Just Like Magic (George Weasley)

Eleven.

When I got back to the Slytherin dorms that night. I found Nadine was the only girl in here when I arrived. It was almost like she was waiting for me. I quickly found out that she was. She doesn't waste time with small talk, she gets right into what she wants to say to me, "So what are you best friends with the Weasley twins now?"
   
"I wouldn't say Best Friends, but we're definitely friends, yeah," I admit, shrugging, and sitting on my bed, grabbing a book I was about to start reading.
   
She rolls her green eyes. "What are you doing, Penelope? Do you not think? You're already Sirius Black's daughter and now you’re going to add Fred and George Weasley's friend on top of that? Are you trying to make it so no one ever talks to you again?"
   
It was time for me to roll my eyes now, "They're nice people, and they don't judge me for who I am related to, and I don't judge them for what their parents have done. They understand what it's like for me to be judged by people like you just because of your name."
   
"Who your father is has never bothered me, you know that."
   
"No, but you still try to make me like you, when I'm not. I've never been. I don't even know why I'm in this stupid house when I am nothing like anyone here. I just want to be left alone. I don't care what others think of me. Fred and George are genuine people. They're nice to be nice and they get to know someone before they form opinions about them. That's the kind of people I want to be friends with. Not with someone who says they don't care but deep down I know they do, like you."
   
"You're here because you're a leader, Penelope," she says, stepping towards me. "Since you've been made Prefect the younger students are reading, and they look up to you. If you paid attention you'd know that."
   
She was right about something. I guess I was so focused on not making friends that I didn't even pay attention to the younger students.
   
When I don't say anything, she continues. "Wake up, Penelope. You're a Slytherin if you want to be or not. You need to start acting like one."
   
I stand back up and I walk past her, not saying anything else. I just walk past her and I keep going. I keep going until I'm out of the Common Room. I started to strole around the castle to clear my head. I ended up by the kitchens before I had a grip in where I was.
   
I saw Fred and George sneaking out of the kitchens. Fred was carrying two cases of Butterbeer, George had armfuls of food. "Hey Penelope, what brings you over here?" Says George as he noticed me. That smile was back, and it was adorable.
   
"I'm just taking a walk," I say, shrugging. "I needed to clear my head."
   
That smile is stuck on George's face, "Why don't you walk your way up to Gryffindor tower? We're having a party."
   
"What? A party?"
   
"Yeah," says Fred, "We do it all the time. You should come, it will be fun."
   
"Oh I don't know, it's getting late. I don't think I should. If I get caught walking around the castle late. Snape would not be happy about that. You know he doesn't like me."
   
"Just don't stay too late then," says George, quickly. I don't think that I am going to get out of this one. I know I was going to end up at Gryffindor Tower tonight.
   
I decided to cave, "Alright, fine. I'll go to your party."
   
"Great," says George, smiling bug again.
   
When we arrived at Gryffindor Tower, Fred said the password and we all walked through a portrait hole. George let me go in before he did. The entire Common Room was noisy with older students. Fourth year and up, it looked like.
   
Fred began passing around Butterbeers and George laid out the food for others to enjoy. It was unlike anything like anything that the Slytherin's have done. Shit if this is how Gryffindor Tower is, I'd have to ask Fred and George to invite me to more of these parties.
   
I kept by George the entire night, not wanting to leave his side. I didn’t really know anyone else here except for Harry. I got some odd looks, which I expected but it didn’t bother me. Everyone had a good time.
   
At the end of the night, George left me alone to talk to Harry about something. Harry ran upstairs and came back down and handed George a silverish piece of cloth. George smiled and nodded before walking back over to me.
   
"Are you ready to head back to your house?"
   
"I don't want to, but it is late," I admit, feeling sheepish.
   
"I'll go with you, come on," he nods, and then he opened the cloth and draped it around the two of us. We were now completely invisible, no one could see us. We walked slowly, not to make any noise, and we didn't speak. We stood very close to each, closer than we've ever stood to each other. I liked it. I felt very safe with George. I've never felt like that with anyone before.
   
When we reached the Slytherin Common Room, I gave George a quick hug and told him to get back to Gryffindor Tower safely before I left him. I felt so carefree tonight. I was in Gryffindor Tower. Me, a Slytherin at a party in Gryffindor Tower hanging out with George Weasley the entire time. It was unheard of Slytherin behavior.
   
My high suddenly came crashing down when an angry Nadine came up to me, demanding to know where I had been the last few hours. "I was walking around the castle," I lie, and I walk past her so I could head to our dorm. She follows me.
   
"So you've been walking around the castle, huh?" She starts, her tone hard.
   
"That's what I said, didn't I?" I say, keeping my eyes forward.
   
"I've been going mad, worried, what if you had been caught?"
   
"Well, I wasn't," I say, keeping my time hard still.
   
"But you could have been," she says, her tone just as hard as mine. "Don't you ever think, Penelope?"
   
"Yes I think," I say, and I'm slightly offended by the accusation.
   
"Obviously not hard enough," she says as I push through the door to our dorms. The other girls were here, and they were still awake, but that didn't stop Nadine from coming at me like she was. "Now you tell me where you were right now Penelope Isabelle Black!"
   
"You are not my mother. Don't you call me by my full name." I tell her, getting in her face now. "I told you I was walking around the castle. It's not a big deal."
   
Again I didn't want to be around her. So I left the dorm again. This time I stayed in the Common Room by the fire, trying to calm myself down before I headed back into the dorm room again. I tried to think about what happened but George instead. I was happy when I was with him. I tried to remember that feeling to calm me down.
   
It worked, and soon enough I was calm enough to face Nadine in the dorm room. I ignored her presence as I made myself comfortable in my bed. Eventually I fell asleep 
   
The rest of January was quiet. When February came, it brought the second task of the Triwizard Tournament with it. This time we all headed at the Black Lake. The Champions were forced to go into the water and retrieve something that had been taken from them. I kept by Fred and George the entire time. They couldn't find their brother Ron, and George seemed worried about him.
   
Fleur came back first but she didn't have anything with her. She was wrapped in a blanket and taken to a heated tent for some tea. Then Cedric Diggory returned with his girlfriend, Cho Chang. He and Fleur had used the same bubble head charm to be able to breathe underwater.
   
Then Viktor Krum returned with Hermione Granger with him. It suddenly hit all of us where Ron was. He was Harry's stolen thing. He was who Harry needed to find. Harry returned to the surface not long after Viktor. He had Ron and a little blonde girl with him. Fred and George rushed to help them onto the dock. I watched and they hoisted them up and covered them with blankets. Fleur came over to the little blonde girl and began thanking Harry for saving her little sister. She thanked Ron, too, and she even kissed him on the cheek.
   
The judges took their time deliberating a winner. Probably so the champions and the others could get warm before being dragged back out here into the cold. Cedric and Harry ended up both getting first place, because Cedric returned first but Harry arrived at the people underwater first but he refused to leave until he knew everyone was safe. Viktor took second place and Fleur took third and last place, and we were all back by lunchtime.

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Here's part 11!

Nadine needs to pick what side she's on, and what she believes man.

I don't know what I'm going to do with her yet.

-Emily Winchester.