The Sunrise of My Heart

Unfortunately, my little freak out had convinced madame Pomfrey a little too well that I was stressed and emotionally distraught. She refused to let me out of bed all weekend, and didn't even let me attend classes on Monday. Thankfully, I wasn't alone. Ron was awake by then, so I had his company to enjoy. And Fred and George had also stuck around. They made the time pass much more quickly, having come prepared with dirty jokes and their naturally funny personalities. It was nice for both me and Ron. (His parents had to get back home, since Mr Weasley had his job and Mrs Weasley had to look after the house. But they only left after Ron had woken up and assured them that he would be fine.)
"You know, I always hoped I'd get to sleep with you," George joked, laying down beside me on my bed. It was rather a tight squeeze since the bed wasn't very big and Fred was laying to my right. Three people, one small bed. Needless to say, we were very close.
"Please, you know she's always wanted to sleep with me," Fred said with a wink. "Look, she's touching more of me than she is of you."
"Not true," George argued, pressing closer to my side. I was simply laughing, letting them have their fake macho battle.
"Boys, boys. Everyone knows it's always better with three. We could even make it four if you feel like trying to squeeze in here, Ron," I said with a grin.
"Sorry, Ron, no room," George said. And he was right.
"You'll just have to be made a man some other time, Won-Won," Fred added with a smirk. Needless to say, Lavender had been by to visit Ron, and had used her pet name for him. Much to Ron's chagrin.
"That's all right," Ron said, "I know you're just worried she likes me more."
"Besides, who says I didn't make Ron a man while you two were off sleeping at your house? A lot could have happened, the two of us all alone in the dark."
Ron chuckled. "Riley, we swore we'd never tell anyone what happened between us."
I laughed, glad he was playing along. "Well, they're just your brothers. They deserve the chance to know the truth and be jealous."
We continued joking like this for awhile, but then Lavender stopped by again during dinner, so Ron suddenly fell asleep. She gave me a scandalized look because I had two sexy twins in my bed (which I'm sure is exactly what she was thinking) but didn't say anything to me. Which was just as well. I'd have bitched her out if she tried.
It was later, as Fred and George were preparing to leave, that we received another visitor. Well, actually, I did. And it wasn't someone that Fred, George, and Ron were very happy to see. Draco Malfoy, Slytherin dick, had come to see me. Fred and George, as if on cue, sat back down on my bed, wrapped their arms around my shoulders, and rested their heads against mine. Like they were claiming me or something.
"Hey, Draco," I said, sounding surprised even to myself. "Uh... What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "You're not sick."
"How would you know?" Fred asked. "Do you monitor her every move or something?"
Draco's eyes narrowed a bit but he did not answer.
"It's a long story," I said. "Pretty much, I'm here for him." I pointed my thumb in Ron's direction, who was looking at Draco like something dead had just slithered into the room. Draco had a rather similar expression on his face as he looked at the Weasley boys.
"Professor Snape told me to tell you what your homework is," he said, looking back to me. "You have to write an essay on ways you can spot an Animagus and why it's important to be able to. His exact words were "write about the dangers an unregistered Animagus can cause, especially from a dark wizard with a black heart." You're the only one who got that assignment, by the way."
I laughed. "Yeah, that figures. Snape's not very subtle about making me write things from Roxi's time."
Ron, Fred, and George all looked at me in surprise, glancing at Draco to see if he understood what I was talking about. When it was clear he wasn't confused, George spoke up.
"He knows? You told him?"
"Actually, I didn't tell him. He overheard me telling Ron and the others," I said. "But, yes. He knows."
Draco sneered at them. "Upset that you're not special in knowing her secret?"
"Oh, crap," I muttered.
Fred and George immediately tensed, glaring at Draco. "It's not like she actually wanted to tell you," Fred said.
"You were just listening in on her conversation," George added.
I would have mentioned that Ron had told them about my curse, not me, but I didn't want to seem like I was picking sides.
"Boys, calm down. I trust each of you for different reasons, so you're all allowed to know. It's really not that big of a deal."
"I will never understand why you tolerate him," George said to me.
"She tolerated me enough to shower with me while she was dating you," Draco said, a dark challenge in his eyes.
