When my eyes opened the first thing I see is my mother watching me, she looks tired. I try to lift my head but groan and lay back on the pillow.
“Uh, don’t move.” Sylvia said, reaching forward.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes, white splotches dancing in front of them. “I got that.” I snapped. Then I felt bad at her expression. “Sorry. My head. It’s just killing me.”
“Yeah, you hit it pretty hard. I couldn’t get Fred and George to leave for the longest time. They were really worried. I told them you just fell.” She gave me a knowing look and I sighed, looking down at my leg.
“It was a symptom, right?”
My mother nodded. “Don’t worry. Your dad used to get them sometimes way before the disease completely took over.”
Don’t worry? How could I not worry? I nodded nonetheless. Finally I said, “Could you go and get Fred?”
“I think he’s asleep.” She looks at me for minutes before sighing and standing up. “Sure. I’ll be right back.”
As I laid there, my head throbbing, I think it really hit me. Things like this would probably happen sometime. And sometime I wouldn’t be able to cover it with a simple fall. I imagined myself as I got older, not being able to control movement. That moment when my leg jerked and I couldn’t control myself… It was the scariest feeling in the world. I counted the seconds until there was a knock at the door. Which was rather redundant since the door was open. Fred smiled in at me as Sylvia gave us a fleeting look and retreated down the hall.
Fred was just in his pajamas and his red hair was all messy. He looked really tired. I scooted over in my bed and patted the space next to me. He shuffled over and pulled back the blankets, crawling in beside me. He absentmindedly snaked his arm around me. I sighed and settled my head on his chest, taking comfort in his steady breathing. “You scared me, Seph.” He whispered. I sighed and closed my eyes, letting a few tears slip out of my eyes.
“Sorry.” I answered in an equally quiet tone. It was really hitting me now. I didn’t want Fred to have to take care of me. I didn’t want him to think of me as a horrible burden. A sudden thought came to me. I need someone. Someone I trust. Someone who can do it. When the time comes…
“Are you crying?” He asked me suddenly, lifting my chin and face towards him. I sniff.
“I just don’t feel good.” I half lie. Fred kisses my forehead. I am amazed by how he acts serious in appropriate occasions.
“Snape’s stopping by tomorrow. We could set off Dungbombs under his cloak.” I let out a strangled laugh but can’t hold back tears. And I break down in sobs again. “Hey. Hey.” He coos. I can’t stop crying. “We don’t have to. I mean, it doesn’t matter.”
“It’s not- not that. Just… Just my head.”
He looked like he didn’t understand but finally nodded and wrapped his arms around me. I tried to sleep but found I couldn’t so in the end I just laid looking up at Fred as he snored quietly, letting more silent tears soak his shirt.
*
Soon we were back at Hogwarts and things were going back to normal. As normal as they’d ever be at a school of magic, that is. As soon as I walked into Gryffindor Tower, Serena practically jumped me.
“Where on earth have you been? I heard Mr. Weasley got attacked but I didn’t know where you went! I was freaking out! Mum and Dad visited my aunt in Switzerland so I had to stay here. I was so bored.” She rambled, tugging me up to the girl’s dormitories. I smiled. I’d missed Serena, of course, just like I always did.
“I can’t tell you.” I sighed, which probably wasn’t the best thing to say to her because of course she’d just ask more questions. Of course, as soon as I said that her eyes practically popped out of her head.
“Tell me!” She cried. I shook my head.
“I really can’t.”
“Why not?”
“There are some things you can’t know, Serena.” I watched as she plopped down on her bed, since she’d dragged me into her dorm.
“What? Why not?” She seemed to think this was insanity. I laughed.
“I’m sworn to secrecy.” I whispered. She groaned.
“You’re lying.”
I wanted to tell Serena, really I did but I obviously couldn’t. I rather felt bad. Ever since coming to Hogwarts we’d become less and less close. I tell Ginny more things than Serena these days. Before I wouldn’t have hesitated to say that Serena was my best friend but now? Honestly she’s been a bit replaced. Fred and George are really my first priority, even though it doesn’t seem so.
“I’m not.” I said, kicking off my shoes and sitting next to her. Serena gave me an exasperated look.
“You really can’t tell me?”
“I really can’t. I’m sorry.” And I do mean it. It takes great effort, I know, but she huffs in defeat.
“Where are Fred and- and George?” It still makes Serena sad to talk about George, you can tell. And it makes me sad that it makes her sad. I never knew she felt this strongly about him. Yet another point; I don’t know Serena as well anymore.
“Oh, they’re out riding their new brooms.” I wave a dismissive hand because that’s the very first thing they did when we got back. Old Fred and George were back.
“New brooms? Where’d they get the money for new brooms?”
