Weasley's the Name

Weasley's the Name: Fourth Year

Chapter 8- Realizations

"Don't worry."

Jacob's head shot up quickly, looking for the owner of the voice. Jocelyn Grief sat in the chair behind him, smiling softly.

"I thought I was alone," he whispered, pushing a hand through his hair.

Jocelyn left her seat to walk over and sit in the chair besides him. Jacob tried to avoid eye contact, but her presence made him turn to her.

He felt like an idiot, he didn't think he deserved to talk to anyone, especially someone like Jocelyn.

"Do you want to be alone?" she asked, trying to catch his eyes. Jacob sighed, but then shook his head. If she wanted to be near him, there was no way he was going to lose this opportunity.

"No."

His face heated up as Jocelyn scooted her chair closer to him, a sneaky smile on her face.

"Look at me," she said, grabbing his hands. Jacob's eyes quickly darted up to meet hers, and noticed that she was smiling softly.

"Something funny?" he whispered, wondering how awful his pale face and wide eyes looked with his vibrant red hair. He probably reminded her of a circus clown, which was something he really didn't want her to think.

"Nothing funny at all."

She moved her chair as close as possible to him, and she squeezed his hands. He felt his ears heat up as he noticed how close they were and the fact that the common room was very empty.

"You're not really mad at Anthony."

Jacob's eyes burned at the mention of his brother, but he knew she was right. The two had both been stupid, it was his famous Weasley temper that made him blow up at Anthony.

"No...I'm not. He was telling the truth...I'm not as tough as people think," he said softly, ashamed.

"You're as tough as you need to be," Jocelyn said, letting go of his hands and putting hers on his shoulders. "And I like the way you are."

"Really?" he asked, looking up at her. She nodded, and leaned towards him so that their noses touched.

Jacob's mind raced as he thought about what might happen, and he couldn't help the burning of his ears and cheeks.

"Really." And she kissed him, softly at first.

Her arms moved towards his neck, and Jacob's unconsciously moved around her waist, not knowing what else to do with them.

They stood up, still kissing, and not even realizing they were standing up.

Jacob had never kissed a girl before, but he had always been known to be quick learner.

~~~

When Taylor reached the fourth year boys' dormitories Anthony was nowhere in sight. She knew that she couldn't enter without getting in trouble, but she didn't want to wait until morning to talk to him.

She was about to head up to open the boys' dorm when a hand grabbed her wrist. Taylor spun around, and saw Anthony standing by her side, smiling weakly.

"Where did you come from?" she whispered, pulling him close. Anthony shook his head and pulled out his wand; voices could be heard coming up the stairs.

"Invisocorpus," he whispered.

Taylor felt her body shake softly and she looked down the stairwell, not wanting to get caught.

The Gryffindors that were coming up the stairs passed them, all talking about the fight animatedly. They closed the doors without a second look at the two.

"What just happened?" Taylor whispered, and she felt her body shake again.

Anthony rubbed his head and began to head down the stairs, but he only went down a few steps before he sat. Taylor soon joined him, leaning into his shoulder.

"That charm...I found it in the restricted section of the library," he explained. "It turns a person invisible for the amount of seconds that correlates with their age. It's how Jacob and I get away with all of our pranks." He smiled shyly as Taylor stared in amazement.

"You...you're going to get a million O.W.L.s, Anthony." She kissed him on the cheek, making him blush even deeper after the compliment. Then, she pulled away quickly and sent him a look that reminded him of Professor McGonnagal. "Now, talk to me. Silencio." She whispered with a wave of her wand, causing the entire stairway to fall silent.

Anthony released an annoyed sigh and he turned to stare at the ground in front of him. Taylor slipped her arm under his and pulled him close, waiting for him to speak.

"He really hates me, doesn't he?" he asked softly, turning towards her. "I mean, I should've told the Sorting Hat that I wanted to be in Ravenclaw. I could've, you know."

"No," she said sternly, pinching his arm. "Anthony, he was just mad. It's normal for siblings to fight."

Anthony shrugged uncomfortably and continued to stare at the ground.

"I guess I am a bit irritating," he laughed softly, a frown still on his face. Taylor squeezed his arm and shook her head, growing quite frustrated at him.

"Oh, will you stop it Anthony?" she said with a loud sigh, making him turn to her in confusion. "If you were Sorted into Ravenclaw, your brother would have been miserable and because he was miserable, the Quidditch team would be horrible, and if the Quidditch team was horrible, that means the Slytherins would win every year, and then we'd all be living a nightmare," she said very quickly, a blush creeping on her cheeks as she saw a smile sliding onto Anthony's face.

"You really think he'd be miserable?" he asked, turning towards Taylor with something like a pleading look in his eyes.

"Well...I know I'd be miserable."

A blush grew on his cheeks as he leaned forward, knocking their foreheads together. For a moment they just stared into each other's eyes, rubbing their noses. He then brought her into a tight hug, taking in a deep breath of her hair. She smelled like apples.

"I think you're the reason I was put into Gryffindor," Anthony breathed into her ear. Taylor giggled softly, but then pushed him away to get a look at him.

"Maybe I'm a reason, but so is your brother, and you do have to go and talk to him."

"Aw, right now?" he whined, standing up and putting his hand out for her. Taylor took his hand and nodded as she stood up.

"Yes!" she giggled, tugging his arm. "It'll only get worse if you wait, come on, I'll even walk you down there."

Reluctantly, Anthony followed her down the stairs, trying to think of what he would say to his brother. He had said some pretty horrible things, would Jacob be able to call a truce without wanting to duel? Anthony could definitely see his brother challenging him, to test who's magic was better once and for all.

"Just say sorry," Taylor said, giving him a sideways hug. Anthony sighed as the two turned the final corner. "It'll be al---oh!" she whispered, turning away.

Anthony stared into the common room, and when his eyes focused on the two people in there his mouth fell open.

Jacob and Jocelyn were kissing deeply, neither noticing the two onlookers. He had his arms around Jocelyn' waist and she was barely sitting on the table, her arms around his neck. He held her close, as if not wanting to let go.

Anthony noticed the smile that his twin's face seemed to have as he continued to kiss Jocelyn, and he could only imagine what was racing through his mind.

"We've never kissed like that," Taylor whispered, smiling slyly. Anthony's face flushed and he looked down at her, to see that her cheeks were red as well. He tugged her hand and pulled her away from the common room.

"Come on," he said with a grin. "Mum said we couldn't date until sixth year, but she never said anything about Jacob." He laughed softly at her astonished face. Taylor pouted, but then nodded and laughed, squeezing Anthony's hand.

