Part 2 - The Dangers of Eavesdropping
The Sorting Hat didn't even have to fully touch my head to place me in Gryffindor, and I was quite happy for it. Both my parents had been in that house, after all, as well as my Uncle Remus. It seemed like the perfect place for a spirited girl like me.
It was also great because Fred and George turned out to be Gryffindors just a year ahead of mine. I'd spent almost the entire train ride talking to the pair of them, but wasn't entirely convinced that they wanted to be friends with me until my dinner exploded right in my face. Wearing a shocked expression, covered in gobbets of meat, potatoes, and gravy, the only thing I can remember thinking as I stared across the table at the laughing Weasley twins was, "Oh, it is so on!"
I made no other friends that year. People were utterly terrified of me for being Sirius Black's daughter. However, I was so busy fending off and pranking the twins, that I didn't even notice.
My first year at Hogwarts was an epic prank war the likes of which that school had never seen, and we're all quite fortunate that it didn't lead to any fatalities.
The war would have continued on with the same intensity throughout my entire career at Hogwarts had a face from my past not turned up at the welcoming feast my second year.
I remember being seated across from the twins, cackling maliciously to myself while they tried to pick hardened tar and feathers off each other's hair and skin (yes, I had them tarred and feathered, but they planted a bomb in my trunk before we'd left school! I had no eyebrows for most of the summer, and half my hair was gone! The retaliation was more than warranted).
"You're pure evil, Stella," Fred grumbled across at me, wincing as George ripped a particularly large chunk of tar and hair off his scalp. Both twins would have bald spots for months, and it was priceless. Let's just say, I took lots of pictures.
Snickering, I shot back cheekily, "Oh, don't pretend you didn't have it coming, Freddie. Not only did you burn off most of my hair, but I had to sit through no less than a dozen 'Dangers of Pranking' lectures from my uncle. Far as I'm concerned, you two got off way easy."
"We're gonna get you for this, wench," George growled lowly, trying to pull of dangerous, but totally blowing it about three seconds later when Fred ripped more tar off his arm, and he let out a shrill, high-pitched, little-girl scream. I laughed, combing through my new, chic, very short spiked hair do, and responding, "Like I'm afraid of a pair of freckled dorks with feathers stuck to their arses."
Both sets of blue eyes narrowed, and I could almost see the gears turning in both their heads as they began scheming to get me back. I was happy. The rivalry kept me from realizing just how many people were staring at me and whispering viciously. Rumors about me were rampant, but I'd never heard a single one.
And then everything changed. I'd been mostly tuning out on the sorting, but suddenly heard McGonogall shout loudly, "Potter, Harry." I fucking froze, and the reaction was worsened by the fact that the whole rest of the Hall went dead silent.
I turned, and there he was, my little baby god-brother all grown up. I hadn't seen him since I was two, and he was one, but he was just walking through the tables toward the front of the room, seeming scared. I wanted to run and give him a hug, but knew that he probably didn't remember me at all. I felt sick.
His sorting took forever, but it only felt like a few seconds to me. And then the Hat called out, "Gryffindor!" and Harry scampered over to our table amidst cheers and hollers. I was still frozen, and remained so until well after the feast had begun when George waved a hand in front of my face.
"Oy! Stella!" He shouted, finally flicking the tip of my nose to bring me back from the recesses of my mind, "Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost naked. Headless Nick hasn't been having belt problems again, has he?"
"I'm..." I started, planning on saying that I was fine (lying and saying I was fine, but whatever), but then Harry was sitting right across from me! My mouth totally dropped, and coherent speech was no longer an option.
The poor thing looked so nervous and scared (and way, way too skinny), and I should've been a good sister (well, god-sister, anyways) and hugged him, and told him that there was nothing to worry about, and shoved some fattening foods down his throat.
Instead, I pushed myself away from the table, stuttering quickly, "I-I have to go." And I ran from the Hall.
xxXxx
Somehow, I ended up on the roof of the astronomy tower, and that's where Fred found me several hours later.
"Finally!" He shouted, startling me so badly that I nearly fell off the edge, "There you are! What the bloody hell are you doing up here?"
After catching my breath, I turned to glare at him in the dark, snapping, "I was enjoying being alone, brainiac."
