Joke's on Me | George Weasley | Book 1

chapter 4 - high heaven

Second week in and Natalia was already tired of the strange looks from the younger years. It happened every year, though after Christmas usually things would die down with the first years. She'd thought that maybe this year, she'd get some kind of break with the whole tri-wizard tournament, but no such luck.

"I'm gonna skip breakfast this morning." Natalia sighed, feeling the stares on her back. The second years were just as bad this year too, though she warranted that to the fact that Draco had been so openly elitist last year and her blood status not matching those beliefs.

"No you're not." Blaise Zabini collapsed back into the sofa beside her, putting his feet up on the table. "We'll shield you from the stares."

Draco slapped his feet off the table, muttering about etiquette (which was amusing to Natalia as he often put his feet up on his own table at home). "I'll get a group of us together and we'll hide you from the stares."

"No. No, it's fine, besides, I have letters to write and no better time to write them than breakfast."

Pansy rolled her eyes, "just leave her, clearly she's made up her mind on the matter."

Draco looked torn, but with a little encouragement from Nat, they left her alone in the common room.

She sighed, pulling out her neat little box with all of her parchment and letter paper in, taking a quill and ink from her desk and setting herself up on a secluded table in the corner.

"Well well well, if it isn't Natalia White." Someone dropped into the chair opposite her. Natalia didn't look up. "You hear what happened at the world cup?"

No response.

"Oh come on Nat! I'm just trying-"

"Do not call me Nat." She could feel the anger bubbling inside her. She glared up at the sixth year sitting in front of her.

"Hey," he held his hands up as if to surrender, "I'm just trying to be nice."

Natalia laughed bitterly, finishing her letter. "No. No, you just want information, well let me save your breath. No, I don't care about Malfoy's outbursts last year, nor do I condone them. I don't know why the World cup disaster happened, nor does Malfoy, neither of our families were a part of it seeing as we're not Death Eaters, and no, I don't care if you don't believe me. Did I miss anything?"

He was quietly laughing, and Nat thought for a moment about cursing him to high heaven, but decided there were too many witnesses so instead left, making her way up to the owlery. She had a half hour before Charms class, and though she knew she'd be pushing it hiding out in the owlery, it was the only place she really felt safe from all the stares and judgemental looks from other houses.
Natalia wasn't really an owl person, but Draco always let her use his eagle owl, Dista.

"Hey Dizzy." Nat smiled, taking him from his perch. Draco often complained Nat was teaching him the wrong name but she thought it was cute. "Can you take this to my dad for me?" she attached it to his leg and carried him to the window where he took off, presumably in the direction of her childhood home.

"Well well."

Natalia heard a familiar voice behind her.

"If it isn't Natalia White."

Weasleys.

Nat turned, knowing she was cornered. This was never going to end well. "If it isn't Fred and George Weasley."

They laughed, and Natalia noticed a distinct lack of maliciousness. "That was good, don't you think that was good George?"

George just laughed in response. "Well, we just need to send some letters on their way, so we'll just get on with that, huh?"

Natalia shrugged, not bothering to pay them much attention. Her mind was on other matters.

They seemed to be genuine about the letters, so she leaned her elbows on the window ledge and leaned out to stare over the grounds. Early September was always pretty, right before everything started dying, rotting on the floor in ate October-November time.

Not a second later and Natalia could feel her socks getting wet, and looked down to see the floor being completely flooded around her. "Oh Jesus Christ."

She looked up at the Twins who were safely perched on one of the supporting beams in the roof grinning like fools. Though Natalia concluded that she was, in fact, the fool for ever trusting the twins. She made a snap decision, sitting the two of them square in the chest with spells muttered under her breath, knocking the two of them back straight into the water and winding them as they landed flat on their backs.

She carefully walked through the water, managing to make her way to the stairs down without falling or getting any wetter than she already was.

"Natalia White!" She heard the twins cursing behind her and turned to see them dripping in water and glaring.

She waved, running off down the stairs.