hermione, and Ron would probably be worried about me by now! Violet thought.
"I really need to go now, Draco...Harry, Ron, and Hermione would think something happened to me..." said Violet, a little disappointed their time was already up.
"Wait." Said Draco.
He walked up close to her and put his arms around her. After not hugging him for so long, Violet realized how much she really had missed it. Then he slowly pulled back, tilted her head up slightly, and kissed her. Finally, Violet pulled away, knowing her time was running short.
Wow! That was even better than the first time we kissed! And this time we weren't interrupted! Violet thought, pleasantly lightheaded.
Draco and Violet made their way out of the Shrieking Shack.
Once back out on the road, Violet took his hands, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "Bye, Draco...I'll see you in class..."
"Good bye, Violet..." Draco replied.
Violet let go of his hands and walked away. Draco just stood there and watched her go. After Violet was a considerable distance away, Draco walked back to town.
* * *
Violet hurried back to the Three Broomsticks. On the way in, she bumped into Ginny.
"Watch it, Violet!" said Ginny, playfully.
Violet half smiled back, hoping that Ron, Hermione, or Harry had not gone looking for her. She looked to the back of the Three Broomsticks and found the three of them sitting at a table there. She and Ginny walked over to them.
"Where were you, Violet? We were just about to come look for you!" said Ron.
"Oh, well, I ran into Ginny outside, and I was talking to her..." said Violet, quickly.
Ginny looked at her in surprise, wondering why Violet said that when they had just met outside a minute ago. She was just about to blow Violet's cover, when she decided that Violet must have had a good reason for lying.
I'll just ask her about this later... thought Ginny.
"Yeah...we were just talking about our last Quidditch game..." Ginny made up on the spot.
"Oh, I see..." said Ron, not quite convinced.
"Well, we got you a butterbeer. Here you go." Harry said, handing it to her.
She took it and sat down by Ron. Luckily, they did not ask her anymore questions about where she had been. Finally, when it began to get late, all the Hogwarts students had to leave. They all went outside and found the carriages that were to take them back already waiting. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Violet took a carriage to themselves. They were a bit cramped, but they didn't mind. On the way back, Violet felt Ron take her hand. She looked at him and smiled.
* * *
Dear Lydia and Arian,
Man, there is so much for me to talk about!! I just don't know where
to start...well, I guess I can start by telling you about Hogwarts.
This is one awesome school! It is so much bigger than Notalans is!
But one thing I don't like is the fact that we're not allowed to
apparate on school grounds. Oh well...I have pretty good teachers here,
although a few of them are really strict. Oh! And they have four
houses here just like at Notalans. At least the house rivalries isn't
something that I've left behind...I'm in the house called Gryffindor.
It's colors are red and gold and it's mascot is a lion. And speaking
of my house, I'm actually on the Quidditch team here!! I'm a Chaser.
I know you two are really surprised, but I just thought I'd share.
Never thought it would happen, 'eh Arian? And we just won a really
amazing game! I'll give the details to you guys the next time I see
you. Also I bet you guys are really curious who my friends are here
now. No! I am not antisocial! I actually have friends here. You
guys just won't believe who! I'm actually friends with Harry Potter!
He is so nice! He's not stuck up at all! How I met him was the
funniest thing...I was actually late to class on my first day here
because I forgot you couldn't apparate. Then when I was trying to
find out exactly where my class was, I bumped into him, literally. At
least he didn't think I was a total klutz! But, after that, I got to
talking to him and his friends at the wizard village here called
Hogsmede. One of his friends is a girl named Hermione who's actually
the top of our year here. I really think that she and Harry have a
crush on each other. Speaking of crushes, I have a massive guy
problem! Which brings me to Harry's other friend, Ron. He's a really
cool guy...He's really into Quidditch and is a fellow Chuddley Cannons
fan! But, anyway...he has a crush on me, and I think I kinda like him
too. We actually went on a date of sorts. He set up a picnic for the
two of us in an empty classroom. After we were done eating, he
actually kissed me! What's the problem you ask? He's not the only
one that likes me. On to guy number two. I know that you're going to
think I'm insane for even liking this guy, but I need to clear my
head, so here is the info about him. I'll start at the beginning from
when I met him. On the way to Hogsmede I rode in a carriage with a
guy named Draco Malfoy. He's in the Slytherin house (Which is
Gryffindor's arch rival, like Grendelon is ours). He basically
insulted my family for being mixed blood, so I put a truth telling
spell on him. That was pretty funny since he basically got all of his
friends mad at him and got detention for telling his true thoughts on
things. But that's not actually all that happened...he's changed so
much since then! How do I know, you ask? Well, he actually got me in
detention as well, so that he could talk to me alone...I was angry about
that, but I was quickly distracted by other things. Our job was to
swab the entire third floor corridor the Muggle way! No magic at all!
