Gentle Hearts (A George Weasley Romance)

Chapter 1

Watching him walk off the quidditch pitch after winning a game for Gryffindor was her guilty pleasure. She knew as a Ravenclaw she was meant to hope Gryffindor loses their matches because taking them out of the running would improve her own houses chances of winning this year's quidditch cup. Still, the smile full of pride for his team as he walked off the pitch was all she wished for. George Weasley hadn't ever taken much notice to her and to be honest, she hadn't taken much notice of him until last year, their 5th year. This year was different though, the Triwizard tournament was being held in their school which meant there was to be a ball, it was just announced this morning and she wanted nothing more than for George Weasley to ask her to join him.

"Sorsha!" yelled her friend and Gryffindor team player, Katie Bell, "Come on over we're going to throw a party in the tower!" Sorsha smiled, waved, and nodded back and Katie ran into the changing room. She turned to her friend Constance, finding her right behind.

"Will you help me pick an outfit and come with me? I need to make sure George notices me tonight."Sorsha asked.

"Duh," Constance giggled, "but I'm not sure you need as much help as we thought you would" she said nodding to the left.

"What do you mean?" Sorsha asked as she turned and looked behind her. She saw none other than George Weasley standing and looking at her from in front of the changing room door. He caught her eye and waved her over. Sorsha looked back at Constance, raising her eyebrows and making an exaggerated tight frown with her mouth and headed towards George. As she walked over, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. Her stomach dropped farther and farther down with each step causing her to feel like she had to drag herself across the path.

"Hey Sorsha" George said as she finally reached him with a kind smile on his face.

"Uh... Hello" she said as she stumbled over her words. Getting red in the face, she looked to the ground.

"I'm sorry, I know we don't know each other well but I know your friends with Katie, and she told me I should just come say hi and-"

"Wait, you've spoken to Kaite about me?" Sorsha cut in. Katie knew Sorsha fancied George, and she promised not to say anything, but she'd also promised to tell Sorsha anything useful.

"Well yeah, I, uh, I asked her about you this morning after the announcements in our first class. I asked her if she would introduce us properly but she said something along the lines of 'George you two have had at least 5 classes together over your time at Hogwarts, you know who she is. Just go speak to her." George explained, putting his hand on his neck and taking his turn to look at the ground.

"Oh yeah that does sound like something Katie would say" Sorsha said with a chuckle. George looked black up from the ground and let out a nervous chuckle himself.

"I just wanted to ask you..." George paused. Excitement filled Sorsha's body. Was he going to ask her to the ball without any effort from her? "I just wanted to ask if you were going to come to our after quidditch party tonight?" Sorsha snapped back to reality and let out a sigh on accident. George crumpled his eyebrows, and she could tell he was slightly hurt by the sigh.

"Yes of course I'll be there" she said quickly. "You probably haven't noticed me, but I'm always at the after quidditch parties that Gryffindor  throws. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I've noticed you, Sorsha. I just was hoping we could spend some time together at tonight's party." He corrected. His face seemed to be as red as the Gryffindor house crest and he was picking at his fingernails without noticing.

"Like... in a group or...?" Sorsha asked. She felt awkward asking but if they were on different pages, that would be much more awkward.

"No, er, well, I was hoping maybe we could spend a little time getting to know one another, just the two of us. I got these new candies from Hogsmeade last weekend and since you'll be there anyway..."

"George Weasley," Sorsha said with eyes wide and a smile emerging, "are you asking me out, like for a date?"

"Only if you want me to be, I know its lame but it's the best I could come up with since this morning when I decided I was going to ask you today." He said looking at her with puppy dog eyes.

"I want you to be." Sorsha said slowly leaning side to side very slowly as she tried to find her balance. She could not believe what was happening. George looked up from the ground and smiled at her.

"Amazing, I'll see you in an hour then?" He asked.

"In an hour." Sorsha assured him. They both turned and parted ways with George going into the changing room and Sorsha going back to Constance who was waiting eagerly for her to tell her exactly what just happened.

"What was that?" Constance spit out like she just got her tongue back.

"Oh nothing" Sorsha joked, "Just a question about Herbology."

"George is great at Herbology, I know that's not true! Come on Sorsh, no secrets!" Constance begged. Sorsha turned to Constance with a smile that filled her face.

"George Weasley just asked me to go to the party with him... like on a date!" She said practically yelling the end on the sentence before her head shrunk into her neck and they both let out a laugh.

"What? No way! What are you going to wear?" Constance asked?

"I have no idea"

Sorsha and Constance walked back to the Ravenclaw common room and knocked on the door. There's always someone who will let a fellow Ravenclaw in if they knock on the door since they all knew nobody wanted to figure out a riddle every time they entered their room. Especially on a time limit. The portrait got better at riddles every year and frankly, it was exhausting. A second year boy with his nose in a book opened the door and said hello quietly, not even looking at who was coming in. The girls said thank you quickly and ran up the stairs to their dormitory.

Sorsha looked through all of her clothes trying on outfits faster than ever before. Eventually she settled on simple black skinny jeans with a low-cut maroon tank top that had five large wooden buttons up the front. The maroon looked nice against her olive skin and dark brown hair. She looked up and down in the full length mirror. She looked at her long, wavy, dark hair, hazel eyes, she wasn't skinny, but she wasn't above the average size. She began to second guess everything. She had looked at herself for too long. George couldn't like her, she thought, it must be one of their pranks. With her eyes getting red and full of tears she looked to Constance.

"This can't be real, he must be up to something. I shouldn't go."

"Oh, you stop it. You know your head is lying to you. You look great, and you're a great person, of course he likes you. Wipe your eyes, fix your mascara and get your shoes on. It's time for us to go." Constance told her. Constance had a certain confidence in anything she said that made you just believe it. So Sorsha got her make up fixed and put on her shoes and before she knew it, she was walking out of the Ravenclaw common room into the halls.

They walked up three staircases hoping they wouldn't move before they got to the top before arriving at the tower in which Gryffindor's common room was located. Once they reached the door Sorsha took a deep breath and knocked on the Fat Lady's portrait, which offended her greatly. This time, however, it was because they didn't know the password, not that they didn't want to think. A laughing Fred Weasley opened the door looking like he had run to get there.
"Well good evening Sorsha Mckinnon, I've been expecting you." Fred said dramatically.

"Would you stop that, Fred?" An embarrassed George Weasley said from behind him. Fred laughed and walked away while wiggling his eyebrows at George and then at Sorsha and then at Constance.  

He pointed to Constance before saying "You can come sit with me if you like Constance, I assume those two will be busy." as he winked at her. Both George and Sorsha got red in the face and looked at each other.

"Come with me" George said. "I've got a place slightly less embarrassing we can go."