Egos and misunderstandings

George’s P.O.V.

I was glad when I got to transfigurations that morning and saw that Tori, as always had calmed down, and while the mood between us was terrible awkward, she was at least not yelling at me. It was weird when she was actually mad at me, insulting me and frustrated I liked, it was fun to push her buttons like that. But she had been proper angry this morning and I had not understood why. Fred of course made me explain where I had been all night, and seeing the girls leaning closer over at the Ravenclaw table I gathered that she was probably telling people, so I figured I would too. No matter what Fred would probably find out if Ana knew and then everyone would through those two. A few of them acted quite girly as I told them, excited by our scandalous redevous to the woods as Alicia had put it mockingly. I rolled my eyes at all of it. There was nothing scandalous about it. Awkward yes, but not scandalous. 

I had felt weird to be with her like that. It had been weirdly intimate to lie like that, with a person you did not like non the less. It set off all sorts of weird emotions within me. So sitting with her and having to share her book in our first class of the day, also felt strange. I was however thankful for the slight normalcy she offered. No matter what I could usually always count on her to call me an arse and everything would be back to normal. 

As I was reading with her, I at one point decided to take a deep breath and I was confused for a moment, that pleasant smell that hung in my jumper. That pleasant, comforting smell from the woods. I now just realized that that came from her! I jumped back and she seemed to do the same. I imagined we had come to the same conclusion. She just probably figured out it was my repulsive smell or something. I was however terribly confused. How could my worst enemy smell nice to me? Something must be seriously wrong with my brain I thought. Probably from the bad sleep I had gotten last night. I knew that that was a lie I told myself, knowing fully well that I had slept very well considering the circumstances – those being having to hug my worst enemy for warmth in the woods. 

After spending hours watching another one of our suspects I was beat. I decided to go to the quidditch field to get some energy out. I felt like I had been stagnant for far too long and I wanted to release some energy. There was nothing better than quidditch for that. I asked my brother if he wanted to join me, but he had plans with Angelina. I didn’t want to pry but I knew exactly what was happening between the two of them, it was glaringly obvious. I walked to the quidditch pitch in a pretty good mood. Everything was back to normal, now I got to clear my head of this terribly boring spying before dinner. 

I walked in and got changed, picked up my broom and bat from the closet before going to the pitch where there was a door to the ball room. As I entered I could hear some strained groans in the distance. I looked up and spotted non other than Tori flying around hitting bludgers. While I did not like the girl I had always admired her quidditch skills. She had always been as dedicated as Wood, and while I loved to tease her about it, there was no denying she was good, even if it was strange her playing something as brutal as beater. While the chasers and seeker usually got all of the glory, there was something honest and simple about being a beater. You defend and you attack. Nothing fancy, just you and a bat and a crazy ball. Though it would suit her angry nature I suppose. I got on my broom and flew up next to her.

“Hey! If it isn’t my favourite brute?” I said with a grin, she turned to be with a small glare, I wondered what I had done wrong now to deserve that. But she seemed to sigh and soften her look at me.

“What do you want troll?” She asked seemingly annoyed already.

“Well, I just wanted to practice as well, I would also like to be in shape for the friendlies. I thought we could hit the ball back and forth.” I said earnestly and she seemed to narrow her eyes for a moment to spot for malicious intent no doubt. 

“Fine. But I will not go easy on you just because you’re a boy.” She said and I grinned nodding.

“Oh, I would take you to Madam Pomfreys if you ever went easy on me Chang.” I said flying off a little readying my bat as she flew back a little to catch the bludger that had flown off while we talked. 

We shot it back and forth as much as it allowed us to for a while, flying around to catch it. She definitely did not go easy on me, but neither did I go easy on her. We even hit each other a few times. Her more than me. After one hit I could feel my arm hurting a little, but this always happened. I was however confused when Tori pulled out her wand to pause the bludger mid-air before flying over to me.

“Come to the ground for a moment.” She said looking at me seriously. I did as I was told and dismounted my broom as I met her there.

“Do that again, yeah?” She said and I looked at her confused, but just shrugged and nodded.

