summary: youâve been best friends forever, and valentines hasnât meant much until now
a/n: GO FOLLOW @fromashescomephoenixes THIS IS YET ANOTHER COLLAB WITH HER!!!!! FOLLOW NOW AND CHECK OUT HER FICS!!!
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âIâm still not happy with you,â I said, and Cedric only laughed. âStop laughing!â I scowled, and he swung an arm around me.
âThe tournament is well and truly over, Y/n, and you never have to go in the Black Lake again.â He grinned at me, and I only scowled.
âYou couldâve gotten killed, or worse, lost the tournament!â As a member of Slytherin, winning is absolutely everything. Maybe Ced dying was a tad worse.
âBut I won.â His shit-eating grin said it all, and I whacked his shoulder.Â
âGet off of your high horse.â I shook my head, and he stood up. For some reason he had taken to sitting at the Slytherin table during meals, not that I was about to complain.Â
âLookâs like Sproutâs about to charge me, Iâll see you in potions?â He asked, and I nodded. Potions was definitely my favourite class, and it had nothing to do with a greasy haired git, but everything to do with the golden boy I sat next to.
âSee you then.â Not a second after he left Eleanor Flint clutched my shoulder.
âYouâre totally dating! When did he ask you out? Was it right after Chang dumped him, or did he wait a while? Waiting is totally more classy, but I can see Diggory not wanting to wait.â Eleanor babbled, and I stared at her.
âWe arenât dating, and nor does he want to.â I said, but as soon as the words left my mouth I knew I had made a mistake.
âBut you want to.â El screeched, and I quickly covered her mouth with my hand.
âNo! Cedric still likes Cho, Iâm certain of it.â I said, and El pushed away my hand.
âRumour has it she broke up with Diggory because you were in the lake and not her. If Diggory liked her more than you she would have been in the lake.â El was batshit crazy, I was positive.
âI was in the lake because Iâve been best friends with Ced since first year. Iâm not listening to this, El.â I stood up quickly, and before she could continue arguing with me I speed walked my way out of the Great Hall. Good thing too, since I realised that I had left my advanced potions textbook in my dorm.Â
The dungeons werenât too far from the Great Hall, and I made it there in what I would consider record-timing. My textbook was on my desk, and it wasnât until I was leaving did I see the note on my bed.Â
I gingerly picked up the note, all too aware of how the Weasley twins had it out for the Slytherin house, and froze.
Iâm like a crow on a wire, youâre the shining distraction that makes me fly.
I spun around the room, as if the writer of the notes would be standing in front of me, but the room was still, void of life aside Eleanorâs plant that was bordering death anyway.
I shook my head and stuffed the note in one of my robe pockets. I really didnât have time to contemplate shit like this. With my potions book in my bag, I turned and left the dorm, soon entering the common room and eventually the hallways of the dungeons. I didnât have to go far, since the potions room was only a couple corridors over. I slid into my seat seconds before Snape swept into the room, and I looked at Cedric who was already staring at me.
âWhat?â I whispered, and he looked at Snape before replying.
âWhere were you?â He asked, and I pulled out my quill, ink pot, and finally some parchment.
My dorm, why?
You left the hall in a rush. Whyâd you go to your dorm?
I forgot my potions book. Besides, El was killing me and I had to get out of there.
He nodded thoughtfully, and I decided to listen to Snape for once in my life. Anything to keep my mind occupied.
Later that afternoon, we were sat in the dark, stuffy tower for divination. The scent of lavender and peppermint was already overcoming my senses to cloud my mind and make me feel extremely sleepy. According to Trelawny peppermint was meant to sharpen seeing abilities, however Iâm not sure anything can sharpen the non-existent...
Luckily, this was another class with Cedric. Merlin knows why we chose to continue it after OWLs, but I suppose thatâs the Slytherin in me again: proving I can do it, and do it best.
Right as Iâm preparing to drift into my sleepy daze, Ced nudges me.Â
âTrelawny. Five oâclock,â he mouths, nodding his head in the direction of my left shoulder.
âHello dears!â She springs up, slightly like a jack in a box. I entertain the thought of telling her so, but she cuts me off as I open my mouth.
âHave you seen anything in your teacups yet?â She questions, staring at us in a way that is a touch too dramatic for my taste.Â
âErm, yes.â I respond, trying to save Cedricâs skin since he just saved mine. Grabbing his emerald green tea cup, I grasp the golden yellow handle, and twist it three times. Iâm not sure why... it just seemed right.
I glance at my book, but decide to wing it.Â
âI see a knight- or er. Perhaps a hero?â Trelawny nods, her eyelids fluttering as she rests them close and furrows her brow.Â
âNo, itâs a knight in shining armour.â I nod, settling on this seeing. Cedric glances up slightly at the word âshiningâ but shrugs it off quickly. He smirks at me,
âOh, and what does that symbolise y/n?â His eyes flash slightly with mischief.
âIt means you should keep your big mouth shut!â I glare at him, but canât help cracking into a smile after a moment in his laughing gaze.
âWell dears,â Trelawny chirps at us, grabbing for the cup. âIndeed! I see...â
She gasps as I lazily flick my wand to float the cup off of the ground. I still wish I had remembered this trick when we were working with crystal balls...
âOh Professor!â I groan miserably, despite the traces of thick sarcasm. âPlease donât say Iâm due to die,â I throw myself back in my chair while Cedric tries to hold in a snort.
âIâm afraid you are my dear, in a most unfortunate incident involving a revolving door and a popsicle...â
â
âCharms is the worst.â Cedric groaned from beside me, and I nodded. Charms was fucking boring is what it was.
âFlitwick said it was a practical today.â I remembered, and Cedric brightened up considerably.
âAbout connecting minds?â He asked, and I nodded.
âI think so, partners?â I answered and asked, but I already knew what Cedric was going to say.
âHowdy.â He tipped an imaginary hat at me, and I sniggered.
âAttention seventh years! Iâd like you all to get into pairs, and I will form the mind connecting spell. It will last for just one minute, and there may be minor discomfort as the minute comes to a close. Jordan and Berg, youâre first up.â Flitwick began the charm on the first Hufflepuff and Slytherin duo, and they laughed excitedly as the charm went into effect.
âDiggory and L/n, letâs get to it. Face one another and stare into each otherâs eyes.â Flitwick instructed, and Ced beamed at me as we stared at each other.
âNow hold each otherâs hands, please.â I felt myself growing sweaty at the thought, but Cedric took my hands with ease, and without breaking eye contact.
His grey eyes were more startling than ever, and I couldnât help but wonder what the hell the pretty boy was thinking.
âUt copulare,â Flitwick began murmuring until out of the corner of my eye I watched a flying wand hit the professor. âOh!â Flitwick let out a startled cry, and Cedric and I nodded simultaneously as we broke eye contact to stare at him.
âUh oh.â He tittered nervously, and I swallowed. The last time I heard a professor say uh oh was when Slughorn brewed a de-aging potion and it exploded on one of my classmates, rendering them to infancy for a good three weeks. Rumour had it she still used the pacifier from time to time.
âDo you feel okay?â Flitwick asked, and I nodded.
âI feel fine, Professor. In fact, Iâve never felt better.â This was a lie. I had woken up with a knot the size of a rats nest in my hair this morning, as well as having forgotten to do the potions homework last night. However, my teacher looked relieved, so I smiled at him.
âSame here.â Cedric added, and Flitwick sighed.
âJust in case the spell worked, I wonât be able to perform another one on you until at least a week from now.â Flitwick said, and with that he moved to another pair.
âWell Iâd say that went well.â Cedric said, and I snickered.
âAbout as well as your date with Cho.â I was talking about his final date with Cho, which ended in her pouring a milkshake on his head.Â
âYouâre going to be the death of me.â He pinched the bridge of his nose, and I stuck my tongue out.Â
â
âSalazar, whatâs the reasoning for all these decorations?â I asked as we left charms. Pink and red decorations hung from ceiling to floor, and it was then that I realised it was Valentines next week.
âEvery year the house elves go overboard. We should talk to them about it sometime.â Cedric wrinkled his nose, and I nodded. This was just too much.
âWhatâs going on over there?â I pointed to a circle that had formed, and it looked like two people were in the centre of it.
âOnly one way to find out.â Cedric said, and we slowly approached it. Adrian, a fellow Slytherin, nodded at me.
âWhatâs going on?â I asked him, and he gestured to the pair inside the circle.
âTheyâre trapped until they kiss, because a rose fell from the ceiling right in front of them. Itâs magically binding, so we could be here a while.â Adrian explained, and I tugged on Cedricâs arm.
âDid you hear that? Itâs like mistletoe, they canât leave til they kiss. It only happens when two people are in love.â I repeated, and Cedric nodded as we walked away from the circle.
âI barely survived the mistletoe.â Cedric said with a shiver, and I laughed as I remembered the girls that had chased Cedric down while waving mistletoe. It had been a sight for sore eyes.
âItâs okay, Ceddie. Time for lunch!â
â
âCould we maybe eat by the lake?â He asked, already having dodged three eager third years. The Great Hall was as busy as ever, and I noticed I myself was subject to several glares.
âI suppose.â I dramatically consented, grabbing two pumpkin pasties and some carrots with hummus from the nearest table. âLetâs go,â I led the charge.Â
A particularly determined looking Goyle stood directly in my path, stationed by a suspicious rose. I debated how best to get around, when I felt my feet lift off of the floor altogether.
âCedric!â I shouted as I was levitated a good ten feet across the hall towards the door. I could only hear Cedricâs laughter as he ran below me, and I ducked as I saw the doorway coming straight for my head.
âMr. Diggory!â McGonagall was heard shouting across the hall, however we were already halfway to the lake.
Dissolving in a fit of laughter, we sank onto the bank of the lake.Â
âAh, back where it all began.â Cedric grinned towards me. I could think of a great deal of memories surrounding this lake, but I wasnât entirely sure of any that had marked the beginning of something.
âWhat began?â I nudged him with my elbow and took a rather âunladylikeâ bite of my pumpkin pasty.
Cerdric shrugged, and responded by taking a large mouthful of his own. He then grinned with a pumpkin paste covering his teeth.
âUgh, youâre disgusting!â I threw a pebble at him gently. He simply transformed it into a golden finch. And so, another calm, sunny day was passed by the lake.
â˘â˘â˘â˘
After lunch, I took a quick trip to the dorms while Cedric was in quidditch practise. I needed to finish this potions essay, and only one person could save me.
âCome on, Y/n! Youâre so slow.â Pansy teased as she speed-walked to the dorm, and I only huffed.
âThese legs werenât made for walking!â I shouted as she entered the portrait, and the only response was the faint echo of her laughter.
By the time I stepped through the portrait, the common-room was empty aside a few stray kids from the years below. I walked through the short hallway to our dorm, and Pansy was staring directly at me as I came in, a note in her hand.Â
âIâm the first to admit that Iâm reckless, I get lost in your beauty and I canât see two feet in front of me.â Pansy read it aloud, and I froze.
âWhat the fuck is this?â She asked, and I shrugged.
âI donât know. I got another one yesterday, I kinda forgot about it.â I explained, and Pansy raised an eyebrow.
