Secrets Only Trouble Knows - George Weasley

54 - Through It All

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Unfortunately, despite Fred promising me he'd talk to George about our confusing and complicated relationship, not much had changed between George and I at all throughout the remainder of the term before the Christmas holidays began.

Fred had told me they'd had a conversation that same night he and I had been up in the Astronomy Tower, but it didn't seem to have helped much. I did find out from it that George didn't hate me though, but Fred was pretty vague about the rest of what they'd discussed. Bottom line was that it seemed like George was probably not going to be changing his treatment towards me any time soon but that "maybe in the future" things would be different between us.

I didn't exactly know what that meant at all and therefore I was rather frustrated. But after talking about it a little more with Fred here and there, I decided I would try to adopt a positive outlook on the future. If I let myself fixate on the worst possible scenario in this situation—aka, George and I never getting better—then it would absolutely kill me and I'd fall into the same place I was in mentally throughout September and October. So, I had no other choice but to be optimistic here.

Thus, I decided to move forward with my life, telling myself each day that things would be hard and complicated between George and I for the time being, but that it's important to remember time heals all wounds. Always. Eventually we will be okay again, and until that point finally arrives I just have to take every day as it comes.

Dealing with this situation with George was made easier by having Fred in my life, though. Despite how the two of us had always been good friends since the day I took on a friendship with George, I felt more close to him now after our time in the Astronomy Tower than ever before.

Despite him being... well... Fred (chaos all of time), surprisingly I think he helped keep me grounded. It was easy for me to get in my head at times, whether that be overthinking or obsessing over negativity. But Fred wasn't really like that. He was usually pretty calm and collected about things and helped me realize that half of the time I was freaking out about theoretical, worst case scenarios that my anxiety brain was cooking up. He'd remind me that more often than not, I was just thinking way too much and needed to take a few steps back.

Additionally, getting closer to Fred also posed as a distraction from my own issues because I was talking to him a lot about Callie and their friendship. He was adorable— he so clearly liked her but was incredibly shy about it. And Fred Weasley never got shy. That man could arguably be more cocky than George, and that was saying something. So it was entertaining watching him get as bashful as he did whenever she was talked about. Thinking about how cute the two of them were acted as an escape from focusing so much on my own problems in life.

—

Eventually the Saturday morning of the Hogsmeade trip had arrived and, after a lot of convincing from Fred, I'd decided I was going to join my brother in sneaking off to the village after the rest of the students had left the castle.

Jasper and I were technically not allowed on Hogsmeade trips this year because of everything happening with my dad and Sirius Black, but it was the weekend before our Christmas break and attending would be like a treat for completing a long and difficult term. Plus, Jasper and I were going to be staying at the castle with Harry during the holidays this year—all of us under Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall's keen supervision—and I wanted the chance to spend time with my friends before I wouldn't see them again for two weeks.