Marlee's POV
We spent the rest of the afternoon decorating the house as Hermione ordered so. We told the others about the girls we met and the festival.
"That sounds like fun," exclaimed Angelina.
"Yeah, we'll have to ask Mum when they get back. Where are they anyway? It's been far too long." Ginny noticed the time had significantly passed since they left this morning.
The sun was now setting and the house grew darker than it already was. We turned on the Christmas lights and it looked like an entirely different house, bright and lively. Everyone plopped down on the couches in the living room.
"I wish we were back at the Burrow so we could watch a movie. Bloody elitists," Ron muttered, stretching his legs out on the couch. I assumed the Black family was not fond of Muggle objects like the Weasley's were.
"We could play Wizard's Chess," Harry suggested.
Hermione scoffed, "That's a two person game, how do you suppose we play?" Harry shrugged and sat on the floor, leaning his back on the couch.
A risky idea popped into my head but I decided to give it a go anyway, "What if we play truth or dare?"
Murmurs of excitement spread through the room and I felt relieved that they liked the idea. Ginny was so excited, she assumed her position to go first.
"Marlee," she gave me a sneaky look, "truth or dare."
The look on her face made me know she was up to no good so either way I was dead meat. "Dare," I replied, half a question, half a statement.
"I dare you to slap George," she clapped her hands together and my eyes widened.
That is not what I was expecting.
"Hold on, wait just a minute," George began, "that is not fair. I did not sign up for that!"
"Too bad," Ginny sang.
I had no idea what to think. It might feel good to slap him but I knew I would feel terrible afterwards.
"Marlee, c'mon you're not gonna do that to me, right? We're friends," George pleaded.
Unfortunately for him, his words only convinced me to do it. I stood up and walked across the room towards where he was sitting. Cheers erupted from the group and George backed away.
I placed my hand lightly on his cheek, getting prepared. "Fine...just be gentle please," he begged once more.
"It won't hurt I promise," I smiled innocently.
I heard Ron whimper, "Ginny please don't make anyone slap me...especially Hermione."
Fred and Angelina felt quite the opposite as they were chanting, "Slap him! Slap him! Slap him!"
Just as I worked up the courage and anger to do it, a loud noise came from the fireplace.
"Oh thank god," George mumbled and let out a breath. Several adults then emerged from the fireplace and everyone ran to greet each other.
Before George could run away I pulled him down by his neck so I could whisper in his ear, "Don't think you've gotten out of this."
I let go and stared deep into his eyes. Something about this amused me of how he was scared of me. I saw his Adam's apple bob as he took a huge gulp.
Everyone in the room crowded around Mr. Weasley and his children greeted him with hugs and kisses. He looked quite beat up to be honest and that led me to wonder what exactly happened.
"Where is everyone?" Harry asked. I looked around at the crowded room.
You mean this isn't everyone?
"We had our meeting at St. Mungo's, that way you children wouldn't listen in," Molly explained.
"We weren't going to listen in," said Fred, offended.
Harry looked at Sirius, "How did you go without getting caught?" Sirius simply put a finger over his lips and winked.
Molly made everyone stay for dinner but some like Professor Moody left without caring. The house was now loud and bustling. At dinner I got to meet the eldest Weasley, Bill.
"Now which one of my dim-witted brothers are you dating?" he asked.
I laughed politely, "Oh I'm not—"
"George," Ginny cut in while shoving some potatoes in her mouth.
"Ah George, he's one of the better options," Bill whispered so his other brothers wouldn't hear, although I doubt they would have due to the multiple conversations that were going on in the room.
"Ginny was just lying," I glared at her, "I'm only friends with George."
"Just friends? We'll see how that turns out," Bill snickered and took a bite of his chicken.
"We can be just friends! Besides he has a girlfriend but she's with her family right now," I explained.
Bill rubbed his chin. "And yet you're the one here meeting me, his brother and his mother," his voice trailed off and this got me thinking. Was it odd that I was meeting his family before his girlfriend? "Just something to think about," Bill added, leaving me dumbfounded.
