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stxrrywildflower · 3 years

Text

can’t help falling in love (five)

pairing - george weasley x reader

summary - you invite george to be your date to your sisters wedding

warnings - mentions of family/home issues

word count - 2.3k

series masterlist

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

george did everything in his power to take your mind off of the events at the wedding. his words still stuck in your mind, touching you far too deeply for you to forget.

you strolled around downtown london for a few hours before the reception, stopping in different shops along the way. george found a couple things he picked up for future pranks that you couldn’t find easily in the wizard world.

but you couldn’t avoid the inevitable event, you had to make an appearance at some point; your parents and other general family were already asking to catch up during the reception.

george pulled you aside before you could enter the building, the two of you finding yourself in one of the many side gardens.

“are you sure you’re okay with this? we don’t have to go,” george inquired.

you smiled softly at his concern. “i should be fine, george. it’s just dinner and then some partying. nothing i can’t handle.”

george nodded, clearly satisfied with your answer. “say the word and we’ll leave, okay?”

you squeezed his hands. “of course.”

upon entering, you were immediately ushered to your table by one of the waiters. george pulled your chair out for you, a comment about him being a gentleman rolling off of your tongue easily.

you were seated at the table with a few of your cousins who you, thankfully, got along well with. george was already starting up a conversation with one of them about their mutual love for jokes and making people laugh

as dinner was being served after your sister and jasper had entered, you felt yourself slowly easing into the environment. george played a key role in this, him taking time to glance over at you during his conversations to check on you and make sure you were okay. it was a simple enough gesture, but to you it meant the world.

you and george lingered towards the back as the tradition reception activities went on after dinner; speeches, cutting the cake, first dance. you much rather preferred to be out of ear range of most people, listening to the jokes george was making in your ear about everyone.

once the first dance was over, other people slowly started making their way to the main dance floor to join the wedding party.

you lingered back, not quite looking to jump at the opportunity to join them. that was, of course, until a certain song started playing.

george took note of your sudden behavioral change, looking down on you with a raised eyebrow.

“what song is this?”

you couldn’t help the smile that formed on your face from it. “it’s called can’t help falling in love. it’s by a muggle artist, elvis presley actually. it’s one of my favorites.”

“well then let’s go,” george jumped up, extending his hands out towards you.

you quirked an eyebrow at his actions, only slightly confused at his actions. george sighed, pulling you up to your feet and towards him.

“it would be rude of me to deny the prettiest girl here a dance to her favorite song,” he leaned down to whisper in your ear.

a blush spread across your cheeks as you bit your lip to hide your wide smile from the compliment. “alright,” you agreed. “let’s dance.”

george led you to the main dance floor, guiding you forward before turning you around to face him. his hand made his way to your hip, resting comfortably as the other went out to interlock with yours to the side. “this okay?” he asked to which you nodded. “perfect actually.”

you rested your head against george’s shoulder, humming along to the words of the song.

the rest of the room was soon forgotten; the moment feeling as though it was only you and george. no one else mattered, just you two wrapped up with each other as you slow danced.

tears pricked at the corner of your eyes. you weren’t sad, far from it if anything, but just the way george was treating you made you emotional.

george took note of this, his fingers moving to hook under your chin, effectively tilting your head up to look at him.

“what’s wrong, darling?”

“nothing,” you answered. “i’m just really happy right now, especially since i’m with you.”

the last part, possibly a stroke of confidence on your end, hit george like a bolt of lightning. every feeling, every emotion he felt about you weighed in; your laughs, your jokes, your personality, everything.

he held you a little closer to him, resting his head against yours as you swayed.

“so why do you like this song so much?”

“i don’t know,” you answered quietly. “i guess it became my definition of love. you haven’t heard it ever before besides now but it’s from the point of view of a guy who sings about a girl he’s meant to be with and can’t help falling in love with.”

george hummed, “it’s sweet.”

