The American. (George Weasley)

Eighteen.

The next morning I went down to the Common Room early because I wanted to stop Nevill before he could leave. He was already in the Common Room when I got down there. I went up to him, smiling as happily as I could as I greeted him saying, "Hey Neville."
   
He looked up at me with a terrified look on his face. "Hi Daisy."
   
"I've heard about you and my sister," I tell him. He just looks more scared.
   
"Yeah," he says nodding, but still looking terrified. "She wrote to me over the summer. I was surprised to get her letter. I didn't even know she knew who I was."
   
"She wouldn't tell me anything," I admit. "So I really don't know if I'm right or not, but I think she might like you."
   
"Me?" He asks, sounding shocked. "Oh I don't think so. She's just interested in Herbology."
   
"I think she just used that as an excuse to talk to you," I tell him, smiling again. He was so clueless. "That's what girls do when they like someone. They take the one thing that we know about the guy we like, and we use it to start a conversation."
   
"Don't be giving away our secrets now, Daisy," joked Ginny as she came up from behind me and we both laughed at her comment. "Take it from me, Neville, Irina likes you. She's just shy. I could tell yesterday."
   
His face lights up, and he smiles wide, so happy. "You really think so?"
Ginny nods, "Yeah, I do."
   
He suddenly looked worried. "Alright, well, what do I do now?"
   
"Do you like her, too?" I ask him.
   
He answers with one word not even thinking about it. "Yes."
   
I smile at him, "Then just be yourself, Neville. She likes you for who you are. You don't have to change for her. Just be her friend, and be kind, and accept her for who she is and she'll do the same thing for you."
   
He nods vigorously, "Okay. Well I should go find her then, ask her to have breakfast with her."
   
"I'm sure she'd love that." I tell him, smiling again. He smiles to himself before he exits the Common Room to go find my sister.
   
"Isn't he so cute? I'm so proud of him." I say to Ginny. I feel an arm drape around my shoulders then, and I hear George's voice.
   
"Who are you proud of?"
   
"Neville. He's going to go ask my sister to have breakfast with him."
   
"Go Neville. I thought that poor bloke would about shit his pants if a girl ever looked in his direction. Turns out he's got some balls after all."
   
"He's a sweet kid," I say as we start walking towards the portrait hole.
   
"That he is," says George as we passed through the portrait hole.
   
We started our way to the Great Hall then. George held my hand the entire time, like he always does. I spotted my brother and Luna at the Ravenclaw table looking happy to be with each other again. I know he missed her so much over the summer. And at our table I saw my sister eating and talking with Neville. I smiled to myself seeing them together.
   
We ate and then we walked to class together. I decided then to ask my sister about Neville. She got all shy, and said that she liked him, but she didn't want to tell me about it until there was actually something to tell. It was so cute. I told her that I totally approved of Neville and if she liked him to just go for it. Since I've known Neville the longest, she knew I was being honest with her.
   
Classes were pretty much as they always were. We didn't have Defense Against the Dark Arts until tomorrow so we didn't get to see how Umbridge was as a teacher until then. Irina sat with Neville again at lunch. Fred and George had just come from their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class and told us they didn't like Umbridge at all. That she was boring, and they wished Dumbledore would just call up Lupin and have him come back. I would like that too.
   
At dinner that night, Harry told us about how he has detention for the rest of the week with Umbridge because she tried to tell the class that Voldemort wasn't back when he was. He didn't like being called a liar and stood his ground insisting he wasn't lying.
   
It was insane that she gave him a weeks worth of detentions already for just saying she was wrong. That seemed a bit excessive, a day, maybe two, that should be enough, but I guess not for her. I already had a sour taste in my mouth before I had even had my first class with her.
   
Over the next few days, Harry's hand had become cut up. Umbridge had made him write lines using a quill that had been bewitched to cut the words that he wrote into his hand. The worst part about it was that he refused to go to any of the other Professors about it. He just let it happen 
   
Class with Umbridge went fine the first time I had her, and the second time too. I kept my mouth shut and did what I was told to do. It was the third week of school when I had finally had enough of her. Irina raised her hand to ask a question, and she stumbled over her words and had a hard time getting them out even more than usual because Umbridge made her nervous. Umbridge told her to speak clearly when she talked to her or not to speak to her at all.
   
