Chapter 28.
"Maggie..."
Magnolia was stood outside the Champions tent with Ron, waiting for Harry to reappear. She turned to Ron, who was looking at her with apprehension.
"I, erm... I'm sorry." He mumbled, "You know, about everything since... well you know."
"I do." Magnolia smiled, "I get that it's difficult being next to Harry all the time, next to The Boy Who Lived, when no one knows you and you're pushed to the side lines."
"Yeah, I guess I just let it get the best of me. Hermione said that you stuck up for me at the beginning."
Magnolia shrugged, "Well, I somewhat know how you must have felt. I just have Harry to compete with, not a whole bunch of other brothers."
"You seemed pretty angry at me sometimes." Ron chuckled, "Once, I thought you were really going to hurt me with a curse. You looked so, I dunno... dark."
Magnolia tensed, looking away from Ron. She knew what he was talking about, she had panicked about it for a while after. She really had almost cursed him.
"Sorry about that. I was angry at you, you more then anyone. I understand why you were angry and upset, but you are also Harry's best friend. I was angry that you just dropped him so quickly."
Harry came out of the tent then, followed by the other Champions who all went their own ways. Magnolia smiled and waved at Cedric when he waved at her, then began to walk up to the Castle with her brother and Ron.
"Congratulations, Harry!"
A woman in green robes had practically jumped in front of Harry, Magnolia guessed it was Rita Skeeter; the floating Quick Quotes Quill beside her giving her away. She was watching Harry with a sickly-sweet smile.
"I wonder if you could give me a word?" She purred, "How you felt facing that dragon? How you feel now about the fairness of the scoring?"
Magnolia pulled herself up straighter next to her brother, prepared to defend him against the woman in front of them. She could tell that Ron was doing the same on Harry's other side.
"Yeah, you can have a word." Harry retorted, "Goodbye."
The smile on Rita's face faltered, before her eyes flickered between the three students. Her eyes locked on Magnolia with a new fire burning in them.
"And, who are you?"
Magnolia had never been more thankful that the wizarding world seemed to not know about her. After the article Rita Skeeter had written about her brother, she dreaded what she could write about her.
"I'm nobody."
Harry pushed Magnolia's around Skeeter, closely followed by Ron, and the three bustled up to the Castle. Magnolia reminded Harry to write to Sirius, she knew he would want to know what happened in the Task.
Fred, George and Lee Jordan called them when they had reached the Entrance Hall, to tell them that there would be a party in the Gryffindor Common Room that evening. Magnolia grinned, saying her goodbyes to the boys so she could go and get changed for the party.
"Don't forget the letter, say hi for me!" She called to her brother as she was leaving.
Magnolia practically skipped into the Slytherin Dungeon; she was on a high after the positivity of the day. Magnolia felt like things were looking up, and she grinned at Theo when his arm fell across her shoulders.
"You look happy." He remarked, "Any plans for this evening?"
Magnolia nodded, "The Gryffindors are having a little party for Harry."
"Party!?"
Pansy's voice came from across the Common Room, where she was sat with the rest of their friends, tucked under Malfoy's arm. Magnolia felt her smile falter a little at the sight, but her friend was so happy.
"Can I help you get ready? We've barely had any girl time recently."
Magnolia felt the guilt creeping back into her; Pansy was right, they hadn't had a lot of girl time. Magnolia had actively been avoiding it, instead spending more time with her brother during his exile from his own friends. She also felt terrible every time she looked at Pansy.
Pansy had been her best friend since Magnolia came to Hogwarts, she stood up for her and helped her learn about the Wizarding World without making her feel like she was inferior. And yet, Magnolia was sneaking around behind her back with Malfoy. Maybe she should tell Pansy about her Occlumency lessons.
"Sure, I wasn't planning on doing anything special though."
"Nonsense! George will be there won't he?" Pansy jumped up from the sofa, "You have to look your best!"
Magnolia smiled at her infectious enthusiasm.
"Ok, Ok! I am at your mercy." She laughed.
"Wonderful, let's go get started." Pansy turned back to Malfoy, bending to kiss him, "I'll see you later Drakey."
Magnolia saw Malfoy's eyes flicker to hers before kissing Pansy back. The knot is Magnolia's stomach reappeared, tighter then ever, and she turned to go to her Dorm. Pansy joined her moments later in their Dorm, a smile spread across her face.
The girls sat on her bed, Pansy deciding what to do with Magnolia's hair, chatting about the First Task. Pansy had seen Magnolia with George in the stands. Kaida was chasing a moth around the room, jumping on beds and across spaces.
