LIONHEART ❃ george weasley

023 | losing faith

"Hang on," Albany excused herself, standing up from the table. She was trembling with the tension in her muscles as she watched Faith's back leave the Great Hall with steely eyes.

"Albany?" George questioned.

"I'll be back," she assured him, and jogged after the girl, jaw clenched.

Faith's sleek ebony hair shone in the warm light of the torches on the wall, pin-straight where it fell down her back. Viola, Zoe and Phylis were with her, though she wasn't speaking to any of them for once, marching silently with her head held high.

"Faith," Albany called, and hoped it didn't come across as aggressive as she felt.

"Albany, is this worth it?" Merlin asked her desperately from behind; she ignored him.

Faith turned on her heels. She looked as though she'd been expecting this, though her expression was dull. The other girls glanced over their shoulders before slowing to watch; though they too faded out of focus.

"We need to sort this," Albany said firmly, raising her chin in hopes it wouldn't wobble. "Now."

Faith considered this for a moment. Her nostrils flared with each breath she took, blue stare piercing and unblinking. Her pale lips parted to speak.

"The only thing that needs sorting is you," she stated matter-of-factly. Her face showed no malice, though Albany felt her insides twisting uncomfortably. "Clearly you should've been a Gryffindor."

Albany grit her teeth. Her fists had clenched at her side. "I'm allowed to have other friends," she spat.

"Never said you weren't," Faith retorted, irritatingly calm. Her next words were harsh and accusing. "But abandoning your real friends in the process, yeah, I'd call that a dick move."

"I haven't abandoned you!"

"You haven't spoken to me in weeks, what else do you call it?" Faith argued, and took a menacing step forward.

Albany felt a rush of burning anger. "Maybe I had reason," she hissed. "Unless real friends are supposed to talk shit behind my back."

Faith narrowed her eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Albany faltered for the shortest second, because the disbelief in Faith's voice sounded real; then she shook her head out of it. I heard what I heard back in Hogsmeade. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"No, I don't," Faith said, with absolute certainty. "You're my friend, I would never do that to you."

Albany bit her cheek. The all-consuming flame of rage within her was growing smaller as doubt picked at her mind; maybe she'd heard it wrong or out of context — Faith was her friend, she wanted to believe that.... Stop.

"I heard you with my own ears, quit denying it," she snarled. "You know what you've said about me, that I'm mad—"

"Are you not?" Faith interrupted, and her calm and pristine expression was beginning to crack as her face screwed up. "Listen to yourself! Accusing me of this and that — how could you think I'd do that to you?"

A crowd was forming, Albany noticed, and her fire was running lower by the second. Had she really fucked up their friendship? Is this my doing?

"All I wanted was to be friends," Faith said, lowering her voice. "Same as we've always been. But you just up and left me without a warning... for some Gryffindors."

"House doesn't matter," Albany argued weakly. She felt sick to her stomach.

"Clearly not," Faith growled. "Not to you."

Albany clenched her fists. "Why should it matter to anyone?!"

"Because we're supposed to look out for each other, not leave one another in the dust!" Faith was livid now, and as she took another step forward, Albany stepped back. "I guess we're not good enough for you, though — thinking you're Merlin reincarnate, like, come on—"

"Faith!" Albany hissed, though her jaw had dropped in horror. She could feel Merlin's eyes burning into the back of her head; no way had Faith just casually thrown her deepest secret out to half the school that was gathered around them.

"You told someone?" Arthur asked, disbelief overriding any hard feelings he might've had.

Albany couldn't acknowledge him now, not with a vast crowd of students watching her and whispering aggressively. She stepped back again, heart seizing in her chest as her insides twisted with fluttery panic. "I'm not...." she argued, voice shaky. The fire had burned out.

This only seemed to confirm things for Faith, who shook her head as she stared at Albany. She looked disappointed.

"Whatever," she said, and tossed a sheet of dark hair over her shoulder. "Go enjoy... hanging out with Gryffindors. Hope you treat them better."

Albany's face sank as her heart did. "Faith...."

Faith steeled her expression before she turned away. "And... good luck with the first task," she added as an afterthought, and pushed through the edge of the crowd and was gone.

The students began to disperse as the tension died down, though Albany remained stuck in place, horror rising like bile in her throat. Her name was tossed around in the whispers of the crowd, lingering stares eyeing her up in her green and black champion's robes.

"Albany, hey," Merlin was saying, and he was directly in front of her now, expression soft.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, bracing herself for the chiding she was about to receive. Why had she ever told Faith about Merlin and Arthur? What was she expecting?

"No, nevermind your apologies," Merlin said, waving them away with a hand. He snapped his fingers. "Don't get psyched out. I know it isn't easy, but you have to forget about all that until you've completed the first task."

Albany nodded, taking a long, shaky breath. Forget about it, she repeated firmly in her mind, hoping if she said it enough times the argument would simply slip from her memory. Forget about Faith.

"They'll be calling you soon," Merlin reminded her. "Just clear your mind and stretch your muscles. As long as you're relaxed, I'll be able to help you when the time comes."

"Yeah, okay," she agreed, instinctively shaking out her ankles and wrists; it did help redirect her nervous energy somewhat.

"I'll see you soon," Merlin reassured her with a soft smile. "Hang in there. You've got this."

He and Arthur disappeared, then, and Albany felt a chill dance up her spine in their absence. She turned around to head back to the Great Hall, but George had come out to meet her in the corridor.

"Hey, you good?" he asked, and hesitated before reaching out for her shoulder. Albany bit her cheek; she must have looked shaken.

"Yeah," she said, and nodded to reassure herself. "Yeah, I am. I've got this."

George grinned. "That's the spirit. You're braver than you give yourself credit for, you know that, right?"

Albany tore her eyes from where McGonagall was striding up the corridor to properly meet his gaze. She smiled in its warmth; his grin filled the hole in her chest that Faith had left.

"I don't say you'd make a fine Gryffindor for nothing," he added, smiling. "You've got a lion's heart."

"Miss Bronwen," McGonagall called, drawing closer; her face was taut with nerves, and Harry trailed after her, expression grim. "It's time, I'm afraid."

Albany felt her heart seize, though glanced back to George; he gave her shoulder a squeeze, and his comfort felt like home.

"You're gonna be just fine," he assured her. "I believe in you, Lionheart."