Date?
Dora,
Serious life update time. Percy and I had a bit of a falling out. That may or may not have resulted in Cedric encouraging me to invite George to a sleep over. Which in turn may have resulted in us snogging. Me and George I mean, not Cedric he’s still ‘straight’, but now I don’t know where we stand because he absolutely poured his heart out then told me not to say anything and kissed me then now he keeps flirting but when I ask him he says something filthy, and I don’t know what to do.
I hope your life is treating you kinder than mine.
Love, Lirum
A month had passed quicker than any had Lirum’s whole life. George still hadn’t asked them out. Every time they approached the subject he would say something that stole their words, and found an excuse to leave. He seemed to love doing that. Apparently their hair changing colour was quite the sight for him.
They were sitting in a row together in charms while Flitwick explained the colour changing charm, when George leaned over.
“Will you go to Hogsmead with me?” George asked, grinning.
“Like a date?” Lirum asked, sweetly.
Well, “Fred and Lee will be there too, we need more stink pellets. We definitely can assure you we haven’t been sprinkling them in Davies bag.” George smiled, crossing his heart.
“So, not a date.” Lirum sighed.
“It could be?” George shrugged, inching closer. “We could leave early? Spend a little time alone?”
“So it is a date?” They asked, glancing back and forth between Flitwicks demonstration and George.
“Would you like it to be a date?” George said, infuriatingly.
“George! You’ve kissed me, never actually asked me to be your anything, and now you’re acting cryptically. Please, just give me a real answer?” Lirum begged. “If this is because I joked about you not officially asking me I take it back, now please give me a straight answer.”
“I just want to do it romantically.” He reassured them.
“What?” They asked, looking at him confused.
“I don’t want to just say ‘we’re dating now right’ that’s a very Fred thing to do. I want to do this right!” He stressed, taking their hand.
“I’d rather you just say it at this point.” George sighed, as professor Flitwick finished his lecture.
“Make sure to finish reading this section, for your test exam next week.” He explained as the students packed up.
“You never gave me an answer?” George said, throwing his things into his bag.
“You never gave me one either.” Lirum said, grabbing their bag.
“Don’t be like that, please,” George said, moving closer to them.
“You’ll have your answer when you decide whether or not you actually want a relationship.” They said, rising from their seat.
“Of course I want a relationship with you, Lirum!” George shooting up beside them.
“I’ve got to go, I’ve got patrol this period.” Lirum huffed, turning to leave.
“Don’t you patrol the third floor today? We’re already here?” George asked, quickly swinging his bag over his shoulder.
“How did you know my patrol schedule?” Lirum asked, looking back at him.
“It’s Tuesday? We have double charms together in the morning, you patrol the third floor, we get lunch, you have study period in the library, then after you have double transfiguration where you sit next to Cedric.” He said confidently.
“This is our only class together today. How do you know any of that?” Lirum asked, surprised. “I don’t believe we’ve really talked about my schedule?”
“Me and Fred just check on you sometimes.” He answered, making Lirum shift from surprised to concerned.
“What do you mean check on me sometimes? George, you just recited my Tuesday schedule off the top of your head! It’s mid October theirs only been five Tuesdays. I didn’t even patrol the first one!” Lirum could see the realisation flash in his eyes.
“Maybe we’ve been checking a little more than I’d realised.” He gave a forced laugh, he knew he’d been caught.
“Have you been stalking me?” They saw the panic on his face. Lirum thought back to the boys appearance any time something went wrong. The boys had seen Lirum on the map. He’d said it himself the night he pulled them into the classroom.
“It’s not stalking, I’m not following you around.” He looked at them full of concern, trying to pick his words carefully. “You’ve been having a rough time, we were just checking on you.”
“You did it last year too! Actually you’ve been doing it since at least third yeah that’s how you knew I was out of bed!” Lirum backed away. “You weren’t surprised I was breaking the rules and having sleep overs you weren’t surprised you hadn’t seen it on that map of yours!”
“It’s not as bad as it sounds, Love.” George stepped closer.
“George that’s incredibly creepy!” Lirum exclaimed.
“I’m sorry, we were just worried! If I didn’t, how would I have found you that night? What if I hadn’t been there, and you Godric forbid fell down those stairs you were running towards, or ended up passing out again.” He pulled them into a hug. “I swear I’ll put an end to it, I know this is a terrible start but I’ll make it up to you.”
“George-“ Lirum started, but he cut them off.
“George! Hurry up! I swear, you can snog your partner later! Let’s go!” Fred piped up crossing the classroom towards them.
“Hogsmeade will be a date! I promise, and an amazing one at that. We’ll have our first real uninterrupted kiss, and I’ll ask you to be my partner there, and after we’ve had our fun we’ll meet back up with Fred and Lee, and we’ll all get butter beers.” He said, taking Lirum’s face in his hands so they’d Look him in the eyes. “Fred will be jealous and Lee will bully him for it but it won’t matter because we’ll be snuggled up in a corner together laughing. That sounds nice doesn’t it?”
“It does, but I think we really need to talk about this. How would you have felt if you found out a guy was doing that to Ginny?” He grimaced, looking desperately between Fred storming towards them and reaching back down for their hands.
“I promise we will talk about this later, I will listen to all of your concerns, but Fred may kill me if I stay much longer.” He said letting go, and heading towards Fred, who rolled his eyes at George. Then turned back towards the door.
