Because I - George Weasley

2 : Because I was Late

"If you dare put your name in that cup against my Viktor, I vill stop at nothing to keep you from vinning. Do not assume that your Squib friend, godfather, and sisters vill not stand in my vay vhen I have something so urgent to accomplish. In fact, I may just use them as tools to help me. You don't vant that, do you?"

There was a puddle on the ground, growing bigger and bigger as the minutes passed, and the injuries continued to occur. I felt my jaw dislocate, and the shape edge of a ring cut my skin open. I looked down at my stained wife beater and coughed out a laugh.

"Vhy do you laugh, girl?" he growled, grabbing my face and pushing it back against the wall of the alley.

"Because you make it seem like I care about what happens to my sisters. I could care less what you do to them, especially since I didn't do anything to provoke you besides exist along side of your star student for a summer," I snarled. "I'll stay out of the tournament if it makes you feel less threatened. I didn't want to enter it either way. I've got no need for the money. Money doesn't buy what I want in life."

Igor let go of my face, glaring at me once more. He backed away, contemplating drawing his wand on me. It was the first time he'd threatened my life. Nor, did I think, would it be the last. He was nothing short of evil, power obsessed.

"I will spare you this time, girl. Not a word of this gets back to Dumbledore, or you'll wish I'd killed you here."

"Noted," I nodded. "Now, tell Viktor hello for me, yeah?"

He seemed to contemplate taking out his wand again but I was running back onto the crowded London sidewalk before he had the chance. People stared at me. That wasn't a surprise. Typically, teenage girls didn't run out of alleyways with blood running down their faces and clothes.

I checked the rusted watch on my wrist.

10:54.

I had to be four blocks away from the station and the foot traffic was just as bad as the honking stream of cars in the street. The building of a law firm on my right had a fire escape that lead right up to the windows on the top floor.

If I wanted to catch the train, my best bet wasn't to go with the flow of the people, but above them.

Climbing up buildings and jumping over narrow alleyways attracted little attention from the busy bystanders trying to reach their day jobs, classes, or trying to catch their trains. People were too distracted yelling at the people in front of them to hurry up to notice what was happening above them.

I checked my watch as I dropped from the fire escape of the last building of the street.

10:58.

I couldn't be bothered to apologize to people as I ran past them, knocking their coffees out of their hands, or bumping them into strangers. Sprinting into Kings Cross, I checked the time again. It was ten seconds until 11. I jumped over people's trolleys trying to get through the barrier before the train left.

4 seconds left.

Parents were flooding out of the barrier, trying to blend into the surrounding people. It was a tight fit, but I managed to squeeze through the barrier with my backpack. I had to jump to see the train. It was starting to move.

I ran towards it, hoping to just barely grab the door of the last train car.

Three sets of grabbed the back of my shirt, arms, and backpack. They pulled me into a car causing us all to tumble onto the floor.

I felt like my muscles were straining in protest when I tried to stand off the pile of boys underneath me. My vision was clouding from blood loss, pain, and pure stress. The people under and around me started to prop themselves back onto their feet, doing their best to block me from the view of other students who were surely staring at me from either side of the hall.