• • •
The ways in which you talk to me
Have me wishin' I were gone
• • •
As Monday morning rolled around, Rose Potter laid in her bed, restless. Her blue thoughtful eyes open and staring at the ceiling of her bed as her mind turned and churned, denying her of sleep. The day before, Sunday, she had woke up in Fred Weasley's bed, and that thought haunted her brain since then.
She tried to study for her potions OWL, but she gave up as the flashbacks of the night appeared as a movie every time she closed her eyes. After that, she tried studying with her friends, but that involved the twins and their ability to never stay still for more than thirty seconds. She went back to her dorm after that, frustrated. She tried putting her books away and listening to some old tapes she had packed away under her bed, but there was always something in the lyrics that made her mind wander to Fred. She even tried to blow off some steam and hit the quidditch pitch, knowing, courtesy of Remus, that it was what her dad used to do whenever he was stressed... but it didn't work.
Which is how she ended up laying in her bed at six a.m. with her stomach churning with nerves of her last OWL. She turned her neck to the side, watching as the first rays of sunshine came through the window. Sighing, knowing she would not get any sleep, she rolled out of bed. Her bag was already packed and ready for her exam, so she fetched her robes and went into the bathroom.
She took her time, knowing the other girls wouldn't be up for at least another hour. Carefully, she did her makeup. Curling her eyelashes into perfection and spreading powder over her nose. Finally, after almost thirty minutes, she left the bathroom, fully changed into her school robes with her bag draped over her shoulder.
Rose looked over at Amara's bed, knowing her cousin was usually an early riser, but the anxiety might've left her exhausted because soft snores were coming from her mouth as she slept. Huffing, she left the dorm, walking down the stairs and entering the common room quietly.
However, to her surprise, and frankly some excitement, she noticed she was not alone. George Weasley sat on his own on the couch before the dying fireplace with a mug in his hands. He seemed to be in deep thought because he didn't even turned to Rose.
Tilting her head, she walked to were he was. That's when he looked up, curiously and with a angry expression at first, but his features relaxed as soon as he realised who was in his company.
"Hullo, Rosie," George smiled, but Rose could see the faint trace of sadness in his smile. She noticed that he was wearing the same old crimson shirt he was wearing the day before and a black zip up.
"Morning, Georgie," she smiled back, sitting besides him and letting her bag drop at her feet. "Is everything alright? You seem... tired?"
George looked away from Rose, he placed his mug in the table before him and held his face in his hands. Rose knew George wasn't one to stress over something as mundane as exams, so she reckoned he was upset over something else.
George must've sensed that Rose knew something was up, because he sighed and picked up his head. "Annie and I split up last night," he muttered angrily, a tone Rose rarely heard on him.
In astonishment, Rose's eyes turned a lime green colour, and a few strands of her dark red hair matched her eyes. Her heart pounded hard in her ears for a split second, as if her skull was about to explode.
"What?" Rose uttered in shock. "Why?"
"We fought a lot," George shrugged, whipping his nose with his sleeve. "Annie hated it; reckoned she couldn't take it anymore."
"Oh, George, I hadn't noticed," Rose confessed as she slipped her hand into George's and fondled her head in his shoulder. "I am so sorry."
"So am I," he said gloomily, resting his head over Roses'.
They stayed there for a while, both of them simply cherishing the comfort of undeniable friendship. Rose, for her part, forgot all about her current problems and put her mind into the matter at hand. Had she really been so self-involved that she failed to noticed two of their best friends arguing so much as to break up?
"And you?" George finally asked after the silence, looking down at Rose. "I saw Fred kiss you after the match, anything there?"
Rose's heart stopped, she bit her lip tightly and shook her head. "I reckon there isn't," she lied. "Must've been the heat of the moment."
"Yeah, must've been," George answered quietly, once more getting into the position they were before.
Once they finally stood from their spot on the couch, George said his goodbyes to Rose, claiming he would go up to his dorm to shower and change. She gave him a tight hug and sent him his way, she herself having her own way to go.
The Great Hall was barely filling in. No Gryffindors were inside, only a few Slytherins and Ravenclaws, perhaps even one or two Hufflepuffs that had drifted off their own table and sitting elsewhere.
Avalon Morgenstern, her cousin, was seated at their own table with his best mate, Adrian Pucey. They read and sipped from their mugs while surrounded by books. She approached them, stowing her belongings on the bench and taking a seat.
"You two alright?" She asked, dragging them both out of their trance. They looked up to her, both of their expressions serious. Adrian's face broke first, his grumpy mouth upturning into a warm smile at the sight of her.
"Rose!" He grinned, pushing some of the books away from him. "Do you fancy to join us?"
"I would love to," she chuckled, fetching her books from her bag and turning to face her cousin, who was already smiling at her. "What are you studying for, Avalon?"
"Transfiguration," he said tragically. "I swear to Merlin, Mcgonagall is trying to get us all killed!" He seemed to relax after that, a smug smirk on his face. "Of course, I'm not doing OWLs this year, so I am not running on caffeine and anxiety." Avalon then stole a glance at Adrian, chuckling quietly when he saw the latter bitting his nails anxiously as his eyes barely left his book.
Rose glared at her cousin as she opened her book and dug into her bag for her spectacles, saying, "Funny, Av, really."
Adrian, who had not being paying any mind to the two cousins, picked up his head in frustration. "I should've chosen an easier potion! Honestly, what in the name of Morgana was going through my head!"
"Adrian, mate, you couldn't've chosen an easier potion," Avalon said, trying to console him. Adrian glared at him fiercely. "Just saying."
Rose paid little attention to their squabbles, instead concentrating on the book in front of her. She tried to memorise the entire Amortentia process, including how it should appear, smell, and feel as her wand touched the potion.
