Felix Felicis- A George Weasley and Adrian Pucey Love Triangle

110. Romantic Gestures

I wait for George in the room, but he takes longer than I thought he would. I soon grow bored and decide to check out what he had done with the walls, seeing that the green foliage that lines the room were real pine trees.

The trees almost glitter; I don't know what makes them shimmer, but it's beautiful all the same. I walk back looking at the floor; it's a sort of grass that is almost like moss, and patches of random wildflowers dot the floor in colorful decoration.

The room is warm, but not uncomfortably so. I decided to sit and wait at the table for George; fiddling with the plates due to my nerves.

Why was I so nervous to eat with George? It feels weird knowing that he was getting another chance, but even weirder that there was a second chance he needed in the first place.

George is my best friend; I've known that for a long time. I was too afraid of messing our friendship up at first, I guess that was my first mistake. But I found that even when things were at its worst, George was still there for me.

My mind flashes to Adrian. The urge to see him consumes me, but I am not sure why. I suppose I want some closure, but I don't know if that's completely it.

My heart yearns for him. He was horrible; he was vile for what he had done. But I can't let him go. I love him. I had loved him for so long it felt like, I couldn't just let him go like that.

I want to tell myself it was just one mistake and that I should forgive him. I should find him and love him again. But a mistake like that is something I don't know if I could ever forgive. He had taken away so much from me without even knowing it, and hid it from me without any remorse.

Who knows how many women he had done that to? He had a reputation of being a player, that I knew, but I didn't think he would resort to love potions to get girls in his bed.

I play with the plates and the forks, not knowing what to do. I don't want to cry; George would be back at any minute and I didn't want him to see me upset.

The reaction from the boys this morning was exactly what I thought: they were angry and reactionary. I didn't think they would actually listen to me, but I'm glad that they did. I know they'll be upset for some time. I don't want them to go after Adrian, I truly don't. I just hope they can cool down and not be so brash about it.

It's not just that I wanted to protect him; I also know that the boys could get themselves in a lot of trouble by going after him, and they didn't deserve that.

The door to the hidden room flies open and George walks in, a large basket in his hands. "Hello lovely." He tells me, setting the basket down on the table and opening it up. "Why don't you close your eyes? Let me set this up for you." He says, unable to hide his smile.

I comply and cover my eyes with my hands, anxious to see what he is doing. After a moment, and some loud crashes of plates, he tells me I can look. Nervously, I remove my hands but keep my eyes closed underneath.

"Don't be scared now! Go on, look!" George tells me, his voice carrying a laugh.

I peek through my fingers and find a sight that makes my heart and my cheeks grow warm. George had got the elves to make my favorite food; the chicken was even shaped into a heart.

"Aren't you a romantic?" I ask him, blushing profusely.

"I thought you'd like it." He smiles. He sits across from me, holding my left hand across the table.

We eat together quietly; I don't know what to tell him. He holds my hand throughout the meal, looking up to smile at me every once in a while.

"This was really nice of you, Georgie." I tell him, squeezing his hand a little bit.

He blushes, waving it off as no big deal. "It's the minimum of what you deserve, dear." He says, sipping from his juice to avoid looking at me in the eye.

Just as we finish the chicken, I look up to him once more. "I think I'd like for you to kiss me again." I whisper.

He drops his fork, trying to recover by coughing a bit. "Are you sure? I mean, you said-"

"I know what I said. But I know you, and I know that you love me. Kiss me, just once for now. Doesn't mean we're married." I say, sitting up a bit straighter.

"I have to take you out again; I'll have to ask you to be my girlfriend, formally. That was a mistake I made last time, assuming we were together." He stutters, his face growing redder with each word.

"Yeah, I'd prefer it." I whisper, looking away.

"But for now, as I get to know you... I'll suppose..." He chuckles, standing up from his seat. He walks over to me slowly and my ears burn in anticipation.

He sits beside me, on the chair to my right, and slowly brings a hand up to my jaw. Cautiously, just ever so carefully, he lifts my head to look me in the eye.

"So are you going to kiss me?" I whisper, his intense gaze giving me the chills.

Instead of answering with words, George brings his lips to mine, roughly. His breath goes shallow as his lips crash against mine; he pulls me in closer and brings his other hand to my shoulder.

The hand on my cheek rubs small circles lightly, and the goosebumps move from just my arms to the rest of my body as well. Merlin, how I've missed his touch.

George's tongue teases at my bottom lip; I pull away before he can enter. "Sorry." He whispers, his cheeks pink.

"You don't have to be sorry." I whisper back, biting my lip. I look to my lap.

"You're gorgeous. I'm so lucky to have you here." He tells me, kissing the top of my head.

I smile to myself, looking up to meet his gaze. "I'm lucky to have found a friend in you, George Weasley." I tell him.

He smiles back at me, gently bopping my nose. "I want you to be mine again." He whispers.

I swallow, unsure of what to tell him. "Alright, no more kissing until we're dating- if we even do." I tease.

Truth is, I don't know if I'll end up dating George. I know that I care for him; I know he cares deeply for me. I know he'll always be there, but I don't want him to be my backup plan. He doesn't deserve that.

If I was going to date George, I had to put everything I had into him. I don't know if I'm ready for that, not with the thoughts that come back to me about Adrian.

I decide on one thing: I can't date George- anyone- until I speak to Adrian. Not until I close that chapter of me off, not until I heal the hole in my heart.

"It's alright, we're equal now. I asked for one as did you." George says, rubbing my back gently.

"Do you want to sneak out? Go to Zonko's?" I propose.

"Shall I ask the boys? Or would you like to go only with me?" He asks, playing with the ends of my hair.

I think about it for a moment. "Invite the boys. I think I'll invite my friend Julia as well. We can make a day of it, it's still early." I say.

He nods, his face overtaken by excitement. "Brilliant. You know we found a new secret passageway? Well we used it before, but it got blocked up. Fred's just opened it back up for us. Leads right to Honeyduke's cellar, starts right at the statue of the one eyed witch."

"You lot never told me about that! Right, I'll meet you back at the statue in thirty minutes. We'll all go together." I tell him.

He nods, kissing my cheek as he stands. He holds my hand as we get up; we go to the door together and I pull away to go downstairs as he moves to go up.

I don't look back; my heart is too busy thumping wildly in my chest. Julia would enjoy the day out, we needed some time together. But I know she can be in only one of two places.

At this early hour, she could either be in Ravenclaw tower, with Jacob, or in her own room. The idea of going to the Slytherin dungeon fills me with fear; I hadn't set foot near the place since Adrian and I broke up.

I know I have to go eventually, so I take a deep breath to steady myself. I put one foot in front of the other, trying to not think as I make my way to the cold dungeon.