Upside Down (Fred Weasley Love Story )

❧ Terrible Responsibility ☙

           Just like the butterflies of my dress, spring flew away with the passing of the Second Task. I was spending most of my free time with Konrad, since he was the most chilling and enjoyable company for me right now. Tristan was back to his normal self, which didn't make Claire-Isabelle happy, but she soon started dating a guy from Durmstrang. Fred and Angelina were officially together, something that didn't surprise any of us. I wasn't a fan of the couple, but with the passing months I got used to it.
I could tell that I won the jealousy of most girls at school by my constant contact with Konrad, but I learned to ignore it. Miles and Lydia were with us almost all of the time and in people's eyes it looked as if we were on double dates, which was wrong. Tristan was not a fan of Konrad from the beginning, so he never joined us.
We were having breakfast at the Great Hall when few girls from my house came and sat in front me and Lydia. The conversation started normally and we thought they were bored, but when I looked aside to where the Durmstrang guys laughed at the end of our table, they grinned to ears.
"So, Georgiana, are you two actually dating?" The bright blond girl asked with wiggling eyebrows.
"No, we are not." I calmly answered hoping they will leave the subject.
"Liar!" The other one chuckled out, but I didn't like the word she called me, even if it was in a joking way. "You two are meeting after classes almost every day."
"Is it a problem that I am social?" I raised my right eyebrow and the first girl clicked her tongue at my reaction.
"He was your date for the Ball, everyone knows something happened then."
I quickly put the book Lydia and I were looking over, before they interrupted us, in my back and when I got up they did as well.
"Why are you denying it?"
"She's not denying anything. It's been four months, blimey, find something more interesting to talk about." Lydia finally stepped up for me, but the girls only chuckled.
I looked behind me to see what was so funny and spotted the handsome man that we were talking about.
"Gee, I was wondering if you would like to come with me to the lake after classes? It's a beautiful day." I admired the kindness in his voice, but I hated how he always finds the bad timing.
The girls in front of us began to whisper and chuckle at us, and Konrad sent them a cold gaze which I hardly knew.
"Yes... we are together in our last class, so we will go straight from there?" I tried to get his attention, but another question won it.
"Konrad, may I ask why is Georgiana denying you?" Such a bold and stupid question from the silly girl. Lydia and I looked at her with shocked expression on our faces, while most of the students around us became quiet to hear the answer they all longed to know.
"She never had." He simply answered, which they mistook for an invitation to ask further more.
"Then why is she hiding the fact that you two are together?" I quickly grabbed Konrad by the upper arm telling him to go, but he wasn't shaken by the question at all. I wanted this whole teenage behavior to end, but he didn't mind it at all, as if he waited for that day to come.
"There is nothing to hide, my lady." The girl immediately blushed at the words he used to address her and he was well aware of the fact how they flattered her. "I don't find Georgiana as an evanescent relationship. If I want to be with her, I will want her for more than few months and that won't be possible while we are in different schools." My eyes widened at his words and my whole face burned from embarrassment.
The girls were left speechless and so were the others around, the only one who made a noise which brought our behavior back to normal was Tristan, who stood up and walked out of the hall. I watched as he took the stairs which were visible from the door and disappeared.
"Gee?" Lydia dragged my attention back to her and I looked up to meet the blue eyes of the man who just confessed what his true intentions were.
"Forgive me, if I caused you to feel ashamed." I tilted my head to the side and smiled softly at the boy who was standing in front of me with concern in his eyes that he made me feel uneasy.
"You did not." He smiled back and the tension was gone.
"Gee, we are getting late." Lydia took my hand and I waved to Konrad before we turned around to leave.
The classes were spent in whispers between Lyd and me about what happened during breakfast. She was overly excited, while I was scared of how serious he was when he said those words. Tristan and Miles were whispering the whole time as well, which lead our house into losing points for constantly talking and interrupting the classes.
