George was sitting in the Common Room, trying to write his Potions essay for Snape, but not really getting anywhere.
He had just thrown down his quill with a sigh of frustration, when he heard a group of people enter through the portrait hole, laughing.
"Hey, George!" Angelina said and sat down next to him, followed by Fred and Alicia.
"George, am I starting to hallucinate or are you actually doing … homework?" Alicia asked disbelievingly.
"Well, yes and no. I'm trying to do homework, but I can't do it. It's just too boring." George mumbled, rubbing his face with his hands.
"I agree." Fred said, looking down at his brother's essay.
At that minute, Katie Bell, another chaser of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a good friend of the group came over, her face flushed and a glee in her eyes.
"Alicia, Angelina, have you heard already?" she asked, beaming.
"What?" the girls asked in unison.
"Celeste Zabini asked Roger Davies to go to the ball with her!" Katie squealed.
They all stared at her expectantly.
"What about it? It was obvious, that she would ask him." Alicia asked shrugging.
"Yeah" Katie said grinning "but it wasn't obvious, that he would turn her down!"
Alicia and Angelina gaped at her.
"He said no?" Angelina gasped. "Is he blind or something? There's not another girl in Hogwarts who's that gorgeous!"
"I wouldn't say that." Fred interrupted, giving his girlfriend the famous Weasley grin.
Angelina blushed and Katie giggled. George and Alicia groaned.
"Back to the normal world." Alicia said, glaring at Fred. "did he say why? I mean, he must have had a very good reason."
"Well, I'm not exactly sure. But rumour has it, that he likes someone else." Katie answered.
"Who? Not Serena Greengrass! They split up." Angelina said.
"No, not her. She's already with someone else." Alicia said, distaste on her face.
"I mean, I understand the blokes, she is pretty, but two days after she and Roger broke up she already was with another one! A bit on the .. well slutty side, that one, isn't she?"
"Oh definitely!" Angelina exclaimed.
"You know, I heard that-"
"Okay, this is definitely getting boring." Fred mumbled to his brother.
"I hear you." George agreed.
So, have you asked anyone out yet? To the ball, I mean." Fred wanted to know.
"No. I don't think I'm going." George said.
"Oh come on. You have to go!"
"Why? I'm not a prefect or something!"
"But you can't leave me alone there! Angelina is making me go and I know I won't survive there on my own!" Fred whined.
George raised an eyebrow disbelievingly.
"She's making you go? Is she threatening you or something?"
"Well, no. She's not threatening me." Fred said, grinning broadly.
"Oh god." George groaned. "She's bribing you, isn't she?"
"Yup." Fred said lightly and beamed at his girlfriend, who was still deep in conversation.
"You know, you two are definitely disgusting! Since you've been together you've gotten mushier than I ever dreamed you could get. It's sad, really." George said.
"You wait until the right girl comes along for you." Fred retorted, although his ears were turning a bit pink.
"Yeah, yeah." George mumbled bored.
"Well, I suggest you ask someone very soon or the hot ones will all have been taken."
"Well, if you want me to come, you'll definitely owe me one."
"Okay, okay. So… who d'you want to go with?"
"For god's sake, Fred! Why are you so obsessed with me finding someone?"
"Because I'm bored and I know it's driving you up the wall."
"That's not the truth. Don't even try lying to me, you know it'll never work."
Fred was silent for a moment, looking at Angelina's profile.
"I dunno. I guess… well, I'm with Angelina now and we're doing more stuff alone and I just think that… well, that you're alone a lot and it's mainly my fault. I just … want someone to be there for you, when I'm not." He said.
George stared at him, as if he were an alien from another planet.
He didn't say anything, just stared at his brother.
Fred started to look alarmed.
"I'm sorry, am I growing antlers or something?" he asked.
"You sound like a girl, mate." George said, now starting to laugh.
"No I don't!" Fred said angrily. "It's just what's on my mind."
But George continued to laugh at his brother.
"Oh, you know what? Forget about it!" Fred exclaimed, glaring at his brother.
"Sorry." George said and stopped laughing.
"One just doesn't hear stuff like that from you very often. Or ever, actually."
"I know. It's all Angelina's fault. She always tells me to talk about my feelings and whatnot." Fred sighed.
"I don't think I approve of that." George said and Fred laughed.
"Me neither, but I already seem to have kind of adapted it."
"Well, then get rid of it!"
"Dunno, if I can." Fred shrugged and they both grinned at each other.
