A Multifandom Collection of Short Stories

17: Blood Quills-George Weasley

It was perfect. Everything was perfect. It was timed perfectly, it was carried out perfectly.

It was flawless.

Yet, she'd still gotten caught. An eye-witness, whom she hadn't seen, nor planned for, had ran and snitched to Professor Umbridge.

She was training under the Weasley twins as an apprentice to carry on the traditions after the twins graduated that year. In order to spite her controlling parents, she befriended the identical red-headed boys and began learning the tricks of the trade. Or in her case, just tricks.

She had completed her first solo mission with little guidance from her mentors, and everything had gone according to plan, aside from a minor snare called Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy, new to the Inquisitorial Squad, a group formed by Lady Umbridge herself, was hiding behind a column when the commotion of her prank had startled him. He peered out and watched the whole display before tattling like a little girl on her teasing older brother. She had gotten there just in time to be sprayed by part of the prank.

She had detention now with the Professor, and wasn't excited. Her head had hung low when she returned to the common room of crimson and gold. When she returned to Fred and George.

"That was amazing!" Fred said, slapping Nelle on the back. She smiled proudly, masking her fear of detention with Umbridge, or Umbitch as she had heard her called. She enjoyed the small party the twins and their friend Lee Jordan had set for her. She smiled and laughed, but she was sure George knew her fears.

And he did.

George and Nelle were best friends. No one in the history of people were closer than Nelle and George. They had met on the first day of her first year. George had gotten separated from Fred on the Hogwarts Express, and in an effort to find his brother, stumbled upon Nelle, crying in her compartment, alone. Her cat, that she had had for years before starting school, had died that morning and she was devastated. Her parents had to practically shove her onto the train. Twelve year old George had already invaded her privacy, so he asked her what was wrong. She explained--through sobs--about her cat, who was named Fred. He told her he had a twin brother named Fred. She told him that she was scared because she only had younger siblings and didn't have any friends.

"I'll be your friend," George had said. She accepted and let him tell her about the school and houses and things until Fred came looking for him. Nelle was excited at meeting George's twin. But then they arrived at the school and she was separated from her second year friends. She was sorted into the same house as the twins, and it eventually turned into a friendship where they, at least she and George, spent every waking second together. George cared about her, and she about him.

There had never been romantic feelings. That would be absurd.

Nelle sat staring at George as he laughed at Fred's joke that wasn't very funny, remembering that first day together. She had comforted her while she cried, and she was sure he'd do it again. She realized she was frowning and quickly lifted up and laughed before anyone noticed, but the fear was lingering, like a mist behind her eyes.

"Detention Jones. Tomorrow. After classes. My office," Umbridge had said, her face red and dripping in pink paint from Nelle's display. At least now, her skin matched her outfit.