In the evening I got dresses for girls night out. Forgoing my usual formal attire, I pulled on a black halter top with a standing collar that zipped up the front, allowing me to adjust the plunging neckline. I wore a pair of black split pants that flowed when I walked, barring my legs to reveal a pair of strappy heels. I grabbed my bag and walked out into the living room to find George seated casually on the couch. He narrowed his eyes at me as I walked towards the door.
"You look nice this evening." I turned slowly to face George, unable to believe my ear. He was looking at me with an expression of contempt.
"Quite a bit like your aunt, really. All that black." I abruptly turned on my heels and stomped out the door without another word. I could feel tears welling in my eyes as I took the stairs down. Not looking where I was going, I bumped into someone heading up. It was Fred.
"Whats wrong, Rose?" He looked at my bleary eyes.
"Nothing." I said and continued stomping down the stairs, wiping my face. and feeling more than a little guilty for walking out on Fred like that. Stupid tosser, I thought as I thought back to George's stinging words. I wasnt even blood related to Bellatrix (I was quite sure that was who he had been refering to).
I forced a smile onto my face as I entered the pub. I was not going to let George ruin this night. I sat down with Angelina in a small booth and she looked at me curiously.
"Have you been crying, Ro?" She asked. I could detect a hint of excitement in her voice that made me smile genuinely. I couldn't dislike her for hoping that me and Fred's nonexistent relationship was on the rocks.
"It's just George." I burst out after ordering a Blast Ended Skrewt Bomb. Angelina looked surprised.
"What about George?" And I began telling her all about his hatred of me and his words before I got here. Angelina looked shocked.
"Wow. George isn't really like that, usually." She explained her surprise. "It's usually Fred who is the hothead of the two." She looked sadly faraway as if she were revisiting some fond memories. She snapped out of it quickly though and I could see a mask go up. Slowly I began considering something. The more I drank the better the idea became and I noticed Angelina looking more and more depressed with each of her drinks. I took her hand.
"Angelina." She looked at me, alarmed by the contact. "Fred and I aren't really getting married." Casting a muffliato bubble around our booth, I continued. "We're not even dating." Angelina looked at me wide-eyed.
"What do you mean?" I sighed and then told her about Lucius' plan and how Fred was just going along with it for my sake.
"And I know that he still really cares for you." I added after my explanation. Angelina looked doubtful.
"Well, that certainly interesting news but, Rose, I don't think it really affects me." I looked at her shocked. "But you like him don't you?" I asked incredulously. Angelina blushed a deep crimson.
"I do." She confessed. "But I don't think he could forgive me for choosing Davies over him. I know I wouldn't." She looked down.
"Angelina." I started sternly. "He talks about you all the time. He misses you! Of course he'll forgive you!" Angelina didn't look up. "I'm only going to say this once and then we'll drop the whole thing and have some fun but you should talk to him. He would like that." Angelina took a deep draught of her drink and smiled at me. The rest of the night passed in bit of a blur but when I finally sobered up Angelina hugged me goodnight and I set out to the flat.
When I got in, I collapsed onto the couch feeling oddly depressed thinking about my lost career, platonic relationship, and George's words when I left. I sighed deeply and stared dejectedly into the darkness. I'm not sure how long I sat there before the soft click of an opening door alerted me to someone's presence. I didn't not look around as I heard the soft patter of footsteps in my direction. The couch creaked softly as someone sat down next to me.
"Hey." It was Fred.
"Hey." I repeated back to him tiredly. There was a long pause before Fred said,
"George can be a proper git sometimes." I snorted.
"I dunno, Fred. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all." I stated the obvious.
"Don't say that, Roisin." Fred sounded hurt, I felt him scoot closer to me and my hand was suddenly encircled in another, warmer hand. "I'm sorry." He said into the darkness. It was like being hit by a stunning jinx, the contact with him. Suddenly, I just wanted to be closer to him. I wrapped my arms around him and leaned into his toned chest. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Yet, this still didn't feel like enough. My body was oddly alive with a scorching need. His arms went around me as well and I tipped my head up trying to make out the outline of his face in the darkness. And quite suddenly I felt the stir of his breathe upon my face. And then he was gently kissing me and I found myself wondering how I hadn't enjoyed this the last time. I had kissed Fred before but I couldn't recall it being quite like this. I felt cheated by every kiss before it. He deepened the kiss as he pulled me tight against him. I felt as if I had no control over my body, his lips dictated its every movement and feeling. I didn't want control. I shifted my body to sit atop his lap and wrapped his hair around my fists as I leaned his head back in a furious kiss. Suddenly we were standing up and then I was against the wall without knowing how I'd got there, my hands searching his firm body not being able to decide which part of him I liked best. He began placing soft kisses down my jaw, just barely grazing my jaw line with his teeth. His hand found the zipper to my shirt and pulled roughly. I shrugged the shirt off and continued kissing every inch of him that I could reach, a lust like I'd never felt coursing through my body. Suddenly, I thought of Angelina. What was I doing? But trying to stop kissing him was like trying to stay flat and still against the bottom of a deep pool. I just kept floating up. Finally I pushed him back. "Fred." I was breathing hard. "We shouldnt be doing this." No reply. And then. "You're right, I'm sorry." and he gave me one more heart stopping kiss before he roughly pulled himself back and walked out of the room. When I heard the door close I made my way towards the bed and collapsed onto it, unable to sleep.