"I wouldn't have actually seen you if it weren't for Drakey. He was the one who saw George with his arms around you." Pansy smiled, wistfully, "I think it's good, him seeing other couples. Especially you and George. George is so affectionate with you, he obviously cares about you a lot, more then just for some fun."
Magnolia cringed as Malfoys own words repeated in her mind, 'We're not together. We just have some fun', 'Pansy knows the situation. She enjoys it'. She had almost believed him. She had wanted to believe him.
"George and I aren't a couple." She murmured, the only response she could give.
"You could be. George obviously wants to be." Pansy responded, picking up pieces of Magnolia's hair. "The question is, do you want to?"
"Honestly? I don't know."
"Why not?" Pansy gasped, "Merlin! Is there someone else!? Do you like someone else!?"
Pansy abruptly stopped what she was doing, moving from behind Magnolia to in front of her.
"Do you? Do you like someone else?"
Magnolia looked at her friend, grinning at her in excitement, and knew that she couldn't tell her the truth, at least not the whole truth. Instead, she decided to tell Pansy what she could.
"George is just so good." Magnolia began, "He's too good. He doesn't understand what it's like to have this... this darkness inside him. He just shrugs things off, saying it isn't me or trying to convince me I'm better than I am."
Magnolia shook her head with a sigh as Pansy listened to her best friend. Pansy had always been good at listening.
"I know I'm not my brother. He is good, completely. I'm not. I never have been. There's always been that part of me that people just can't comprehend that the sister of the Harry Potter to have within her. It's like George refuses to see it. Or maybe I try to hide it from them. But I shouldn't have to or want to hide that from him."
Pansy rested her hand on Magnolia's knee, "Maybe there's a reason you want to show yourself in a better light for George. You two are so intimate when you're together, I'm sure the other side of you will be accepted."
"We're not intimate!" Magnolia blanched.
"I didn't mean sex, you prude." Pansy laughed, "Maybe you're not, but he is. He always has his arm around you or is touching you in some way. Even when he isn't, the way he looks at you... that's intimate. Have you two kissed yet?"
Magnolia shook her head at Pansy. She had missed this time between the two of them, Magnolia had almost forgotten how easy it was to talk to Pansy. Unlike some of Magnolia's friends, Pansy had an amazing ability to push all of her own opinions and prejudices aside when she was talking someone else's feelings through.
"I'm not sure we're like that... that passionate. He's nice, and sweet like you say, but I don't feel that electricity between us, that feeling where I almost can't stop myself from kissing him or being close to him. The feeling like it's gravity pulling us together and where everything goes out of my mind except that he's in front of me, like with Malfoy. And you."
Magnolia could have chocked at her almost admission. Pansy's eyes had narrowed a little at the mention of Malfoy.
"That's what it's like for you and Malfoy, right? It's what it seems like when you're together."
"The physical isn't the only thing that makes a relationship, it is all we seem to have though." Pansy mumbled, "Sometimes, I feel like he's somewhere else when it's just the two of us."
Magnolia frowned at Pansy's words. Pansy never seemed uneasy about anything; it was strange for Magnolia to see her friend look unsure.
"Are you not happy?"
Pansy shrugged, "I've liked Malfoy for as long as I can remember. It's better to have a bit of him then none of him."
The girls lapsed into silence as Pansy moved back behind Magnolia to finish her hair, before picking her an outfit and doing her makeup. When Pansy finished, she led Magnolia towards the mirror in their Dorm.
"I have a mission for you this evening." Pansy told Magnolia with a smile, "Just try to let yourself be happy with George."
Magnolia hugged Pansy, "If you do the same with Malfoy."
She felt sick at her own words, but her best friend deserved happiness and if Malfoy could give that to her then Magnolia knew she should put her own feelings aside. Besides, nothing could happen with Magnolia and Malfoy even if Pansy wasn't an issue. The two of them spent so much of their time bickering with each other, infuriating each other and sometimes they couldn't even look at each other.
Magnolia thought about what Pansy had said on her way to the Gryffindor Common Room, maybe she should try with George. Maybe Pansy was right; maybe she did try to show herself in a better light with George, maybe it wasn't that George wouldn't accept the darkness in her but that she hadn't shown it to him.
Magnolia walked into the Gryffindor Common Room just in time to see Neville turning into a large canary. She was glad that Harry had thought to give her the password, and the Fat Lady was used to her being around the Common Room.
