Unexpected

I chewed the last of my dinner slowly before glancing down the table to where George sat with Fred and Lee.
“Nervous?” Cat chuckled in my ear and I rolled my eyes at her.
“Why would she be nervous? She’s awesome in Charms class,” Neville asked and Hermione and Cat shushed him, “What?”
“Mollie doesn’t need help with Charms Neville,” Hermione explained but this just seemed to confuse him even more.
“I only told George she was so he would agree to help her,” Cat tried to simplify the facts for him but he still hadn’t seemed to catch on.
“They’re trying to get him to ask me out,” I said while trying to think of an excuse not to get up from the table.
“Oh, why?” Neville’s look of confusion had suddenly turned curious and Cat rolled her eyes as she groaned.
“Because he likes her and she likes him,” she replied.
“You better get going Mollie,” Hermione whispered to me from across the table and I looked up to see Fred and Lee saying good-bye to George as he stood up and headed off.
“But why don’t you just-“
“Forget it Neville,” Cat half laughed before pushing me off of the bench and onto the floor, “Go!”
“But-“
“Don’t make me take you up there,” Cat smiled warningly at me and I glared before standing up and hitching my bag over my shoulder.
“I’ll see you later,” I promised her and smiled at Hermione and Neville before walking across the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall.
“Hey! Wait up Cat!” a familiar voice called from behind me and a glare fixed itself on my face, “Can we talk?”
“What do you want Dorkfoy?” I spat while turning to look to look at him.
“Oh! I thought you were Cat,” he replied and examined my hair carefully.
“What business do you have with my sister?” I questioned while putting most of my weight onto one foot and placing my hands on my hips.
“Um…just wanted to ask her what the Potions homework was,” he lied before glancing up at my hair once last time before turning around and hurrying back into Great Hall.
I rolled my eyes before turning around again and heading up the Marble Stair Case. Why would Dorkfoy need to ask Cat what our Potions homework was when there was a whole cluster of Slytherin first years at his own table? Better yet, why not just ask me since I was right there? Wait…we had Potions homework?!
“Hey,” George said and smiled at me as I stopped at the table that he had seated himself at.
“Hey,” I replied lamely and returned the smile as I placed my school bag next to my chair and sat down.
“So what did you need help with for Charms?”
“Everything,” I lied and he nodded before taking out his wand and what looked like Ron’s copy of The standard Book of Spells (Grade 1).

“That’s it, you’re getting it,” George encouraged me as I came closer to perfecting the wrist movement Professor Flitwick had been teaching us last class.
“The Library is now closed,” Madum Pince told us tonelessly as she walked by and I sighed before I started to pack up my things.
“Same time next week?” George asked as he followed in packing up.
“Whatever works for you,” I answered and stood up before brushing some hair out of my face and waiting for him to finish packing.
“Then same time next week it is,” he replied and smiled brightly at me as he stood up and we started walking toward the exit of the library.
“I’m sure you have some more important things to do then teaching me wrist movements,” I protested.
I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could but I still felt guilty about taking him away from his friends when I really didn’t need the help.
“Fred and Lee can manage themselves without me,” he chuckled and I looked down at the floor so my hair could hide the smile that had fallen across my face, “You’ve never told me before, how did your hair get like this?”
“Cat and I got sick when we were little; mom thinks it was some type of rare magical disease or something because none of the usual muggle methods worked and it eventually turned our hair this way,” I explained as we walked down the corridors together, “Cat was sicker longer, that’s why she has more white in her hair than I do.”
“How old were you when this happened?” he questioned and I thought for a minute as I counted backwards in my head.
“About five I think,” I answered and brushed my hair back behind my ear so my face wasn’t hidden anymore.
“Everyone thinks that you’re lying about your hair,” he said after a few moments of silence and I looked up at him, “They think that you’re just trying to draw more attention to yourself.”
“Have they noticed how much we despise the attention? How much we hate everyone staring at us like we’re rare trinkets, how much it embarrasses us when a seventh year falls into a bow in the middle of a jam packed corridor, how much it irritates us that people are too scared to talk to us because they think we’ll order Filtch to cut their heads of or something-“
“I know,” George interrupted me as he placed his hand gently over my mouth, “I can see how much you and Cat just want to be normal students.”
“Then why can’t anyone else?” I asked sourly while pushing his hand away, the feeling of his fingers on my cheek lingered behind.
“Because practically everyone in this school has grown up hearing stories of the great Moore family and about how much they’ve done for the Wizarding world. Do you have any idea what you’re family has done?” he asked in response and I shook my head while staring at my feet.
“Mom never told us much, said we were too young to understand,” I sighed and stepped around him so I could start toward the portrait hole again, “And Dad’s a muggle so he hasn’t got the slightest idea about anything besides the fact that he’s part of a powerful and influential family.”
“Exactly, a powerful and influential family,” he said as he appeared at my side again, “It doesn’t occur to anyone that hasn’t spent a bit of time with you that you just want to be normal.”
“We keep telling everyone we want to be normal,” I protested angrily and he sighed.
“It’s different when they don’t know you. To everyone in our house you’re just Cat and Mollie now because we’ve all spent a bit of time with you and we’ve seen that you’re nothing out of the ordinary…well…to a certain point.”
I laughed lightly and he smiled down at me again before continuing on with what he was saying.
“To everyone else in the school you’re still Lady Catherin and Lady Mollie. Just give it time and they’ll get used to the idea that you’re as normal as me and Fred.”
“Is that good or bad?” I asked and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Depends on how you look at it,” he answered and we both chuckled lightly.
“Password?” The Fat Lady asked and I looked up surprised, were we really there already?
“Pig Snout,” George answered causing the portrait to swing forward.
I stepped forward disappointedly before climbing through the portrait hole and debating whether I should wait for George or not.
“There you are! I was getting worried!” Cat yelled from a chair by the fire and I looked around the see that the common room was empty besides her, me, and George.
“Ah shucks Cat, you didn’t have to worry about me,” George pretended to blush and I laughed as I hugged Cat tightly.
“We’ll see you later,” Cat replied and smiled at him before pulling me off toward the girls’ dormitories.
“Bye!” I called over my shoulder and he waved before walking up the stairs to boys’ dormitories.
“So how did it go?” Cat whispered to me as she pulled me up the spiral staircase.
“He really believes that I need help with Charms,” I half laughed, “Then again, I have to admit that I made a pretty good actress.”
“Am I forgiven for embarrassing you then?” she asked and opened the door to our dormitory.
“You are completely forgiven,” I sighed and tried not to think about the way he had smiled at me every few minutes while he was ‘helping’ me.
“Girl, you got it bad,” Cat said and I broke out of my daze to see her staring at me, “I’ve seen that dreamy look before; it’s the look you get when you see an unclaimed bag of Skittles.”
“Which reminds me,” I sang before diving toward my trunk and pulled out one of the many bags of Skittles I had gotten yesterday.
“Really, before bed, Mollie?” Cat laughed and I nodded before pouring a bag into my mouth and trying to chew it all, “You’re going to choke one of these days, I guarantee you.”
“Well then you have the opportunity to live up to the family name and save a life,” I replied through my mouth full of sugary goodness and she rolled her eyes before she started changing into her boxers and tank.
“So what did you two talk about?”
What George had told me on the way back suddenly flooded through my brain and I swallowed deeply while preparing for the wrath of Cat.
“He told me that some people think we’re lying about our hair and just want more attention then what we’re already getting,” I mumbled while pulling my night gown over my head.
“People are honestly that thick?” Cat scoffed and I nodded, “Well let them believe what they want.”
“You’re not upset?” I asked astonished.
“Well of course I’m upset, I’m just not going to let these idiots get to me,” she grumbled before climbing into bed and curling up into a ball, “Night Mollie Bear.”
“Night Cat,” I sighed contently as I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to my chin, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she mumbled before her breathing slowed and I began to follow.