But anyway...we never actually got to the cleaning...we both went into
the broom closet to get the brooms and mops. Draco held the door open
while I went to get the things. I didn't really watch where I was
reaching when I was getting a mop and I knocked down this really heavy
cauldron from a high shelf. Draco shouted, but it was already too
late. For a split second, I thought I was done for. But Draco pulled
me out of the way, just before it hit me. That's when things got
weird. When we both recovered from the ordeal, I warned Draco that
he'd better not try anything because there was no one to save him from
me this time, since we were both stuck in the closet. But instead of
making a biting retort, he pulled up close to me and said that he
didn't want to be saved. You would think that having him this close
to me would have made me sick to the stomach, but it didn't.
Actually, quite the opposite. Then he kissed me. I just couldn't
believe that I was actually liking it and participating myself! Now
you guys see my problem...I just don't know what to do! I guess I'll
just have to think this through...but I'm just glad I finally told you
guys what's going on because if my friends here found out about Draco,
they'd probably hate me, think I was insane, or both. They all had
bad run ins with him, but none of them have seen how he's really
changed since then. Well, write me back soon, okay? I miss you guys!
I can't wait to see you guys again!
Friends Always,
Violet
Violet re-read her letter once and folded it up.
I'll just ask Ron if I can borrow Pig later...Violet thought.
But this brought her thoughts back to her problems with Ron and Draco.
Why am I even having a problem here?!? Ron's sweet and he's my friend. We spend so much time together and have so many things in common! But there's just something about Draco that I just can't resist...he has this intenseness about him that is just so intriguing! But he's an arch rival to all my friends! Man, this is so hard! I'm just not going to think about this anymore...it's probably getting really late anyway...Violet thought, putting the letter on her bedside table and climbing into bed.
* * *
The week passed pretty uneventfully for George, and he was looking forward to that weekend's Hogsmede visit. More specifically, he was looking forward to seeing Sophia.
It will be really great to see her again but, it's such a shame she thinks I'm Fred though...but what if Fred finds out? That will be a problem...I need to figure out how to keep him from going to Hogsmede! George thought, sitting in the Common Room, trying to think up a plan.
Just then Fred walked in.
"Hey, George! The team's been looking all over for you! We're doing practice earlier today because we wanted to get some extra training in before our game with Slytherin!" Fred said, waiting impatiently for George at the door of the Common Room.
"Oh, right! I forgot all about that!" George said, kicking himself for forgetting.
"Man, you should have stayed with Lee and me though...he figured out how to transfigure a teddy bear into a slug! It was fantastic!" said Fred.
George smiled at the prospect, and then the idea hit him.
Slug, huh? Now I know exactly what to do...I'll do it at dinner tonight... George thought.
"Well, let's get going!" said Fred.
* * *
After the long, hard practice, the team made their way to the Great Hall for dinner. George thought out his plan in his head one more time, hoping everything would turn out okay.
I hope I remember the spell right...What if Fred finds out it was me? Man, he'd kill me! Not because of the slug thing, he'd probably think it was funny later, but he'd think I was horrible for doing this to him for a girl! A girl that actually wanted to talk to him in the first place, and not me...Maybe I shouldn't do this. Maybe I should just come clean to Fred. George thought guiltily.
But as they all were approaching their table, he happened to catch Sophia's eye at the Ravenclaw table. She smiled at him and he smiled back. This strengthened his resolve once again.