“Why can’t I just have a normal day where people do normal things.” Lirum said to themself as they watched the boys leave the classroom. “Find out my best friend slash possible boyfriend has been stalking me, with hit brother! Guess I’ll just patrol then! Since apparently I’m not allowed to just, have a healthy relationship!”
Lirum left the classroom walking down the third floor hallway. Taking a quick peek into a few of The supposedly empty classrooms skipping ones like ghoul studies and Arithmancy, which they knew would be occupied. They couldn’t help but think about everything that’s happened so far this year. It was only a month in and everything had changed so much.
They went from spending all summer perfecting a wand for the boy they were in love with, to being rejected, to everything on the train, the chaotic prefect business, finding out the twins convinced the school poltergeist to defend them somehow, to now maybe dating one of the twins, only to be presented with the awful realisation the reason he’s always there when they need him is because he’s been stalking them.
George was sweet, and caring, and had a special skill of making their heart flutter, but they felt like they should be far more concerned. How could the person who knew them best be doing something so obsessive and creepy. They didn’t even know their schedule that well yet. Maybe that’s why he knew them so well. Always watching, they were the first to notice Lirum hair changed with their feelings, the teachers, and classes they weren’t fond of. Helga, he’d listed out every odd behaviour they had like it was common knowledge.
He was always so concerned with their well being. Maybe it really was just, that an act if good intent that simply looks suspicious from the wrong angle. Where is the line between checking on someone because you’re worried, and stalking someone you’ve become unwittingly obsessed with. George wasn’t obsessive though, was he?
Lirum was pulled out of their thoughts by the voices of students lingering to gossip in the stairwell. They quietly listened as they got closer to the group of girls hiding in the alcove.
“Did you hear Sirius Black has been spotted in Dufftown? That’s not far from here!” One girl said.
“Of course he was, Professor Trelawney predicted it! He’s after Harry Potter!” Lirum sighed, if they were going to be catching students gossip instead of going to class, they’d at least prefer it to be fun gossip. Something to take their mind off of everything.
“Alright girls, bells rang five minutes ago. Find your way to your classes before I’ve got to take points.” Lirum said, starting the group of third years who scrambled off.
As the girls sped out from under and down the stairs away Lirum noticed one of them had left something in the windowsill. A book, the dust cover read ‘Encyclopaedia of Toadstools’. They opened it to find the inside was pink and red. The title page read ‘Enchanted Encounters’ by Fifi LaFolle.
A romance novel? Hidden inside the jacket of a different book? Why would anyone do that? They thumbed through the book skimming randomly through a few pages before they saw it.
“I haven’t felt this close to anyone in a long time. I really enjoy your company.” The red head smiled.
“And do you often prefer the company of other women?” Elethea asked, moving closer to the bard.
“And what would you say if I do? Very much so in fact?” She smiled.
“I think I might giggle, maybe look coy?” Elethea teased.
“Ha! You must do that then, perhaps later when I’m not prepared for it? Surprise me?” Leliana’s voice turned sullen. “Because then…then they were forbidden, and forbidden fruit is the sweeter, no?”
“What about your fruit is it forbidden?” The warden asked. Lelliana’s Face turned red as her auburn hair.
Lirum panicked, flipping deeper into the book.
“My performance? What performance? and why does it warrant giggling?” Alistair asked.
“We’re just talking about how you treat her in bed, nothing you should concern yourself with.” Leliana smiled devilishly.
Wait, weren’t Leliana and Elethea, you know? Lirum had to leaf through a bit deeper for answers.
“Oh, and now you’ve piqued my interest,” the duellist said, sumptuously. “It would surely be rude of me to refuse such a delicious offer.”
“Are you suggesting…with her? I mean…wow. And here I am awake and everything?”
“Perhaps your friend is feeling left out?” She suggested leaning across the table. “There is always room for one more, yes?”
Lirum slammed the book shut. What were these girls reading?! Is the main character just sleeping with everyone?! Why was Leliana so casual about Elethea bedding alistair?! Who is the dullest?! They stood there for a moment holding the book in their hands, unsure how to proceed. They needed answers. Their brain was not going to rest without some form of explanation. They took a deep breath and started over from the beginning.
“Lirum?” Adrian’s voice shook them from their thoughts. How would they explain what he just walked in on? “I can’t say finding you reading when you were meant to be on patrol is shocking but why are you reading a herbology textbook under the stairs?”
“Oh! It’s not- it’s not mine! I found it down here and I was looking for a name to return it to whatever student left it here!”
“Oh can I see, maybe it’s in the back?” He asked , reaching for the book. Lirum swung it behind them.
“I already checked I think I’ll just- erm, I’ll bring it to the library!” Lirum said, tucking it into their bag. “For safekeeping, it doesn’t have a name it might have been checked out, yes!”
“Alright? Are you ok?” Adrian asked. “You look a bit flushed, are you feeling alright? You’re not feeling faint are you?”
“Yeah I’m alright, just a bit warm down here’s all.” Lirum said, fanning their face a bit.
“Lirum it’s mid October, it’s been raining a lot, it’s getting cold, are you sure you’re ok?” He asked, concern evident in his face.
“Oh, look at the time we’ve got to go to lunch!” Lirum said, desperately trying to change the subject. Adrian sighed and followed them to the Great Hall.