Secrets Only Trouble Knows - George Weasley

13 - What a Feeling

The following week after the first Quidditch match of the season was as wild and exciting as the ones leading up to Halloween. It was the final push towards the end of The Pranking War and everyone was especially keen to see what was in store for George and me.

I was ready for it to be over. I'd surprisingly enjoyed the war for awhile, but now I was growing quite tired of having to be on my toes every second of the day to watch out for the others trying to prank me. I was ready to relax again. However, as much as I wanted the competition to end, I was feeling very conflicted about what would happen once it did.

All those weeks ago when we'd started the war, George and I had made bets about what the relationship between him and I would be like after the games ended. If I won, he'd have to leave me alone for good. If he won, I'd have to help him out with pranks and also accept some semblance of a friendship with him.

Initially, that's what I really did want— to be rid of him. I didn't want to deal with him anymore, I didn't want him to be around me. I wanted him to leave me alone forever and never bother me ever again.

But now... now I wasn't so sure.

I had made up my mind a long time ago that George Weasley would always get under my skin like no other— and that still held true. But... I couldn't deny that things also felt like they were strangely... dare I say, changing between us.

The Pranking War aside, on numerous occasions he'd treated me differently than he had even at just the beginning of this year. He'd come to the bathroom to find me when the troll was let into the castle, he'd done as I'd asked when Harry was falling off his broom during the Quidditch match and tried to pull him to safety, and he didn't seem to be as rude toward me as he'd been plenty of times in the past. I was seeing a side to him now late into the semester that I'd never seen from him before. Because of it, my blood didn't necessarily boil, per se, whenever he was around me anymore. I certainly wasn't used to such unusual feeling, but it was kind of... nice.

It was all very weird. And so confusing.

Part of me was almost beginning to think maybe I'd finally gotten through to him. I wasn't sure how, or when, or what it was that I'd said or done to make it so, but that's kind of what it felt like. And if that was actually what had occurred, I must admit I'd wonder if we would actually be able to form a genuine friendship one day. Maybe I wouldn't hate him with a passion if he continued to act like this toward me.

But then again, I was probably being naive, entertaining even just a sliver of the idea that things could possibly improve for the better between us. More than likely this was just some weird blip happening in the time-space conundrum and it was only a matter of time before this nice little break ended and he'd return to his cruelty. Either that was it, or I was developing a brain condition that was causing me to be utterly delusional. Because surely there was no way George Weasley had actually changed his opinion of me and was starting to treat me better. I mean, right?

I had so many questions about what the future would hold once the games ended. But now it was Saturday in the middle of November and the Pranking War had officially come to a close, which meant I would find answers to my swirling thoughts soon enough.

My friends and I had decided we'd meet up for breakfast like usual to count the points of the competition, so after dressing ourselves, Callie and I anxiously made our way to the Great Hall and found everyone else already occupying the Gryffindor table.