“i always get goosebumps from it,” you stated. “something about the melody always gets me.”

his fingertips ghosted across your skin, feeling the little tiny goosebumps as he ran them across. “you weren’t lying,” he spoke.

you shook your head, tilting it up a moment later to look at him. “one-hundred percent telling the truth.”

george leaned down to press his forehead against yours, noses just barely touching. your eyes fluttered shut, focusing on the contact between you two. you could feel his breath hot on your skin, just millimeters away from your lips.

you wanted to lean in, to stop dancing around the constant flirting and barely platonic touches and finally seal the deal. but you knew you couldn’t, it wouldn’t be okay to do without george agreeing; in no way did you want to overstep your boundaries.

george had to have felt something too, his face flushing a deep red as you turned your cheek, pressing it back into his shoulder.

the final chords of the song were playing out, signaling the end of the group of slow songs. you frowned, only slightly sad that your time slow dancing with george would be ending soon. sure more could be played later in the night, but who knew how much longer you would be in attendance.

“do you want to get out of here? maybe go talk?” george ducked down to whisper in your ear.

you nodded against george’s shoulder, “that sounds nice.”

you bid a quick goodbye to a few guests, primarily your sister and parents; passing on a simple ‘congratulations’ at the new chapter in her life. there was no signs that the party would be ending soon, but the conversation with george took importance over all of that.

george grabbed his jacket off of the chair, slinging it over his shoulder before meeting back up with you to guide you out.

the venue was right on the serpentine lake, overlooking the water and various reflections of the city and trees.

you walked along the water for a bit, george holding your hand as you strolled. neither of you could deny the moment you had whole dancing, it was clear both of you had felt at least something. you just didn’t know what to say.

“do you want to stop here? i think we’re a good distance away,” george offered.

you hummed, already moving to take a seat down on the soft grass. true to his words, the spot was a fair amount from the venue. the lights still illuminated sections of the water in the distance, but no music or small talk could be heard.

“so are we going to talk about it? or are we just going to tip-toe around it like we’ve been doing all weekend.”

george took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for his next word choice. he drew his knees up to his chest before speaking.

“i love you y/n.”

you froze, not quite sure if you had heard the words george spoke correctly.

“and you don’t have to say it back, merlin i don’t even know if you feel the same way but i just can’t keep it in anymore.”

for once, you were out of words. love was such a foreign feeling to you. hearing it from your best friend was even more alien.

“you love me?” you spoke after a moment.

george nodded, hand moving up to swipe away a few stray tears that had fallen. “have for a long time. i just haven’t ever said anything. i always thought it was something that would go away, that i could eventually get over it.”

his voice had fallen off at the end, pressing his cheek to his knees as he turned away from you. despite the amount of times you had reassured him, george hated crying in front of you.

you reached out to place your hand on top of his, immediately retracing when he flinched away. not once in the time of you knowing him had george ever jerked away from a small gesture like that.

“george, you could have talked to me. you know that.”

george choked out a half sob-half laugh at your response. “and say what y/n? tell you i’m in love with you, just like that? fuck, i don’t even know how you would have reacted. on no level would it be fair to you to ruin our friendship over some feelings i can’t contain anymore.”

the wave of silence washed over you once again like the tide; george’s words being pushed out as your feelings were finally pulled in.

george was your best friend, no doubt about it. you’d spent your most defining years together, playing games and pulling pranks as well as celebrating anything and everything from holidays to good grades.

but he was different than his twin; you found his compassion more endearing, his care more comforting. his love language versus his twins hit deeper.

every single moment with george was special in its own way, never dull in the slightest. you were so dumbfounded on how you hadn’t seen anything in his emotions before.

you loved george.

“i would have said it back,” you mumbled.

george’s head slowly rised to meet your eyes, concern still laced in his facial structure. he didn’t want to get his hopes up, multiple layers to your words still being unveiled.

“that i love you, i mean,” you clarified. “i guess this trip has made me truly realize it.”

everything you said you meant, there was no a doubt in your mind about it. if you were being honest, it was the one thing you were the most sure of in your life.

