Fixing Past Mistakes

Although barely noticeable, a little apprehension made the hairs on the back of George's neck stand on end. This slight waiver in his control over his emotions acted as confirmation that the Draught of Peace was starting to wear off. He carefully pulled out the pouch from his pocket and removed one vile from inside.

The Calming Draught was an unappealing dull blue colour and the vial contained about two tablespoons worth of liquid. George swallowed the liquid, it went down smoothly with a cold refreshing sensation. The slightly viscous fluid was tasteless, but it left a minty fresh tingly sensation on the back of the tongue.

The effect kicked in the moment the potion hit his stomach, and the previously stirring emotions levelled out after a couple of seconds. The endless optimism he'd been feeling since he awoke was replaced with purely rational thought. The peril his previous actions had caused washed over him like a tide. Only now did he realise how serious the situation he was in.

Yesterday had been an absolute shambles. His main aim had been to avoid attention, and he'd failed immensely. He'd even been stupid enough to expose his wandless magic in front of multiple students and annoy Hermione. George didn't know why, but for some reason, coming to Hogwarts had radically affected his composure. Sooner or later, he would be caught if he didn't get his act together.

George saw no other solution, he would have to keep drinking potions until he saw his patron in four months. That would require a massive quantity of Calming Draught, and Hogwarts supplies shouldn't be that well stocked at the start of term. Since stealing wasn't an option, George will have to start brewing as soon as possible.

Just as George placed the empty vial back into the pouch, food started appearing on the table like during the Sorting Hat Ceremony. The options differed slightly, they mimicked what one would normally eat during a picnic. There were sandwiches and scones as well as orange juice and small pork pies. Yesterday's stress and lack of evening meals had consequently resulted in George having an inefficient amount of energy, this extravagant meal should be sufficient to replenish.

He picked up one of the pork pies and ate it in one gulp, this helped show him one of the negatives of the potion. George felt absolutely nothing when he ate the pork pie, he tasted the flavour and swallowed it for nutrients. There was no sense of pleasure or desire to continue indulging.

George was about to swallow another pork pie when Gemma sat down beside him. She pulled one of the metal plates towards her and began stacking food from the centre of the table onto her plate.

"Why are you sitting next to me? Don't you want to be sitting next to your friends?"

Gemma looked toward George like he was asking a stupid question, "I am sitting next to my friend, you idiot. Or are you saying that you're not my friend?"

George realised why she was sitting there, but for the sake of his innocent act, he decided to maintain his childish ignorance.

He was quick to answer her, "of course I'm your friend. You're nice to me and you are cool to hang out with. Ahem... but don't you want to sit with your other friends? Like your real friends, the ones you've had for more than just a day."

Gemma was about to smile but ended up stopping herself as she clearly remembered something. Her face looked serious for the first time as she stopped what she was doing and looked directly at him.

She spoke to him in a quiet voice so that no one other than him could hear, "there's been something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now but I've been putting it off. Slytherin is cool in a lot of ways, we win in Quidditch all the time and the House Cup has been ours for I don't know how many years on the trot. But, there are some things you should know about that aren't so cool. People here are going to treat you differently."

Gemma was hesitant to continue talking, she appeared to be very uncomfortable as she was thinking of what to say to him next.

She scratched her head before continuing, "Slytherin is kind of known for having a lot of pure-blood wizards and witches... well I mean to say a lot of bad wizards and witches. It's not all pure-bloods though, just some have pretty nasty views towards muggle-borns. Of course, I think it's all bull-shit but a lot of students are pretty serious about it."

George just shrugged his shoulders whilst eating another pork pie, he wanted to ram the innocent act down her throat. Gemma appeared to be offended by his nonchalant attitude. She knocked the pork pie out of his hand and grabbed him by his wrist.

She leaned over until her mouth was only an inch away from his ear and whispered, "everybody already knows that you're a muggle-born, don't you get it? After what happened yesterday, people started asking questions. Nobody's ever heard of the Linwood family before so it didn't take a potion master to work out that you have muggle parents."

George corrected her whilst picking up the fallen pork pie with his free hand, "they're actually my adopted parents, I don't know who my real parents are."

