Mischief not so Managed

22: Go Be Happy

George:

She's said it. She'd said it back. She loved me. What kind of dream world was I living in? we stopped and looked at each other for a breif moment as if we were trying to figure out if both of us had had the same experience just then, or if it was a dream. We walked in silence back up the castle. I could hear Angelina giggling away to herself the whole way up behind us. We went back into the classroom quietly. We sat back down. I sat down beside Fred. He kept elbowing me and hissing at me. "Mr. Weasley" McGonagall cleared her throat "I believe your brother is not interested in talking to you, or can you not tell from his ignoring of your constant attempts at seeking his attention"

"it's kind of important professor" Fred said from bedside me, I kicked him under the table.

"then by all means, share with us all Mr. Weasley" I felt my cheeks go flaming red, I spotted Lia sinking lower into her seat.

"just got a howler" I mumbled, McGonagall looked at me and then to Lia, she gave this weird kind of smile and then continued the lesson. The day went forward in a daze. Lia and I didn't talk to each other. We just sort of stood together, or sat in silence. We were leaving the great hall after dinner when she grabbed my hand.

"walk with me?" she asked.

"always", I weaved my fingers through her. The first bit of contact we had had since that light kiss on the grass earlier. We walked along the alley beside the corridor. The spring sun was starting to fall over the hills. She let go of hand to sit and place her arms on the stone wall. She lay her head down and watched the last of the sun light ebb away from the sky.

"I can feel you looking at me" she said as I sat at the far end of the bench.

"so what if I am?", I had been, I had been studying every line, every freckles, every slightly browner stand of hair in black mane. The way the sun fell across her skin. She tilted her head to look at me, her hair falling across her face. "can I ask you something?"

"go on" she stared back over the horizon again. "you said you weren't good enough for me", her face faltered slightly, but she kept looking forward.

"that's a statement, not a question George" she swallowed.

"why would you say that?" I asked, fiddling with the stray threads on the sleeve of my jumper.

"George" she began.

"it's because you believe it" I mumbled "isn't it?". She turned and sat properly on the bench, she looked at her feet, tapping them along the floor.

"you want to know what my Mum said to me, like an hour or two before I kissed you for the first time", I kept looking down, too embarrassed to look at her "she said 'she's a nice girl George, don't mess it up'". Lia let out a breathy laugh.

"you don't have to worry about messing anything up" she looked out across the courtyard, "I have a habit of doing that regularly"

"no, you don't"

"yes, I do" she turned to me, with a weak smile "if I had told Umbridge something, even something small or untrue, she would've left Cho alone. If I had told Cormac to fuck off sooner maybe I'd be okay and you wouldn't have to worry and maybe if I'd told you sooner"

"stop" I said softly, I looked at her. This time she looked back "you're scared aren't you?". She bit her lip and took a breath, nodding her head. "why?"

"people I love seem to slip away from me when it's least convenient" she muttered, swallowing her embarrassment. I stood and stepped into front of her. She looked up at me, her violet eyes glistening. I held out my hands she stood. Stuck between me and the bench, merely milimetres apart from each other.

"you see this" she grabbed my hands "solid, rock hard and unmoving" I laced my fingers through hers "Voldemort can come at me with whatever he's got, I'm not going anywhere, I promise"

"don't make promises you can't keep" she said so quietly.

"oh, I'll be keeping this one, till death do we part" something her changed, she looked up at me.

"you mean that?", I leaned down and connected my lips to hers. She opened up and let me in. Her hands slipping around my face, small and for once warm. I placed a hand to the back of her neck, weaving my fingers through her hair. She smelled like citrus and log fires and it made me dizzy. I broke away from her slightly to mutter against her lips.

"I love you". She wrapped her arms around my neck to get closer to me.

"say it again"

"I love you"

"hem hem" we turned to find Umbridge standing watching us, "I trust you both have somewhere to be". I rushed past her dragging Lia behind me we ran quietly up the main stairs when Lia stopped.

"you're going to leave, aren't you" she looked pained "you and Fred".

"we're thinking about it"

"before exams?" she took a shaky breath, I nodded. "that's soon"

"I know"

"good" she muttered.

"excuse me?" I spluttered.

"you aren't happy, so go" she smiled "go and behappy". If I wasn't already in love with her, I would've fallen for her allover again in that moment.