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.~*~.
George bounced on his heels as he waited for his parents to finish checking over his trolley, searching for anything he had missed. His eyes scanned Platform 9 3/4 before settling on his friends, waiting by the train for him. The four of them - his Ravenclaw dorm-mate, Wilbur, his Gryffindor little brother, Tommy, his Hufflepuff best friend Karl and his other Ravenclaw house-mate, Tina - all waved at him excitedly, urging him to hurry up. Tina gestured back to the train, mouthing that they would meet him on the train.
The Ravenclaw waved back happily, shifting his hair to match Karl's before turning back to his parents. His mother, like him, was a metamorphmagus and smiled as she brushed her hand through his hair affectionately, as she usually did whenever he shifted his hair. George's father wasn't like him and his mother, he was a plain old human so George's metamorphmagus blood was slightly watered down - he could only really shift his hair and his eye colour, he wasn't powerful enough to change his facial features or anything else.
George's father reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, smile matching his wife's as George's eyes flicked to him and his hair shifted to match his - it was his natural colour too, a dark brown, and the colour he tended to keep the most. At the sight of his father's smile, George lurched forward and threw himself into his father's arms, hugging him tight. "I'm gonna miss you, guys."
"We'll miss you, too, darling," George's father said, dipping his head down to press a kiss to the top of his head. George gripped him tighter. "Come on, Georgie, it's your sixth-year, don't be sad, you're gonna be so busy this year you'll hardly have time to be homesick."
"I'll always have time to be homesick," George protested, pulling back out of his father's arms and glancing over to his mother. The roots of her bubblegum pink hair had tinged blue. "Oh Mum, don't be sad. I'll be back before you know it."
George's mother smiled and nodded her head, the blue fading from her roots. George lunged forward, letting himself be bundled into his mother's comforting embrace. They stood there for a few seconds, holding each other tight before the warning whistle - that signified 5 minutes before the train left - blew.
"We love you, darling," his mother said as George turned to run to the train after grabbing his luggage.
"I love you too!" George shouted back as he jumped onto the train and the second warning whistle blew. The brunet quickly loaded his luggage before setting off to find his friends.
"Davidson!" The call of his surname had George stopping in his step, reluctantly turning to face the boy who had called out to him. George crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow as Dream Quartz, Slytherin's pureblood golden boy and quidditch captain brushed his blond hair out of his green eyes that scanned over George's frame.
"What, Quartz?" George sighed as Dream smirked and sautered up to him, his best friend, Sapnap, following not far behind. Dream reached out to George and gently wrapped a strand of George's hair around his index finger, studying it closely before brushing it back behind George's ear - the Ravenclaw swatted him away. The blond chuckled and looked up from his hand, eyes roaming over George's face and hair. He tilted his head to the side and bit his lip.
"Red's really not a good colour on you," Dream said before strutting off back to his carriage. George grumbled under his breath and tried to calm down, he knew exactly why his hair had turned, it meant he was either annoyed or angry, and Dream knew it too. Ever since the Slytherin had found out that George's hair could change colour based on his mood, it had been Dream's sole mission to get it to change as many colours as possible. George sighed frustratedly, trying and ultimately failing to get his hair back to brown before spinning on his heel and continuing in the direction he was headed.
George found his friends quickly after that. Sliding open the compartment door, they all took one look at the metamorphmagus and threw their hands up in front of their faces as if preparing for an attack. George furrowed his eyebrows and took a seat in between Tina and Karl.
"What are you idiots doing?" George asked, frowning slightly at the looks they gave him.
"Your roots are red, an angry George is a scary George," Tommy said, lowering his hands slightly. George chuckled, rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat as the train started to move.
"Relax, I'm not mad, Quartz just got on my nerves," George said, closing his eyes and focusing on calm thoughts so he could turn his hair brown again.
"Already? We're not even at Hogwarts yet!" Wilbur said incredulously.
"I know," George mumbled, sighing slightly.
"Why does he even annoy you so much?" Karl asked and George couldn't think of an answer. He shrugged his shoulders, eyes still shut.
"I don't know. There's just something about him," George grumbled, feeling relaxation wash over him as his hair, finally, finally turned brown again.
"It's a shame, really. I personally think you and Dream would make a really cute couple," Tina said casually. George's eyes flew open as they shifted colour
"Me? And Dream? Merlin, Tina, you've gone insane!" George said, eyes wide in surprise.
"I don't know, you two would be pretty good together. There's something about George Davidson and Dream Quartz that just works," Tommy said mischievously as he leant forward and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. George turned away from Tina to face the Gryffindor and tilted his head, giving the younger boy his most disgusted look.
"Oh, God, look what you idiots have done. You've made his eyes go silver," Wilbur huffed, slightly concerned. He knew, well they all knew, that George hated changing his eye colour and actually had very good control over it, so if they made it change colour that meant George's emotions were so strong he couldn't control them. Tommy shrugged his shoulder and leaned back, ignoring the harsh glare that George sent his way. The brunet scoffed and leaned back in his seat as well.
"Dream and I? Huh, never gonna happen," George muttered, ignoring the tinge of disappointment that bubbled in his stomach, mistaking it for frustration.
.~*~.