Despite the fact that I'm sure he knew I was just being grouchy, he still blushed, and apologized softly, "Sorry. We just got worried when you ran off, and then when you weren't in the Tower..."
"No, I'm sorry, Freddie," I murmured, not looking at him as he sat down beside me, "I didn't mean to snap at you. It's not your fault, so don't worry about it." We both remained silent for a few long minutes, until Fred, not really able to stay quiet for longer than that, pressed, "Soooooooo... what's wrong?"
I sighed deeply, "It's complicated... and kind of a long story." He rested his head on my shoulder, and I was slightly startled. We weren't the kind of friends who, like, did that.
His behavior was even more surprising when he smiled up at me, this big, stupid, sweet expression on his face as he answered, "I don't mind. I like your stories."
We also weren't really the kind of friends who talked about serious subjects. Our relationship thus far had been more of a good-natured rivalry, but how could I possibly resist the might of his cute face? I told him everything, about my daddy, and mum, and the conspiracy, and cover up, even showing him my key necklace, which I always wore but kept hidden.
His initial reaction was a simple, "Whoa."
"So... what do you think I should do about Harry?" I asked sheepishly, leaning on Fred's shoulder now because he had one arm around both of mine, "I mean, he probably won't remember me... what if he thinks my dad is guilty? What if he doesn't believe me?"
"We're allowed to not believe you?" He joked incredulously, prompting me to turn and smack him on the chest. The both of us were laughing by then, and I remember thinking that it was impossible to be around Fred for very long and not laugh. That's just the kind of guy he is.
"Only everyone else has to believe me," I explained, settling back against his side and laying my head on his shoulder once again. His arm fell around me, pulling my body closer, and I continued, "Harry though... he's one of the last people I have left of my life before they took my dad away. If he doesn't believe me it's not the same as when other people don't believe me... it's not a huge deal when people I don't know say I'm crazy, or making it up, because with them I don't lose anything. With Harry... I'd really be losing him... again..."
My voice was cracking, and I was getting that tightness in my throat I get whenever I'm fighting tears. I felt horrible about everything, anxious and scared, and, to top it all off, I was about to breakdown crying on Fred. I was sure he wouldn't really appreciate that, and he was going to think I was weak and stupid.
Instead, he hugged me tighter, his strong, freckled arms closing around my body as he rocked us slightly, and whispered, "Don't worry, Stella. Everything will be ok."
"No, it won't be!" I insisted tearfully, hiding my face against his chest, very aware that I must be getting his shirt all wet and gross. I was mortified by the whole situation, but couldn't stop, and just kept talking, spilling my guts, "Nothing will ever be ok! It's not fair! I want my parents back! I want Harry to have his parents back! Why did it have to turn out this way? What did any of us do to deserve it?"
Not that I really expected one from him, but Fred didn't have an answer. He stayed though, and he never let go of me while I cried, and, in my book, that counts for a hell of a lot more.
"Merlin," I finally gasped a half hour or so later when I was mostly calm, sitting up from the redhead's soaked chest as I wiped tears off my cheeks, "I'm so sorry! I-I don't know where that came from."
Fred smiled, his blue eyes bright, sparkling, and clear, making me realize that mine felt hot and puffy, and were probably bloodshot. "No worries," He assured, carefully tucking a disheveled shock of blonde hair behind my ear, "Do you feel any better?"
Shrugging, feeling embarrassed, depressed, and vulnerable, I replied, "I guess a little.
It must have been late by then. The night was tranquil, and dark, the castle quietly sleeping, resting up for the flurry of chaos and laughter the first day of classes would undoubtedly bring. I could hear the far-off hoots of the owls hunting in the forest, and the screech of bats as they roamed the star-pricked sky. The sound of water gently lapping at the shores of the lake was utterly hypnotic, and then there was Fred, right there in front of me, gazing intently, the expression on his freckled face so open and caring.
Time seemed to slow down as I watched him lean closer to me, as his eyes closed and his lips parted, mine instinctively doing the same. A painfully soft, self-conscious, slightly off-target brush of flesh on flesh made time actually stand still. Our mouths pressed against each other for several long, drawn out seconds.
And then he started to lean away, and I did, too, but I guess he changed his mind, because his lips hit mine again. The second kiss was much firmer than the first, and took me even more off guard. What with feeling my face flush with embarrassment from the startled squeak I made, I barely even noticed that I'd begun to kiss him back.
