Falling For

It was Christmas morning and still a few hours until the ball. My dress was hanging from the polished wooden hooks that were planted in the warm walls; waiting for me while I sat on the edge of my bed with my legs crossed, unwrapping presents that had been sent the night before. My mother had gifted me a bag full of galleons, and my father a book on wizarding law. Gwen and Florence had combined their money to buy me a new parchment set. From everyone else I had acquired mostly sweets, which didn't bother me because they often helped get me through studying-bends.

I had sent everyone sweets for Christmas; it was a given. With the exception of Gwen and Florence, I had spent my entire savings in Hogsmede's sweet-shop with armfuls of cavities. I had even bought the twins sweets, regardless of the romantic relationship I was pursuing with half, because everyone loves sweets. In fact, I wasn't at all bothered by the fact that I was a horrible gift giver - the only person I had set out to please was George. And in my early relationships, I didn't tend to dwell on materialistic things.

Speaking of, when George wasn't off with his brother inventing little devices or attempting to get me to eat something that looked rather suspicious, he was with me; embracing the purely physical bond that we shared. While our banter was quite chatty and jubilant, the more I spent time with my hands curled in his hair left me to believe that the passion was obviously brighter than the conversations we shared.

Our brief, whimsical nonsense was often cut short by a hand up a shirt or the inevitable fellatio. But before you wrinkle your nose in awkwardness, may I just remind that we were teenagers caught up in a rush of lust and boredom on our free days. The warmth from his rough hands broke my need for silence and those guttural moans that climbed up throats became the soundtrack to my winter. I often thanked Merlin for silencing charms.

"Coming to breakfast, Mignon?" Florence had pulled on a new sweater and some jeans by the time I had slipped my feet out of bed. I looked at my new scarf silently for a second then nodded, straightening my body out to find a dress and some stockings in my trunk.



Slipping into the hall about ten minutes later, I was greeted by Angelina and Alicia who gave me passing Christmas hugs - soon gushing over the ball and discussing presents. Florence and Gwen had already slipped passed and went and ate breakfast before I could realise, leaving me to bid my Gryffindor friends adieu before slipping down beside Markus.

"Merry Christmas, Mignon!" He seemed cheerful to say the least. I repeated it back to him and took some French Toast, eagerly destroying it with gentle teeth to fill my sad stomach. After that, I knew I was going to have to let my dress out, but I felt like I was starving. Breaking through simple conversations with my Hufflepuff friends, I was suddenly joined by a warmth on my side, and when I looked up I noticed my boyfriend in a deep blue sweater, etched with a golden 'F'.

"What is with the F?" I asked, placing my fork down to claim my kiss on the cheek. As he leant back from my hair, his face broke out into his devilish smile and he placed his hands on the table.

"It's Fred's sweater from mum." He told me. "We're off to mess with people's heads." He continued, giving a quick 'hello' to my friends via hand signals. "We do it every year and still no one picks up on it." George grinned and I rolled my eyes, disappointed with his lack of pre-thought.

"Then what are your friends going to say when they see you over here with me while you're pretending to be Fred?"

"Well, just tell everyone you're dating the both of us." He rested his elbows on the table and I leant over to nudge him with my shoulder.

"I don't think I have enough heart for that." I tapped his thigh with my palm and he kissed the top of my head in response, stealing a piece of toast from my plate with sneaky fingers. Florence looked at us for a second, trailing her eyes over me before she opened her mouth.

"How do you tell them apart…?" She asked, leaning forward on the table. My friendship circle swivelled their heads to us for my explanation. Taken aback, I looked at my boyfriend and he shrugged. I sighed, attempting to keep a straight face.

"I just go with the one that kisses me first." I teased, waiting for their horrified glances to break through their stoic stares. "But, no, um, George has a deeper voice."

"I'm gonna tell Fred that." He pointed out and I reeled.

"Please don't!" Leaning away from him, I stared back with a handful of fear. "He'll hex me into next week!"

He laughed a little, falling quiet before blinking.

"Coming to the common room today?"

"I suppose so." I thought about it for a while, looking back up at my friends who I had been neglecting for the weeks I had been dating George. "How about we all go to the court yard; cast some heat spells and wear jackets. Or sweaters, in your case."

"Hey, my mum makes quality sweaters." He poked his tongue out at me and I brightened. "I'll ask Fred, I'm sure it'll be all right." He smiled back down at me, kissing me on the head before slipping out from between the table and seat. "I'm going to go eat breakfast, but I'll come back over once I've finished. I still hafta be a prat to Ginny and Ron... Shouldn't take too long, actually. So yeah, I'll be back soon, love."

"See you." I patted his stomach before he toddled off, letting me return to my cooling French Toast. My friends burst back into conversation, and I ended up smiling all the way through breakfast because I just couldn't shake the great feeling that had accompanied Christmas that year.