Decree No.29 (O.C) Fred Weasley/ Draco Malfoy

The Fallout Part 2

"Oh, so this is why you told us all to leave you alone was it?" said George, tucking his hands inside his pockets and laughing sardonically in response, "bringing down your social-climbing were we? Realised that having a seat in the Ministry was more comfortable than being with the Order?

Again, this is what she had feared. Them totally getting the wrong end of the stick. "No George that's not it, I'm still part of the Order," she tried to assure him as she pressed a fingernail a little too hard into her skin  out of anxiousness, leaving a mark, "everything I have done so far is to protect you from what's coming."

George shook his head in denial, causing tuffs of his red hair to flop down into a fringe. "No Jess," he said calmly, " all you've done is protected yourself."

"Myself?" Jessica retorted sarcastically, her voice rattling against the walls. At least he was still there, not abandoning her as the others had done, but that didn't mean she couldn't get angry when he was pressing her buttons. "Yeah, I've really protected myself by doing this haven't I? Those two weeks unconscious in a hospital bed was such a holiday George, really loved it!"

"Don't twist my words," he sneered.

"No, honestly, you really think I've done this to benefit myself?" she asked. Her arms crossed against her chest to stop her fidgeting and her volume increased in frustration, causing George to roll his eyes. He thought she was just making excuses to make herself look good, but for the first time, she was able to argue with the truth. "How do you think you guys got to play Quidditch again huh?" she asked him loudly, "did you honestly think what I told Angelina was true? That Umbridge just randomly gave permission after I asked?"

George groaned and looked up at the ceiling, trying to stay calm because he had now become intrigued by her story, "What did you do Jess?"

Jessica took a deep breath and started rambling, trying to get the whole story out in one go. "Umbridge initially wanted insights on the teachers so I told her some things she was going to find out anyway from her inspections. Stuff that I'd heard you guys say so I knew it was true. I didn't think it would end up getting Trelawney fired but..."

"Hang on," George interrupted, holding a hand up to her and tilting his head slightly to the side to check that he had heard her right, "you almost got Professor Trelawney fired so that we could play Quidditch?"

"Not intentionally!" she exasperated, seeing how bad that now sounded hearing him say it out loud, "you were all so sad and I wanted to help because you guys have been so good to me-"

"Help?" George interrupted again, his voice getting rougher and deeper as his anger started to boil at what had now become apparent to him, "Jess, that's ridiculous! We would have rather not played this entire year if it meant the teachers were safe and you stayed on our side!"

"But you and Fred said Quidditch was the only reason you were here..." Jessica croaked, feeling her voice becoming weaker as she became overwhelmed with vulnerability, "I needed you both to stay by any means necessary. You're the only friends I have."

"You say that yet we're not the ones with stupid matching friendship badges," he sniped.

"George this is something I have to do," she pleaded and then realised their loudness could alert Pansy in the room next door. She turned to a whisper. "You've got to believe me. I'm doing this for you all. With this Decree 29, I can protect you."

She wanted to tell him about her promise to his mother, to give evidence that she meant well. But again, she was restricted from the secrets she had promised to keep. If he knew his mother had told her to look out for them, he would've been even more confused, and then annoyed at Mrs Weasley for her overprotectiveness. That aspect of her parenting was what he and Fred clashed with their mother about the most.