"So, who-"
"I don't know, who I'm going to ask yet!" George yelled, before his brother could continue.
"What about that Ravenclaw girl with the red hair?"
"Fred, I can't go out with anyone, who has red hair. We might clash. Besides, she has bad breath."
"Yuck! Okay, then. How about … the Hufflepuff chick with the really nice lips?"
"She has a boyfriend you blind fool! We walked past the two of them snogging two hours ago."
"Oh, that was her? Blimey, she sure isn't shy… Anyway… hm…who else? Celeste Zabini! She's not taken yet."
"Fred, we're talking about Celeste Zabini. First of all, a Slytherin and second of all, way too gorgeous for a normal bloke."
"Well, I guess you have a point there. There really isn't anyone decent looking around except those, is there?"
"Nope."
"Hang on!" Fred said so suddenly, that George jumped a little.
"What about Alicia?"
George looked at his brother, as if he had just asked, if two and two was three.
"Fred, just because you suddenly got the feeling you couldn't live without snogging your best friend, that doesn't mean I do as well."
"But still! Alicia's your friend and she is gorgeous."
"She might be, but we're just friends and I bet she doesn't want to go with a friend."
"Oh yeah, I forgot. She has an opinion , too. Well then, looks like you have a bit of a problem, mate."
"Whatever." George said, not really caring about the ball at all.
"You're not helping!" Fred exclaimed.
"Not trying to."
"Ugh, fine! Just ask Celeste for the fun of it. And who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky."
"I don't think so."
"She was looking especially fine today, wasn't she?" Fred asked, lowering his voice, so the girls wouldn't hear him.
"Oh, definitely." George agreed. "And is it just my mind playing games, or is her skirt shorter than everyone else's?"
"That's exactly what I thought!" Fred exclaimed heatedly.
"Which of course is very good, seeing as she's good the-"
"What are you guys talking about?" Angelina asked, as the girls turned towards them.
"Oh, nothing in particular." Fred said lightly. "The weather, Quidditch. The usual."
"Oh." Angelina said and smiled at her boyfriend.
George looked at Alicia, who raised an eyebrow and smirked at him knowingly.
It's like she's reading our minds!
"So, Alicia! Has anyone asked you to the ball yet?" Fred asked, as George groaned inwardly.
"Yeah." Alicia said dispassionately. George's insides seemed to freeze.
"Who?" he asked his voice abnormally high. He cleared his throat.
"Marcus Flint." The girls all said together.
"Eugh!" Fred said, a look of utter distaste on his Fred.
But George couldn't help but feel relief washing over him.
"I know!" Alicia exclaimed. "I actually was quite scared to turn him down. He looked like he wanted to strangle me, when I did."
"Well, you're lucky he didn't." George said. Alicia smiled at him and sat down next to him, laying her head onto her arms.
"Are you okay?" George asked, as Fred, Angelina and Katie started a very enthusiastic discussion about the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin.
Alicia sighed and looked at him. George suddenly noticed, that she had dark circles under her eyes.
"I just … I haven't been sleeping that well." She mumbled into her arm.
"Right." George said rather coolly.
He knew she was lying. She probably had talked to that person ago in the middle of the night.
"What?" Alicia asked, noticing his mood shift immediately.
"Nothing." George said quickly. "I'm just tired."
"Me, too." Alicia sighed and closed her eyes.
A strand of silver blonde hair fell into her face and she tried to blow it away, but it fell back.
George reached out and tucked it behind her ear.
But instead of removing his hand, he lightly stroked across her soft cheek.
Alicia smiled a little, and George found that he, too had a smile on his lips.
"So, George." She said, her eyes still closed. "Who are you going to ask out for the ball?"
"Dunno." George said shrugging. "Don't have anyone in mind just yet."
"No one?" she asked, her voice sounding sleepy.
"Not really." George answered, looking at her face. He hadn't ever noticed, that she had such a little nose, with just a slight amount of freckles dusted across. And that her eyes were framed by so long, dark lashes.
He shook himself.
What is wrong with me? It really is time, that I find myself another girlfriend. I'm so desperate I'm started to moon over my best friend.
He heard Alicia breathing steadily and realized, that she'd fallen asleep.
Okay, not that long a chapter and nothing exciting but I don't want anything to happen too quickly.
And yes, I wrote another girlfriend. I decided that George shouldn't be totally unknowing about girls, so I decided for him to have an ex-girlfriend. But we'll never know who she is…:P