𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 | B. WEASLEY

─ three, bitter words

HANDS OF GOLD
act one, chapter three
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━ GEMMA WOOD,
SEPTEMBER 1989 ━
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𝗚emma would like to say to Charlie, "Fuck you." Of course he wasn't sick, just a migraine which Madam Pomfrey quickly took care off. Now, that isn't the reason why this sweet, and nice Hufflepuff would like to strangle Charles Weasley. No, the reason is simple ━ he vomited on her and Bill had acted quick, grabbing a towel from Madam Pomfrey and dabbed ❨ quite viciously in Gemma's point of view which was a slight exaggeration ❩ at the vomit, and it had went into her eyes. And that's how Gemma Wood vomited, for the first time in her life. She hated the way it burned her throat, she hated the way her eyes felt like they were being burned and she hated the look of pure sympathy on Bill's face.

Which is a long yet really related explanation why Gemma was marching towards the Quidditch Pitch, Beater's bat in her hand, Nymphadora trailing far behind her trying to keep up but failing because she tripped three times already and Gemma was a Quidditch player for good reason.

"Charlie!" Gemma screeched and the Seeker fell off his broom. True, the incident happened this morning but Madam Pomfrey had only cleared Charlie a few hours ago, meaning Gemma was in class when that happened. "Fuck you!"

A chorus of oo's rang out from Charlie's Quidditch team and mentioned boy stumbled to his feet, dusting off the dirt that had plastered itself on his red uniform. He ducked, just in time, the Beater's bat Gemma sent his way and he gulped, shuffling backwards. He then grabbed Oliver, Gemma's ❨ annoying ❩ younger brother, and used him as a shield, knowing fully well that Gemma may not swing.

"I'm sorry!" Charlie squeaked, he and Oliver ducking both as Gemma swung again. "Look, I didn't tell Bill to let it in your eyes!"

"But you still vomited in my face!" Gemma shrieked, clenching her jaw as she dropped the bat and she glared at Charlie and her brother. "Let go of my stupid brother Charlie," Charlie immediately let go, gulping as he did. "Good, now come on, I'm hungry."

Oliver raised a brow at his sister. "To me or to him?"

Gemma pursed her lips, looking at the Quidditch team, who were gawking at them. "Come on to all of you. The house elves like baking at this time of the day."

"Merlin! My legs ━ I ━ I can't feel 'em, what are you made up of? Bricks?!" Nymphadora finally arrived, out of breath and her pink hair was stuck against her cheeks, held there by the sweat dropping off her face despite it being a little chilly. "Whotcher Oliver, Charleston, Gryffindorks. My ━ my lungs burn."

"It's called exercise Nymphie, something you would never know about because you're terrible at everything you do."

Nymphie, being as extra as she is, turned her nose into a pig's snout and snorted at Gemma's statement. "Says the one with the T for Charms."

"That was like in second year." Gemma shrugged. "Also, did I just hear you call Charlie Charleston?"

"Something she does to annoy him," A boy came forward, eyes strikingly blue and his blonde hair sat so perfect atop his head, it seemed as though he had descended from heaven. "I'm Hugo McLaggen, and trust me, she calls me Hero McLamen, I honestly think Charlie got off lucky."

"I mean, you would make a lame superhero." Nymphadora told the boy, draping her arm over his shoulders and Gemma noted that she made herself a little tall, as Hugo was literally a fucking tree.

"Can we just go? I'm dying here." Gemma told the group and she turned around, already making her way back to the castle. Just as she was about to yell at Oliver and Charlie, for screaming out her favorite song, Bill appeared.

"Oh ━ hey guys!" He enthusiastically waved at them. "Where are you off to?"

Gemma turned sour. But for some reason, her thoughts drifted back to earlier, when she had that weird stomach bug symptoms. Madam Pomfrey, after the vomit fiasco, did confirm that she did in fact not have a stomach bug and maybe it had just been her mind playing tricks on her, or something else.

"You know what?" Gemma turned back to the group. "I just lost my appetite. I'll be in the Greenhouses."

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"𝗗o you want to talk about it?"

Sometimes, Gemma momentarily forgot she was friends with Nymphadora as well because she and Charlie were always together, like they were joined at the hip. Charlie might be a prick but he was amazing as well. Not that Nymphadora wasn't, she was too but Gemma related more to Charlie than to Nymphadora.

Gemma turned her head, seeing Charlie there with a plate of cookies snd her stomach gave an involuntary growl. "No. And I told you that I lost my appetite."

"Well, your stomach tells me something different." He chuckled s little, opting to sit next to her on the floor snd Gemma immediately took one cookie, breaking off a piece for her black cat, Roger Purrlor. She mainly just called him Rog, too embarrassed for people to know he's named after her friend. ❨ Still odd to say that! ❩ "Bill means well, you know? Sure, he might be annoying and a huge gigantic piece of shit but somewhere, buried underneath all that shit, he means well."

"I don't like him," Gemma grunted, the words automatically falling out her mouth but today, for some reason, they weighed on her tongue and they felt bitter. "When will he learn?"

Charlie softly smiled, pulling Gemma in a side hug. "I know you don't Gem, and he'll learn that, one day."

"Well, that one day should come quick." She bitterly muttered. "Oh and I forgot to tell you, Roger sent another letter. They'll be coming home soon, give or take two or three months and they will be here."

"It's still odd to think about Roger Taylor and the rest of the Queen band being friends with you."

"You mean us. I did go there with you and Nymphie ━ speaking of Nymphie, where is she?" Gemma raised another cookie to her mouth and watched as Rog patted her hand softly, letting out a series of meows and and broke off another piece for him.

"Probably in detention with Snape or something." Charlie shrugged and Gemma smiled at him.

"Thank you for ranting about Quidditch to me when we first met." She suddenly said, and she saw Charlie raise a brow. "You're my best friend, idiot."

"You know, you might just make me cry." Charlie chuckled and Gemma grinned again.

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an. Hero McLamen might cause some trouble y'all👀keep a close eye on him heh heh heh lol👀