Marlee's POV
I usually never got too much mail so when an envelope with my name on it dropped in front of me during breakfast, I was surprised. I slowly ripped it open and recognized my dad's handwriting.
Marleekins,
I hope school is going well, your marks are looking brilliant. I will be expecting you and Cho during the Holiday this year. I have a big announcement that I can't wait to tell you both! See you soon!!
Lots of love,
Dad
"Who sent you something Mar?" Aries asked, peering over my shoulder.
I folded up the letter and answered, "Just my dad, reminding me to go home for the holiday."
"I thought you said you were staying here?" Harlow furrowed her brows.
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned my elbows on the table. "I am, I don't care what he says. I'm not going."
Harlow frowned, "Marlee you have to go."
I rolled my eyes. "He can't make me."
Harlow simply sighed and continued to eat her breakfast. They knew not to mess with me when it came to this subject. We finished breakfast in silence and the school day began.
As the students trickled out of the Great Hall, I heard George call my name and he asked if we could walk to DADA together. I usually walked alone since my class was in a different area of the school than my Slytherin friends, so I agreed.
"Where's Serena?" I asked, realizing that was probably the reason he asked me in the first place.
He scratched the back of his neck and hesitated, "Still feeling a bit sick."
"Oh...sorry to hear." I wasn't really sure why I was apologizing but it seemed to comfort him. I think he was still suspicious about my "hatred" for her.
He responded with a small smile and awkward silence grew between us. Although the wall was gone, there was still some sort of barrier between us. I tried to think of things to talk about but there wasn't anything I could conjure. Thankfully, we ran into Cho and Marietta.
"Oh Mar! Did you get dad's letter?" Cho asked me.
I hesitated then muttered, "Yeah but— "
"You have to come! Don't you wanna hear what the surprise is?" Cho had a hopeful look on her face and I could tell she was genuinely excited to hear what this "announcement" would be.
I sighed and told her the truth, "Not really. You can just tell me when you get back."
Her excited expression faded to a frown. "Well what am I supposed to tell dad when he asks where you are?"
I hadn't actually thought about this. "Hm...tell him I broke both of my legs and I can't walk!" I joked.
Cho rolled her eyes and laughed, "Marlee! Come on be serious!"
I shrugged, "I don't know! Just make something up."
George and Marietta had been quiet this entire time and it reminded me of George's invite to his house for the Holiday. I wasn't sure if he still wanted me to go let alone if he even remembered.
Marietta dragged Cho away, saying they were late for class, and left George and I in our silence once more. Once the door was in sight I let out a breath that I didn't know I'd been holding in. As we sat down, I immediately distracted myself with work so he wouldn't talk to me.
Right before Umbridge began her boring lecture he leaned over and whispered, "Want to walk with me after class?" I nodded but didn't look at him. My face became hot all of a sudden and I tried to shake it off.
During class, I glanced over at George and spotted something inside of his robe labeled 'Fever Fudge'. I'd heard of their notorious products before but had never bothered to try one, although George offered multiple times. I guessed he just carried some around to distribute and I didn't think more of it.
After class he quickly said goodbye to Lee and Fred then walked alongside me. I still hadn't thought of a topic to discuss and it seemed that he hadn't either.
Serena suddenly appeared out of the blue looking perfectly healthy. She smiled brightly and George and ran over to hug him.
"Serena?! What are you doing here?" There was almost a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Pomfrey said I was good to go to class, I just have to take some of this," she held up a small vial that contained a purple liquid. "Oh...hi," she saw me and smiled aggressively.
"Hi Serena," I batted my eyelashes and gave her an equally aggressive smile back. She slipped her hand into George's and I wanted to vomit. I knew George was intrigued to know what was up with us but just didn't want to ask.
"Marlee!"
Oh thank god.
The three of us turned as Zane jogged over to us. I saw him and George exchange glares but Zane quickly focused on me. We hadn't spoken since that night so I was curious to see what he wanted. I thought he would have been cross with me and never speak to me again but I guess not.
In fact, he held out his arm for me to grab and said, "Walk with me."
I felt all of their eyes on me as I hesitantly hooked my arm around his and he dragged me away from George and Serena.
"What are you up to Zane?" I asked.
He smirked, "I'm not up to anything princess."
I tugged my arm out of his, "Look if this is about the other day— "
"Mar, I don't care about the other day. Since when have I ever pressured you to do anything," he spoke softly. He wasn't lying though, he was always very respectful of my boundaries but still, it felt like he was up to something.
"Well I think it's just weird how you're mean to me and you call me a slut and a whore and then suddenly you're all nice. I'm not going to shag you if that's where you think this is going," I said firmly.
There was a flash of anger on his face but was immediately replaced with a soft smile. "I already said, I just wanna be friends again," he replied.
I felt his hand sneak down to my arse inside of my robe and I jumped at the sudden fondle. "Zane stop," I whispered so nobody around would hear.
"Stop what?" he said innocently. I grabbed his arm and threw him off of me, anger starting to take over my body. "Blimey Marlee!" he exclaimed all defensive.
