Choices
Seventh Choice
Valerie wished that George would hurry up and get back from his mysterious errand tonight so that she could talk to him. She paced the floor of his apartment above the joke job and told herself to stop imagining horrible things happening to him. Valerie was not stupid, she knew that whatever had him and Fred out tonight had to do with the Order of the Phoenix. It was the one thing that they didn’t discuss with each other, the fact that he was in the Order and her family was with the Dark Lord. Although she knew that her family was regretting the relationship more and more with each passing day. Voldemort had taken over their manor as a sort of headquarter and things in the wizarding world were slowly falling into his power. Things were so bad that she had been fired from her job at the hospital because no one wanted the daughter of a Death Eater treating them. It didn’t matter as she would have had to quit on her father’s demand. It looked bad that she would treat half-bloods and muggle born.
Yet what her father was asking her to do now was unforgivable. Not only had Draco been reluctantly included into the members of the Death Eater but he had made Valerie join as well. She had not been able to refuse as they had put the hideous, damning mark on her to do so would have meant even more loss of favor in He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s eye and almost certain death of her family.
Valerie rubbed the sleeved arm where the dark mark was engraved in her arm. Hating that it symbolized something that George and she would no longer be able to deny or forget.
She was a Death Eater and he was in the Order…their little bubble of security and love was gone.
It was over between them.
Fred Apparated in the living room followed by George a second later.
“We need to tal—Oh my god what happened!?” Her heart stopped as she ran to George’s side. Valerie started to reach up to hold his bandaged head but stopped herself in time and grasped his shirt instead. “You’re hurt! Are you alright? What happened?”
“Just a little spell that got a piece of me,” George shrugged like it was no big deal but Valerie saw that Fred was keeping a close watch on his brother and was pale.
It wasn’t nothing…they had been in a life and death situation tonight and from the looks of it George had been inches away from the latter.
“Are you hurt? George,” Valerie said his name on a broken sob as she threw her arms around him unable to contain her fear for him.
“I’m fine Valerie. More than fine actually, I’m holy. Get it? Holey.” He pointed at the side of his bandaged head and in growing horror Valerie understood.
George had lost his ear!
She pushed him away from her with an angry shriek, “Are you completely insane!? THIS IS NOT A JOKE!”
Valerie walked away before she strangled him as Fred patted the back of his astonished brother, “Told you not to go with that one.”
“Valerie,” George held his hands out in peace as he stepped near her. “I’m sorry—.”
He ducked as she hurled a dirty plate from the sink at him, “You narcissistic bastard! How could you joke about losing your ear!? You…could…have…DIED!”
Each word was accompanied by a flying dish to prove her point. Fred fled the battle zone and George had to grab her arms to stop her rampage.
“George how could you!?” Valerie slammed her fist into his chest a few times before her anger left and the true emotion—gut wrenching fear—replaced it. Her arms dropped and she leaned her head against his chest, listening to the strong heartbeat that could have been stopped tonight.
“I’m safe and whole…ish. Don’t worry Valerie, I’m not going anywhere,” George whispered in her ear kissing her gently.
She let his love envelope her as she enjoyed their last kiss. Her resolve doubled by the events of tonight and George’s injury. She detangled herself from George’s clasp and looked him dead in the eye.
Valerie took a deep breath of courage even as her soul rebelled at what she was doing, “We are done George.”
His mouth dropped, “Excuse me?”
“We were kidding ourselves, this can’t work. No,” Valerie flinched away from his touch. “I don’t know what we have been doing all these months but it was a dream.”
“Valerie don’t do this. I lo—.”
“No!” she cut him off. If he said those dreaded words she knew she was lost.
“I love y—.” George persisted, taking hold of her cold hands.
Valerie ripped them away from him and pulled back her sleeve, “I’m a Death Eater!”
George staggered back when he saw the ink on Valerie’s arm but when he tore his gaze from it and back to her eyes they were still full of love, “I know that you didn’t want this. I know you Valerie the way no one else does. I love you!”