He was more determined the second time, breathing quiet little noises as he reached up to cradle my face in his broad palm, pulling me closer, and prompting me to tilt my head so that our noses would stop bumping awkwardly. After the correction, our teeth still clacked together a few times. Despite the clumsy, far from expert execution, despite the fact that it was hardly the way, place, or person I'd envisioned sharing my first (and second) kiss with, it felt absolutely wonderful. Looking back, I don't think I would've wanted it any other way.
We finally broke apart, and enjoyed a brief second of silently savoring what just happened. Then we both opened our eyes, and stared at each other in pure shock.
"Why'd you do that?" I asked dumbly, hoping that my face wasn't as red as Fred's (which was a violent, endearing shade of crimson).
Suddenly seeming uncharacteristically shy, he shrugged, responding quietly, "I dunno. You just... looked sad... and I didn't want you to be..."
"Oh," I stated, still very confused, as well as quite aflutter, "Ok... Thanks?"
Suddenly, I became aware of the cool roof tiles beneath me, and that they'd been slowly sapping the warmth from my body for the last several hours. I was freezing, and started to shiver. Since Fred had put his hand on my thigh at some point without me noticing (the sneaky little bugger), he felt it, too, and frowned as he asked, "Are you cold?"
"Ya," I replied quietly, glancing away, "A little." After a brief pause, I felt Fred's hand slide into mine, and he gently pulled me to my feet, saying, "Well, we should get inside then. Don't want you getting sick."
Giving a nod of agreement, I was fully prepared to do just that, but, before I even took a step, Fred took off his robe, and carefully draped it around my shoulders. The heavy black material was still warmed from his body, and felt really nice after having been cold for so long.
"Thanks," I whispered, smiling brightly, some strange, unfamiliar sensation gripping my chest and stomach when I saw Fred smile back.
"Any time, Stella, my dear," He joked, snapping back into prankster mode, back into the Fred I was used to as he slung an arm around my shoulders, "Any time."
xxXxx
Even though I was horribly worried that things would be weird between me and Fred, the next morning I discovered that nothing had changed. In fact, both of us pretty much acted like nothing out of the ordinary happened at all.
I mean, I pulled three of their experimental candies out of my pancakes, so, ya, things were totally normal.
"Really, Freddie," I teased, grinning devilishly as I tossed the maple-syrup-drenched toffees at his forehead, "I'm insulted. I would've thought that professional courtesy dictates you at least try to camouflage your tricks. These were shamefully obvious."
"OY!" George shouted, pouting right next to his brother, "Why am I getting ignored? I helped with the shamefully obvious tricks!"
Fred didn't tell George that he kissed me. I realized that within two seconds of meeting up with them that morning since George didn't tease, sing dirty songs, or make smoochie faces at either of us.
Fred not telling George something was momentous, and, as far as I knew, had never happened before. It could mean only one of two things:
1.) Fred thought kissing me was a mistake, and was ashamed by it, and didn't want his brother teasing him mercilessly.
2.) Fred really liked me, and was worried about screwing things up, didn't want his brother to tease him mercilessly.
"Aw, I'm sorry, Georgie-boy," I laughed in reply, pushing those unnerving thoughts out of my mind as I shot the twin I hadn't kissed a cheeky smile, "Credit where credit is due, and all that wisdom, so you're just as much of a lazy arse as your lovely brother."
A proud grin crossed his features, and he stated, "Thank you. It's nice to be appreciated." Because it was just a so very George comment, I shook my head and laughed.
But my laughter died very suddenly in the next few moments when I attempted to place my fork down on the table. It wouldn't leave my left hand.
"What the..." I swore softly, still trying to shake the utensil off. Both the twins burst out laughing, and I knew it had to be their doing. I wanted to kill them, but didn't have time because the fork began to morph, growing larger, the head turning into a sign.
The letters were huge, and brilliant, sparkling purple, and said clearly, "BEWARE! THE BLONDE MONKEY BITES!"
"I DO NOT!" I shrieked indignantly, barely caring that the twins couldn't hear me over their own guffaws. Reconsidering momentarily, I blushed, and corrected, "I mean, I AM NOT A MONKEY! You bastards! Oh, I'm gonna get you so bad for this! Take the sticking charm off me, and turn my fork back into a fork!"
