Chapter 23 – The Truth Comes Out
It's been a month since we've been official. Besides our close friends, no one knew we were a couple. We hung around like we did before, even though we stole glances and held each other's hands under the table. The second task was coming closer, so my nerves were on a peaking point. But now I had to put my nerves and anxiety aside as I was sitting in the Gryffindor tower watching the girls' staircase. My knee was bouncing at rapid pace as my gaze was fixed. Suddenly I felt a hand on my knee, and George leaned over to whisper in my ear.
"She knows the plan, relax."
I intertwined my fingers with the hand on my leg and tilted my head. Since his head was still near my ear, our noses touched and I smiled at him. I felt his breathing becoming faster at the position in the crowded common room, but I didn't care if anyone saw. In that moment I just wanted to kiss my boyfriend, so I leaned in further until our lips met. His hold on my fingers tightened and my other hand founds its way into his hair.
"We're in public." George whispered as he leaned his head against mine, eyes closed.
"I don't care." I smiled and kissed him again. I pulled back when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I chuckled when George groaned and let his head fall on my shoulder. I patted his leg with a smile as Hermione came to sit next to me. "How did it go?"
"She ate it." Hermione whispered as she looked from the staircase to me.
"How do we know?" I asked for the hundred time to George.
"Yellow glow if she's a month along, green two months, white three months and red four months and up." Fred's voice came from behind us and sat down next to George. "I just put the spell on it, the moment she comes down the spell will take effect."
"Okay." I nodded my head. "Oh, she's coming." The four of us glanced over to the staircase and watched Maggie and Olivia, her friend walk down. The moment Maggie stepped off the last step, her stomach started to light up. Maggie looked down with a frown as her stomach started to glow all different colours. My eyes were so fixed on her stomach, I didn't see the rest of the common room look at Maggie in surprise. After a few seconds it turned into a bright green colour. "I knew it!" I grumbled.
"What's happening?" Maggie asked, looking around the common room. I rose from my seat and walked over.
"It's completely harmless. It was just something to see how far along you are." I said quiet enough so only the three of us could hear. "So, now that it is confirmed, you'll stay away from Luke. You've hurt him enough already." Maggie opened her mouth to reply, but I had turned my back to her already and walked to George and the others. "George, want to go find Luke and tell him the good news?"
"I would love to." He grinned and hopped up. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and I looked behind me to Fred and Hermione.
"Celebrate in an hour or so?"
"I know just the spot." Fred grinned and gave George a look.
"We'll meet you there." George smirked and we walked out of the room. "So, where do we find Luke?"
"He's waiting in the Ravenclaw tower." I said guiding us to the left once we climbed out of the portrait.
"You know where it is?" George raised an eyebrow.
"You know I dated Gavin, right?" I chuckled.
"Don't remind me." George grimaced. I stopped in front of him with my hands on his chest.
"Don't be that guy. You've dated people and I've dated people, don't let your mind wander too much."
"I know, sorry." He kissed the top of my nose.
"Alright. So, can we get going?" I asked. When he nodded, I kissed him before I pulled him with me. After five minutes later we arrived at the tower. A blond girl with two different kinds of shoes was sitting against the wall, talking to a portrait. "Hi, Luna."
Luna looked away from the portrait and smiled. "Hi, Gwen."
"Are you going in?" I asked. Luna looked like she was contemplating her next move before she nodded. I smiled, and I pulled her up and we turned to the door with a bronze eagle door knocker. George frowned in confusion as he looked from the door to us.
"I'm tall when I'm young, and I'm short when I'm old. What am I?" The eagle asked.
"What?" George shook his head. "Don't you guys have a password?" He looked bewildered at Luna.
"No, they ask us a riddle." She smiled dreamy. "Tall when I'm young?" She mumbled to herself.
"Short when I'm old." I repeated the second part. We stood there in silence for a couple of seconds before Luna and I turned to each other grinning.
"A candle!" We laughed.
"Very well, come on in."
"What if you don't know? Do you just have to wait until someone else may know?" George asked as we walked in, his eyes scanning the room quickly.
"Yes, it's a great exercise. It's been known that some students have been sitting around for an hour outside before someone else comes to help them." Luna stopped in the middle of the room. "It was nice to see you, Gwen." And before I had time to answer she walked away to the girls' dormitories.
"She's... special."
"She's amazing." I grinned. "Have you read the Quibbler?" George shook his head. "You should, it's absolutely brilliant."
"Gwen?" I turned at the sound of Luke's nervous voice. "How - how did it go?" He asked walking closer. And when he was close enough without me having to talk loudly so others will hear, I said.
"You're not a baby daddy."
"Really?" His shoulder slumped in relief when I nodded. He leaped forward and picked me up, twirling me around. "Thank you! How did you find out?" He asked when he put me down.