Well, it's not like I'm going to let her think that I'm Fred forever...I'll just tell her I'm George the next time I see her...George thought.
As they took their seats, and George got ready to put his plan into action. Everyone piled food on their plates. As Fred helped himself to some roast beef, George muttered an incantation and the charm hit the beef. George waited a second to see if Fred or anyone else had noticed anything. They didn't seem to, so George relaxed and began to eat dinner.
About half way through dinner, Fred tapped George on the shoulder and said, "Hey George, could you pass me the pump –"
Fred suddenly cut off. He suddenly looked like he would be sick to the stomach.
George tried really hard not to laugh and said, "Fred, what's wrong?"
This got everyone in their near vicinity's attention. They all gathered around him.
"Fred, say something!" yelled Ginny.
Fred could not answer because he was too busy throwing up slugs.
Ron cringed and said, "Man, I never thought I'd be seeing this again."
"Who could have done this?" asked Violet, "It has to be someone around here, they couldn't have shot the spell from the other side of the room."
George didn't like the direction of this conversation, so he decided to get everyone distracted again.
"Let's figure out who did this later. Let's move Fred to the infirmary before he gets slugs all over everything." Said George taking one of Fred's arms.
Ron grabbed the other and they took Fred up to Madam Pompfrey.
* * *
"So what did Madam Pompfrey say?" asked George.
"She said –" Fred paused, throwing up more slugs into a borrowed cauldron from the infirmary, "–I'll just have to wait it out. I can't go to Hogsmede this weekend."
"That stinks! I heard the joke shop was getting in a new shipment of fake wands this weekend!" said Lee.
"I know!" Fred said, indignantly, but quickly was interrupted by a new barrage of slugs.
"Fred just take a break...talking is just not helping you..." said George, just wanting to end this conversation, "We'll bring you back something..."
Man, I just hope he doesn't find out about Sophia... George thought.
"Hey George –" said Fred, throwing up slugs and then continuing, "If you see Sophia, tell her I said hi, okay?"
This made George feel guilty again.
"Sure Fred...no problem..." George replied.
* * *
"I have had so much fun today Fred!" said Sophia, "Those fake wands at Zonko's were fantastic!"
"Yeah, umm...George...and I have made a few prototypes of fake wands ourselves." George said.
"Wow, that's great! By the way, why isn't George here?" Sophia asked.
"Ah, well...George was on the wrong end of a practical joke...he's throwing up slugs at Hogwarts right now." George replied, feeling pretty weird for referring to himself in the third person.
Sophia made a face picturing it in her mind and said, "Well, that's too bad..."
"I actually have one of our fake wands on me right now," George said smiling and handing Sophia the wand, "When you try to cast a spell, they explode and cover the person holding the wand with blue dust."
"Really? Let me try that." Sophia said, wielding the wand.
"You sure? I'm serious about the blue dust." said George, laughing.
"Why not? I'll give it a go. Lumos." Sophia said.
The end of the wand did light for a split second but then the wand suddenly blew up in Sophia's hand and she was covered in the blue dust. Sophia coughed, surprised at first, but then she started laughing. People gave her some weird looks as they passed her, but when they saw who she was with, they started laughing too, thinking she was the victim of one of his practical jokes.
"These things really do work! So you and George thought of this all by yourselves? Who's idea was it?" Sophia said, very curious about these wands now.
"Well, both of us came up with different ideas and put them all together in our creations. We're thinking of opening up a joke shop when we get out of Hogwarts, but I don't think our parents are so keen on that idea. They want us to work in the Ministry of Magic, just like my dad and one of my older brothers." Said George.
Why am I telling her my whole life story?! George thought, wanting to slap himself.
"I think that you and George should really take this joke shop thing seriously...you two seem really good at this. This wand was brilliant!" Sophia said encouragingly.
"Yeah..." replied George.
"It's really too bad George couldn't come to Hogsmede...I'd really have liked to get to know him better too..." said Sophia.
"Yeah...It would have been great if George could have come..." said George.
That's it! I can't take referring to myself in third person one more time!! I'll just have to tell her that I'm George. If I tell her now, there's less chance for her to get mad at me and for Fred to find out what really happened. George thought.