~~~

Jacob crept into the dormitory about ten minutes after Anthony had. He slunk to his brother's bed and pulled the curtain open. He wasn't surprised to find his brother sitting up and reading a book, his wand his source of light.

Anthony simply looked up at his twin, his face emotionless. Jacob stared at him as well, and then he swiftly punched Anthony in the arm. He closed the curtains, and jumped into his bed.

Anthony rubbed his arm and smiled. His brother had forgiven him.

~~~

On Saturday, Hogwarts was very lively, for it was Valentine's Day and the excitement of the ball was in the air.

Jacob strolled into the Great Hall, a huge grin on his face. He had never felt so energetic and the two bouquets of roses he had behind his back were the final piece of his happiness. Jocelyn's gonna glow with delight, and she's gonna to kiss me, and we're going to be happy and happy and happy...

Anthony followed his brother, laughing silently at how Jacob seemed to be floating on air. He too had a gift to give, although his came in the shape of a white teddy bear. In his other hand, he held a similar bear, although this one was a brown.

The twins didn't even feel embarrassed for carrying such objects; the Great Hall was filled with boys waiting for their Valentines to show up.

It seemed as if the entire female population of Hogwarts had taken control of the school and was plotting something up in their dorms; even the female teachers hadn't shown up, and only a few of the male teachers sat at the Head Table.

Jacob slid into onto the bench next to Rigel Lupin, who smiled brightly at his friend.

Rigel wore a deep crimson sweater with a 'R' on it; Grandma Weasley had fallen for the boy's charm when he visited The Burrow with his father over the summer.

He had a single rose on the table in front of him; he had finally collected enough of his Gryffindor courage to ask Abigail to be his Valentine.

"Oy, what a ruckus, you would think these boys have never seen a girl before," Rigel said, taking a sip of his tea. "I bet Rebecca is going nuts. You know, she never told me who asked her to the dance."

"Oh, you know that Ravenclaw, Daniel Martin? He did," Jacob said, not really caring for he was too busy making sure that the flowers were perfect.

Rigel slammed his goblet down, ready to go kill the fourth year Ravenclaw who stood only ten feet away from him. But, as he watched Rebecca stroll in, he decided against it.

"Not worth giving Rebecca a reason for revenge," he muttered. The twins shared a laugh, and as it died down, more girls started to come into the Great Hall.

Jacob rolled his eyes as squeals were heard all over, especially from Bridget Hagrid, who received a rather strange looking cat from a very tiny Hufflepuff named Darwin. She literally picked him up and swung him around, performing what was known as 'Bridget's Hug.'

Emily Weasley skipped down the aisle towards her brothers, and squeezed between the two, handing them each a tiny box of chocolates.

She had always made her brothers special valentines, and it always pleased her when they fought over the chocolate. Emily was about to start her breakfast when she received a kiss on both cheeks at the same time from the twins.

"What was that for?" Emily laughed, turning to both of them for an explanation.

The boys had never been too keen on Valentine's Day, and this was the first time they had actually acknowledged her on this romantic day. Anthony smiled at his little sister and handed her the brown teddy bear.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Emmy," he said, giving her another kiss on the cheek.

Emily giggled in delight and hugged the bear closely. When her grip on the bear wasn't as tight, Jacob handed her one of the bouquets. Emily nearly melted in her seat as her eyes glazed over the flowers.

"You guys are the best brothers ever!" she squealed, slinging her arms through her brothers' and pulling them close.