"With the help of the twins actually." I smiled proudly up to George. "He should tell you."
"I want to hear all of it." Luke grinned as he ushered us to the couch at the window.
"Where are we going?" I asked as George guided me through the corridors.
"Meeting up with Fred and Hermione to celebrate, remember?"
"I do, but where?"
"Just around the corner." He winked at me as he looked over his shoulder. Our hands still clasped together as he walked in front of me. I rolled my eyes but followed him nonetheless. He didn't lie, we finally stopped behind the corner, in front of an empty painting. George let my hand go and took his wand out of his pocket and tapped the painting in a certain sequence. The painting opened and George, the gentleman that he is, let me go in first. It was a large room with one window on the left. Under it, a large desk with four cauldrons and ingredients on it. In the middle two armchairs and a coffee table. On the other side of the wall another desk filled with books and a radio, blasting music. At that table Fred was showing Hermione the books and notes they had made as they sipped on a butterbeer. I turned to George wide eyed.
"This is where you do all your experiments?"
"Yeah, we found this in our second year."
"And you're showing me – us." I pointed between me and Hermione. "Your secret lair?"
"Hm." He hummed placing his hands on my hips, pulling me closer. He looked at me with a lopsided smile. "I'll tell you about anything, right now."
"Oh." I smiled seductively up at him, my hands slowly going up and down his chest. "I didn't know I had that effect on you."
"Oh, sure you didn't." He licked his lips before he leaned down to kiss me.
"Oi, lover birds! Break it up will you!" Fred yelled. George and I pulled away grinning and looked over to the pair. Fred was sitting in the armchair while Hermione was going over their notebooks. I winked at George before I headed over to Hermione to look at the notebook. George grabbed a butterbeer out of the basket and dropped down in the other chair.
"Guinevere, love." George pouted. "Come sit with me."
I looked up from the book and raised an eyebrow. Hermione handed me the notebook and I flipped through it as I sat down on his lap. Hermione frowned when she didn't see and empty spot and chose to sit on the edge of Fred's armchair. But Fred didn't let her sit there long, as he pulled her into his lap. Hermione's eyes went wide, and her cheeks went bright red. While Fred had a proud smirk on his lips. I closed the notebook on my lap and after sharing a grin with George, I looked to the pair.
"I was wondering... how did you two come up with the spell to show how far along she is?"
"Good question, Guinevere." Fred pointed out as he tore his eyes away from Hermione and looked to me. "We first thought of asking mum, but that would entail us explaining everything and making sure it wasn't for us that we needed it. No, we needed another way."
Hermione and I chuckled at the horrified expression of the twins.
"So, instead of asking mum, we believe it or not, went to the library."
"No!" Hermione and I gasped together.
"Yes!" The twins retaliated with a grin. "There are enough spells or potions to see if you're pregnant." Fred continued.
"But we needed something to go unnoticed until the right moment, so we altered the potion to only take effect once the right spell if cast upon it."
"Still... that is amazing spell work and thought process!" Hermione gasped and I couldn't help but nod in agreement. I saw Fred blush under Hermione's compliment, and he rubbed his neck with a silly grin in place.
"She's right. You two are absolutely brilliant." I looked to George when his grip on me tightened. His eyes were dark and dilated, his cheeks red. "Hm, I love the way you turn all red." I grinned and grazed our lips against each other. I looked back to Hermione and Fred, who were both blushing. Then Hermione jumped up out of nowhere and straightened her clothes. "Hermione?"
"I got to go." She said as she grabbed her coat.
"Go?" The three of us asked in surprise.
"Yeah, I'm meeting with Viktor in half an hour." She said buttoning up her coat. George and I looked to Fred, who looked down with a crease between his eyes.
"Oh." I climbed of George's lap and walked towards her. "Do you want someone to walk you there?"
"No, no, that's fine." She said looking up with a smile. "We're just meeting up at the great hall. Good night." She gave a small wave and her eyes lingered on Fred a moment longer before she walked out of the twins' secret lair.
Instead of giving Fred a pitying look, I walked over with a large smile. I stopped in front of him with my arm outstretched. Fred looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Dance with me."
"What?" Fred let out a dry chuckle and looked from me to George and back.
"Dance with me, it's one of my favourite songs." I pouted and wiggled my hand in front of him.
"Better dance with her before she drags you up." George laughed from his armchair leaning back with his butterbeer.
"Fine." Fred smiled and took my hand. The moment he stood up he twirled me around. "It's Thursday." He said as he dipped me.
"I know." I answered when he pulled me back up.
"Isn't it your weekly date night with little Georgie over there?"
"It is, but I don't mind spending it with two Weasleys."
"Can't blame you, look at us." He grinned and just as I roll my eyes he twirled me around again, laughing.