As they were walking they happened to pass the Three Broomsticks.
"Hey, want to get some butter beers? They're some of the best drinks on earth!" George said, smiling.
But what George really wanted was to talk to her in a quiet corner and break the news to her that he really wasn't Fred.
"Sure!" Sophia enthusiastically replied.
They went inside, placed their order with Madam Rosmerta and sat down at a table in a back corner of the Three Broomsticks.
"So...I've pretty much told you my life story...what do you want to do after you graduate from Hogwarts?" asked George.
"Well, I haven't actually given it so much thought...maybe something with dragons. I've always liked them." Sophia said, fingering her dragon claw necklace.
"Oh really? That's really cool...my older brother Charlie actually works with dragons himself. We all went and visited him in Romania this last summer." Said George.
"Wow...they have some really vicious ones out there, don't they? I read all about them." said Sophia, with great interest.
"Yeah...Charlie's one of the best with them though." George said, showing off a bit.
"Man, I wish I had a brother like that..." Sophia said.
But this brought her thoughts to who her brother really was. The thought made her cringe. George didn't know what to make of this, so he decided not to ask. Since they had this break in conversation, he decided that it was time to tell her that he was not Fred.
"Well, there was actually something I had wanted to tell you." Said George.
He's already telling me he loves me! I hardly even know him! Sure he's nice, but I can't trust him that fast! No matter how nice they seem, men just can't be trusted. Just like mum...even slimy Lucius probably seemed nice to her...I refuse to be the victim of a situation like that! I'd just better stop this right now...Sophia thought.
Before George could even begin speaking Sophia said, "Look, Fred, this probably isn't the time for this, okay? I really should get going...Cho is probably looking for me right now. I did have fun today though...I hope I see you around."
With that she got up from the table and left George sitting there, very confused.
Now what was that about?! he thought.
* * *
Violet, Ron, Harry, and Hermione had just stepped out of Honeydukes, stuffed with every sweet imaginable.
"Wow...I just can never get enough of those Chocolate Frogs!" said Ron.
"Why don't we stop by the Three Broomsticks for some butter beers? A Hogsmede visit is not complete without them!" said Harry.
As the four walked over to the Three Broomsticks, Violet reached into the pocket of her robes and realized that her money bag was missing!
"Oh no! I think I left my money bag inside Honeydukes! I need to go back and look for it." Said Violet, "You guys go on without me. I'll catch up."
"Are you sure you don't want us to help look for it?" Hermione asked her.
"No...I'm sure that I just left it at the front counter. But you guys should really go and save us a table at the Three Broomsticks. I bet it's really crowded by now." Said Violet, a little worried about her money bag.
"Well...okay...We'll see you in a little bit then..." said Ron reluctantly.
Harry and Hermione started walking towards the Three Broomsticks, while Ron stayed back and gave Violet a hug before running after them. Violet smiled a little before walking back inside Honeydukes. Right away she saw Draco standing near the entrance tossing her money bag in the air and catching it. Her heart jumped in excitement. She hadn't talked to him since their detention together.
Draco gave her a friendly smirk and sarcastically said, "Wow, Black...took you long enough to separate yourself from the Gallant Do-Gooder Trio and realize this was missing."
Violet tried to keep herself from smiling and said, "You'd better watch yourself Malfoy...they're still my friends..."
"I think we should find somewhere more private to talk..." said Draco, handing back Violet's money bag.
They walked outside of Honeydukes.
"Where do you want to go? It can't be that far...the Trio, as you called them, are waiting for me in the Three Broomsticks...if I never show up, they'll think something happened to me." Said Violet.
Draco narrowed his eyes in anger.
My time with her is further compromised for those Muggle loving – okay, I'd better stop this line of thought...I really need to stop thinking like this! Draco thought.
He got control over himself and said, "Well, do you have any ideas? I was just about to suggest ditching them."
"You know I can't do that..." Violet said, a little sadly.
"Oh I know exactly where we can go!" Draco said.
"Where?" Violet said curiously.
"Let's go...you'll see when we get there..." Draco said, grabbing her hand and running.