It was a known fact amongst Ravenclaw House, actually amongst the entire school, that George didn't like mornings. He hated having to get up for lessons at 8 in the morning, he hated having to leave the warmth of his bed and most of all he hated dealing with Dream Quartz at 8:45 am. So why the asshole was approaching him now, George had no idea. Everyone, even his Mum and Dad, knew that George would have been in an even worse mood in the mornings before he had food, and he hadn't even had a sip of Pumpkin Juice yet when Dream decided to approach him.
George glared at the blond's approaching figure, hoping and praying he would walk straight past him and his friends and towards his little sister, Drista, who sat with the 3rd Years a little further down the table but, of course, the universe hated him and Dream stopped beside George and Wilbur.
"What do you want, Quartz?" George snapped, shooting daggers at the blond through his eyes. Dream held his hands up in mock surrender.
"Hey, come on, now, Davidson! I only wanted to tell you and Soot that Madam Puffy told me that we're going to have to share the field for Quidditch practice tomorrow," Dream said, the ghost of a smirk starting to appear on his face. George groaned out loud and shot Dream an even dirtier look than he already had been.
"We've not even been back for a day and you're already trying to sabotage my team." The faint smirk on Dream's face grew more prominent and he leaned down to George, placing his arms on either side of the brunet, practically trapping him. George looked down at his hands, clasped together in his lap as he refused to look Dream in the eyes. He knew he was only doing whatever this was to try and get a reaction out of him.
"I want to win this year, Davidson - why would I waste time trying to sabotage your team when I could be working on perfecting my own? You want to win too, don't you, Georgie?" Dream said, messing up his hair. George took a deep breath and forced himself to look up at the Slytherin, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Of course I do," George mumbled, internally cursing himself for how high his voice went.
"Well, then." Dream reached out and tucked a piece of George's hair behind his ear. "I suggest that you make sure you're in the Quidditch field tomorrow and practising, show me that you are the best Quidditch player this school has, well, besides me - of course. Don't worry about my team being in the way. They won't be. If anything, it might be your team that's an issue for me, sometimes I get so distracted by how good you look on a broom but that's besides the point. I'll see you tomorrow, Davidson."
Dream winked and rose to his full height, walking off with Sapnap trailing after him. George released a deep breath he hadn't even realised he had been holding before turning back to his friends. They stared at him with wide eyes.
"What?" George asked, voice wobbling ever so slightly, as he took a sip of Pumpkin Juice. Tina leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice so only he, Wilbur and Tommy could hear her.
"Your roots have gone pink." Tina held out her mini-hairbrush that had a mirror attached to George, angling it so that the Ravenclaw could see the burst of pink stemming from his scalp. George felt his face flush as he snatched the mirror from Tina's hands and quickly ducked his head down, running his fingers through his hair until the pink faded back into his natural dark brown.
"What does pink hair mean?" Tommy whispered to Karl and Wilbur, George pretended to not hear them and reached out to grab a slice of toast, rolling his bottom lip into his mouth as he fought back a blush.
"Love," Karl whispered back. George's face went even redder, if that was even possible. There's no way he could like Dream fucking Quartz, right?
.~*~.
"Wilbur, I swear if you stop me from hitting one more bludger I might just forget that your head isn't one," George threatened as the boy swooped in front of him, knocking the bludger flying with his beater's bat.
"You snooze, you lose," the taller said flying to George's side, the brunet simply glared at him.
"I don't get a chance to snooze, idiot, you come zooming in before I even have a chance to lift my bat!" George exclaimed, gently slapping his arm. Wilbur chuckled as someone blew the whistle. George looked in the direction of the noise and saw Dream, landing on the floor and gesturing for his team to meet him on the ground. Casting an immobilising charm on the bludger, George glanced over at Wilbur and raised his eyebrow. "Feel like spying on their meeting?"
"Duh," Wilbur scoffed, snatching the immobilised bludger from George's arms and flying back down. George followed, hopping off his broom and slinging his bat lazily over his shoulder.
"Right! Okay, you're all doing great, if we keep practising we'll be sure to win the Quidditch Cup. Now back to what you were doing!" George rolled his eyes and mounted his broom again, kicking off into the sky and meeting Wilbur back by their team.
"Well, that was pointless," George muttered as he took the charm off of the bludger and it began to swerve around the pitch. "I thought he'd spill at least on strategy, or, like, something we could use to our advantage."
"Tell me about it," Wilbur mumbled back, scoffing again. George chuckled and lifted his bat as the bludger gradually got closer to him and Wilbur, preparing to hit it as it came rounding on him.
The Ravenclaw hit the ball with full force and watched with a smile on his face as it went flying towards the goal posts. That smile soon faded though when one of Dream's teammates accidentally threw the Quaffle towards the (designated for that practice) Ravenclaw goal posts.
Dream made a run for the hoops, zipping through the air and crossing the bludgers path. The bludger smacked the blond straight on the forehead, sending him tumbling from his broom and through the sky in a streak of green and silver, eyes shut tight.
George could hear Wilbur gasp as Dream kept falling, both brunets watching, frozen with fear, as Sapnap went swooping in to save him, his seeker reflexes kicking into gear. He caught the team captain on his broom, Dream's body slumped against his back and he zoomed towards the ground, the rest of both the Slytherin and the Ravenclaw team trailing close behind.
George landed on the ground with a stumble and pushed past Punz and Sam - the Slytherin team's beaters - to crouch down beside the blond who Sapnap had laid out on the floor. The raven haired boy cradled Dream's head on his lap, clearly very worried, he looked up at George as the Ravenclaw crouched beside him.
