The Lost Potter [Fred Weasley/ Adrian Pucey]

-ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS-

George must've sensed that Rose knew something was up, because he sighed and picked up his head. "Annie and I split up last night," he muttered angrily, a tone Rose rarely heard on him.

In astonishment, Rose's eyes turned a lime green colour, and a few strands of her dark red hair matched her eyes. Her heart pounded hard in her ears for a split second, as if her skull was about to explode.

"What?" Rose uttered in shock. "Why?"

"We fought a lot," George shrugged, whipping his nose with his sleeve. "Annie hated it; reckoned she couldn't take it anymore."

"Oh, George, I hadn't noticed," Rose confessed as she slipped her hand into George's and fondled her head in his shoulder. "I am so sorry."

"So am I," he said gloomily, resting his head over Roses'.

They stayed there for a while, both of them simply cherishing the comfort of undeniable friendship. Rose, for her part, forgot all about her current problems and put her mind into the matter at hand. Had she really been so self-involved that she failed to noticed two of their best friends arguing so much as to break up?

"And you?" George finally asked after the silence, looking down at Rose. "I saw Fred kiss you after the match, anything there?"

Rose's heart stopped, she bit her lip tightly and shook her head. "I reckon there isn't," she lied. "Must've been the heat of the moment."

"Yeah, must've been," George answered quietly, once more getting into the position they were before.

Once they finally stood from their spot on the couch, George said his goodbyes to Rose, claiming he would go up to his dorm to shower and change. She gave him a tight hug and sent him his way, she herself having her own way to go.

The Great Hall was barely filling in. No Gryffindors were inside, only a few Slytherins and Ravenclaws, perhaps even one or two Hufflepuffs that had drifted off their own table and sitting elsewhere.

Avalon Morgenstern, her cousin, was seated at their own table with his best mate, Adrian Pucey. They read and sipped from their mugs while surrounded by books. She approached them, stowing her belongings on the bench and taking a seat.

"You two alright?" She asked, dragging them both out of their trance. They looked up to her, both of their expressions serious. Adrian's face broke first, his grumpy mouth upturning into a warm smile at the sight of her.

"Rose!" He grinned, pushing some of the books away from him. "Do you fancy to join us?"

"I would love to," she chuckled, fetching her books from her bag and turning to face her cousin, who was already smiling at her. "What are you studying for, Avalon?"

"Transfiguration," he said tragically. "I swear to Merlin, Mcgonagall is trying to get us all killed!" He seemed to relax after that, a smug smirk on his face. "Of course, I'm not doing OWLs this year, so I am not running on caffeine and anxiety." Avalon then stole a glance at Adrian, chuckling quietly when he saw the latter bitting his nails anxiously as his eyes barely left his book.

Rose glared at her cousin as she opened her book and dug into her bag for her spectacles, saying, "Funny, Av, really."

Adrian, who had not being paying any mind to the two cousins, picked up his head in frustration. "I should've chosen an easier potion! Honestly, what in the name of Morgana was going through my head!"

"Adrian, mate, you couldn't've chosen an easier potion," Avalon said, trying to console him. Adrian glared at him fiercely. "Just saying."

Rose paid little attention to their squabbles, instead concentrating on the book in front of her. She tried to memorise the entire Amortentia process, including how it should appear, smell, and feel as her wand touched the potion.