“i’m scared georgie,” you quickly admitted. “terrified actually. i’ve never felt like this before.”

george shifted closer to you, though he didn’t make the initiative to hold your hand or wrap a comforting arm around you. he didn’t want to push his boundaries, especially after you had both admitted your mutual feelings for each other.

“and that’s perfectly understandable, love. it’s new to me too. we can learn together.”

you turned to george, tears in your eyes mirroring the ones in his own. with just one blink, the flow had started. george reached out to thumb your tears away. “god we’re so dumb, why did we wait so long?” you questioned.

george laughed, shaking his head slightly at your words. “well i mean, we’re dumb kids in love. i don’t think either of us expected this to happen tonight.”

with that, you broke out laughing too; a grin passing over your face. everything felt near perfect in that moment, like you were finally content with your inner emotions.

“can i kiss you?”

you nodded, “yeah.”

george leaned forward first, hand moving up to hold your cheek before pressing his lips to yours. warmth spread throughout you immediately, the feeling unknown to you, though not a bad thing by any means.

it was only slightly awkward at first, it taking you both a bit to adjust to the other person. your heart was pounding in your chest, only finding the ability to concentrate how soft, how good george’s lips felt on your own.

you reluctantly pulled away first, finding yourself out of breath and needing air. george kept his eyes trained on you, wanting to make sure the entire sequence wasn’t a dream. it felt too good to be true, something that would have happened in a different lifetime. but here he was, lips puffed out and slightly red.

george pulled you close to him, wrapping his arms around you in a tight hug. it was just you and him at this moment, the party in the distance being far from your minds. all that mattered to you was him, and the same for george.

after a delicate kiss to your bare shoulder, george slowly moved his hands down to your waist, guiding you slowly to press your back against the grass.

“is this okay?” george asked as he cupped your face gently.

you brought your hand up to cover his, running your thumb back and forth over the back of his hand, humming gently to confirm your comfort.

with that, george leaned down to kiss you again, body partially covering yours as you leaned up to reach more of him.

it was pure bliss - finally being able to kiss the boy you had been, without even realizing it, pinning over since first year. your feelings had been burried down over many years of friendship, you being too scared to admit that you were even in love with him.

sure a relationship, especially with george, was still something you were extremely new and nervous with, but george made you the best version of yourself, made you feel safe; george felt like home.

“i love you so so much,” george mumbled against your lips. “you have no idea how happy you make me.”

a giggle escaped your mouth, heart feeling full at his words.

“i love you too.”

⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢

tagging - @goldenxreid @wilburxpancakes @sunlightgalaxy @criminaly-supernatural @blakes-dictionxry @mrs-dr-reid @weasleytwinsfav @theguppienamedbae @fadesbrina @lilypad-55449

#harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter fanfic #george weasley #george weasley x reader #george weasley x y/n #george weasley fanfiction #george weasley fluff #the weasley twins #weasley twins #gryffindor #fred and george #fred and george weasley

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thecreativeangel · 7 years

Text

Choosing (Peter Parker x Reader) Hogwarts AU

Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

Part three of the Improper series

*Please don’t plagiarize my work, thank you :3*

Summary: Your and Peter’s friendship is growing more strained by the week, from his friendly attitude towards your bully, to your new friends, who seem to steal you away from him.

Warnings: Cussing, fighting, Quidditch injuries, Inigo being a lil bitch and violent beating.

Words: 4,000

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

You allowed your body to rock from side to side, following the trains movements. Peter sat opposite of you on the Hogwarts Express, rambling on about something you don’t care about. It was sad, but these days you and him didn’t seem to have the same interests anymore, and that was becoming painfully obvious. If you listened for even a second, you would have heard Liz Allan’s name, or the words “beautiful” or “amazing”. As you found out, Liz had visited Peter in the Hospital Wing on one of the days you couldn’t come. Liz had no problem with Inigo, she was older, popular, untouchable. As a result, Peter was now in love with her. You ruffled the fur on Bear’s head and she barked, licking your hand. Thank god the Magical Menagerie found there are breeds of dogs that stay puppies forever, or Bear would be found by the caretaker and confiscated. Those are the kinds of thoughts that floated around in your head as Peter kept talking.