Valerie shook her head as tears ran down her face, “Don’t make this harder than it is.”
“Valerie, please.” George reached out a hand to her but didn’t move. It would be so easy to grasp it and fight the world together but it was a delusion and all the pleading in his eyes couldn’t change that fact.
Valerie turned her back on her heart and disapparated.
Yet what her father was asking her to do now was unforgivable. Not only had Draco been reluctantly included into the members of the Death Eater but he had made Valerie join as well. She had not been able to refuse as they had put the hideous, damning mark on her to do so would have meant even more loss of favor in He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s eye and almost certain death of her family.
Valerie rubbed the sleeved arm where the dark mark was engraved in her arm. Hating that it symbolized something that George and she would no longer be able to deny or forget.
She was a Death Eater and he was in the Order…their little bubble of security and love was gone.
It was over between them.
Fred Apparated in the living room followed by George a second later.
“We need to tal—Oh my god what happened!?” Her heart stopped as she ran to George’s side. Valerie started to reach up to hold his bandaged head but stopped herself in time and grasped his shirt instead. “You’re hurt! Are you alright? What happened?”
“Just a little spell that got a piece of me,” George shrugged like it was no big deal but Valerie saw that Fred was keeping a close watch on his brother and was pale.
It wasn’t nothing…they had been in a life and death situation tonight and from the looks of it George had been inches away from the latter.
“Are you hurt? George,” Valerie said his name on a broken sob as she threw her arms around him unable to contain her fear for him.
“I’m fine Valerie. More than fine actually, I’m holy. Get it? Holey.” He pointed at the side of his bandaged head and in growing horror Valerie understood.
George had lost his ear!
She pushed him away from her with an angry shriek, “Are you completely insane!? THIS IS NOT A JOKE!”
Valerie walked away before she strangled him as Fred patted the back of his astonished brother, “Told you not to go with that one.”
“Valerie,” George held his hands out in peace as he stepped near her. “I’m sorry—.”
He ducked as she hurled a dirty plate from the sink at him, “You narcissistic bastard! How could you joke about losing your ear!? You…could…have…DIED!”
Each word was accompanied by a flying dish to prove her point. Fred fled the battle zone and George had to grab her arms to stop her rampage.
“George how could you!?” Valerie slammed her fist into his chest a few times before her anger left and the true emotion—gut wrenching fear—replaced it. Her arms dropped and she leaned her head against his chest, listening to the strong heartbeat that could have been stopped tonight.
“I’m safe and whole…ish. Don’t worry Valerie, I’m not going anywhere,” George whispered in her ear kissing her gently.
She let his love envelope her as she enjoyed their last kiss. Her resolve doubled by the events of tonight and George’s injury. She detangled herself from George’s clasp and looked him dead in the eye.
Valerie took a deep breath of courage even as her soul rebelled at what she was doing, “We are done George.”
His mouth dropped, “Excuse me?”
“We were kidding ourselves, this can’t work. No,” Valerie flinched away from his touch. “I don’t know what we have been doing all these months but it was a dream.”
“Valerie don’t do this. I lo—.”
“No!” she cut him off. If he said those dreaded words she knew she was lost.
“I love y—.” George persisted, taking hold of her cold hands.
Valerie ripped them away from him and pulled back her sleeve, “I’m a Death Eater!”
George staggered back when he saw the ink on Valerie’s arm but when he tore his gaze from it and back to her eyes they were still full of love, “I know that you didn’t want this. I know you Valerie the way no one else does. I love you!”
Valerie shook her head as tears ran down her face, “Don’t make this harder than it is.”
“Valerie, please.” George reached out a hand to her but didn’t move. It would be so easy to grasp it and fight the world together but it was a delusion and all the pleading in his eyes couldn’t change that fact.
Valerie turned her back on her heart and disapparated.