"Sorry, darling," George chuckled, seeming very self-satisfied, "No can do. The public must be warned of such a menace. It's only fair."
Unbelievably mad, trying to hold back a smirk anyways, I growled, "You are going down!" Turning to set my gaze on Fred as well, I added, "The both of you! A line has been crossed! You have interfered with my breakfast consumption and made my fork lie! It is so on!"
"Whatever you say," Fred teased, nodding over my shoulder before inquiring brightly, "But don't you have a certain savior of the wizarding world to be talking with right about now?"
I turned around, and there was Harry, walking nervously into the Great Hall with a shrimpy, redheaded first year who could only have been the twins' little brother. Both the small boys had that frightened/amazed look that first years always seem to have for the beginning weeks of term.
I was still terrified of being rejected by my little god-brother, but knew that I had to talk to him. I had to just suck it up, and see what would happen. If I didn't, I'd always wonder what would have if I did, and I'd always regret not finding out. Besides, I wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing!
"HEY!" Left my mouth before I even knew I'd decided on screaming across the whole hall. The turned heads, stares, and whispers didn't faze me though, and I was up and running towards Harry.
"Hi!" I greeted brightly when I was finally trotting along side the raven-haired boy. I was trying not to look too nerdy and stalker-y, but probably failed quite miserably because I was in complete awe of how much he'd grown, barely able to contain my excitement as I continued, "I'm Stella Black!"
"Oh," He replied sheepishly, looking at me like I was quite nuts, "Hi, I'm Harry."
"I'm in your house," I reported proudly, trying to make a case for the fact that I wasn't completely imbalanced, "A year ahead of you. How are you liking Hogwarts so far?"
The boy smiled, those insane green eyes glinting behind smudgy glasses as he answered, "I love it. It's brilliant..."
He kind of paused after that, not really looking at me anymore. I was worried, but very quickly realized that he was reading the sign that was still stuck in my hand. Blushing, I hid it behind my back, soothing, "Oh, don't worry, that's not true. My friends played a prank on me. I've never bitten anyone. Well, no one who didn't deserve it, or ask me to really, really nicely."
I grinned at my joke, but the boy didn't seem to get it. "Ok," He agreed, sharing glances with the redhead at his side. In a sudden lightning-bolt of inspiration, I remembered that particular Weasley's name. "You're Ron, right?" I asked, smiling sweetly at the gangly, freckled little thing. He turned red all the way up to the tips of his ears, and his voice cracked horribly as he responded, "Ye-Es."
Laughing, I reached up and ruffled his hair, stating happily, "I'm a friend of your brothers', the twins. So, are you liking things here as well?"
Still looking embarrassed and just a little bit frightened of me, he muttered softly, "Ya, it's alright."
"You miss home, huh?" I pried, trying to sound sympathetic, even though I was secretly scheming. Poor thing turned red once more, and gave a slight nod. Grinning, I responded brightly, "Aw, don't worry. You're already doing better than Fred and George. Did they ever tell you about the train ride here last year?"
"No," He stated cautiously, glancing down the table at where the twins in question were still cackling mischievously together (probably over their prank on me, which I was about to totally get revenge for), "What happened?"
Smiling, I announced, "Oh, it's how I became friends with them. See, I was just a first year, and I happened upon the compartment that they were in. Poor dears were both bawling about missing their mummy... George was so upset he even had himself a little accident. I had to comfort them."
I swear to Merlin, I have never seen anyone's face light up as fast as Ron's did either before, or since that moment. The evil, ecstatic grin that little Weasley got was way too priceless for words, so I won't even try to do it justice.
"They've really never told you?" I mused out loud, "Well, I suppose they wouldn't. It is a bit embarrassing, after all. You can ask anyone though. The trolley lady was being cruel to them, accusing them of such horrible things, and so word of what happened got out because I had to tell her what they'd been doing when the prank occurred. I didn't want them getting punished for something they didn't do. That just wouldn't have been fair."
I think Ron stopped listening at some point during my ingenious story, as his eyes kept darting to Fred and George, and he kept fidgeting where he was standing, like he was just itching to go tease them. Who was I to stop him?
