The Girl Who Hid | George Weasley

ch 17 : burnt toast

A few weeks had passed, and things were going really well for you. Classes were going great, and your classmates had continued to be extra nice to you. You had realized in that time that those who had whispered and gossiped about you before were usually Pansy, her friends, or Draco's. You realized that most of the students had your back here, and this helped you feel safe after the way you had been taken advantage of a few weeks ago.

You were eating breakfast and joking with your fellow Hufflepuffs. It had been a beautiful morning with a lot of sunshine peaking through the windows of your dorm, and you had been in a bouncy mood because of that, making plans in your mind to spend time with your friends.

Once you finished eating, you waved to your Hufflepuff friends and bounced over to the Gryffindor table where Fred and George were seated. George was munching on some toast, getting crumbs all over himself while Fred was absentmindedly eating some bacon, staring into space with unblinking eyes. You tapped them both on the shoulder and giggled when they both jumped.

They turned towards you with smiles, and Fred chuckled, "What are you doing here, Potter?"

You took a seat next to Fred and smiled at both of them. You shrugged and offered, "I don't know. I was going to come ask if you both wanted to hang out today? I figured you both had some fun pranks coming up for Halloween, and I wondered if I could offer some feedback on your plans or help at all."

George raised his eyebrows and choked, "You want to help us?"

You quickly waved your hands and denied, "Wait, wait. I mean, I don't want to get involved in the actual execution of the prank, but if it's harmless, I'd love to help and make sure it's going to work... I just think your pranks are hilarious."

Fred and George made eye contact before Fred started, "Meet us at the Room of Requirement-"

"-At 8 o'clock-"

"-And come alone."

Grinning, you nodded fiercely before yanking them both into a hug, avoiding the crumbs on George's shirt. You waved goodbye to both of them before leaving the Great Hall and heading off to class.

The day passed by in a blur, and before long, you were pacing in front of the Room of Requirement in an attempt to get in. As the door materialized, you rushed in, still fascinated when the door disappeared behind you.

You turned around to look at the room and beamed when you saw Fred and George lounging on a couch, already looking at you. You hurried over to them and plopped into the space on the couch between them, beaming at both of them. You began, "So, what are you thinking?"

George smirked, "Well, I'm sure you've heard about the Triwizard Tournament-"

"-From your brother and Hermione blabbing on about it a lot lately-"

"-But we want to compete too," George finished while his eyes sparkled mischievously.

You gaped at them and wondered, "But how will you do that? Isn't there an age limit of 17?"

Wrapping an arm around your shoulders, Fred chuckled, "See, George here said the same thing, but then I reminded him of our 4th year potions curriculum."

"What I'm learning?" You asked incredulously until you suddenly remembered what he was talking about. You perked up and questioned, "You think the aging potion will work?"

They both grinned at you, and George decided, "It might, but we don't have that recipe."

"And we didn't pay the closest attention to the instructions on how to make it when we were in our fourth years-"

"Too busy coming up with our pranks and candies," George explained while sitting forward in his seat.

You nodded as your mind raced over this possibility. They both stared at you expectantly while you fished for your potions textbook in your bag. You pulled it out and quickly flipped to the correct page in your book. You handed it to Fred and grinned, "Here it is! We just learned about this a couple weeks ago!"

George leaned over you to see the page too, and you tried to fight a blush as he was so close to you. The smell of cinnamon, sugar, and a hint of smoke surrounded you. You tried to ignore his scent and the somersaults exploding in your stomach as you began to explain the potion to them. They both listened intently as you covered all of the needed ingredients and instructions in preparing it.

Once you had discussed it thoroughly, you explained, "Now, I don't know if it will work, but it's worth a shot."

Fred whipped out his quill and a piece of parchment and copied the potion down. After he finished copying it exactly as written, he closed the textbook and slid it back into your bag. George sat back before softly drawing you in close for a grateful hug. You squeezed him back tightly. You then announced that you were going to try to get back before curfew started.

They both thanked you, and then you darted back to the Hufflepuff common room. You made it back to the dorms just before curfew, and you smiled at Cedric and his friends in the common room. He grinned back at you and gave you a thumbs up. You gave him one back with a sweet smile before you slipped off to your dorm.

You removed your shoes and your robes before laying down on your bed with a wide grin, feeling light and giddy. You swore you could still smell George on your clothes after your encounter with him and Fred, and you couldn't help but giggle as you lifted your collar to your nose and lightly sniffed.

Cinnamon swirled into your awareness again, and you fell asleep dreaming of a coffee shop with sweet cinnamon rolls and burnt toast.