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...
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Gwen sat on a cold bench, alone as many other students were in class still. She stared at the flower in her hands, her mind wondering to various places as she tried to process everything that had happened that morning. She looked at the seeds as they swayed with the light breeze, none tearing or flying away just yet. She remembered the last time she stood in this courtyard and blew away the seeds as she made a wish under the light of the moon and stars.
Since then, she'd done it many more times and made many more wishes. She wished to get good results on her end of the year exams last year, in the end the exams were cancelled. She wished to become a Prefect, and she did. She wished that her time at the Burrow went well, and it did. She also wished that all the rumours about her mother weren't true, that all the suspicions were false... They weren't. She wished that their family would be okay despite all of these things happening with Sirius Black... They weren't. And so Gwen wondered whether this tradition of hers was really helping anything. Because it didn't feel like it was.
She thought about making a wish again. But the more she searched through her mind, the more she couldn't think of anything. Because in that moment, things really seemed like they couldn't get better. Her mother was helping a criminal, a murdered, her fathers most likely knew about it too. And to make matters worse, Gwen worried about her. About her mother's delusional belief that her husband was innocent when everyone else knew what he'd done. The Ministry wouldn't have imprisoned Black if he hadn't done all those things. How could her mother not see that?
"Gwen?" The familiar voice snapped her out of her thoughts and made her look up from the flower in her hand to meet the Gryffindor's inquisitive hazel eyes. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in class?"
"Shouldn't you?" Gwen asked, knowing that she shared the class she was supposed to be in with the Weasley.
"I'm in the bathroom right now." George announced, making the Hufflepuff raise an eyebrow at him, knowing that the courtyard definitely wasn't the bathroom. "Okay, I've been in the bathroom for ten minutes. Fred and Oli will just pick up my things and bring them to me, I don't think it's wise to return to Minnie at this time."
"Why are you skipping class? Especially if you've already been in it?" Gwen questioned, confused by what may have gone through his head when he came up with this plan.
"I actually went looking for you. Oli tried in the beginning, but he actually said he was looking for you, so when he couldn't find you, he had to come back. Thought I'd give it another shot." George explained. While he hadn't mentioned it to Oliver, he knew of some places Gwen might go that he suspected Oli wasn't aware of. He did first try with the classroom overlooking the Black Lake, this was his second searching spot.
"You didn't have to do that." Gwen let out a small sigh, her eyes turning back to the flower in her hands. It wasn't hard for George to notice something was troubling her. But then again, the fact Gwen was skipping class was already sign enough.
"So, what's the wish you're skipping for?" George asked curiously, not wanting to push too much, even though he knew there was more to it than a simple wish. He knew Gwen, she'd open up if she wanted to.
"I don't know. I don't know if I should be making them anymore." Gwen admitted with a heavy tone, the statement making George's brows furrow in surprise. Pushing himself away from the stone wall he was leaning his back on, he took a couple of long strides before sitting down on the bench next to her.
"What do you mean? You always make those wishes?" He questioned, a certain sense of worry or urgency in his tone. It made Gwen wonder just how many times George had actually seen her make a wish on a dandelion.
"It's just a childish superstition. The wishes came true back then because I was wishing for stupid things like a new teddy bear, or things that could easily happen. But life, the real problems, aren't solved by making a simple stupid wish." Gwen commented, moving as if she was about to throw the flower away. However, George's quick reactions stopped her from doing so as he placed his hand over her own.
"What happened?" It was a simple question, just two words, but it was one that finally made Gwen look back up into his eyes. And as she did, George noticed the tears starting to gather in hers.
"She's helping him. My mum is helping Black." Gwen admitted. "Apparently she's convinced he's innocent, I don't even know how she could believe that. And I have no bloody idea what I'm going to tell Oli. Or Harry. How I'm going to tell them. And should I tell someone else? That would be turning my own mother in. I can't do that. But if I don't, and Black does something... Is it my fault then?" Gwen's troubled voice made a frown appear on George's face. Everything she was saying sounded too complicated for a couple of fifteen-year-olds to figure out.
A part of him wanted to ask all the questions on his mind, as he himself found it hard to believe that Gwen and Oli's mum would ever do something like that. But he didn't know the whole story. And neither did Gwen from what he was able to gather. Of course, the whole school had by now heard that Nadia Volkov had not only been in school, but even kicked out a whole classroom of students so she could talk to Gwen. A conversation that allegedly didn't go well. But George knew better to mention that or question Gwen's mother's motives. So he did the only thing he could.
Using the hand which still held on to her own, George pulled Gwen closer, now wrapping his arms around her in a side hug. For a moment the brunette was stunned, not expecting him to hug her. But soon enough, she relaxed in his hold. Perhaps he couldn't fix all of her problems, but at least he made her feel better while she felt as if she was drowning under them. "Whatever you decide to do, if you want, I can be there when you tell them. And if not, then I can help take your mind off of it and do something else."
"Thank you, George." Gwen sent him a small smile.
"You don't have to thank me." He said quickly and continued to add on. "However, there is something you can do for me." His statement made her send him a curious look, a part of her expecting him to ask her to help him get out of trouble for so very obviously skipping class. But that was not it at all.
"Make a wish." He said, pulling away from her and finally releasing the hand he'd been holding ever since he'd stopped her from throwing the flower away. For a couple of more seconds, seconds that seemed to stretch on forever in George's mind, Gwen simply stared into his eyes, trying to figure out why it mattered so much to him. But in the end, she did it. She pondered wish for a moment, before finally bringing the flower up to her face and blowing it away.
And her wish was a simple one. She wished that by the end of the year, all of this would just make sense. She hoped, more than anything, that it would come true.
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And here is another one, different book maybe, but still an update. I hope you guys like it, I know my Beasley obsessed heart sure does.
P.S. Considering it's just past eleven pm, I don't think I'll be doing Promises tonight, but I can say that one is probably coming soon too :)
