Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the favourites and likes. I plan on sort of bouncing back between 6th year and earlier years between chapters, but we'll see how it goes for now.
Let me know what you think :)
Four hours and thirteen minutes until their study session, and he felt like he was going to throw up.
Divination wasn't helping. As he looked into the Crystal ball he wished he was any good at this and could see what the outcome would be. At least then he could prepare himself for it.
He sighs as he looks up, eyes flittering around the classroom. He sees Alex sat on the other side with Cedric, now laughing at something he murmurs into her ear. Oh merlin, not pretty boy Diggory. It's not like every other girl in the school was in love with him, and now, he was a Triwizard champion. Of course he would seem more alluring with his stupidly quaffed hair and deviously good looks.
"You know, you could just wait for her to go out with every other boy in school until you're the only one left, then she might notice you."
He wants to smack his brother right across the face.
"Or, you could just grow a pair."
Fred didn't get it. He could just go up to girls, flirt and seduce them. George wasn't like that. Well, there wasn't any girls he wanted to do that with, except for her of course.
His eyes don't falter, and as hers look over to him the corner of her mouth pulls into a smile. She gently waves a finger at him, and he does the same in return, his heart racing in his chest.
What if she said no? What if she just laughed and the rejection was too overwhelming. What if he ruined the friendship that they had been building for six years with something as simple as asking her to the yule ball?
That's why he hadn't kissed her at the burrow, even though he had been so close to doing it. Her face had been a touch away from his, his breath caught in his chest as he thought about finally doing what he had dreamt about for years.
But he chickened out, as always.
"Can you please stop attempting to eye fuck her and help me with this bloody crystal?"
George stumbles, eyes wide as he pushes the thought of her lips on his out of his mind. "I'm not – we weren't eye fucking."
"I didn't say you were, I said you were attempting to." Fred leans down, squinting as he stares into the crystal ball. "You know what I see? Rejection. Disappointment. Oh look, there's even a tiny little you crying."
"I hate you."
"I know." Fred smirks. "So, what's the plan?"
"I don't know." George mumbles "Probably just write about my impending doom, Trelawney always likes those. I was thinking the giant squid could eat me? Maybe I could get a body part blown off?"
"No you idiot. With Alex? How are you going to ask her tonight?"
"Oh, I hadn't thought much about it." George lies.
No not much at all. Just three parchments worth of notes that were now shoved into his potions book on the subject. Merlin he was pathetic.
"Well, practice on me."
"Sod off."
"I'm serious." Fred smirks. "Here, I'll be Alex and you ask."
He sits a little straighter and flicks pretend long hair over his shoulder. "Hi Georgie." Fred says in a high-pitched voice. George suddenly feels compelled to die right there in the middle of divination. "Well, come on then!"
He sighs. "Hi…Alex."
"You never call her Alex, that isn't accurate."
George rolls his eyes. "Hi Allie."
Fred looks at him with a cheesy smile and George huffs. "Doyouwanttogototheyuleballwithme?" He says it quick and low just in case anyone overhears and he sees his brother attempt to hold back the laugh.
"Ummm." Fred taps a finger to his lips and George tries not to throw the Crystal at his head. "No. I think I'd rather go with Cedric Diggory, he's much sexier."
"Fuck. Off."
Fred chuckles as he goes back to scribbling something down. "I'm just saying. You're going to need to be a bit more exciting to get her to say yes to you. Plus you know Cedric all handsome and muscley and your kind of a string bean."
"So are you!"
"Yeah but I pull it off better." He smirks.
"Well, what do you suggest Casanova, I chuck something at her head?"
"Worked for me." Fred says with a grin. "Want me to get some dirt? Maybe she's become a eunuch?"
George's head hits the desk. "I don't think that means what you think it means."
"Ang!"
The shout forces Trelawney to scowl at them from the front of the class, but Angelina looks over too, rolling her eyes when she see's Fred beckoning her over to them.
"Don't you dare!" George hisses and Fred smirks.
"Your name will not pass my lips."
Angelina arrives at their table, sitting down on the cushions while Fred's attention turns to her. "Hello, my lovely date to the yule ball." Fred says with a grin and Angelina smiles slightly.
"Yes Weasley?"
"Why doesn't Alex have a date to the ball yet? I'm convinced it's because she's eunuch, but we need confirmation."
Angelina quirks an eyebrow at George who bobs a shoulder in a shrug. "I don't think that means what you think it means." She chuckles.
"It's like a nun, right?"
"No." Angelina and George droll in unison.
"Whatever. Anyway. Details please. Give us the gossip."
