A Raven and a Lion

Teddy Bear

In the evening Olivia came over again with Maggy and the Gryffindor girls. They made themselves comfortable around y/n's hospital bed with snacks and pumpkin juice.

"Do you think you'll survive the night with that idiot over there?", Katie asked pitifully, shooting Pucey a dirty look. Alicia started laughing. "If he's annoying, just spank him again."

"That really was too funny," Maggy clapped her hands. They heard Pucey mutter some insult from his blanket, but they just laughed about it.

Y/n was biting the head off a chocolate frog when more visitors showed up. Katie welcomed the two redheads enthusiastically. "George, Fred! Come on, sit down."

Immediately, y/n tensed up. She really didn't want to see Fred. After all, it was somehow his fault that she had been hit by the Bludger in the first place. But she couldn't blame him for that loudly. Because then she would have to explain why she allowed herself to be distracted in the first place. Yes, why exactly? Of course she knew why. But that wasn't something anyone here should know.

"Y/n?", now she heard Olivia. "George brought you something."

With a shake of her head, y/n freed herself from her thoughts, then smiled at George. He handed her a small stuffed bear before briefly taking her in his arms.

"Freddie chose him," y/n whispered in her ear. Immediately y/n's eyes flicked to Fred. Her first instinct was to smile, but then she remembered how he didn't even look at her during the entire game. He could now save himself that stupid bear.

"Thanks, but I'm probably a little too old for a cuddly toy," she said so everyone could hear and carelessly put the bear to the side. The girls looked at her in surprise. Fred's jaw clenched and he looked as if he wanted to turn around and go again. Only George, who seemed to be the only one who to understand what was going on, chuckled. "Well, no bear for you then."

Y/n rolled her eyes and continued to ignore the bear. At first it created a somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere. But at some point the girls started laughing again. George had fun too. Only Fred seemed a bit grumpy.

He ended up leaving first, along with Angelina, Katie and Alicia. Olivia and Maggy said goodbye a little later, leaving only George behind.

"That was a clean blow, why aren't you a Beater?", he got to the point quite quickly. Y/n looked at him with pursed lips.

"You must have been pretty mad. And not just because of the Bludger. You've probably been knocked off the broom a few times before during your career in the team, but I'd remember an outburst like that."

"What are you getting at?", y/n asked, even though she could of course guess what he was referring to. George laughed. "I'll put it this way, you weren't the only one who's been acting weird for a while."

"Oh, is that so?", y/n asked. George looked like he was slowly but surely becoming annoyed. "Listen to me, since we ran away from Filch, something's been wrong. And I know what's wrong, I know everything."

"Good for you", y/n hissed. But George now had her full attention. "If anyone here blames me, I have done nothing at all..."

"Nobody blames you", George shook his head. "Nothing bad happened. You just ran away from him..."

Y/n didn't give him an answer. What should she even answer to that? So she just shrugged her shoulders. George was a little hesitant to ask the next question. "But... Were you running from him or from yourself?"

"Huh?" Y/n didn't quite understand. So George asked differently. "So did you run away because it was him? Or did you run away even though it was him."

It slowly dawned on y/n what George was getting at. "Do you want to know this so you can tell others?"

George quickly shook his head. "I want to know because you're in the hospital with broken ribs and a busted lip. And, because I think I'm the only one who has understood yet."

Y/n sighed. Somehow she felt that she wanted to confide in George. Even if it meant taking a risk. But since last year she had grown quite fond of him. "I have no idea... Your brother is just... I don't understand it myself. Sometimes I'm completely calm... Then I think I'm going crazy... And everything burns."

She was surprised that George now nodded. She barely understood what she had just said. George, on the other hand, really seemed to have the big picture. "Before you get into the next fight, I recommend you to do something about it."

"What?", now y/n was literally hanging on every single one of George's words. That made him grin. "I think you have two options. Either you stay away from him until it... stops burning. Or, and you probably won't like this, you're going to talk to him."

"You're right, I don't like that at all," y/n replied, sticking out her lower lip. "Can't I just be friends with him like I am with you?"

George looked at her almost pitifully. "You can try, but I doubt he'll go along with it. Besides, I don't think you'll last long."

"Shit", y/n grumbled and instinctively reached for the bear that was still lying a little away on her blanket. "I'm keeping the present, by the way."

"Can I tell him that?", George asked carefully. Y/n looked at him threateningly. "Nothing! You won't tell him anything."

"All right", George laughed. Then he got up. "Get a good night's sleep and don't think too much. Everything happens as it should."

"What fortune cookie did you get the saying from?", y/n asked contemptuously. George looked at her in confusion. "What's a fortune cookie?"

"It's a baked... Oh, forget it," y/n waved it off. She often forgot that it wasn't normal for her and her aunt to be so familiar with the muggle world.

George laughed, then patted her on the head. "Sleep well."

Then he left. Now y/n was alone with the snoring Pucey. Great. But she had the bear, which she held close to her chest, now that no one saw it.