Gemma grabbed his other hand which prevented him from putting the pie in his mouth.

She continued to angrily explain, "nobody gives a shit if they're your adopted parents. You're still just another mud-blood to them."

George acted saddened by her words, "my mum told me that you shouldn't swear."

Gemma released his arms before she continued to speak, "sorry for swearing, I just don't want to see you getting into trouble with the wrong people. You don't get many mud-b… I mean muggle-borns in Slytherin. You're the only one, I checked last night. That means people are going to try and make life hard for you. Please tell me that you get what I'm saying?"

Gemma looked to be pleading with George for him to understand what she was implying.

George turned towards her and smiled, "I'm not worried about being bullied, I've got my big sister looking out for me anyway. What could I possibly have to worry about with you around?"

Gemma clearly perceived him as a weak little boy with the world against him, someone in desperate need of a guardian of sorts. Even this act of sitting beside him was a confirmation of her care for his welfare. So if Gemma was going to give him an inch of friendship, George was going to take a yard.

Gemma seemed taken aback for a moment before she returned a warm smile to George, "silly me, how could I have forgotten? Of course, you've got your big sis looking out for you. Sorry if I made you worry over nothing. You should just focus on getting on with your studying and I'll keep an eye out for anyone looking for trouble."

"You've got a deal, now can you finally let me eat this pork pie? Having a stroke and walking around the castle has made me build up an appetite", George said while licking his lips,

Gemma nodded her head and patted George on the back, "agreed. I'm starving too. I hope the sandwiches don't have prawns inside again, they ruin everything they're put in."

The next thirty minutes went by peacefully with George and Gemma eating their lunch privately at the end of the Slytherin table. During that half-hour, the rest of the students had left their classes and arrived to eat alongside them. There seems to be no obligation for students to stay and eat during the dinner break as a lot of the older students simply grabbed some of the sandwiches from the middle of the table and left with them.

The first years appeared to behave exactly as one would expect from students who had only spent one day at Hogwarts. They sat down and ate their lunch whilst they excitedly talked about their morning lessons. George was discreetly watching the people around him, but Gemma was being much more obvious in her observations. She barely spent any time eating because she was distracted watching everyone else like a hawk.

George could tell that there were plenty of unfriendly eyes watching him whilst he ate his tenth pork pie. He had the occasional glance towards his fellow Slytherin first-years, they weren't doing a good job of minding their own business. None of them had sat remotely close to George or Gemma as if they were carriers of the plague.

George scanned their faces only to find Theodore sitting at the opposite end of the first-years with a meat shield of eight students separating them. Theodore was not talking to anyone and was taking great lengths to avoid looking even remotely in George's direction. His hands were also shaking as he slowly nibbled on a sandwich.

The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff table was separating Slytherin from Gryffindor which meant George could not see any Gryffindor students. However, he couldn't think of any reason why Hermione and Neville wouldn't be eating their dinner. George reached down into his pants and pulled out a large book with several pieces of scrap paper sticking out of it. The cover stated the title of the book was 'Advanced Transfigurations for the Curious Practitioner'.

Gemma saw the large book appear out of thin air and asked, "where did that come from?"

George dusted off the book as he answered, "from my pockets, where else could it have come from?"

Gemma appeared perplexed as she looked at the size of the book and back at George, "that huge book came out of your pocket?"

George answered her question with another question, "I have deep pockets. Is that so weird?"

Gemma's curiosity about the origin of the book waned as she shrugged her shoulders and returned to watching the other Slytherin students. Having hidden the origins of the book, George went back to examining one of the most valued members of his collection. He opened the book and quickly looked through all the notes he had left inside it. Then he pulled some of the notes out and placed them back inside the enchanted sack.

George turned back to the first page and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and quill. He wrote the following;

Dear Miss Hermione Granger,

I am writing this note instead of telling you directly because I wanted to respect your privacy. I felt it necessary to properly apologise for my behaviour yesterday, both for my insinuations at Hogsmeade station and my plea for forgiveness on the boats to Hogwarts. I was not considering your feelings when I made fun at your expense and my apology could be best described as blackmail.

