Doesn't Mean a Thing

The first challenge had passed. Elise was on the edge of her seat the entire time. George and Fred had gone to take bets, which annoyed her. How dare they bet on Harry’s life? She sat with Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Hermione, and Ron. They were all terrified. Elise almost started crying when Fleur’s skirt caught on fire, but at least she’d gotten through without any harm. The same couldn’t be said for Cedric, who was burnt badly. Someone was saying they heard screams coming from the champions’ tent. Harry was last to go, and of course with his luck, he had the worst dragon. Elise had no idea how he was going to do it. He went into the pit without an idea, it seemed. For a while, he was just running away from the dragon. Eventually, he summoned his broomstick and flew around the dragon, getting the golden egg.

They were back in the common room. Elise was next to the twins, who were holding up Harry.

“Come on, Harry, open it!” George cried.

“Yeah, Harry, let us see!” Fred replied.

“Do you want me to open it?” Harry asked the crowd of Gryffindors.

“Yeah!” everyone chanted.

Harry unclasped the top of the egg, which burst open. Light spewed out, as did the screeching and howling of something Elise didn’t know. She immediately ducked and covered her ears, as most of the people had done. Fred and George dropped Harry, and the egg shut in the process.

“What the bloody hell was that?” Ron asked.

Everyone paused. They knew that Ron and Harry hadn’t been talking very much since Harry had been entered in the tournament.

“Alright, everyone, go back to your knitting.” George said slowly.

“This is going to be uncomfortable enough without all you nosy sods listening in.” Fred added. Everyone went back to their business. George took Elise’s hand and pulled her to a corner.

“Aw, look at the two of ‘em, making up.” He joked.

Elise sighed. “I never understood why they were fighting in the first place.”

George sighed too. “Ron was jealous, I suppose. We all were. Harry always gets attention.”

“Attention he doesn’t want.” Elise added.

George nodded. “I suppose you’re right. But hey, at least they’re friends again. The little trio is back together.”

Elise looked over at Fred, who was in the corner. He was with Lee. Angelina was on the other side of the room with Hermione and a couple of other girls.

“Fred looks so sad lately.” Elise noted.

George shrugged. “I reckon he and Angelina aren’t as together anymore. It’s bound to happen any day now.”

“It’s horrible, your poor brother.” She mused. “I want to cheer him up.”

George looked at her oddly. “How so?”

Elise shrugged. “I don’t know. We used to be so close, but he’s been awfully distant lately. Oh mon, il me rend si triste.”

George gave Fred a funny look. “You’re right; he hasn’t been himself lately.”

“Votre frère et moi étions de tels amis.” She sighed.

George looked at her, staring so sadly at Fred. He felt something; almost a weird idea. What if Elise liked Fred better than she liked him? It was true, he and Elise had much more in common. They supported the same Quidditch teams and both liked the same music. While Fred and George were both hilarious, they had different tastes in comedy; many people didn’t know that about them. Fred and Elise seemed the share a more common sense of humor.

The idea planted in his head. What if it wasn’t Elise? What if it was…?

“Fred.” George said, plainly.

Elise looked at him oddly. “What was that?” she asked.

George shook his head. “Nothing.”

But it all made sense to him. Fred was distant because he cared so much about Elise. He knew it would anger George to be with her.

George looked down at Elise. She was staring at him sadly. George had noticed moments when she was close to him. She noticed them walking together after Transfiguration, their hands almost touching. They would laugh and poke at each other. She blushed whenever he commented on how she looked.

A sad realization hit George. It was Fred. It would be Fred. They had more in common. They never fought, even if they fought at all. They complimented each other. While George figured that he and Fred were halves of a whole, Elise was a third. She would always be a part of them. From the little time that he and Elise had been together, he had realized that she had meshed into their lives. She was close with their friends. She had knitted her way into their family. She had even gotten her way into the trio. It was almost as if destiny willed itself to shove her in there.

Elise was now sitting down. She was examining a book that was left on the table. From the corner of his eye, he saw Fred, staring at her. He just stared at her with soft, glassy eyes.

George’s mouth twitched. Lee punched Fred’s shoulder. Fred looked at George and looked away.

That look said it all.

George looked at Elise from the corner of his eye. She was no longer looking at the book, but at Fred. Her eyes were the same, soft and glassy look Fred had given her.

“You okay?” George croaked.

Elise snapped out of it and looked back up to George. “Oh, yeah, I am.” She said, distractedly.

George bit his lip. She liked him just as much probably; she just didn’t know.

“I’m going upstairs, I’m a bit tired.” He told her. She nodded absentmindedly. He trudged up the stairs, questioning himself. Why wasn’t he as sad as he should be? He was losing a gorgeous, half veela girl to his twin brother. Why wasn’t he angry?

It hit him. Elise wasn’t trying to fall for Fred, she just meshed with him. Fred was obviously trying to avoid Elise for George’s sake. He started to wonder why he liked Elise so much in the first place…it was her looks, definitely. She was gorgeous. But other than that…nothing.

They were friends, but they didn’t have much in common for there to be a relationship.

Great. He’d just wasted almost three months of his life.

Lee walked into the room. “You okay mate?”

George shrugged. “Other than the fact that I realized my girlfriend is in love with my twin brother, yeah.”

Lee winced. “You found out?”

George gave him a look. “What?”

Lee shrugged. “Fred’s been moaning about the two of you forever. I figured Elise wouldn’t have said anything to you.”

George sighed. “She didn’t say anything to me. I just guessed since they have so much more in common. It’s how they are together that makes them what they are.”

“Are you going to stay with her? Fred says he’s not going to end it with Ange until after the ball. She’ll be upset if he does.” Lee noted.

George nodded, remembering the ball he overheard McGonagall discussing with Madame Pomfrey.

George nodded. “I guess. Might as well have a date for the ball.”

*~*~*~*

Anton Seymour was at home when he got the owl from Hogwarts. It was regarding the Yule Ball, a dance that was to be held over the Christmas holidays. None of the students above fourth year were going home as they were attending the ball. It made Anton uneasy for Elise to stay that long, but she was in good company he heard. She even had a boyfriend, she’d written him. She didn’t sound too happy in the relationship. Sometimes when she wrote, it appeared that she fancied the boy’s twin more than she liked him.

The letter was regarding the dress he had sent with Elise when she originally left. Apparently, the dresses were to be floor length now. He had sent her with an oyster colored tea length dress.

He immediately got an idea. Getting up from the kitchen, he went up the stairs to the attic. He rummaged through the trunks of clothing that belonged to his deceased wife, but he couldn’t find it. All he found were the mint colored shoes which were discolored; they were now a dingy greenish yellow. He walked over to the jewelry box and took out the diamond and light pink sapphire necklace and earring set and put them in his pocket.

Anton turned to the large armoire in the back. Of course it would be in there. Opening the doors, he saw it. The dress was still intact, but like the matching shoes, it was discolored from lack of use. He’d meant to save it for Elise’s use when she got older, but he’d forgotten the necessary enchantments to keep it from deteriorating.

The next day, Anton went to a dressmaker in Diagon Ally. “I was wondering if you could recreate a dress for me.” He asked.

“Yes sir, what kind?” the tailor asked.

Anton pulled out a picture. “I was wondering if you could reconstruct a dress like this one. The exact same colors. The top of the dress is a satin, the bottom is softer and flowing.” He noted. “Fit for a two.”

The tailor smiled. “Of course sir. And may I ask who is this dress for?”

Anton smiled. “My daughter; she’s at Hogwarts. It’s for the Yule Ball.”