George sighed as he spotted her. She was sitting under a tree by the lake, and she was reading. She sat below the same tree he had first seen her reading under. The light hit her blonde hair and made it shine like a beacon, the many blonde layers made visible by it. Her face was soft and her eyes alight; she looked somewhat approachable without her shield up. He knew, though, that she would put it up when someone drew nearer. She did it to everyone to stop herself from getting hurt. Merlin! He wished he could get through that shield, even if only once.
Taking a breath, George strolled forward to do what he had done dozens of times over the last two weeks. Just because he had done it numerous times didn’t mean he didn’t have to prepare himself and get his brain in gear. His brother could do it so easily, but then again, he and Angelina clearly liked each other, so he knew he was going to get a ‘yes.’
“Hey, Dawn, what’cha reading?” George asked when he drew level with the girl. His charming smile was in place and his eyes shone with the mischievous energy that the Weasley twins were known for. He ignored the sighing girls by the lake as a breeze caught his hair. Girls always liked the bad boys, and that was what he was to them, the bad boy, but to Dawn, he wasn’t... Granted, to her, he was a nuisance but she still saw him as more than the prankster. Well, he was pretty sure she did.
The shield went up and the girl stiffly moved the book so he could see the cover. She didn’t even look up at his smile. It was named ‘Music of the Night’, another romance. He should have guessed, but then again, he had been hoping Dawn would speak to tell him.
He had to admit, he loved her voice. It was soft, as though she thought that if she spoke quietly, no one would hear her say something stupid. The answers she gave in class when she wasn’t one hundred percent sure were always whispered. When she did this in Potions, Snape would always say, “I heard a mouse say the answer.” That meant he knew Dawn had said it and that she should speak louder because it was correct. George had no idea why she was so fearful about getting something wrong; it wasn’t like the other Ravenclaws would shun her, but besides the softness, it also had a demanding tone to it, like when she was on Prefect duty. She could make students of all ages tremble with the authority that was in her voice, and then there was the way she spoke when happy or calm, like when she talked to her friend. It was light and energetic, lively and free, as though there was nothing she had to worry about getting right or being reprimanded for.
“Any good?” George questioned, trying to drag sound from the mute girl.
“Why do you care? You’ll never read it,” she replied curtly.
Ahh, her clipping tone today. “You’d be surprised, I actually can read and if you recommend it then I would,” George informed her. He sat down beside her and rested his elbows on his knees casually. Surprisingly, he noticed that Dawn didn’t edge away from him, but just sat there, her eyes trained on the book. This was an improvement seeing as she normally moved away like he had an illness she didn’t wish to catch. The only other time she hadn’t edged away, was when he had been in the library with her but he had a suspicion she was just to comfortable sitting there, immersed in the book to let his presence bother her.
Dawn stayed silent for a few moments and George could tell she was mulling over what he said. That was the thing about Ravenclaws, they thought everything through before opening their mouths. That way, they knew most of the implications and the possible misunderstandings, whereas Gryffindors just spoke and dealt with the ramifications later - if there was a later for them. Dawn opened her mouth and spoke in the same tight voice. “I’ll lend it to you once I’m done. Just don’t bend the spine or dog ear the pages or do anything to it that will disgrace the book. We are going off my standards of disgrace, not yours.”
A smile spread across George’s lips. She had let him in, if only a little. To offer him one of her books was to offer him a piece of her. She cared for her books dearly; that’s why she wished him to treat it well. “Of course. I'll look after it and it will be to your standards. I won’t even let Fred near it. Plus, I won’t dog ear it. I’m a weasel remember,” George joked, running his fingers through his hair as he rambled.
Dawn turned her head slightly as though she was going to look at him, but then she turned back to her book, not even shooting him a glance. “You should be pleased about that.”
“Excuse me?”
“Weasels do not stop fighting, and they are skilled in taking on snakes. In some history books, it’s believed that the weasel is the only other creature besides roosters that can survive a Basilisk encounter. It has never been proven though, but weasels can sustain venomous bites by regular snakes so I guess that’s where it comes from. That’s what I’ve heard anyway.” Dawn didn’t look at him the whole time she spoke; it was as though she feared to know what he was thinking.
“Wow,” George breathed, looking at her, impressed. “That explains why my whole family is in Gryffindor. We verse snakes all the time; they’re called Slytherins.” It may have just been the light, but George could have sworn he had seen Dawn trying to hold back a small smile. “So anyway, joking aside, I promise to look after your book.”
“Good.” She still hadn’t looked up at him; she had only been looking at her book. She read for a bit longer, with George watching her, before she finally looked up. Her eyes were void of emotion and her face was blank. “Can you not look over my shoulder, it is very distracting?”
“I wasn’t. I was looking at you,” George confessed, slightly started at her suddenly looking at him. He knew he probably resembled a unicorn caught in wand light. “You look so beautiful when you’re reading… and talking… and… actually... doing anything! But reading the most. It’s like you see the words as more than ink written down on paper... and I guess to you, it is more. It would have to be for you to read so much... and they’re always romances. I find that interesting. Anyway, seeing as you obviously want me to go so you can read without disruption, I’ll get to the reason I’m even here, besides the fact that I love watching you read.” He took a deep breath and asked the question he had asked many times before. “Will you go to the Yule ball with me?”
“No.”
The sharpness of her tongue was like razor blades running deep into his chest, drawing his blood to the surface. She had rejected him countless times - for both dates to Hogsmeade and to the ball - but the pain was always the same. Excruciating, agonizing, unrelenting pain. He tried to smile uncaringly and brush it off as Dawn blushed and turned away, curtaining her hair to obscure her face. He really thought he had been making progress. She had offered to lend him one of her books. She loved her books, and he really loved her! He was never going to get over this pain.
Never ever!
Never Ever by Black-Sand
Chapter Endnotes: I know this chapter ends on a sad note, but poor George really likes his girl!
Reviews are always welcome
...xXxLove SandyxXx...