"Piss off you dick! And don't ever touch me again!" I yelled and ran into the flock of students so he wouldn't follow me. I was absolutely disgusted and felt like a total idiot. I couldn't believe I wasted my time on him. I should have listened to Harlow and not let my feelings take over me.
—
Although George and I made up, we still weren't talking as much as we used to. I wasn't sure if it had anything to do with Serena but something was telling me it did because everytime I saw them together I would get this weird feeling that would start in my stomach then grow to the rest of my body. I had no idea what it was or how to deal with it.
"Mar, are you going to eat?" Aries asked me at breakfast.
I took my gaze away George and Serena then realized I'd been clenching my fork in my right hand. I blinked a couple of times, trying to get back to reality.
"Yeah..." I replied, shoving some eggs into my mouth. I glanced back at the happy couple who was now talking closely to themselves. George was right. He looked so happy with her, he was never like that with me. I didn't know why I was so upset, friendships come and go all of the time.
I tried to remind myself that George and I made up but the thoughts of how he was still constantly choosing her over me would creep into my brain every so often.
"I feel like throwing up," I groaned, clutching my stomach.
Fabienne stood up, concerned. "What?! Are you sick?!"
I didn't know what to tell her, as far as I knew I was perfectly healthy. My friends continued to ask if I was okay but their voices seemed distant and I couldn't quite make out what they were saying.
"I think I'm gonna go see Pomfrey," I muttered and got up to leave before I hurled in front of the entire school. For some reason I forgot the way to the Hospital and began walking in circles.
Why is this school so damn confusing?!
I tried to find a bathroom to at least relieve my stomach but it was too late. My vomit spilled out of me in a corner of a corridor. That would be the third time I've barfed this year, brilliant.
I took out my wand to cast a spell to clean up when I heard a voice. The one and only George Weasley.
Oh Merlin, not right now!
His voice was foggy at first but cleared up and I was able to make out, "—throw up again? Merlin Marlin, that's gotta be a record!"
I gave him a mocking smile and finished cleaning up my mess. I didn't really want to talk to him seeing that I had just thrown up and had vomit breath. Out of the blue a mischievous grin grew on his face. He slyly pulled out a purple wrapper from his robe and I put the pieces together.
"George Weasley!" I slapped his arm as hard as I could but he didn't care and began to cackle. "That was not very nice!"
He was somehow able to muster a response in the middle of his dying laughter, "I'm sorry I just had to! You've been my friend for too long to not have any pranks pulled on you." I paused at the word 'friend'.
So we are still friends?
"—plus we needed someone to try our new prototype on. We were trying to charm them to look like other foods. It worked!"
"Do I need to remind you about the clothes incident or the quill," I evoked and crossed my arms.
"Oh shit I forgot, well the more the better!" He shrugged and was still amused by the situation.
"How did you even know the password to our common room anyway?" I asked, remembering how it had hit my mind a few days ago.
"Bribed some second year with a Nosebleed Nougat," he said, proud of himself. I shook my head at his cleverness.
The breakfast bell rang and students started to fill the corridors as the school day began. I walked away from George and felt him tug me back by my arm.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
I looked around, slightly confused. "To class?"
"We have class together," he stated and looked at me like I was stupid.
I pressed my lips together and furrowed my brows. "And?"
"And I'm walking with you," he said it in a tone that was almost demanding.
At that moment Serena came round the corner and I bit my lip, remembering how she threatened me weeks back.
"Right," I puffed up my left cheek and aimed my eyes towards Serena to which he turned to look at. I slipped away before he or she could see and blended into the swarm of students.
I hated myself at that moment. Maybe it wasn't his fault that he was choosing her over me. Maybe I was pushing him away. I got to class before he did and just as I curiously glanced over my shoulder to see if he was coming, I got a shot of him and Serena sharing a kiss before she walked off.
That feeling in my stomach started to form again and it took over my entire body. I shut my eyes and rested my forehead on the table. Why was this happening to me?
"Are you okay?" I heard a voice say but it wasn't one I was too familiar with. I lifted my head but still rested my chin on the desk to see Lee staring at me with his brows knitted together.
I subtly rolled my eyes and replied, "I'm fine. Thanks for asking. How's Aries?" I causally threw in with a sigh.
Lee blinked and shook his head as if he didn't hear me correctly. "Oh...erm...fine."
I let out a breath through my nose that hit me back in the face as it bounced off the table. "That's good, don't hurt her or I'll kill you," I spoke in a monotone voice that in hindsight probably wasn't threatening to him.
He chuckled as George sat down. "What's so funny?" George asked.
Lee pointed to me, still laughing, "What did you give her this morning? I think she's gone mad!" Lee's laughter got louder as if the more he thought about it, the funnier it became.
"It was just a Puking Pastille," George said, a bit concerned.
I shut my eyes and spoke, "I'm fine. Lee's just being dramatic."
George was about to say something until Umbridge began class. The entire hour I kept my head on the desk and surprisingly Umbridge didn't yell at me.
