"Didn't know you was into gingers, Malfoy?"
"Shut up Weasley"
-
Gemma Weasley shared many similarities with her siblings, the ginger hair, pale skin, freckles and a super sense of humour, yet she was the one that stood out from them all. Even her tw...
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The doors of the Great Hall towered in front of me, lit by the warm flicker of floating candles. For a moment, I just stood there.
Everyone was already inside.
My hand hovered on the edge of the door. I took a breath, wiped the sleeve of my robe against my cheek, and pushed it open before I could talk myself out of it.
I walked in as quietly as I could. Head down. Eyes locked on the stone slabs. If I didn't make eye contact, no one would see it - the red rims, the uneven breath, the way my hands were still trembling. I passed Ginny without a word. Hermione didn't even notice me. She was too busy pacing, eyes fixed on the doors like Harry might appear out of thin air. And Ronald was head first in his food as always.
I spotted Seamus and Dean halfway down the table. Safe territory. I slid onto the bench beside them.
"Gem," Seamus said, nudging my shoulder. "You alright? You look -"
"I'm fine," I said quickly. Too quickly.
Dean frowned, but he didn't press. He handed me a plate of food. "Still warm" He said smiling, trying to lighten the mood. I didn't touch it.
The Hall was loud - forks clattering, goblets clinking, the hum of hundreds of conversations swirling all around me. It all felt far away. Like I was watching from behind a glass wall.
I'd spent the whole carriage ride back pretending I hadn't seen Draco close that door on me. Pretending Harry's silence didn't cut deeper than it should've. Pretending I wasn't falling apart.
Now I had to pretend to be normal.
"She'll lose her mind if he doesn't show in the next five minutes," Seamus muttered, glancing down the table.
Hermione was mid-rant. "Your best friend is missing, Ron!"
Ronald just groaned. "Oi, turn around, you lunatic."
Hermione did.
And then everything stopped.
The Hall didn't go quiet, but it felt like it did.
I turned in my seat, my eyes catching on the entrance.
Harry had arrived.
He stood in the doorway beside Luna, his face streaked with blood, his expression unreadable.
"He's covered in blood again," Ginny said somewhere behind me. "Why is it he's always covered in blood?"
Ron squinted. "Looks like his own this time."
Hermione was already at his side, demanding answers.
"Where've you been, Harry? And what happened to your face?"
"Later," he said. "What've I missed?"
I didn't breathe.
He walked past me - close enough to touch - and sat near Ginny. She reached out, dabbed at his cheek with a napkin. He took it from her gently, eyes cast downward.