Although I would like to think the stress had impeded my judgement, my actions were still inexcusable. This book contains all of my notes on conjuration and I hope that it will be of some help to you. Although I have adhered to my end of the bargain, I expect nothing in return. The agreement we made is void and you should feel no obligation to do anything in exchange.

Good luck in Gryffindor and I hope you can find better friends than me.

Yours sincerely;

George Linwood

George finished the letter and left it on the first page of the book, then he stood up from his seat and began to walk towards the opposite end of the room. That was until he was held by someone grabbing his robes. George turned around and realised that Gemma was holding him back, she looked very suspicious of him leaving all of a sudden.

She asked him, "and where do you think you're going?"

George gave her a mischievous smile, "you sound like my mother?"

Gemma's face wrinkled up in disgust as she pulled on his robes like a dog on a leash, "I'm being serious, George. You need to lie low for a few days."

George 'tried' pulling back on his robe to act as a feeble attempt to escape, "I'm only going to the Gryffindor table, what's the problem?"

Gemma rolled her eyes at George, "this is exactly what I'm talking about. Slytherins don't go to the Gryffindor table, they're meant to be archenemies or something like that. You're just going to be giving 'them' an excuse."

Gemma kept jolting her head to the right whilst darting her eyes towards the end of the Slytherin table.

George acted annoyed as he crossed his arms, "but I need to apologise to someone who's in Gryffindor."

Gemma's hand relaxed slightly from George's robe but not enough to set him free.

She asked, "and who would that be?"

George looked shy as he avoided answering the question, "you wouldn't know her, she's a first-year like me."

"She?", Gemma's face formed a crooked smile.

George acted nervous whilst he scratched the back of his hand, "she's called Hermione. I may have said some bad things to her before coming to Hogwarts. I felt like I should say sorry now before it's too late and she never talks to me again."

George was abruptly released from Gemma's grip, causing him to stumble.

Gemma looked incredibly smug as she gave her consent, "sure, go ahead. Don't let me stop you."

"Really, you're going to let me go? Even after everything you said about being bullied?", George asked suspiciously.

Gemma stood up next to George and started to adjust his robes and swiftly fixed his tie. She finished by dusting off his shoulders and combing his hair to one side with her fingers.

She looked George in the eye, and gave him a wink, "go get 'em, tiger."

Then Gemma sat back down and began pretending George didn't exist, she picked up a sandwich and ate it whilst looking in the opposite direction. George decided to continue walking toward the Gryffindor table, playing around with Gemma was quickly becoming a chore. He reached the Gryffindor table easily enough and scanned it to spot his targets. The layout was identical to the Slytherins table with the first years closest to him and the later years furthest away.

George spotted Hermione quite quickly because her hair as well as the large book she was reading made her stand out. She was also the only one not happily eating their meal and talking with their new friends. Luckily, he didn't have to look much further because Neville was sitting right next to Hermione. George walked down the table, passing Harry and Ron, until he reached Hermione who still hadn't noticed his presence.

George crept up from behind Neville and suddenly grabbed his shoulders while saying, "BOO!"

The scare caused Neville to jump out of his skin and throw the apple he had been about to bite. To prevent a mess, George quickly reached over and caught the apple out of the air.

He polished the apple against his robes before returning it to Neville, "you've got to be more careful, Neville. You could've had someone's eye out there."

Neville looked towards the offered apple and followed the arm up to George's face. Upon realising who it was, Neville's expression lit up, he then proceeded to stand up and hugged George. Before George could think where to put his hands, Neville composed himself and ended the hug awkwardly.

The boy sat back down before saying, "when I saw you in the hospital this morning, I thought you had died. Madam Pomfrey said you were still recovering, but she didn't say when you would wake up."

George pretended to feel around his body, "I'm pretty sure I'm still alive. So... how are things in Gryffindor?"

Neville enthusiastically answered, "it's really good, all the other students are nice."

Neville's face seemed to recall something and looked concerned, "the older students were telling us about Slytherin last night. They said bad things like everyone in there is evil. I told them about you but they said you would turn evil eventually. I don't believe them but you should watch your back, some of it might be true."

George was quick to reassure Neville whilst picking up a sandwich off the boy's plate, "not everyone is evil in Slytherin. I can't say I've met many, but, I've met at least two that seem quite nice. It's not too bad anyway because I think Slytherin and Gryffindor share some of their classes. We can still be friends if you want."