—
Once the school day was over, Tristan came by to get Harlow and Fabienne had detention with McGonagall for falling asleep in class. That left Aries and I in our room alone. I was sitting on my bed, studying for DADA when she came to lay down next to me.
I put down my quill and observed her. She was staring blankly at the ceiling and seemed like she needed to get something off of her chest. I turned myself to face her and said, "What's up?"
She sighed then replied, "It's Lee. I think I have feelings for him."
"You mean you didn't before?" I was quite confused.
She didn't seem to notice my confused state and continued, "Yeah we've been friends for awhile but now everytime I see him I act all weird and I don't know what to do and every time someone brings him up I get all squirmy and when I talk about him I feel my face getting super red and I can't get a smile off of my face."
She smiled at me, innocently after she didn't skip a beat in her speech. She had a puckish look on her face and that's when I realized she was getting at something else.
"What are you on about?" I asked, obliviously. She sat up and groaned loudly.
"Salazar help me! I'm talking about you!!" She pointed to me aggressively.
I was taken aback, "Me?!"
"No the other you—yes you! You and George of course!" she was practically yelling now, but not in a mean way.
But this made me even more confused. "George?"
She covered her face with both of her hands and moaned, "Marlee I am going to hex you. Quit being oblivious!"
I was more lost than ever. "What the hell are you talking about," I spat out back at her volume.
She took a deep breath and looked at me for a couple of seconds then began, "The girls and I have been talking about this for a while now—"
"You've been talking about this for awhile?!"
"Shut up let me finish," she rolled her eyes but then smirked, "we've been talking and we think you might have feelings for George."
My eyes practically fell out of their sockets. Sure I'd been teased about George multiple times but never was I accused of actually liking the guy.
When I didn't reply she continued, "I mean think about it, everytime someone teases you about it you used to get mad at first but it slowly changed to you blushing and anytime—anytime you talk about him you get so excited like beyond anything I've ever seen you like. Then lately with Serena...it's almost like you're jealous."
"Jealous?!" I stood up from the shock that I got from her words.
She held up her hand and went on, "Hear me out, hear me out. Sure you and Serena have a history but let's be honest, you didn't have a problem with Serena the past three years and all of a sudden she's dating George and you have a bunch of hate towards her again?"
I blinked slowly, trying to process all that was just thrown at me. "Well that's because I care about George," I shot back, crossing my arms while I bit the inside of my cheek, unsatisfied with my own answer.
Aries rolled her eyes. "That's rubbish Marlee and you know it," she said sternly.
My thoughts swirled around in my head. Do I have feelings for George? Has this feeling in my stomach been jealousy? Have I always liked him but never known? Why would I like him anyway? Hah! Perfect rebuttal.
"Why would I even like him?" I sassed.
Aries scoffed, "Oh please tell me why you're friends with him."
"Well he's...funny, he always makes me laugh. And you know even though he always takes my notes he actually helps me with Charms when I ask..." my voice trailed off.
"Go on," Aries prompted.
"He's got a lot of ambition. His products with Fred, I think they're brilliant. He's brilliant. Even though he doesn't do his work he's actually a smart git. And don't tell him I said this but he's very good at Quidditch like godlike," I didn't realize I had sat back down on the bed and rested my chin on my hand, "he loves his family so much, I see the way he is with Ginny and it's adorable. The way he is with anyone really, he knows how to cheer them up and it's so cute—he laughs at his own jokes. And his laugh! His laugh is like—FUCK!" I yelled and slapped my hand over my mouth. I could feel my cheeks sore from smiling that entire time. Panic ran through my whole body.
I glanced at Aries who was smirking at me. "No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! What did you just do to me?" I backed away from her cautiously. "Did you give me Veritaserum?"
She gasped, "No but that's a good idea! Maybe I'll do that next time."
"No," I shook my head, "no! There's no way I have feelings for George. You tricked me that's all. The mind is very powerful and can convince you to think anything!"
"Hey, I didn't say anything! I just said maybe, it's a possibility. The only one who can confirm those feelings is you," she shrugged.
I groaned, "But I don't want to take the time to figure that out—wait I don't need to because I don't have feelings for George."
She pressed her lips together, "Mhm keep telling yourself that," she mocked. There was a knock at the door and she got up to open it but still continued, "'The mind is a very powerful thing' right?" She winked and opened the door. I saw a glimpse of Lee before she quickly shut the door behind her leaving me and my new thoughts in the room alone.
I fell onto my bed, frustrated. After a minute or so she came back in and said she was leaving to go to the lake. She acted as if I didn't see Lee standing outside but I was too mad at her to tease her.
"Just try not to think about it so much, okay?" she said before leaving for her "date".
But I did the exact opposite of what she said. I tried to finish my homework and all I could think about was whether or not I had feelings for George. How does one differ platonic feelings versus romantic ones? How does one you know when they like someone?
Even as the night went on and all three girls came back to the dorm, I was still thinking about it and I would be for the next couple of days.
•••
no but seriously what's the difference, i can never tell especially if i was friends with them to begin with