The siblings all laughed and played with the bear, until someone shoved Anthony in the shoulder. He looked up, and Taylor stood by him, smiling brightly.

"Here you go, love," she said sweetly, handing him a red book. He looked at the cover and read the title,

"A Thousand and One Charms for the Young Wizard's Soul. This is great! Thank you Taylor! Here, this is for you." He handed her the white teddy bear, and the blonde girl tried to contain the squeal that was rising up her throat.

"It's adorable!" she finally squealed, sitting down next to him and planting a big kiss on each of his cheeks. Anthony blushed furiously and gave her a sideways hug as Taylor began to make the bear dance on the table.

"Blimey, where's Jocelyn?" Jacob groaned, pushing away from the table and getting up to go and look for her.

"She's coming," Taylor said with little emotion. "She just wants to look extra pretty," she mocked, in Jocelyn's high-pitched voice.

"I'll surprise her in the common room then!" he said happily, and with a roll of eyes from Taylor, he set off.

Anthony turned to her, now very interested in why she disliked Jocelyn so much, and when he asked her, Taylor was more than happy to oblige and answer,

"She's incredibly rude, and doesn't do any of her homework! She just copies off of poor Soledad; that girl needs to learn how to say no.

"And she hogs the bathroom in the morning and then dares to tell me that I should do something with my hair! MY hair!"

The blonde looked literally infuriated with Jocelyn and she hugged her teddy bear to calm herself down. Anthony laughed and started to eat his breakfast. He hoped that Taylor would be happier tonight at the ball.

~~~

Jacob walked briskly down the eerily empty corridors of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There was a slight skip in his walk, and he whistled happily as he made his way towards Gryffindor Tower.

As he passed Professor McGonnagal (who always kept an eye out for the young teen), he pulled one of the roses out of Jocelyn' bouquet and he handed it to her, bowing down slightly. The Professor couldn't help but smile as she thanked him, though she did check for any jinxes on the flower.

The redhead was about to turn into the hallway that led to the portrait of the Fat Lady, when he heard a voice,

"I-I'm reely sarre," it stuttered. "I was up late last night with mi Moogle Studies ese and--"

"Please," Jocelyn's voice sprang, high pitched as ever. "Now I have to rearrange my entire weekend's schedule because you were too busy!"

Jacob wasn't sure if he should interrupt because he wasn't sure of what was going on.

Who's Jocelyn talking to?

"I'm sorry, Jos-lyn," the voice said again. "I-I'll try to feenish it before de ball, but--"

"Are you even going?" Jocelyn spat.

There was a small whisper that Jacob could not hear and a shrill giggle escaped his date's lips.

"You're going alone? I told you to fix your hair, no boy would ever want to dance with you looking like that!"

"Fine!" the other voice said, sounding stronger than before, though Jacob could hear anguish in her voice. "I won't go to de ball, I'll do your ese tonight."

Jacob's heart stopped and he unconsciously tightened his grip around the stem of the roses. Jocelyn's making this girl do her homework! Making her miss the ball in addition to that! He was now holding the flowers so tightly that the thorns pricked his palm.

His face heated up as he thought about the kiss they shared the night before, did he really want to go to the ball with a girl who would bully someone as brutally as this?

He had never dreamed that Jocelyn would do such a thing, but then, as he thought about his vision of the girl, he realized that he didn't know very much about her. All he knew was that she was pretty and that Taylor hated her.

Jacob felt like throwing up.

"Well, no one will miss you," Jocelyn said haughtily.