âThatâs sus, but whatever. Come on, letâs get to the library!â
â
âHoly Hippogriff!â I jumped as I felt a hard impact in my lower back.Â
âYou okay y/n?â Pansy frowned as I rubbed my back. I frowned back, puzzled by this unexplained pain.
âI think so? Something just hit me in the back,â I explained, glancing around for the remnants of a prank of some sort. None appeared. Pansy shrugged and returned to her potions work. I gathered my stuff, and debated where to head next.Â
It was the end of the day, and I had completed all of my homework. So I was blessed with some nice free time. In a last second decision I veered towards the Quidditch pitch to meet Cedric after his practice.Â
âHey y/n!â A sweet voice called out as I was about to duck out of the entrance hall.
âHello Holly!â I spun on my heel. Holly was always quite nice to me, even though most of the Gryffindors avoided me. âHow are you?âÂ
âSwell thanks,â she nodded. âJust wanted to say congrats to you and Diggory! You two are so cute together!â I blushed all the way up to my ears.
âNo I-â she was already speeding down the hall back towards the tower. I sighed and continued towards the pitch.
â˘â˘â˘â˘
âY/n!â Cedric waved across the field towards me. I noticed him limping slightly, but didnât think anything of it.Â
âHow was practice Ced?â I asked, and he only shrugged.
âManaged to take a bludger to the back, but it wasnât too bad.â He said as he approached me.Â
âDoesnât look good if youâre limping. Want to go to Pomfreyâs?â I gestured towards the various windowsills side by side that was the infirmary, and Cedric shook his head.
âIâm fine, Hooch said it would be worn off by tomorrow. Did you get all your homework done?â He asked, and I saw his face flinch.
âThatâs it. Weâre going to the infirmary. Give me your arm. Besides, my back has been aching since the library. Maybe I can get it checked out.â He held his arm out curiously, and I wrapped it around my shoulder so I could help him put less pressure on his leg.
âThanks, Y/n.â He said sheepishly, and I smiled at him.
âI got all my homework done, by the way. Pansy even helped me with the last part of the potions essay that we struggled to do, so Iâll explain it tonight or tomorrow.â I said, and Cedric nodded.
âSounds good, letâs go.âÂ
â
âFor some reason youâve both bruised the exact same area in your lower back. Do you two have anything youâd like to share with me?â Pomfrey stared at us, and Cedric laughed.
âIt's a complete coincidence!â He said, and I nodded, but I was mentally frowning.
Thereâs no such thing as coincidences.
â
âOne day youâre going to spill the boiling water all over yourself.â I said as I watched Cedric in a feeble attempt to pour the water from 15 inches above into his teacup.
âIâm not the quidditch captain for nothing-ow!â Cedric yelped at the same time I hissed, and I quickly inspected my wrist.
âSome of it just landed on me!â I glared at him, and he stared blankly back.
âIt landed on me, Y/n. Youâre across the table it couldnât have splashed you.â Cedric said slowly, and I realised my wrist was bone-dry.
âI swear to Godric I felt it hit me.â I said earnestly, and Cedric nodded.
âI donât doubt it. Shall we go back to Pomfrey?â Cedric asked, and I shook my head.
âItâs probably nothing. Lighten up, Ced, weâre fine. Weâve got the lovely class of charms next, followed by Sproutâs endless herbology lectures.â I nudged Cedric with my elbow, but he still seemed upset.
âHey, whatâs up?â I leaned closer and murmured, and he leant his head on mine.
âWhat if itâs not nothing? What if weâve been cursed somehow?â I wished I could erase the worry from his face.
âI highly doubt that. Hogwarts is one of the safest places ever, and if someone was going around cursing people we would definitely know about it.â I tried my best to reassure him, and he sighed.
âOkay, dipshit. I guess I trust you.â
âÂ
âOdds on you asking Sprout what the word sex means?â I asked, and Cedric laughed.
âTen.â I looked at him in surprise.Â
âYou sure? Thatâs pretty low.â He nodded.
âWhy wouldnât I be sure?â He asked, and I snickered.
âNo reason. Three, two, one!â
âEight!â We both shouted, and I screeched with laughter. Ced was done for.
âNo! Rematch!â He said desperately, and I tried to control my laughter.
âNope! Go ask!â I put my hand over my mouth in an attempt to control my laughter again, and Cedric reluctantly raised his hand.
âProfessor? I have a question.â Cedric called out, and Sprout turned around to face us.
âYes dear?â She smiled at him, and I nudged Cedricâs leg.
âWhatâs sex?â The entirety of the Hufflepuff-Slytherin class erupted into screams, and Sprout gasped.
âMr Diggory!â She exclaimed, and I genuinely thought I was going to piss myself.
âWell, as my head of house, I thought you would be the best teacher to ask.â He said, and I noticed his cheeks were bright red. He shot a glare at me before smiling innocently at Sprout.Â
âIf you stay after class I might be able to explain, however, we are currently in a herbology lesson!â She looked like she was about to cry, and I slapped Cedricâs arm as I laughed.
âYouâre insane!â I said, and the smile he gave me made my breath get caught in my throat.
-
The next day I ran into Cedric just before potions. He was about to trip right over his own two feet, when I caught his hand.Â
"Morning, clumsy!" I smirked slightly as he brushed off the imaginary dust he had acquired during his slip.Â
"Morning, y/n," he mumbled, lacking his regular enthusiasm. After chatting for a minute or two he started to back away slowly.Â
"Hey, I just have to run to the bathroom. I'll be back in time for class though!" He yelled over his shoulder now. He started to run down the stony corridor, however I realised after a moment that he was heading the wrong way.Â
"Wait! Ced, you're heading towards the common rooms!" I tried to yell after him, but figured he'd learn it in a moment anyway. It's not like he hadn't learned this before either. He came to the Slytherin common room almost as much as I went to the Hufflepuff one.Â
I followed his footsteps, figuring I would be able to talk to him on his way back. What I didn't expect was to see a single slip of parchment fluttering to the floor, and Cedric nowhere in sight.Â
I bent down quickly to pick it up, crinkling the hard corners with my anxious movements.Â
Iâm like a boat on the water, youâre the raise on the waves that calm my mind.
It was in the same, scrawling writing as the other notes I had received, and the paper was exactly the same to all of the other's I had received.Â
Was it Cedric? I flipped the paper over and looked at the blank back. He couldn't possibly love me. Could he?Â
I smiled at the message, remembering when we met up over break once. We had taken his fatherâs boat sailing, and had somehow managed to capsize on three different occasions. I heard footsteps coming down the corridor, and I shoved the message in my pocket.
"Hey!" Cedric called out as he came near.
âHi, Ced. Or should I say boat on the water?â I twirled the piece of paper around my fingers as he approached, and I watched as his face fell.
âThatâs not mine.â He said quickly, and I raised my eyebrows.
âHmm. If thatâs true, then I better go search for my secret admirer.â I grinned as he took the bait and grabbed my hand, tugging me closer to him.
âHow long have you known?â Ced asked, and I shrugged.
âI had my suspicions on Finch-Fletchley, but you proved me wrong with this note,â I laughed at Cedricâs reaction. âIâm joking of course, Ceddie. I had no idea who it was, but Iâm glad itâs you.â
âWait, really?â He seriously was the cutest. The way he was looking at me right now made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world; then again, I just might be.
âOf course I am. In case you hadnât noticed, Iâve been trying to drop hints for four years.â Cedric laughed at my confession, and I elbowed him.
âOi! I was only laughing because Iâve been dropping hints for five. I figured in our last year at school I may as well confess that Iâm in love with you.â My breath caught in my throat, and he raised his hand to my face only to brush a piece of hair out of my eyes.
âYouâre in love with me?â I asked, and he nodded.
âItâs practically impossible not to be. Now that you know itâs me, I was wondering if you wanted to be my valentine?â Cedric asked, and a rustling from above made us look up.
A red rose had just bloomed.
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It was valentine's day. Of course, just about everywhere was packed with starry eyed couples. We had opted to stay at Hogwarts, and have a sweet picnic together. Cedric had taken care of the setting, and I had found all of the food.Â
It wasn't a bad effort. In my opinion he went slightly overboard with the pink, but I did appreciate the various hints of green he had added with the plates and napkins. Plus, I had brought plenty of food from the kitchens (which Cedric had shown me in my fourth year)Â
We settled down on the edge of the lake, and I took a moment to appreciate the sunny day, and the time I could finally spend with Cedric not just as friends, but as a couple. I laid down, and gently rested my head of Cedric's lap.
"We should have done this a lot sooner," I joked, but I meant it as well. Knowing I could have been dating Cedric for months before now was a little bittersweet. I tried to remember that at least we were here now together.Â
I wasn't exactly sure if I believed in soulmates, but I knew that if I had a soulmate, it would be Cedric.Â
"Thank goodness you found the note I was going to hide the other day," Cedric smiled.
"That's true, you're no Gryffindor," I teased. "Thank goodness!" I stuck my tongue out in mock disgust.Â
And that's when things took a turn. I watched as Cho came up to us, with a nasty frown on her face. Her frown darkened our picnic almost instantly.
âFuck.â I breathed under my voice. What in Merlinâs name could she possibly want with me and Cedric? Obviously we were about to find out.
âCeddie, honey!â She sang sweetly as she came closer to us. Cedric shot me a look and quickly set a reassuring, soft kiss on my lips before getting up.
âCho. What are you doing here?â He asked, sounding incredibly confused. He rubbed his hand through his hair, anxious about her mission
âI came to rescue you!â She grinned innocently. As she reached for her hand I couldnât help myself.
âHey! Back off!â She shot me a burning glare, and sent a stinging spell at my wrist.
âShit,â Cedric and I spoke in unison as we both grabbed our wrists. I muttered a healing spell or two as I glared towards Cho.
âLook, Cho, go away. Okay?â Cedric tried to kindly shoo her away. âIâm perfectly happy with y/n!â I smiled softly, glad to here Cedric say that.
âItâs okay Ceddie! I realised exactly why it was her in that lake and not me!â Cho chirrped. She sounded quite proud of herself, and I was curious what on earth she had come up with.
âYeah, itâs because I love her!â Cedric explained. Cho let out a shrill laugh, and patted his arm.
âNo silly!â She smiled sweetly, as if explaining to a young child. âYou THINK you love her!â She shot another laser like look towards me.
âIâm pretty sure I know who I love Cho!â Cedricâs face began to harden as he realised this wasnât going to be easy to brush off.
âShe used a love potion on you!â Cho screeched, grabbing hold of Cedric.
âI said let go of him!â I got up off the blanket and walked over.
âSheâs best in our potions class, sheâs loved you since we were 13, and sheâs a fucking Slytherin!â Cho explained desperately! She had small, glistening tears in her eyes now. I almost felt pity for her, but I couldnât.
I walked over slowly, deciding exactly what I should say.
âBeing a Slytherin doesnât make me evil Cho, just like you being a Ravenclaw doesnât make you smart!â I frowned. I hated how much the stereotypes of our houses defined us. âPeople arenât able to be perfectly categorised between four groups!â Cho glared and jabbed her wand at me.