Good thing no one is out here to see us! I don't even know why I let him hold my hand...but it does feel kinda nice...Violet thought, a smile breaking out on her face.
Finally Draco stopped in front of a creepy, old, rundown house.
"Oh, you're kidding, right?" said Violet.
"Well, this is the best I can think of in Hogsmede. If you can think of anything better, you are welcome to suggest it." Draco said, slightly frustrated.
"Since I really don't know Hogsmede, this will have to do." Violet said playfully.
"This is called the Shrieking Shack. People usually steer clear of it because they think it's haunted by really vicious ghosts, but I know that it's not true. It's perfect. We'll have to go in the back way though...we wouldn't want people catching us going in the front...we'd probably get in trouble if we were caught." Said Draco, leading her to the back entrance.
Draco pulled off the loose board that covered the back door and they carefully stepped inside.
"Man, I just hope this place doesn't cave in on us!" said Violet.
They stepped into the main room of the house. Since there was no where to sit, they just stood in the empty room.
"Look, Draco, I think we need to talk..." said Violet, "I just don't know what to think about us at all..."
"Yes...well, one thing I want you to know is that it was me who gave you that rose..." said Draco.
"That was you?!" Violet said in surprise, "I thought it was from –umm...someone else..."
"I know who else...Weasely, isn't it?" Draco bit out, the jealousy obvious in his voice.
Violet just didn't know what to say. She really did not want to hurt Draco, but there was still Ron to think about.
"Draco..." Violet started, slowly and hesitantly, "I still need to sort out my feelings for you...and my feelings for Ron..."
"Please...don't choose Weasely..." Draco said, a fervent tone in his voice.
Violet said nothing. She didn't know what more she could say at this point, her feelings for each guy mixed indiscernibly inside her. But Draco would not accept defeat. He would do everything in his power not to lose her to Ron. Both lost in their thoughts, Violet checked her watch.
Oh no! It's already been too long! Harry, Hermione, and Ron would probably be worried about me by now! Violet thought.
"I really need to go now, Draco...Harry, Ron, and Hermione would think something happened to me..." said Violet, a little disappointed their time was already up.
"Wait." Said Draco.
He walked up close to her and put his arms around her. After not hugging him for so long, Violet realized how much she really had missed it. Then he slowly pulled back, tilted her head up slightly, and kissed her. Finally, Violet pulled away, knowing her time was running short.
Wow! That was even better than the first time we kissed! And this time we weren't interrupted! Violet thought, pleasantly lightheaded.
Draco and Violet made their way out of the Shrieking Shack.
Once back out on the road, Violet took his hands, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "Bye, Draco...I'll see you in class..."
"Good bye, Violet..." Draco replied.
Violet let go of his hands and walked away. Draco just stood there and watched her go. After Violet was a considerable distance away, Draco walked back to town.
* * *
Violet hurried back to the Three Broomsticks. On the way in, she bumped into Ginny.
"Watch it, Violet!" said Ginny, playfully.
Violet half smiled back, hoping that Ron, Hermione, or Harry had not gone looking for her. She looked to the back of the Three Broomsticks and found the three of them sitting at a table there. She and Ginny walked over to them.
"Where were you, Violet? We were just about to come look for you!" said Ron.
"Oh, well, I ran into Ginny outside, and I was talking to her..." said Violet, quickly.
Ginny looked at her in surprise, wondering why Violet said that when they had just met outside a minute ago. She was just about to blow Violet's cover, when she decided that Violet must have had a good reason for lying.
I'll just ask her about this later... thought Ginny.
"Yeah...we were just talking about our last Quidditch game..." Ginny made up on the spot.
"Oh, I see..." said Ron, not quite convinced.
"Well, we got you a butterbeer. Here you go." Harry said, handing it to her.
She took it and sat down by Ron. Luckily, they did not ask her anymore questions about where she had been. Finally, when it began to get late, all the Hogwarts students had to leave. They all went outside and found the carriages that were to take them back already waiting. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Violet took a carriage to themselves. They were a bit cramped, but they didn't mind. On the way back, Violet felt Ron take her hand. She looked at him and smiled.
* * *