"Davidson, I don't know what to do! I can't feel a pulse," Sapnap said, his voice becoming choked up as he fought back tears.
A rush of fear and worry washed over George like a violent tsunami and his hair shifted colour, but he paid no attention to it. Instead, he reached out and picked up Dream's wrist. George held his wrist tightly and exhaled shakily, shaking his head as tears pricked in the corner of his eyes. There was a moment of deafening silence as George checked frantically for a pulse before he felt a soft beat in the blond’s veins. The Ravenclaw let out a small breath and leaned down, resting his head on Dream's chest, listening to the boy's faint heartbeat and feeling his chest rise slightly only to fall back down again.
"He's alive," George announced, hearing Sapnap exhale shakily in relief - the brunet lifted his head and turned back to the rest of the team, shouting, "Quick! Someone get Madam Pomfrey!"
George watched as Punz hopped onto his broom and zipped back in the direction of the castle before turning back to Sapnap and reaching out. Gently, George rested a hand on the raven's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly whilst still keeping a firm grip on Dream's hand as well.
"He's going to be alright," George whispered comfortingly, though he had a sneaking suspicion that he was trying to convince himself more than Sapnap. The boy nodded his head and looked back down at Dream, gently swiping at the burgeoning bruise on the blond's forehead. George let out a shaky breath as he tucked his now silver hair behind his ear.
.~*~.
Dream still hadn't woken up and it had been three days.
George stayed by his side for those three days, only leaving to go to his lessons. His friends had tried to force him to go and eat something but any appetite he had was completely taken over by the pit of guilt swirling aggressively in his stomach, acidic like bile rising in his throat. It was all his fault, if he hadn't hit that bludger so hard, Dream might be awake right now.
The brunet held the blond's hand tightly, eyes closed, and leaned forward, resting his forehead against their joined hands as he tried to push the guilty thoughts from his harsh mind.
"You know, that really isn't a good colour on you," a croaky voice mumbled quietly. George's eyes snapped open to see an awake Dream - he was groggy and obviously in pain but he was awake.
"What do you mean?" George asked, straightening up and holding tighter onto Dream's hand, he almost felt as if he was dreaming.
"This yellowish-green colour. Doesn't really suit anyone. Especially not a pretty boy like you. Now why do you feel guilty?" Dream's voice was rough and coarse (and unfairly hot considering the circumstances) so George let go of his hand quickly and poured the blond a glass of water from the jug on a table beside the bed. Dream accepted it gratefully and took a long sip - George stayed silent, trying to avoid the Slytherin's question.
"Well?" Dream questioned, swallowing his last gulp of water. "Why do you feel guilty, Davidson?"
Dream grabbed George's hand again and gently tugged until the Ravenclaw moved to sit beside him on the bed. George looked down at their intertwined hand, avoiding those emerald eyes.
"How'd you know I feel guilty?" George asked softly.
"Your hair turned that colour when you accidentally snapped at a first year and made him cry during our O.W.Ls last year," Dream stated as if it was obvious.
George's eyes hesitantly flicked up to meet Dream's, staring into his expectant eyes. God, his eyes were amazing. George had never really noticed before but they were a soft, though vibrant green with flecks of brown around the pupils. George found himself studying them, and he didn't entirely know why but he was glad to see his eyes. Maybe it was because it meant Dream was awake. The Slytherin raised his eyebrows at the brunet boy before him, urging him to answer his question. George took a deep breath and looked away from the blond.
"It's my fault." George exhaled sharply and Dream squeezed his hand gently, urging the Ravenclaw to look at him again. "It's my fault, Dream. I hit the bludger that knocked you off that stupid broom, I put you in the Hospital Wing, I put you into a coma for three days. All because I didn't think anything through and hit that ball insanely hard, like an idiot ." George's voice rose steadily as he spoke until he was essentially shouting at himself. Dream flinched slightly at the volume of George's voice, the brunet winced guiltily. "Fuck, I'm sorry you probably have, like, the world's worst headache."
"It's fine," Dream said dismissively, waving his spare hand absentmindedly. "Listen, George, this isn't your fault. It was an accident and if anything I should've thought to watch where I was going okay? This is not your fault."
"But-"
"No buts! This isn't your fault, you have no reason to feel guilty, do you understand?" George opened his mouth to protest but Dream threw him a stern look and he stopped, closing his mouth with a subtle nod.
"It's not my fault," George mumbled to himself quietly.
"That's right," Dream agreed as relief began to seep through George's veins. The brunet watched in endearment as a smile grew on Dream's face and once again the Slytherin reached out to touch George's hair. He picked up a strand of it and twirled it around his finger, holding it out far enough so that George could just about see it. George's own smile appeared as he realised it had returned back to its natural dark brown.
"Much better," Dream murmured softly.
George looked into Dream's eyes again and found Dream staring right back as they both fell silent. The two sat gazing into each other's eyes for a good thirty seconds before George remembered that, God, this was Dream fucking Quartz and he could not be feeling this type of way about him. The Ravenclaw cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away from the Slytherin, feeling the roots of his hair tinge pink. He stood up abruptly and muttered something about telling Madam Pomfrey that Dream was awake before running off and away from him.
.~*~.
A few months went by where neither Dream nor George spoke about their 'moment' as George's friends like to call it. They returned back to their normal with Dream teasing him and trying to change George's hair colour and George getting completely annoyed and ending up with red hair.