I spent the rest of dinner in my thoughts, silently listening to Ginny and Ron talk about candy...or something—I wasn't really paying attention. I was mainly paying attention to the redhead that was sitting down the table talking to Remus and his twin. George had that side smile on his face that was usually there. A difference between him and Fred was that George was usually smiling while Fred had more of a smoulder.
After dinner, all of the adults left and the rest of us helped Molly clean up. I went to gather Mr. Weasley's plate and he said, "Now who might you be?"
"Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself," I held out my hand, "Marlee Chang. I'm a friend of...multiple of your children."
He shook my hand despite his physical state while replying, "Arthur. You said Chang? Does your father work for the Ministry?"
"Yes he does!"
His face lit up, "Oh you must be the daughter he talks about all the time! The Ravenclaw?"
I felt a pang in my chest but pushed it away as George came over to take Mr. Weasley's plate from my hands, muttering, "I can take those."
"Oh no, that's my sister Cho. I'm actually in Slytherin," I explained.
Mr. Weasley looked at his son. "A Slytherin?! Blimey, I thought you were scared of Slytherins son," he teased George.
"Eh she's a mild one," George winked at me and I rolled my eyes in response.
Mr. Weasley let out a hardy laugh. "Well he's a wonderful lad, your father. Say, how's Nora doing?"
I froze for a moment and awkwardly cleared my throat. "She's great!"
"Oh brilliant to hear!" Before our conversation could go on longer, Molly called him over to get him in bed.
I walked over to the sink where George was washing dishes and began helping him. Others were wiping the table, cleaning the stove or drying the already washed dishes.
There was light conversation amongst the group and George leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Hey, who's Nora?"
I gulped and stared intensely at the plate I was washing. "Nobody," I muttered. He didn't seem to be anymore curious about the topic as he carried along with his job, replying to Fred about a product idea.
—
Christmas Eve had finally arrived and the house was full of even more joy. Ginny asked Molly about the festival and Molly said we had to stick together if we wanted to go and no "funny business" from George and Fred.
"Errol's here!" Ginny yelled. She hurried to open the window but the owl slammed into the top half of the glass. She poked her head out asking if he was okay and soon he flew back up with the post.
He dropped it in front of Ginny and she observed it all. "George, Serena wrote you back," she said, holding the letter out. He had written her a couple of days ago along with a small present, which he refused to tell any of us what it was.
George sprang up from the couch and snatched the letter from Ginny. There was a larger package left in her hands and she examined it, trying to figure out who it was for. After a couple of seconds her eyes widened.
"What is it Gin?" Ron asked.
Before Ginny could respond, George stomped up the stairs in a hurry. "George? Mate, are you alright?" Fred questioned. So much was happening at once, I didn't know what to focus on. When Molly and Arthur entered the room, Ginny immediately hid the package behind her back.
"Errol's back did you say? What's he brought?" Molly wondered. Ginny smiled nervously and walked to the couch with the package still behind her back.
Molly noticed what Ginny was hiding and asked. "What's that you're holding Ginny?"
"Nothing," Ginny immediately responded.
A stern look appeared on Molly's face, "Ginevra."
This was enough to scare Ginny, "Okay fine, just don't be upset okay." She pulled out the package from her back and handed it to her mother.
Molly scanned the item and her face immediately dropped. Arthur, also figuring out what it was, hugged his wife who was now sobbing.
Fred immediately stood up, concerned, "Well what is it?"
Ginny looked at us on the couch hesitantly before saying, "Percy...he sent back his sweater." This only made Molly sob more.
Anger flashed across Fred's face and before he could do anything stupid, Angelina grabbed his arm. "Freddie, calm down."
"I'm not gonna calm down! That bastard—joins the Ministry and creates a fucking grudge against us for Merlin knows why, now this?!" Fred's voice boomed through the house.
I knew he had more to express about the subject since George had talked to me about it before, but Angelina's touch was able to calm him down. Ron also looked rather agitated at he crossed his arms with furrowed brows.
Harry and Hermione stayed quiet while Ginny hugged her mum. After a few sniffles, Molly claimed she was fine and headed to the kitchen, her husband following behind her.
The rest of us sat in silence while Harry and Ron resumed their Wizards Chess game. After a couple of minutes passed Hermione realized, "Hey what happened to George?"
