Secrets Only Trouble Knows - George Weasley

44 - Dumb and Reckless Together

{ A/N: I can't find much information on the secret passageway to the Forbidden Forest, so I kind of just made something up. For the sake of this chapter, assume the twins know about it and no professors do so that it isn't sealed off! }

-

Per usual these days, the Gryffindor Common Room was packed from six o'clock onward given our newly instated curfew. Harry, Ron, and I couldn't leave to venture into the Forbidden Forest until we knew for sure everyone had gone to bed, and the room didn't usually empty until past midnight.

We especially couldn't leave until George had gone up to his dormitory tonight. I hadn't told him anything at all about what we were doing and I wasn't planning on doing so. If he knew about it, he'd only either try to come with the three of us (which wouldn't work because there isn't enough room under the Invisibility Cloak for four people) or he'd try and force me to stay here while he goes with Ron and Harry, which I was absolutely not going to allow. I wasn't going to be made to feel like I was useless and delicate and that it was better for me to stay here while 'the boys' went off to solve crime.

So, as the three of us had no other choice but to wait for the room to clear, Harry had gotten his Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk right after dinner and spent the evening sitting on it. Fred and George had challenged him, Ron, and I to a few games of Exploding Snap so we indulged them and played with them for awhile.

Ginny Weasley was sitting with us too, though she was very subdued. She'd been that way for a long time now and I think it had to do with all of the attacks and the lack of spirit the school had. It was all definitely affecting her more than a lot of other people and I related to that and felt pretty bad about it, but there was only so much I could do to help her.

After what felt like forever, our group were the last ones awake. Ginny and Fred said they needed to go to sleep so they bid their goodnights to us. I waited eagerly for George to do the same thing, but, much to my dismay, he simply didn't. While his siblings stood up from the table, he remained seated with Ron, Harry, and me— it felt almost like he was purposefully holding out on going to bed.

As Fred and Ginny climbed their respective staircases and disappeared from our line of sight, it went silent between the remaining four of us. Ron, Harry, and I were just sitting there—antsy for George to leave and desperately hoping he would do so soon so that we could sneak out—while George was looking back and forth between us, almost skeptically. I really hoped I didn't appear as anxious as I felt— I didn't want him to suspect something was up.

George tilted his head towards the staircases. He waited patiently, unmoving, until we all heard the sound of two dormitory doors close in the distance. Then he faced the rest of us again.

"So which one of you is going to tell me the truth about what you're up to tonight?" he asked slowly, his tone serious as his eyes flickered expectantly back and forth between the boys and me.

"What are you on about, George?" Harry said innocently, obviously trying to play dumb.

"Yeah, what makes you think we're up to something?" Ron added, though his voice wavered a little bit. "We're not doing anything at all. Well, besides going to bed—"

"Shut it. Both of you. I'm not an idiot." George snapped, throwing his brother a dagger that practically made him cower. "You've been acting weird all night. I know it. That can only mean one thing— that you two" (he pointed to Harry and Ron) "were planning on doing something careless and stupid tonight which, in turn, brought Nova into the equation because she found out about it and can't let you do those types of things on your own."