Evermore

Chapter Two

Better than Revenge – Taylor Swift

Do you still feel like you know what you're doing?
Cause I don't think you do, I don't think you do
(Come on),
Let's hear the applause,
Come show me how much better you are

"So, did something happen between you and Gaunt or has he suddenly developed a crush on me?" George asked Isabella with an air of innocence, weighing out the exact amount of essence of burlap Isabella had asked him to. Adrianne poked her head up excitedly, but Isabella only sighed, and briefly wondered what she did in a past life to have gotten placed in the alphabet of last names to have to work with the twins. Couldn't she have been born for the other end of the alphabet?

"Why do you ask, George?," Isabella responded, checking over the notes Fred had written so far to avoid looking in the direction everyone else at her table was looking at.

"Well, he's just pining in this direction. Looks like he might get on one knee."

"How do you know it's not for me?" Fred retorted, looking offended. Isabella kept her eyes focused on his knife work. He'd rolled up the sleeves to his button up and, quite frankly, Isabella didn't know how she hadn't realised Fred quite had those biceps. Wait, what?

"I'm the hotter one, right, girls?"

"We're staying out of this," Isabella said, pointedly looking at Adrianne, then sighing again and letting her shoulders droop as she relented. She didn't like having to choose her battles with the twins. "If you must know, Thomas and I broke up last night."

"I'm sorry to hear," Fred said, pushing a flaming lock of hair out of his forehead. Isabella snorted as she shot him a weak glare.

"No, you're not."

"I'm not. What did he do?" Before Isabella could answer, Snape's voice cut across the classroom.

"A little less gossip back there. No one cares." The table fell silent as Isabella took charge of stirring the potion as the directions were instructed, the other three watching her intently. Isabella felt slightly uncomfortable. Adrianne's stare was particularly intense, and Isabella suspected it was likely that she thought that Isabella would combust on the spot. She wouldn't be wrong.

"So," Fred whispered, and Isabella suspected he would not drop this. They may consider themselves macho men, but they were annoyingly partial to some gossip. That was really why they got on so well with Adrianne. "What'd the prick do?"

"If I tell you right now, you'll cause a ruckus, and I cannot be bothered with that right now. Don't be so heavy-handed on the chopping, if it's too liquid you'll ruin the potion. And George, you're not saving us time by mixing those two ingredients. Addy, where are you on the notes?"

"Stop diverting!" The twins whisper shouted. Isabella's head snapped up and she refrained from sighing again. She was aware that she did it far too much.

"No, Fred, the potion will literally blow off our faces if you chop anymore." Isabella grabbed the knife out of his hand and slid his chopping board away. "George gets chopping duty next time." The other twin cheered, but Fred just stared Isabella down. She ignored him and carried on dealing with their potion.

"I am going to grab some ingredients needed for my next class," Snape drawled as he moved through the class. "I trust I can leave you all for ten minutes." The hush that was usually over the class in Snape's presence was gone the moment the door closed behind the professor.

"Ask me again and I will show you two another use of the knife. We are not together anymore, and that's it," Isabella said, with enough finality she hoped they'd drop it. She knew them better than that, of course, but before they could press her for any more details, Annabelle Flint had made her way to the table and coughed. Fred and George looked incredibly confused at her sudden arrival, but Adrianne glowered at the blonde and Isabella sighed once again. She was going to get a headache at this rate.

"Yes, Annabelle?" Isabella asked, turning to look at her housemate. The potion was set to simmer for a few minutes, she could leave it.

"I just hope there are no hard feelings between us." Annabelle smiled sweetly, at Isabella, but she knew better. It was so sickly Isabella felt like she'd had one too many sugar quills in that moment.

"Why would there be hard feelings between us, Annabelle?" Isabella asked innocently. Annabelle looked frazzled, but only for a second, before a sneer covered her face.

