HOAX | George Weasley

XVIII

"You look surprised." George said, while making Cassie twirl on the dance floor. "What? You didn't think I could dance?"

She looked up at him, momentarily dizzy from the spinning. "Honestly, no. Consider me impressed."

He looked pleased, a smug smile on his face. They had been slow dancing for the duration of two songs already. Cassie initially wasn't convinced, she didn't want to be forced to dance in the same room where Roger and Fleur were, the mere thought of bumping into them made her skin crawl. But George was persistent, and eventually Cassie caved in.

It was almost fun, in a way. George certainly knew how to dance and he also never missed the chance to crack a joke and make her laugh. That part was all good, the only part that made Cassie uneasy was in her head.

It was too close, too intimate. Not only was this her first time slow dancing with someone, but that someone was her best friend. His hands on her hips felt way too hot, making her own hands sweat on his shoulders. She just hoped he hadn't noticed, it would only make her more mortified.

Then, unexpectedly, George got closer to her and she held her breath.

He simply whispered something in her ear and she released her breath. She didn't even register what he had said, not a single word. But now he was staring at her, was he waiting for an answer? She wanted to ask what he had said but she didn't want to make it that obvious that she hadn't been listening. Maybe she should just smile and nod? No, that's dumb.

It was all Grace's fault. Somehow her friend's words had made her way back into her mind in the worst possible time. A part of her feared that it had started way before, when Grace first said them, but she had been in denial. Now they came back to haunt her.

Had she really thought that George was going to try and kiss her? It was madness. She knew it, but then why had she been so scared of that just minutes before? It was all Grace's fault. She knew that George wouldn't try to pull that move, but the whole situation had influenced her and she feared he might have gotten the wrong idea. Now she felt too stupid for even thinking that.

"Cassie?" George called her name and she shook her head, jumping back into reality.

"Sorry, I- I didn't quite get what you said before." she tried to look apologetic.

"It's fine, wasn't that important anyway." he shrugged it off and let go of her waist. Cassie found herself missing the warmth. "I'm going to get something to drink, what's your choice?"

"I'll come with you!" she said and started walking towards the refreshment table, the last thing she wanted was to be left alone, standing awkwardly in the middle of all the dancing couples. Once there, she grabbed a glass and poured onto it a red drink, not really caring that much what it was, she just really needed something to stop the sudden dryness of her mouth.

Her eyes opened in surprise as the liquid made its way down her throat, it was delicious. Fruity with little hints of bitterness, as she finished the first glass, she poured herself another one. She watched George grab a bottle of butterbeer, avoiding the red substance but she didn't try to convince him otherwise, it was more for her.

She was finishing the second one when suddenly the slow music stopped only to be replaced with a lively tune and the whole dance floor erupted in cheers, teachers left to go sit while more and more students arrived at the floor. Cassie put down her drink. "Shall we?"

"After you," George said, making a gesture with his hand. Trying to make way for themselves between the many people dancing, they finally found a comfortable spot where they could dance easily without being pushed every five seconds. Cassie found that she liked this kind of dancing better, it was more their style. George's moves were absolutely ridiculous though, but she had a suspicion that he was exaggerating them to make her laugh and it was working.