Let It Go

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Chapter two: Pieces of the Puzzle

I had woken up in the middle of the night, to find my roommates sleeping soundly, that is all but one, which just happened to be his own brother. The door was opened and I could see that the fire out in the common room still made itself known brightly. So I got out of bed to shut the door when I heard Fred's voice. "Is this about George?" What did I have to do with this?

"No, this has never been about George. That's your paranoia."

"My paranoia? I've seen you two together."

"Yeah, it called a hug, Fred."

"Well, it's more than I've gotten in the last few days."

She shot him a death glare. "Funny, didn't think you would be the one pissed about that?"

"What? Am I not suppose to be pissed when you won't let me in? When you won't tell me what's going on? You say you're not seeing anyone else, yet you're pushing me away," he argued.

"How else am I'm suppose to react, Fred? When you act as if you've done nothing wrong?" she asked heatedly and then looked down at her pocket watch.

Fred pushed her hand, holding the watch, down. "Do you have somewhere else to be?"

"As of matter of fact, I do, but even if I didn't anywhere but here with you would be a nice change," she said angrily as she pulled away from his touch.

"Is this really how you want to play it?" he asked, concern written on his face for the first time, but it lingered only a moment. "Fine," he stated undered stoic face. "If you want to go, then go. Break curfew, get caught, I don't give a damn. Because I don't care where you're going or who you're seeing. As far as I'm concerned. . ." He realized she wasn't listening, but looking at her pocket watch again. "Angel," he said to get her attention. "Angel!" he said louder.

"What?" She snapped up.

Fred looked at her for a long time. "Fuck it," he finally said as he threw his hands up and shook his head in defeat. "You're just not worth it anymore." Angelina's mouth dropped at his words as he turned around and walked away from her.

"Fred," she went after him, panic in her voice. "Fred, wait." He turned around. "Don't say things like that. You know I would never do what you are accuse me of. Don't you know I love-"

"Stop." He put his index finger on her lips. "What are you doing?" Angelina looked confused. "I have asked you, a thousand times to say those words, but you've always said you weren't ready. So don't go saying it now, because you know as well as I do, it can't change this situation," he then paused. "We have to face it, we can't give each other, what the other one needs. We have to stop, because if not, we will just continue to destroy each other and I can't do that anymore."

"Fred," I barely heard her say.

"Please, let me say this," he told her. "You know, very well, this relationship is not healthy. Any other girl in your position would not have stuck around this long. I'm letting you go, Angelina, because I don't think you would have done it on your own." He backed away from her and turned to go up the stairs.

Angelina seemed to be trembling as she watched Fred's retreating form, but then once again she looked down at her pocket watch. She looked at the common room door and then back at Fred. She made her way towards the door and was gone in an instant.

Fred was still on the stairs when he heard the door close, he turned around to see that Angelina was gone. He crumbled ungraceful as he took a seat on the stairs before putting his face in his hands. Beside the crackling of the fire, silence filled the air. I climbed back into bed, realizing that tomorrow would be a very long day.

Once again I woke up to find Fred gone, or maybe he didn't come back to bed. I soon realized that breakfast would be over soon and rushed to get dress and down to the Great Hall.

As I entered I spotted Angelina and so walked over to her where I gently put my hand on her shoulder. "Fred." She turned around.

"George." I felt her shoulders drop. Why do I always expect her to be able to tell us apart, when are own mother can't?

"Oh." She turned back to her breakfast. "Have you seen him?"

"No." I sat down next to her and fixed a plate.

"He broke up with me," she said more to herself than she did to me. "I guess I should have seen it coming. But it's better this way, they're less likely to hurt him now."

"What?" I asked in surprise.

"Huh?" She was pulled out her daze.

"Who's less likely to hurt Fred?" She looked at me with an, 'Did I say that out loud?' expression on her face. "Angelina?"

"I got to go." She picked up her backpack and, though she tried not to look it, rushed out of the Great Hall.

