A Master Of Mischief ~ George Weasley Love Story ~ Book 1

Chapter 24

**Fred's POV**
                                   
"Are you sure you're alright?" I ask George, "you seem... Funny."
"I'm always funny," he says, "I'm always making people laugh."
"You know what I mean," I reply, looking for an empty compartment along the train, "hey, there's Maddie!"
I open the door quietly, noticing she's asleep. George grabs my arm.
"Let's not sit there," he says awkwardly.
"Why?" I ask, "we always sit with Maddie."
"I know," George says, "but, I don't know... Change is good."
"George, what's going on?" I demand.
"Hey guys," Maddie's sleepy voice says. I give George a funny look and step inside the compartment. Maddie rubs her eyes and yawns.
"I discovered an amazing spell," she tells us, "it makes you feel fresh and awake after only a few hours sleep."
"That's great," I tell her, "you look a lot better."
"I feel a lot better," she says happily, "George? What's wrong?"
George looks up sheepishly.
"Uh, nothing," he says.
"Are you sure?" Maddie asks. George glances at me.
"Could we have a moment?" he asks. I shrug and leave them alone.

**Maddie's POV**

As Fred gets up to leave I have a mad desire to grab his arm and hold him back.
"What's going on?" I ask George, trying to control the horrible sensation in the pit of my stomach. George shifts uncomfortably.
"Look, I've, umm... I've met someone else," he says, awkwardly. I feel all feeling leave me and I struggle to control myself, not wanting him to see how hurt I am.
"Oh, really?" I say as calmly as I can.
"Yeah, we sort of hooked up at the Quidditch Cup."
I cover my mouth with my hand so I'm not sick. I feel tears well up in my eyes.
"Well, well, well," I look up and see Venessa Clark, a Ravenclaw who's hated me for years, walk in the door. She sits down quite easily - in George's lap. I bite my lip and try not to curse her. Then she kisses him. And he kisses her. I stand up and turn to the door, proud that I at least didn't show them any emotion. Then I see my reflection. White hair. Blue eyes. So much for hiding emotions. I step out into the hallway and allow the tears to flow. I hurry towards the bathrooms.
"Maddie!"
I hear Fred call from behind me. I turn around, not looking directly at him. He hugs me tightly.
"Did you know?" I sob.
"No, I would've cursed her into oblivion if I had," he says gently. I cry even harder.
"Shh," he shushes me softly. I hear a few people walk past, but I'm too devastated to feel embarrassed.
"Am I ugly?" I choke.
"No!" Fred cries, leaning back, "You're gorgeous! George is just..."
He shakes his head.
"I don't even know. Come on," he takes my hand and leads me into an empty compartment. He pulls down the blinds so no one can see in. I curl up on the seat, sniffing.
"I don't know what to say," Fred sighs after a while.
"Me neither," I reply, "let's talk about something else. How was the Quidditch Cup?"
"Amazing," Fred cries and launches into a detailed explanation of what happened.
By lunch time I've managed to push George out of my mind and am almost happily joking around with Fred, until-
"Oh my gosh Maddie! I'm so sorry!" Angelina and Alicia burst in.
"What?" I gasp, shocked.
"George!" Angelina says sympathetically, "what happened?"
I shake my head, fresh tears welling in my eyes.
"Aw, sweetie," Alicia croons, handing me a handkerchief.
"I'm fine," I choke, "seriously, I don't want to think about it."
"Okay," Angelina says, her eyes filled with sympathy, "do you want us to kill her for you?"
"Only if it's in a horrfic and bloody fashion," I reply, wiping my damp face.
"How about we drop her off the astronomy tower?" Alicia suggests.
"Or fill her stomach with fireworks?" Fred interjects.
"Or we could string her upside down in the owlery and cover her in owl treats!" Angelina adds.
I can't help laughing.
"What about is we make a giant fishing rod and use her as bait to catch the giant squid?" Alicia says.
"No, no, we don't want to her the squid!" Fred protests, "let's just throw her in!"
"We could turn her into a slug and let her loose in Hagrid's cabbage patch!" Angelina says excitedly, getting into it.
"Not the cabbages!" I laugh, almost hysterically.
We all laugh until our sides hurt.
"I'm going to change into my robes," Alicia says, looking at the darkened sky outside.
"Me too," Angelina says, getting up.
"Me- Oh," I stop, biting my lip.
"What?" Alicia asks.
"Umm, my trunk is... Well, in there," I say, blushing.
"I'll get it," Fred says, getting up. Alicia, Angelina and I wait in the corridor. Suddenly yelling erupts from the compartment.
"You're just being a jerk!"
"You don't know what you're talking about!"
"You had no right to treat her like that!"
"What, because I don't like her-"
Fred walks out and slams the door. His face is like thunder. I try to hide the new tears rolling down my cheeks. His face softens when he looks at me.
"Here," he says, "you three change in there, I'll go to the bathroom."
We change quickly into our robes. My hair is shining bright blonde. I close my eyes and focus on changing it. I open my eyes again. I couldn't have believed it possible, but it got lighter. I sigh deeply. I guess that's what a broken heart looks like.