The corridor seemed to go on and on as I walked cautiously down it. Something told me that I should turn back but I knew that I couldn’t do that until I found what I was looking for. What was I looking for though? To be perfectly honest, I had no clue whatsoever.
“Mollie?” a familiar voice called from behind me and I spun around on my heel to see George standing nearly inches away from me, “What are doing out so late?”
“I could ask you the same thing Mr. Weasley,” I teased him and a small smile spread across his face.
“Do you want to walk with me?” he asked and I nodded eagerly while forgetting about whatever I had been searching for, “Can I tell you something?”
“Anything,” I assured him while he held back a tapestry and we walked through one of the many secret passageways that the school held.
“I think I’m falling for you,” he whispered in my ear and a shiver ran down my spine as the remnants of his hot breath prickled the back of my neck.
“Oh,” I managed to gasp out and suddenly found myself standing still.
“Oh?” he questioned while wrapping his arms around my waist, “that’s all you have to say?”
“Well…I think I’ve already fallen for you,” I admitted breathlessly.
“Well in that case,” he chuckled and swiveled around me so that he standing in front of me instead of behind.
I managed to let out a light gasp before I felt his soft lips gently press against mine. Why didn’t this feel completely right? Was I not supposed to be kissing George? Was I supposed to searching for whatever it was?
“Are you okay?”
I fell against the wall with a thump as Neville’s face appeared in front of me in place of where George’s had been moments before.
“Mollie? Mollie, are you okay?”

“Mollie? Mollie, are you okay?” the words repeated through my brain until I realized that it was Cat who was talking.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” I panted.
“Are you sure? You were mumbling things in your sleep and then you just started screaming,” Cat looked anxious and I sighed before sitting up against my pillows.
“I’m fine, I promise. Just a…strange dream,” I tried to assure her but she continued to stare at me hesitantly.
“You said something about George and then Neville,” she said and I bit my lip, “Mollie, what on earth were you dreaming about?”
I jumped into the details of what I could remember about my dream and Cat seemed to look more confused as I went on.
“Do you think you like Neville too?” she asked and I shrugged, “It’s a possibility.”
“But it’s Neville,” I protested, “Not that there’s anything wrong with him! It’s just…he’s more of a brotherly love type.”
“And George?”
“I don’t know, he just makes me feel like I’m going crazy.”
“You are crazy,” Cat pointed out as she tried to lighten the dark mood that seemed to be rolling off of me.
“Point taken,” I laughed.
“Listen Molls, just relax and think about it. If you like George then you like George. If you like Neville then you like Neville. If you like both then you’re a whore,” she said and I stuck my tongue out at her causing her to laugh, “Just go back to sleep Molls. We’ll figure it out in the morning.”
“Thanks Cat,” I sighed before slipping down under the covers again and she smiled at me.
“For what?”
“For being an awesome sister,” I answered and she chuckled one last time before climbing into bed and slipping off into unconsciousness again.
I wouldn’t be so lucky. I had too much on my mind now. Did I like Neville or was I just reading too much into the dream? Maybe I just needed to sleep on it and then decide what I felt? Did things like this work that way? Ugh…I wish I had Google to give me the answers. I love the Wizarding world but sometimes no electronics and no internet really suck.