“-and she smiled at me and said ‘see you later’! What does that even mean?” Peter gushes. He opened his mouth to continue but stopped when he saw you weren’t paying attention. “...And you spaced out. Really?”

You blew a noisy raspberry at him. “I get it Peter, you’re whipped.” You tease, enjoying the cute defensive expression he wore. As soon as you thought that, you mentally choked. What. I thought I got rid of that lovey dovey shit in the first year! You could almost imagine your subconscious shrugging apologetically. Peter toyed with the cord of an Extendable Ear, wrapping it around his finger. His mood seemed to worsen the longer he looked at it and his gaze went from the toy to you a couple of times before he spoke.

“Hey, um… Can-can I ask you a question?” Peter stutters, suddenly very interested in his Extendable Ear.

You chuckle, amused by his awkwardness. “You just did, stupid.”

Peter bites his lip, thinking hard. “Right, right, I know but-” He glimpses at you, and focuses on the hem of his shirt. “Hypothetically, if you had to-to chose between Gryffindor and Slytherin, which would you chose? Hypothetically.”

“Gryffindor. I mean, I’m already in Gryffindor.” You reason, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear.

“That’s not what I-” Peter cuts himself off. “Look, if you could choose again between Gryffindor and Slytherin-like the whole Sorting over again. Would you still be in Gryffindor?” “I don’t know.” You answer, brows drawing together. “Abby and Keira and Erin in Slytherin… We’d have more classes together.”

You looked away as Peter winces, lips pressing together in a thin line, shrinking back in his seat. “What about me?” He whispers, just loud enough for you to hear.

“Wait, Peter, no! ‘Course I’d stay in Gryffindor. You’re here, and-” You falter. He’s my only friend in this house. I don’t have anyone else.

“No you wouldn’t. Not if you knew that all your friends would be in the other house.” Peter snaps bitterly.

You were dumbfounded by his sharp comment. Peter was usually serene and shy. “You’re my friend, you twit.”

“You don’t act like you are.” Peter mumbles under his breath, sinking even lower in his seat. This comment you did not catch. He drummed his fingers on his leg,one of his many nervous ticks.

Without warning Peter jumps up and grabs his kitten. “Shit! I forgot I’m supposed to meet someone! I have to go!”

“W-What?” You said, watching him rush around and gather his things. With the trains rocking and his footsteps, you doubted he heard you. “Peter, wait! We sit together e-”

“I know, I know-I’m sorry,” He sputtered, already one foot out the door. “Maybe next time, right? I’ll see you later!”

The glass door to the compartment slides closed.

“But we sit together every time we get on the train,” You murmur, eyes glazing over. “It’s tradition…”

It didn’t matter what you said. Peter was already gone.

Quidditch these days brought an even more tense atmosphere than ever before. No one spoke of how quiet the halls got whenever a match drew near, but everyone was thinking it. The opposing teams tried to avoid each other almost altogether, and even professors were frosty to other members of staff on a rival team. This match you feared the worst. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Your Slytherin friends hadn’t changed their attitudes, on the contrary; the upcoming match became a subject of jokes in the group. Your relationship with Peter, however, was suffering. You regretted hesitating at his question so much. The classes you two had together were almost all of them, and it was horrible. As much as you wanted to reach out and talk to him you couldn’t and Peter looked like he didn’t want to, so you kept quiet about the subject. On the field though, you and him talked like nothing ever happened, and it drove you crazy.

“I’m tired of saying I want you dirty little shits to play nice, so do whatever you want.” Coach Wilson yelled. Even he was tired of the petty rivalries going around.