"Fuck me," I muttered, because Fred and George went impossibly tense and still.
"He's lying, right?" George asked.
"Not exactly," I said. George moved away from me, his expression dark. "Look, it's not like that. It was when we got drunk in the common room and I wandered off. I ended up in the Slytherin dorm, and I threw up all over me hair. I was too drunk to clean it by myself, so he helped me. For the record, we weren't naked, either."
Fred and George seemed to have relaxed some, but they were still glaring at Draco. "Okay, you've given her the homework assignment like a good little boy. Isn't it time you left?" George asked.
Draco scoffed. "I don't take orders from the likes of you," he sneered.
All three Weasley boys were suddenly reaching for their wands.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Fred asked, eyes narrowed.
"It means--" Draco started, that cruel sneer still in place. But his eyes glanced to my face, seeing the pleading look there. I shook my head, mouthing the words "Please don't" to him. He scowled and rolled his eyes. "You know what it means," he said to Fred. "If you're too stupid to figure it out, that's not my problem."
"Oi!" Ron said, looking quite livid. "Piss of. No one here wants you here, and you clearly don't want to be near any of us. You did what Snape said, now leave!"
Draco glanced at him for a moment, his gaze full of ice, before turning to look at me. Waiting to see if I would tell Ron he was wrong. Waiting to see if I would say that I wanted him there. I hesitated, biting my lip and looking at him imploringly.
"I don't have time for this," Draco said bitterly, turning and walking away. He stopped in the doorway and looked back at me. "By the way, Riley, next time you feel like sleeping with me, warn me first. I was not prepared to wake up Saturday morning to find you in my bed." He glanced at Fred and George, a cold smirk on his face, and then left.
I was mentally cursing my lack of foresight. I really should have seen that coming, but I hadn't. Looking out of the corners of my eyes, I saw Fred and George staring at me with startled looks and raised eyebrows. Ron probably had a pretty similar look on his face too.
"I was sleepwalking," I told them. "I do it a lot, and it usually causes me to end up in some very weird places. Like the Draco's bed..."
George whistled. "I don't suppose there's any way you could sleepwalk into my bed, then?" He gave me a cheeky grin, causing me to laugh and push him off the bed. Bless him for breaking the tension.
"Not likely. I might end up in Fred's, though."
Fred grinned and wrapped me in his arms, laughing down at his twin. "Guess you're just out of luck." He moved so there was no more room on the bed for George.
"It's all right," George said, getting up off the floor and purposefully sitting down on my legs. "I'll just switch places with you while she's sleeping."
"Ow, bony butt! George, get up!" I tried to push him off, but he simply wiggled his bottom, adding to my humorous discomfort. I was laughing too hard to push him off properly. "Why are you so bony?" I asked. He opened his mouth to answer me, a wicked gleam in his eyes, but I cut him off with a pillow to his face. "Oh no. I know where you were going with that. I'll admit, I walked right into that dirty joke, but Ron has innocent ears. You can't ruin his innocence."
"Hey," Ron said indignantly.
"Do you really want to hear where he was going with that?" Fred asked Ron.
"No..." Ron said.
"Good," I said. "Matter settled. Now move your butt before it saws through my legs."
George grinned at me and got up, sitting in the chair beside my bed. "Better?"
"Much. You're clearly too skinny. You need to fatten up that butt of yours."
"That's why you broke up with me, isn't it?" he asked dramatically. "My butt's too small for you."
"Yes, yes it is," I said in a somber voice.
"Luckily, my butt has more padding," Fred joked. "We've secretly been seeing each other behind your back the entire time."
"I knew it," George said, comically throwing his arm over his eyes in a very distraught fashion.
"What can I say? His ass is just irresistible."
"Isn't it?" Fred asked, turning over and sticking it right in my face. I squealed and leaned back, not wanting to touch it and push it away, but not wanting if in my face either.
"Fred, get your ass out of my face!" I said, consumed by a fit of giggles.
"I thought you liked it," he said in a heartbroken voice.
"I lied. I actually fancy Ron's bum."
"Now you know the truth," Ron said in a serious voice.
Fred and George gasped in mock horror and surprise. "Betrayed by our own brother," George said, shaking his head.
