Blue Eyed Girl

After talking with Katie and Roger for a while, Roxanne met up with George, and they started dancing again. She was having more fun than she remembered having in a long time. There weren't many slow songs, but the few that were played were greatly enjoyed by Roxanne. It gave her the opportunity to get closer to George. She also got the chance to take in the beauty surrounding her. She couldn't get over how the Great Hall had been changed for the occasion. She also loved watching her classmates dancing with each other. She could tell there would be a few new couples in Hogwarts by the end of the night.

As the night drew to a close, it was time for the last dance. The first soft notes of a song Roxanne had never heard before had started playing. Automatically, George put his arms around Roxanne's waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They were silent for a while, and Roxanne gazed around the room at the different pairs dancing to the last song. She saw Katie laughing softly at something Roger had said. She saw Ron Weasley asking Harry Potter if he could cut in and dance with Hermione Granger; Harry agreed. She saw Angelina and Alicia talking as they each danced with their dates.

"So, did you have fun tonight, new girl?" George asked Roxanne. She turned from the rest of the room and looked up into his bright blue eyes.

"Yeah, I really did," she said with a sincere smile. "What about you?"

"Eh, it was okay, I guess," George answered shrugging his shoulders, teasing her.

"Hey! Thanks a lot," she said with sarcastic indignation because she knew, of course, that he was kidding.

"All right, all right," he surrendered. "I had a marvelously splendid time."

"Now that's more like it," Roxanne resolved. George just smiled back, and they were silent again. As soon as Roxanne continued her perusal of the room, her eyes landed on Draco Malfoy. He seemed to be staring into space, and he had the usual sneer on his face. His date, whose back was to Roxanne so she couldn't see who it was, said something, and he looked down at her. Either Malfoy was being a complete jerk (which Roxanne knew was the most likely scenario) or whatever his date said was completely ridiculous (which is also a possibility when one considers the type of girl he dates), because he rolled his eyes insolently and looked away from her. Roxanne just shook her head slightly in disapproval. She knew Malfoy was a jerk, and even if he wasn't being a jerk and his date really was that fatuous, he got what he deserved for being shallow and only dating girls for how they look. She looked back over at Malfoy and his date just as Malfoy looked in Roxanne's direction. Their eyes met, and they held each other's gaze for a moment before realizing what they were doing, and then both looked away.

"That's it. I give up," George conceded as he let go of Roxanne's waist..

"What?" Roxanne laughed, not understanding his joke.

"I can't do this anymore," he said disappointedly as he backed away from her.

"Wha-...What are you talking about?" Roxanne asked confusedly when she realized that he wasn't joking. Just minutes ago he said he was having a "marvelously splendid time," and now suddenly he was acting like the world had come to an end right in front of him, and Roxanne had no idea why.

"Never mind," he said, shaking his head dispiritedly, and he turned and walked out of the Great Hall. Roxanne stood with a confused look on her face which mirrored exactly how she felt; totally baffled. She was trying to think back to what might have caused him to suddenly feel so dejected. She couldn't think of anything. He hadn't told her anything was bothering him, but then again, she hadn't told him what was bothering her earlier either. This night had certainly not been a night for clarity on both their parts. She finally realized she needed to go after him.

She walked swiftly out of the Great Hall, ignoring the people who were looking at her strangely and wondering why she was leaving in the middle of the last dance. She caught up with George on the main staircase by the Entrance Hall.

"George, wait!" she called after him, rushing up the stairs to catch up with him. He stopped abruptly and turned to face her.

"What?" he asked with a mix of despondency and exasperation in his voice.. He had stopped so suddenly that Roxanne nearly ran into him.

"I-...wha-..." she started stammering while simultaneously trying to regain her balance from her abrupt halt and catch her breath. George crossed his arms without saying anything and waited for her to continue. "What happened in there?" she finally asked.

"What happened in there?" he repeated annoyed. "Merlin! And you were being so obvious about it too! I should have known," he finished heatedly, finally letting his anger out. Then, he turned and started walking away again, more quickly than before.

"George, what the hell are you talking about?" Roxanne asked, beginning to get annoyed herself, and without hesitation she began to follow him. She didn't know what she had done to offend George so much, but she thought she had the right to know. She was quickly thinking back over her actions and couldn't think of anything she'd done that would make him so angry. He had just finished telling her what a great time he was having, and all of the sudden he was acting like she grabbed some random guy and started making out with him right in front of him or something. She was seriously beginning to think George had a mental problem that she wasn't aware of.

