blue → george weasley

two

dejected » adjective ⇢ sad and depressed; dispirited.

✿

Everyone was buzzing about the Goblet of Fire and who dared to be brave enough to put their names in. She'd heard talk around the Weasley twins trying to put their names in, but they were underage so of course, that wouldn't be possible (Lane was thankful to be honest after she'd realized she maybe... just maybe... liked George, she didn't want to see him potentially hurt). She sat in the library going over her potions essay when a shadow blocked her lighting making her brows furrow. The library didn't close for another hour so she didn't understand why the candles would have gone out already. As she looked up to search for Madam Pince and ask what happened she instead saw the twins she was just thinking about standing before her.

"Oh-" she began in confusion before they sat across from her with their hands folded in front of them. "Lane is it?" Fred asked and she nodded in confusion as to what on earth they'd need to talk to her for.

"We've got a proposition for you," George said and Lane felt herself willing to say yes without even knowing what it was just because he'd asked so nicely with his caramel eyes twinklingly beautifully.

"After doing some digging around Snape's office, we were able to find out you are his top student," Fred said grinning.

"So, if you help us come up with a way to put our names in that stupid Goblet then we'll split our earnings-" George said before Fred cut him off.

"-After we win of course-".

"With you." George finished.

She stared at them for a moment. Surely, she was supposed to say no, right? If they were able to pull this off, they'd all end up in grave trouble from Dumbledore and maybe even expelled from Hogwarts altogether. But at that moment, with both twins looking expectantly at her for an answer with their soft smiles and excited eyes: saying yes was the only logical thing Lane could think of.

"I suppose... an ageing potion may work..." she said fiddling with her quill shyly.

They lit up even more at her reply and high fived as they cheered quite loudly causing Madam Pince to glare at them and shush them quickly.

"So, what do ya say Mallard?" Fred asked calling her by her last name. "Help us out?" George finished.

It was pure evil the way they were so cute as they pleaded, she thought to herself. It had to be some spell to make them so charming... making anyone willing to help no matter what the consequences may be. Despite her better judgement, however, she nodded. So, they wouldn't get scolded once again they cheered silently and, making her smile brightly, did a little dance of pure joy.

"We'll meet here next week same time?" George asked her.

"Sure... I'm ahead for most of my classes already so-"

"You were right Georgie, she's brilliant. An even better witch than Hermione if you ask me." Fred grinned before standing up with his twin. "Next week." He repeated before they walked off.

Her? Brilliant? Lane couldn't help but feel giddy inside. Had George really said she was brilliant? How would he even have known that? It felt like the first time they even spoke was on the Hogwarts express just a week before. Despite what she wanted to believe, the logical part of her brushed it off as a flattering technique. The Weasley twins did whatever it took to get what they wanted, and she had no doubt she would be forgotten once they got the age potion from her. Even knowing that this wouldn't end well, she opened her potions book and started researching what exactly she needed to make them their potion.

The week seemed to fly by. Lane spent most of it with her nose in her books as she tried to make sure the potion was perfect for the boys. Professor Snape either didn't notice or care when she asked to borrow the supplies for the potion, but she knew it probably had to do with the tiniest of soft spots he had for her. She had brewed it perfectly; she was sure of it. Now all that was left was to give it to the boys. She sat in the library waiting patiently for them to show up, but they never did. The hour they were meant to meet passed and there was no sight of them. She thought maybe she'd gotten it wrong, but the memory was so vivid in her mind it was impossible. She hadn't even gotten a letter being sent to her with a change of time or place. So, as curfew approached, she closed her books and packed her bag to head back to her common room for the night feeling thoroughly disheartened.

"God, did they really think that would work?" She heard from around the corner as she neared the Great Hall.

She heard people laughing and a few scoffs from Slytherins as she walked in and saw Professor McGonagall scolding the twins. They were much older... Grey beards and long hair. It hit her that they'd obviously gone to someone else for the ageing potion, but she didn't understand. She'd agreed to help and had even gone to where they planned to meet at the time they said. Why had they gone to someone else? Someone who'd done the potion wrong at that Lane said to herself with a scoff. Had they used her potion – which was still clutched in her hand – they would have only aged a couple of years. Enough to put their names in the Goblet but not to put them into retirement. She was hurt, to say the least, and before she could bring herself to get angrier about it than she already was, she ran to her dormitory.

Grabbing the Rowena Ravenclaw card that was propped on her nightstand she took a box from under her four-poster bed and put the potion and the card into it before shoving it back under – if the things that reminded her of her little crush on George Weasley were out of sight, surely, he'd be out of her mind.

She quickly found out however that that wasn't the case.

Days had passed since the incident and Lane couldn't help but find herself growing more and more annoyed when she heard Orpha Buckthorn going on about how she'd been the one to help the twins. Orpha was a 6th year Ravenclaw with ruby red hair and beautiful snow-white skin. She was the type of girl who knew she was beautiful which made her personality lack. She was overly confident and manipulated boys and girls alike that crossed her path. She spoke about how she'd agreed to help with their potion only if one of them went to the Yule Ball with her.

"I was hoping Fred would be the one to agree but I suppose George is fine too." She said to her friends making Lane's blood boil.

How dare she! Going to the ball Yule Ball was something Lane wished she could do (anyone below 4th year wasn't allowed however unless they had an upperclassman ask them) let alone with George Weasley! Nearly snapping her quill in anger at the words coming from Orpha's mouth, Lane took a deep breath and shut her Charms textbook harshly before getting up and walking out of the Great Hall. With it being the end of October the weather around the castle was starting to chill but students still gathered on the valleys of grass the land had to offer to complete their work. Lane saw Ginny and Luna sitting with Rosie Rosemerta – a Slytherin girl in their year that had quickly joined their friend group in 2nd year as if they'd known her forever.

"There you are!" Rosie called out smiling big.

She had a large set of teeth in her mouth. They weren't large to the point of affecting her speech, but they definitely drew people's attention to her smile first thing. Her mousy coloured hair and green eyes made her an adorable little witch but the thing that really set her apart was her wit. She was one of the wittiest people Lane had ever met and she was happy to have her by her side because if anyone even dared to bad talk their friends within earshot of Rosie she would pounce. Lane sat down with the group and was obviously still tense from the conversation she'd heard just moments before.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked raising her brows at the white-knuckle grip Lane had on the strap of her bookbag.

"Yes... Yes sorry." Lane said shaking her head in an attempt to clear her mind. "Just thinking about the Charms essay," she said hoping they'd agree and change the subject.

However, Lane could tell Ginny knew something was going on. When her twin brothers came towards them and Lane's ears turned pink, it confirmed a suspicion Ginny had had. Lane had a crush on one of the Weasley boys, but she wasn't sure which one it was.

✿