Except For You ~ {Fred Weasley}

Chapter 22

So much happened the day after the party.
Long story short, I ended up being shouted at by Miss Salty for yelling at Diggory. And she called me Gideon. So I'm calling her Maree now. It's confusing for me too, don't worry.
Anyways, I'm sitting in Charms, kicking myself for irritating Maree again. What's worse is that it wasn't George this time, so I can't use him as a lame excuse. Not that I'd try to excuse myself for this.
I'm watching Maree from behind, her hair naturally falling beside her face as she writes notes. The light from the window streams in, lighting half her face up, and she rests her chin in her hand. Her eyes follow her hand as she writes, her face emotionless.
As I watch her I can't help but think when she intends on talking to me. George had pointed out yesterday that she was definitely planning on it, because she didn't want me talking to her until she talked to me. But still, it was all I could do to not jump down next to her and tease her, like we used to.
Oh my god, Fred, it's been one day!
I shake my head slightly, and return to my own notes. Which I now know are pathetic, since I know what Maree's notes look like.
As I stare blankly at my notes, scenes from yesterday keep popping up in my head.

I had jumped up, not able to contain the anger inside of me. Marching over to the Hufflepuff table, my face went red. What was I doing? However dumb this was, I couldn't turn back now. I channelled my inner Gryffindor as I towered over Diggory.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing Diggory?"
He looked at me, amused, one eyebrow up. "I don't know, you tell me."
The words were out of my mouth before I could even register what I was saying. "You keep away from Miss Salty, 'ight? You can't have her."
In less than half a second, Diggory is also standing, his face now the opposite of amused.
"Last time I checked she wasn't your girlfriend. Which means you can't tell me how I can spend my time with her. Now go." He shoved me, before spinning and sitting down again.
As I returned to my table, the words finally sunk in. Dropping into the seat next to George, I say some snide remark back to him that I can't remember. If Miss Salty learns what I said, I remember thinking, I'm dead meat.

I was right. I'm dead meat. And not in the way that I can't function because I was laughing so hard, or in the way that I was seriously injured, but in the way that I may never have another chance to prove myself to her. Dead, rotting meat.
I start packing up, still thinking to myself, when I glimpse something in the corner of my eye. I turn to where Maree was sitting, and a book is lying face down under her seat, where she tucks her book bag. I jump to the row below me and walk over to it, bending down.
My hand hesitates, but I pick it up. I flip it over and read the title. 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'. It was hard cover and the title was embedded, with fading gold letters. The corners were fraying, in that way that old books do, and the pages were heavily yellowed with age.
I glance behind me, then move to the door and stick my head out. Maree is nowhere in sight. Unfortunately.
Tucking the book into my bag, I start to the Great Hall for lunch. I'm thinking of any loopholes in what Maree said to me so I could give her her book back.
But there was nothing. She didn't want me talking to her, and that was that. So I couldn't get that book back to her. Another scene replays in my mind from yesterday as I walk to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Don’t you think I know that? That I’m sorry for liking her so much I didn’t want anyone else to like her so I had more of a chance? That I’m sorry for bugging her all the time because I had no idea how to say I’m sorry for being twins with the biggest idiot on earth?”
I'm down in the dungeon, walking with George as we talk about what Miss Salty shouted at me. There was a sniffle, and I turned to look behind me. There was a flash of two girls rushing behind a corner, and I was certain that it was Del and Miss Salty.
I take a step forward, then retract the same foot. Miss Salty didn't want me going after her. She didn't want me to even talk to her. Fat chance she'd want me to comfort her. Not that I'd be very comforting to her right now.
I look back to George. "What was that about?"
George shrugged, then shook his head. "Something Del set up. I don't really know."
"What do you mean 'set up'?" We turn and start walking out of the dungeon.
"Did you really think I'd lead you down here to this stingy dungeon by my own accord?"
I nodded. He had a point. I guess this was just the easiest and quickest thing to set up without me knowing. Or Miss Salty knowing, now that I think about it.
I blow out, kicking my sole against the stone floor. I tuck my hands inside my robe pockets, trying to relax my muscles. George is saying something but I tune it out until he nudged me with his elbow. I blink and look at him, getting myself out of my daze.
"Sorry, what were you saying?"
"I was saying that we really needed to get going to quidditch practice. We totally forgot about it."
My eyes widen and I curse under my breath, fastening my walking pace.
"Yeah, come on. Wood'll never let us live this down if we're late."
I hadn't even thought about quidditch lately. So much was going on with me and Miss Salty, that it hadn't crossed my mind once.
Yeah, that's gonna change. I thought as I ran out of the changing rooms. I scowl, kicking off from ground. Luckily, quidditch practice is what I needed to help get my mind off everything.
As soon as I kicked off of the ground, it was like the cool air whipping around my face was cleansing my thoughts clean of anything but what was happening at that moment.

I'm jolted back to reality by George, who's poking me.
"Hello?" He shakes his head, tsking. "I don't think there's anything in there." He says to the others.
"Fair lot more than you." I joke, reaching and dumping some food onto my plate. Ron and Harry laugh, and I even manage to get Hermione to smile.
My eyes wander over to Maree, who's sitting and laughing with Del and her other friends at the Ravenclaw table. She lets the others talk as she dips some bread into her soup, some soup I've never seen before.
I quickly remove my eyes from the back of her head, looking back to the conversation going on at my own table. I joke and laugh like I usually do, but my mind is with Miss Salty, that night I saw her use my jacket. That night I thought she was asleep and she actually heard my entire confession. That night where I messed everything up.
I suddenly realise that I never told her why I avoided her for those few weeks before the party.
I had been writing songs about her, as she now knew, because she's not an idiot and picks up on the smallest details no matter how concealed I think they are. Anyways, I knew that at some point I would blurt out that fact, along with my feelings, had I spent more time with her.
I mean, in the long run, it didn't really matter, she knew anyway, but I didn't know that!
Well, I should have guessed. That girl is the smartest girl I know. She would have figured it out pretty quickly anyways.
If only I could go back and tell myself to not say any of what I did to Diggory. Maybe I wouldn't be in this mess. But I am. Unfortunately.