"Well-"

"Because you shagged my boyfriend? Even though we were friends?" Isabella prompted, placing one hand on her hip and momentarily forgetting about the knife brandished in the other. "Because I cannot, for the life of me, imagine why that might cause us some tension." Isabella was well aware the class had fallen silent in order to listen to their conversation. She couldn't find it in herself to care. Annabelle rolled her shoulders back, evidently confused but decidedly championing on. Isabella was wary that she wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Well, I was just helping him out. You know, he was saying just how unhappy and unsatisfied he was. Poor man. I just had to help," she cooed.

"You want to do this right now? In front of people? Okay. If you could've waited, he would've been yours in a week. I was going to break up with him. You think he was unsatisfied, what did you think I was? You know he can't please a girl in any way to save his life! Oh, and don't tell me you put a show on for him. His ego doesn't need it."

"Maybe I gave him more motivation," Annabelle retorted. "It's not hard to be-"

"You think you're better than me? Is that it? You had a point to prove or something? You slept with another woman's boyfriend. You're scummy to do that. You're no more of a saint than I am, Annabelle. Stealing other people's toys is precisely why you don't have many friends. And quite frankly, he was a horrible boyfriend, and you know that, so why do you think he'll be any better for you? You might just be stupider than I thought."

"Stupid? Please. You may just be insulting him now, but you dated him too. That puts us on the same page."

"Once again, you shagged him whilst he was still my boyfriend. You stabbed me in the back, Annabelle, when you were supposed to be my friend. Good people don't do things like that. And we might be the same, but at least I have friends. I'm not the only friend you've lost recently, hmm? Step away from the mirror every once in a while."

"If you weren't such a bad girlfriend he wouldn't have cheated! He was practically begging me to help. He needed loving and attention! Don't make me out to be the bad guy, just because you're upset about this."

"Oh, honey. He's all yours if you're that desperate. He really was a shitty boyfriend."

"He was-"

"Yaxley, please lower that knife. I do not want to have to do any more paperwork than necessary. Flint, stop provoking someone holding a knife. It'll be on your head if you get stabbed, and I don't fancy that paperwork."

"But, sir-"

"Don't argue with me, Flint. I would rather not take the points from my house. Bother her in your own time. And here I thought I could leave my class in peace. Clearly, some of you need babysitting." Annabelle scoffed, directing it at Isabella, and stormed off back to her table. The class had returned to its usual noise of murmur at Snape's return, and so Isabella turned back to her table, shaking her head in annoyance.

"You know, I'm just going to take this from you," Fred mumbled, pulling the knife from Isabella's hand. She hadn't realised she was gripping it so tight. Whoops.

"That was entertaining," George said cheerfully. "Do I put this in now?"

"Have you been reading the instructions? No!" Isabella snatched the ingredients from him. "Merlin, what is with you two today? I like my eyebrows, thank you."

"That was sensitive of you two," Adrianne snorted, but quickly dropped her head when she realised she was not safe from Isabella's glare or new sour mood.

"You two have the exact amount of time it will take me to stir this potion and then no more questions. Go." Isabella lifted the wooden spoon gently. Fred and George shared a look, then eyed Isabella and snatched their chance like a baby taking sweets.

"When did you find out?"

"Last night."

"How did you find out?"

"Front row view. Picture it." They both groaned.

"Thanks."

"Five more stirs," Isabella sang, stormy grey eyes still focused on the potion.

"Are you okay?" The sensitive question came from Fred, and it took Isabella by surprise. Thankfully, her limbs knew to keep stirring and she kept her focus on the cauldron as she nodded.

"Yeah. He was a prick. She's a bitch. They'll be together forever." Isabella hoped it sounded unbothered instead of bitter, then realised she didn't care that much about what the twins thought of her.

"I'm sorry, though. It still sucks," Fred said softly. Isabella placed the wooden spoon down again and finally chanced a look at Fred, who was staring at her with an unreadable look on his face. Both of them were suddenly ignoring Adrianne and George, who shared a look as they watched the other two converse.

"Thank you. It does suck. I don't care." She shrugged and added the chopped liver, hoping Fred hadn't overdone it with his chopping skills.

"If you want me to prank him, I can happily give him a tail of some sort." Isabella chuckled, surprising herself and Adrianne and George.

