Enchanted By The Thought

TWENTY EIGHT: Brothers Before The Others

I am good enough person to forgive you. But not stupid enough to trust you.

Since Seamus had been the one to see the aftereffects of Malfoy, it seemed that it was Seamus who was now another part of her friend group. The girls accepted him as one of their own now and where ever Beth was, Seamus was there too. Harry had noticed and she knew that he thought something was going on but she was too drained to tell him that Seamus was just being a friend to her. Besides, Harry hadn't seen how many breakdowns his twin was having; the destruction the hurricane called Draco Malfoy had caused. Even Maggie and Kat seemed to be at loss, not understanding how much it hurt.

Beth had hoped that maybe Maggie could relate but her friend refused to talk about the pain she'd felt when Draco had left her. It's in the past. I learned to live and move on. Maggie had told her, growing uneasy. We warned you, Beth. We warned you to stay away. And the worse part is you don't even know why he left you.

Her friends seemed intent on locking their lips about their warnings. Seamus and Dean had grown to be Beth's own shadows, constantly lurking around her, attempting to pull her away from the vortex of depression. She was grateful for them, truly grateful. They were funny and kind, always knowing just what to say to cheer her up. Even George seemed to know that something had happened and was sending her jokes and pranks. It was then she realized that she had her own friends. Harry had his and she had hers; that was all she ever wanted. The darkness pulled away from her and she grew lively again, joking with the boys and giggling with the girls.

"Oi, you can't blame me for mistaking that witch for a banshee." Seamus was telling Dean, both of them walking behind Beth. "She certainly looked like one!"

Beth turned and shook her head, laughing. "Seamus Finnigan! That is an absolutely horrible thing to say about someone!" She exclaimed and Dean burst out laughing, doubling over. "I swear, you two have the brains of a squirrel."

"Hey! It's true, Liz." Seamus defended himself, turning red. Beth giggled and her eyes landed on something beyond his shoulder. She froze, both of the boys walking into her. Her heart was twisting painfully and she wished she could forget Malfoy even existed.

The prince was walking with a pretty brunette, who was giggling at something he was saying. Her world stopped moving and she felt like her chest was going to cave in. She closed her eyes when she felt Seamus's arm around her shoulder, guiding her away from the sight. "Hey, hey, you're okay. Shhh. Don't worry about a bloke like him." Her friend was murmuring to her. She wanted to cry, to do something but everytime her eyes landed on Malfoy, she grew emotionless and distant.

Dean was rubbing her back soothingly and his touch broke the wall she'd built. She burst into tears, her body shaking with ugly sobs. She leaned into Seamus, clinging onto his robes as she broke down, again. But this time, it wasn't about Draco. It was tears of gratitude. "Hey hey, it's okay lassie. Cry a river. That's it." Seamus was encouraging her, his arms wrapped around her. She wanted to laugh at how silly he sounded.

"T-t-thank you." She sobbed, turning to look at Dean as well. "Thank you for everything. Really. I'm so grateful for the both of you." She sniffled as her cries faded and then they were all hugging. She almost burst into tears again but managed to swallow her misery.

She heard footsteps approaching and then Dean was hugging her, as if shielding her from something. He began to whisper to her, nonsense but she listened anyway. He was talking about Quidditch and how she should become a professional player. And when she heard his voice, she understood why. "Is she okay?"

His voice sent ripples of pain through her and she was suddenly holding Dean in place, securing him as her shield. Dean tightened his grip on her, holding her up. Why now, why here? Why her? Why couldn't she just let go and move on like Maggie had? "She'll be fine." Seamus answered coldly and she could hear his unsaid words. Without you.

"She was crying-" Malfoy began and Beth wanted to run far away from him, somewhere where he couldn't follow. "I heard her."

Dean's face turned away from her and she listened, curious. "You know mate, that's real bloody sad. That you recognize her cries before you see her. How many times have you made her cry and she didn't have her friends there to cheer her up?" Her friend snapped and she shivered. Here were her two friends, protecting her from the storm.

"Please, can we just go to our next class?" Beth pleaded quietly and Dean nodded once. The trio left Malfoy behind and Beth, for once, was glad.

~

"Liz, we need to talk." Harry's voice interrupted her thoughts and Beth looked up at her twin. He was by himself and he looked like he was on a mission. She sighed and moved her legs, patting the cushion beside her. He sat down, looking over at her. "I want to know about you and Malfoy. It seems that you two were an item."

Beth rolled her eyes, rubbing her forehead. "I already told you, I'm over him. It was a mistake, a stupid stupid-"

Harry held his hand up, silencing her. She felt the reluctance in her brother and grew scared; why was he worried? "Beth, Merlin's beard. Beth, Malfoy..." Her brother trailed off, looking away from her. "Malfoy used you." He whispered.

For some reason, she didn't go into shock. She just stared blankly; what else? What else was going to be thrown her way? "What are you talking about?" She whispered, not wanting to hear the answer. But the masochistic part of her needed to hear.

"Potter!" She heard someone shout and the twins both turned their heads instinctively. She saw Seamus, Maggie and Dean walking over, all of them looking panicked. "Harry, could we speak to you?" Maggie asked politely as Seamus sat next to Beth, pulling her to his side. She curled up against him gratefully, closing her eyes. She felt the couch shift as Harry stood up and went to talk to her friends.

She heard the low voices of Maggie and Dean and heard Harry's quiet one. She could feel his disgust as it morphed into anger. She wanted to hear what they were saying but as if sensing her thoughts, Seamus shook his head. "No, love, you don't want to know." He murmured. "Trust me. Not yet, not now. Maybe in time but not while you're in this state."

Her brother's anger morphed into shock and then it faded to understanding. She really, really wanted to know what they were talking about but was her fragile mind ready to take on whatever it was her brother had been so set on telling her? Especially when it came to him? She felt Harry's hands on her shoulder and he was practically exploding with sympathy. "Oh, my baby sister." He whispered, taking her from Seamus. "I've been so oblivious to what's been happening to you, haven't I? I've been so tied up in my own personal issues... I'm sorry. I should've been there for you."

Her twin was rubbing circles into her back and she fought the urge to cry. Crying was emotionally draining and she was already drained enough. "It's okay. You can't watch over me all the time." She answered softly and he let out a quiet laugh. "I mean, you got so angry with me when he kissed me on the pitch, I was afraid to even mention him to you."

Harry sighed deeply, not answering her for a few seconds. "Well, I was just angry over the fact that it was Malfoy. You know? We've been enemies for so long and you go and kiss him, I felt a little bit betrayed. I got over it but then you grew distant from me and there was my own problems with Dumbledore  and Snape-"

"I don't care anymore. As long as you're not mad at me and Malfoy stays far away from me, I'm fine. I'll get over him, eventually. I'm hoping our Christmas stay at the Weasley's will help me." She spoke up and Harry looked at her, his eyebrow raised. "Being around their family helps me."

Her twin nodded once and she felt his guilt; she guessed that it was because he was being forced not to tell her whatever it was that he'd found out. Oh well, it could wait. Right now, she just wanted to bask in the presence of her friends and family. Normalcy.