We both knew never to even talk about money in front of the Weasley’s. Especially Fred and George. Whenever you’d even talk about buying something for them their ears would go red and they would refuse. I was actually a bit surprised about how easily they accepted the two very expensive brand new racing brooms. “I bought them for them for Christmas. Then I got Ginny a dress and new Quidditch robes. She was eying them-”
Serena’s face lit up almost immediately and she interrupts. “Oooh. Hey, Seph did you get me something? I got you something.” She reached over to her nightstand and pulls out a little silver box. “Here, open it. Now where’s mine?” I smirked at here and pulled the little silken bag out of my pocket, tossing it on her lap and pulling the blue ribbon off my little box. I open it and inside is a very delicately crafted silver-twined bracelet. I slip it on immediately. “It’s real goblin silver, you know. Kind of like your ring.”
My ring. I looked down at my ring finger in admiration.
“Wow these are gorgeous, Seph!” Serena cried, holding up the pair of earrings I’d got her. They were; they were golden and sparkled like fairy lights. Immediately she put them on. “How do they look?”
“Beautiful.” I said, smiling.
“Your bracelet, it’s kind of odd. It changes colors whenever you’re in danger. I’ve no idea how that works but it’s rather cool. Kind of like one of those Sneak-o-Scope things. Danni snuck out one night and it went crazy, started flashing all different colors. Scared the daylights out of me. Shined right through the nightstand. Oh…” The smile fell right off her face. “I have some bad news.”
I watched as she went into serious Serena mode. “What?” I asked when she didn’t tell me.
Serena sighed. “You know Cho Chang? That Ravenclaw girl in the D.A.? The one who completely likes Harry?”
Stupid Cho. All three of us –Serena, Ginny, and I- hated her for the obvious reason. Poor Ginny, though. Harry didn’t seem to mind Cho’s school girl flirting. In fact he more like flaunted it in Ginny’s face. I felt awful for her. “Oh, by the way when’s the next meeting?” I completely swerved off topic.
“Tonight, I think. Harry said something about practicing patronuses!”
“Patronuses? Really?”
“Hey! You got me off topic! Anyway… At the last D.A. meeting I had to run back and get my bag, remember?” I nodded. I did, she made a huge scene. “When I went to get it I saw Harry and Cho…” She made sure no one was listening. The door was wide open but the hall outside was empty. “Snogging.”
I sort of got that from the dramatic pause but gaped anyways. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” I asked.
Serena shrugged. “Ginny was always around and then you were gone, when was I supposed to tell you?”
“Um. In any of the classes we have together.”
She scowled. “Whatever. The point is; what are we going to do?”
“Well… Are they dating now?”
Serena was probably one of the most popular girls in this school -and oddly, I was close behind, probably followed or even surpassed by Ginny. But I liked to keep a low profile- so she had a way of finding out things right after or even before they happened. She nodded. “They were going to go to Hogsmeade sometime, I think.” I frowned. Stupid Harry. Who cares if he’s The Boy Who Lived. He’s a prat. Then Serena sighed. “Poor Ginny.”
“Yeah. We can’t let her know.”
“What? That’s ridiculous. She’s going to find out eventually.”
“Serena. We can’t let Ginny know.” This time I say it slowly.
“Can’t let Ginny know what?” Serena and I freeze and turn towards the door, where Ginny is standing, her arms crossed. “What?” She repeats.
“About the present I got you.” Serena blurted.
“Serena, you’re a terrible liar.” Ginny says, her cheeks becoming flushed. She hates being lied to, especially by us.
“She’s going to find out eventually, Seph.” The curly-haired girl mumbled to me. “I say we tell her.”
Ginny’s foot taps the floor as she watches us. Well we don’t have a choice now, do we? I sigh. “Serena saw Harry and Cho kissing.” I force the words out in a rush and what color was in Ginny’s cheeks now drained out. But she tried to remain dignified-looking. She swallowed.
“So? It’s Harry’s life; he can do as he pleases.” Ginny’s very upset, obviously. Serena gets up but Ginny pushes her away. “I’m fine. It isn’t a big deal.”
*
“So, this is a big deal.” Said Ginny as we peek around the corner of Madam Puddifoot’s, watching as Harry and Cho awkwardly sip tea and a cherub flies around their heads. It’s many many days later.
“If it helps they look miserable.” Says Serena, brushing confetti that a passing cherub just threw at us off her shoulder. It did help; Ginny lightened up immediately.
“They do, don’t they?”
“Yeah they do- get out of here!” I roar at the stupid fat flying baby. I take one swat at it and hit it square in the face. It goes flying towards Cho’s head and Ginny, Serena, and I duck behind the building, trying hard to keep our laughs quiet as, in moments, we hear a squeal and know that the cherub hit Cho.
“Nice shot, S-Seph!” Ginny wheezes between laughs.
“What was that?” Cho asks. We hear the scraping of a chair as she gets up. Serena pulls us away.
“Come on!” She cries and we run towards the Three Broomsticks, only looking back to see Cho watching us with a confused face.
(A/N: Sorry it's been so long, guys. I've been in a large rut... I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I do think it was rather good... Now I have pretty much everything planned out so the next two or three chapters should be up by the end of this week... School starts Friday (not sure why on a Friday but it does) and that means I will actually be writing a LOT more often. I dunno but I get lots of inspiration in school... Love you all!!!!!!! <3 ~Kristen)