Paralyzed - George Weasley

Chapter Eighteen - Retrospective

Fred had noticed the way George had walked into their dorm with heavier footsteps than normal. He noticed how his shoulders slumped just a bit, and how he had shut the door with a little too much effort causing it to slam. "Detention was that bad huh?"

George ignored him, he kicked his shoes off letting them land haphazardly around the room. He tugged off his Gryffindor sweater and threw it down at the end of his bed and ever so sluggish he plopped onto his bed. George let out an elongated sigh and dragged his hands down his face slowly. Detention actually hadn't been too bad for George, in fact, it had ended well. The only issue was that George couldn't get a certain Ravenclaw out of his head. He barely knew her, he shouldn't be feeling this way about a girl he's only talked to twice, wait no, three times. He began tugging at the ends of his hair and gently shook his head.

Fred looked from George over to Lee, who was observing from his bed across the room. Lee shrugged. Fred rolled his eyes then stalked over to his twin. "Snape make you recite nursery rhymes or something?" He quipped.

George lay there looking up at the top of his poster bed and slightly scoffed. He moved his arms behind him to rest on his forearms, propping himself up a bit. He wasn't sure how to begin, or even if it was a good idea to tell them anything. But the thoughts kept him up at night. Millie kept him up at night, a girl he barely knew, and yet a girl that felt so... familiar. "Detention was fine, actually pretty boring." He lay back down putting an arm behind his head against his pillow. Hopefully they would dismiss his demeanor as him just simply being tired. He loosened his tie with his free hand.

But Fred knew him better than that. A teasing grin formed on his face. He moved to lean against the wall. Letting the silence speak for him, all he had to do was wait a bit longer and George would spill soon enough.

But Lee wasn't so patient. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the venomous look on Fred's face.

He remained hovering over George's bed. Trying to make the room as tense as possible. It was working, for Lee, he was uncomfortably fidgeting on his bed to the point where he excused himself and told the two he'd meet them in the great hall for supper. And even after Lee left Fred remained there staring George down.

George looked over to the door and swallowed thickly. He knew what Fred was doing, and it was working. He sighed and sat up. "So there's this," he paused, "there's this girl."

She wasn't just any girl to George, he knew that somehow, in some way, she was important. He could feel it, from the moment he met her. It was as if something inside him changed, like there was an ever present warmth that he knew she somehow provided. He wasn't sure how to say it, but she was special to him. George breathed deeply thinking for a moment that this all might just sound strange to Fred, that maybe he wouldn't understand a connection with someone you haven't exactly gotten to know.

Was it possible to be in love with a stranger... Was it love? It couldn't be, right? He knew love, he saw it daily. He saw love in his parents and the way they cared for each other, in the small sweet gestures. George also saw love with his siblings, a way that was almost annoying, but it was there. He even saw it in his friends and the laughter they shared. But this... this was different, maybe, right? He didn't even know her.

He was thinking way too far into it now, and his expression showed as much. Fred cleared his throat to regain George's attention and urged him to continue.

"Right, uhm" he rubbed his knuckles to his left hand with his thumb and shook his head gently. "Well," he groaned, frustrated. He didn't quite know how to put this into words. He looked up at Fred, his face pressed with emotion, hoping somehow he'd just understand.