Before I realised what was happening, Cedric jumped between me and the flash of white light, but it couldn't stop the spell for some reason. I doubled over in excruciating pain that hit right around my belly button. It was as if my stomach had turned inside out and began to burn the surrounding flesh. I glanced over, and Cedric was in obvious pain as well.Â
I couldnât contain the whimper that escaped from my mouth, and Cedric met my eyes.
âHow the hell did you hit Y/n with that?â He spat out, while Cho only stared at us in shock and what looked like panic. After Cedric let out what sounded like a painful groan, Cho waved her wand and relief flooded me.
âTell me! How did you do it?â Now that he was able to stand up without pain, Cedric got incredibly close to her, towering over her.Â
âI-I donât know! You jumped in front, she must have been faking it!â I watched as Cedric lowered the manicured finger she had pointed at me, and whispered something in her ear. The effect in had on her was instantaneous; she slowly stepped away before turning tail and bolting away.
âWe need to go to Pomfrey.â Cedric spoke without looking at me, though when I clasped his hand he squeezed mine tightly.
-
âI donât know what to tell the pair of you. Have you been hit by an unknown spell in the past month or so?â Pomfrey looked tired, I noticed.
I wondered how often she slept.
âNot that I can think of.â Cedric said, and I nodded.Â
âUnless someoneâs hit us without us noticing, then no.â I added, and Pomfrey sighed.
âI donât know whatâs wrong with the two of you. Iâve only heard of cases like these, never seen one myself. I think thereâs only been four or five documented.â She explained, causing Ced and I to exchange glances.
âWell, what happened to those people?â I asked the obvious question, since my lovely boyfriend clearly wasnât going to. Pomfrey shifted slightly.
âOne person in each pair died before a full analysis and case study could be completed.â I almost laughed at the look on Cedricâs face until I realised that one of us was totally going to die soon.
âWell, my darling, it was lovely knowing you.â I patted him on the back, and he wrapped his arms around me, encasing me with love.
âWhat can we do?â Cedric asked, and Pomfrey shook her head.
âNot a whole lot. Try and remember if the pair of you have been struck by a spell in the past though.âÂ
-
It took fourteen seconds after we left the infirmary to Cedric to slap his forehead.
âI think weâre stupid.â He said, and I raised an eyebrow.
âSpeak for yourself. Personally, Iâm the smartest person I know.â He snickered, and I frowned. Where was the joke?
âFlitwick hit us with that spell, remember? And the spell was interrupted halfway through, which created a new spell entirely.â Cedric explained, and I sighed.
âI think weâre stupid too.â
-
We'd spent another lovely 10 years being stupid together. Sure we'd had our ups and downs, but we always knew that we were soulmates.
 Since we had found out about the spell, we've helped Flitwick research whatever charm had put us in the situation of feeling each others pain. It was actually quite strange when I was pregnant with our son, Cedric had noticed the contractions first.Â
 After spending a couple of years with Flitwick researching the spell, we'd moved to Scotland and gotten married. Life had been quite pleasant. We owned a small farm where we raised cows and hippogriffs alike. Our son was now 6 years old, and had already decided that he wanted to be in Slytherin 'Just like mummy!' Â
Currently we were sitting in our favorite wizarding restaurant. I gazed over towards Cedric's kind face as he helped our son go through the maze on the children's menu. I grinned over at my two lovely boys, and nudged Cedric with my foot under the table.
"Hm?" He looked up, and our son copied him. I smiled towards them both, and silently thanked Merlin that I had these two lovely boys in my life.
"What do you want to eat?" I held up the menu, and raised my eyebrows. Cedric and our son looked at each other and then looked back towards be in sync.Â
"PIZZA!" They said together. I giggled and they quickly joined in.Â
Just as we share pain, Cedric and I share the multitude of joys that have bloomed in our lives. And that made the joy all the better.
summary: reader is an exchange student that draws the attention of bill weasley just in time for valentines day
a/n: another collab with @fromashescomephoenixes yall already know the drill go follow her she is an incredible author as well as person!
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Lifting myself off of the stoney floor, I find myself in a comfortable office filled with trinkets. The circular walls are covered with serious looking portraits, their eyes lit by the glow of the warm fireplace I recently fell out of. As I rise and brush myself off, I find myself face to face with a phoenix.
I stare into it's eyes for a moment as they swirl in fiery embers of color, before I snap back to reality. It had been a long journey, and I would have an equally long day tomorrow given I was arriving mid term- on February 13th.
Turning towards the center of the room, I see a small group of people eagerly grinning towards me. I watched as the girl bobbed on the balls of her feet, and the boy stood, completely relaxed, with a welcoming stance.
âMs. y/l/n, welcome to Hogwarts!â Albus Dumbledoreâs voice greets me. I smiled, my nerves eased by the kind welcome that they had prepared.
âWe are most pleased to have you here,â Mcgonagal nods towards me. After properly greeting both of them, I turn my attention to the two people my age, waiting to greet me.
âOh my Godric! Iâm so happy to meet you,â The dark brown, curly haired girl greeted me with a soft hug. Her russet brown skin seemed to radiate warmth as she pulled me into a kind hug. âIâm Anya, and it sounds like youâre in my house. So youâll be seeing lots of me!â She smiled kindly and nodded towards the pale, freckled boy behind her, signalling for him to come up.
âGâday mate!â The boy said in an extremely poor Australian accent. His honey-gold eyes searched mine, hoping to see the laughing twinkle of his reflected in mind.
âOh good evening dear chap!â I responded without missing a beat in an equally awful English accent. The red haired boy laughed and I couldnât help but notice the deep brown flecked through his eyes. Almost like cinnamon.
âSo, do you play quidditch?â The boy demanded, grinning still. I was about to respond with an affirmative, but I was cut off.
âMr Weasley! Your name!â Mcgonagal snapped. I grinned, silently laughing at the situation.
âIâm Bill. Nice to meet you,â He held out his hand. Gently, I placed my small hand into his firm one, and shook.
âY/n,â I responded.
âIâll have to show you around sometime y/n.â Bill grinned.
âAnd Iâll have to show you to our dorm!â Anya exclaimed, taking your arm. âYouâre a Hufflepuff, right?â I nodded, remembering Professor Mcgonagalâs brief trip to Koolangka, the Australian wizarding school, to sort me. The strange hat was very different to the process at Koolangka, but seemed to work nonetheless.
âRight-o,â I grinned, enjoying the way my words stood out slightly. We hurried through the castle as Anya explained the basics of what I needed to know to me. By the time we reached the basement, I was nearly asleep on my feet.
The soft golden bedding seemed all together much to inviting, and I slept as soon as my head hit the pillow.
â˘â˘â˘
I woke up to four girls standing over me, and I yelped in surprise, causing them to step back slightly.
âYouâre y/n, right? Iâm Amelia Abbott,â A brown haired girl began talking, and proceeded to point at the rest of the Hufflepuffâs. âThatâs Ella Finch-Fletchey, thatâs Caroline Jordan, and this is Teresa Berg.â She finished, and I waved at the girls in turn.
âNice to meet you all!â I said as I hopped out of bed, and Teresa instantly took my arm.
âAnya told us you and Bill Weasley hit it off. He hardly ever speaks to girls, but thatâs because weâre always drooling over him.â She said, and her blonde locks swung as she spoke.
âHeâs nice, I guess.â I said, albeit uncertainly, and the rest of the Hufflepuffâs giggled.
âWe canât wait for you to date!â Ella chattered, and Caroline shook her head.
âYouâre scaring her, the poor thing. Weâll let you get changed and meet you down at the common room, you must be starving!â The four girls were off in a whirl as Caroline herded them out, and I shot her a grateful smile.
As the room stilled, I took a deep breath. I was really here, at Hogwarts, in the badgerâs sett, the place I finally belonged.
I took my time putting on my Hufflepuff robes, the cheery yellow making me smile. With that smile came the thought of Bill Weasleyâs blue eyes, and the odd feeling I had had around him.
âY/n!â A voice that sounded like Ella called from the common room, and I did a final stroke of the hairbrush through my hair.
âComing!â I called, and I set the hairbrush down as I looked in the mirror.
I was ready.
The group of girls led me down the hallway, occasionally pausing their giggling and teasing of each other to point out important land marks:
âAnd thatâs where Ella snogged Simon Brown!â Teresa grinned as she pointed towards a particularly large statue of a goblin. Ella slugged Teresa's arm in a friendly manner, and Teresa stuck her tongue out before we continued to move on.
âOh my! Thatâs where those third years got in a fight about quidditch last week,â Caroline nudged me, although I doubted whether or not this information would come in useful later.
Finally we reached the great hall, and made our ways to the hufflepuff table. I eagerly searched for some vegimite on toast, or a Ned Kelly pie. But I was sadly disappointed as my friends explained neither of those things exist in England. Instead, Ella plonked a bowl of oatmeal onto my plate.
âDig in,â she winked. I sighed, resigning myself to the warm slop on my plate. It could be worse I reckon: she could have given me scrambled eggs.
Iâm shaken from my silent contemplation of the evils of scrambled eggs by none other than Bill Weasley himself.
âTop of the morninââ Bill greets in an exaggerated English accent this time.
âMerlin, am I ever going to here your real accent?â I try to look annoyed before slipping into a smile.
âAy. That depends,â he attempts a Scottish accent this time. I suppose itâs a running joke at this point.
âOn what?â I raise an eyebrow, while reaching for my juice. Upon doing so, I realise all five of my new friends are eagerly drinking up this juicy interaction.
âI was hoping to show you around,â he begins looking slightly nervous. I notice he has begun to twist his wand between his strong fingers. I nod reassuringly and he continues.
âBut Iâm busy with head boy duties and all, so we might have to break curfew...â I nearly leap at the adventure, but pause contemplating. Would it really be a good idea to risk being caught breaking rules already?
âIt would be an adventure,â he suggests, smiling while his eyes toil with excitement.
âWell, youâll have to make it worth my time...â I smirk slightly. He grabs my hand and shakes it eagerly.
âJust you wait y/n!â
â˘â˘â˘
I go through the rest of the day eagerly curious for what Bill has in store for my grand tour of Hogwarts.
Although, I canât tell who is more excited for it: me or the five girls who have discussed the breakfast occurrence at least seven times by now.
âCome on, Y/n! At least promise us youâll snog his tonsils out!â Ella begged, and I whipped my head round to stare at her. We were currently lounging in the common room, with Amelia checking the time every five minutes.
âHeâs showing me around the castle, not planning to pull me into an abandoned classroom!â I squealed, and the girls squealed alongside me, eager at the thought.
"Well he'll have to pull you into an abandoned classroom if he's going to give you a full tour!" Teresa laughed, teasing me.
Luckily, we were finally in our last class of the day. Which we happened to have with the Gryffindors.
âPlease partner up!â Professor Mcgonagal announces. âWe shall be practically applying our skills at transfiguring human features.â She pauses to allow the buzzing students to partner up. I turn around to see Teresa and Caroline looking apologetically towards me. I face the other way and find Ella and Anya in the same situation.
âMaybe we could have a group of three?â Caroline offers, sounding thoroughly unconvinced of Mcgonagalâs enthusiasm for the idea.
