Falling For

After our reunion in the owlery, I had attached myself to the hip of my reignited boyfriend – who, in essence, looked brighter than he had ever done before. Every time I stared in the mirror, I too looked a little shinier than I had ever been. My cheeks blossomed into roses and my lily withered and I felt complete again. Call it melodramatic, but your first love grips every part of you until that one day you decide to finally let go.

Brushing my hair with my fingers, I settled down into the common room with my feet up on one of the button couches; sinking into the plush interior with the satisfaction of tingling lips and rough fingertips.

“Mignon?” Florence’s voice came from the portrait way as she pulled herself in. “Your friend is here. Noël, is it? Yeah, Noël’s here.”

“Ah, let him in.” I sighed from my spot, looking at my fingers against the raging fire that spat from the center of the room. Buried in the side of the lounge, I looked at those wide blue eyes of Noël’s and smiled. “Hey.”

“Hello.” He greeted, sitting down on the arm of the chair. “You look happy.” He brightened at my smile and my brows rose, the grin still pulling on my lips.

“Oh, yeah, George and I are giving it another shot.” I beamed, and he blanked for a second; stylising my face blandly before biting his top lip.

“Ah.” He nodded dumbly. “No wonder I haven’t been able to find you lately.” He nodded again. “Everything’s back to normal then?” He asked, and I nodded to match him. “Ah. Okay. Well, your dad says ‘hello’. He hopes you’re well.” He blinked. “Good night!”

“Good night!” I beamed at him again and he shook his head, still biting his lip before pushing himself off of the chair. I watched him pass with his blank, clueless face as he glided passed Florence so swiftly in his sweater and jeans and my heart tinged black for a moment.

“Wow.” The portrait slammed shut as he left, Florence looking over at me. “Are you stupid?” She asked quietly, staring over at me while she edged towards the fire. She collapsed on the couch across from me and scowled.

“What?” I asked snidely, still trying to fight off the feeling that had arrived in absence of the pretty boy.

“How could you turn down such a nice guy?” She asked me with a brash edge, making my brows rise and my body recoil.

“Turn down?” I asked, suddenly aware of what I just did. My voice had faltered and her eyes softened. “Oh.” Leaning back, I squished myself into the plush of the chair and bit my nails while my mind went into overdrive. Noël, Noël, Noël, I breathed. Noël.

As I had pointed out a while back, I knew I would grow to love Noël. He was a beautiful man, a little slow comprehensively but still wondrous and free-spirited. He still technically is the light of my life, and as I write this he is currently in the kitchen making me his special type of tea. But that’s another story, I suppose. One for later - if you ever want to read it, that is.



Everything seemed a lot less complicated with George back around. The less time I spent looking at my unsteady frame in the mirror, the better I felt about who I had unwantedly become. I had been curled into George’s arms, staring at the Gryffindor fire that burnt brightly against our faces – lighting up the room like a show light that had overheated.

“Why are you leaving?” I broke the silence with a tiny voice and I felt him purse his lips in my hair.

“We can’t deal with Umbridge anymore.” He whispered through my light blond strands before shifting beneath me. "I've told you that before." I furrowed my brows and played with a loose thread on his sweater.

“But school’s almost over.” I blinked pointedly into the fire and he sighed.

“Well we’re not really going anywhere right now, are we? Fred and I, I mean.” He sniffed tiredly, his arms tightening around me. I scoffed. “This new store will be a real breather. Not having to worry mum all the time, some growing space, not having to over-think our NEWTS. I mean, Min, this is a really big opportunity for us.”

“I’m not saying it isn’t, George. I’m just worried about what will happen if it doesn’t get on its feet quick enough.” I turned my head up to look at him and he shook his head.

“We’ve been selling out of stock for the entire year, Min. I think we’re going to be fine. We’ve sealed every leak in our great big ship of dreams.” His hands found their way under my jumper to pinch my hips cheerfully and I squeaked, rolling my body to sit carefully on his stomach.

Leaning over to rub my nose against his, I watched his face soften to meet my lips carefully – as if not to break the fragile bubble we had created. His fingers brushed through my hair and I smiled against him, running my fingers over his sharp jaw that needed a quick shave.

“Why aren’t you scared?” I asked curiously, bending back to let him sit up straight. His arms were around my waist lazily, playing with the hooks of my jeans as he contemplated quietly to himself. I suppose that’s what we needed for our relationship – something deeper than just spontaneous sex or whatever we had going before. Now it was more quiet and broody, sensual things that we rarely ever spoke of before. It was less painful than it used to be, and I grew comfortable with the thought of growing old like that.

“Of course I’m scared. I have no idea what’s going to happen, even if I’m sure we’ll be fine. But really, Mignon, please stop worrying about everything. It’ll be an adventure.” George bit his lip and a smile slipped out - my heart jumping at the sudden rush of love I soon felt. My brow rose slowly and I shook my head, resting my hands on his shoulders lightly as I shifted to get comfortable.

“If you’re sure you’ll be okay.” I pecked him on the nose gently and he tucked a long strand of curly hair behind my left ear.

“Trust me, sweetheart, it’s all smooth sailing from here.”