That Damn Weasley Charm II G.W

Part 4, Chapter 24- PTSD

The crowd was full of a mixture of cheers and boos as little Harry Potter walked out into the arena. Harry didn't waste any time. He raised his wand and shouted something. Something that no one could hear over the noise of the students watching.

The Horntail, thankfully, isn't moving from her nest. She's watching Harry though, watching him like... like an overprotective dragon.

"What do you suppose he just cast?" Lee shouts.

But we didn't have to answer him because a broom came soaring into the arena from above us. Harry snatches his Firebolt out of the air and jumps on top of it. He soars into the sky, several feet above the dragon. Harry dived and the Horntails head followed him like a snake.

"Jesus Christ," Fred yells.

Harry pulls up on his broom just in the nick of time, the Horntail opens its mouth and shoots a wave of fire at Harry, or where Harry was moments ago.

"Great Scott! He can fly!" Mister Bagman shouts, "Are you watching this Mister Krum?"

We watch as Harry soars higher and higher into the sky, making small circles above the dragons head.

"She want's to follow him. Look at her." Walter shouts. The dragons head is moving in a slow circle as she watches Harry fly around. Harry dives again just as the Horntail opens its mouth.

"Harry watch out!" We all scream at the same time but it's far too late. Harry managed to miss the flames shooting out of the dragons mouth but the dragons tail came whipping around and hits him in the arm. Harry pulls away, his robes now shredded, blood pouring down his one arm.

"Astounding!" Mister Bagman shouts. The crowd is the quietest its ever been. Everyone standing up and trying to get the best possible view of whats happening.

Harry soared around the Horntail a few more times, clearly thinking of something else to try because dive bombs haven't been working in his favour.

He started flying back and forth, not too far from the dragons head. The higher he rose in the sky the more her neck stretched out.

"He's trying to get her air borne!" George says, stating the very obvious. Both of the twins, along with Walter and Lee are invested in this performance more so than the other ones, no doubt because it's the closest thing to quidditch they'll have all year.

The dragon shot fire in the air, the crowd gasps, Harry dodges it. Finally, the dragon spreads its long, leathery, black wings. Everyone goes insane. As soon as the dragon is airborne Harry dives so fast it was genuinely hard to see him. He reaches out with his uninjured hand and snatched the golden egg out of the nest with ease.

"He's done it! Holy shit he's still alive!" I scream. Every single person in the arena is screaming as loud as they possibly can. It's like I'm back at the Quidditch World Cup. As soon as I think of that night though, my head hurts and flashes of dark cloaks, screaming children, and that muggle woman flood my vision. I stumble back and practically fall into my seat behind me.

"Violet! Are you alright!?" George yells. He sits down in the empty seat beside me and puts both his hands on my cheeks, "You're here with me, you're safe. It's alright." He says so only I can hear him. I don't have to tell him what happened right now, but I know I'll have to later when we're alone. None of my other friends notice that I'm no longer cheering with the rest of them. Once Mister Bagman finishes his final announcements and congratulations for Harry, the stands clear out.

"That was bloody brilliant flying. The best I've ever seen!" Walter says once we are on our way back to the castle.

"He couldn't have done it without the Firebolt. Imagine how interesting quidditch would be if all of the house players could have a broom like that!" Lee says hopping beside Walter. Emma heads off to find Elliott, which causes Fred to run off and find Angelina.

"What happened back there?" George says to me.

I still have a pounding headache, my heart is beating a mile a minute and I can't seem to catch my breath. "I haven't been around a crowd that loud since the World Cup... and once I thought of that I was back there, with the Death Eaters. All I could hear was the screaming, all I could see was that innocent muggle family." I tell him.

George pulls me out of the flow of students that are heading back into the castle so we don't interrupt anyone walking. He leads me away from the chattering students and we don't stop walking till we enter the old and overgrown apple orchard that borders the fence that separates Hogsmeade from Hogwarts. Because it's nearly December, all the leaves have fallen off the tree and the ground is littered with dry leaves that crunch under out footsteps.

We sit at an old, musty looking marble bench that sits in the middle or the orchard. "Sit here a while, till you can breathe normally again." George says to me in the most calming and love filled voice I've ever heard him speak in.

I instantly start to shake and sob. I clutch my throat and cry even louder, not caring how I look or who can hear me. It doesn't last long, only a few minutes, till I calm down fully and rest my head on George's shoulder carefully.

"I think you might have something called PTSD love." George says softly.

I sniff my nose and move my head off his shoulder so I can look at him, "You don't say." I give him a half smile but he doesn't give one back to me.

"I'm serious."

"I know you are." I say to him. "I've suffered from anxiety and depression for as long as I can remember so I'm very much familiar with panic attacks and mental breakdowns and things. But ever since that night... those people... I could never ask my aunt and uncle to talk to someone about it though."

George doesn't say anything he just watches me try to string a sentence together, "If I ever brought up things like this to my aunt and uncle they would lock me in Saint Mungo's and no one would ever see me again. And they don't like the idea of those mental health doctors. They say only weak blooded people use those. That's muggle behaviour."

"Have you spoken to anyone about this sort of stuff?" George asks.

I chuckle to myself, "Well besides you? Uhm... Draco. He's just as messed up as I am. But I have to be strong for him, I am stronger than him. If I wasn't around he would be the only one my aunt and uncle... mostly my uncle... would treat horribly. He wouldn't be able to shoulder that by himself."

George doesn't say anything for a long time... a really long time. "I want to say 'just say with us this summer. You and Draco both could stay at my house' but that would never work." George puts his hand on my knee and squeezes it a little, "I would like to be there for you, through everything and anything no matter how small. Please tell me when you are feeling panicked. I'll come and sit with you."

I put my hand on top of George's and I interlock his fingers with my own, "I don't want to be a burden."

George puts his other hand on my chin and gently guides my face towards him so we are looking at each other. "You are not a burden, not on me, not on our friends, not on anyone. You're my favourite person in the entire world and I want to make sure that you are safe, happy, and overall content no matter where you are or what you are doing. You deserve more than I could ever give you but I'd be damned if I don't try to give you everything."

"Gross."

George rolls his eyes, "I'm trying to be caring and loving and all you have to say is gross?"

I peck his cheek and smile, "You know how I'm like. I can't take anything too seriously or else I'll lose my mind."

"You and Fred are a lot more alike than you want to admit you know."

I start laughing before I even say my comment, "So what you're saying... is that you're just dating the girl version of your twin brother? Sounds a little messed up to me there Georgie."

George laughs, but only once, a really loud HA! "That's disgusting."

"You're the one that said it."

"And now I'm un-saying it."

"That's... what?"

"You heard me."

"I hate you."

"No you don't."