"Did you have somewhere to be?" I asked sweetly, giving him the out he needed, which he took with an enthusiastically cry of, "YA! I need to, um, go talk to the twins! Bye, Stella, nice meeting you! See you in class, Harry!"
"Bye!" I replied brightly, smiling as I waved at his retreating form, then turned back to my little god-brother. "What a nice chap," I stated out loud, taking a seat beside Harry when he grabbed a large, uninhabited stretch of bench and table. He looked a little surprised, and still a bit scared, too, but I wasn't about to let that stop me from reconnecting with him.
"So, did you get your timetable yet?" I asked, not caring if I was pestering him. Shaking his head, Harry answered, "No, someone said we're supposed to get them at breakfast."
"Ya, you will," I assured him, having trouble with grabbing more food, seeing as I had to do it one-handed, and with my right, no less (I'm a leftie!), "They always hand them out at breakfast, but, no worries, I can tell you what classes you'll have. They almost never change anything except for the Dark Arts teacher, and it's that strange little Quirrell fellow this year..."
I went on to explain to Harry about all the teachers he would have, and the subjects, and what he would probably learn. I still remembered pretty much everything from first year since I'd completed mine just a few short months ago. Much to my delight, he seemed genuinely interested in what I was saying, as well as grateful for the information. Like any new student, I'm sure he had some major anxieties about what to expect, so he took my Crash Course in Hogwarts Life as a godsend.
"OH! Potions!" I suddenly remembered, instinctively making a sour face, "You'll have Professor Snape. He's a right bastard, and you should just try to keep your head down, though I doubt he'll let you. That man holds such a grudge..."
"Grudge?" I nearly jumped. It was the first thing Harry had actually said the whole time I'd been talking, and, after the shock, and the brief moment of giving myself an internal kick in the arse for being such an insufferable chatterbox, I smiled, and explained, "Ya, grudge. He, uh, I guess my dad picked on him a bit in school, so he's pretty horrible to me, and I've heard him say stuff about your dad being in on it, too, so you shouldn't hope for any half-way decent treatment." Don't think me horrible for wording it that way. I didn't want Harry making a connection between us too soon. If I told him our dads were best friends, I'd have to explain where mine was, and why... at that moment, he seemed to not know, and that was fine for me...
Harry's eyes went wide, and he whispered almost reverently, "He knew my dad?" Shrugging, I replied flippantly, "I guess, but I wouldn't go trying to powwow for info, you know? Like I said, Snape's a bastard."
Ron suddenly threw himself down into the seat across from us, and he was red in the face again, but this time it was from the fits of hysterical laughter he was having. I grinned, asking sweetly, "Good chat with your brothers?"
So breathless from laughing that he couldn't speak, the boy just nodded. Smirking evilly, I glanced down the table, immediately seeing that Fred and George were both bright red, and glaring straight at me. I gave them a coy, cheeky little wave, and then went back to my one-handed breakfast.
xxXxx
I became pretty good friends with Harry that year, and being around him was little being two years old again. Sometimes it made me want to cry, and others I was so ecstatically happy that I couldn't stop laughing.
Still, I never neglected Fred and George, and our prank war went on uninterrupted. To get back at me for telling Ron the train story, they filled my backpack with Peruvian fire dart frogs (to this day I can't figure out where they got such a large quantity, and neither of the brats will tell me). To get back at them for the frogs, which landed me in the hospital wing for two days of poison control and burn healing, I levitated them out of their beds in the middle of the night, and hung them both half-naked from the Great Hall ceiling. To get back at me for that, which did get a little out of hand since my sticking charms are so ridiculously good that they were stuck for nearly an entire day, they slipped me a candy that had me singing opera nonstop at the top of my lungs for a whole week (it was horrible. I couldn't eat or sleep, and by the end was so miserable and sleep deprived that I started hallucinating).
I'm pretty sure Fred finally took pity on me and just lifted the charm. George is far too sadistic to let me off the hook that easily, and, besides, ever since we kissed, Fred had been a lot sweeter to me. True, we were both merciless in our pranks, but afterwards he'd always ask me if I was alright. I really didn't know what to make of the change in behavior.
After spending two more days recuperating in the hospital wing, I was released on Halloween morning. I was back to my self by then, and so pissed off that I could barely see straight. There was no way I was going to let the twins enjoy their victory for long, and, with the bag full of potions and chemicals I'd borrowed (more like stolen, but whatever) from the storage cabinets in the infirmary, my revenge was going to be epic.