So when the Christmas break came around and Dream's older sister, Mary, owled Dream saying that she was coming home for Christmas, George's blood ran cold. Mary coming home meant that Dream's family would host a big reunion for family and friends that were close enough to be family. Which, in turn, meant that Dream's mother would invite George's family, since his mother and Dream's had gone to Hogwarts together and remained close for years after.
George knew he'd have no choice but to go, there was no doubt in his mind that his father would make him. According to him George had 'missed too many' reunions as his family were usually invited whenever some form of reunion would be held, whether or not Dream's sister had come home.
The day of the reunion was about a week into the holidays and despite how slowly George wanted time to go, it seemed to fly by and in the blink of an eye the day had already arrived. George re-tied the laces on his shoes as his Mum and Dad came out of their house, making their way over to their son and linking arms with him. The brunet stood up straight, braced himself and closed his eyes as he was apparated to Dream's family's mansion.
The second the small family arrived, George was greeted with the sight of Dream with his back to him. Hoping that Dream wouldn't see him, George attempted to slip away and towards Dream's older sister and mother, who his Mum and Dad had already gone to greet but, of course, as soon as he took one step Dream was turning around to see him. George winced and straightened up to his full height, instinctively crossing his arms after smoothing out his shirt.
"Davidson," Dream greeted, his smirk already making itself prominent on his gorgeous face. He looked George up and down, bottom lip rolling between his teeth. "You look good."
Dream looked George up and down again before winking, the brunet felt the tips of his ears redden as he fought to keep any sign of pink from his hair.
"Thanks," George mumbled, forcing himself to look directly into Dream's eyes.
As he scanned the look in Dream's eyes, an idea popped into his mind. Dream was constantly trying to fluster him, so why couldn't he try and fluster him right back? Holding back a smirk, George took a step closer to the blond and reached out to fix his collar, smoothing out the slightly folded fabric whilst still looking directly in his eyes and watching as they widened.
The brunet looked up at him from under his eyelashes, utilising the doe-eyed look that he'd been complimented for so often in the past whilst simultaneously praying that no-one was watching the two of them. George smiled as innocently as he could, sliding his hand from Dream's collar to the back of his neck, fingers tangling at the curls that rested there.
"You don't look too bad yourself, Dreamie." George blinked alluringly and shifted his eye colour to Dream's, soft brown shifting to a vibrant, seductive green. Dream's breath hitched quietly, shoulders tense as George's hand slid up his neck, pulling at the curls gently before George let go and simply ruffled his hair instead. The brunet watched in satisfaction as a blush made its way onto Dream's cheeks, rosy pink glowing against star-like freckles. George smiled mischievously and patted Dream's cheek gently before spinning on his heel, making his way back over to his parents.
After George greeted Dream's family and caught up with the rest of the family friends he hadn't seen in a few years, the brunet found himself being dragged away by Dream's little sister. George had been talking to Bad, one of Dream's cousins who left Hogwarts just last year when Drista grabbed his wrist and pulled him away to a secluded corner of the house.
"Hey! Drista, what the hell, I was busy talking to Bad about his new boyfriend-"
"George, why do you care more about talking to Bad about his love life when we could be talking about your own!" Drista exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at her fellow Ravenclaw.
"What the hell are you talking about, idiot?" George scoffed, raising a curious eyebrow.
"I brought you here to talk about Dream, obviously. Dimwit." George frowned and raised an eyebrow at the younger girl.
"What about him?" George asked apprehensively, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Do you- Do you, you know, like him?" George froze where he stood, eyes widening.
"Wha- no of course not the boy is a pain in the ass," the brunet stuttered, struggling to find the words that would stop Drista from catching onto his feelings. He hadn't even really admitted his feelings for Dream to himself, he wasn't about to do it to his sister .
"You know, for a Metamorphmagus, you'd think you'd be better at controlling your facial features," Drista huffed, placing her hands on her hips.
"What do you mean?" George asked, avoiding looking at her.
"George, your eyes turn white when you’re lying." The Ravenclaw blushed and forced himself to look at the girl before him. Sighing, George brushed his hair away from his forehead and shook his head.
"Dris, I really don't want to talk to you about this..."
"Dude, I don't care, to be honest," Drista said bluntly, rolling her eyes. "You can't fool me, man. Look, all I want is for you and my brother to be happy. Preferably together."
George hesitated, glancing around the room and easily finding Dream. The Slytherin stood in the middle of the room, a plate of food in his hand and talking animatedly with his older sister and Bad. Dream laughed, loud and bright and happy, George felt his heart swell in his chest. With a quiet huff, George turned back to Drista, avoiding her eyes.
"Okay, so maybe I do like him-" Drista gasped and clapped her hands, George quickly grasped her hands between his - glancing around the room again to make sure no-one was paying attention to them. "-but I know he doesn't like me."
The smile that had blossomed on Drista's face faded and she pulled her hands out from in between George's. The brunet inhaled sharply, watching the girl carefully.
"Of course he likes you!" Drista exclaimed loudly. George shushed her quickly, swatting her shoulder and she lowered her voice. "He flirts with you non-stop! It's obvious he likes you."
"Drista, he only does that because he's trying to get my hair to change colour," George explained gently. "He's just teasing and trying to get a reaction out of me."
