Just Like Magic (George Weasley)

Four.

I didn't feel bad about getting angry at George. He needed to learn we weren't friends. He couldn't just ask me about my personal life because he wanted to be nosey. I didn't appreciate that at all. It was a total invasion of privacy and my feelings.
   
It was nearly Christmas now, and there was another Hogsmeade trip before Christmas. I decided not to go, because if I'm being honest I didn't want to leave the castle because I didn't know if my dad was close by or not, and I didn't want to give him a chance out in the open to get me.
   
I spent the day with Lupin. We hung out and had tea together in his office. It was a nice day with him, honestly. He told me about how he's going to start training Harry to defend himself against the dementors once we are back from the Christmas Holidays.
   
It was a good day until dinner, when Harry Potter came over to the Slytherin table and asked me to talk to him. I said okay and we left the Great Hall and stood in the Entrance Hall. He didn't waste time with small talk. His tone is hard as he asks, "Did you know that your father and my father were best friends while they were in school? And that he's the one that told Voldemort where my parents were so he could kill them?"
   
So he had found out. I was hoping that he wouldn't, but somehow he now knew.
   
"I did," I say, nodding. "I'm sorry I never said anything. I didn't want you to know. It was better for you that you didn't know."
   
"So I guess you also knew that your father is my Godfather."
   
I am taken aback. Out of everything that my mum told me about my dad, that wasn't one of them. "N-no Harry. I didn't know that. I'm sorry. I knew they were friends, best friends, and he betrayed them, but I never knew that he was your Godfather. Professor Lupin is mine. He knew Sirius too."
   
"Lupin is your Godfather," he says, sounding just as surprised as I was.
   
"He is," I say, nodding. "Sirius wanted your dad to be my Godfather, but my mum prefered Remus. She said he was calmer, more caring."
   
"It just doesn't make sense," he says now, "Why would your dad want my dad to be your Godfather but then turn around a few years later and betray him."
   
"I don't know," I say shrugging, "Unfortunately I never knew my father. He went to jail before I could get to know him. I don't understand why he's done what he has."
   
"I just wish I would have known before. Things would have made a lot more sense."
   
"I wish I didn't know," I admit to him, "I didn't want you to feel the same way that I do."
   
"I understand," he says nodding. "I know we've only spoken twice, but I can tell that you blame yourself a lot for what Black did. You're not him. You're different from the other Slytherin's. I almost think that maybe you're...good."
   
"Not all Slytherins are evil. We don't all go bad." I say shrugging. "Not all Gryffindors are pompous and arrogant like all of the people in my house think. I wish people at our school wouldn't judge each other so hard. It's not right."
   
"You're alright, Black," I say, nodding. "I just hope your father doesn't come after me again, because I won't hesitate to hurt him if he does."
   
He stalks past me then, leaving me in the entrance hall. He was such an intense kid. Then again I guess I kind of was, too. With the childhoods that we had, it made sense I guess. He got stuck with his Aunt and Uncle, and from what I heard they're terrible to him. My mum loved me, but my stepdad really didn't. I was a reminder that my mum was with someone who was insane.
   
He knew my dad was in jail, that he was accomplice to a murder of his best friend and his wife. He didn't like that information. He always watched me like he was just waiting for me to go bad, too. I didn't like it. I was sad that he took Joshua when mum died, but I was glad to get far from him.
   
I was pulled out of my thoughts by a voice saying, "Why are you out here by yourself, Black?"
   
It was George Weasley. I just couldn't escape him.
   
"I was talking to Harry," I told him. "He found out about my dad and his dad being best friends."
   
"Shit," he breathes, "he did? Wow. How did he find out?"
   
"I don't know," I say, shrugging, "He just said he knew. He also said that my father is his Godfather. That was news to me, I didn't know that."
   
His brown eyes grow a few sizes. "You're serious?"

I nod, "I am." I let out a sigh. I suddenly felt bad for how I felt about how I acted the last time we talked. "Listen, George, I'm sorry for blowing up on you the last time we spoke. I just don't like talking about my dad, and that seems to be the only thing you are interested in talking about."
   