"No gossip." She sighs. "Lee asked her and well, Alex knew Alicia wanted to go with Lee so Alex said no – "
Fred's mouth drops. "Wait, Alicia wants to go with Lee? Since when?"
"Not the issue at hand Fred." George groans.
"Harvey asked her but she said no to him too, but I did hear Adrian wanted to ask her as well."
"But they've been broken up for ages?" He can't hide the slight agony in his voice and he notices the glance off Angelina.
"That's just a rumour. I overheard the Slytherin girls moaning about it in the girls bathroom. She's just waiting for the right person to ask her." She shrugs. "That's all."
"Well I'm already taken – OW!" Fred glares at George as he rubs his shin. "What the bloody hell was that for!"
"That was me you prat!" Angelina scolds at him. "Why are you so interested in Alex anyways?"
"I'm not." Fred says in a soft voice and wiggles his eyebrows, forcing her to smile back.
"Oh, I get it." She says looking over to George who certain he's turning the same colour as his hair.
"I wasn't – that's not – "
"Couldn't help but notice the staggering amount of time you two have spent together lately. Surprised you haven't asked her already?"
"Why – " He clears his throat. "We're friends. We hang out."
"Best friends." Fred comments with a smirk. "Besides me. I'm number one. She's a very strong second place."
He couldn't help the glare, but what Angelina says is more horrifying.
"George, you know everyone knows?" Angelina states with a soft smile. "You get those puppy dogs eyes whenever you look at her."
George can't help the stammers. "I don't – that's – you're both idiots." He tries to brush them off. The both of them laugh and he wants climb under the desk. Was everyone aware but her?
"George – You should ask her." Angelina says it with more determination as she stares him down and George feels his chest tighten slightly. "Unless Christian Slater happens to show up at school, you won't have much competition."
His head snaps up, and he stares at her, trying to see if she's fucking with him.
"Oooh Is that the guy in that movie you showed us? The one where he tries to blow up the school?" Fred says excitedly and Angelina nods. "Oh so that's what she's into. Bad boys. Well you've got that one down, right George? We'll just have to get you a trench coat and some smokes and you're good to go."
"I'm going to kill you and I won't make it look like an accident."
"Bloody hell. Do you want me to do it? I'll go and pretend to be you." Fred says completely exasperated.
Maybe if the rejection wasn't to his face it wouldn't be so painful. For a moment he was tempted, but Alex could tell them apart better than anyone. "No. No I'll do it. I'm helping her with homework tonight. I'm going to ask her then."
"Just be assertive, girls like assertiveness. Look at me and Ang. I was confident and she fell for me in an instant."
"Yes, that's definitely what happened." She chuckles. "But he's sort of right."
"Or you could ask someone else out. Make her jealous." Fred says with a nudge but Angelina rolls her eyes.
"Fred that is so pathetic. George, I mean this, do not do that. It never works. You just need to be self-assured George. Alex will like that."
Is that what Alex liked? Come to think of it, he had never asked her what she liked in boys. What if she said everything that is the complete opposite to him?
He looks over to her again. She's now leaning on one arm, looking as if she's about to drift off.
Confident. He could do that.
George tries to think of Fred's words as he walks into the library. Just be assertive. Girls like assertiveness.
He spots her at the back of the library and he sucks in a breath. The little voice in his head is screaming at him. Just go over there and ask her George. Come on George. Just do it. Ask her. Ask her ask her ask her.
She spots him first, summoning him over and he swallows the lump in his throat as he drags himself to her.
"You've got to check this out, it's disgusting."
As he slips into the seat next to her she points over to the couple ahead, viscously making out.
"That is disgusting."
'Since when did third years do that? I never did that."
"No.' He chuckles. "In fact, in third year I think you spent most of the time trying to make friends with the giant squid."
"He liked the bourbons I used to throw to him. Besides, at least I didn't actually go into the lake and try to ride him."
George smirks at the memory. "McGonagall was so pissed. Took forever for Fred to grow out that bald patch on his head as well."
"I thought he looked distinguished with it to be perfectly honest. And at least for a few months everyone could tell the great George and Fred Weasley apart."
He smiles as he watches her flick open her potions book to find the page. She was the only one that ever said his name first. "So, I need help with this essay on essence of insanity? Trout nose is forcing me re-write it."
"Was it that bad the first time?"
"Kind of – Maybe. It might have been a last-minute job if I'm perfectly honest." She smoothly lies. "Newts are a killer huh?"
"What were you reading?" He sighs and she pauses for a moment, wetting her lips.
"Nothing."
"Allie – " He starts.