âNo need!â Bill grins as he swaggers our way, and leans against my desk. âPartners?â I grin as a slight blush creeps up my neck. Biting my lip I nod and let him brush my hand to guide me across the room.
âPlease only transfigure your partner with human features!â Mcgonagal reminds us, and I shiver slightly as I remember the time my brother was transfigured into a part-human part- platypus form last year.
âSo, are you much good at transfiguration?â Bill asks conversationally. I take a moment to answer, concentrating on the transfiguration Iâll be attempting.
I decide to give him a beard, perhaps slightly inspired by Dumbledoreâs. I flicked my wand in a short line, and smirked as a fiery red beard grew. Unfortunately, I made it slightly shorter than anticipated and...
Fuck. He looked hot with a beard. He raised an eyebrow. âSo Iâll take that as a yes?â I giggled.
âSure,â I admitted. We spent the rest of class firing spells back and forth until I had abnormally long pink hair, with large sapphire eyes. Bill was sporting equally vivid green locks with some slightly scary purple eyes. And a beard of the previously desired length.
Our laughter echoed through the hallway on our way to the great hall. Just before walking into the hall, Bill threw his arm around me as he laughed particularly hard.
The moment was broken as he glanced at his watch, and frowned.
âIâll pick you up tonight. Some time close to midnight,â he shouted as he walked away. I watched as he walked in a relaxed manner down the halls. Although, I raised my eyebrow as I watched him take a small sip of a strangely sparkling substance.
We were still sat in the common room at 12 oâclock, and there had been no sign of Bill Weasley.
âMaybe he forgot?â Caroline murmured, and Teresa bit her lip as she shook her head slightly.
âWe ought to be off to bed, Iâm sure thereâs a reasonable explanation. Filch might have caught him!â She said, and everyone nodded.
âCome on, bed time!â Ella began herding everyone off to bed, and I numbly followed. Â I wasnât quite sure what to think after Billâs no-show, but there wasnât anything I could do about it now.
Tap, tap
I woke up out of my light sleep with a start. My owl, Goldie, usually only delivered in the mornings. I took a moment to rub my eyes and nearly tumbled out of bed as I saw that it wasn't in fact my owl, but rather a certain Bill Weasley. Throwing open the window, I tried to keep my voice down so I wouldn't wake anyone else.
"Bill? Why and how are you hovering outside my dorm window?" I asked, sleep thick in my voice.
"I'm here for your tour, pretty girl.â I blushed as he called me pretty, knowing I was anything but with my messy hair and bright pink pajamas. "You might want a jacket though," he frowned, gesturing to the frigid, snowy air.
I quickly pulled on my favorite denim jacket, and some leggings. Then, I went back to the window.
"A broom?" I took in the sight of his fairly muscular form on the broom, and noticed a golden, knowing sparkle in his eyes. As if whatever happened, he was one step ahead of me.
"You seem like the type to play quidditch," he shrugged. I grinned, rejoicing at the chance to get back on a broom after all this time.
"You were right," I slid out of the window into the slightly snow covered roof. Wrapping my arms around Bill's waist I let his warmth bleed into my freezing skin. Somehow this felt so right.
"You're warm," I mumbled. I only realised after I spoke how awkward this sounded, but Bill simply smiled and cast a warming charm over me.
"Bet you didn't have much use for those in Australia?" If only he knew how windy my city had been. Although he was right, I never learned a proper warming charm at school.
âNot so much. We spent hours on cooling charms though.â Just like that, I replaced Billâs warming charm with a cooling one, and he yelped in surprise.
âY/n!â He shouted into the nightâs air, and I laughed as I clutched his waist tighter. It was gone as soon as I cast it, and Billâs warming charm once again encased us.
âSo Iâve been thinking, Y/n. Whyâd you come to Hogwarts at the end of January? School term starts in September, you know?â He asked, and I peered down to see that we were circling the quidditch pitch.
âWell my old school, Koolangka, has school from the end of January to mid-December, and every ten weeks we got to go home for two. Every Australian schoolâs like that, probably because weâre superior.â I said, and Bill turned his head over his shoulder to grin before facing the front of the broom again.
âSay, did you have the sorting hat in Australia?â He asked, and I shook my head before realising he couldnât quite see me.
âNot exactly. Australia still has the four houses, but instead theyâre focussed on air, fire, water and earth. Caeli is Latin for air, ignis for fire, aqua for water, and terra for earth. We have a boomerang that assists in sorting us, and we just have to throw it as fair as we can. Whatever colour it returns covered in is our house.â I explained, and it wasnât until I finished that I realised how boring it sounded.
âThat sounds awesome! Iâve always wanted to go to Australia, but my mum is obsessed with Egypt, so I doubt Iâll get to go.â Bill sounded a bit sad, so I took a leap of faith.
âItâs awesome, Bill! I can show you all the secret spots, and we can visit Numisma, the Australian wizard school.â I said nervously, but I shouldnât have worried.
âIâd really like that. I might land here on the pitch.â Bill soared down, and I laughed excitedly as we reached the grass.
My feet crunched into the frosty ground, and I spread my arms out as I breathed in the chilly air.
"Imagine playing here," I closed my eyes and pictured the stadium seats full of young witches and wizards, and the sky filled with brooms. Bill saw me and added in background  cheering. I laughed and turned towards him. He grinned, seeing my smile.
"Is this used for anything other than quidditch?" I asked, thinking that this huge space couldn't possibly be used only for quidditch.
"The only other thing held here is the 7th year ball," Bill explained. Instantly my vision of the stadium filled with quidditch fans shifted to a beautifully lit dance floor, filled with laughter and lovely dress robes.
"A ball!" I exclaimed enthusiastically. "Is it very formal?" I felt concerned, realizing I had no idea how to waltz, or swing, or foxtrot or anything...
"No, no. It's not really anything to worry about." He saw my distress, but then his face lit up. "Although I could teach you a few moves," He offered as he extended his hand. I placed my hand gently in his, and let him pull me towards him.
Lumos Maxima Bill whispered, and then whispered another soft spell to play a quiet waltz throughout the stadium.
Slowly and gracefully I let Bill lead me through the steps. Gradually we sped up, and I stopped stepping on his feet so much. His light charm faded, and soon our faces were only illuminated by the stars as we spun and stepped across the cool grass.
Eventually the music came to an end, but I stayed in my dancing position still.
"You're very beautiful," He blushed, glancing away and sticking his hands into his jean pockets. I smiled, although I'm sure I blushed slightly as well. "I er- I just mean..." he stammered a bit.
"The Bill Weasley? Nervous about talking to me?" I teased, and he blushed even redder.
"Well, you see it is Valentine's day," he smiled slightly, and I blushed a little. "And I just thought you might, maybe-" He took a deep breath and collected himself. "Perhaps you would want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" I beamed at him. Despite only knowing Bill for a day or two, I could tell that he was the kind of guy I wanted to know better.
"Of course!" I smiled, and hugged him. His arms wrapped around me, and I breathed in the slightly salty sea air smell about him. "Just one question," I looked up, and he gazed with concern towards me.
"Where's Hogsmeade?" We laughed, and he closed the slight gap to kiss me lightly.
iâll lose my mind at least another thousand times (fred weasley x reader drabble)
a/n: ms girl idk what this is
-
âEyes blue or brown canât remember, lot of time has passed since the third of December,â It was actually the fifth of May, but I didnât have the talent or mental capacity to change the lyrics now. Not when I was sat in front of the Black Lake, the creatures being the only ones who ever seem to listen to me.
âEyes green or grey canât remember, but I bet you know the colour of Heatherâs.â It had been over a year now, and a choked sob escaped my throat as I realised I could no longer remember Fredâs eye colour. Maybe if I had kept in contact with George, but it was just too painful.
The bark from the tree had begun digging into my back quite some time ago, and I only just began noticing it. I sighed quietly, and the mermaids waved back as I signalled I would be heading back into the castle.
Despite the year having passed, as I began my incline to the castle I couldnât stop myself from hearing the sounds of battle.
The screams of students, children, being forced to fight in a war, some against their parents, had been too much for me then, and it was too much for me now.
I looked down as I walked, my eyes straying to the stupid promise ring on my left hand. Stupid, empty promises.
The courtyard, after all this time, reeked with the scent of death. I couldnât look anywhere without seeing the bodies of my classmates, my friends and my families in the position they died.
âStay safe, darling.â Fred had kissed my forehead with a grin, and I had only smiled back.
âIâm just too skilled for an old death eater to kill me. You stay safe too, pretty boy.â We had shared one last chaste kiss on the lips before charging headfirst into the battle.
The wall had been rebuilt. I wanted to smash it into smithereens, as many pieces as Voldemort had broken into, but I couldnât. The wall wouldnât bring him back.
the familiar scent of peppermint (theo nott x reader)
A/N: THIS IS A COLLAB WITH @fromashescomephoenixes GO CHECK HER OUT! SHES TOTALLY AWESOME!
âMorning, sister dearest.â Draco smiled at me as I sat next to him, my seat in the Great Hall vacant.
âI donât want to hear it. Whereâs Theo?â I paused. âAnd Blaise?â I held my breath for a long moment as Draco regarded me, and I held his gaze.
âTheyâll be here shortly. Blaise had a wardrobe malfunction.â Draco said, his lips stretching into a small smile. I sniggered, and turned around when I felt a whack on my shoulder.
âThatâs not a very nice greeting, is it now Blaise?â I mocked, and I smiled when I saw Theo standing behind him.
âHey Y/n. Sleep well?â He asked as he slid into the seat across from me, and I almost melted into a puddle. I felt my brothers ever present gaze on me, and I nodded.
âSomething like that. Got any plans for Christmas break?â I wondered, and he shrugged.
âOwls are coming.â Theo said, and I looked up to see the flock of owls swooping down.
âThereâs Chewy and Joopie.â I saw myself and Dracoâs owls before he did, and Chewy sat himself in front of me.
âHey, pretty boy.â I cooed as I took the letter from his beak, and I offered him a blueberry as a reward. He stared at me, and I reluctantly offered two that he snatched up.
âWhatâs yours say?â Draco was already trying to peer at my letter before opening his, and I rolled my eyes.
âLet me read it myself, will ya?â I sighed loudly as I undid the seal, and I began reading.
To Y/n Malfoy,
Morning darling! Last week we found out that Milly Bulstrode got engaged, do you remember that? You used to play with her when you were in diapers! Well, it has set your father off. Most people are already betrothed by the time their your age, and with a war coming your father has decided itâs time to find suitors for yourself and your brother. Yours will be a Christmas wedding, Iâve already started planning it. If you have any preferences for men and for the wedding, do let me know so I can discuss it with your father.
Sincerely,
Narcissa Malfoy, neĂŠ Black.
I froze, and I felt Draco freeze beside me as we read the letter at the exact same time.
âWeâre fucked.â I said, and I hated how wobbly my voice sounded. I was a Malfoy, and it wasnât appropriate in the slightest.
âWhat?â Blaise asked, but I saw Theo nudge him. I risked a glance at Draco, and we were deers in a headlight.
âFatherâs begun meeting suitors for Y/n, sheâs to be married on Christmas Day. My wedding will be sometime after that.â Draco muttered, and I stared helplessly at my plate.