The redhead's face was now as red as his hair, and being the temperamental boy he was, he decided to put a stop to this.

He stormed around the corner and was confronted with Jocelyn's back, her hands on her hips as she looked down at the other girl.

Jacob was able to make out a brown bag on the floor with the Gryffindor seal sewed on to the front. This angered him even more; she's doing this to a fellow Gryffindor?

"Jocelyn," he said simply, dropping the flowers to the ground.

She spun around, her hair swishing prettily in front of her face. The girl shot him a glittery smile and rushed over to him.

"Hi, Jacob!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. His hands didn't wrap around her waist like they had last night. They hung limp at his side as he looked over her shoulder at the other voice.

Soledad Diego was the quietest fourth year, only speaking when a teacher called on her or when someone started talking to her first. She was by far the shortest, and her curly brown hair flew wildly around her head when it was loose, but it was almost always tied up, frizzy and messy.

Her mother was the Headmistress of the Wizarding School in Spain, and to be less awkward, Soledad and her siblings came to Hogwarts; she must have always felt like an outcast.

The small girl looked to be in shock, her hazel eyes wide and hands shaking. He wondered what exactly Jocelyn had on her that forced her to do all of her homework.

Jocelyn slid away from him, looking up at the redhead and noticing that he was staring at Soledad. She frowned slighty and stomped her foot, but she heard a crunch and looked down at the roses she had just stepped on.

"Are those for me?" she giggled, bending down and picking them up. "How sweet!"

Jacob snapped his eyes away from Soledad and looked down at Jocelyn.

"Yeah, you can have them," he said simply, making the girl giggle again. "But I'm not going to the ball with you."

"What?" Jocelyn shrieked, dropping the flowers back to the ground. "What are you talking about?"

Jacob straightened up and crossed his arms, glaring down at the girl. She seemed literally enraged at his statement and began tapping her foot furiously as she waited for a response.

"I don't want to socialize with a witch who can't even do her own damn homework."

Soledad squeaked behind him and pulled her bag up off the floor, rushing to the portrait hole and clambering through.

Jocelyn gaped at him, her mouth moving slightly like a fish out of water.

"Fine!" she shrieked, stomping her foot. "I can find another date better than you!" And she brushed by Jacob.

He stood there for a few minutes, not noticing the whispers of The Fat Lady and Violet.

One night, he was totally infatuated by a girl who seemed to want him just as badly.

The next day he was disgusted with the same girl who had dismissed him rather quickly.

"Women," he muttered, heading towards the portrait hole, leaving the bouquet on the ground.

~~~

"Are you ever going to come out?" Anthony groaned, peeking through the curtains of his brother's bed.

It was about ten minutes before the ball was to start and Anthony was getting worried about his brother.

"Not sure," the angry twin growled. Anthony sighed and crawled onto his brother's bed, not feeling right for leaving him.

"You want to see something funny?" Anthony asked, reaching into his pocket. Jacob looked up slightly, although his face was still emotionless; he could never pass up a good joke.

Anthony pulled out a rounded box and flipped it open, revealing a pair of wire rim glasses. He put them on his face, and waited for Jacob's comments.

"You look stupid."

"Thanks. Madame Pomfrey just conjured them up for me," Anthony said, smoothing out his dress robes.

They were a shade of navy blue that brought out the young boy's light eyes, even if they were behind his new spectacles. Jacob's robes, which were emerald green, had been thrown under his bed.

"Why are you here? Don't you have to go and pick up Taylor?" Jacob said bitterly.

"She's always late. Anyway, I was hoping you'd go," Anthony said, cringing.

"Are you mad? It'll be mortifying. She'll be there," he moaned, lying back on his bed. Jacob took in a deep breath.

"Why do you reckon' she did it? I mean, to a fellow Gryffindor too..." he asked quietly, his mood clearly shown in his voice.

Anthony couldn't recall his brother speaking so softly and sadly, and he shrugged, not knowing the answer.

"Maybe she's dumb," he suggested, trying to make his twin laugh.

"Why didn't I see that?" Jacob asked, frowning.

"She probably has some Veela blood and you can't control it," Anthony said with a moan. "I don't know Jake, but you shouldn't beat yourself up over it."

He stood up and nodded stiffly to show that he was finished. Then he peeked into the mirror to see if his straight hair was still smooth around his head.

"I really think you should go, it'll be fun, and you know there will be some girls asking you to dance."

Jacob just moaned again and put his pillow over his face.

"I hate women," came his muffled response.

Anthony sighed and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

He waited until the sounds of his brother's footsteps diminished, and then Jacob opened his curtains to the empty room.

He stared at the floor; angry at the green robes he would not be able to wear. One of his sleeves was visible, and Jacob pulled at it with his foot.

It was a shame to let them go to waste, but how could he go down there? It was embarrassing enough that he had walked around these past few days telling everyone he was going with Jocelyn, but to go down there by himself while she danced with some idiot? That was impossible. Plus, it would hurt too much.

Jacob felt as if his heart had been torn apart. His first kiss was to a girl that made him sick. Why did she help him after the fight with Anthony? Why didn't he see her for who she was? Why didn't she fight to stay with him?

Nothing made sense, and really, Jacob didn't want to know the truth behind her. He was going to ignore her for the rest of their time at Hogwarts, she was not going to make him blush or stutter anymore, he was going to be free from her charm.

"I can't let her win," he mumbled to himself.

Jacob reached down and pulled his robes out from under his bed. He stood up, and realized they were very wrinkled. He took his wand out of his pocket and muttered some charms, and soon the robes looked as good as new.

In about ten minutes, Jacob was admiring himself in the mirror. His mother had done a good job choosing robes for him.

"I look good," he whispered, smiling softly.

"Yes you do! Go get em' tiger!" the mirror said in response. The redhead blushed furiously and swept out of the dormitory.