"I might just have to take you up on that. Okay, George, now add it in. Where are you on notes, Addy?"

That same day ended with a sleepover in the Great Hall. It seemed that Sirius Black had broken into the Gryffindor dorm, and so all students were made to sleep in the Great Hall for their safety. The girls plus Jonathon made their way to a bit of the Great Hall and organized the sleeping bags that Dumbledore had summoned the students. The girls had briefly thought about trying to make one big sleeping bag, so they could cuddle, but their master plan had been quickly stopped by Professor Flitwick, and so now the girls and Jonathon were playing exploding snap together. Isabella was out first, as usual, and watched as the other three played.

"So, that was a bit of entertainment in Potions today," Jonathon said, determinedly looking at his cards. Adrianne whacked him, but Isabella only raised her eyebrows. She was sure they'd one day reach her hairline.

"It was Annabelle who wanted a catfight. She got one. I don't know what else she wanted from me."

"She's just a bit stupid, isn't she?" Daniella mumbled, placing a card down. "I mean, she was the one who shagged him. Yeah, he probably came onto her. But still. Bit shitty of her. Just, to try and start a fight?" Isabella started to braid her hair to keep her hands busy and said nothing else on the topic. She was tired, and on top of that, she was going to have nightmares in a room full of everyone she knew. What if someone saw? She would not quite live it down, she thought.

"Well, Annabelle doesn't look embarrassed now," Daniella mumbled, and the group cast a look at the offending person, who was snuggled with Isabella's now ex. Isabella gagged and they all laughed.

"Why did I date him?" Isabella wondered, pulling at the pillow in her lap.

"We were just wondering that too!" The exclamation came from the next row along. The twins, their friend Lee Jordan and their younger sister Ginny Weasley were all sat in a circle, also playing exploding snap, but at that particular moment in time looking their way.

"Oh, hello to you too, Fred," Isabella said, although she offered a small smile. "Nice to see you minding your own business, as usual."

"Hey, I have a clear vision of those two and honestly, I have solid reason to believe you were under some sort of spell," he retorted. The youngest Weasley, who was sitting next to him, tried to look in the direction Fred was looking, but Fred covered her eyes instead. "Not for your eyes! Honestly."

"I suppose it does- is she sucking his face? I kind of feel bad for the guy," Adrianne said, still staring at the apparently new couple.

"I will throw up if I look anymore," Isabella mumbled.

"I heard you handed her arse back to her," Lee said excitedly. Isabella eyed the twins who suddenly looked very interested in their own cards.

"Thank Merlin I don't tell you two my secrets."

"Hey!" The twins couldn't fight her on that though, one because the Head Boy called for everyone to go to sleep; and two, because she was not wrong.

"Hey, Izzie!" A whisper coming from her left caught Isabella's attention. She rolled over in her sleeping bag to face Fred, who had magically found a spot next to her.

"What is it, Fred?" she asked patiently. He grinned at her, and Isabella noted that when he grinned, it took over his face, and it made him warm and inviting. Wait, what?

"Just wanted to know if you wanted us to deal with Gaunt for you? George and I have plenty of ideas we just want to test on someone." The grin did not waver, and although Isabella rolled her eyes, she did return a small smile.

"I appreciate it, but it is really not necessary. Karma is a very relaxing thought," she added. Fred stared at Isabella a little longer, and then let it go.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. He's a prick, and you deserve someone much better." Isabella blinked at him, taken by the honesty in his voice once again.

"That's kind of you. I'll be ok," she assured him. "It's really not that big of a loss." Fred went to respond, but his older brother Percy cut across.

"Fred! I cannot be seen giving you special treatment. Set an example, please. And Yaxley, you are a prefect! Set an example, please."

As she had suspected, Isabella awoke that morning, around 5, as she always did, on the other end of a nightmare. She held her stomach, feeling nauseous, and worked to control her breathing. She sat up and took in the hall, seeming to be the only person awake at this hour. The ceiling of the Great Hall was still dark and star-filled, and she hugged her knees to her chest as she took deep breaths and tried to pick out particular constellations. She took note of McGonagall in the corner of the room and worked to think of an explanation to share with the professor.