âWhat can we do?â Theo asked, and my heart ached even more than it ordinarily did.
âUnless one of you want to marry her, nothing.â
Blaise choked on his coffee and began to laugh. I glared at him while mentally searching for a suitable response. Unfortunately I was distracted by the adorable blush that had settled on Theoâs face. He rubbed the back of his neck shyly and laughed slightly- to me it sounded forced but Iâm sure it was simply my imagination running wild again.
â
Luckily I had a free period after breakfast, which I spent in my room crafting a response to my mother dearest. It was turning into a harder task than I anticipated to say the least.
Dearest Mother.
I do in fact remember dear Milly! She was the brat that stole myâ
No, too bitter. I sighed. How could I pretend to like her when all I had were unpleasant memories of us as five year olds? I began again, focusing on another point of my motherâs letter.
Hello mother,
I certainly was pleased to here from you! About the wedding: could we have Santa Claus there?
This wouldnât do at all. I knew it was no use to argue, especially since it was only a little over two weeks before the dreaded day. Perhaps if I phrased it correctly I could by myself a little more choice in the matter. I began a fresh piece of parchment  and crafted a final letter.
Dearest Mother,
I must say I was surprised by this unexpected announcement! In fact it is shocking that nothing has been arranged previously... A Christmas wedding will be lovely, especially if we can use lots of Slytherin green in the decor. In the theme of Christmas, I had an idea: what if I had twelve days (starting tomorrow) to find a fiancĂŠ? Otherwise, of course, the choice will be left to you and father. Please do let me know!
Love,
Y/n
I rewrote the letter twice to ensure it used an acceptable amount of prim phrasing in order to please her. Unfortunately, I was so wrapped up in my work that I didnât even hear my brother invite himself into my dorm.
âAlways the perfect daughter, arenât we?â He teased with a hint of bitterness in his tone.
âPlease. As if you wouldnât say anything to gain even the smallest amount of control over this.â
âOh believe me, I have,â Draco grinned before leaving. I rolled my eyes. Of course he would have an easier time with his dashing good looks and many love interests.
ââ
I counted through the list again. I had managed to find four suitable suitors that might be bearable for both me and my family. Unfortunately only one of those truly stood out.
Theodore Nott.
ââ
Lunch was quiet that day. Mother had given me the go-ahead, but no doubt she was already cooking up suitors. Draco and I were obviously a bit quiet, which left a lot of conversation space for Blaise to fill without much help from Theo. I eventually huffed so much Blaise was forced to stop mid-conversation about his mothers eighth husband. Something like that.
âWhat do you want, baby Malfoy?â He laughed at the face I made, and I shook my head.
âYouâre going to have to marry me, Blaise. Mother has given me twelve days to find a husband, and youâll do.â I said, and Blaise spat his mouthful of pumpkin juice all over me.
âYou little bitch!â I cried as I stood up in shock, and Blaise, for his part, seemed shocked.
âIâll do? Iâll have you know that I intend on being the best husband ever to exist, you maniac. Besides, Iâve been betrothed to Alexandra Abbott since before I was born, thanks to my ever-present father.â I winced. I hadnât known that, and neither had Theo by the look on his face.
âDo you want to talk about it?â I asked, and Blaise shook his head.
âI already know that Mum will kill her after the wedding, letâs not beat around the bush. Did you want to meet that same fate?â He fired back, and I shook my head.
âDeath seems sort of appetising right about now, but Iâve got to go interrogate my other options.â I explained, and Blaise followed Theo in squinting at me.
âWhen you planning on interviewing me?â Theo asked quietly, looking at me the way he does. He was so pretty it hurt.
âBest til last, darling. Best til last.â I replied, my heart fucking hammering in my chest. I wanted to curl into a ball and cry, but no one could see me like that aside my brother. Draco stood up suddenly.
âWe have a free period. Anyone joining me in the library?â He asked, and we all stood up.
âWouldnât miss it for the world.â Blaise said, and off we went.
â
âGive me that, you tosser!â I watched as Blaise snatched his potions essay back from Draco, and I rolled my eyes. Blaise knew even less about potions than I did, and that was saying something.
âNeed help?â Theo murmured from beside me, and I turned to smile at him.
âThank you, Theo, but-â He waved his hand in my face, and settled his finger on my lips, silencing me. Now that they were right in front of me, I noticed the rings he adorned on his fingers. I recognised two of the four as being Nott family heirlooms, but that was about it.
âMalfoyâs donât need help,â Theo mimicked something I had definitely said in the past, and I laughed.
âYouâre annoying. Cute, but annoying.â I picked up my quill quickly, fucking terrified as to why I just said that.
There was a long pause.
âIâll have you know Iâm not annoying at all, just cool.â He said, and I grinned back at him.
âWhy have you started writing about asphodel roots? Weâre doing pearl dust this week, and following up with amortentia next week.â Theo explained, and I frowned. Potions sucked.
âWhen did we asphodel roots?â I asked warily, and Theo bit his lip. His pink, soft looking lips.
âFirst year?â I stared at him blankly.
âCome on, letâs sort out this essay.â He said kindly, and he pulled my chair closer to him. I hid my blushing cheeks behind my hair, and nodded.
âSo... Pearl dust-â I begin, but trail off. Iâve realised I know absolutely nothing on the topic. âIs used in Amortentia,â Theo nodded, amused at how I was struggling.
âHey! You said youâd help! Stop laughing,â
I faked a pout and turned away from him. Thank Salazar I did because he gently brushed my arm and turned me back around.
âAlright! Alright,â He threw his hands up before pulling his chair even closer to mine. I decided to glare at my parchment rather than acknowledge his strong gaze on the gradually redder side of my face. I bit back a smile, and thankfully he broke the silence.
âWell, for starters,â He briefly touched my hand. Was that on purpose? Quick, focus. âThey symbolise loyalty,â He explained. âTherefore they play a strong role in creating the obsession part of the potion,â he continued. I frowned though, as it didnât quite make sense.
âBut people in real love are loyal,â I looked up at him, but he seemed to be staring into space.
âThey should be,â he replied darkly. He brushed my hand one last time before rapidly exiting the library. I was torn whether I should follow or leave him be. He always had been a bit more of a loner. But then again, most slytherins are...
I walked back to the dungeons on my own. Since Theo ran off, I had to piece together the two facts I knew into about seven inches of parchment. Thank Salazar that I had big handwriting, although Iâm sure the teachers wouldnât see that as a positive.
âY/n!â I heard footsteps chasing after me. Then a tall shadow.
âTheo,â I greeted him with a nod. I kept walking, as I knew I would soon fall behind his quick strides.
âSorry I ran off,â He whispered a bit. I noticed he was rubbing the back of his neck again.
âItâs okay,â I nodded, deciding not to push the topic right now. We walked in silence a little farther until I tried to start a new conversation.
âSo, what does your amortentia smell like?â I asked brightly. I knew Iâd have to invent something if he asked me, but my curiosity got the better of me.
âOh, er-â he mumbled about squid for a moment before quickly excusing himself to go to the great hall. So, I continued towards the common room myself.
âDearest Sister!â Draco cried dramatically from his favorite green armchair. He always sat there, and most of the first years knew better by now than to test that fact.
âYes?â I groaned, not feeling up to being nice today.
âYikes who stepped on your snake tail?â He asked in a cold but slightly teasing tone.
âSorry Draco, Iâve had a long day.â I sighed.
âYeah a long day flirting with one of my best mates!â
âOne of your best mates? Iâll have you know that Mother introduced me to Theo first!â I retorted, and slowly froze as I met Dracoâs smirk.
âSo Iâm right, then? You fancy the pants off of him!â Draco was always quick to draw conclusions, Iâll give him that.
âIt doesnât matter, anyway, considering Iâm marrying the man of motherâs choice.â I said glumly, and Draco waved his hand.
âShe gave you like a week and a half did she not?â He asked, and I nodded.
âSo? I-Iâm not like you, Draco. I donât have people falling at my feet, and I know Iâm going to have to marry whoever she chooses.â I hadnât admitted my embarrassing insecurities to my brother yet, and I was met with silence.
âLiterally shut up. Do you remember in third year when you started getting those letters? The ones that talked about how pretty you are, and the boys that all wanted to ask you out?â I did remember, and I remembered the embarrassment of when they stopped, proving it was all a joke.
âI tracked down every single one of those boys, and I made sure they knew they didnât deserve you. Donât fucking doubt who you are or your worth.â He stood up aruptedly, and walked right out of the common room.
I sat in the common room for a long time, the Black Lakeâs creatures my only company. It wasnât until I heard one of my favourite drawls talking to the Bloody Baron.
âWhat do you think youâre doing?â Blaise asked as he stared at me, and I stared back.
âWhat?â Blaise scoffed.
âYou need to fucking talk to your mother, or at least someone you can marry. We have ten days left of school, and youâre wasting them all moping about.â
âI am not!â I cried. âI have a list,â The second I said that I regretted it. Blaise shook his head.
âA list?â He rubbed his eyebrow for a moment, as if he was the expert of instantly finding a suitor that was also acceptable to your parents. I allowed the silence to stretch out while he took a seat sprawling gracefully upon the green velvet couch.
âWell,â He began impatiently, âletâs see it then!â I blushed, especially since it was so small. I held a silent debate over whether I really wanted Blaise to see it or not. He made the choice for me by summoning it from my dorm.
âOh Merlin,â I slumped further into my cushy armchair.
âGraham Montague?â Blaise knitted his eyebrows together. âHeâs already betrothed,â
âSo are you,â I sighed. Blaise laughed a cold laugh.
âSorry darling,â He threw a wink my way.
âWow, my mother really was late to the party huh?â I joined in with my own dry laugh for a moment.
âYou would go mad if you married Crabbe or Goyle,â He shook his head.
âDidnât even write them down,â
âThat leaves Miles Bletchley or Theo,â
âSo do you think I should pick a target out of those two?â Blaise nodded as I said this. Of course I should. And of course it should be Theo. If I had retained my right to pick my own fiancĂŠ in my own time it probably would have been him anyway.
âIt should be Theo,â I admitted.
âMerlin, It only took an arranged marriage to get you to say that.â Blaise smirked at me.
âWhat do you mean?!â
âAnyways, you have ten days to get him to agree to marry you.â
âSo?â
âSo what?â
âSo whatâs the plan?â Honestly Blaise couldnât really expect me to know how to charm Theo after the various train wrecks of today...
ââ
The piles of papers around were parchments I never thought I would have read anytime soon. Instead of trying to revive my potions grade I was attempting to decide what kind of bouquet I would like for my wedding.
âI think the roses suit you.â Pansy said, and I stared at her.
âEverything suits me.â Pansy snorted, and I glared.
âWhatever helps you sleep at night. Anyway, roses also suit Theo, so you donât have to stress about the bouquet anymore. Cissy said she can arrange to have green flowers, since the theme is going to be white and Slytherin green. Salazar, I wish I were getting married!â Pansy sighed quite dramatically in my opinion, and flopped onto her bed.
âIt might not be to Theo, stop getting my hopes up.â I said glumly, and Pansy sighed again.
âGo talk to him, Iâm sick of you complaining.â As if to prove a point, she then turned and faced the opposite way. I stood up, rolling my eyes at her back.
