Good Girl || George Weasley

12

The night and the next day pass quickly, with everyone still buzzing about the Triwizard Tournament. Fred, George, Lee, and I have our first class with Moody, and while they love him from the moment the first lesson ends, I can't help but have mixed feelings. He's very - well - intense.

I think about Remus, and about writing him, which he said I could do at any time when I saw him last. I think it'll be nice to get all my thoughts out to someone with an outside perspective on all of this.

Of course, there's also the matter of the party tonight, which is also on the forefront of my friends' minds. Fred and Lee agree to go sneak through one of the secret passageways that leads to Hogsmeade to go get supplies, leaving George and I alone in the Gryffindor common room. I honestly can't remember the last time we got to be alone.

"You alright?" he asks, nudging my foot with his. We're sitting side by side on one of the couches.

I turn to look at him, and smile gently once I see the concerned look on his face.

"I'm alright. Why do you ask?"

"You've been kinda quiet since yesterday, that's all. I didn't want to ask with everyone around, but I haven't been able to get you alone 'til now."

I shrug. "It's just the whole Triwizard Tournament thing, I guess. I feel bad that you guys can't put your names in for real, y'know? Like if the Aging Potion doesn't work."

George's expression softens, but he waits to reply until after a third-year passes through and out of the common room.

"Katie, honestly, as much as I think it'd be fun to be apart of, I don't think any of us have a chance against you." He smiles, and I can tell he's not upset by that, but I still feel a bit guilty. "And if there's anyone who deserves it, it's you. You work harder than any of us, and you're the smartest person I know. If there's anyone who's made out to be a Champion, it's you."

"You mean it?"

He slides his hand over the couch cushion to find mine. He lets his hand rest on top of mine, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand. Here come the butterflies.

"Of course. And if you do get picked, we'll be your number one supporters."

"Well," I say, already starting to feel better about the whole situation, "you can't all be my number one supporters."

George grins and pulls his hand back, just as Lee and Fred step back in through the portrait hole, laughing loudly about something. They each have bags hanging from their arms, no doubt filled with different drinks and snacks from Hogsmeade.

"I suppose you're right," George says quietly to me, so that Fred and Lee can't hear over their loud chatter, "I'll be your number one supporter. All the others can find places after me." He winks at me as he pushes himself up off the couch so that he can join Fred and Lee on the other side of the room. I take another few second before joining them, hoping that I'm not blushing too much.

"Alright, snacks and drinks are all set, Lee's going to set up his record player later, and... I think that's it, isn't it?" Fred says, looking around the common room. There's not many things in life that Fred takes seriously, but parties are one of them. The other two would probably be pranks, and when someone insults his family. Honestly, sometimes I wish I could be as carefree as he is.

"Yeah, that's it. And now we wait."  Lee leans back in his chair, snagging a butterbeer off the table and opening it.

"You know," I say, "if you drink them all now, we're not going to have any for the party."

As Lee drinks from the bottle, he holds up the index finger of his other hand.

"One," he says when he pulls the bottle away from his lips, "I'm just having one."