Begin Again (George Weasley/Draco Malfoy)

Eighteen.

November came and went, and I was so swamped with school work that I hardly gave George Weasley another thought just like I had before. I was too busy for a boyfriend. I didn’t need one right now. I did like George though, that much I knew. I also kept avoiding Draco if I could, but he did approach me at the end of November while I was studying alone.
   
“How’s Weasley and Potter after that fight?” He asks, not looking me in the eye.
   
“They're fine,” I say curtly, keeping my nose in my book.
   
“Good,” He says relieved, “I felt kind of bad when I heard.”
   
That got my attention. I look up at him, “You did?”
   
“Yeah,” he shrugs, “I didn’t want anyone to get physically hurt. I just wanted Ron to throw the game so Slytherin would win.”
   
I roll my eyes, “Well, I guess you feel better knowing they're fine.”
   
He can tell I don’t want to have this conversation, he begins to walk away from me. I guess I didn’t have to be so nasty to him, but I also didn’t want him to think that what he did was okay, because it wasn’t. He didn’t need to tear down my friend like that, and then go after his family, and then Harry’s mum. He was despicable and he deserved to get pummeled by Harry and George.
   
Before we knew it, it was almost Christmas in England. We were having a great time with our Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. The last class we had before holiday break we started on Expecto Patronum so they could try conjuring up a Patronus before we left for the holidays. I conjured up my Patronus, an Ibizan Hound, for everyone to see before we let them practice.
   
Only us older students were able to produce a full body Patronus. The twins both produced Magpie birds, Hermione produced an otter, Ron’s took the form of a small Jack Russel Terrier, Ginny made a horse, Luna Lovegood produced a hare, Seamus Finnigan produced a fox, Cho Chang produced a swan. The rest were all also small animals like cats, hares, and other small dogs.
   
The night before we were supposed to leave for the holidays, I woke in the middle of the night to the light of the Fifth Year’s Girl’s Dorms being turned on, and Professor Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House, started talking. “I’m sorry to disturb you girls, but Miss Fawley grab your dressing gown. I need you to come with me right away.” I don’t argue, I don’t ask questions, I just throw my dressing gown on and head out of the dormitory with Professor Sprout. “I’m sorry that I have no idea what’s going on, but I was only given instructions from Professor McGonagall to retrieve you and bring you straight to the headmaster.”
   
If Professor McGonagall wanted her to retrieve me and bring me straight to the headmaster that could only mean one thing: my dad had been hurt during work while doing work for The Order. Anxiety begins to fill my body and my heart starts to pound as my imagination runs wild with the craziest scenarios of what could have happened to him. When we reach the staircase that leads to Professor Dumbledore’s office she says the password and I am led upstairs. When I reach Dumbledore’s room, I see Harry and Ron Weasley are here as well.
   
“Ah, hello, Miss Fawley,” greets the headmaster upon my entrance.
   
“Hello, Headmaster,” I greet him back, “What’s going on?”
   
“We will wait for the other Weasley children and Hermione to arrive and then Harry will share the story with everyone,” Dumbledore explains and then adds, “There’s no need to make Harry keep repeating himself.”
   
Hearing Dumbledore say that the other Weasley children and Hermione were coming and that Harry knew what was happening kind of confirmed everything I had feared in my head to be true. I can’t wait for the other Weasley children to arrive, I need answers now. “Something has happened to someone in the Order, right? That’s why you brought us all here. It was my dad, wasn’t it? Something’s happened to my dad.”
   
The headmaster is calm while he speaks to me, “Yes, Miss Fawley something has happened to a member of the Order, but no it was not your father.”
   
“It was my father,” adds Ron sounding worried. I gasp in fear. Mr. Weasley has seven children, four of which are still at home, and his wife is a stay at home mum. If he’s gone, that family will go into shambles. I need to know what happened to him. Then the other three Weasley’s and Hermione run into the office, Professor McGonagall following them.
   
George is next to me as soon as he sees me demanding, “What happened?”
   