"What- no, no, no. That's not why he's doing it-" George sighed loudly, cutting Drista off.
"Look, Dris, Dream and I? It's never going to happen. No matter how much I wish it would. You need to let it go. I'm sorry, but it just won't," George said sternly. Drista frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and once again narrowing her eyes at the brunet before her.
"But-"
"No, Drista, stop it! Please," George all but shouted at her, the roots of his hair tinging red and blue. The younger girl went silent and looked up at the older Ravenclaw sheepishly.
"I'm sorry," Drista mumbled, casting her eyes down at her shoes. George sighed, guilt pulling at the corners of his lips until he frowned before he pulled her into a hug.
"It's fine, I know you’re just trying to look out for Dream and I," George said, running his fingers through the younger girl's hair. The blonde pulled back slightly and nodded her head before burying herself back into the crook of George's neck. The brunet thought about what Drista had said, about Dream just playing around with him and when he was sure no-one was looking at him and Drista, George let himself feel the pain that those thoughts brought him. He left himself feel the claws of disappointment and despair scratch at his chest and stomach as he watched the hair that dangled in front of his eyes turn blue.
.~*~.
Back at Hogwarts, George forced himself to forget his conversation with Drista and focused on his studies. He tried his hardest to avoid Dream, and in complete honesty, it had worked relatively well until one day during their shared Transfiguration lesson.
A scrunched up ball of paper hit the side of George’s head and bounced onto the table. The brunet whipped around in the direction the paper ball had come from to see Dream staring straight at him. George sighed and raised an eyebrow at the blond, who simply smiled and gestured to the ball of paper on George's desk. Rolling his eyes, the Ravenclaw turned away from the boy and picked up the ball, unfolding it carefully.
"What's that?" Wilbur asked from beside George, the brunet glanced over at his friend and held up the paper.
"It's a note from Quartz," George informed him with a shy smile.
Since coming back from the Christmas holidays, George had told his friends about his new found feelings for the Slytherin and about the conversation with Drista (but only after incessant and unrelenting bugging from the nosy bitches). His friends, being the wonderful people they were, were all too eager to help George avoid Dream and - if needed - keep his composure around him. Wilbur cast a glare at Dream over his shoulder before turning back to George and nudging him with his elbow.
"Well, what does it say?" the taller asked impatiently.
"I haven't had a chance to read it yet, idiot," George grumbled, finally managing to unravel the paper ball fully. His eyes skimmed over the messy scrawl, a frown tugging at his slightly chapped lips.
Why are you avoiding me, Davidson? Afraid you can't control yourself?
Scoffing, George passed the note to Wilbur, watching as a similar frown to his own grew on the taller's face before he handed the note back to him.
I'm not avoiding you. I've actually just had enough of your arrogance. Not everyone likes an attention seeker, Quartz.
George scribbled down his reply quickly and scrunched up the paper, launching it back at Dream's head. The brunet giggled to himself as Dream flinched, gently rubbing the spot that the note had hit as he read the note quickly. George watched as the blond pulled two pieces of parchment out of his bag and wrote something down on one of them before scrunching up the other and throwing it back to George.
I'm not an attention seeker, I'm a chaser ;) (by the way this is two-way parchment, write your reply and I'll see it on my parchment)
George rolled his eyes, biting down on his lip to avoid a chuckle slipping out as he wrote his reply.
That has got to be the lamest joke you've ever told, Quartz, and that's saying something.
You love it, really.
I really don't.
You do.
Don't
Do
Don't
DO
DON'T
𝐃𝐎
Oh, piss off, idiot
:)
What do you want, Quartz? I don't have time for this.
I want you, George. I want you to meet me in the Room of Requirement after curfew tonight.
George’s eyes widened as he read what Dream wrote. The brunet looked over his shoulder and saw the blond smirking at him. As they locked eyes, Dream raised an eyebrow and gestured his head down at the parchment. With a soft huff, George picked up his quill again and quickly wrote his response.
Fine. If you don't show up, I'll hex you - and just so you know, I know a spell that can magically castrate someone.
Wow, okay, don't worry, I'll show up. The real question is whether you will.
I will .
Good, I can't wait ;) see you soon, pretty boy.
"You're meeting Quartz? Tonight?" Wilbur asked, a hint of concern laced in his voice.
"Were you reading our conversation?" George asked incredulously, snatching the parchment and clutching it to his chest.
"I- well yes, but that's beside the point. Just be careful, please."
"Always." George smiled at his friend before turning his attention back to the lesson but all he could really think about was Dream. Gorgeous Dream and his pretty blond curls and vibrant green eyes and soft pink lips and cute freckles and-
"Mr. Davidson," Professor H called from the front of the class. "Are you paying attention? Or are you too busy doodling on your parchment?"
George flushed as snickers echoed throughout the classroom, the roots of his hair shifting to bright yellow. "Sorry, Professor."
George tried for the rest of the lesson and all of the other lessons he had that day but all that was going through his mind was a pair of emerald green eyes and the world's brightest smile.
.~*~.
George sat in the Room of Requirement, waiting for Dream anxiously. He had been waiting there for over 15 minutes and Dream still was yet to show up, every minute that passed had more butterflies breaking out of their cocoons and releasing into George's gut.