"What the hell am I talking about?" he yelled as he whipped around to face her again. This was another reason why Roxanne was thinking there was something wrong with George's mind; he kept repeating everything she said as if it was completely absurd. "It was so obvious, Roxanne! You were staring at him and practically drooling over him the whole night! You know how much I hate that greasy little git and all of the crap that he and his father put my family through, and yet you continued to drool over him. And right in front of me too! And after I'd said all those things to you out in the courtyard! It was like that all meant completely nothing to you! Do you know how hard it was for me to say all of that? It was pretty damn hard, and I thought you'd appreciated it! I thought it meant something to you! I really liked you, Roxanne, and I thought you liked me too. But I was wrong. You're nothing but a tease, and right now I really wish I'd never met you," he ranted, and when he finished he looked at her long and hard and finally turned and walked away from her. She didn't go after him this time. She didn't think she could have even if she'd wanted to. She couldn't move. She was completely numb. All she could do was stare at his back as he stalked away with her mouth slightly open in shock. He thinks that she likes Malfoy.

As she thought about it, Roxanne realized that to George, it probably did look like she was constantly watching Malfoy, but Roxanne knew otherwise. Sure, she looked at Malfoy, and he looked at her, but Roxanne had only decided to look at Malfoy out of morbid curiosity, and for no other reason. When she'd first met Malfoy she'd thought he was attractive (what girl didn't?), but she knew she didn't like him the way she liked George. Even after Malfoy had helped her all those days ago, and Katie said she'd overheard that he liked Roxanne, Roxanne still knew that he was a jerk. She still hadn't been able to figure out why Malfoy had decided to help her that one morning, but the more she thought about it, she figured she probably would have done the same thing; most anyone would have. But still, Malfoy wasn't like most other people. He was coldhearted and had been nothing but mean to her since then. She'd decided not to waste her time thinking about it anymore, because she knew his actions would never make sense to her. She knew it was completely ridiculous for anyone to think that she had feelings for Malfoy, but George didn't know that. Thinking of George made her heart ache.

Roxanne thought she probably could have handled it if he had just screamed and yelled at her, which he did. But toward the end of his exhortation, his voice became softer, and she could hear his pain and see the disappointment in his eyes, and that's what had broken Roxanne's heart. She knew this was all a huge misunderstanding, but she didn't know how to make him see that.

She realized then that she hadn't moved and was still standing on the main staircase. She proceeded to the Gryffindor dormitory and through the portrait hole. She tried her best to avoid looking at the stairs to the boys' dormitories because she knew George was in his room, and she didn't want to think about the pain she had caused him. She was still numb as she climbed the stairs to her room and pushed open the door to find the room empty. Of course, the rest of the girls were still at the ball and having a wonderful time. She looked over to her bed and saw the contents of her trunk still strewn across the floor in front of it. She knelt down and slowly put everything away. She closed the lid of her trunk, stood up, and looked over to her door. She didn't know what she expected to see there. She was probably hoping to see George walking in and telling her this whole thing was just a big practical joke and that he had gotten her good. However, there was no one in the doorway and the hallway outside remained empty and dark.. She suddenly felt extremely tired, and all she wanted to do was go to sleep and forget this night ever happened. So she got changed and was about to climb into her bed when she heard a tapping at the window. She walked over and pushed it open to allow a small, grey owl flit into her room. Her hopes rose as she thought that maybe George had sent her an owl to tell her that he realized it was all a misunderstanding and that he was sorry he got so upset. Roxanne quickly untied the parchment from the owl's leg, and it swiftly flew back out the window. She hastily unrolled the parchment, accidentally ripping it at the bottom, praying that George had sent it to her.. But as soon as she saw the writing she knew it wasn't his usual messy lettering. On the contrary, she recognized it to be her mother's neat handwriting. All of her hope faded away, and she felt her heart sink into her stomach as she read:

Roxanne,

It hurts me so much to have to tell you this, especially because I can't be there with you, but I have no other way to contact you. Sweetheart, I'm sorry, but Grandmom passed away this morning. I know this is very difficult for you, and I would give anything to be with you now. I know how much you loved her, and believe me, she knew too, and she loved you very much. We both know that these last few years have been difficult for her because of her failing health, and I want you to know that she is no longer in any pain.

Roxanne couldn't read the rest of the letter because her vision had been blurred by her tears. She tossed the letter aside, crawled into her bed, and let herself go. She cried harder than she had in a long time. It suddenly seemed like her whole world was caving in on her. First George and now Grandmom. She didn't know what to do or what to think, so she just cried herself into long, restless sleep.