Forget-Me-Not (George Weasley Love Story)

Chapter Twelve

"George, Felix really doesn't want to see you right now..." Neville stood in the doorway, propping the door open with one hand and running the other nervously through his hair. The ribbed beige cardigan frayed slightly at the edges and his fingernails were laced with soil, as was his hair.

"Neville, can you just let me-" he tried to squeeze past Neville but he barred the way, staring determinedly at George's face and pulling the door slightly more closed.

"I really don't think it's a good idea, George-" George ignored him, calling out for Felix who had appeared behind him, clutching her wand tightly in her hand and surveying him with annoyance.

"What do you want?" She asked, holding onto Neville's arm and pulling him gently away from the door. "It's okay, Neville." She smiled softly at him and he hurried back to his weeding in the back garden, giving them some privacy. The instant he was gone George swept Felix up into his arms. She remained rigid and didn't hug back but her stiff arms softened slightly.

"I've looked everywhere for you-"

"You shouldn't have done."

"Felix-"

"No, George." She paused, taking a deep breath and frowning as if she had planned the entire conversation in her head. Which she probably had. "Does how I feel mean nothing to you?" She said at last.

"Of course it does." George frowned and stared at his feet, refusing to meet her gaze as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Georgie, I thought you were kind." Felix tried to hold back her tears. "How could you talk about your friend like that? What has Neville ever done to you? What have I ever done to you?" She looked incredibly frail, wrapping her arms around herself and bowing her head to try and hide her expression.

"Felix, I'm so sorry-" she threw herself against him and buried her face in his chest. He held her tightly and stroked her soft hair, murmuring in her ear as she nuzzled into his shirt.

"I've been around too many people like that, George. Possessive and jealous and cruel..." She lifted her head and their eyes met, hers filled with tears, a new sight for George and it made his stomach turn.

"I wasn't trying to be possessive-"

"But you were." Felix hiccuped through tears. "You upset poor Neville, you've upset me-"

"Oh come on, Fee." He snapped. "You know I didn't mean to, I just... Couldn't stand to have anyone thinking that way about my girl."

"Your girl?" Felix growled. "YOUR GIRL? Since when have I been YOUR girl, or anyone else's for that matter? Do you think you own me, is that it? You possessive, slimy git-" she went to storm back into the house, noticing Neville standing just away from the door and watching events unfold with a worried expression on his face. What happened next was too quick for him to even understand. George grabbed Felix's arm as she turned, pulling her roughly towards him. She tried to fight him off, desperately trying to prise his hand off her wrist and in the next second they were gone, a loud crack echoing across the now empty house.

"Oh." Said Neville.

"What were you thinking?" Felix screeched, pushing George who just sank back onto his bed back above the shop. "I could have gotten splinched!"

"Yeah, well, maybe that would have shut you up." George growled, causing Felix to pause. "Oh look at me, the poor homeless girl, I get pity by fluttering my eyelashes and cosying up to people for money."

"I'm George, I think I'm the worlds gift to women, everyone loves me and if they don't then I'll just start my sob story while they break out the world's smallest violin." Their noses were almost touching. George didn't remember the last time he had gotten so angry. The only thing he had really felt was sadness and bitterness, but for some strange reason he was enjoying letting this bottled up rage come pouring out. His only regret was that it was aimed at Felix.

"I've witnessed things you couldn't even imagine." He growled, grabbing Felix's arm and pulling her towards him. "So don't you dare think that I would use my experiences to gain pity-"

"You might think you're all big and tough, but really what portion of the darkness in the world have you truly experienced?" Felix hissed, unable to get her arm out of his vicelike grip. George laughed incredulously.

"All of this over me trying to protect you-"

"I DON'T NEED PROTECTING." Felix roared, pulling her arm free and pressing her wand sharply into his chest. Her voice fell deathly quiet, which was probably more frightening than her shouting. "I have spent ten years alone so why do you think I need looking after when you've been in my life for five minutes?" George did the math and fell quiet.

"Ten years? Bloody hell, Felix, you've been alone since you were ten?"

"Don't judge me-" she hissed but he pressed his hand over her mouth.

"Just be quiet for a second, please?" He removed his hand and continued. "Thank you." He paused, eyeing her wand cautiously. "I'm not judging you, Fee. Truth be told, I never knew you could get so... Feisty."

"Feisty? Are you serious, of all the words in all of the languages and you choose feisty?" She withdrew her wand.

"You just always seem so delicate, I can hardly help feeling protective."

"Next time, don't show it." She muttered bitterly. "You have no idea what my life has been like, what hell I've been through."

"Felix, don't be like that. We've all seen and experienced horrific things in our lifetimes-"

"Horrific? HORRIFIC?"

"Oh here we go again." George growled, face flushed a delicate pink, clashing badly with his hair. "Don't start with the homeless act again, it's getting old." He rose to his feet, towering over Felix and yet she seemed more intimidating than him. She surveyed him in bitter silence, running her fingertips across her wand as she glowered. "My brother is dead. I could have saved him, but I didn't. Don't start acting like you've been through hell because I'm living it and believe me, your life seems pretty luxurious in comparison."

"You foul git." She growled through clenched teeth, causing him to back up slightly. "I had to watch my parents tortured under the cruciatus for someone else's sick pleasure. I had to listen to them scream and slowly lose their minds, and then I had to watch the same sick freak finally give them mercy after hours of agony when they allowed them to die, so how dare YOU tell ME that MY LIFE IS LUXURY." George fell silent.

"Felix, I-I-"

"You what?" She snapped bitterly. "You're sorry? For what, acting the way you have or for my parents' violent murder? Is that it? Or are you wondering why I didn't say anything before? Well, yes, 'The name's Felix, my parents are dead!' Isn't exactly a great way to introduce myself."

"There's no need to be like that." George muttered, sinking back down onto the bed and watching as Felix paced the room, still in her pyjamas.

"Says the man pretty much accusing my friend of sexual harassment after thinking falsely that he had asked me on a date."

"Will you drop that already-" Felix stopped pacing and shot him a glare that froze him to the spot.

"Stop trying to control me then."

"I was PROTECTING YOU-"

"I DON'T NEED YOU TO PROTECT ME-"

"I DON'T PARTICULARLY NEED YOU TO TELL ME MY LIFE IS EASY-"

"How dare you!"

"How dare YOU-" Felix threw herself at George, pushing him onto the bed forcefully as their lips met, her teeth grazing his skin accidentally and his arms dragging her closer a little too roughly, but neither of them cared.

"I'm-Sorry." She murmured between kisses.

"Me-too." George nuzzled his face into her hair and they laid in silence, her arms wrapped around his neck and his around her waist.

"George?" She asked softly and he murmured in response. "None of what I said was the truth." But he thought otherwise. Now he knew why Felix was always so keen to change the subject when he asked after why she became homeless. She had lost her home. And her family.

"No-one can hurt you again." He whispered, but she was already asleep.