Sitting on one of the desks that had appeared in the room, George drummed his fingers against the wood in a random tune that had popped into his head. The brunet checked the watch on his wrist - 8:20 - if Dream wasn't there in 5 minutes then fuck it, George was leaving. Another 3 minutes went past with no sign of Dream and George sighed in disappointment before preparing to get up and leave. Before he could though, the door to the room opened and he froze.
"Dream? Is that you?" George called out into the empty room, sitting back down on the desk.
"It's me, love," Dream called back, George relaxed where he sat as he felt a blush splash onto his cheeks. Dream called him 'love' , George hated how giddy and gooey it made him feel inside.
The room was quite dark, so George took out his wand and cast a charm that lit up the lanterns in the room. Dream stood a little bit away from George, and once the lights came on he turned to look in the brunet's direction. A smile spread across Dream's face, a real, genuine, beautiful smile - not his usual mischievous smirk - and it made George's heart swell. The Slytherin walked closer to the Ravenclaw, coming to a stop before him as George quickly averted his eyes.
"Why did you want to meet here?" George asked tentatively, cradling his hands in his lap, keeping his eyes fixated on them. Dream reached out towards him, soft hands caressing George's cheek before resting on his jaw and tilting his chin up so that the brunet was looking up at him. Warm brown met glittering green and George swore the world just stopped. There was no-one else in the universe, just them and them only.
"I wanted to tell you something," Dream mumbled softly, stroking George's jawline tenderly with his thumb. George smiled shyly, raising an eyebrow.
"What, Quartz?" George tilted his head, eyes scanning Dream's face for any hint as to what Dream was going to say.
Dream took a deep breath and pulled his hand away from George's face, instead placing both on the desk either side of George's thighs. The blond gripped the desk tightly and tugged the desk closer. George slid forward with a gasp, bracing his hands on Dream's collarbone to stop himself from headbutting his chest. Cautiously, George raised his head as Dream leaned in closer, looking the brunet straight in the eyes, hands sliding from the desk to rest on George's hips instead.
"I like you, Georgie. As more than a friend," Dream confessed, his voice soft and low as he leaned in even closer. George's eyes widened as he quickly looked down, shifting his hands down from Dream's collarbone to his chest and pushing him away gently.
"No, you don't," George whispered, shaking his head solemnly. "You're just doing this to see my reaction. To tease me, to change my hair colour. You're not going to do this to me, Dream, I won't let you. I won't let you take advantage of me like that."
Dream sighed and moved his hands from George's hips to his own chest. Taking George's hands in his, he brought their hands to rest in the Ravenclaw's lap, thumb caressing his knuckles ever so tenderly.
"What makes you think that?" Dream asked, staring at their joined hands.
"Are you kidding me? It's what you've done for the past 6 years, Dream. You can't blame me for thinking that," George said, rolling his eyes and pulling his hands out of Dream's.
"I'll admit when I first started teasing you it was to change your hair colour, but now I've developed real feelings. Honest, real, strong feelings for you, love." George looked up at Dream, searching his face for any sign of a lie or a single hint of mischief but found none. All he found was sincerity and affection, passion oozing from every inch of Dream's face.
"You promise? You promise this isn't a way to just get a reaction out of me?" George asked apprehensively, brushing his hair out of his eyes and tucking it behind his ears.
"I promise, Georgie, I swear," Dream replied sincerely, slowly reaching out for George's hands again. George let him take them, let his fingers slip between his own and hold on tightly.
"Then…I like you too, Dream." The blond smiled brightly and lifted George's hands, placing them around his neck.
Dream leaned in closer, wrapping his arms around George's waist before pressing his lips against the brunet's. George kissed him back almost immediately, his hands tangling in Dream's soft blond curls. He used his grip on Dream's hair to pull the Slytherin closer to him before breaking the kiss and leaning his forehead against the other's. The Ravenclaw smiled up at the blond before him as a piece of his hair fell in front of his eyes. He focused on it, noticing the colour had shifted from its usual warm brown to a soft pink. Blushing slightly, George glanced away from his hair and back at Dream, whose smile had lost its genuinity and had gained a strange sort of mischief.
"I knew it would work," the blond whispered quietly, but not quietly enough for George to not hear him. The Ravenclaw's eyebrows furrowed, his brain slowly registering what the Slytherin had said as he pushed him away harshly. Dream stumbled back, a panicked look wiping the air of diablerie that surrounded him.
"Excuse me? You knew what would work?" George sneered angrily, pushing himself off the desk.
"George-"
"You lied to me," George uttered, seething with quiet anger. "You promised this wasn't just a way to change my hair colour Dream, you swore this wasn't a way to get a reaction out of me. God, you promised, you asshole!" Dream remained silent, not daring to look George in the eye. "I can't believe you, Dream! You used my feelings to your advantage, that's such a cruel thing to do. You took my first kiss and it was fake, your feelings were fake. You took my first goddamn kiss and just fucking flushed it down the toilet! That's - that's fucking evil. You're fucking evil, Dream."
"George, love, let me explain-"
"Explain? How can you explain this? I'd love to hear your excuse." When Dream didn't reply, George felt his boiling anger begin to simmer, a deep-setting sadness replacing it instead. "Please, Dream, please. Explain, tell me the reason. Please justify this. Please."
George forced himself to look away from Dream as the blond remained silent and stoic, refusing to look the brunet in the eyes. With a disappointed scoff, George straightened up and spun on his heel, walking out of the Room of Requirement without so much as a glance back at Dream. The metamorphmagus practically ran back to the Ravenclaw Common Room, wanting nothing more than to go to bed and forget today ever happened.