I was trying to make it back to Gryffindor tower to change my clothes and shower before ditching the day's classes. Part of the genius of my growing plan was that the twins weren't going to know what had become of me, and they were going to be frightened of the evil about to befall them. Psychological warfare is the best kind of warfare.
That's why when I heard their voices around a corner, I quickly ducked behind a tapestry, and held my breath.
"It was mean," I heard Fred state grumpily, "You didn't bother to visit her, so you didn't see how bad it got."
"She had it coming," George's disembodied voice laughed back, "Seriously, upside down from the Great Hall for a whole bloody day in our shorts? That was low!"
"What we did was lower," The other twin muttered in reply, sounding more like he was chastising himself than his brother, "We shouldn't have used the charm until we knew how to remove it. It was horrible watching her suffer like that while we tried to figure it out."
"What do you mean we?" George answered, followed by a playful shove, and, "You barely left her alone, and even when you did you were bloody useless daydreaming about her. I used my limitless brilliance to figure out how to lift the charm."
They lapsed into tense silence, and I could almost hear the both of them thinking hard. Then there was a loud smack as one of them hit the other, and it must have been George because he shouted, "YOU LIKE HER!"
"I DO NOT!" Fred shrieked back before I even had the instant needed to process the first exclamation.
Laughing, George teased, "You do! You do like her! Oh, this is too good!" He liked me? What the hell? "I don't like her!" Fred insisted hotly, sounding very grouchy, and I just knew from the sound of his voice that his face was bright red, "She's annoying, and she's... she's not even pretty!"
Fuckin' ouch. "What are you talking about?" George countered in disbelief, "Stella's sweet, and smart, and cute as a button! Trust me, little brother, you couldn't do much better than her. In fact, she's probably a bit out of your league..."
That was about the time that they turned the next corner, and the sounds of their conversation died out. I was left to stumble out from behind the tapestry, feeling hurt, and betrayed, and about two seconds away from bursting into tears. How could Fred say that about me? He was supposed to be my friend! George got points for defending me, but, still, I couldn't get over what his twin said. He thinks I'm annoying? And ugly? Why? What did I do?
As those questions swam around my mind, I slowly took the rest of the walk back to Gryffindor Tower, getting angrier and more hurt with every step.
xxXxx
I didn't talk to either of the twins for the rest of that day, and was so mad that I couldn't even think of a prank to play on them (well, at least one that wouldn't end in severe, irreversible disfigurement on Fred's part (after which I would dance in circles and shout, "Who's the ugly one now, bitch?") (I was mad, give me a break)).
I couldn't even bring myself to show up for Halloween feast that night because I knew that they'd be there. So, instead, I went stomping about the empty corridors, swearing under my breath, and occasionally stopping to pick fights with the portraits, which was sort of my unofficial hobby.
At around midnight, I got tired, so I used my robe for a pillow, and just went to sleep on the floor in an unused classroom.
In the morning, I had a horrible cramp in my neck, and the anger I'd been feeling towards Fred just seemed to have festered to even more momentous proportions. Ever had a rage migraine? They are so not fun...
Unable to even think about food, I stumbled quietly back to Gryffindor Tower, looking forward to crawling into bed and spending the day cuddling with my stuffed purple puppy. It was very early, and I expected everyone to be in bed, so imagine my surprise when I stepped into the common room, and found Fred Weasley passed out on the couch closest to the portrait hole, wearing a fitful expression on his freckled little face. I wanted to punch him. I wanted to set his socks on fire. I wanted him to like me...
However, I settled for writing "COCKSUCKER" on his forehead in big, bold, black letters. Childish, I know, but it made me feel a little bit better, especially because the ink was super-permanent, hehe. It didn't wash off completely until the week before Christmas and he got more detentions that I could even keep track of.
At the sound of footsteps coming down the boys' staircase, I threw a blanket over Fred's whole body, and then stood up, and tried to look innocent. Why is that so damn hard for me?...
Harry's skinny little frame marched tiredly into my view a few seconds later, and I breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as I greeted, as pleasantly as I could muster, "Mornin', little bro."