Neville nodded eagerly before he looked to his side. George turned his head and saw that Neville was staring at Hermione while pushing her hand to get her attention. Hermione stopped reading her book and glared back at Neville, she appeared to be annoyed by the interruption. All the while, she kept acting like she hadn't noticed George.

Neville clearly hadn't understood the flimsy relationship between Hermione and George yet, "Hermione, look, George is out of the hospital."

Hermione's face was without emotion as she looked toward George.

She spoke to him completely deadpan, "hello George. I see that you've recovered."

George allowed the smile to fade from his face, "yeah, the stroke kinda sucked. Apparently, I got myself a bit too worked up during the Sorting Hat Ceremony. Madam Pomfrey gave me these calming potions to take every day for the next week."

George pulled out the pouch with the Calming Draught inside and removed one to show to Hermione.

She briefly looked at the potion, and mumbled "huh", before returning her eyes to the book she had been reading.

Neville looked even more awkward after that, so George decided to end this conversation here. He pulled the Transfiguration book from underneath his arm and placed it on the table in front of Hermione.

"This is what I promised you on the boat, I hope you find it satisfactory."

Hermione glanced at George's book before saying, "I've changed my mind. I don't want it anymore, you can take it back."

Neville didn't seem impressed by Hermione's attitude as he butted in, "Hermione, shouldn't you at least…"

Neville stopped when he felt George's hand pressing down on his shoulder, the grip was gentle but firm.

George spoke quietly and calmly to Hermione, "just read the first page before you make up your mind. The book is useless to me, so if you don't want it you can just throw it away. I don't care if you burn it with the very fire magic it teaches you to make. I've got to go back to the Slytherin table now so, see ya later."

George made a hasty retreat without allowing Neville the opportunity to say goodbye and Hermione the ability to refuse. He subtly glanced over his shoulder once he was almost out of view, he saw Hermione opening the book and reading the note he left on the first page. After a short walk back to the Slytherin table, George sat down next to Gemma in the same place as before.

She turned around to face George, "so how did it go?"

George nodded whilst picking up another pork pie, "good."

"What did she say to you?", Gemma didn't seem to be satisfied with his all-too-brief answer.

George shrugged his shoulders, "nothin' much."

Gemma grabbed George's hair and shook his head left and right, "details. I want details. Tell me word-for-word what she said to you when you apologised?"

George stopped eating and waved his hand above his head to force her to let go.

He looked towards Gemma with an irritated scowl, "if you have to know. I said hello, and she said hi. She asked me how I was, and I said ok. I gave her the book, and she accepted the book. Then I left. That's it, end of the story, Fin."

Gemma looked to be in deep thought after listening to George's riveting story. She kept smiling to herself whilst making 'ahh' and 'ooh' noises as if she had made some grand revelation.

Then she asked, "is she your girlfriend?"

"Why would you think that?", George said in bafflement.

Gemma smiled teasingly, "because boys your age don't normally think about apologising to girls unless they like them? So, am I right?"

"I've known her for less than a day?", he responded.

Gemma shrugged, "could've been love at first sight?"

George placed his pork pie back on the table and stuck out his bottom lip, "now you're just being mean."

"Oh, did I hurt baby George's feelings? I'm so sorry. I promise I will never bring up your girlfriend ever again", Gemma mockingly apologised.

George exaggerated his 'anger' as he slammed his hands down on the table, "she's not my girlfr… Nevermind. It's twenty-five minutes to one so we should be setting off to Professor Snape's office now or we'll be late."

Then he abruptly stood up from the table and began to walk towards the Great Hall's exit, he wasn't going to let this pointless bullying go on any longer. Gemma quickly put down her sandwich and chased after George, she matched his fast pace whilst walking beside him.

She leaned over and whispered, "you can't half get grumpy sometimes. I was just having a little fun. It's my responsibility to escort you to Professor Snape's office so you better not go running off just because you're angry with me. Just imagine what your girlfriend would think if you got detention for not listening to a prefect."

George realised his journey to Snape's office wasn't going to be a quiet one.