He mumbled the answer of the riddle to the portrait on the door and hurried in the moment the door swung open. He clambered up the stairs quickly, opening the door to his dorm to Tina and Wilbur sat on Wilbur's bed. The two Ravenclaws looked up when they heard George come in, bright smiles on their faces.
"Hey, how did your meeting with Quartz-" Wilbur began to say but he cut herself off abruptly when he saw George.
"What?" George hissed bitterly as he walked over to his bed, not bothering to change out of his robes.
"Your hair, George, it's - well it's, like, this dull purple - like mauve," Tina said quietly. George didn't respond and slid under the covers but let what Tina said roll around in his head. Mauve meant heartbroken.
.~*~.
The next few months before the Easter Holidays went by slowly. George's hair stayed mauve for the entire time, no matter how hard he tried to change it. His friends - once they had managed to coax George into actually telling them what had happened - had been extra careful never to mention Dream around him and kept him as far away from the blond and his friends.
They had spent almost two weeks trying to get George out of bed and to his lessons only for Dream to relentlessly try and talk to him for the first few days. After a few sharp glares from Karl and the threat of blowing up his wand from Tommy, however, Dream soon left them alone.
Then came Sapnap desperately trying to get George to talk to him and make up with Dream but the brunet's friends soon got them to back off too. Drista was yet to approach the metamorphmagus and he couldn't be more grateful for that, he was very content with sticking with his friends - not exactly wanting anyone else near him, let alone Dream's little sister - no matter how much affection he held for her.
Once the Easter holidays finally rolled around, George couldn't have been happier to go home. He had spent the entire train ride trying and failing to force his hair to its natural brown but he just couldn't, his emotions ran rampant, too fast and aggressive for him to even attempt to calm them.
So, naturally, when he got off the train and his parents saw his mauve hair, they questioned it. George managed to kind of convince them that he had gotten sick of having his natural colour and wanted to try something new but his Mum, being a Metamorphmagus herself, knew the truth. She didn't pry though, George couldn't have been more grateful for that.
The second they got home, George went straight up to his room and only really came down for meals, even then he only ate half the meal. He had lost quite a bit of weight over the past couple of months - his appetite seeming to have completely evaporated along with his happiness. His parents, picking up on this, often tried to encourage him into eating more. They even went out of their way to get George his favourite sweets that were only sold at Honeydukes but not even that was enough to break George out of his horrible mood.
God, he felt so fucking guilty about it.
He hated that they worried about him, he hated the way they pitied him, and he hated that he just wasn't happy, no matter how much he wanted to be.
All the time George spent in his room, he had sat in front of his mirror trying to force himself into feeling happy, or force his hair to change back to brown, just to stop his parents from worrying. But, despite how hard he tried, his hair remained mauve. He was still trying fruitlessly when his Dad called his name, asking him to come downstairs. George sighed deeply, pushing himself out of his chair and out of his room.
"Yeah, Dad?" George asked as he walked into the kitchen where his parents were busy cooking.
"The Quartz's are coming over in a few hours. I want you to be washed and dressed in time for their arrival," George's father said, smiling kindly at his son.
"Why? I'm just gonna be in my room the whole time," George huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well, we would like it if you ate lunch with us," George's mother said hopefully. The former brunet looked up from where he'd been staring at his feet and at their hopeful faces, he could see in their eyes that they really thought that maybe this would help him, seeing people that he knew when in reality they were the last people on Earth that would make him feel better. George sighed, dragging his hand through his matted hair before nodding his head.
"Okay," George said softly, they smiled thankfully at him as he turned to head up to his room.
George sat back down in front of his mirror and stared at his reflection. The eye-bags under his eyes were prominent, it was obvious he hadn't been sleeping well, and his skin looked paler than usual, all sunken and sickly. In his opinion he looked hideous.
Luckily, however, he had turned 17 in early November so he could cast a glamour charm to make himself look healthier and happier. He smiled slightly when he looked a little more like himself. After taking a shower and quickly drying his hair with a spell George dressed in a simple t-shirt and jogging bottoms, before brushing his hair back and out of his face, slicking it back so the colour wasn't as noticeable.
An hour or so later, George heard the floo activate downstairs and his mother called for him to come down. Exhaling shakily, George placed his comb down on his desk and checked over his appearance one more time before grabbing his wand off of his desk and leaving his room, He made his way down the stairs slowly, wanting to delay the inevitable as he gripped his wand tightly, clutching to it like a safety net.
Once he finally made his way downstairs, his Mum took his hand and pulled him into the front room where his Dad was talking to Mr. and Mrs. Quartz. George couldn't help but notice Dream watching him as he walked in but he actively ignored his gaze and walked straight over to his father and the Quartz parents.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Quartz," George greeted politely. The two adults smiled kindly at him and greeted him back.
"I must say, I'm loving the mauve, it really suits you, mini meta," Mrs. Quartz said, smiling brightly at George. Since George had been born and his metamorphmagus abilities had developed, he had been given a nickname from the Quartz's - mini meta, George kind of hated how fond he was of it.
"Thank you, Mrs. Quartz," George said, still trying to block out the feeling of Dream's eyes burrowing into the side of his head. The Ravenclaw subconsciously reached out to brush his hand through his slicked back hair.