"Frankenstein." She says in defeat and he smirks. She was always easy to crack. "but in my defence, I was getting really into it and I just got to the part where he's building the bride and remember specifically being like, woah that's insane! And then that's when I was like...fuck…insanity essay but because I was at the good bit I kept reading and it got really late – "
George slinks his arm behind her as he listens to her ramble, smiling as he does. He could listen to her for hours.
"- I tried to stay up to finish but I feel asleep so when I woke up –"
He wants to kiss her. He wants to tuck the strand of hair behind her ear and caress her cheek and press his lips against hers. How was it she never even noticed the way he looked so lovingly at her?
" And Snape told me to re-write it because he said it was sloppy work and since we're doing our Newts he expects far better from me and – " She looks over at him then, biting her lip softly. "Sorry. I know it's annoying when I go on. It's like I forget to switch my brain off."
"I don't think it's annoying. You know that."
"Adrian did. He was always saying I talked too much."
George feels his stomach tighten. "Yeah, well he's a prat."
She raises a curious eyebrow. "I thought you liked Adrian?"
"I mean – sometimes." George swallows hard before he keeps talking. "I heard a rumour he was going to ask you to the yule ball."
"Oh that." She chuckles. "He cornered me earlier actually. I told him to take a long walk into the black lake."
A dull silence moved over them, except the noise of the two third years furiously making out. He glances over again before picking up a piece of parchment, screwing it into a ball and he throws it effortless so it hits the boy square on the head. It forces the couple to break apart and glare over in their direction.
"Oi, McAlister. Pack it up before we see our steak pie again!" George says in a hushed tone and the Hufflepuff stands from the table, reaching for the unknown Ravenclaws hand.
He sees Alex cover her mouth as she holds back the laugh.
"Sod off Weasley!" He hisses across the library before storming out with the Ravenclaw in toe. He can feel Alex's eyes burning into him, and sure enough when he turns his head back to her she's staring at him.
"You ok Georgie?"
"Fine." He shrugs as he sinks into his chair. "Just sick of seeing it. Everyone all loved up cause of the yule ball. It's sickening."
His eyes glance up at hers and she's looking at him with a soft smile on her face. "Well, why haven't you asked anyone to the yule ball yet?"
He was glad she mentioned it first, it seemed to calm his nerves a bit.
"Well…maybe I was just waiting for the right person?"
He hopes it triggers something and she nods slightly. "I saw how disappointed you looked when Fred asked Ang, did you want to ask her first?"
George stares at her blankly, hoping to Merlin she didn't think he fancied Angelina. "No…. I wasn't disappointed. I don't even like Ang like that I just – " He swallows hard as he tries to think of any other excuse, but with the way she's looking at him he decides to go with the truth instead. "I suppose – I just wish I had Fred's confidence when it came to that sort of thing…"
She seems to waver for a while, then shakes her head mutely. "You don't have any reason not to be. It's not like if you asked anyone they would say no."
"Wouldn't they?"
"Why would they?" She says with a soft smile. "You're a catch Georgie."
He suddenly had no idea why he felt so terrified before. Out of everyone she was the one that brought him the confidence that he needed.
Reason a hundred and fifty-two why he loved her he supposed.
"I swear this whole yule ball thing has everyone acting crazy. I had to listen to Angelina talk for an hour about if her dress colour was going to clash with Fred's hair."
He can't help but laugh. "Well, is it?"
"She's wearing purple which will work, but I told her green is more flattering with your hair colour." Her eyes flicker over to him. "Fred's hair colour. Which is also your hair colour…not like I've thought about it that much." She says nervously and he feels the flutter in his stomach. Maybe Angelina had been onto something.
"Well what colour is your dress? I'm assuming you've picked it out?"
"Of course. I've had it planned for weeks."
"Maybe we can find you a date that will go with your colour theme?" He lightly flirts, hoping she'll take notice. "What did you pick?"
Alex smiles slightly as her fingers play with the sleeve on the cuff of his shirt. He doesn't think much of it. She always did that. "Green." She says softly. "Know any red heads that might be free?"
He suddenly feels her fingers brush against his skin, and it's then he realises she was flirting right back.
"Well, I'm free?" He says in a low voice, feeling the confidence swell up in is chest. "Besides, you wouldn't want the dress to clash, right?"
"We couldn't possibly have that." She says tenderly. George is intensely aware of how she's leaning into him, and how he's doing the same back.
He feels his throat tighten slightly as he looks at her. "So, it's a date?" He asks. He just wants to hear her say it.
"Yeah Georgie." She says with a smirk. "It's a date."