His head suddenly shot up, and his eyes went wide. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" He screamed, making me wince, and immediately cover my ears as my head gave a horrible, excruciating throbs.
"OY! Not so loud!" I hissed grumpily, glaring once my vision straightened out, "Merlin, since when are you my babysitter?"
"Sorry," He responded, his cheeks turning red, "It's just that, no one could find you last night. We got worried, and the twins were going mental not being able to go look for you."
Rolling my eyes, I answered flippantly, "Ya, whatever. Even if that's true, what the hell was stopping them? It's not like they have problems with breaking curfew."
"Um," Harry responded, giving me a very pointed look, "How about the mountain troll, and student body lock-down, for starters?"
"What are you talking about?" I gaped incredulously, "Troll? Lock-down?"
My little god-brother then proceeded to relate the events of Halloween night at Hogwarts, of the troll, and how he fought it, and the only thing I could think was, "YOU IDIOT!"
He scowled, arguing, "Me and Ron saved Hermione though! And we think Snape is-"
"How could you put yourself in danger like that?" I cut him off, growing more and more furious, not even aware that I'd woken Fred with all my yelling, "All three of you could have been killed! What were you thinking?"
"Stella?" Fred asked groggily, rubbing his eyes as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Shut it!" I snapped, "This doesn't concern you!" Before I turned back to Harry, I saw a fleeting look of hurt pass over the redhead's features. I tried not to feel guilty, but didn't do all that well. As much as he may have wounded me with what he said, he was still my friend, and I still had feelings for him... the depth of those feelings was under heavy debate...
"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled sheepishly, "I know it was stupid, but... well, I guess I'm just sorry."
Relieved, I sighed deeply, and then grabbed the boy into a tight hug. "It's ok," I soothed, nearly breaking down crying as I ran my fingers through his messy hair, overwhelmed by that being the first time I'd hugged him in years, "I'm just glad you're not hurt."
And he hugged me back! You don't even understand how good that felt, and I don't think I possess the capabilities to describe it.
A little later, too soon, in my opinion, we both pulled away, and Harry gave me a shy little smile that I returned. Reaching up to ruffle his hair, I laughed, "Promise me you won't do anything like it again, Bro. I mean, I know this is Gryffindor and all, but there is a difference between bravery and stupidity, and you're toeing the line."
"I'll give it my best shot," He replied, laughing as well before offering, "I'm just gonna head down for some breakfast. You wanna join?"
"No thanks," I answered, rubbing my temples again as my headache made its presence know with yet another painful throb, "I'm not feeling great, so I think I'm just going to go lie down." With another smile, he said, "Ok, well I hope you feel better. See you around."
"Bye," I stated, waving as I watched him leave, then turning back around and coming face to face with a very frantic Fred.
"Where were you?" He immediately asked, sounding terrified, upset, and relieved all at the same time, "Pomfrey said she released you yesterday morning, and then you never made it back when they locked us down! We were so worried!"
"Pft," I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I shoved past him, "Like you even care!"
"Wait, what?" The boy shouted, grabbing my arm, yanking me back hard before I could go anywhere. "Let go!" I demanded, completely irate by that point, "Get your hands off me!"
"What do you mean I don't care?" He went on, acting like he didn't even hear what I'd said, going red in the face as his grip tightened painfully, "Me and George got detention for trying to sneak out to find you because we were so worried! I'm sorry about our prank, but punishing us by making us think you'd been injured is low!"
I narrowed my eyes, struggling not to cry as I hissed, "You're hurting my arm."
For a split second, I almost didn't think he was going to let go of me. His blue eyes were darker than I'd ever seen, focused, and intense, and kind of scary. But then he did let go, and I stepped away, still glaring, but blinking back tears now, fighting to remain in control, to not let him see just how much he'd hurt me. I backed away slowly towards the stairs, but, before I could get there, George walked into the room.
"OY! There you are!" He said, smiling brightly, but tiredly, "Where were you all night? Been raising hell without us, you naughty girl?"
I met his gaze, and the look on his face immediately turned from happy to concerned. "Hey," He asked softly, "What's wrong, love?"
"Nothing," I growled in reply, losing my battle with my own emotions and suddenly bursting into tears. Before turning and running up the stairs, I shouted, "YOUR BROTHER IS AN ARSE!"
The last thing I heard was George yelling after me, "Wait, which one?"