You mouthed ‘good luck’ to Peter and rose into the air, both hands on your Firebolt. Since the match with Lisa-Marie, it was hard not to be paranoid whenever a player came near you. Thank god Erin’s a Beater for the Slytherins. You think while trying to shake the Slytherin seeker off your tail. So far, you noticed that the other houses in the stands had taken to a specific pattern. When Gryffindor scored, the Hufflepuffs cheered. When Slytherin scored, the Ravenclaws, cheered. The game was almost over, the Slytherins winning by a small set of point when you saw the two captains arguing furiously mid-air. Fredericks, the Gryffindor team captain had gone completely red. No one else seemed to see this over the loud roar of the crowd. You kept a wary eye on them, preparing to interfere at any moment. A couple minutes pass peacefully before the disaster.

Both captains got closer and closer until one of them exploded. Fredericks punched the Slytherin team captain square in the jaw and the whistle was blown almost immediately. You flew down as fast as possible, hoping to pacify them. All you heard was swearing. The moment your feet touched the ground the two team captains had forgotten their wands and began to wrestle on the ground, a blur of limbs. The most revolting part was the people cheering them on, laughing and a few pulled out cameras and phones to record it. Teachers were trying to calm the hoard of students without prevail and Professor McGonagall looked faint. You would have backed away and let it play out but Erin chose to break through the crowd, pulling both boys up and forcing herself between the them. For one moment they stopped, and you exhaled with relief.

You relaxed too soon. Within second Erin was caught in the fight, hopelessly attempting to keep them apart. Your insides burned as she was shoved by Fredericks while he tried to punch the Slytherin captain, then elbowed in the gut by her own team captain as he swung his fists in a blind rage. You pushed people aside to get to her, praying she would be smart and back off. Not Erin. She would never step back or surrender. Breaking through the mass of students, you rushed to her aid before you could think of a plan. Both captains would have ignored you if Fredericks hadn’t attempted to rip Erin’s hand off his shirt as she held them apart. Everything else happened too quickly for you to comprehend.

While giving a last ditch attempt to rip Erin away from the fight she elbowed you in the nose. You fell on your back, your head hitting the ground with a dull thud. This was all it took for Erin to stop trying to break up the fight and rush over to you, her horrified face appearing over you. Peter also dropped down next to you, brushing the hair from your face. Erin gave you her hand to pull you up, apologies streaming from her mouth but Peter knocked her hand away, yelling obscenities. You heard everything like you were underwater, muffled, but recognized Peter and Erin shouting at each other. Rubbing the back of your head, you stood up, head throbbing. The other fight with the team captains had ended and no one payed attention to the small argument between your two friends.

“Stop!” You yelled, bringing a hand up to pinch your bleeding nose. Peter and Erin stopped shouting, thank Merlin.

You wiped your nose on your sleeve and sniffed. “Peter, i’ wasn’t ‘er ‘ault.” You say thickly, rubbing your nose on your robe to stop the flow of blood. “She was tryin’ tah stop the fight.”

“Are you kidding?” Peter asks sarcastically. “You’re defending her after she hit you?”

Erin pulled some crumpled tissues from her pocket and handed them to you. “I’m so, so, so sorry! Bloody hell, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, please don’t hate me!” She pleads, her brown orbs giving you puppy dog eyes.

“It’s fine.” You assured, taking the tissues gratefully.

“Fine?” Peter asked shrilly.

“Don’t be a prat Peter, I’m fine.” You huff. He looks furious and betrayed at the same time and it kills you, but he was being unfair to Erin and you knew it was more than her hitting you that made him angry.

“Know what, I’m done!” Peter hisses, throwing his hands up and picking up his broom. “I’m sorry for-for being such a bother!”

“No, Peter! I didn’t mean it-please!”

He storms off to the castle, dragging his Firebolt with him. Your eyes glaze over watching him leave. He was so angry, so resentful that you didn’t see the way he slouched in defeat, the way his hand was over his mouth to keep from sobbing.

I’m sorry. Come back, please. In need you.

Those words repeat in your mind over and over, but are never said out loud.

Not this again. You think, watching Inigo pick on yet another shy Ravenclaw. Holy shit-can’t he just keep his damn mouth shut? Most Herbology classes were like this. Professor Barton was usually a bit late, providing Inigo with an excellent chance to make fun of some poor kid. Ever since the fight at the quidditch tournament it’s been mostly Slytherins, Ravenclaws and you.