I immediately rose from my seat and went after her. "Angelina, wait," I called out, but when she heard me behind her, she broke out into a run. She ran out of Hogwarts and headed down near the lake. When she stopped, I wasn't too far behind. "Angel," I said breathlessly, trying to catch my breath. "What's going on?" I asked as she was sitting on a bench and I sat down next to her.

"I don't want to lie to you."

"Then don't." I started to put my arm around her, trying to offer her comfort as she looked upset.

"Stop." She moved down the bench. "You're not helping. You and Fred or so much alike, and I don't want to use you like some kind of substitute."

"Angelina, look at me." She turned towards me. "Yes, me and my brother are alike in many ways, but we are two completely different people."

"Really, how?" She looked unconvinced. "Because you guys, look, speak, and walk the same way. Plus you both have same distorted sense of humor."

"There is one major difference between us." I moved in closer and found myself just staring into her brown eyes, memorized by them.

"Well?" she asked a touch below a whisper.

"I would have never left you," I whispered in her ear, then before I could stop myself, I kissed her cheek. I then pulled away from her at what I had done, feeling I had just crossed over some line. I knew Fred still cared her, and anything other than a kiss on the cheek or forehead, would be considered a betrayal in his eyes.

I could also sense our proximity was making her feel uneasy. "Class will be starting soon," she said all of sudden and started to get up. Then, I don't know what came over me, but before I realized what I was doing, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down to me. She fell with a grasp of surprise as she landed on my lap.

I stared deeply up into her brown eyes, which seem to sparkle in the morning light that shone upon her face. Behind those eyes, I also found fear, but pretending not to see it, as I slowly tilted my head up until my lips were but a breath away from hers. "George," I heard her breathe as her hand started to creep up my arm towards my shoulder.

As I continued to stare at her, I asked myself was I ready to do this? Was I really ready to purposely betray my brother? Was I ready for the wrath it would bring from his pain? Was she worth the rip I knew it would bring between me and him? Was she worth it? And as I heard her breaths quicken in anticipation and her once again whisper my name, I realized. . . she was.

So slowly I leaned up and forward and pressed our mouths together. I slid my tongue along the seam of her lips, begging for entrance as I wrapped my arm around her midsection to pulled her closer, fearing she would push me away, but when she finally allowed me access, I swear, I felt a happiness too pure for his world. Her arms then came up and wrapped themselves around my neck. My other hand soon found her long legs and started to glide up them and pass her knees. I continued until I reached the hem of her skirt, where I paused for only a moment before sliding my hands up her skirt and across her thighs.

I smiled against her mouth as I wondered if she wore cotton or satin panties, but before I could find out, suddenly Angelina's body became tense and she pulled away from me as she pushed away my hand and pulled her skirt back down. She did this quickly, but not before I was able to look down. I inhaled sharply as my heart broke that very moment when I saw multiple cuts and contusions all around her thighs. What the hell did Fred do to her?

"I'm sorry," she said without looking at me. "I shouldn't have kissed you." She rose from my lap and turned away from me as she fixed her school robe. "Stupid!" I heard her whisper harshly to herself.

"What the hell did Fred to you, Angelina?" I asked as anger rose in my voice. Fred was my brother and I love him, but I would be damned, if I just let what he did go unpunished.

"Fred, he- he didn't do anything, George." There it was again, the change in her voice. She was lying to me.

"Why are you allowing him to get away with this?" I stood as I asked.

She finally turned back around to me after picking up her backpack, which had fallen when I pulled her back down to the bench. "Look, George, class will be starting soon, we should really get going," she ignored my question. She then started to walk away, but I gently grabbed her, once again pulling her into my arms.

"Be with me, Angel," my was voice was low and thick. "We can be so good together," I promised her. "I would never do you wrong. I would never-" I was cut off.

