| Inked | (George Weasley)

Chapter Twenty

The previous events kept on replaying in the Ravenclaw girl's mind as she kneeled on the ground, staring at the ruin of her notebook. Her eyes were wide, tears slowly streaming down them as her hair turned shockingly white. Olive had been bullied before at Hogwarts in her first and second year... but never would have imagined it happening today. It brought back awful memories that she wouldn't like to recall.

Ollie numbly stared at the mess in front of her- of her books and papers scattered on the floor. What upset her the most was her notebook singed and ripped in pieces. Missy had gotten her that notebook for getting E's and O's on her finals at the end of her fourth year. It was more than half filled with a story she was particularly fond of, mostly because it was based on a true story. She had worked extremely hard on it and was almost finished with Ingrid decided to rip it up.

As she slowly began to pick up her papers, blinded by the tears that streamed down her face, Olive could barely control the shaking in her hands. George, who knelt beside the Lark girl quietly, put a hand on hers to stop the shaking. Her vibrant blue eyes looked up and met his kind stare.

Which only caused her to cry harder. Had he heard everything Ingrid said? Did he believe she was a freak too? She fell back onto the ground in defeat, allowing her white curls to hide her features with each quiet sob. George scooted next to her, still quiet, and allowed the Ravenclaw fifth year to cry into his shoulder. He pat Ollie's back, allowing her to grip onto his robes, letting tears fall onto his jumper.

It wasn't until Fred came along the corridor that the mess of papers was dealt with. He saw his twin comforting the tiny Ravenclaw, whose hair was shocking white and belongings scattered across the floor in front of them. He looked to George, who pointed his free hand at Olive's things. Fred nodded his head and slowly began to pick up the papers on the ground, tucking them neatly into the girl's bag.

The twins were surprisingly quiet, which gave Ollie the idea that it wasn't the twins who were comforting her- but Natalie and Cho. However, that not being the case, she wondered where her two best friends and cousin were during the whole ordeal. Had they been watching the entire time? Or simply in a different part of the castle when Ingrid had picked on Olive? Did they even care?

She sniffed, using the sleeve of her robe to wipe her nose. George used his other hand to tuck Olive's hair out of her face, still rubbing her back to comfort her.

Fred noticed Ollie's journal in scorched pieces on the ground, and looked to the girl briefly. She was still crying, but not as hard as before, staring blankly at the floor with cheeks still red with embarrassment. Fred carefully picked up the pieces of her notebook, carefully placing them in a separate compartment of her bag so they could fix it later. He slipped Olive's bag over his shoulder, ready to go.

Once all of Ollie's things were picked up, the twins made eye contact with each other and nodded.

George patted the girl's back, guiding her carefully to her feet, her gaze not leaving the floor. Slowly, they walked down the corridor and around the corner. The twins had a place they should take her in mind, because even though it was the end of the day, they knew Olive wouldn't be up to eating in the Great Hall tonight.

As they passed the kitchens, Fred slipped inside while George kept leading Olive forward. She wasn't aware that they were leading her anywhere in particular, but just felt the numbness of going through the motions. Olive still was replaying the moment over and over in her mind like a broken record. She wanted to stop thinking about it and escape... but she couldn't write at the moment due to her tarnished notebook. By her sides, her hands twitched, itching to write more than ever.

The Ravenclaw was led up a few long flights of winding stairs, her grip on the railing so tight her knuckles turned white.

Soon enough, though, they made it to the top. George had brought her to the Astronomy Tower- which no one dared to go to unless it was for class. The tower had glass windows all around, accompanied by grand balcony perfect for observing the stars. George brought her to the balcony, where she sat against the wall, fiddling with the hem of her robes.

"Olive," George spoke directly to Olive for the first time since he rescued her from the bullies, "Are you alright?" His tone wasn't joking, amused, or even mischievous, but soft and gentle.

The Ravenclaw looked up to where he stood, hands shoved into his pockets, her blue eyes glistening with tears she didn't want to fall. She was embarrassed enough from crying and being bullied... she didn't want to further her embarrassment. She shrugged her shoulders, reverting back to old ways by not speaking at all.

George took a seat across from her, leaning against the thick rails of the balconies. He didn't say anything to Olive, who didn't meet his gaze, but just sat there. The cold January air was crisp out on the balcony, causing the Lark girl to pull her thick robes around herself like a blanket. She didn't want to get sick again, but wasn't motivated enough to move into the warmth of the castle.

Fred quickly joined the two, carrying an extra bag full of something he was able to get from the kitchens. He sat down next to his brother, and pulled out three thermoses full of hot cocoa. One was given to Olive, who took the thermos with cold hands. The other two were for the twins.

The trio sat there in silence, sipping on their warm beverages to keep the cold out. Olive was grateful that the twins were there, though she was too petrified to tell them mainly because she didn't want them to know. On other days, Olive would hate the presence of the two pranksters. Today, however, was different, because they weren't sitting across from her as jokesters, but as friends who saved her from a bully.

It wasn't until the three of them sat there for nearly an hour that someone spoke up. Olive's hair was starting to turn back into its raven black, and her cheeks weren't red from embarrassment, but from the crisp January air.

"I've been sipping on this hot cocoa for an hour and it ran out like twenty minutes ago." Fred said with a sigh, gazing into his empty thermos with a longing gaze. George smirked at his brother.

"So you've been pretending to drink it for the past twenty minutes?"

"Yeah."

"Why is that, Freddo?"

"Because maybe if I keep pretending it's there, it'll come back."

Olive looked up at the two, listening quietly to their twin banter back and forth. It was amusing to watch them, she had to admit, but couldn't bring herself to join in.

"You're pathetic, Fred, I swear."

"If I'm pathetic, George, then you are too."

"Of course."

The two were quiet for a moment, glancing at the Ravenclaw- who simply stared at them with her bright, cobalt blue orbs. The twins realized they were probably being a bother from Olive's shy, wide stare.

That's when Fred remembered something.

"Oh- on my way from the kitchens, I passed Professor Lupin. He asked where I was headed and why it wasn't the Great Hall-"

"Fred, get to the point, mate."

"Right, Georgie. Anyway, he was able to help me fix something."

Fred pulled out Olive's notebook, which wasn't tattered or scorched anymore, all of her writing in order and perfectly intact. The Lark girl gently took the book, flipping through the pages like she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Th-thank you."

That's when Olive's frown turned into a bright smile that day, and when her thoughts towards the Weasley Twins would change for the better.