Hermione's Twin ⇒ Fred Weasley

Ch. 36: Love & Suckers

Chapter 36: Love & Suckers

The letter burned like coal in my hands, searing hot as if it was scarring my skin and calling attention to itself as I clutched onto it for dear life. Half out of dread, half out of worry that it would slip through my fingertips and someone else would find it. Despite the more rational part of my brain, I had managed to come up with some form of a letter and was prepared to present it.

I made my way through the hallways with it clutched in my palm. The hallways. Crowded, fluffed, strung, painted -- no matter what form they could be described, they were everywhere: hearts. Red ones, pink ones, white ones, yellow ones.

For some reason, everyone had decked the area in festive decor to symbolize the daunting holiday for love.

As people walked past me, their eyes would travel from my face down to the dark red letter I kept in my tight grasp. They all noticed it, it wasn't hard to see. To me, the letter was so embarrassing that I held it out at least ten inches from my body. Subconsciously, I probably figured the less it was touching me, the more people would think I was only a messenger or something.

"Why does it look like you're holding a Howler?" A voice whispered in my ear, making me jump ten feet in the air and elbow the person in the nose as a reflex.

Spinning around, I put a hand over my frantic heartbeat and breathed a sigh of relief, realizing it was only George.

"Don't scare me like that!" I scolded and leaned against the stone wall of the corridor, chest pounding as if I'd run a mile. A pair of Hufflepuffs paused at the scene before shuffling off.

George just raised a brow while holding his throbbing nose, as if saying 'Seriously?' "Well, something's got your kettle boiling," he laughed, scratching at the back of his neck. "Something to do with this?" He teased, snatching the scarlet envelope from my hand with a devious smirk.

George gave it a fake pondering look, twisting it betwixt his thumb and forefingers like a detective with a clue. "Hum... I wonder who this is for..." He flipped it around twice, looking for a name but there wasn't one to be found. "Too bad there's no name on the cover; guess I need to open it for myself!"

"No!" I yelled, snatching it out of his hands and cradling it against my chest like an abducted child. "It's... it's personal..."

"Alright Granger, calm down." George chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Besides, it's not like I don't know who you're planning on presenting that to. The whole school can see it you know."

My face burst into a hot pink flame. I swallowed the rush from my tongue as it fought to tell a joke to relieve the tension that no one but me felt. "What? It's not that --"

"--Obvious Granger?" A cold sneer rang out from the side of me, bouncing from the glossy stone corridor walls and churning George's casually happy smile to something reminiscent of an icebox glare. I turned my head slightly to take in the towering figure of Draco, standing arms crossed across his chest.

"Yes, actually, you are. That letter is clearly for one of the many Weasels, but I don't know why. They're annoying blood traitors," he spat, giving George a look over. Then gave me a softer look, confusing me a little. "You'd do better to aim your sights on someone of proper status. Perhaps Diggory, or an exchange student visiting this year."

I was conflicted. Like I always was when it came to Draco. He always said the weirdest things that would flatter me and piss me off at the same time. "Look, Draco... Urr- thank you for that, but shut the hell up about the blood traitor thing. There is honestly no such thing." I stressed the words, staring down his turned-up, pompous nose. I tried to make it make sense to him, watching George shift beside me.