Red~A George Weasley Love Story

Chapter 6- Party Animal... Sorta

CHAPTER SIX: PARTY ANIMAL... SORTA

I stood in the middle of the forbidden forest. Alone. I stuffed my clothes into the hollow of a tree and I sat on the freezing ground. I could see the moon light filter through the tree tops. Suddenly I felt pain ripple through me as my bones and skin stretched to take the shape of a beast. I hated myself for what I was. I wanted George desperately, I wouldn't have to be so alone.  I would have someone to help me through the pain. 

"AGGHH!"  I could hear my own voice resonating in my head, the pained scream soon morphed into the raw, vicious howl of the wolf.  I felt my jaws stretching and all I could do was stare up at the moon, attempting to block out the pain.

I lay on the cold ground, and off in the distance I heard a faint howl, another wolf! I got up drowsily. I shook my head to discard the debris from my fur.  I trotted to the path that lead from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. I didn't want to go, I didn't want to hurt anyone, but I was a wolf and instinct drew me to the foreign howling. What was usually too dark for me to see was illuminated with my now sharper vision. I heard laughter and I saw a boy and a girl walking down the path. I didn't want to hurt them, but then again, I wasn't me. I attacked and screams rattled around in my skull, begging for my humanity to come back to this monstrous form.

~

I jolted awake and found myself in the hospital wing. I couldn't remember anything. The sunlight was pouring in through the windows and streaking the cracked ceiling. I heard heels clicking on the tile and Madame Pomfrey came striding over. 

"Miss Malfoy!" she exclaimed before I could cut her off. 

"Dear girl how are you feeling?" It took me a while to gather the energy to answer. 

"I... I'm okay." I said. "What exactly happened?" I wondered aloud, gathering my wits. Madame Pomfrey frowned.

"Well when Fred didn't return last night George went out looking for him and found the three of you."

"Three of us?" I asked, my stomach dropping.

"Yes, you, Fred, and Angelina. They're right over here." She said I turned my head to see Fred and Angelina on either side of me, bandaged in gauze. Oh god, what' ve I done? I dropped back onto the pillow.  I saw my hands and feet were bandaged as well, and figured it was because of the cold. I heard the door creak open and in poured George, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny.

"Sweet Merlin!" Hermione cried.

"Bloody hell, what happened?" Ron shouted. Madame Pomfrey just shook her head and went off to care for some other students. George rushed over to the space between Fred's and my bed. I closed my eyes from lack of energy, I would be fine after a nap. The Weasleys all rushed over to Fred while Harry and Hermione jumped between Angelina and I.  I still didn't talk, I just laid there half asleep.

"Iris?" My eyes opened sleepily to see a worried George. 

"George?" I asked, rolling towards him. "Is Fred okay?"

"He'll be fine, just needs some rest, same as Angelina." He said, he put his hand on my bandaged ones. 

"Where's everyone?" I asked.

"They left a few minutes ago, you've been asleep for a while."

"Oh."

"Why'd they wrap your hands?" He asked curiously.

"I think it might be frostbite, that's harder to heal with magic." I said, frowning at my hands. "I'm sorry about Fred and Angelina." I said.

"Why? It's not your fault." I felt a pang of guilt that I still hadn't told him. 

"I just feel ba-" I was cut off when George pulled me into a hug. I loved it, I breathed in his scent.  Pine and spearmint mixed with something sweet. He let go. I scooted over in the bed.

"Sit." I said patting the bed. George obeyed.  Petulant as it sounds, I wanted him to stay with me.