When it was all over for today, just like we agreed, Konrad and I took our way to the lake. The day truly was beautiful. The birds were singing their love songs, the flowers were blooming and the warm wind was playing with my hair. We sat on the grass near the lake and watched how the light danced with the water.
"I am sorry for today... you probably..."
"Don't apologize, I actually wanted them to bring the subject in front of me. I've noticed how much the topic troubled you." We spoke so calm, not removing our eyes from the view in front of us.
"Your words were very kind."
"I meant what I said back there." I looked at him, while he still admired the nature around us.
"Tha-..." But a loud splash came from the water which cut my words.
My eyes widened as I spotted two soaked ginger heads coughing out water. The one laid down on the ground breathing heavily, while the other hold his stomach and keeping his body from the ground on knees and his free hand.
"Alright..." Said the one who laid there, which I recognized to be George. " We really need a better way of getting hold of grindylows..." I facepalmed myself, while Konrad went to help them both get up.
"Oi, Lynch! What are you doing here?" Fred called out when he was back on his feet.
"More important is what were you two doing inside the water!" I called back and he grinned as he came towards me.
"I was looking for your dorm..." My eyes widened and I immediately blushed at his perverted tone.
"I wonder what your girlfriend will say about it?" I coldly asked with crossed arms and he put his hands in his pockets.
"What girlfriend?" He shrugged his shoulders and my lips parted a bit.
My mind quickly started to ask if they broke up, or he was messing around with me. I couldn't ask him, because it wasn't polite so I just looked behind his shoulder and went to see George.
In few minutes the twins walked away and we were alone again with Konrad who quickly made me forget of the question that bugged my mind.
"Tell me something?" He asked all of the sudden in a serious, yet soft tone, breaking my laughter from the joke he made a minute ago. My eyes gave him the sign to continue and he looked straight into my blue orbs. "Why is it that you are so afraid to be with a man?" His question shot me down.
"I am not." My denial only made him chuckle.
"I am no fool, Georgiana. I am not the only one who has his eyes on you, yet you ran from all of them... even me." He looked away hiding the sadness in his eyes and I was stunned at his frank words.
I started to think of the perfect way to explain why and I knew he mostly focused Tristan's interest in me, which made it even hard.
"I-I just think that it's a terrible responsibility, to hold another man's happiness in your hands." I thought my words were making me look kind and grown up, but his sharp gaze sliced me like a razor.
"Terrible responsibility?" He whispered in disbelief. "And is it not to hold someone's sadness?" I blinked few times at his sudden change of mood.
"I-I don't understand?"
"I am not the man to teach you this. You are smart enough to figure it out." His cold gaze turned back to the normal soft one and he got up. "We should go, it's getting dark." I gave him a nod and we both headed to the castle.
For the rest of the night I stayed in the common room pretending to read a book, but I actually peeked from the pages and studied the face which was smiling and joking with his friends. I figured out that Konrad wanted to drag my attention to Tristan, but I couldn't understand why. Why did the man who confessed he had feelings for me, wanted my attention to be for someone else? I was so lost in thoughts that I didn't notice when Tristan moved closer to me and sat on the low table in front.
"Take a picture, Lynch. It will last longer." His husky voice brought me back to reality and I blinked few times realizing that I've been staring for too long.
His eyes opened a bit wider when he saw how I blushed at his comment and before he could say something more, or even worse... his friends to join in, I got up and quickly took the stairs to my dorm.


Miles' POV

I stood with the rest of the guys from our year and watched how Tristan stood at the table unshaken by the way she ran from him. I actually felt bad for my friend. He wished she knew his impressions, his thoughts and desires, yet each of his attempts seemed like a tight net around him, so he remained silent every time.
"She went to take the camera?" I joked as I placed my hand on his shoulder, but his gaze was locked with the spot Gee was sitting. "Ever thought of talking with her?" I exhaled as I sat next to him. My question seemed to drag his attention.
"Not yet..."
For the rest of the night we returned to our usual topics, but I knew he was thinking of her. After all, no one expected her to show any trace of attention towards him.