Secrets Only Trouble Knows - George Weasley

55 - Epiphany

{ A/N: I'm sorry if the past few chapters with Nova and George have seemed slow, but don't worry. The coming updates after this one will definitely pick up, I think! ;) }

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Though I'd had that talk with Jasper and Harry down in the secret passageway after what happened in Hogsmeade, things were still tense and heavy for the remainder of the night.

Word of the situation traveled fast around my friend group because once dinner rolled around, everyone was watching the three of us nervously. Nevertheless, no one dared to mention things because Percy was sitting close by us.

When we all went upstairs to the crowded common room, my friends attempted to talk to the boys and I about things and cheer us up. However, neither Jasper, Harry, nor I were in the mood to be around other people and decided to head on upstairs. Harry split off and went to his own dorm while I followed Jasper into his, feeling the need to be with him and talk about some of what we'd learned.

There we discussed what to do with this newfound information. We thought for a moment about confronting Mum and Grandfather over them not telling us the full story about our father and the Potters, but then we realized there wasn't much use.

It would expose the fact that we had snuck out of the castle and eavesdropped on a conversation our professors and the Minister of Magic were having. We'd get into loads of trouble for that and Mum and Grandfather would probably make us be watched even more closely while at school. Additionally, there simply just wasn't much of a point in getting angry at them and starting this huge argument. It was certainly annoying that we weren't everything, but in the grand scheme of things it didn't matter because now we knew it all.

We also talked about how, unlike what Grandfather said, we weren't going to go after our dad. He was clearly more dangerous and twisted than previously thought if what everything said about him was true and we didn't want to wind up dead. No matter how upset we were with him or how much we wanted to know every single detail about what truly happened— our lives weren't worth it.

After Jasper and I had finished talking, I trudged back down to my own dormitory and told myself that since I wasn't going to socialize tonight, I'd wake up early in the morning to say goodbye to my friends before they left for Christmas break.

However, my exhaustion from everything that had happened in Hogsmeade caused me to sleep almost to noon the next day. I woke up to find the dormitory around me deserted aside from a single note left on my bedside table.

Morning, cutie.

The others and I certainly wanted to say goodbye to you before we left for the station this morning, but we knew you had a rough day yesterday and were pretty exhausted. We didn't want to wake you.

We all send our love and we will miss you dearly throughout the holidays. Please write to us and expect a few gifts from each of us under the tree on Christmas morning. Can't wait to see you at the start of next term.

Love always,

Callie

I smiled at the kind note but felt a little bad for sleeping so long. Regardless, I got dressed and headed down the stairs towards the common room.

"Oh, Harry, you'd be playing right into Black's hands if you went looking for him," came Hermione's exasperated voice as I neared the bottom of the steps. "Your mum and dad wouldn't want you to get hurt, would they? They'd never want you to go looking for Black!"