She released the ball from its confinement and hit it towards me. I hit it once again, and once again feeling a small pain in the back of my arm. She paused the ball and seemed to be studying me for a moment, which felt weird.

“Will you tell me what’s going on? Or were you just a hawk in another life?” I said a little sarcastically and she just rolled her eyes.

“I know you probably don’t wanna hear this from me. But you’re probably getting pain in the back of your arm when you keep hitting like that?” She said and I nodded looking at her confused as to how on earth she would know that. She smirked a little and walked closer to me before getting behind me.

“I used to do the same thing for years. You do have good technique, but I think you’re doing the same thing I did, so if you instead try holding like this?” She said and put her hands over mine adjusting them, before putting her hands on my shoulders and lowering them. It felt weird, like electricity was flowing through me, I attributed that to the usual workout endorphins.

“Try now. Like this.” She said pointing her wand at the ball once again, before letting me hit it once again. I was a little amazed as I hit it a little better, not only that but that small change made my arm not hurt. I looked at her still a bit confused. How on earth had she gotten this good? She had always been good but this seemed like some next level thing. She noticed my look and back off over to her own broom.

“Whatever, it’s fine. I get if you don’t want beater pointers from me. I’m just a daft girl.” She said the last part mockingly. At that comment I dropped my bat on the ground and walked over to her. She looked at me confused as I put my hands on her shoulders making sure she faced me as I told her the next thing.

“Never, say that again. Yeah. I tease you about quidditch and call you a brute for being a beater. Because, while Gryffindor obviously has the best team in the school. You are one of the best players, most likely the best beater in the least. And you know it. Because while we all know we worked hard for it, you worked harder.” I said looking at her genuinely. I had known the girl for many years, and throughout all the fighting and teasing one thing was for certain. I begrudgingly admired her quidditch abilities. 

She looked at me a little shocked and her expression went from that to confused to a small smile that she seemed to try to hide. Then she seemingly elected to just shove me lightly off her.

“Thank you. Or whatever. Weirdo.” She said and I chuckled slightly.

“No matter how good a player you are, still won’t fix your violent personality I see.” I said a little teasingly and she seemed to roll her eyes but smile a little. It was almost weird to have her in a good mood, I was usually the one to put her into a bad one. But a part of me could not bear to hear herself talk like that, because even if there was a slight sarcasm behind it, something in him could not help but think that she believed that.

“Well, you will probably be seeing a lot more of that in the near future.” She muttered annoyed as she went to get her waterbottle. I followed her a little confused at the cryptic message.

“What the hell does that mean?” I asked and she just shrugged.

“Nothing. Just that I will most likely snap like I did last time there was a terrible rumour going around about me. I would also appreciate it if you did not talk to me for a while. Seeing as that both probably makes it worse, and make my mood even more sour.” She said putting down the bottle and stomping over to her broom and bat once again. And once again I followed her in confusion.

“What are you talking about? I just spent hours spying trying to find our prankster. And gave you a huge compliment. What did I do?” I said crossing my arms. I had no problem with her being mad at me, that seemed to be her instinctual response, but I was used to it actually being my doing. She turned around and glared at me getting a little closer to me once again, before pointing and poking at my chest as she yelled:

“That’s the problem. It’s what you didn’t do. But what I will have to live with for the rest of at least the school year. While you’ve probably been getting high fives left and bloody right!” 

I looked at her confused once again and uncrossed my arms. It was something that wasn’t my fault, yet I was still to blame in her mind, and something that would give me high fives and her ridicule. I thought about it for a moment, people had been looking at me weirdly or probably a little more today. While I was popular, my brother was certainly the one who drew the most attention to us, it was a little odd, but I had chalked it up to just our general fascination from the student body, and not something else.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now tell me what happened, so I can help or more likely tell you that you’re overreacting.” I said a little annoyed she just glared at me.

“I’m not overreacting you bastard! There is a rumour going around that Pavati heard you telling Fred that you slept with me! Now every boy and girl in that entire school thinks I’m a slag. And I know from experience that denying a rumour just makes it worse. So while I get stares and comments about how I am a slag, who must be good in bed to bag you – you get high fives, for making me “give it up” without us dating.” She yelled and I could see some tears actually whell up in her eyes, and I stumbled back. I hated seeing girls cry and I wanted to do anything to stop it. Especially her.