“Bug off Inigo, you titchy little shit.” You drawl out sleepily, laying your head on your desk. “I’m surprised you’re desperate enough to pick on someone smaller than you.”

“Shut the hell up you traitorous bitch.” He snarls from across the table.

Feeling cocky, you choose not to back down. Most of his friends weren’t here, so that was something. “Or what?” You ask casually, doodling on a piece of parchment. “You gonna dye my hair the same ugly color yours is? I mean, come on, dude. White hair? Your barber must hate you.”

“Maybe I got poisoned when I met you,” Inigo fires back. “Just being ‘round scum like you must've given me radiation poisoning.”

“And how did that happen, hm?” You question, blowing a bit of hair from your eyes as you finished drawing the jaw on your skeleton.

Inigo looked pissed that you weren’t paying him much attention. “Well lets see, you’re a poor excuse of a Gryffindor, a Slytherin spy and-”

“Enough Mr. Preta!” Professor Barton commanded, finally entering the greenhouse. “I’d take points off Gryffindor but you were harassing another member of your house. It would be unfair to Miss (Last Name). Don’t let it happen again.”

You would have been pleased, but it came to your attention that Peter wasn’t sitting anywhere near you. There go my plans to say apologize. I mean obviously he wouldn’t sit near me. The really saddening thing was that when you looked around, you saw him right away, next to Inigo. Where he has been sitting for a couple months now. You held your quill a bit tighter, staring hard down at the old table and clenched your jaw. Okay, scratch that. Apologizing’s gonna be fricking impossible. Great.

The lesson was boring, just shrivelfig and the healing properties of its leaves. You and Michelle managed to get five pages worth of notes.

“I have no idea how you’re not in Ravenclaw,” Michelle complained as you walked out of the greenhouse. “I mean, you tricked your bossy ass mum into signing the Hogsmeade form.”

You shrug, the subject of your intellect was not very uncommon to discuss, as well as the fact that your mum was extremely controlling. “Both my parents are Ravenclaws-guess it just passed on.”

Out of nowhere, Michelle poked you in the arm. “Hey, didn’t you want to say sorry to the loser?” She whispered, pointing to the group of boys ahead of you. “‘Cuz he’s right there.”

“I did, but not with them there.” You say, tilting your head to your classmates who surrounded him.

“Get it over with.” Michelle urges, pushing you forward. “The worst thing that could happen is that you’re embarrassed for a day, big deal.”

“Yes, very big deal.” You whisper back urgently, digging your heels into the ground to slow down her pushing. “Stop it Michelle! Please don’t make me-I’ll do anything!”

“Too late!” She blurts, giving you one more push. “Hey, Parker!”

Peter stops walking and whirls around. He regard you with cold eyes. Despite this, you smile kindly. “Peter! Hey, can we-”

He ignores you and speeds up, disappearing into the flow of students. “Wait!” You yell, hopping up and down to see over the crowd. “I just wanna talk!”

“But Pete doesn’t want to talk to you.” Inigo goaded, leering at you. His mates begin to advance on you and Michelle. You freeze, your body heavy and paralyzed. “‘Said so himself. Damn, you fucked up your little friendship, didn’t you?”

“Get out of the way.” Michelle orders, making an effort to squeeze between two of Inigo’s bigger friends.

“No, I can’t let you see Pete. Get it in your head, weirdo!” Inigo laughs wickedly and gives his mates a quick look, some sort of signal. His gang keeps coming nearer and nearer to you and Michelle, making your sense of dread heighten by a tenfold. “I was having such a nice day, too. Then you just had to interrupt me during my fun. That wasn’t nice.”

There was no one else left in the hallway. Your biggest fear had somehow come true; you were alone with Inigo and his friends. It was as if your system was being overridden by a virus, shutting down your ability to think and react.

“I didn’t do anything!” You hiss, making it up as you went. “I stopped you from hurting Manda-that’s kinda brave, don’t you think?”

