Plot Twist [GEORGE WEASLEY]

34.

Late January brought along more snow and cold. Amara wore two extra jumpers to combat the harsh weather. Her skin became raw when it came in touch with the bitter air. The winter had never been this extreme.

She resorted to wearing gloves between classes.

New Year's Eve passed in a blur. She had spent it with her new friends. Amitee had yet to speak to her friends. The issue of who she loved was still treated as a joke. So, Luna had brought a huge bag of candy for the three of them to share.

Amara could have spent it with her best friends. But the fight with James...It made it difficult to be in the same room as him. She did not want to make James feel he had to avoid her when they hung out as a group. Gina told her it was no big deal she hung out with Luna and Amitee.

"James needs some time away from you, anyway."

When she had lost a friendship, her other ones had bloomed. Amitee and her became closer. Luna shared more and more of her life with Amara. Fred and her were starting to joke around more.

And George.

The air between George and Amara had changed in a drastic way. Maybe, it was her crying in front of him at the Yule Ball. She had shared a lot of deep fears with him. He had so as well.

From then on, they begun hanging out more. George and her would walk together to classes, trailing behind her friends. The list of inside jokes between them grew. George was also a bit softer with her.

She did not know how to explain it. Something had changed.

That morning, they stood in front of the main notice board outside of the Great Hall. The notice dictated the announcement of the second Triwizard Tournament task. It was to be towards the end of February. Like last time, the details of the task was not known. It just said the date, time and place.

"The Black Lake? What on Earth will they be doing there?" Amara wondered.

"A swimming contest?" George joked. "That doesn't really sound that magic-ky."

Rolling her eyes, Amara shook her head. Her arms hugged her freezing body. "Magic-ky?"

"You know," George made multiple gestures. "Magic-ky? So many wizard swimmers are trained to be underwater without magic. What are the champions supposed to do, anyway?"

Amara shrugged, biting her lip. "Perhaps, an underwater scavenger hunt?"

"What if they have to catch the Great Squid," George exclaimed in awe. "That would be wicked."

"That would wicked and terrifying! Harry Potter will be dead in six seconds. Not to mention, Krum, Cedric and Fleur!"

"At least the Irish won't have to be worried about their next Quidditch match with the Bulgarians," George snickered.

"I see the benefits..." Amara said, chuckling. She was an Irish fan, too. It would not be the worst thing in the world if Krum was not a Quidditch player. "Ugh, we're horrible. Good thoughts. Good thoughts."

Guffawing, George steered her by the shoulders.

They walked towards the Ravenclaw table. Usually, George would escort her to her seat and go join his twin at the Gryffindor table. It was a habit which had developed along with their friendship.

"Anyway, we are doing the final experiment with the Puking Pastilles. I promise you would not start puking nonstop," George said, clasping his hands.

With a shudder, Amara gave a shaky laugh. In the beginning of January, they had begun their trials for the Puking Pastilles. She had offered to be their test subject. That was a foolish thing to do; she could not stop puking for three hours straight.