GEORGE'S BREATH CAUGHT IN HIS THROAT causing him to just about choke on it.
The candlelight danced off her widened pupils,
"M-Mallie..?" He stuttered.
She said nothing, hey eyes still trying to adjust to the semi darkness.
George quickly pulled his hand from her face.
"I know you d-don't want me.. h-here... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to c-come..."
He stumbled up from the chair and tried to make his way out of the wing as co-ordinated as he could.
He hadn't counted on Mallie waking up.
She watched his clumsy movements with a frown, "George..?"
He shook his head and kept moving.
"George." She said again, more firmly this time.
George stopped and turned, swaying on the spot.
"Please come here, George." She whispered, but he heard it so clearly she might have been screaming.
"I shouldn't --" He protested.
"Please?"
And that was all it took, George melted like butter and made his way back to the bed fairly quickly.
Mallie was sitting up, a mixture of moon and candle light dancing off her pink scars.
George leaned forward, inches from her face. He didn't know why, but he wanted to be as close to her as he could get.
Before he could say anything, both of her warm hands came up to cup his cheeks. Mallie winced as she did so, ribs aching when she moved.
"You're freezing..." she noted with an air of emergency,
"George, why are you so cold?"
"I-I was out in ... in the s-snow for a while." He hiccuped.
Mallie gasped, pulling him closer,
"You can get yourself killed out in temperatures like that!"
"I don't care." He mumbled.
Mallie caught a waft of alcohol,
"George, are you ... drunk?" She asked, careful to keep her voice down as not to disturb the sleeping second year in the bed beside her (engorgio charm gone wrong).
He shook his head, "No.. well, maybe. Kind of.."
George avoided her eyes.
"Oh, Georgie..." Mallie said sadly, letting her fingers stroke his face softly.
"Don't call me that. I don't even deserve for you to be speaking to me," He jumped from the force of another hiccup, "I put you in this bed."
Mallie was quiet a moment before adjusting to let her legs swing off the side of the bed, she knew she wasn't strong enough to stand yet- so didn't try.
She pulled George's face so that their foreheads touched, she could see deep into his caramel eyes.
"I remember some of it," She hummed, "Scarlette told me the rest. I know it was an accident, George, I'm not angry."
George's eyes closed and he shook his head, lifting it from Mallie's slightly.
"You should be, you should be so mad at me right now Mallie. It's not fair." His voice was beginning to rise in volume,
"You deserve to be enjoying your holidays and... I'm sorry but that doesn't fix anything--"
Mallie shushed him slightly,
"It fixes a lot more than you think, George."
Angry tears pooled in George's eyes, "Mallie..."
"George," she begged, "Please don't be angry with yourself."
He stayed silent, they both did.
Mallie slipped her hand into George's before shifting her position on the bed again.
"It's really quite cold in this bed alone."
George looked up from where he was staring at the floor, to see Mallie smiling lightly.
"Madam Pomfrey—" He started, but Mallie interrupted him.
"Come on George, I never knew you to be a stickler to the rules." She lay down and lifted the covers, inviting George in.
He knew he couldn't resist any longer.
Mind still buzzing, George toed off his shoes and climbed gently into the bed, careful not to bump Mallie too hard.
Once he was comfortable, she curled into his chest and listened to his heart thunder underneath his red sweater.
They said nothing else and Mallie quickly fell back to sleep, but George lay awake.
She stirred every so often and George's chest contracted every time she winced because of her sleepy movements.
But after a while, George lay his head softly on top of Mallie's and fell into a sleep more peaceful than he'd had in a week.
××××
The morning came again grey and snowy, but this time,
it was Christmas Day.
When Mallie woke up, she was greeted by an array of her friends crowded around her bed (Madam Pomfrey had extended the visiting hours just for Christmas Day).
She was not surprised to find that she was alone. Mallie had felt George leave earlier that morning.
Her mind wandered back to the night before, of the unexpected, yet welcomed, visit.
Her friends had brought Mallie breakfast and were each holding armfuls of presents.
"Well, it's Christmas. We have to open our presents with you, Mal." West said.
Mallie smiled gratefully at all of them, accepting a cup of tea from Cedric.
Everyone exchanged gifts (Scarlette brought the presents Mallie had brought for everyone from her common room), Mallie got a new pair of sunglasses, a book on Dragons from Scarlette, a yellow sweater and a basket full of toffees from Honeydukes.
They sat for a long while, just talking and laughing and enjoying the morning.
Mallie insisted that they left while she spoke with Madam Pomfrey,
"We'll be back to check if you aren't in the common room in an hour, okay?" Cedric said.
"Yes, yes!" She insisted.
Not long after they left, Madam Pomfrey arrived at her bed with a clipboard and her glasses in hand.
"Miss Johanson, I'm pleased to tell you that you are free to go."
If she could, Mallie would have leapt out of the bed in excitement.
Poppy smiled, noticing her excitement and handed Mallie a small grey bottle,
"You're going to have to rub these on your scars daily, that should help them fade and," she handed her a small box of pills- "If absolutely anything hurts, bones or chest or anything, take two of these."
It took a bit more convincing, but Madam Pomfrey eventually signed Mallie out.
Feeling much happier, Mallie climbed out of bed and opened the draw of her bedside table where Scarlette promised a fresh pair of clothes would be waiting for her.
She took out the blue sweatshirt and jeans, pulling them on quickly (they were thoroughly warmer than the thin white gown she'd been wearing) and leaned down under the bed to retrieve her boots.
"Ms Johanson?" Madam Pomfrey had emerged again from her office.
"Yes professor?" She looked up from tying her shoelaces.
In her hands, the nurse held a large red wrapped box, "This was left for you this morning."
Mallie carefully stood, and thanking her, took the gift from Madam Pomfrey's arms.
It was fairly heavy and there was a yellow bow stuck to the top of it.
Attached to the ribbon of the bow was a small tag:
For: Mallie
Mallie carefully unwrapped it and pulled the lid off, an array of objects awaited her inside it. But on top, another note was sitting.
'Merry Christmas, Mal.
Since meeting you, my life has become incredibly more interesting.
Thank you for your forgiveness.
-G'
Mallie's heart melted at the letter and she placed it at her side, investigating the contents of the box.
Of which there were many.
Poetry books, a pair of gloves patterned with small dragons, sweets and chocolates, notebooks, a music box and a picture frame with a photo of herself, George, Fred, West and Scarlette at the first task.
The box seemed bottomless.
Mallie was speechless, and thus was the essence of Christmas.
××××
fraands,
an eh kinda chapter I think, still angsty thooo, sorry it took forever- the only reason for that was that I simply couldn't find a good gif :/
The fluffy angst is my favorite thing to write, hope you guys are enjoying.. Yule Ball up next!
-mel
p.s. there's some twists a'brewin 👀