“You stopped me there, yeah. Congrats,” Inigo jeers, a revolting sneer on his face. “But who’s going to stop me from hurting you?”

Michelle was trembling. Michelle never trembled. “Wha-”

There was no time to call for help or get your wand out. A dark haired boy wrapped his arm around her mouth and you felt a hand over yours. The door to a nearby out of order bathroom was propped open and both of you were thrown in, sliding painfully across the slick tile. The door’s lock clicked shut as the boys towered over you, vile enjoyment in their eyes. You were pulled up and slammed against the bathroom wall. You yowled when your head hit the mirror in the exact same place that was hit when you fell in the quidditch field.

“You’re not a real Gryffindor, so…” Inigo trailed off and pulled the robe from your neck, choking you. Your hands clawed at his as you coughed and retched, flushing red. Complete panic filled you, clouding your mind. The collar ripped and the robe snapped away, allowing you to inhale deeply. “Oh, almost forgot!”

Inigo tore the Gryffindor crest from your uniform and dropped it in a toilet. Your robe was thrown on the floor.

A tall ginger aimed his wand at the robe. “Reducto.”

“No!” Michelle cried, struggling to escape the grasp of the dark haired boy. “Stop it! Stop it now!”

Inigo rounded on her, eyeing her up and down. “I mean she were a bit rude.” He announced, regarding Michelle. “How’d you like your head down a the wash? We can see how long you can hold your breath.”

His friends howled with laughter, urging him to do it. “Don’t touch her.” You rasped, still clutching your throat. “Don’t you dare touch her.”

Inigo snickered and waved his hand. On command, a burly brunette grabbed the front of your uniform, lifting you up to sit on the edge of the sink. “Peter didn’t specify how to keep you away… The school’s changing (Name). The Ravenclaw brats support Slytherin but at least we have the Hufflepuffs, amiright? Oh Merlin, there’s so much I wanna repay you for.”

He sighed sadly. “But I wouldn’t want people to ask questions. Just as a reminder, though. If anyone asks, you fell during quidditch practice. Micheal?”

The boy holding you grinned cruelly, grasping you and Michelle by the hair and smashed your heads into the mirror, cracking it. Michelle screamed, a terrible, desperate sound. Tears forced themselves from your eyes, streaming down your face. Your muscles were stiff, trying to fight the force that was attacking you. Pain came in sharp eruptions every time your head hit the glass. It was almost dulled now, the minor concussion distorting reality and blurring the edges of your vision. You squeezed your eyes shut, praying it would be over soon. Blow after blow came, and it seemed they would never stop coming. And then, they stopped. You fell from the edge of the sink, landing on your side on the bathroom floor. Somewhere near you the door slammed shut, a loud bang echoing in your head.

You rolled over on your back and sat up. Right away the dizziness returned, spinning your brain around inside your skull. Michelle moaned, still slumped on the sink. Your gut wrenched when you saw thick scarlet liquid dribbling down the mirror behind her. Feeling something hot rise up your throat, you ran to a stall and threw up over a toilet. When you stumbled out, leaning against a wall, Michelle was already off the sink, staggering to the door. She nearly fainted but you caught her in time, placing her arm around your shoulder for support. Both of you shuffled down the deserted corridor, aimlessly wandering around.

“We have to-we have to get see Keira.” Michelle mumbled, her eyes unfocused and distant. “She has free period...In the Slytherin common room.” You veered the other way, walking down the stairs with great difficulty. The entrance to the Slytherin common room was already visible in the distance.

“I can’t…” You murmur faintly. “I can’t walk much longer.”

Michelle didn’t answer. Her body slumped completely against yours and you suspected she had passed out.

“Living Death.” You croaked at the door and it pushed open, revealing the almost empty Slytherin common room. Sitting cross legged on the carpet was Keira leaning against a plush chair. She jumped up upon seeing you, her expression changing from delight to horror in seconds. You let Michelle fall into a leather chair near the fireplace and then let your figure relax, collapsing on the fuzzy white carpet.

