LIONHEART ❃ george weasley

018 | george's interlude

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"I HAVE A PLAN."

George tilted his head back from where he lay sprawled across his bed on his back. Fred was upside down in his vision, determined grin paired with a decisive swing of his fist into his palm. They'd been trying different tactics for days, and nothing was working; Albany Bronwen was refusing to talk to them.

George wasn't sure why exactly they were so intent on getting her attention, as she had made it pretty obvious that she was uninterested in hanging out with them any more. He supposed it kind of stung, in a way; just as he was beginning to consider the girl a friend, she cut them off without warning and didn't look back. Then there was the added curiosity of her becoming the Hogwarts champion when he distinctly recalled her saying she would "certainly die" if she was chosen. All in all, the Slytherin girl's situation was a fishy one that the twins were set on solving, and doing so carried the extra benefits of possibly regaining her friendship.

"Let's hear it, Freddie," he said cheerfully. "As long as this plan doesn't involve pranking her like your last one did, because I guarantee that will result in the opposite of our goal."

"You made that much clear," Fred teased him with a grin. "So while this does of course involve pranking, it doesn't necessarily mean we'll be pranking your girlfriend."

George sat up so fast that he nearly fell off the bed as the blood rushed from his head. "She's not my girlfriend," he said, and folded his arms when he turned to face Fred and Lee, who were making kissy faces to each other. "Oh, sod off."

Lee laughed at him. "You do seem to care a lot about some Slytherin chick you just met."

"Nobody says chick, Lee," George waved him off ("Yeah they do! I've seen it in Muggle movies!"). "And it's because I'm a nice person, unlike you two gits."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Georgie," Fred teased, and laughed at the frustration in his brother's expression. "Anyway, do you want to hear this plan or not? It's top-notch genius stuff, you're missing out."

It didn't take much explanation for George to agree to immediately, and though Lee also seemed excited at the idea, he insisted that he couldn't afford to miss his last class. The finer details were yet to be discussed, though winging it was a Weasley specialty, and George spent the entirety of Herbology looking forward to the grand event. He gave Albany a final chance to speak to him, but didn't let disappointment get to him when she refused. That simply meant the plans were to be put in action; so at the break of class, he caught up with Fred and they set off to work their magic immediately.

As much as George didn't want to admit that Fred's plan was anywhere near "top-notch genius", he couldn't deny that casting Melofors on none other than Cheater Skeeter herself was absolutely something to cross off the bucket list and cherish in his memory forever. He hadn't overheard much of the interview that Albany had been subjected to, but judging by her expression and just the general reputation Rita had, he assumed it could have been nothing but unpleasant. Now, the girl stood in a state of shock as she stared almost fearfully at the two boys, trapped in the broom cupboard where they blocked the door.