It made my fucking blood boil.
   
"Don't talk to her like that!" I spat without thinking about it. It was just my reaction, "She has a speech impediment. It's not her fault."
   
"Daisy," I heard my brother say but I ignored him.
   
"I will not be spoken to in that tone, Miss Partridge."
   
"And I won't let my sister be spoken to like she's stupid, Professor Umbridge. I don't care who you are. I won't stand for it."
   
"I'd watch that tone if I were you, I wouldn't want to risk getting expelled out of another school."
   
"What are you going to do? Sick your precious Fudge on me? He's a wimp, just like everyone else that believes that garbage he's spitting."
   
"You will not disrespect the Ministry in front of me, you disrespectful American. Detentions for a week. Starting tonight. In fact, you go to your Head of House right now. Here."
   
She scribbled a note quickly and placed it in front of me. I snatched it out of her hand angrily and walked out of her classroom. If I could have slammed the door I would, but it was too heavy and it closed slowly.
   
Professor McGonagall was in her free period sitting at her office. I knocked on the door and she was surprised to see me. "Miss Partridge, what on Earth do I owe this visit? I thought you'd be in Defense Against the Dark Arts right now."
   
"I was, but Professor Umbridge and I don't exactly see eye-to-eye. She sent this with me."
   
I handed her the note and she read it quickly.
   
"You mouthed off to her, I see."
   
"Yes, because she was rude to Irina, Professor. Told her to speak clearly when she spoke to her or not speak at all. It was totally uncalled for. I wasn't going to let it slide. I couldn't. She's her teacher, she shouldn't be bullying her like that. Even Snape never says anything about her speech impediment. And I'm telling you right now that I'm not doing those detentions if they're anything like the ones Harry had to do. His hand is still a mess."
   
"What happened to Mr. Potter? I thought she just had him write some lines."
   
"Yeah, with a quill that cut the words he was writing into his hand every time he wrote. He didn't tell you because he didn't want to bother you but if she tries to make me do that I'm going to throw the ink in her face and walk out."
   
Professor McGonagall actually smiled at me for that. "There will be no need for that, dear. I will have a talk with Professor Umbridge and I promise you that you will not have to do lines with that quill, and I expect you to come to me if anything happens to you during these detentions that you don't think is normal, alright?"
   
"Of course, Professor, I will."
   
"Good," she nods, "here, have a biscuit, dear. I was just making some tea, would you like some?"
   
"Sure," I say, nodding.
   
"You're a good sister, Daisy, I've always thought so." She says before standing up and heading over to the fireplace to get the tea kettle. "After Dumbledore had me read the letter your father sent us asking us to take you on as a student I told him we had to. And the thought of your siblings without you at Ilvermorny made me sick to my stomach. I was very glad when they also transferred here."
   
"I was, too," I tell her, nodding.
   
"And don't you worry," she says and she begins to make the tea. "I have Potter next period and I will make sure I take a good look at his hand."
   
"Thank you," I say, nodding.
   
I stayed here until the bell for next period rang. I was quiet while I sipped tea and ate some biscuits while she did some work on her own. George found me on the walk to Charms class, and he looked worried.
   
"Irina and Gen told me what happened in class." He says as he pulls me into a hug. "You should be more careful, darling, or Umbridge will have you thrown out."
   
"Fudge doesn't have that kind of power, George." I remind him as we start walking. "He's not in charge of Hogwarts, Dumbledore is."
   
"Doesn't mean that she can't use her power to eventually take over," George warns me. "You need to be careful, you don't know what's going to happen. I don't want you to get thrown out of another school."
   
I kept walking but I looked up at him and smiled, "I'll be alright George, because unlike at Ilvermorny these Professors are on my side. Well, at least McGonagall is. I don't think she likes Umbridge either."

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Here's part 18!

George is so sweet to be worried about her.

Not like he drops out of Hogwarts or anything though.

-Emily Winchester.