~~~

Jacob entered the common room and was about to leave through the portrait hole when he stopped suddenly.

"Fine! I won't go to de ball, I'll do your ese tonight."

"Oy...Soledad..."

Jacob bounced up the stairs to his dorm and swept his broomstick up in a quick motion. He climbed on and raced out of the room, zooming down the stairs as if he was on the Quidditch Pitch.

He turned into the girls' dormitory and laughed as the stairs below him turned into a slide. It must have sensed his presence but couldn't do anything about it.

So glad Dad told me about that trick...His face cringed though as he thought of why his dad had flown up the stairs...

When he reached the fourth year dorms, he knocked, hovering a foot over the landing. He listened for movement, and the clipping of heels headed towards the door.

It swung open, and Soledad appeared, dressed fully for the ball in flowing blue dress robes. He grinned at her, but she just gasped and shut the door.

"Soledad!" Jacob exclaimed, knocking again.

"You are not se-posed to be hea!" she shrieked from the other side, her heels clopping frantically around the room.

"I'm here to take you to the ball!"

The noise of her shoes stopped for a moment, and then they hurried to the door and she pulled it open, just a crack.

Soledad stared at him with narrowed eyes, examining him to see if his intentions were pure. While she interrogated him with her eyes, Jacob, for the first time in four years, looked at her.

Her eyes were an odd color, a mix of green, brown, and yellow. Her hair, which was usually a mess, was loose around her head, in perfect curls with glitter sparkling throughout it. She had a light shadow of blue above her eyes, and her lips were a perfect shade of pink. Jacob reckoned she looked rather nice.

"You're already dressed, why don't you come with me?" he asked sweetly, maneuvering his broom so she could climb on.

She opened the door more, and stood up straight, her hands on her hips.

"Why shood I trust you?" she probed.

"Because I dislike Jocelyn just as much as you do, and I'm here to make sure you have a good time, because she took away your ball."

"I wasn't reely going to go," she admitted, making Jacob feel like an idiot. "Mama bought dees beautiful robes for me...I coodn't tell her that I deedn't have a date...she would have been afligido...er...heartbroken.

"I was going to take some peek-tures of me dancing, and send them to her..." Her face was bright red, and she turned to Jacob, ready for him to laugh at her.

He didn't.

"Well, you don't have to fake it now," Jacob said simply. "I'll get someone to take pictures for your mother. Nothing serious, just a friend doing a friend a favor."

"I deedn't know I was your friend," she said softly, examining her fingernails. Jacob smirked, realizing that he really had ignored her during their time as classmates.

"All Gryffindors are friends, but if that's not enough, let's become friends." He watched as a smile crept onto her face.

"I promise, this won't be just a one night thing." He smiled, hoping that she would believe him, because he was telling the truth.

After staring at him with her lips pursued for a minute or two, her eyes lit up and she nodded.

Jacob lowered the broom just enough that she could pull her blue dress robes and sit comfortably.

"The ball awaits, señorita," he said as he looked over his shoulder and grinned.

"Let's go make an entrance!" she exclaimed, grabbing him tightly around the waist.

They laughed, and Jacob zoomed down the stairwell, praying that he wouldn't regret his decision to go.