Sparks Fly || A George Weasley Story

Year 3: Not Everything Is Romantic

Unfortunately, there was no one in either the dorms or the common room to help me. Any other time this place was crawling with Hufflepuffs of all years just talking and laughing up a storm. Now, the whole place was empty and I was sure that everyone was probably cheering and celebrating with sweets that Professor Sprout no doubt made in celebration of our second win. So, I had to find a way to change without putting too much stress on my arm, sounds easy enough. 

I slipped into the third year girls dorm room and locked the door behind me, seeing my standard Hogwarts robes sat in a not-so-neat stack on my bed. I assumed my good friend, Cedric had been told to bring them up from where I had left them in a similarly distressed pile when I changed this morning. I gently pulled my arm out of the cloth sling, knowing there would be no way of getting out of my uniform without doing so and I didn't want to untie it for fear of not being able to get it back on with one hand. 

Madam Promfrey had already removed the leather braces from both my arms and the gloves from my hands, so I didn't have to worry much about that. However, my shin guards were still an ever-looming obstacle. So, instead of putting it off, and saving it for last, I plopped down on my bed and did my best at taking them off. It was a bit of a struggle, but after what felt like years, I was finally able to wiggle them off over my shoes. 

Next of course came the now bright red and yellow robe with my house seal on it. I worried about whether it could come out or not. I really hoped that it wouldn't stain, I didn't want to be reminded that I got hit in the face with a bat every time I went to play or practice Quidditch. I tried to feed my sore arm through the sleeve so that I could just pull it over my head instead of unlacing the top, but even the slight pressure sent pain shooting up from my forearm almost to my shoulder. I blinked back my tears and just pulled my other arm through the sleeve and wiggling out of it, somehow without another incident. 

I checked my appearance in the mirror, and noticed that there was surprisingly no blood on the sweater that I wore underneath. So instead of fighting my way out of it, I decided that it would be best just to head down to the great hall. I'd deal with getting completely changed later.

However, as I stared at my reflection, I noticed quite the ugly bruise forming all over my nose and under my eyes. If Madam Promfrey hadn't told me herself that it wasn't, I'd swear on my own life that it was broken. I pulled the sling back over my head and carefully slipped my arm into it as I stared at my pitiful reflection.

I looked like something the cat dragged in, and I was sure that it would only worsen overnight. I feared what I might look like in the morning, but made my way away from the mirror and down to the hall anyway. I wasn't going to skip out on dinner just because I was hurt. I was starving. I hadn't eating breakfast this morning and our game with Gryffindor had lasted a lot longer than I had expected. Especially since they gained that Harry Potter as a seeker.

I felt a bit of pride swell in my chest as I thought about how we won. It way have only been by ten points, but it was still a win and that's what mattered. I wondered how their captain, Oliver, was handling their loss. I among many others know that he loves Quidditch like no other. It was almost an obsession, but what he got up to in his spare time was none of my business.

I was one of the only people wondering the halls, and quite possibly the only living person doing so, at this time. I knew that everyone else was going to be in the hall already, possibly shoving their faces with whatever delicious food had been conjured up for tonight's meal. My stomach growled as I stepped through the open doorway, and I felt quite a few eyes turn to look as I walked in. 

I stared down at the stone floor as I tried to avoid making eye contact. I quickly found an open space at the Hufflepuff table and sat down, praying nobody would really come to bother me about what happened on the field earlier. However, I had no such luck.