"WHERE ARE WE GOING?"
Mallie was hurried down familiar passageways, led by George who had a gentle grip around her fingers walking just ahead of her.
He looked back and grinned, "Oh, come on. We're nearly there."
Mallie nearly tripped over the ends of her blue dress in her heels, this, however, only caused George to tighten his grip on her hand and pull her closer to himself as they walked.
Soon, Mallie was face to face with the entrance of her dorm room, she frowned.
"Bed time?" She said confused.
George chuckled at her, slipping his hand slowly into hers again and walking her just past the wide oak door of the Hufflepuff towards the large painting of a bowl of fruits.
"Want to do the honors?" George asked Mallie, motioning to the painting.
She smiled and nodded, lifting her hand to reach towards the pear and, with one finger, began tickling it.
The thin air between them was filled with little giggles that Mallie knew were coming from the pear, which was now wriggling as she continued to tickle it.
Not a moment later, the painting swung back revealing an opening the wall behind it.
Mallie peaked inside, examining the room: pots occupying each counter, food displayed on trays and house elves of all nose and ear shapes and sizes scuttled around.
"I haven't been in here in forever!" She exclaimed, grinning broadly.
Just then, the elves had recognized the two's presence. All of them abandoned their posts and rushed towards the two standing in the entranceway.
"Madam, Sir!", they squeaked with wide, excited grins.
Mallie was conversing with a house elf, which she recognized as Pearl's oldest cousin, as George leaned down and whispered something into another elf's ear. It nodded eagerly and rushed off.
Mallie stood straight again as the elf ran off, "So what are we doing here?"
George, in a rush of courage, gently wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him,
"Just getting some stuff." He replied.
Mallie felt explosions erupt in her chest and she blushed a volcanic red.
She hoped George didn't notice as, just then, several elves hurried up to them carrying each a tray of sweet and savory treats offering and insisting they tried each.
"Don't eat away your appetite." George whispered to her, Mallie looked at him puzzled, but nonetheless only had a few bites of what they offered- a challenge as she had barely eaten anything that evening.
A significantly smaller elf made it's way through the group carrying a wooden basket much larger than itself and lifting it as high as he could, offering it to George.
He leaned down and took it, "Thank you."
The little elf looked immensely proud of himself and made his way back to work.
"Let's go." George said to Mallie.
They waved their goodbyes to the little elves who seemed noticeably upset at their leaving and tried to offer them more treats to fill their pockets, and only because Mallie felt bad, she accepted two banana muffins and a small chicken pie wrapped in a serviette.
They were back in the quiet corridor again, George smirked as he noticed the baked goods in her hand.
She rolled her eyes, "They're too sweet to deny, don't judge me."
He lifted the hand not carrying the basket in surrender, "I didn't say anything."
Mallie smiled and they walked for a bit in comfortable silence, "Where to next?" She asked as they reached the end of the passage.
George met her eyes, "You'll see."
Mallie huffed, her curiosity uncomfortable with not knowing,
"Full of surprises tonight aren't we, Weasley?"
George grinned wickedly and shrugged,
"Imagine being predictable, how boring would that be!" He exclaimed.
They walked for what felt like forever. George kept bending around corners and rushing up stairs. Mallie knew that they had to be on the opposite end of the castle from the Ball, near Ravenclaw Tower. Only a few lights were lit and she was beginning to wonder where exactly George was taking her.
But just before she could ask, he stopped in front of a statue of what Mallie could only assume was Rowena Ravenclaw.
George looked at her with a grin, she stared up at him.
"And now?" She asked him curiously.
He smiled wider, "Watch this."
George looked up into the face of Rowena, into her stone eyes and spoke aloud: "If Pinocchio says "my nose will not grow", what happens?"
Mallie glanced around, pondering George's announcement to the statue. That was indeed a very good question,
if he was lying it would grow ... but then he would be telling the truth?
What confused Mallie, only slightly less than the question itself, was how George knew who Pinocchio was.
"How do you know Pinnochio?" She asked him, "That's a muggle fairytale?"
Before he could reply, the air was filled with a loud whirring and the statue of Rowena began to shake.
She looked back, George had laid out a blanket she assumed he had retrieved from within the basket. His eyes shon as he looked up at her in her ballgown and heels, him sitting on the floor in his pajama pants and Mum's sweater.
Mallie's eyes followed the blanket, bits of food set out on it.
"I know it's not a Yule Ball.." George began self consciously in Mallies silence.
Mallie quickly fell to her knees and placed her hand on his cheek, bringing him inches only away from her face, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
She sat back to pull her heels off, George took this opportunity to sign deeply and try to bring his heart rate down. Mallie that close to him affected him in ways he didn't even know were possible.
She sat with her legs crossed, eyes marveling at all the food George was unpacking from the seemingly endless basket.
"Strawberry?" He offered, grinning.
××××
Mallie and George sat for hours in that spot in the library, cleaning out the basket to the last crumb watching the snowflakes dance behind the wide window. At a point, George had gotten up and began a fire in a grate nearby, and even though the both were warm enough, the blanket was too wrapped around their shoulders: with Georges shoulder pushed against hers, Mallie felt that she'd never had an evening like this in her life.
This very fact worried her, however, she knew she was falling: fast.
But for those few hours, she decided to push that to the back of her mind.
A faint orange glow filled the air between them, they looked towards the window, the sun was just peeking over the Ravenclaw tower.
Mallie gasped quietly,
"We've been here all night." She whispered.
George looked her deep in her eyes, "I know."
Their faces were so close, Mallie could still smell the pecan nut tart they'd had hours before on Georges breath, his eyes raked down her face; memorizing every curve and blemish. Mallie could count the freckles sprinkled across his nose. Their cheeks brushed and Mallies eyes began to fluter closed.
Their lips were mere inches apart, when:
"Students! At this hour?" Madam Pince had peeked her way around one of the bookshelves. She eyed Mallies dress in horror,
"How long have you two been here? This is against school regulations, in your Ball Gown no less!" She exclaimed.
George and Mallie exchanged glances, each holding in a fit of giggles:
"Run!" He mouthed.
George grabbed Mallies shoes and pulled her up and they were past the librarian faster than she had noticed. For a few moments, Madam Pince spluttered at their exit and the two were already sprinting down the corridor past the Herbology grounds when they heard her angry voice following them:
"Come back here at once!"
Their laughs were still echoing when they reached the oak doors of the Hufflepuff Common Room, both bent over and panting.
"You're a troublemaker, George Weasley, but pulling me into your schemes? That's low." Mallie huffed between breaths.
George, drowning in her eyes, replied: "Oh, you love it."
He didn't know whether it was the adrenaline or the way she was looking at him, but before George could stop himself, he placed his hands on either side of Mallies face and leaned down pulling hers to his.
Mallie froze, Georges warm lips had crashed down on hers, they were sweeter than they'd been in any of her dreams and without a moment longer's pause she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck.
Mallie felt her back being pushed against the wooden door behind her, and used this as a way to pull George even closer to her: as if she was dying of thirst and he was her first sip of water.
Before either of them could think, their lips were off each others.
They stood gulping for air for a moment, Mallies eyes wide in realization, her lips red and swollen.
George's were too, him unspeaking as well.
"Well," Mallie broke the air, "Goodnight."
And before George could muster a reply, the shutting of the door echoed around him, Mallies blue dress disappearing behind it.
××××
ayoooooo
guess who's not dead! major bomb dropped this chapterrrrrr;)))
That's all,
-Mel