I could barely look Fred in the eye all week. It was humiliating to share an apartment with someone I couldn't stand to be in the same room with. I mean, I still loved Fred, of course, and I wasn't angry with him, but I was confused. So horribly, blunderingly, hopelessly confused.
Growing up with Fred and George, of course I had my fair share of crushes on them, but usually I got over them, and they stopped altogether in our third year at Hogwarts. I had kissed both of them countless times, for dares, under mistletoes, on the cheek, but they never meant anything. Or felt quite the way our almost-kiss had.
So, in the midst of me avoiding all twin-related contact, I forgot all about my 'family reunion' at my great aunt's. It wasn't until the twins woke me up and told me to get dressed that I remembered I had invited them.
Don't get me wrong, I love my family, it's just once a year, all us Clarks get together and that many insane witches and wizards is enough to set anybody off. And to top it all off, this year it's being hosted at my Great Aunt Grace's small cottage a few hours from here. Aunt Grace is crazy. And I mean crazy. Last year, she told me to watch her cat, Mr. Piddles, while she went to the bathroom. It took us twenty minutes to remind her Mr. Piddles died two years ago.
We all took the floo, and once we got there, I did my best to mix in with the rest of my family.
"Annabelle! You look gorgeous!" I turned around to see my cousin, Elizabeth Clark. Elizabeth was tall, blond, blue-eyed, skinny, and basically everything I wasn't. She stood a full six inches over my head at 5'7 with golden hair running down her back.
"Me? Look at you!" I faked a smile and hugged her, trying to keep a straight face. Liz and I had always rivaled each other. She could beat me in any class, but I could lap her on the Quidditch field. She could dance better than anyone I knew, but I could out-sing her any time. The tiebreaker for us was always boys. She had guys begging at her feet, while I had guys asking me if I was really Elizabeth's cousin.
"How're the boys doing?" She smiled, cat-like and sinister.
"Fine, fine. They're here now, actually." I answered, watching her face. Liz had always been after the twins. They were the only guys that would rather spend time with me over her, and that bothered her.
"Really? We must catch up! Where are they?" She stood on her tiptoes, scanning the crowd.
"Not sure, but if you see them, tell them to meet me in the kitchen!" I didn't really want to meet them, but I knew it annoyed her that I could tell them where to go and when, and she couldn't.
After Elizabeth disappeared, I was headed toward the bar when Aunt Grace caught up to me.
"Annabelle, where's that boyfriend of yours?" She asked loudly, attracting more elderly female relatives.
"Aunt Grace, I told you. There is two of them, and they're not my boyfriends." I reminded her gently.
"Nonsense. I want to meet him, where is he?"
"Yes, Anna, where is this mystery man?
"Introduce us!"
My grandmas and great aunts and other elderly kinfolk were flocking to me like birds. I could barely make out one question from another.
"Uh…you know what, he's actually in the kitchen, why don't I go get him." As fast as I could, I high-tailed it out of there.
Speed walking through living room, I made a beeline for the kitchen, bursting through the door with a sigh.
"Still jealous of Liz, after all these years?"
I whipped around to see George, leaning against the counter casually.
"I am not jealous of her." I argued hotly.
He chuckled in response. "What's eating at you?"
"Aunt Grace. She's got herds of senior citizens after me, asking about my 'boyfriend'."
He laughed again.
"It's not funny! I thought I was going to suffocate on perfume out there!"
"Do they still think there's only one of us?" He asked, a teasing smile on his face.
"Yes. And they all want to meet you. I was lucky I escaped with my life."
"Well, that's the least of your worries. Here comes the motley crew now." He gestured to the small window in the door, which I stood up to look out of, and saw Aunt Grace and several other allies heading toward the kitchen.
"Oh Lords..." I mumbled, searching frantically for a way out. Surely they were almost here by now. Merlin's beard, what do I do?
George sighed, stood up straight and walked toward me. I looked up at him, and raised an eyebrow at his half-hidden smirk.