"No. I'm sorry, Penelope. You were right, I don't know you. We're not friends. I should have known you don’t like talking about your dad. If he were my dad I'd probably feel the same."
   
It made me smile. He understood.
   
"I promise you your dad isn't the only thing I'm interested in talking about with you," he continues. "But right now I have to go find Fred in the library. I'll see you around, Black."
   
"Yeah, I'll see you around, Weasley."
   
He takes off to find his twin then. It was nice to have apologized to him. He didn't judge me based on who my father was, and neither did Harry. It was nice. My entire life people have thought I'd be just like him when I got older. The only people who didn't were my mum, my brother, and my grandparents. But I guess now I could add George and Harry to that short list.
   
I went home for Christmas, and it was a lovely time. I got to see my brother a few days after Christmas. My ex-stepdad wasn’t very happy when he found out that Sirius was on the loose again. I wasn't stupid enough to mention that he was near my school to anyone, because my grandparents would keep me home from school if they knew, and I was safer at school than I was at home.
   
They were delighted to hear that Remus was my new Professor. They knew how much I missed him and they were glad I could spend time with him again. When I went back to school I heard a rumor that my dad had sent Harry Potter a new broom. A Firebolt broom to be exact and Professor McGonagall took it from him to see if it had been tampered with.
   
When I got back to my dorm, I saw I had a present waiting for me too. It was a necklace. Beautiful silver chain with a teardrop diamond pendant. It was gorgeous, but there was no note. I asked Nadine if it was from her, she shook her head and said no. That only left one other person, my dad.
   
I took it to Professor Lupin’s office. I bursted into his office saying, "Remus, I need to talk to you. It's important."
   
He was standing with Harry. They both looked at me stunned. "Very well, kid, but can we make it quick. I'm with a student."
   
I handed him the case the necklace was in and I said, "I think my dad sent me this. You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, can you make sure it hasn't been tampered with?"
   
"Of course," he says nodding. "If I find that it hasn't been messed with, would you like me to give it back to you?"

"No." I say without thinking about it. If it was from my dad, I didn't want it. "Unless I find out someone else sent it to me."
   
"Very well, I will start checking it out as soon as Harry and I finish for the night."

"Thank you," I say, nodding.

"Anytime, kid," he says nodding back.

Remus didn't end up finding anything. It was March by the time he told me he didn't see that it was tampered with. If it was from my dad, he didn't try to mess with me. He didn't mess with Harry's broom, either. He got it back right before the Gryffindor VS Ravenclaw Quidditch game. Gryffindor won the game thanks to Harry.
   
The next day, everyone at the Gryffindor table looked tired. When I said this to Nadine, she said, "You haven't heard? Your dad was inside of the castle again. He had a knife. He attacked that Weasley kid. The one Harry is friends with."
   
"He attacked Ron?" I ask, even though I wasn't exactly asking for an answer. "Oh no. Well, he looks okay."
I now had a terrible feeling in my gut. My dad had attacked Ron. Why was he going after Ron? Because the Weasleys were considered Bloodtraitors? That's the only reason I could think of that would be motive enough to go after Ron.
   
I got up and headed over to the Gryffindor table. I stood behind Harry, Ron was sitting across from him at the table so I was standing facing him.
   
"Is it true? Did my dad attack you Ron?" I ask, he looked up at me and nodded.
   
"I woke up to him standing over me holding a knife."
   
"I'm so sorry he did that to you," I say, quickly.
   
"It's not your fault, Penelope," says Harry, "you didn't let him in here."
   
"He's still my dad," I say, shrugging.
   
"You haven't seen him since you were 2, Penelope. It's not your fault." Says George Weasley, he was sitting next to Fred at the table.
   
"I'm glad you're not hurt, Ron," I tell him looking right at him.
   
"Thank you," says Ron, nodding. "I got lucky this time."
   
"Hopefully there isn't a next time," I say before I walk back to the Slytherin table.

____________________
Here's part 4!

I can't wait until she finds out that Sirius is innocent. I just can't wait.

But it's going to break my heart when she has to tell him her mom is dead.

-Emily Winchester.