"Ace, psssssst, ACE!" someone was shaking my shoulders, trying to rudely wake me up. No, I wasn't about to wake up now. I was perfectly content right here, wherever here is. I'm not lying down, but slumped over something hard and uncomfortable, but I was not moving, no way no how. Maybe if I pretended to be asleep, they'd just go away.
"Ace, wake up, there's something that I want to show you" It was a boy. Stupid boys, just leave me to sleep in peace.
"Go away" I mumbled. But I couldn't help it; I opened my eyes only to be starring at that stupid, gorgeous ginger. Did I just say gorgeous? I meant annoying.
"Aw Ace, don't be like that. I know that I'm the first thing you want to see after every slumber" George sat down next to me and nudged my side. "Now wake up!"
"This better be good Weasley" I sat up and rubbed my eyes. My awkwardly straight hair was now sticking up in every direction, clouding my vision with the tint of my strawberry blond hair. George brushed one of those rebellious pieces behind my ear, a tingling sensation following wherever he touched.
No. No, no, no, no, no. Stop it, you stupid bundle of hormones. He gave me a smile, softer than usually, not his usual mischievous one that made everyone in the room smile. STOP! Merlin, why was I thinking like this?
He furrowed his brow at the internal conflict that had probably been reflected all over my face. "So what do you want me to see?" I said as I pushed away from my make-shift bed (the coffee table) and onto my feet unsteadily. With that, his trouble making smile was back on his face as he too, stood up.
"It's a surprise, but you are going to have to trust me okay?" he grabbed my wrist and lead me out of the common room. It was probably after curfew, and I bite back the notion to ask him what time it was. Trust, trust George Weasley.
We walked down the stairs quickly and quietly, completely blinded by the night. After a few minutes of walking, I felt cold air rush into the castle as he opened the main door. We were going to get caught, I couldn't help but think. If Filch didn't catch us, Hagrid would. Hagrid wasn't mean or anything but I really wouldn't want to wake him up in the middle of the night. I continued to walk with George though, my gut twisting and goose bumps forming on my arm as I wished that I had a jacket, and scarf and mitts.
We arrived at a faint but huge silhouette of the Quiditch pitch. Wait WHAT! Hell no. I stopped following him and felt him tug on my arm. "Hell no. I'm not doing this George. Flying in the dark? Well, doesn't that just sound like a perfectly safe idea for somebody who has only flown once in their life!"
"Just trust me, won't you? Honestly Acelynne, do you think I would do anything that would hurt you?" Have I ever mentioned that I sincerely hated that name Acelynne? But when George said it, I could listen to it a thousand times...
NO, STOP IT NOW. ABORT. GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM AND CALL IT A NIGHT.
I was obviously too tired to be thinking clearly.
Once we were in the center of the pitch, he left me for a few seconds to no doubted get those dreaded brooms. Why was I so stupid?
He pressed it into my open hand, probably smirking even though I definitely couldn't see it. Wait, now I could. My eyes were adjusting to the dark and that meant that there was no turning back now.
"So first, straddle the broom. Try to sit a bit closer to the back, but not too far or else you'll slip off." Great, he was already talking about my impending death. I did what he said though and didn't argue like a good little girl.
"Good! Now all you've got to do is kick up and into the air" and with closed eyes, I did. Opening them hesitantly I found myself several feet into the air, not dead, and with George floating parallel with me.
"If I fall..." I glared at him through the inky blackness.
"I'll catch you" he said instinctually, without the usual hint of a laugh in his voice. I believed him.
"Now move all of your weight forwards and that is what will get you going" he said and starred at me cautiously.
Suddenly, I was moving forwards. Instinctively I pulled up and shot towards the sky, the wind whipping through my hair. I took a deep breath and leaned forward slightly, levelling out, and began to cautiously lap around the field. This was absolutely amazing, the weightless feeling of flying. I was laughing uncontrollably, maniacally even, and George seemed to lose all of his worry about me. He flew faster than I imagined I ever could, whipping around the field with grace. It was a funny visual, as I'd definitely heard him and his brother be referred to as 'human bludgers', which wasn't exactly a graceful descriptor.
I don't know how long we were in the air, zipping up and down but before I knew it, the sun was peeking out at us. George crouched lower to his broom and it dropped towards the ground, and as soon as his feet touched, he dismounted. I attempted to do the same thing.
The broom continued to go towards the ground, never levelling out. Finally, the broom was at such an angle that I fell off, bouncing onto the ground and barrel rolling several feet. I could feel the scratches burning on my exposed skin, but other than that, nothing at all.
"Are you okay?" George came running over to me. I sprang to my feet and he stood there, dumbstruck a few feet away. I closed the space between us and threw my arms around his neck, laughing.
"That... was...awesome!" I stepped away from him and beamed. He gave me a scared look and grabbed my shoulders.
"Are you sure that you are okay? Not a concussion or anything?" I shook my head and he gave me an "I told you so" kind of look.
"Well then, as long as we don't need to go to the hospital wing, let's go back to the common room. Today's the first day of the holiday break."
We walked up to the common room in silence and without a hitch. The blush from the cold had yet to fade from my face as we walked through the portrait hole, waking up a very grumpy fat lady. He walked me to my set of stairs and with a tired smile said "Goodnight Acelynne".
I turned from him with a smile of my own and took two steps up the stairs before stopping and thinking for a moment. Never had I felt so alive as I had with George Weasley.
I turned around, throwing myself at him from the second step. My arms were yet again around his neck, but this time he slipped his arms around my waist. His breathe was hot on my neck, my head buried into his cold jumper.
"Thanks George" I whispered into him.
He chuckled and whispered "anytime", taking a step foreword, causing me to step backwards onto the first step. My face was so much closer to his now. I could take in every freckle, every single hair out of place. He dipped his head closer to me, his lips just brushing mine.
Suddenly, someone ran down the boys stairs. He stopped and gawked at us, his jaw probably hitting the ground. "George?" the boy asked. "George, what are you doing?" After that lip brush, we stopped and put our foreheads together. I stared into his amazingly green eyes, and exhaled. "George!"
We both looked at him and I immediately recognised who it was. Ronald Weasley was standing there, rubbing his eyes and holding onto the banister to maintain balance. "Ron, what are you doing up?" George asked and knitted his brows together at his brother, exasperated.
"Spiders, they ate the cat" he mumbled and shook his head. His eyes didn't focus on anything in particular. They darted around the room and if I didn't know any better, I would say that he was high. He was dressed in his knickers and a long sleeved shirt. He didn't seem to mind that I could see his pink socks and Snitch slippers. George didn't laugh.
"Ron, go upstairs" George said and took a step towards his brother. He looked at me and whispered "He's a sleep walker". I couldn't help but smile a tiny bit because despite the major annoyance of being interrupted, Ron looked absolutely hilarious.
"But the spiders" he squeaked out. "They ate the cat and.... they want me to dance." George huffed and touched the small of my back.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow okay?" he said and I nodded. Watching him climb the stairs, pushing his brother along with him. I couldn't help but kick myself. Was I falling for George Weasley? The same George Weasley that had six siblings, was always in detention and one of Hogwarts resident Kings of Mischief? They boy whose laugh could insight an entire room into hysterics? It had grown to be one of my favourite sounds in the world, that laugh... even if he was usually laughing at me.