One and Only 3 ; George Weasley

258

I was reading the song Simon had written me. Mum and dad had gone to the platform with my siblings. Veronica wanted to go too so she went with but uncle Fred stayed home because I'm not allowed to be alone in the flat.

We were both sat by the table in the kitchen. The sheet of paper was in my right hand and I used the other to pick up the protein shake.

At ten every day I have to have a protein shake. It was ten o'clock forty-five minutes ago but I hadn't even finished half of I yet.

Uncle Fred was keeping me company. That was his excuse anyway. I just think he wants to make sure I drink it all. He obviously wants to make sure I drink it all. Mum and dad would kill him if he didn't keep an eye on me.

"Do you know how to turn a table into a keyboard?" I asked and looked up from the sheet of paper.

Uncle Fred had made himself a protein shake too, telling me that we're in it together. It actually made it easier to drink. To know that he drinks it too.

"If I know how to turn a table into a keyboard?" He asked with a small laugh. "I don't think we ever learned that in school but then again... I dropped out in April of ninety-six so they might've taught it in those last two months."

"So you don't know how to do it?"

"No." He shook his head. "Sorry 'bout that. I'm sure your mum knows though."

"Yeah, well she doesn't know about my music and I don't want to explain that right now." I said with a shrug. "It doesn't matter."

I grabbed the protein shake and drank some of it. "I guess I just have to keep eating to convince madam Blackwood that I'm cured so that I can get back to school and play again."

"Or—" he pointed a finger at me for a moment before he placed it down on the surface of the table. "You could just tell your parents. They'd be happy to see that you have something you're this passionate about. They'd be relieved even."

"Relieved?" I asked. "Ahh, yes. Relieved because it's a sign that I won't kill myself."

"Okay." He breathed. "You should probably mention those thoughts in therapy today."

"Why? It's not like I'm going to do it." I said and put down the paper. "I heard mum and dad argue. I heard mum cry. She's scared that I'll kill myself."

"You heard that?" He asked. "I mean, I did too because I was in the next room but... you heard that?"

"It woke me up when dad yelled. Sammy and I sat on the stairs and listened to their conversation." I said. "Please don't mention that to them. They're already so worried."

I lifted the glass and drank some more of it before swallowing harshly. I hated this. Hated it. Not only did I hate the taste but I also hated that I had to drink it all without being allowed to throw it up.

"How'd you get the burns?" Uncle Fred asked and I looked at him to see his eyes focused on my wrist where my sleeve had slid up. I quickly removed my arm from the table and pulled down my sleeve.

That was the only part I hadn't told anyone. Mum and dad still thinks I did that to myself. It just seemed easier to continue to let them think that.

"You know–" I breathed. "You already know I–"

"Yes, but that wasn't something you did." he told me.

"How would you know?"

"Because–" he held out his hand and I sighed before placing my arm in his hand. He pushed up my sleeve and pointed at the burn marks. "They are angled wrongly. It shows that someone else stood in front of you and burned you. I also know that you don't smoke so that makes it a tad more unlikely that you did that yourself."

I scoffed and ripped my arm away from him, pulling my sleeve down again. "Maybe you should be an auror."

"Yeah, no. I didn't have the grades for that." he chuckled. "And I dropped out."

"Well, you act like one." I said. "Maybe you're spending too much time with my mother."

He laughed. "You're getting defensive."

"Well, I just don't think it's worth bringing up." I said. "We all know what Luke did."

"We do." he nodded slightly. "What we also know is that you told your father that you found some cigarettes and burned yourself which I personally think is bullshit. Did Luke do that?"

I drank some more of my protein shake before I leaned back in my chair. I folded my arms over my chest and looked at my uncle with a raised eyebrow and a look to tell him I didn't want to talk about.

He laughed. Again.

"You are just like your mother." he said with a smile. "Stubborn."

"Yeah. I hear that a lot." I said. "Maybe that's what almost got me killed."

His smile dropped.

"I mean. I kept fighting him. I even was so stupid to threaten him with my wand. That's the reason he dragged me to the stairs and threw me down them. That's the reason he cut these words into my arm."

I pulled my sleeve up to reveal the scars that were still healing. "I am branded. Slut for Parkinson. And those burn marks. I will always have this marked on my body which means there'll always be a reminder and I'll never get to escape this nightmare."