Forbidden

14

George's POV

As the rain stopped, we quickly made our way back to the castle. Scarlett used a spell to dry our clothes quickly so we don't get a chill. Who knows how long we were stood out there in each others embrace, worth it though. I planted one last kiss on Scarlett's lips before making our way to our common rooms.

Entering the dorm, I found Fred sprawled out on his bed next to mine, engrossed in making notes for our skiving snackbox and brainstorming new product ideas. Our plan was to have them fully operational by the start of our next year at Hogwarts. Test them out of the poor new first years!

"Did Scarlett find you?" Fred asked, not looking up from his notes.

"Yeah, she did," my smile remained, catching Fred's attention as he shot me a suspicious glance.

"What did I miss?" He sat up straight, facing me directly as I perched on the edge of my bed.

"I asked her to go with me to the Yule Ball," my jaw ached from smiling so much, but the joy was irresistible.

"Finally! Honestly you two infuriate me at times!" He exclaimed. Fred stretched back on his bed, hands behind his head, letting out a happy sigh. "So, are you gonna make your move at the Ball then?"

I shifted slightly, feeling my cheeks burn. Then an idea entered my head, "Uh... I don't know... she probably just said yes as a friendship," I mutter, deciding to irritate Freddie some more.

"Are you really that delusional, George?!" He practically shrieked, arms flailing in the air. I sat staring at him, completely stunned by his reaction.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?! You really have no idea, do you?" I answered his question with a shrug and a shake of my head. He stood from his bed, pacing in front of me. This was too easy.

"Wow, am I the smart twin?" He muttered as he laughed.

"Fred!" I threw my pillow at him, halting his pacing.

"George, you're honestly so stupid if you think all she wants is a friendship. I've seen the way you make googly eyes at each other. She's always been nicer to you than me—" I cut off his rant with a laugh.

"Fred, you made her life hell. Of course, she was nicer to me! Doesn't mean she likes me," I rolled my eyes. If only Scarlett could see his frustrated little face now. She would love this.

Fred sat next to me, grabbing my head to force me to look at him, "Scarlett. Fancies. You." He spoke slowly, as if talking to a child.

"And how could you possibly know that?" I push his hands away from me; he still held the same dumbfounded look.

"Okay then, tomorrow at breakfast, invite her over to our table. Flirt with her, see her reaction. In fact, we're meant to be doing that extra credit again with her for Professor Snape tomorrow night..." he thought for a moment, a smirk playing on his lips.

"What is it, Fred?"

"What if I just accidentally get detention again, meaning you and Scarlett get the evening alone together in the Potions classroom," he nudged me playfully, actually that did sound nice. Maybe I won't tell him what really happened. "Come on, George, just flirt. You've done worse with others. What's so different with Scarlett? You're acting all shy!"

I sigh, it's true. I have been more cautious with Scarlett. But I haven't been my usual self. "I don't know, Fred. I'm scared of risking losing a great friendship. She's been a massive asset in our business, to the point I'm debating asking her to become a partner! If this doesn't work out, it might be the end of it all."