George Weasley x Reader ~ Jaffa Cake

30 - Black Beetle

cw// very mild mention of drugs

You awoke sharply, sweaty and hot. Another dream. It wasn't exactly anything out of the ordinary, but it was so unpleasant to endure. As the final task got closer and closer, you could have sworn that they'd been getting worse.

They weren't the type of normal dream either, or whatever kind of dream was considered and labelled as 'scary'. The generic nightmare of 'being chased by a killer with a knife' or 'trying to scream but nothing comes out' never really showed up in the moving picture of your sleeping mind, ever. In fact, now that you thought about it, you hadn't had that type of dream since before Hogwarts, which was quite weird to mull over. Maybe not having an average nightmare at Hogwarts was common - perhaps they casually found a way to allow students to sleep peacefully. You lifted yourself out of bed and absent-mindedly began to fold the sheets back neatly, before picking up both your pillows and puffing them up so they were fresh and less flat. Despite the bad dreams, this was one of the nights where you slept where you were supposed to sleep - in yours and Hermione's dorm - as having George there had proven to make no difference. He'd confirmed that he didn't actually experience the dreams when he was on his own, but when he was with you they sort of seeped into his mind, causing you both to jolt awake in unison with confusion etched onto your faces. It wasn't worth the sacrifice, so you both went your separate ways in the evening even though he offered otherwise. 

You were just fastening the zip on a random skirt you'd found in your wardrobe when Hermione appeared at the door, knocking politely. It was Sunday the 20th, 5 days before the third task, so you hadn't bothered to check the time or worry too much about getting some breakfast - when your sleep was riddled with terrifying dreams, it was nicer to just stay in bed for a few more minutes in the morning. You offered a quiet 'come in' and the door creaked open, allowing a gentle draft of fresh air into the room. Hermione gave you a small smile and beckoned into the hallway before speaking.

'I know you're probably gonna say no because of our final exams', she began, wringing her hands, 'but do you want to help Ron and I with Harry? He needs to prepare for the third task.'

You smiled back gratefully and nodded your head,

'Actually, that would be nice. I'm too restless to revise right now.' 

'Oh! I'm sure you can teach Harry a few of the things you've learnt.'

Shrugging, you picked your wand up from the table beside your bed and ran it through your fingers, inspecting the wood as it shone in the light. You were well aware that your grades could be better, but there were probably a few hexes and jinxes courtesy of the little defence group that you could enlighten Harry with.

'I'm not great but I'm sure I can teach him something, I suppose', you mumbled eventually, putting your wand into the very convenient pocket in your thin casual jacket, 'I do know one or two things that he might not.'

Hermione grinned and took your arm. 'That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say.'

-

'Ugh, it won't bloody work!'

It was the fifth time in the hour you'd been with the Golden Trio helping Harry that Harry had tried a specific jinx of which he just couldn't get right. He'd tried twice, given up, mastered a different one, tried twice again, mastered two other ones, and tried once more. Not a single time had the jinx actually worked. You watched closely as Harry stared intensely at a small wad of gum that was stuck underneath one of the tables, before yelling something that sounded like 'waddlewashy' and groaning in annoyance when nothing happened. It seemed to you that he was trying to use the Projectile Jinx, but really just couldn't do it no matter what he tried. You walked to Harry and made a big deal of staring at the same piece of gum he was staring at, as Ron and Hermione stood in the corner waiting to observe your choice of teaching method.