I had never thought about it like that. I was also a little sad that this had gotten out, our situation was not exactly easy to explain to begin with. And now on top of that, she would have to be ridiculed for something we did not do. I sometimes hated the student gossip mill. She looked back at me frustrated before huffing and walking back to her broom and bat. Then it hit me and I smirked a little, she glared at me, as she tried to hide her tears.

“Great, laugh it up. Arsehole.” She said but I walked over to her more calmly, knowing I would have to calm her down before telling her my absolutely brilliant plan.

“I wasn’t laughing at you. I just had an idea of how we could get out of this without you being called a slag.” I said smirking once again, she looked at me like she seriously doubted that.

“And how would you do that?” She said a little annoyed crossing her arms, having seemingly calmed down a little.

“Well, I will make some grand gesture asking you to the yule ball-“ I started but she cut me off.

“How exactly will humiliating me more get me out of this situation? Along with making me spend more time with you!” She protested but I just rolled my eyes at her, before giving her a tired look.

“If you would let me finish. I would say that I ask you to the yule ball with a grand gesture, that also says we have been secretly dating for months. Then we just act a little leading up to the ball, then we can go back to fighting and tell everyone we broke up over christmas while we went home.” I said with a smirk. She looked at me a little shocked and I grinned a little wider knowing that I had impressed her with my brilliant plan. Then she hit my arm.

“How on earth does us fake dating help this situation at all! Did I accidentally hit you in the head with the bludger and make you completely mental?” She yelled at me and I rubbed my arm before once again giving her a tired look.

“Look, if you weren’t too busy being daft you would figure out, that us having “dated”, however disgusting the thought might be, would make our rumour fall into the category of probably just got blown out of proportion when we were caught making out. Or, well she’s not a slag, because she just did it with her boyfriend of months. We break up, and say, I don’t know, that our differences became too much, and boom, you’re not a slag.” I said awaiting my praise at the end of the brilliant explanation of my plan. She narrowed her eyes once again before uncrossing her arms.

“Alright. That is actually not that bad of a plan.” She said before shivering for a moment.

“That felt horrible to say. Anyway, fine. But nothing too big with the gesture I bloody hate that. And if you think for one second that I am kissing you. Then you have the wrong idea.” She said annoyed and I chuckled slightly.

“Trust me. If I ever try to kiss you. Or hell, even like you, then you have my permission to bludger me.” I said with a small smile and she smiled a little as well.

“Now, I’m gonna practice some more before it gets dark. We can talk more about this later. Along with how exactly we’re going to do this, and how we are going to find our prankster.” She said turning to her broom and bat. I smiled and nodded doing the same.

We continued to hit the ball and flying around until my arm hurt for a different reason. We walked together to put the balls away, along with the brooms and bats. I then continued to walk with her towards the different changing rooms.

“Hey, why are you doing this? You can’t possibly be happy about having to fake date me. Why not let me get tortured without you having to lift a finger?” She said and I just shrugged not looking at her as I walked with my hands in my pockets.

“I don’t know. I guess I figured I got you into trouble I should do the right thing and get you out. Besides, while I do like torturing you, I would rather do it myself. I won’t get the same satisfaction from seeing other people bully you, that I do from telling you you look like a dwarf. And this will give me the opportunity to make your blood boil in whole new ways.” I said with a small laugh as she hit my arm lightly.

“Shut up, dickhead.” She just said before turning into the girls dressing rooms, but she paused and turned around once again.

“Thanks again, or whatever.” She said leaving before I could answer. I smiled a little.

I had a nice feeling in my stomach, I figured it was the combination of being able to tease her terrible, while we did the whole fake relationship thing, while I also knew I could not help but help girls who were or looked like they were about to cry. I smirked a little as I thought over the endless possibilities of how to annoy her once we were fake dating, even with the announcement. It was like pranking but on a different level. I laughed as I thought about ideas and headed for the showers.