"George," she began tenderly, "I care for you, I do, but not the way you need me to," she explained. "Besides, I still care for Fred and being with you would hurt him in a way I couldn't stand to-" Now it was my turn to cut her off. I didn't want to hear her words, those words of rejection, so I did the only thing I could think of, I kissed her and I did so with everything I possessed. A feeling of deperation came over me as my hold on her became crushing. I had to make her understand what I felt.

She then started to squirm within my grasp, her hands on my chest as she pushed me away, finally breakin free. "Stop!" she yelled and I immediately obeyed, letting go of her completely. "George," she spoke as she shook her head back and forth as she held herself. "You're not Fred and no matter how much you guys are alike, you can't be Fred." She then walked passed me as she started back towards the school, but not before whispering, "And you should be glad of that."

I then turned to watch her retreating form, but found that I could not follow as my feet seem glued in place. I threw my head back as cringed and the palm of my hand hit my forehead. What the hell had I been thinking? How could I go back in there and face my brother? How could I possibly now pretend, that I didn't have feelings for Angelina? "Shit!" I yelled as I sat back down on the bench. I had messed up and so not having the courage to see Fred, I sat there practically all day, before finally concluding that I would keep my distance from Angelina, at least for Fred's sake, because betraying him again, in any shape or from, was not an option.

It was late in the day when Fred approached me and sat down on the bench. "You weren't in class today, or at lunch," he spoke.

"So," was my reply. "You weren't at breakfast."

"I had a lot on my mind. Angel and I broke up," he confessed.

"I know, she told me."

"Figures," he said in a tone I had never heard him use with me before.

"What is your problem?" I turned to him.

"My problem? My problem is you, my shadow."

"You're upset, I'm going to let that slide." I hated being called his shadow. Fred was born first, the first to walk, the first to speak, even when people called us, it was always 'Fred and George.' He even got his Hogwarts letter a day before I did. It was the longest day of my life, I was both excited and afraid of what the next seven years would be like, alone as my own person.

"Well, isn't that great? My shadow forgives me."

"Don't call me that," I said through gritted teeth. I didn't want to get angry.

"Why shouldn't I? You can't do anything on your own. You can't even find your own girl, you got to go and steal mine."

"Whoa! You are way out of line, Fred."

"Am I?" He stood up. "Do you think I'm blind, George!" he yelled. "I've seen the way you look at her, the way you take a step back from her when I enter the room. And don't think I didn't see you guys outside the common room door or that-" he paused as I saw pain enter his eyes. Pain I truly never wanted to see. "Or that I don't know what took place here this morning." He slowly shook his head, tears brimming in his eyes. "George, I asked you. I asked you if the rumors were true and if you were seeing Angel behind my back. And you lied to me. Why?"

I stood up and was now face to face with my brother. "Don't 'why' me. You guys aren't together anymore. So why should it even matter?" I was horrified with myself as I heard the words leave my mouth, but I couldn't stop them. I was angry at the fact that he thought I could betray him like that. Even if it was only partly true. "Besides, like you said yourself, you couldn't give her what she needed. So don't be angry at me, for being able to do," I grinned from ear to ear as I licked my lips suggestively, "what you obviously couldn't." And that's about the time his fist made contact with my face and I hit the ground. Yeah, knew it was going to be a long day.

"How dare you? You're my brother, you're my blood!" he yelled. "I'm suppose to be able to count on you. Not see you as the cause of my problems."

I sat up as I cupped my jaw with my hand, knowing it would be sore for a few days, before I looked up at him from the ground. "I'm not, the rumors aren't true," I admitted.

"But this morning, I saw you kiss her."

I sighed as I closed my eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry," I told him. "It was the first and last time. Fred, I swear." And it was the truth. "But maybe, you're the one who's blind. Because whatever Angelina is doing, she's doing for you," I explained as I remembered Angelina's cryptic words from that morning.

Fred sighed heavily as his facial features soften. "George," he said beathlessly as he sat down next to me. "Tell me what's going on, please."

I sat up, shaking my head. "Honestly, I'm still putting it together myself."

To be continued. . .

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