"Rose?" She heard, picking up her head she noticed that Avalon was no longer with them, and Adrian was looking at her with a funny expression on his face.
"Beg you pardon?" she answered, distracted as she placed her spectacles down in the table.
"I was just wondering if you wanted to ask Snape how the potion should smell before the OWL," Adrian remarked, evidently irritated by her haziness.
"Oh, brilliant," Rose smiled, putting her book back in her bag and her glasses in her pocket. "Shall we go now?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Adrian replied, scrambling to his feet with his bag swung over his shoulder. He smiled at her uneasily, beckoning her towards the door and placing his hand in the small of her back.
Just as they were about to leave, the group of Gryffindors began to fill in the Great Hall. It wouldn't've mattered to Rose, but it became a problem when she saw Fred Weasley, with an angry frown on his face, stalking to were she was standing besides Adrian.
"Pucey," Fred grunted as he stood before them. Rose bit her lip anxiously, nervously looking around and noticing George and Lee standing besides the door watching the scene before them.
"Weasley," Adrian cheered with a fake smile, his sneer prominent. "Fancy seeing you here, shouldn't you be lighting something on fire?"
"Fuck off, Pucey," Fred growled, rolling his eyes at Adrian and looking down at Rose. "Come on, we're leaving."
Rose glared at him, angry, but before she could reply, Adrian stepped in-front of her.
"And who do you think you are to tell her who to be with," Adrian questioned, sizing up to Fred. Rose saw the way Fred's jaw clenched, and her anger was soon forgotten and replaced by panic of what he might say.
"Well, I'm only the bloke who's sha-" Fred began, but Rose whipped her wand quickly, her heart betting in her ears.
"Silencio!" She yelled, pointing her wand at Fred, who's voice was instantly silenced. Adrian opened his mouth, but Rose turned to him, muttering the same charm.
"If both of you don't stop bickering like little first years I won't take the charms off," Rose threatened, crossing her arms over her chest. Both boys glared at each other, but Adrian quickly looked down to Rose and nodded his head. "I will take the charm off and I am leaving, alright?"
They both accepted, nodding their heads but still glaring at each other.
"Finite!"
"Blimey, Lightbourn, you really know who to keep your weasel in check," Adrian chuckled, a devilish glint in his eyes.
"That's it," Fred announced, in a matter of seconds, Fred had wiped out his wand and pointed at Adrian. Before Rose could stop him, he yelled, "Flipendo!"
As soon as the blue light hit his face, Adrian was knocked back and a groan erupted from deep down his throat. Everyone's head turned, even Lee and George rushed over to their side. Rose gasped, looking up at the teacher's table and noticing that only Professor Trelawney was there, and she didn't seemed faced over the Slytherin that had just flown over the Great Hall.
Some Slytherins, including Avalon Morgensterns and Graham Montague, ran to Adrian, their wands at the ready. Rose stepped back into Fred, taking his hand in hers, knowing that the Slytherins were probably going to attack.
"Let's get out of here," she muttered, her voice flat as she took small steps backwards. As Gryffindors, she had to fight, but as stubborn as she was, she was also smart. And Rose Potter knew that duelling in the middle of the Great Hall was stupid. Which is why she practically dragged Fred Weasley out of the room.
"What the bloody fuck is wrong with you?" Rose screeched once they were in the deserted corridor. "What do you think you're playing at?"
"What were you doing with him?" Fred demanded, his eyes crossed and narrowed.
"We were studying!" Rose yelled, frustrated. "We were going to ask Snape for pointers on the amortentia!"
"Oh, were you?" Fred challenged. "I am not daft, Rose, what were you doing with him?"
"Fred, you're overreacting," Rose said, her voice going down a few volumes as she looked around the corridor. "It was nothing; and if it was, it shouldn't matter to you!"
"Well, it matters!" Fred confessed angrily. "It does matter because you aren't just some fucking game to me!" Rose stayed quiet, she knew Fred was only speaking out of anger, but she wanted to hear the raw truth. "I don't want you going off with some other bloke when I know that's not what you really want! And on April when you told me what you wanted, I should've listened because I-"
Rose, who had heard enough, reached over to grab Fred's collar and pulled him down, smashing his lips towards her own. Almost instantly, Fred kissed her back, snaking his hands onto her waist and resting them there. His lips melded perfectly to her's, dancing together in perfect sync. Fred brought his hand up to the back of her neck and tilted her head backwards, pushing his mouth further.
Rose's lips were softer than anything Fred had ever known, soft like the snow that covered Hogwarts in the winter, but also just as rough as she pulled on his lips. Every part of him wanted to be completely immersed in the moment, to give her a kiss she'd crave, because he was slowly becoming an addict, and he didn't want to be the only one.
The moment seemed to last forever, and yet it came to an end far too quickly for either of them. As their foreheads were forced together, they slowly drew apart, refusing to open their eyes.
"You know, sometimes actions speak louder than words," Rose realized, her cheeks flushed hot and her eyes sparkling with a lovely pink hue.
"They certainly do, don't they?" Fred snickered, opening his eyes slowly. With his hands still on her waist, he talked again, "Rose, we won't fuck this up, I promise."
Rose nodded her head hopefully, feeling as if her heart was beating a thousand per second. "I know," she said quietly, cupping his jaw and standing on tiptoes to drop a single lingering kiss on his lips.
"Can I ask you something?" Fred wondered, bringing his hand up to caress her cheek fondly. Rose smiled down at the floor, but she could hear the faint chattering of students that would soon be leaving the Great Hall.
"What about later tonight?" Rose proposed, smiling funnily at him. "Astronomy tower at mid night?"
"You've got yourself a date, Miss Potter."