Mischief not so Managed

21: Right For Each Other

Lia:

I dressed as quickly as I could the next morning and rushed to breakfast and then straight back to the tower. Was I avoiding George? Absolutely. Why? I was terrified. "have you eaten already?" Angelina asked as I sped back into the dorm and closed the door behind me.

"yep" I said trying to regain some of my composure.

"what did you do?" she asked, watching me like I was about to explode.

"well" I swallowed "well, Cormac wouldn't leave me alone last night, he kept asking me why I was with George and what George has that he doesn't and I may have blurted out that I'm in love with George to Cormac". Angelina's eyes almost popped out of her skull.

"you what?" exclaimed Alicia who had been snoozing in her bed. She jumped out of the bed and ran at me.

"no way" Angelina started to hug "you love George, that's amazing"

"no, no, no" I said sternly "it is not"

"why?" they said together.

"because George was standing behind me and instead of me telling him like a normal human, I screamed it like a banshee at Cormac Mc bloody Laggen for the whole school to hear". The girls burst out laughing. "this isn't funny"

"and you've been avoiding him?" Alicia was almost bent double.

"trying to"

"come on, if we don't go now, we won't eat till lunch"

"what about my issue here?" I exclaimed, as Angelina dragged Alicia still in her pyjama's towards the door. I heard their laughter rattle down the stairwell as they went.

The first couple of classes were fine. George didn't taken Divination or Charms. Double transfiguration was a whole other game of Quidditch. I sat quickly in my seat at the front corner of the class, trying my best to make it look like I was busy. McGonagall approached me as the class filtered in. "that looks painful" she gestured to the scaring on my hand.

"nothing I can't handle" I smiled back at her. The class went on. Fred and George were late, as per usual. Bowing to Professor McGonagall as they entered. I just stared out the window, trying to figure out how to sort this mess. He wasn't going to say it back. I knew that. I knew it deep down that all of this had been too good to be true and that I was just dreaming of the stupid future we had talked about that day in the Room of Requirement. I wasn't what George wanted or needed. I was too full of childhood trauma and then teenage trauma. I was too odd and bossy and independent for him to be in love with me. I had tricked myself that day he had stole me away to the Room of Requirement. I had convinced myself that I was in love with him and that perhaps he was maybe in love with me too. I was stupid and ridiculous and out of my mind to let it get too far. I was terrified. I was terrified he would say no that he didn't feel the same. But maybe I was terrified of the other option that, maybe, just maybe, he loved me too.

"Ms. Jones!" McGonagall exclaimed. I snapped out of whatever dream state I was in and realised I had set the ream of parchment in front of me on fire.

"oh" I stood, she waved her wand and the fire disappeared.

"do you need a moment?", I had rushed out the door before she had even finished. I was so frustrated. The one good thing I had and it was about to blow up in my face.

"Lia! Lia!" Angelina called after me as I rushed down towards the lake "Lia! Wait!". I stopped right at the lakes edge. I picked up stone after stone and hurled it into the water again and again. "what did the stone do to you?"

"oh piss off Ange, I'm not in the mood" I muttered.

"is this over George?" she asked, her voice full of judgement.

"yes, it's bloody well about George"

"Lee, it's not that big of deal"

"actually, it's the biggest of deals, this is a bloody disaster"

"why? He's going to say it back, you know that"

"no" I threw a stone again "he's not"

"why wouldn't he?"

"just leave it Ange" I muttered, kicking the stones into the water. "it doesn't matter"

"Lia" she said softly, "he's going to say it"

"I'm not the kind of girl that boys fall in love with" I threw my arms out and faced her "I'm messed up and sad and dark and twisty and too damaged for anyone to love"

"you know that's not true"

"I am too broken for someone like George Weasley to love" I took a shaky breath "I'm not good enough, I'll never be"

"you are, you are, of course you"

"and that's even more terrifying" I said in frustration "I'm terrified that he'll say it, that he'll say that he love's me because that's when it all comes crashing down. Because he'll see that I'm not good enough or we'll realise that we don't work or he'll get hit by a fucking car" I yelled "I can't lose him"

"you're not going to" Angelina took a step forward.

"I won't if I do nothing and let him find someone who he deserves, who he can love"

"he loves you"

"Ange, I'm not the girl he wants to spend the rest of his life with" I walked past her and back up the path and there he was standing behind the trees, listening to everything I've just said "Great". I ran up the path as fast as I could.

"Lia" he followed, I heard his feet crunching on the path.

"just leave it George" I was mortified, the second time he had heard an embarrassing admission.

"Lia!" I kept walking, I was almost at the top of the hill when an almighty crack went off and George appeared right in front of me. He grabbed my shoulders.

"let me go" I pushed against him "let me go". He held me even tighter. "George, let me go". I pushed past him and kept walking.

"do you want to know what's the one thing about you that drives me absolutely crazy?" I stopped. I didn't turn around. "you overthink things till your head explodes and you convince yourself it's all going to end in disaster"

"I get it, you don't need to go on" I muttered.

"but I still love it. I still love that you drive yourself and me mad with the way your brain works. I love when you give out to me and boss me around. I love it when you have your quiet days that you just need someone to hold on to you and remind you that there's light beyond that one bad day. I love the way you poke your tongue out of your mouth when you're frustrated with concentrating. I love everything about you Lia, even the parts that you say are messed up and damaged. I love you" I didn't turn around, my whole body was shaking. "and you're not going to lose me. We are right for each other and we are never going to stop being right for each other" I could feel him behind me. "I know you're scared, I know". My breath hitched in the back of my throat as he walked around me. "I am too, absolutely bloody terrified" I didn't look up at his face, just straight forward at his black school jumper, worn from wear. "I love you Lia Jones", he tipped his finger under my chin and forced me to look up at him. Then he quietly and slowly pressed his lips to mine. I murmured against his lips, feeling the most exhilarated I had ever been.

"I love you too, George Weasley"

Author's Note:

Hello Lovelies,

I do hope you are enjoying this book. we are nearing to the end, only a couple of chapters off! 

However, this will not be the end of  Lia and George's story. My next book "Let's Go To War" will follow the pair and all their friends from the beginning of the second wizarding war!

So lovely to see so many people visiting my page! Make sure to vote and comment xx

love,

Bookishly Brilliant xx