Fred shook his head. "Best leave him alone. When he's upset he likes to be alone or with," his eyes glanced at me for a moment, "or with Serena."
The silence continued and the sounds of Molly cooking lunch with her quiet sniffles were all to be heard. Without discussion, we all got up to help her. But with the seven of us helping, lunch was ready in no time. Molly asked where George was and none of us knew how to respond.
"Never mind, could someone go get him? Marlee dear?" I did not want to be the one to go get him but after what happened with Percy, I agreed to go for Molly's sake.
I slowly walked up the stairs to where he and Fred were staying. I knocked on the door and called his name softly. There was no response.
"It's Marlee...can I come in?" I heard a quiet "yes" and I opened the door. George was laying on his bed, facing away from me.
"Your Mum says it's time for lunch," I said, softly.
He didn't move or reply. I let him take his time and after a couple of seconds he spoke, "What does it mean when a girl wants to take a break?"
My stomach dropped. "Oh George," I sighed then sat down next to him and rested my chin on his shoulder, caressing my thumb on his arm. I quietly mumbled, "I'm sorry."
He let out a deep breath, "You don't need to apologize...let's just go have lunch." He slowly stood to his feet, his eyes, emotionless and blank. I frowned and pulled him into a tight hug around his neck. After a moment I felt him wrap his arms around my waist and squeeze my middle.
"Thank you," he muttered into my hair. As we pulled away he still looked upset.
"It's just a break right? Don't stress about it too much," I reached up to flatten out some hair that was sticking up from his head.
Noticing my gesture, he ran his hand through his hair, "That's the thing she says she'll 'explain more' once we're back at Hogwarts—what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
I pressed my lips together. "I don't know George. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about it for now. So why don't we just enjoy Christmas and the festival tonight!" A small smile passed his lips but quickly went away. "Well you can stay here if you want but your Mum has been crying all morning after Percy sent his sweater back...might cheer her up to see you."
His eyebrows furrowed as he suddenly raised his voice, "That fucking cunt!" My eyes widened at his cursing and we both started cracking up before he agreed to go down for lunch.
—
The afternoon quickly passed and we all got bundled up to go to the festival. The sun was barely up and the streets were full of people heading to the festival. The eight of us walked in a tight group down the street. From here I could see the bright lights and decorations but it was even more breathtaking once we got there.
There was a huge tree in the center that had dozens of colorful ornaments and lights. Off to the side was a huge ice skating rink where many people were already skating. There was a large Christmas light maze and ice castles galore. The smells from all of the different food stands mixed with one another. There were games, music and a gigantic ferris wheel—everything looked spectacular.
We first did the maze and Hermione led us the whole way through with no problem. Ron wanted food so we bought some pigs in a blanket. I kept an eye out for the girls from the café not because I wanted to see them but more of the fact that I wanted to hide from them before they spotted us. If Serena and George were on a break, did that mean that George was fair game?
"We should go ice skating after this!" Hermione suggested.
"Go where?" Ron said with his mouth full of food.
"Don't you pay attention in Muggle Studies? It's an activity where you skate on ice. That big thing over there," explained Hermione while she pointed to the large rink.
"That's what that rubbish is called?" Ron still had a look of confusion on his face and Hermione tried to explain to him again. Everyone let them fight it out on their own and started another conversation.
"I've never been ice skating before," I confessed.
"It's quite easy," Harry remarked.
"Easy for you to say you're the Chosen One," I joked. Others in the group laughed while Harry rolled his eyes, knowing that I was just joking.
"Freddie's really good," Angelina said and her boyfriend nodded his head proudly.
"That's because he learned from me," George boasted.
"Well then George you can teach Mar," Angelina said casually. As much as I loved her, she was really testing me. I knew what she was trying to do and it was not going to work, I'd already had to get him for lunch and that was only because Molly asked me.
Ron finished eating and we checked out some skates. George came over to me as I was tying my right skate. "Ready to go?" he questioned. He looked a lot more cheerful than before—I think the festival was distracting him from the letter he got from Serena.
"You're not actually teaching me are you, Weasley?" I said, standing up.
