Forbidden

13

I rushed to the Slytherin common room, quickly dropping off my bag before making my way around the castle in search of George. Having gotten to know him well, I knew a few of his hiding spots. But where would I go if I were an angry redhead male? My eyes lingered towards the Quidditch pitch.

That seems like a good place to start looking. George often talked about Quidditch as his release and how much he missed it. Maybe this is where he would go to let off steam. I walked towards the grounds with haste, wrapping my arms tightly around myself as I realised I had forgotten to grab a jacket. The sky was darkening, with clouds threatening to burst into a cold downpour of rain at any moment.

As I neared the pitch, I spotted the familiar red hair of the man I had grown to adore. He stood in the middle of the pitch, swinging his bat and hitting a Quaffle each time it returned to him.

"George!" I called. He turned quickly to face me, his expression dropping as I approached. He turned back around, hitting the Quaffle again. My heart sank at his coldness.

"George, please talk to me," I spoke softly, just a few meters from him.

"What is there to say?" he muttered, swinging his bat once more. This broke me even more.

"Please, Fred's worried," I pleaded. He whipped his head around to me, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh, so you only came to talk to me because of Fred?" His voice was laced with anger, and I felt myself shrink slightly. He noticed and his face softened. This time, instead of hitting the Quaffle again, he caught it and put it away. I couldn't help but admire his muscles under his jumper as he caught the ball with ease.

"George, please tell me what's wrong? Why did you storm out earlier?" I knew Fred had mentioned George wanting to ask me to the Yule Ball, and the thought of being on his arm made my belly burst with butterflies. But why was he acting like this? It almost seemed like he was jealous. But surely not...

"Why did I storm out? Come on, Scarlett, surely you're not that oblivious!" George stood with his hands on his hips, occasionally combing a hand through his hair in frustration. Thunder boomed above us, small specks of rain starting to land around us.

"Well, you can't be this angry just because Ron called me by my last name..." My voice rose slightly. Why couldn't he just tell me what was going on? George laughed humourlessly.

"Come on, Scarlett! You're a bloody intelligent witch. Why can't you figure this out?" He gestured wildly. The rain started to get heavier, dampening our hair.

"Because I said I had a date?" I replied, not wanting to reveal that Fred had already told me George wanted to take me. "But I lied, George! I lied to spare your brother's feelings. Because, in truth, who would actually want to go to the Yule Ball with a Lestrange?" I almost shouted.

"Me, Scarlett! I want to go to the ball with you, for fuck's sake!" he exclaimed, rain dripping down both our faces.

"Then why didn't you ask me?" I spoke quietly, my heart aching.

"Because I knew you'd say no. Who would want to go to the ball with a dirty Weasley? Especially someone of your class..." He instantly regretted the last part. George, of all people, never judged me because of my class. I never cared about that. I stood in shock, tears brimming in my eyes. George could see he had upset me but didn't know what to do. He started to walk away, back toward the school, but this time I wasn't letting him storm off.

"That's not fair, George!" I yelled, causing him to turn back to me, his eyes now remorseful. "You say how could I be so oblivious! But look at yourself! How could you ever think I would feel that way? I would never call you that..."

"I'm sorry, Scarlett..." he started, but I cut him off, anger building in me.

"No! You don't have the right to say that! I would have said yes, George! How can you be so oblivious? How could you not realise it was you I smelt in the Amortentia, that it's you I enjoy spending time with... that it's you I bloody like!" I shout, the words leaving my mouth in a blur.

George stood staring at me in shock, the rain pouring around us still. My heart raced in my chest. What if he didn't feel the same way? What if I was about to lose him as a friend? But I didn't have much time to let my thoughts spiral before George strode up to me, placing a hand on my cheek and another behind my back. He pulled me close, crashing his lips onto mine. In an instant, my hands grasped his jumper, pulling him closer, the urgency in our kiss evident. We both wanted this. His lips moved fast against mine, taking in every emotion we had for one another. My stomach filled with butterflies at the touch of our skin, but I longed for more still. Thunder erupted again, breaking us from the moment.

George looked down at our drenched uniforms, a small smile forming on his lips from our recent encounter. His hands rested on the small of my back whilst mine rested against his chest, the thudding of his heart evident against my palms.

"You're beautiful Scarlett," George spoke softly, resting his forehead against mine.

"You're not too bad yourself George," I smile, leaning up to place a kiss softly against his lips. Before I could pull away, his hand caught my cheek, pulling me in for more. As we pulled away, a wide smile played on both our lips.

"So then, what colour tie do I need to buy? I'm assuming you already have your dress?" He winked playfully as a smirk played on my lips.

"You're not going to like it," I giggle as he rolls his eyes and groans.

"I should've bloody guessed. Well, if I'm wearing green for you, one day you have to wear red for me," he kisses me quickly again, I laugh softly at his mock disgust for green.

Authors note: Short and sweet chapter, let me know what you think!