“How-how-what happened?” Keira screeched, shifting Michelle’s body over to a more comfortable position.

“I-shit, can you get some towels? I’m gonna make the entire frickin’ rug red.” You slur, rolling over on your stomach and face planting in the soft carpet.

“Who gives a fuck about the carpet-you’re bleeding!” Keira exclaims, pulling a quilt off the floor and placing it under Michelle’s head.

“Uh, huh. That’s great. Fix Mick up and then help me? I think I may be a little hurt.”

“Don’t pull these jokes right now!” Keira says, clearly irritated. “Accio ice pack.”

A plastic bag flies down from the girls common room, landing in her hand. “D’you…d’you have an ice pack on deck at all times?” You muse, reaching for it and giggling. Which was weird; you never giggle. “That’s stupid. You could be like-like the new nurse. Nurse Keira.”

“Why does it sound like you’re high?” Keira asks, looking unnerved and horrified. She presses the ice to the back of your head, as your face was still squished against the soft carpet. “Did you hit your head?”

“Nope.” You grin at her with your eyes closed, feeling cheeky. “I got my head fricking bashed in against a mirror. Crazy, right?”

“Oh Merlin, I’m going to be sick.” Keira retched, wiping blood off your neck with the corner of her skirt. “I t-texted Erin and Stella in-in class. They should be here soon.”

On cue, the door to the common room slammed open all the way and the rest of your friends sprinted to you and Michelle. Erin flipped you over on your back and took your face in her hands, checking your injuries.

Abigail was pacing around, releasing random strings of threats and cursing. “I’ll break his wand into splinters! I’ll feed him to the squid! I’ll cruciate him in front of his entire family and watch as he cries for mercy like a little bitch and I’ll stand there and-”

“Abby!” Stella scolds. “Hush up, will you? Mick’s waking up.”

Michelle was indeed sitting up and rubbing her eyes, blinking hard against the light. “Great, she’s awake.” Abigail says, laying down next to you on the floor. “Now tell us what the happened or I’ll hex you too.”

You open your mouth to start talking. “Ini-”

The girls erupt with groans and yelling, shouting more curses before you could even get his name out.

“I knew it!” Erin shouts, waving her fists in the air. “I knew it! I’m with Abby on this-let’s go feed him to the squid. The dirty little jackass cornered you?”

You nod meekly, resting your aching head on the carpet again. “I wanted to talk to Peter, y’know? I wanted to say sorry,” You sniffed, refusing to cry over this. “And Inigo said Peter told him to keep me away ‘cuz he hates me now.”

“Peter told Inigo to beat you up?” Erin gasped, clenching her jaw.

“No! No, Peter would never do that!” You insist. What if he wanted you to get hurt? The voice in your head whispers, feeding your insecurity and doubt. He hates you, he hates you, he hates you. That pushed you over the edge. The words flowed from your mouth, explaining everything that happened in the bathroom. The choking, the bleeding, the threat...You had to stop a few times because your body trembled so badly.

“He said the school was changing,” You finished, sitting up and hugging your knees to your chest. “He said that the school was changing and-and that the Ravenclaws joined Slytherin but the Hufflepuffs joined Gryffindor. Is that true? The houses have basically picked sides?”

Stella looked grim. “I heard some older kids talking about the rivalry. They think it’s time to choose a side, and they chose Gryffindor so… everyone else in my house just followed them. Without thinking.”

“There’ve been fights.” Michelle adds weakly, placing the ice pack to her head. “Professor McGonagall tried her best to keep them secret but she won’t for much longer. I mean she’s ancient! This kinda thing isn’t good for someone her age.”

“We’ll figure it out tomorrow.” Keira advises, rubbing her temples. “I need a butterbeer.”

“Yeah we’ll figure it out, we’re unstoppable!” You put in, trying to cheer everyone up. I have my friends, that’s good. But it wasn’t true and you knew it. Peter storming off into the crowd played over and over in your mind. Well, most of my friends.

Tags: @madithemagicalfangirl, @makaylahoran

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