He crossed his arm. "Of course I am, Chang. Let's go." He stepped onto the ice and urged me to follow him. I thought about how embarrassing it would be if I fell on my arse so I simply shook my head no.
"Marlin c'mon, it's really easy once you get the hang of it," he encouraged. "Here hold my hand, I got you." He held out his hand and I took it without hesitation.
Did I grab his hand too fast? Did I seem eager? Oh no.
I stepped onto the rink slowly with both of my hands in his. I slid slightly once I made contact with the ice but George kept his word and kept me stable.
"That's it, now it's really simple it's just like walking but you slide your feet to push you," he started skating backwards, pulling me with him.
"This is nothing like walking," I joked. I caught on quickly and was able to skate just fine but he still held my hands and skated backwards, guiding me. I wasn't complaining though.
"Alright, I'm gonna let go now," George said and I nodded. He slowly let go of my hands but stayed in front of me just in case I were to fall. I didn't want to tell him that I was ready to be on my own just yet so I acted a bit uneasy at first.
After I gave up my act he started clapping, probably for himself. "See that wasn't so bad? Well I guess I'm a good teacher," he gloated just as I suspected. I knew him too well, didn't I.
We both picked up our pace and I saw the Golden Trio trying it out while Hermione showed the boys how. Ron was making his way closer to the center and I saw George's path was about to hit him as he was still skating backwards.
"George lookout—"
He crashed into Ron and they fell on their bottoms. They both groaned and slowly sat up while Harry, Hermione and I giggled.
"Watch where you're going Ron," George muttered.
"Me?! That was your fault," exclaimed Ron.
The rest of the time I skated with Hermione and Ginny as we chatted about things we could do at Grimmauld Place for the rest of the break. Angelina and Fred were skating with each other, holding hands while the boys were racing each other around the rink.
After a while I noticed George had gone off to the side and was leaning on the barrier. With warning the girls, I skated off to join him. He looked sad again and I noticed he was staring at some couples who were dancing together by the live music.
"George," I put my hand on his arm, "what do I have to do to get you stop thinking about her?"
He sighed loudly before replying, "There's nothing you can do. Everything reminds me of her." This time I let out a sigh.
"Oh that reminds me," he opened his coat and pulled out something green, "you're probably freezing, I should have given this to you earlier. I saw it in Serena's room and forgot all about it. Sorry."
My body warmed up just at the sight of my hat. Now, Serena had no control over me. My ears had been starting to become awfully cold and my hood only did so much so I was glad that he pulled it out at that moment.
"Thanks George. I have yours too but it's still in my dormitory," I replied while placing the hat on my head.
"S'alright. Good thing Mum's a knitter," he pointed to the white and blue hat that was on his head.
"Well let's get back out then, shall we?" I pushed myself away from the barrier, pulling his arm with me but he wouldn't budge.
"Let me be sad for a little bit longer," he whined. I groaned and pulled his arm once more.
Suddenly my body hit the cold ice and I saw a flash of brown and blue. The side of my head striked the ice and I felt shaken up for a moment. I heard voices but they were all muffled. I felt two people by my side and could only make out one as George because of his obvious hair.
A weird taste filled my mouth which I soon realized was my blood. I couldn't make out who the person on my right was, as my vision was still unclear. They had dark brown hair parted in the middle and were wearing a blue coat.
"Adrian?" I heard myself say.
Sounds started to become more clear as I caught the end of their sentence, "—running into you. I'm not Adrian, I think you're looking for him." The boy gestured to George who's brows were furrowed with worry.
"I'm not Adrian either. Do you know who I am Marlee?" George asked to see if I had amnesia.
I rubbed my forehead and mumbled, "Georgia." George let out a small laugh and helped me to my feet.
"Again, I'm so sorry about that. I can take you to the hospital or anything—I feel so bloody bad," the boy said to me.
As I got a clearer look at him, it most definitely was not Adrian. I had no idea why I thought it was. This boy had green eyes rather than blue like Adrian. His nose was smaller and he had a shorter face.
"I'm fine, don't worry about it," I smiled at him and I swear his eyes twinkled.
"George! Marlee!" I saw Emme skating over to us rapidly, "you found them Max!"
Great.