âWhatever.â I huffed as I walked out, and I scoffed when I saw the finger Pansy had blindly shoved in my direction.
As I walked down to the common room, I saw a familiar mop of brown curls and couldnât stop myself from smiling. Theodore Nott really was something.
âHey.â I slid onto the love seat beside him, and he looked up from the book he was reading.
âY/n. How are you? Potions treating you better?â The smirk on his face made my failing potions grade absolutely worth it.
âSomething like that. Have you decided on your Christmas plans yet?â I asked, and Theo shrugged.
âAttend your wedding, I assume.â I swallowed. Six days left until my timer was up and Mother had free reign.
âWe should just ditch it.â I suggested, and he laughed.
âNot much of a wedding without you, is it?â He had a point, but I wasnât in the mood for it.
âIf you had to get married right now who would you choose?â I asked, and Theo stared at me.
âI donât know. Probably Draco, I heard his hair is insured for millions.â I snorted at the unexpected joke, and Theo grinned at me.
âAlmost a billion, Iâll have you know.â I added, and Theo nodded.
âI can tell. Anyway, why do you ask? Are you getting married to a girl?â I was happy to see Theo wasnât being a dick, and he was just curious.
âNo, Iâm just wondering whoâd you pick. Pansy, right?â I knew damn well Theo didnât like Pansy, but I enjoyed stirring the pot a little too much.
âShut up, Y/n. Youâll make me sick right here! Honestly, I would probably just run away and return when I feel Iâm ready.â
âYouâre a wise guy, Theo.â I said, and when I saw his dimples I almost collapsed on the couch.
â
The weekend had proved to be a waste of time, and I had hardly talked to Theo, too busy drowning in school assignments while trying to plan my wedding. It was a double potions on Monday, and I fucking hated potions.
âWhat are we learning today?â I whispered to Pansy as I slid into my seat beside her.
âAmortentia.â She replied, and I nodded. That explained why the smell of Theoâs peppermint shampoo drenched the place.
âMs. Y/l/n,â Snape addressed me. âWould you care to explain how you managed to fail our previous essay so dismally,â I mentally facepalmed before attempting to respond.
âI- Iâm sorry professor,â According to Snapeâs face this was not a suitable response. I tried again: âIâve been a bit preoccupied this week,â
âAnd what might have been distracting you enough that you earned a dreadful? Mind you, it was only a few marks off a troll,â His words would have stung less of they werenât spoken in such a cold, slow voice.
I decided to mumble a jumbled response, given Snape wasnât the most sympathetic listener.
âVery well,â Snape nodded slightly. âIn hopes that your grade will improve, you best sit with Theo and have him help you,â I felt like jumping up and down, and throwing up in the exact same moment. Slowly, I moved over to Theoâs desk while trying to review the conversation starters I had come up with.
Really, I shouldnât be worrying because Iâve known him my whole life basically. But this was different. I wanted to fucking marry him, not play a game of cards!
âSorry,â I grimaced while sliding onto the bench.
âDonât be,â Theo smiled gently. Holy shit, this love potion wouldnât make me feel any different to how I already felt about him. âUnless youâre apologising for avoiding me all weekend,â He said seriously.
âWell I am sorry about that,â I bit my lip self consciously. He nodded as he spooned out a few teaspoons of pearl dust into the swirly potion.
âI really didnât mean to, Iâve just been in a different world this week.â He nodded more understandingly this time, as he meticulously chopped the mint leaves we needed to add next.
âMs. Y/l/n, are you helping or talking?â Snape stormed past our table, looking surly.
âHelping, professor!â Theo assured him.
âDo you smell anything yet?â He inquired. We both shook our heads.
âCould be because Y/n put so much perfume on this morning,â Theo teased me. I couldnât smell it myself, but maybe I was just becoming desensitised to it.
âPlease, youâre cologne and shampoo are practically a cloud around you!â I elbowed him. He simply smirked at me. Snape was looking as amused as Iâve ever seen him.
âYouâve both earned an outstanding,â He snarled before fluttering away.
âBut sir!â Theo called after him. âWe turned in it on time!â I giggled at his joke, even though I guessed it would prompt one of the few times Snape took points away from his own house. Thankfully, I was wrong. Our potion must have looked better than it smelled I suppose.
ââ
âYou have to ask him!â Pansy elbowed me. It was the next morning, and last night I had totally failed at seducing Theo.
âWhat do I fucking say?â I whispered angrily. âHey youâre cute and I like you. Wanna get married in five days?â
We slid into our usual seats in the great hall, and lucky for me Theo was already there.
âWhatâs up?â He asked smiling at me.
âNot much,â I murmured as I stuffed my face with a piece of pizza. âWhat class have you got next?â
âFree period, you?â Â I could have leapt for joy, this would be a perfect chance to spend more time with him.
âSame! Maybe we could study together?â I suggested.
âOh very romantic,â Pansy muttered under her breath. Luckily, Theo seemed not to hear.
âOf course.â He smiled. âYou might need some more help with the next potions essay!â He smirked.
âClearly Snape made that arrangement for your benefit,â I pushed him gently. Theo blushed slightly and turned serious.
âI wanted to apologise, you didnât have to wash your perfume off. I was only teasing about it being to strong,â He rubbed the back of his neck.
âThanks, but donât worry. I didnât even put it on today.â I responded, forgetting the whole âamortentia smells like what you love youâ
Everyone was staring at us. Fuck.
âShall we go study?â Theo asked, Â taking my hand and pulling me up from the bench. We were both graciously ignoring the fact our amortentia smells like each other.
âOn second thought, maybe we could do something else? Iâm just so tired of school, I could really use a break.â Theo stared at me before his face spread into a grin.
âIâve got just the place.â
â
âDo you come here often?â I asked. We were sat at some point in the Forbidden Forest, and the first five minutes we were here I was practically shitted myself, all too aware of the creatures that resided here.
âYeah, Iâd say so. Itâs just so peaceful.â Theo smiled wistfully at the trees, and he was absolutely right. It was silent aside occasional squeaks and squawks, and for the first time in the past week and a half I finally felt calm.
We sat in silence for a long time, and eventually I became too scared to break it. I stole a look at the boy beside me, and I saw Theo had closed his eyes at some point. Free to stare at him without repercussions, I finally got the chance to truly admire him. His curly dark hair made his skin look paler, the olive tones appearing washed out. His eyelashes were long and I was silently jealous of them, considering mine were about as long as my fingernails. When he opened his eyes he smiled.
âHey.â His voice sounded hoarse, and as time became irrelevant I wondered how long we had been here for.
âHi.â I said, and I felt so incredibly shy, the way he was looking at me made me want to shrink.
âYou look pretty.â He sat up from the rock, and I turned away.
âHow long have we been here?â I asked, and he shrugged.
âLong enough to be late to potions.â I sat up quickly and threw myself off of the rock, as though I could apparate into the dungeons.
âDonât worry, weâll say we had to do Hagrid a favour or something.â Theo laughed, and we set onwards towards the castle.
âDo you ever think about what life will be like after Hogwarts?â I asked, and Theo didnât meet my gaze.
âI donât know. Sometimes I do, I guess. Itâs hard to though, because life will be changed so drastically after the war, especially if You-Know-Who wins.â Theo said, and I nodded.
âI know.â Nothing more could be said, and when we walked into potions, the familiar scent of peppermint was overwhelming.
âL/n, Nott. Since you arrived late youâll be telling the class what you smell in the Amortentia,â Snape ordered, and Theo shared a grimace with me. âL/n, you first.â
âOkay,â I walked up to the front and ignored the stares of my classmates. âI smell peppermint mostly, but thereâs also hints of roses mixed with sugar.â I stepped back from the potion, almost hitting my head on a low hanging ingredients shelf.
âNott.â Theo looked at me nervously, and I tried to smile reassuringly, but I had no clue.
âThereâs this perfume, but Iâve no clue what the scent is. I can smell vanilla and cinnamon as well.â He stepped back, and it wasnât until Pansy elbowed me in the side did I realise what exactly those scents were.
âProfessor Snape!â I stood up. Merlin this was taking some guts. âTheo and I left our cauldrons in the common room, we should go get them now,â I grabbed Theoâs hand and we raced towards the door.
âMs, L/n!â I heard low shouts behind me. â10 points from Slytherin!â The rest of the words were drowned out by cheers of various Gryffindors.
ââ
Theo and I collapsed in laughter back inside the common room. We sat opposite each other in our favourite green armchairs.
âSo why did we really need to leave?â Theo asked. For a moment I thought he was serious, and hadnât realised what the scent of his amortentia actually was. Then I saw the soft twinkle in his hazel eyes.
âOh, you know...â I trailed off and big my lip. I decided this would be best to say as fast as possible.
âWesmelledeachotherinrheamortentiaandivebeeninlovewithyousincethridyearwillyoumarryme?â A small smile began to grow upon Theoâs soft lips.
âSorry, what was that?â He asked. I wasnât sure if he truly didnât understand, or if he was enjoying hearing my thundering heart beat. I took a deep breath. I wanted this to be right.
âHang on,â I suggested. âWe need to go back to the forbidden forest.â I may as well make sure this is as good as it can be...
ââ
Weâre back in the forbidden forest. Theo is still smirking slightly, while also looking slightly confused.
âNow,â I began, wringing my hands back and forth. âTheo Iâve known you since we were babies. Iâve got to say, when we were in diapers I never imagined this happening. But Iâve dreamed of it for a while now. I know this a completely rushed and insane situation, but sometimes thatâs what you need to realise... Theo, I really like you, and I canât imagine marrying anyone other than my best friend. Will you marry me this Christmas?â Theo was grinning like an idiot at me. And he was taking tantalisingly small steps towards me.
âYes,â He whispered while taking my face in his hands, and gently angling it to fit our lips perfectly together.
Time stopped, and the two days before our wedding seemed like forever. I was here, kissing Theo. My fiancĂŠ.
ââ
Christmas Eve was a quiet affair. It was spent with my family and the Nottâs in Malfoy manor.
Mother was ecstatic about my choice. Apparently thatâs who she had been planning on already, but Theo had told me his mom was bent on him marrying for love.
We had a large dinner and completed the final tasks before the big day. Before I knew it, morning was here!
My mother helped me get into my a line style wedding dress. The train stretched fifteen feet behind me, and I loved this one because it had an empire waistline. Our the manorâs greenhouse was the location of our wedding. And despite the strange circumstances, it was everything Iâd ever dreamed. There was an aisle between the rows of chairs, with a green runner down the centre for me to walk on.
âYou look lovely, darling.â Father patted my shoulder, and I beamed at him. His words of approval were all I ever wanted to hear.
âAre you ready?â He asked, and I nodded. Pansy and Daphne had already walked down with Blaise and Draco, and there was only one thing left to do.
âI love you, dad.â He stared at me for a second, and I began to second-guess myself. I hadnât called him dad since I was in diapers.
âI love you too, Y/n.â Dad whispered softly, and I squeezed his hand tightly.
âLetâs do this.â
â
The ceremony flew by, as per pureblood customs, and before I knew it I was sat beside Theo, binding ourselves to the marriage certificate.