Instead of letting Harry tell the story like he told me he would, Dumbledore goes on to tell the children that their father was attacked and that he’s at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and that he’s sending us to Sirius Black’s house. He didn’t mention anything about Harry having anything to do with what has happened. I grab onto George’s hand, scared and looking for comfort and also trying to comfort him at the same time. I liked George and I wanted to comfort him but I am also so scared for Mr. Weasley. Dumbledore explains that we’re waiting for the people in the portraits to come back and tell us they found Mr. Weasley.
   
“How are we getting there?” Asked Fred, looking shaken, “Floo Powder?”
   
“No,” answers Dumbledore, “Floo Powder isn’t safe at the moment, the network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey. We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back…I wish to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you – ” He pauses when there was then a flash of flame in the middle of the office, leaving behind a single golden feather on the floor. “It’s Fawkes’s warning, she must know you’re out of your beds. Minerva, go and head her off, tell her any story.”
   
Professor McGonagall was gone in a swish of her tartan dressing gown.
   
Phineas Nigellus reappeared into his portrait behind Dumbledore then and told us that his great-great-grandson would be delighted to have us all as his guests for the night. Dumbledore instructs us to come closer to him before there are any unwanted visitors in his office. We all hold hands with each other while we use the Portkey to the House of Black. Dumbledore himself would not come with us, however.
   
When we appeared, Sirius was waiting for us, and to my surprise so was my dad. I gasped when I saw him and ran to him to give him the biggest and longest hug the two of us have ever shared. Sirius starts asking questions right away. “What’s going on? Phineas Nigellus said Arthur has been badly injured?”
   
“Ask Harry,” said Fred.
   
“Yeah, I want to hear this for myself,” said George.
   
The twins, Ginny, and I were all staring at him, we all wanted to know how Harry had anything to do with this. “It was…” Harry began but he paused, kind of looking lost, like he didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “I had a – kind of – vision.” He went on to tell us exactly what he had seen. In his dream, he saw Mr. Weasley getting attacked by a giant snake. We all continued to stare at him for a moment when he finished his story.
   
“Is mum here?” Fred asks, breaking the small silence.
   
“She probably doesn’t even know what’s happened yet,” said Sirius. “The important thing was to get away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore’s letting Molly know now.”
   
“We’ve got to go to St. Mungo’s,” said Ginny urgently, “Sirius, could you lend us some cloaks?”
   
“Now hold on,” Spoke my dad, “We can’t have you kids tearing off to St. Mungo’s.”
   
“We can go to St. Mungo’s if we want!” said Fred, sounding a bit offended. “He’s our dad!”
   
My dad was quick to shut it down and bring everyone back to reality about the situation. “And how are you going to explain that you knew Arthur was attacked before his wife did?”
   
“What does that matter?” Asked George.
   
Sirius took back over, he wasn’t as calm and understanding as my dad was, “It matters because we don’t want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions that are happening hundreds of miles away! Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?”
   
Fred and George looked as though they could care less what the Ministry made of anything, Ginny looked down at her feet looking embarrassed, Ron looked ghost white, and I stayed quiet. We knew Sirius was right, but only I would admit it out loud. “He’s got a point,” she said.
   
“I know it’s hard, but we’ve all got to act as though we don’t know anything yet. We’ve got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, alright?” Fred and George still looked mutinous. Ginny, however, took a few steps over to the nearest chair and sank into it. The twins glared at Sirius for another moment, and then took a seat on each side of Ginny. “That’s right, all, now let’s have a drink while we wait Accio Butterbeer.”
   
One Butterbeer for everyone came flying to our hands, as soon as I had mine I went and sat next to George. About halfway through our beers we had decided to move to the kitchen table and not soon after that Fawkes appeared. Sirius took the letter, smiled and said, “It must be a letter from your mother, here,” and then he thrusted the letter into George’s hand. George ripped open the letter and read it out loud to everyone, I read it over his shoulder.