"Oh, sorry Neville!" Fred was shouting over the laughter, "I forgot, it was the Custard Creams we hexed!"
"Canary Creams! Fred and I invented them, seven Sickles each, bargain!" George continued, before spotting Magnolia, "Nola! You made it!"
Magnolia smiled at him as he bounded over to her and pulled her into a hug. He let her go, keeping one arm wrapped around her shoulders as Harry, Ron and Hermione approached them. Music started playing and Harry handed Magnolia a drink.
She sent her brother a questioning look before taking a sip. She smiled and shook her head in disbelief, the Gryffindor's were so damn good, the drink had no alcohol in it at all.
"Wow, you guys really know how to party." Magnolia laughed.
"There is an alcoholic one." Fred replied, then cringed at the glares he was receiving from the others, "Which, er, you definitely won't be having any of."
Magnolia laughed, "Fred, please lead me to the party drink."
"Maggie!"
"What? Come on, if you ever deserved a drink at a party, today would be the day." Magnolia retorted, "It's one drink."
An hour later, Magnolia was dancing with Hermione and Ginny when George approached them, asking to cut in. Ginny and Hermione glanced at Magnolia before they walked away, whispering to each other excitedly.
George took their place next to Magnolia, "Are you having fun?"
"Yeah, it's a good party."
"Good." George smiled, "Did Harry tell you about the egg?"
"About the screeching? He did, we'll figure it out but tonight is about celebrating him still being alive."
George laughed and took hold of Magnolia's hand, pulling her closer to him until he could wrap his arms around her waist. She looked up at him, remembering her discussion with Pansy earlier, and draped her own arms around his neck.
The two swayed together in time with the music that filled the room, chatting a bit but mostly just enjoying each other's company. Magnolia was determined to try with George tonight, she owed it to Pansy to get her mind off Malfoy and she owed it to George too.
"Do you... erm... do you want to go somewhere quieter?" George murmured into Magnolia's hair.
Magnolia pulled back slightly to look into George's eyes; he was wearing a small, nervous, smile as he gazed at her. Magnolia nodded, shyly smiling herself.
"Anywhere in particular in mind?"
George grinned, "I have an idea."
He took hold of Magnolia's hand, pulling her through the crowd of dancing students and through the Portrait door. She followed closely as he led her through the dark corridors, until they were sneaking up the stairs that led to the Astronomy Tower.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Magnolia walked a little ahead of George, towards the edge of the Tower. Leaning against the barrier, her hand still in George's, Magnolia stared up at the stars. She had always felt so at ease in the Astronomy Tower, the vastness of space shining down on her.
"I, er, I remember you saying that Astronomy was your favourite class." George murmured, his free hand scratching the back of his neck.
"You remember that?"
They had had the conversation near the beginning of the year when they were talking about Magnolia's entry into her O.W.L's year. She had hoped that she would be able to continue Astronomy into her N.E.W.T's, but she had told George that it was mainly because she enjoyed the class rather then a career choice.
George looked at Magnolia sheepishly, "I remember most things we talk about."
Magnolia looked away from George, out towards the grounds of Hogwarts. She could see everything from where she stood.
"Nola, I know you don't want a boyfriend," George began, moving close to Magnolia so his chest was touching her back, "But, erm... I just... I wanted you to know, that I'll erm... well I'll wait."
Magnolia turned, peering up at George, their chests against each other's. For a moment, she realised how much Quidditch had shaped George. She had noticed it before with Malfoy too, she hadn't let herself think it then though. They were both so strong.
Magnolia shook her head; she shouldn't be thinking of Malfoy right now. Instead, she focused back on the boy in front of her. George was opening up to her, he deserved her full attention.
"Why? Why would you do that?"
"You're worth it." George shrugged, "Besides, I've been waiting since your First Year for a date. I'm sure I can wait a little longer. I know that you have a lot going on, with Harry in the Tournament and everything, so I'll wait."
"George, if I tell you something, you won't tell Harry, will you?"
"I mean, it depends what you tell me. If you're in danger, or something, then I'll have to tell him."
"It's nothing like that." Magnolia shook her head, "It's just these nightmares."
"I had noticed something was wrong, you seem exhausted some days. You're always tired around the Full Moon, but sometimes it's worse. What are the nightmares about?"
"Mainly it's just a lot of flashing lights, spells, screaming." Magnolia mumbled, "But I, I think it might be about Tom- I mean, about Voldemort."