âYouâre a dork.â I laughed in delight as I saw Theo carve a dick onto the table, and he grinned back.
âShut up. Iâm your dork, and youâre not getting rid of me anytime soon.â He said, and I narrowed my eyes.
âDonât be so sure about that. I might get some hints from Yemaya, Blaiseâs mother.â He poked me in the side as he stuck in his tongue out, and I leaned on his shoulder, completely in bliss.
would you be so kind? (neville longbottom x reader)
this is sheer fluff and dodie essentially wrote this
word count: a teeny tiny 470
âI have a question.â Neville nudged my shoulder with his own as we were sat on our favourite rock in the greenhouse, staring at the beautiful flora in front of us.
âYes?â I nudged him back, and he stuck his tongue out.
âIt might seem strange.â He said, and I only laughed.
âNev, everything you do is strange, nothing could phase me now.â I said, and he laughed as well.
âHow are your lungs? Are they in pain?â He asked, and I stopped walking to stare at him.
âWhat?â I asked, and I watched as he waved his wand and what looked like a ukulele appeared in his hands.
ââCause mine are aching, think I know why. I kinda like it though, you wanna try?â At some stage he had begun singing, and I leaned into him.
âLet's write a story, be in my book.
You've got to join me on my page, at least take a look.â He leaned his head on top of mine, and I took a deep breath. It was absolutely serene, looking around the greenhouse and listening to my bestfriend sing.
âYou never told me you could sing.â I murmured, and Neville paused to run his hand through my hair.
âYou never asked.â He said, before strumming the strings once again.
âWould you be so kind as to fall in love with me?â I swore I heard Nevilleâs voice falter, and I drew away from him to stare at him.
âWas it something I said?â He grinned at me, and I couldnât help but grin right back.
âI think itâs only fair, thereâs gotta be some butterflies somewhere.â His strumming slowed, and I cocked my head.
âNev?â I hadnât realised the time, and as soon as his name left my lips the greenhouse was lit up with the colours of a thousand sunsets.
âI really like you, Y/n. And I donât blame you for not liking me back, not when theres a million other blokes who like you, but I just wanted to tell you.â Neville was the most beautiful person I had ever met, and when his head began dipping I reached out to hold it up.
âWhy you would ever doubt yourself is beyond me. Personally, my butterflies fly around my brain, and whenever Iâm with you my head begins spinning.â He cupped my face, and we were sat on our favourite rock, on top of the world, holding each others faces and our breaths.
âYou donât mean that.â He whispered, and I nodded slowly.
âOf course I do, my sweet Nev.â
It was impossible to say who initiated it, it really was. But suddenly our lips were connected, his lips as soft as I thought theyâd be, and the sudden taste of oranges making me laugh.
A/N; this fic is @fromashescomephoenixes child and i assisted in raising it :) so go check her out rn cos she is wonderful!
summary: y/n grew up alongside her two bestfriends, but life had other plans when y/n moved to france when she was 11. prior to the triwizards tournament, fred and y/n are forced to face the lives they lived, and the radio silence of the past year has an explanation afterall.
word count: a whopping 7.5k
-
Itâs funny, really. How quickly life can pick you up, and how quickly life can throw you back down.
 âFaster!â I had screamed as the wind rushed through my hair. I remembered this moment the most. With the wind rushing through my hair and knotting it like nothing else, I felt like I was an eagle all the way up here. My nest? Quite simple really. The boy sitting in front of me.Â
 Reality though, was quite different. I was on one of the Weasleyâs seven brooms, and Fred was sat in front of me. I hadnât met many quidditch players, but I already knew that Fred was a damn good one. We had had a plan, you see. Once we arrived at Hogwarts, we were going to become the youngest quidditch players ever. We had it all planned out.. Â
Fred began his descent to the ground in a swift plunge, and I clutched onto him tightly. If I made it to the ground, I was going to murder the idiot.Â
 âFreddie!â I yelled out, and he only laughed.
 âDonât worry y/n! Iâm the best quidditch player of all time,â He yelled back, and I wasnât quite sure what occurred in that moment, but as soon as Fred slowed down his descent by a fraction, I knew I was in for it.Â
 âSure you are,â I giggled. âAlthough Iâm slightly better,â The wind caught Fredâs response to this, so I never heard it. Looking back, I wonder what he had said. For once, everything seemed perfect. When we reached the ground, I was torn between kissing the ground and wishing I was still flying with Fred.
 âIâll never get sick of flying like that,â Fred smiled. The summer had made his freckles stand out even more than usual. I grinned back at him as we raced into the burrow. Â
 âDarling y/n!â Molly greeted me cheerfully. âI havenât seen you in ages! It must have been at least two hours,â she teased in a loving tone, and I could only grin back at her.
 âI missed you!â Ginny cheerfully chimed in as she gave me a hug. I waved to her and gave her a hug while Fred and George grabbed a couple of pumpkin pasties out of the cupboard.
 âGood afternoon y/n,â Percy greeted me as he peered over the top of his book. He was wearing strange glasses, which he swore he needed but Fred and George said he simply fancied that they made him look more grown up.
 âEr, hello!â I cheerfully replied. Percy always seemed so much more grown up than Fred and George and I, that I almost felt awkward talking with him.
 âOh!â I remembered suddenly. âWould it be okay if Fred and George come over to my house for dinner tonight?â I asked Molly. Percy glanced up, but quickly resumed his uninterested reading.
 âPlease mum!â Fred and George begged one unison. They liked my house because mum always made dessert. Although George always liked to tease me by saying Fred likes dinner anywhere that I was. I didnât mind that idea, in fact it only made me blush, but I knew George was joking. Molly nodded her approval and we ran out the door, eager to spend the afternoon in the sun.Â
 We began our hike to our absolute favourite picnic tree, where the sun was softly filtering through the leaves of the forest. We were by no means quiet as we joked and laughed our way through the woods.
 Finally we reached our picnic tree. I was the first to shimmy up the ladder. We had found the tree about three years ago, and from then on it became our hideout. The tree had such a huge trunk that even with all three of us we couldnât get our arms around it! The trunk split into three large branches about eight feet off of the ground, and grew on from there.
 âWeâll have to find a new hideout at Hogwarts,â I sighed, but spoke loudly enough so they could hear me down the ladder.
 âI bet thereâs some sort of secret room we could use!â Fred suggested eagerly.
 âOr we could just stinkbomb whatever room we want, and then no one else would want to use it!â George suggested as he popped his head over the top of the ladder.
 âYeah, but I donât know if I could even get used to that scent,â I wrinkled my nose in memory of the one we set off last Christmas.
 âAh true,â Fred sighed. âBet thereâs a charm for that issue though!â We giggled and continued to talk about our plans for Hogwarts. Weâd all be going next year, although I was still waiting for my letter since my birthday wasnât until the next week.Â
 -
 Dinner was certainly memorable that night. Fred, George and I walked back with about fifteen minutes to spare. They ran across the lane to get changed in time for dinner. I put on my favourite maroon dress and dashed downstairs just in time to hear the doorbell.
 âHey guys!â Their marching grind beamed towards me and we sat down to a delicious dinner of homemade pizza. I should have noticed something was up, because we only ever had homemade pizza like that when there was big news. At the tender age of 10, this was the worst news I had ever received.
 âAre you boys excited for Hogwarts?â My mum had asked Fred and George. Of course, this launched us all into our carefully laid out plan. This extended to everything from what house we would be in, to what desserts we would eat on the first night.
 âWell, we have some exciting news,â My dad began. I glanced up, curious if my letter had arrived early or something. Unfortunately I was a bit preoccupied by a bit of cheese that was extra gooey on my pizza.
 âYouâll all get to experience two wizarding schools! In a way at least,â Mum announced this and we all instantly wanted to cheer. Secretly I hoped she would say we were all going on a gap year to Durmstrang. There was something so mysterious about it!
 âWeâve enrolled y/n at Beauxbatons as weâll be moving there in August!â Dad positively beamed towards us all. Obviously they expected a rush of excitement about this, but what were we meant to say? I stared at my mother.
 âWithout Fred and George?â My mom nodded a little sadly to confirm my worst fear.
 âBut Iâm sure you could all write letters or something!â My dad piped up. I felt like crying, but I couldnât cry in front of Fred and George. Well, I could. Theyâd be very supportive, but I didnât want to show them just how upset I was about it.
 âExcuse me,â I pushed aside my plate and left. I bounded up the stairs to my room, which was decorated with Holyhead Harpies posters. In a matter of moments my world had come crashing down. Beauxbatons was in France for Merlinâs sake! I would be completely and utterly alone. I sighed quietly, and opened up my window, leaning against the window sill.Â
 It was quiet for a long time, the only sound I could hear being my own shallow breath as I tried to control my tears. A freckle covered arm nudged mine, and when I looked to my right I saw my best friend.
 âYou know that nothing will change, right?â He asked quietly, and I laughed humorlessly.
 âEverything will change, Freddie. I canât abuse Snape with you guys, or be the youngest chaser on the quidditch team. I want to go to Hogwarts.â I leaned my head on Fredâs shoulder, and he let out a long breath.
 âWe can write to each other every week. Yeah, we can do that. Everything will be the same, nothing could tear us apart.â It was quiet again.
 âYou promise?â I whispered, and he entwined his pinkie finger with mine.
 âI promise.â
â˘â˘â˘â˘
 Fred had fucking lied, I thought bitterly. We were sixteen now, and the letter exchanging had fallen through two years ago. I felt resentment rising in my chest, but I knew it was no oneâs fault. Itâs just the way that things unfold. Now, as I stood outside the Great Hall I had dreamt of entering my entire life, I had to still my hands as they involuntarily shook. I had nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to even be afraid of really, and yet I couldnât stop my heart from clouding my judgement as it always had as a child. Maybe there was just something about Fred that made me lose all inhibitions.Â
 âNow!â Madame Maxine shrieked, and the doors flew open with a resounding bang. There was a split second where we froze, the eyes of Hogwarts on us. It wasnât until the older girls flew forward did the rest of us, and without even seeing him I just knew where Fred was sitting.
 Something about a sixth sense, our parents used to say. I was Fredâs twin instead of George, with how finely tuned our minds were. We were always able to sense when something had happened to the other, or pinpoint the exact location of one another despite being apart.Â
 I willed myself to look away from the flurry of red robes in the centre table. Knowing my luck, I would see a Weasley with questions written all over their face. It was something I couldnât handle right now. Something that maybe I would never be able to handle. I curtseyed when I was supposed to, eyeing a yellow-robed boy who winked at me, and we continued marching forward.
 I knew that the house of courage was the next house to be curtseyed to, and I decided that if I had gone to Hogwarts, I definitely wouldnât have made it into that house. I stared at the ground as I curtseyed and continued forward. During the dance we performed I was looking at the roof or the ground, anywhere but the sea of students in front of us. We hurried to the side, and I made the fatal mistake of looking into the crowd.
