Catch Me If You Can → George Weasley

Sixteen

Apollo did not feel his best. It was understandable, with the burns all over his body. When the sun finally rose, the blonde was quickly to get on his feet to be the first to use the washroom. He tentatively pulled the t-shirt he was wearing over his head, and looked in the mirror. His chest was bandaged, and quite frankly, he hated how it looked. He could see the blistering skin peeking out. Not only were there bandages on his chest, but on his arms as well. He was sure someone would end up noticing, and that was not something he wanted.

With a sigh, he threw on a long sleeved shirt to cover up the bandages. He finished the rest of his morning routine before leaving to gather all that he needed. It was time for the show, finally. After all the time he put into practicing, he was relived he would only have to play the songs one last time.

The boy met up with Cedric and Adrian in the Great Hall for breakfast, but he was not hungry. Not with the fear of messing up. While he knew there would be no repercussions to messing up, it did not stop his nerves.

"Apollo, you're going to do fine," Cedric assured his restless friend, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. The physical act caused the blonde to groan in pain. Cedric pulled his hand away with a frown. "Are you okay?"

Across the Ravenclaw table, Adrian was staring at his friend with furrowed eyebrows. There was hardly anyone else at the table with them, not many people wanting to wake up so early on a Sunday. Apollo glared down at the table. He should have known his friends would notice. "I'm fine," He murmured. "Just an accident."

It was clear that neither Adrian nor Cedric believed him, but they knew him well enough to know not to push him. He would tell them in time.

With breakfast flying by, it was time for the show. Apollo went to get ready, though took great pain in doing so. Carrying his guitar was not as easy as he expected with burnt shoulders, but he pushed through.

By the time he was seated in front of the small group of people who had shown up, (only a few of which he recognized) his nerves had evaporated. His fingers picked at the strings, a beautiful tune emitting. With the music from other instruments, the show went smoothly. Cedric and Adrian came to congratulate the blonde on a job well done, and to Apollo's surprise, so did professor Lupin.

With a promise to meet his friends in the Great Hall, Apollo went to put away his belongings, which proved more difficult than he imagined with the soreness and pain he was experiencing. At this point, everyone had left, leaving him alone.

Nearby, George was pulling Fred along to the courtyard. He had payed attention to the billboard in his common room, and figured out where this show was going to be. He had insisted to go see it, claiming he wanted to annoy his new friend. The twins arrived, and saw no one but Apollo Payne in the area. Fred nudged his twin forward with a smirk.

George slapped his brother's shoulder playfully in retaliation, but approached Apollo regardless. "Am I early?" He asked the boy, a comical smile on his face.