"Oh please, darling, you've known me for 17 years! Call me Andrea," she exclaimed, placing a hand on his shoulder. He blushed slightly and looked up at her smiling face.
"And me, Joseph," Mr. Quartz interjected. George looked between the two hesitantly.
"Are you sure?" he asked apprehensively.
"We insist," they both assured him. George smiled a real smile, the first one he had done in months and nodded his head.
"Okay, well, thank you, Andrea." Mrs. Quartz smiled and patted George's shoulder as his mother announced that lunch was ready.
The group made their way into the dining room and took their seats. George's mother and father took their seats at the heads of the table, whilst George sat down in a seat to the right of his mum. Mr and Mrs. Quartz and Dream sat down beside each other, opposite George and Drista. George trained his eyes on the plate of food in front of him as his mother nudged him with her foot under the table. The metamorphmagus looked up at the woman, his eyes skimming over Dream, whose gaze was focused solely on him. George's mum gestured with her knife at his plate and the Ravenclaw nodded his head, picking up his cutlery.
George nudged the food around with his fork, now having to ignore both Dream's and his Mum's gaze. Sighing quietly, he skewered a green bean onto his fork, reluctantly putting it in his mouth. Then, stabbing a potato, he looked pointedly at his Mum before shoving it in his mouth, not breaking eye contact with her. She chuckled at him and reached out to ruffle his hair affectionately. George smiled back at her and looked away, accidentally making eye contact with Dream - the two held eye contact for a few seconds before George broke it, clearing his throat.
The Ravenclaw ate the rest of his meal in silence, not looking up from his plate and only occasionally answering a question that was directed towards him. Once he finished, he excused himself and went up to his room. As he walked up the stairs, George heard Dream excuse himself as well, following the boy up to his bedroom apprehensively. George closed the door to his room as soon as he entered, sitting down on the bed, but not even seconds later there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," George said quietly, the door opened and Dream stood there awkwardly. With a deep breath, George forced his eyes up and looked straight at Dream.
"Hi," Dream mumbled hesitantly. George refused to dignify him with a reply but didn't allow himself to look away from him.
"What do you want, Dream?" George sneered bitterly, crossing his arms. Dream took a deep breath and walked towards George, sitting on the bed beside him. The metamorphmagus turned to face the blond and raised an eyebrow at him, gesturing for him to get a move on.
"I'm sorry," Dream said, avoiding George's eyes.
"Okay. Congratulations," George said, scoffing frustratedly
"What, that's all you have to say?" Dream asked defensively, narrowing his eyes.
"What do you want me to say? You should be sorry, what you did was wrong and whilst I appreciate you telling me you're sorry, as I'm sure you don't say it very often, it doesn't solve anything. You want me to forgive you just like that? No, that's not how it works, Dream," George snapped, glaring at the boy beside him. The blond sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"You're right. What I did was wrong, I shouldn't have used our feelings for each other as a way to get a reaction out of you. It was a stupid, crappy thing to do and I have no excuse for it."
"What do you mean ' our feelings'?" George interrogated, eyes narrowed as his eyebrows furrowed together.
"What I said was true. I did have feelings for you, I still do, I just used them in the wrong way and didn't take them or you seriously," Dream said guiltily. George couldn't process all the thoughts running wild in his mind. So Dream did have feelings for him? Or he did but he doesn't anymore? God, it was all so confusing, all George wanted was for him to leave and let George burrow himself in his heartache.
"Okay. Well, thanks, I guess. I forgive you. Now, can you go?"
" No . I'm not leaving until you actually forgive me and your hair turns back to the usual brown that I know and love." George stared into Dream's eyes, seeing the warmth, the desperation and the honesty they held as the Slytherin reached out and took one of George's hands, interlocking their fingers. Looking down at their hands, George took a deep breath before glancing back up at Dream's face. He didn't know if he could let Dream back in that easily, he broke his trust - whether he meant to or not. But this was Dream, his beautiful, gorgeous, funny Dream, how could he not at least forgive?
"I forgive you, for real, I do. But it's not going to be that easy to fix what you did. You broke my trust, Dream, you broke my trust and my heart and that's not something so easily changed." Dream reached up and rested his hand in George's hair, softly tugging and ruffling it until it fell back into its usual fluffy, messy style and letting it fall in front of his face.
"There, now you look more like you," Dream said, brushing a longer strand of George's hair behind his ear. "I promise you - for real this time, I swear - that I will earn back your trust and your heart and I will never break either of them again. I swear on my life, love."
"God, Dream, I don't know. How can I believe you? You promised last time and look where we are now." Dream exhaled shakily and slid his hand down from George's hair to his face, cupping his jaw and tilting George's head to face him.
"Do you still like me? Do you still feel the same things you felt about me all those months ago?" George looked down at his lap and, with the hand that Dream wasn't holding, began to fiddle anxiously with the hem of Dream's shirt. When George didn't reply Dream called his name again, before whispering a quiet, "Do you?"
"Despite everything…yes. I do."
"Then let me prove myself to you. Let me win back your trust, your heart and I swear I'll never hurt you or tease you ever again." George looked up into Dream's eyes and smiled shyly, letting his head lean into the palm on his cheek.
"Okay," George whispered, watching as Dream lit up in delight. He smiled brightly and leaned forward kissing George on the cheek.
They both watched as the hair that dangled in front of George's eyes, turned brown again for the first time in months.