I awoke the next morning to a gentle tapping on the window. I looked up to see George's black owl, Loki, wanting in after his night of hunting. As I opened the window to let the dark owl in the memory of last night came back to me, the crushing feeling of guilt slowly suffocating me. I knew what I had to do. I tore a piece of parchment from a Judgemental Journal that was laying abandoned on the floor and wrote.
Angelina,
I need to talk to you. Meet me at The Dragon at 10.
Rose.
"I'm a journal not stationary, you crazy broad!" The paper squeaked at me as I tied it to Loki's leg, sent him off, and closed the window. After dressing for my meeting with Angelina I cracked the door to Fred's room and peeked out into the living room. No one was there. I sighed in relief. The twins must have left for the shop already. I made my way outside and down the street.
Angelina came rushing into the shop looking worried.
"Ro, what's happened? I got your message. Are you ok?" I looked up at her guiltily.
"I'm fine, Angelina. But there's something you should know." She stared at me expectantly.
"I made out with Fred last night after I got back from the pub. I'm so sorry, Ange. I don't know what came over me. First we were just sitting there and then we were snogging and then were against the wall . . ." I chanced I look up at her face. She looked bewildered.
"You . . . walked home last night, yeah?" She asked me slowly. This time I stared at her wondering where she was going.
"Er, yeah. I did." She looked at me and I could have sworn I saw the hint of a smile cross her face.
"Um, the thing is, Ro." She started. "Right after you left I sent a message to Fred via floo to meet me at the Leaky Cauldron. I reckon he was at the Leaky Cauldron before you even made it home. And I know for a fact that he didn't return to his flat at all last night." Angelina blushed deeply at her last statement. I stared at her my mouth agape.
"But then how-" I stopped as realization dawned on me.
"George." We said in unison. I stood up abruptly my chair violently flying backwards as I sputtered.
"That- How dare- arrrrrrrggg. That bastard!" I was furious. Angelina looked alarmed.
"Rose, calm down. At least it wasn't Fred!"
"But he didn't tell me!" My guilt was fast being replaced by rage.
"That slimy tosser! That devious toad! Repulsive wart! Where on earth did he learn to kiss like that!?" I looked at Angelina who shrugged.
"Never mind." I spat angrily. "This doesn't change things!" I said as I marched out of the shop and towards WWW with Angelina at my heels entreating me to cool down and not make a scene. But it was too late for that. I burst through the shop door, looking wildly around for any sign of red hair. I stomped into the break room and there he was. His hand, which had been reaching for some doughnuts, freezing mid grab as he saw me. I walked up to him and released to famous Malfoy backhand (reserves for impudent fools as uncle Lucius would say). Fred and Lee stared at me in shock while George looked down guiltily.
"What- How could you?" I sputtered furiously. George opened his mouth but Fred cut him off.
"What did you do, George?" He asked bewildered. "Burn all of her possessions or something?" I ignored Fred and took another step towards George before Angelina pulled me back.
"George, get out. Now." Angelina warned him and he made haste. Pausing at the door, he turned around and said.
"I'm sorry, Roisin. Really." I glared at him as he left.
"Does anyone want to tell us whats going on?" Lee asked as soon as the door had closed. I didn't speak as I glared angrily at the table. Angelina cleared her throat.
"Well -er- it seems as if uh when Rose got back last night she mistook George for Fred and George initiated some uh well . . ." She looked uncomfortable.
"What?!" Fred and Lee asked in unison.
"Well, they made out." Angelina finished quickly. Fred and Lee stared at each other before they burst out laughing.
"I knew it!" Exclaimed Fred excitedly. "I knew he had the hots for you. It explains so much!"
"It's not funny!" I shouted at them. "We were halfway naked before I had the sense to call it quits!" I my face red with anger and embarrassment.
"OHHHHHHHHHHH!" All three of them exclaimed. Lee turned to Fred, "George doesn't usually move that fast. I'm quite impressed to be honest." I glared at him and he shut up.
"Hold up." Fred looked at me, a small smile playing across his face. "You got half naked with George, but you never really seemed to be that into me when we were together." I narrowed my eyes at Fred,
"Well, I was sometimes. It just sort of came and went." I argued back at Fred, "Like when you first showed me the shop and the morning we came back from the Leaky Cauldron that night . . .What's so funny!" I demanded angrily for Fred and Lee looked like they were having seizures from laughing so hard.
"Oh . . . Oh my Godric." Fred panted. "That was GEORGE." Fred broke into hysterics again at the look on my face.
"No it wasn't! It was you! You said . . ."
"No. I didn't tell you George was my twin, and when you saw him you thought it was me . . . understandably. And he didn't want to embarrass you so he played along!" Fred explained and suddenly it all made so much sense. How he had been making jokes about how cool George was and how George did all the work because it WAS George. I thought back to what he had said to me last night "George can be a proper git . . . I'm sorry." I shook my head in exasperation as I turned a brilliant shade of red. I didn't know what to think at this point and ended up stomping out of the break room and bumping right into . . . ugh, George. I made to shove past him but he grabbed my shoulders and faced me earnestly.
"Look, Roisin. I'm sorry about last night. I was trying to apologize and things just escalated from-"
"You kissed me!" I spat at him vehemently. His face grew angry as he said forcefully.
"Well, maybe it has escaped your notice, Roisin, but you kissed me back quite enthusiastically!"
"You undressed me while I thought you were Fred! There's something wrong with that principal!"
"You don't even like Fred like that! He told me about your arrangement after you left last night!"
"So you thought you'd just-"
"I didn't think anything! It just happened. I was trying to apologize!"
I stepped back and looked at him coolly, "Well, that was quite an apology George Weasley." And with that I shoved past him and stormed out of the shop.