Call Me Em

Apologies...Sort Of

Chapter Six: Apologies...Sort Of

***Embry's POV***

It wasn't too long after I got to the lake that I heard footsteps coming down the hill. I looked up from my book to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurrying towards me, their faces red from running.

"There you are!" Hermione smiled as she plopped down next to me. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"How did you find me?" I closed my book and slipped it back into my bag.

"George told us that you come down here," Ron shrugged as he laid back in the cool grass and sighed. "Are you two ever going to make up?"

"What did you guys want?" I tried to change the subject as I felt the anger I'd felt from George's words last year. I had to force my hair to stay black instead of changing to a fierce red.

"Have you heard from your dad or Lupin lately?" Harry asked me nervously.

"No, I haven't heard from either of them." I frowned. "Last I heard from Lupin they were both somewhere in Ireland, something about wanting to be closer this year. I'm guessing that they knew about the tournament."

"Why would they need to be closer?" Hermione frowned this time. "Neither of you are old enough to enter, so both of you are safe."

"Who knows," I shrugged. "How much time until the next lesson?"

***

"Guess who?" I recognized the soft whisper as someone covered my eyes from behind as I sat in the library after classes had ended for the day.

"Hmm," I grinned as I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "Is it Fred?"

"No," he kissed my cheek.

"Ron?" I kept playing.

"Try again," he kissed my other cheek.

"Harry?"

"No," anther kiss on the cheek.

"Hermione?" I couldn't help but giggle.

"I should hope not!" Cedric pulled his hands away as he started laughing again. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek as he sat down in the chair next to me. "So how was your day?"

"Boring," I shrugged. "Nobody's talking about anything but the tournament. It's getting a little annoying already, I'm not sure I can take all of this until October."

"You'll be fine," he patted my leg.

"You're the only one who I haven't heard talking about it," I pointed out as I poked him in the side. "What are you thinking about it? Your birthday is in October, are you going to enter?"

"I was thinking about it," he twisted a strand of my hair around his finger. His eyes showed a deep and thoughtful look in them as he just stared into space for a minute. "It would be a great opportunity to be Hogwarts' champion, to compete and possibly win all that money. What do you think?"

"I think that you should follow your heart." I replied with the cheesy line that was used in almost every romantic movie, causing him to laugh again.

"Following my heart has led to some pretty great things," he gave a crooked smile as he moved his chair a little closer to mine. "Its brought me to the Quidditch team, good friends, and this really beautiful girl. You should really meet her, she has dark hair that seems to be a different color every time I see her, it's the same with her eyes. Then she has an amazing smile and laugh, when you see or hear them you can't help but smile or laugh back with her."

"You make her sound perfect?" I raised a brow.

"She is," he leaned forward and kissed me on the nose, causing me to blush and my hair to go pink. "She looks really good in pink."

"You should enter if you want to, if you get picked then I'll be there cheering you on the whole way." I kissed him on the lips, causing him to smile again.

"I think I'm going to enter." He held out his hand to help me up to take me to dinner. The whole way we were hand in hand and smiling.

***

"If you could would you enter?" Harry asked as I sat around the common room with him, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Seamus, and Dean. Dinner had ended an hour ago and now most people were up in their dorms getting ready for bed while we had decided to stay downstairs and talk. I hadn't seen Fred since our last class, he hadn't been at dinner which was odd for him. I'd also noticed that Lee and George had been missing all evening too but I wasn't as concerned about that, maybe they were all off pranking?

"Hell yes!" Ron looked at him as if he were even crazy for asking. Seamus and Dean also said yes while Ginny and Hermione said no, they reasoned that people had died in it before and the money wasn't worth the risk. Harry had also said no but didn't elaborate when Ron and Seamus tried to get a reason out of him.

"What about you Lu?" Ginny asked. "You haven't anything about it, what do you think?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "The opportunity seems nice but like you guys said, people have died from the different tasks. I guess I'd enter but I don't think I'd really want to be chosen."

"That makes sense," Hermione agreed as we heard the portrait door open. The others looked to see who it was but I just went back to reading the book on my lap. It was another Muggle one that Arthur had gotten me, this one was about a boy and girl who were in love but couldn't be together do to some fighting between their families. When everyone stayed quiet I couldn't help but look up and that's when I saw George, Lee, and Fred all standing a few feet behind the couch with nervous looks on their faces.

"Can we talk to you Lu?" Fred asked with a weak smile.

"You can." I narrowed my eyes at him as I closed my book.

"Up in our dorm?" He ignored my dismissal of his brother and friend.

"Anything you have to say you can say in front of my friends." I shook my head, waiting for them to either run or speak.

"Lu, I wanted to apolozie for what I said at the end of last term." George spoke up, keeping his eyes on the ground as he spoke. "It was rude and uncalled for, you didn't deserve any of it."

"What are you apologizing for?" I kept my voice cold.

"Being rude and hurtful about your scars." He glanced up at me as I scowled at him.

"What about the rest of it?" I prompted. "You know, how you trashed my boyfriend and yelled at me about having secrets?"

"Lu..." Hermione tugged on the sleeve of my shirt as a warning but I didn't care. I was still pissed at how George had treated me last year after I started to date Cedric. I wasn't going to forgive him until he apologized for all of it and to Cedric.

"I'm not going to apologize for saying something I believe." George shook his head.

"George don't be a git!" Fred smacked his twin upside the head, obviously annoyed that this wasn't going how he had planned it to.

"Try again when you stop being so thick." I picked up my book and headed up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. I wasn't in the mood for talking anymore.

George Weasley was supposed to be one of my closest friends. He had been there for me when I showed up at his home all bloody and refusing to say anything about myself. He'd been there for me with Ginny, Fred, and their parents throughout all of it. Then I found someone I liked, someone who made me feel safer than I've ever felt my whole life. He had to go and ruin that by fighting me about it.

I'm done with him and his "apologies".