Junoesque ✿George Weasley✿

52.

"Banned for life?!" Blair shouted, the Gryffindor room not even flinching at the volume of her voice. Fred, George and Harry laid over the armchairs beside the fire with sullen faces, the fire flickering across their otherwise lifeless skin. Still dressed in their Quidditch robes, the rest of the Gryffindor team stood around the three, looking just as sullen.

"Umbridge gave Crabbe lines, even though it should have been Professor Snape's job as head of Slytherin," Ginny added, looking at her brothers and Harry while biting her lip. "But I'd doubt he'd get any worse of a punishment from him."

"We're over. No Beaters and no Seeker; Gryffindor is done for," Angelina dropped into the chair that sat at the table with her head in her hands.

The game between Gryffindor and Slytherin had seemed like a success up until a point. Gryffindor had been able to get ahead and finish the game with a fair win. However, with Slytherin being the way that they were, the game ended in a massive headache for Harry, a bruised lip for George and a life time ban from playing Quidditch for them and Fred. Crabbe hit a bludger towards Harry's head after the game had finished, causing an outburst from the Gryffindor team. Draco Malfoy then decided to come along and start taking constant jabs at a majority of the team. Blair hadn't been able to hear specifically what had been said, but it caused George and Harry to lash out and beat Malfoy to a pulp. The two were then taken to Professor McGonagall's office where they would have received detention for a month, only to have Professor Umbridge walk in. She issued a ban for both George and Harry, but then decided that since Fred was so closely related to George, that he might as well be banned too.

"I wish I could have knocked that slimy git further into the ground," Fred mumbled, his legs hanging over the arm of the chair. "Our last year at Hogwarts and we can't even play Quidditch for it."

"Well it can't be helped now," Hermione's clipped tone was evident. "At least now Harry and I can focus primarily on the DA lessons."

"I suppose," Harry mumbled before pushing his body up from the armchair. "I'm going to bed."

Harry sulked as he climbed the stairs to the boy's dormitory, causing Ron to follow and Hermione and Ginny to head up to theirs. The room started to clear out and it left Fred, George and Blair. Blair was ready to head back to her common room, when she was stopped by Fred's hand. He had just gotten up from his chair and was heading for the stairs, when he caught Blair's arm and stopped both of them on their pursuits. Blair went to question him but stopped when he gave her a hard look, glancing over his shoulder before pushing her towards a corner of the room.

"You need to talk to him," Fred said in a hushed voice.

"Why? What happened?" Blair asked and looked over Fred's shoulder, seeing George sunken low into the chair with his feet over the arm and his gaze solely on the fire. She found it odd at first that he hadn't spoken a word since being issued the lifetime ban, but Blair thought that he might have just been extra bummed from the punishment. She thought nothing of it until now.

"Malfoy said some things about you. It was why Georgie was the one who got the ban with Harry," he replied. "I've tried to reassure him the best I could, but I think he needs to hear it from you."

"What did Malfoy say?"

"Well it started with being about our family," Fred rolled his eyes at the memory. "That was already riling the both of us up. But then one of the Beaters of the team said something to him and they started cackling amongst themselves. They must have been talking to Potts."

"Oh no," she put her hand over her eyes, thinking of the many things that Fletcher could have said or made up.

"I've seen him walking around with a wad of bandages around his fingers. Care to explain that?" Fred tried with a smile but Blair wasn't in the mood to tell him about what had happened on their night of patrolling. She gave him a tight frown and Fred cleared his throat, choosing to go on with his explanation instead.