George Weasley x Reader ~ Jaffa Cake

17 - Broken Nose

'I was actually just going to ask y/n to be Slytherin's Quidditch team Captain.'

Draco stopped abruptly and looked at you, almost pleadingly. You could see the desperate shadow in his eyes; the stress that so deeply lined his pale face; he was exhausted. You wondered what else could possibly be going on that made it so difficult for him to be captain to a school Quidditch team, but nonetheless you gave him a silent expression of shock. 

'You want me to be Captain?' you eventually faltered in a pure state of bewilderment. 'But why? What about Blaise or... or someone with more knowledge on managing it?' 

Fumbling with his hands, Draco leaned against one of the pillars behind him. 'You were amazing at Quidditch y/n', he told you, a rogue trace of admiration for your skill in his voice. 'I've never got over how bad I felt when he replaced you with me.'

Looking at Draco, you couldn't help but feel like he was overestimating what you could do. He most likely expected you to accept his offer, take up the position of Slytherin's Quidditch team Captain, pick the weight up off his shoulders. So you went over your options in the tranquillity of your mind. You could either accept his offer, take over the team as Captain and play as a Chaser (as a Seeker you did well, but it was the only one Draco was really good at), or pass his offer down and leave without a word.

And so, after thoughtful consideration as Draco and George stood there watching you mull over the options - you accepted. 

-

Thanks to your new position as the team captain, you quite often found yourself sitting on benches in the sunshine with George, discussing tactics and skill levels, often followed by the occasional snide comment about Crabbe and Goyle. 

On one particularly pleasant Saturday morning, as you were telling George about the horrendous practice you'd endured the previous night, a very sudden jolt of contentment rushed through your body and up to your head. It felt much like the secure sense you had that night in the common room when you were snuggled next to George on the sofa, feeling as though nothing could hurt you. The morning sun was cast through the glassless windows, reflecting prettily across the crumbling stones of the wall surrounding you, and in the distance you could just about see the tall, peaky mountains that were reaching for the stars. With the soft glow of the sunrise painting the sky a beautiful shade of orangey-pink, and the crisp, cool morning air brushing gently across your face, you became very aware of your emotions. The ones that you'd locked up for so long; the ones that you'd pushed away behind the metaphorical barrier you'd built out of fear of the way people would perceive you. It was, you thought in complete bliss, such a blessing to have someone like George who so easily and so purposefully walked into your life in such a short space of time. You decided that for once in your life, you were well and truly happy. 

'And seriously y/n you-' George had been ranting about the incompetence of the beaters on your team, and how embarrassing it was for him to watch them smack Bludgers so maladroitly, when he suddenly stopped. You hadn't really been listening, but at this point it wasn't particularly surprising for him. 

'You've zoned out again, haven't you', George said to your expressionless face, and you turned around to look at him before muttering 'huh?' in a confounded manner. Admiration tugged at the corners of his lips as he watched you shake your head dazedly. 'You've zoned out again, haven't you', he repeated whilst smirking. 

'Yeah sorry Georgie, I was just thinking', you told him matter-of-factly.

George's smirk turned into a grin as he put an arm around your shoulder.
'I wonder where I've heard that before?' he quipped whilst looking up into the sky that was now a pretty pale blue, before holding his hands out like a photo frame and closing one eye to get a better point of view. Following his eyeline to the sky, you sighed softly and leant your chin on your hand.