"Psst! Psst!" The call was coming from the sleeping bag on her left. She looked down to find Fred once again grinning at her.

"Did I wake you?" Isabella asked, instantly feeling guilty. Tiredness was still throbbing in her brain. "I'm so sorry."

"No, you didn't. You'd been tossing for a while before you woke up, so I assumed you weren't having the time of your life in your dream," he whispered. Isabella gave him a small smile. His hair was still messy from sleep, loose curls hanging in all directions cutely. Wait, what?

"And why are you up?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Had a feeling the party starts at this time. Figured that's why Oliver Wood always woke the team up at this hour."

"Sure."

"You want to talk about it?" Fred offered. Isabella merely shook her head.

"Thanks, though."

"Anytime."

"Is everything alright here?" Isabella and Fred both looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing over them. Fred sat up to join Isabella.

"Yes, sorry, Professor," Isabella apologized. "I had a nightmare and seemed to have woken him up."

"Ah. In that case, if you both can be quiet, the castle has been cleared. You are free to return to your dorms, and I mean straight to your dorm." She directed the last part at Fred, who grinned as charmingly as always at the professor.

"Yes, Professor." Isabella looked directly at Fred, who gave the same answer.

"I can't believe you don't trust me, professor," he added, winking. McGonagall merely stared and then returned to her position.

"Come on, then. And don't think about kicking Gaunt on the way out," Isabella added, pointing her finger at him.

"You don't trust me either?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Oh! There's more to me than meets the eye, sweet Isabella. I'll walk you back, and you can find out." Thankful for the company, Isabella did not turn him down, although any other day she might have. Maybe it was just that it was still early, and Isabella wanted the voices in her head to be distracted for a minute.

"I'm not letting you into the Slytherin dorms, Fred."

"Bugger. I wanted to have some fun."

"You're with the wrong person, then," Isabella snorted. They were now officially out of the hall. Isabella led the way to the Slytherin dorm.

"Nah. I bet there's something down there." Fred waggled his brows at Isabella, who rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm textbook, Weasley. The perfect daughter, the perfect student. Cautious and safe and never does a thing out of place. Sidelines are safe." Fred simply stared down at Isabella, who chose to not look his way.

"Everyone has a fun side. It's just hidden in there. Come on, tell me, right now, you haven't ever done something fun?"

"I think it's more that our definitions of fun are very different," Isabella interjected. Fred pretended to mull it over. "Come on, Weasley, why are you bothering me on this? Why are you bothering me at all?"

"You're a free woman now!"

"You can't lie to me." Isabella peered at him. Stupid grin. "That's not it. Whatever you want from me, you're not going to charm it out. We know each other better than that. Do I even want to know why you're suddenly so interested in talking with me?"

"No."

"Yeah, thought so." They stopped outside the Slytherin door.

"Hey, we are friends, right?" Fred's question took her by surprise.

"Yeah, of course. Why?"

"Sure I can't come in?"

"See you in Herbology, Fred."

Isabella read in her bed until her friends returned from the Great Hall to get ready for breakfast in an attempt to settle her brain in the way running might have.

"Ahh, we thought you might have gotten out early," Adrianne said, grinning at her friend. "We really have some interesting nights at this school."

"McGonagall said Fred Weasley escorted you back." Isabella kept pointedly reading her book but could tell that Daniella was wriggling her eyebrows and that Adrianne was staring intrusively.

"Yeah, he woke up when I did. That's all." They kept staring at Isabella. She sighed and placed her book down. "Say it."

"It's just Fred Weasley seems to pop up a lot around you."

"So does George."

"They're twins. They don't go anywhere without each other."

"So the point you're making is..?" She watched Daniella and Adrianne share a look she could not quite read.

"Nothing," they both sang. Isabella sighed as they went over to their own trunks.

"Whatever you both have in your heads, get rid of it. We're friends."

author's note

thanks for reading! i know it's a bit cheesy we're just easing into the story :)