"Well, I guess this is our cue to leave," Fred agreed, getting off my bed. "Come on, George. Let's go find comfort for our broken hearts elsewhere and leave these two alone."
"That's the last time I answer your booty call," George said to me in an indignant, hurt tone. I was laughing too hard to come up with a proper response to that.
Fred and George grinned at me. "We really should go, though," George said, leaning down to hug me goodbye.
"Got an early day tomorrow," Fred agreed, also hugging me.
I hugged them tightly back and waved as they walked away. But suddenly, I had to stop them. "Wait!"
They both turned back and looked at me expectantly.
"In the off chance that you two ever see Draco again, could you try being nicer to him? Please?"
"Riley, he's mean," George said.
"And cruel," Fred added.
"And it's not like he's nice to anyone else," Rona agreed.
"He's surprisingly civil to people who return the favor," I said. "Just, please try. Okay?"
Fred and George grumbled but nodded all the same. "Only for you," Fred muttered, shaking his head at me.
"See you later, Riley," George said. And then they left.
"So you really care about Draco, don't you?" Ron asked me.
"Yeah, I do. We just understand each other pretty well. And when we're not bickering, we get along really well. He's one of my closest friends, right up there with you lot."
"Well, as long as you know he's not better than us," Ron said, causing me to grin at him.
"Of course not, Ron. Although, I have to say he's a better snogger than you are."
"How would you know??"
I smirked deviously. "I have my ways," I said mysteriously.
"I'll prove to you I'm better," he said, standing up out of his bed.
"Ooh, is that a challenge?" I asked, also standing up and facing him.
"You bet it is," he said, stepping closer to me.
We began closing the distance, our faces only inches apart. Five inches, four, suddenly only two. Just as that last inch was starting to disappear, we both collapsed onto the floor, laughing like madmen.
"Eww!! Too weird!" I said, clutching at my stomach because I was laughing so hard.
"Never do that again!" he said, tears starting to fill his eyes from his laughter. "That was just gross!"
"You started it!" I reached out a hand and punched his arm.
"You started it by insulting my snogging capabilities," he disagreed, returning the affectionate arm punch.
"Eugh! Okay, we are never ever ever going to challenge each other again. Not when it comes to stuff like that."
"Agreed, " he said.
We were both still on the floor, laughing, when Madame Pomfrey got up to see what all the commotion was about. She tutted at us and scolded us, making us get back into our beds, before she went back to her rooms to sleep.
"What ever will you do tomorrow?" I asked him once our laughter had subsided. "I'm allowed to leave the Hospital Wing then."
He sighed. "Be bored. You know Fred and George won't drop by for anymore visits now."
"I know. I'm just so damn awesome."
He chuckled softly and nodded. "Course you are, Riley. You just tell yourself that."
"Hey, don't be rude," I said. We lapsed into a comfortable silence for awhile, but I eventually broke it (shocking, right?). "Hey, Ron?"
"Yeah?"
"George doesn't still have feelings for me, does he? He's just joking around and stuff, right?"
"I think so. Why?"
"I'd feel bad if he did."
"So you're not gonna marry George, then?" he asked, humor behind the question.
"Nah, I was thinking of marrying Charlie. Dragons are cool."
He chuckled. "Sounds like a good plan. But, no, I think George is over you. He still cares an awful lot about you as his friend though. Which is why he and Fred got so defensive around Malfoy."
I nodded and smiled. "Good. I'm fine with them defending my honor and all, I just don't want to cause unrequited love. It really sucks."
"Hmm..." Ron said. Even that noncommittal noise sounded like it was full of meaning. I was sure he was thinking of Hermione.
"Hey, Ron?" I asked.
"Yeah?"
"I think you should dump Lavender. She's clearly not the right girl for you. And once you toss her, it'll give you the opportunity to make the Right Girl fall for you. See?"
"Hmm," he said again. I looked over at him and saw that he looked deep in thought. Good. He needed to dump Lavender and finally get with Hermione. Or I was gonna kill someone. They were gonna get together before I died, or so help me, I would find them in my next life and torture them. I even made a silent vow to myself to do just that. Ron and Hermione were finally going to get together. Or else.