Gwen Bennett Song didn't surround herself with many people. She didn't go out of her way to make new friends or to be seen by others. She actually preferred to remain in the shadows and unnoticed. She was fine with what she already had; a small grou...
"No, no I'm not. I have no idea what's going on anymore. I don't know what I'm supposed to do or how I'm supposed to act. I feel like I don't even know my own mother anymore and I'm just supposed to go and sit in Uncle Remus' class and act like I'm completely fine while in my mind I'm wondering how much of the truth he knows and has been keeping from us all this time. And the one person I want to talk to about it all hates me right now!"
For a moment George was stunned as she let it all out in one breath. He knew better than to mention that was the most she ever said all at once in his presence, but the thought did cross his mind still. However, he pushed his own shock down in that moment.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lay it all on you." Gwen gave out a heavy sigh, her hands running through her hair anxiously as she apologized. As it registered in her mind, all that she said, she looked down to the ground in embarrassment. But, much to her surprise, George didn't seem to mind.
"Come on." George's words made Gwen finally look up at him as she sent the Weasley a questioning look. Only then did she notice the hand he had extended towards her, waiting for her to take it.
"George we have DADA in less than ten minutes." Gwen pointed out, thinking that the fact may have slipped his mind for a moment.
"If class is where you want to go then let's go to class." George said, and while he said nothing else, Gwen could hear the silent 'but' in his voice. He was letting her know there was another option. And even though she didn't even know what it was, it still sounded better than class if she were being honest.
"It's not." She didn't give herself the time to change her mind. She couldn't go to Defence Against the Dark Arts now. She'd spend the whole class stuck in her own overwhelming thoughts, Oli a couple of rows behind her as a constant reminder of the fact she had no idea how to handle what she knew and telling him about it. And in front of her, Uncle Remus reminding her of the lies her whole family seemed to spread as they hid her mother's secrets.
And so Gwen took George's hand, letting him lead her through the castle towards Merlin knows where.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Gwen lay spread over two conjoined desks in one of the abandoned classrooms of the castle. It was quite a beautiful one too. The wall opposing the one where the entrance lay was covered with large windows looking over the Black Lake and the Forest spreading beyond it. According to George, it was put out of use because the practice of spells resulted in shattered windows much too often.
"Do you think you can ice skate on the Lake when it freezes over during the winter?" Gwen asked in a thoughtful voice as she looked out the window, her eyes observing the light snow as it fell from the sky and stuck to the ground below.
"Now that is something we haven't tried yet." George sounded highly interested by the idea, making Gwen let out a small laugh as she imagined Fred, George and Oliver, and maybe even Lee, skating around the Lake while Filch unsuccessfully tried to catch them.
Gwen wasn't sure how long she and George spent hiding away in the classroom, but it definitely wasn't just one class. Their conversations went in multiple directions. At some points, Gwen vented about what happened during Christmas, then shortly after, they would be joking around and impersonating teachers before George got Gwen talking about everything that was weighing her down once more.
And everytime she spoke of such things, George patiently listened to her, offering advice and words of encouragement whenever she needed it. At points, she didn't even notice how much he tried to change her mind when she would give out even the smallest of signs of doubting or blaming herself. It was a nice balance that allowed her to get things off her chest and clear her mind while still having fun and feeling free from her worries.
"Hey George?" Gwen called his name, already aware that he was lounging in the teacher's chair with his feet propped up on the table as he leaned back in the chair. Something she had tried to stop him from, worried that he might crack his skull open, but of course, he didn't listen.
"Yes?" He asked back.
"It's all going to work out, right?" She questioned in a quiet voice, her eyes remaining glued to the ceiling above her. She needed to hear him say it again. After their time spent together, she was starting to feel much better than she had in awhile. But not all of her worry was gone just yet. She doubted it would be until this was all over and resolved.
"Yeah, it's all going to work out. You'll see Gwen, everything will be okay."
She knew George couldn't be sure what he said was true, he had no way of convincing her of it really. But somehow, for some unknown reason, Gwen believed it when he said it.
