Before the Dawn | George Weasley

25

It was the day before the second task, and the school was buzzing with anticipation.

I sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, taking notes on a particularly challenging chapter from Potions. 

Sitting at the Gryffindor table gave me the perfect excuse to avoid Miles; we had not spoken since the Yule Ball, and neither of us seemed willing to be the one to bend. Despite my irritation with my curly-haired friend, I missed talking to him, and I knew every time we made fleeting eye contact across the common room or ended up in the same study group I was dangerously close to apologising. Apologising for what, I wasn't sure, but apologising nevertheless to mend what had been broken, apologising just to break through the icy wall that had formed between us.

But, as Jamie had assured me, I had done nothing wrong. Miles was the one who needed to apologise, and, as Jamie had insisted, I needed to stay strong in the meantime. Admittedly my stubborn resolve was melting like the snow outside; I had never realised before how dependent I was on his friendship, how much I took his constant presence for granted. Every so often I would turn to mutter a joke in his ear, only to find that he wasn't there, and I would remember that we weren't speaking, that we hadn't spoken in days, and I'd miss him even more.

Now, at the Gryffindor table, I was surrounded by faces of varying familiarity; George sat next to me, pretending to work on Charms homework, his knee knocking against mine from time to time. Fred sat across from us, folding parchment aeroplanes and sending them floating around the Hall as Lee looked on with amusement. A smattering of other Gryffindors sat near us, Neville and Harry among them. Harry looked particularly knackered, presumably nervous about the upcoming task.

"You know, I could just do your homework for you," George murmured in my ear. "I've already done mine. Then we could go for a fly or find something more interesting to do than this."

I glanced at him, tempted by his offer. Honestly, I'd rather be doing anything else than studying Potions. But, deep down, I knew there was no avoiding it. "I can't."

He made a pouty face. "Mackenzie." He drew out the 'z'.

I laughed breathlessly. "I feel like I'm in trouble when you call me by my full name."

George leaned closer. I could feel his warm breath on my cheek when he spoke. "Mackenzie, go for a fly with me or there will be severe consequences."

I grinned down at my textbook. "Is that so?"

"Yes." He rested his chin on my shoulder. 

"What sort of consequences?"

"I'll make you ballroom dance with me for hours."

I laughed again. "That would be torture for both of us."

He thought for a moment. "Then I'll lock you in a room with my brother Percy."

"That's just cruel, Georgie," said Fred from across the table. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

George and Lee both laughed. 

"Someday I want to meet Percy and see for myself if he's really as bad as you say," I mused.

"He's worse," George and Fred said together.

I met Lee's gaze. He made a face. "He's really, er, he's really..."

"Awful?" offered George.

"Anal?" countered Fred.

"Big-headed?"

"Bland?"

"Pretentious?"

"An all-around arsehole?"