I felt his arm around my waist, a hand at the small of my back, the other up to my neck, and his lips came down softly onto mine. My eyes closed, and he deepened the kiss, slowly tracing his tongue on the inside of my upper lip, over my bottom and back up again. He gave a gentle push from behind with one hand, and I leaned into his chest. This was far different than my experience with Fred. With Fred, it was more zeal, like a raging fire, consuming you whole. But George was more of an ember, burning brightly, but softly, building to a flame. I heard the kitchen door open, heard their shuffling feet, and then small, endearing gasps, before they backed out and closed the door quietly.
It took a few seconds for me to remember that this was George, whom I should not be kissing, and that this was wrong, especially only a few days after the whole Fred thing.
I opened my eyes; George was staring at me, the kiss slowing, before he pulled away softly.
"Problem solved." He whispered.
"Yeah…er, thanks." I squeaked, my voice high with panic, and I turned on my heel and practically ran out of there.
Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god. What is going on? First I'm almost kissing with Fred, now I'm full on making out with George.
My head was muddled as I made my way to the back of the parlor room, sitting in one of the over-stuffed chairs.
Why are those two doing this to me? I didn't do anything to them, I don't deserve this cruel form of confusion.
What are they playing at, anyhow? I've seen them with girls. I thought I knew all their tricks. After the war, girls were swarming to them like moths to a flame. I've seen them charm, trick, and play throngs of girls into their hands, both together and alone. So what were they doing now?
Whatever it was, it made my head hurt. Come to think of, it made my head throb. I noticed, for the first time, that my head was indeed throbbing. Rubbing my temples, I got up and prowled to the kitchen, nervously checking for spots of red hair. I also peeked through the window in the kitchen door to make sure George wasn't still in there, just to be safe. When I sure it was clear, I stepped inside and looked around.
Aunt Grace's kitchen was crowded, and there were teapots, teacups, and various sugar jars over every counter. But all I needed simple medication! If I were a medicine cabinet, where would I be? I opened up masses of drawers and cabinets until I found it. Reaching in, I took out a few bottles until I found the right one.
A teaspoon should do it. Locating a small spoon, I poured the purple liquid from the bottle marked 'Pain Relieving Remedies' and swallowed it. It tasted not altogether unpleasant, but it did the trick.
Well, not really. I put away the spoon and the bottle, giving the potion a moment to kick in. It didn't. Walking slowly back to my seat, -still watching for the twins- the potion still had no affect.
That's odd. It should have fixed it right up, but the headache, perhaps slightly duller, was still there at the base of my skull.
The pestering headache continued throughout the day, and while I did catch the eye of Fred and George once or twice, I managed to stay off their radar.
I didn't actually speak to either of them until we were waiting our turn for the floo.
"Didn't see much of you, did we?" Fred commented, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, well, you know me; busy, busy." I answered, still tense.
They exchanged a look.
"Well, Elizabeth's charming." George added after a moment, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Charmed me right into a headache." Fred interjected. "Couldn't get away from that one all day."
This caught my attention. What a coincidence, huh?
"You know Freddie, I've got quite the migraine as well." George said as he stepped into the fireplace.
As soon as we got home, I ran straight to bed. Slipping on my pajamas, I lied in bed, my mind puzzled.
All three of us got headaches? But, that was to be expected at my family reunion, right? I comforted myself with the flimsy thought.
My thoughts led to today's affair. I thought over many different reasons and scenarios. What was going on? Why did they insist on making me feel like this? Nervous to walk by them, embarrassed to talk to them, making me feel like we could… No. No, I do not think we could do anything of that sort. Never. Right?
It's so humiliating to not be in on this. To have them scheming against me like this. And I don't even know what they're trying to accomplish. To make me doubt myself? To make me second-guess my decision to stay out of their love lives? To make me wonder what would've happened if I really had had the courage to kiss them all those years ago?
It's not fair, really. Why should they get the right to dig up all those feelings that I've tried to hard to bury so deep inside me? Who do they think they are, running around, toying with my emotions willy-nilly? They really shouldn't play with my immense love for the both of them. They're blurring the finely drawn line I had made between friends and something more.
Those insufferable gits.