 Right into the eyes of a smiling Fred Weasley.Â
â˘â˘â˘â˘
I sat down angrily at the Ravenclaw table. Iâm not sure if anger was the right word for what I was feeling. But really how else am I supposed to describe the heartbreak, the sense of loss, and fear I felt. It was all too much. I simply couldnât stand being in the same room as him. Especially as it was the hall we had so expertly planned our pranks, and conversations, and lives for.Â
 What hurt the most, quite possibly, was knowing that there had never been a relationship to begin with. I wasnât sure how old I was when I realised Fred was definitely better looking than most, and at some point during our letter exchange I had begun to fall for my friend.Â
 âY/n?â My friend Marie nudged me. âYou looked beautiful out there!â She encouraged me eagerly, seeing that I was incredibly quiet.
 âMerci, Marie.â I managed a small smile towards her. âI just feel a bit out of place,â I shrugged.Â
 âWell, Iâm sure any number of boys here are eager to make sure we feel right at home,â Marie wiggled her eyebrows towards me as I let out a small laugh. I rolled my eyes before picking up a fork. âWhat about...â Her eyes scanned the room for a minute.
 âThat one!â She pointed towards the Gryffindor table. I nearly choked on my piece of potato when I saw that of all the boys in the room, she had picked him...
 Fred Weasleyâs eyes burned into mine again. I couldnât stand it a moment longer and I murmured a quick excuse before rising from the table and leaving the hall hurriedly.
â˘â˘â˘â˘
When making the choice of leaving the hall, I had forgotten one thing. I didnât know my right from left in this fucking castle. Everything was dimly lit, and there were endless corridors and nooks that aided in my getting hopelessly lost. I could vaguely recall the halls from Hogwarts: A History, but that had been six, seven years ago.Â
 Eventually, I gave up and collapsed into a secluded corner. All things considered, there could have been a worse spot to allow four years of harsh feelings catch up to me. The starlight dimly illuminated by shaking hands, and bounced off of my silvery blue skirt. It was altogether peaceful, apart from my soft shuddering sobs.Â
 âHey,â a voice suddenly broke the secrecy of my break down.
 âFred, I donât want to see you right now.â I groaned. His warm brown eyes and soft freckles were too much. They still made my heart flutter and my head spin. As if I was soaring through the air on my broom again, a little girl having a crush on a little boy.
 âWhat? Why not?â He asked, flabbergasted. I turned the other way, and began to trace the soft patterns of my wand, as I often did when I was nervous.Â
 âWeâre not friends anymore. You clearly forgot me.â I accused him. It felt good to finally see him and show him how awful he had been to stop writing.
 âYouâre the one who stopped writing to me!â He fired back, and I slowly shook my head. He had ignored my letters for over a year and had the nerve to lie to my face about it.Â
 âGo. Away.â I coldly turned, and positively bolted down the hall. The more I thought about it, the more upset I became. Letters had begun growing scarce around our third/fourth year, and it was seemingly reasonless. The trail had truly gone cold at the end of our fourth year, and that was when the real heartbreak had set in. What a time to be alive.Â
â˘â˘â˘â˘
âGeorge, did you keep writing to y/n?â Fred was sprawled on one of the many lounges in the Gryffindor common room, while George was lying at his feet.Â
 âNo, we never even started writing to each other,â He shrugged. Y/n and George had never been quite as close, and they naturally fell out of touch when she moved.Â
 Fred pulled a crumpled piece of parchment out of his robe pocket, and lovingly smoothed it out.
 âShe stopped writing to me in fourth year.â Fred whispered. At this George sat bolt upright. The thought of Fred and Y/n not being best friends was a startling one, one that had never come across his mind.Â
 âWhat do you mean?â George asked, clearly stunned. His twin and y/n had written weekly for as long as he could remember. âWhy didnât you check if it got lost?â Fred shook his head.
 âI did George,â He held up the crumpled paper he was holding. His pained expression was almost too much for the twin to bare. âI wrote four fucking times. This one was going to be my last hope,â He crumpled it back up, and shoved it into a pocket dejectedly.Â
 âOh Fred...â George sighed. âI suppose a prank on Gin is out of the question then?â Â
 âI canât right now.â Fred ribbed his face in his hand. He felt so lost and confused after his encounter with y/n. How could she have thought he would ever want to stop writing to her? Something must have happened to the letters, but he felt like he must be kidding himself if he thought that 5 different letters could get lost. Errol wasnât that old, was he?Â
â˘â˘â˘â˘
I dressed quickly in the morning in my pale blue, silky uniform. Although I still sometimes wished that I had gone to Hogwarts, I had to say that the Beauxbatons uniform was much better. As I exited the dormitory I bumped into my friend Maurice who had just exited his dormitory.
 âSalut!â Maurice greeted me cheerfully as we fell into step beside each other.Â
 âQuoi de neuf?â I muttered. Though we all mostly spoke English around each other, we also had fun, shorter chats in French. At Beauxbatons they taught most classes in English, except for potions since it was so precise and they couldnât risk as translational mix up.Â
 âYou okay y/n?â Maurice asked, pausing and placing a hand on my shoulder. âAunty Lisa told me to keep an eye on you,â I sighed. Of course, mother would set my cousin on my tail to make sure I didnât stress.Â
 âNever better,â I grinned. âI might, er, run to the bathroom before breakfast,â I turned and threw a wave towards Maurice before I left. I hurried down a random corridor and hoped Iâd be able to find a hufflepuff or something to show me to the great hall later.
 For now, I didnât pay any attention to where I was going as I slowly walked around. I let my eyes drink up the lovely sights of Hogwarts. It was still sinking in that I was finally seeing it, even if I was seeing it under much different circumstances than I had hoped. I ducked away into a corridor as I heard hurried footsteps coming up behind me. Unfortunately I had misjudged, and they were coming towards me, not passing me.Â
 âY/n?â I heard a voice that I vaguely recognised, but couldnât place. âWhat are you doing here?â After a moment of thought I finally placed the voice to Percy Weasley.Â
 Bloody hell, of the hundreds of student in the castle it seemed Iâd only ever meet the Weasleys.Â
 âHello Percy,â I mustered up as much cheerfulness as I could and I tried to walk past him. He grabbed my arm, and I was forced to stop and converse with him.
 âWell!â He smiled broadly, âHow have you been?â Clearly he had a much different memory of how close we had been, because he was acting about ten times kinder than Iâd expect.Â
 âReally well, thank you.â I turned my lips up, hoping to achieve a smile. âAre you hoping to participate in the tournament?âÂ
 âOh heavens,â He laughed in a very uptight manner. âNo, no. I work for the ministry now.â He said with an air of self importance.Â
 âWell, congratulations.â I spoke, with a hint of sarcasm and I made to excuse myself.
 âWould you like me to walk you to breakfast?â I cringed as my escape was foiled.Â
 âEr, actually, I was heading to my dorm.â I lied on the spot, cursing the sound of my grumbling tummy.Â
 âOh! Which tower are you in?â I again cursed my poor lie. Thankfully, I was saved (or further doomed) by Fred coming around the corner.Â
 âY/n! Can we please talk?â Fred sprinted towards me and grabbed my hand. I saw some sort of emotion flicker cross Percyâs eyes as I shouted good bye and followed Fred. I laughed once we turned a corner.
 âThanks Freddie,â I grinned a moment, forgetting I was meant to be angry with him. One more look at his honey brown eyes sent the negative emotions straight into my heart, however. âIâll be going now,â I began to leave haughtily.
 âNo. You wonât.â Fred begged. âPlease let me talk to you.â I nearly yielded, but couldnât stand the idea of my heart broken again with excuses of why my friendship wasnât worth it.Â
 âI canât talk to you, Fred. Merlin, it hurts for me to even look at you. Itâs heartbreak if Iâve ever known it.â I whispered quietly before racing away. Somehow I ended up in the Great Hall, with snot and tears on my face.Â
 Before entering, I gently cleaned my face with a charm, and reapplied the natural makeup I had on. Determined to brave the hall before risking running into another Weasley, I calmly walked towards the Ravenclaw table.
 âOh Marie,â I groaned. It was I could do to keep my composure and not sprawl my head onto the table. Luckily, as my best friend she was able to see this. She patted my back gently, and placed a fresh chocolate croissant on my plate. âThank youâ I smiled.Â
 âOf course,â She smiled back towards me. âDid you get lost?â She giggled slightly.Â
 âMore hopelessly than you could ever know!â To her this would seem like dramatic flair, however I truly felt lost at heart. Unsure how to proceed between Fredâs excuses, Percyâs kindness, and the stress of possibly entering the tournament. I wanted to believe that Fred was telling the truth about the letters, but it didnât add up.
 The last letter I had sent before Fred stopped writing had been a special one. I had been unable to hold in my feelings towards him any longer. At the end of the letter I had explained that I loved him. Not in the sisterly, or friendly way that I had previously led him to believe. But a real love.Â
 Of course he stopped writing. I couldnât blame him. But I had hoped that he wouldnât let in stop our friendship. It had hurt. It still hurt, because even though I was young I also knew more than ever that I loved Fred.Â
--
âI heard that a ministry official is going to ask you to the ball, y/n.â Marie whispered in that way of hers, and I stared aghast.
âWhat? Surely thatâs illegal.â I whispered back, and Madame Maxine stared at us over the rim of her glasses. I swallowed before picking up my quill.
âNothingâs illegal for ministry officials, silly. Have you heard of Percy Weasley before?â I froze. Percy fucking Weasley.Â
âNo, I havenât. He sounds like a proper nonce.â Marie and I broke into peels of laughter, and another look from Madame silenced us.Â
âWill you say yes?â Marie had long mastered the ability to speak with her mouth closed, and had tried in vain to teach me.
âAbsolutely not.â I replied, and the sounds we heard for the rest of the lesson were quill scratching parchment and our headmistresses voice.Â
--Â
It was on my way to another lunch in the gardens that I was ambushed by arguably my favourite Weasley.
âHey Georgie.â I couldnât help the old nickname fall from my lips, and he smiled at me.
âIâve missed you.â He said, and I smiled sadly.
âIâve missed you too, silly. I assume you didnât find me for pleasantries though. You were never the most tactful Weasley, were you?â I laughed at the look of sheer outrage on Georgeâs face, and he eventually chuckled.
âRumour has it that you stopped talking to my brother a year ago.â He said, and I sighed.
âFred stopped writing to me after I sent him a letter confessing how I felt about him. Take that as you will, but I took it as a clear rejection.â I took a deep breath, now able to say Fredâs name without falling into pieces. George stopped.
âWhat? Fred said you stopped talking to him, and I donât like to think of my brother as a liar.â He said hotly, and I stared at him.
âAm I a liar, Georgie?âÂ
It was quiet for a long time.
âNo, youâre not.âÂ
-
âMiss L/n!â I should have known that I couldnât escape Percy Weasley. He was relentless, and I wondered if he knew what the word no meant.
âHi, Percy. Iâm actually on my way to class, Iâm afraid.â I tried to end the conversation before it could begin, but no such luck.
âPerfect! Iâve been meaning to walk you to class for a while! Gentlemens chivalry and all.â He looped an arm under mine and I reluctantly started walking.
âNow that Iâve got you here, I wonder how you managed to rank top three in all of your classes. Naturally, I always ranked top five, but thatâs mildly less impressive. I think it goes without saying that I topped most of my NEWTâs, but Iâm still intrigued on what your methods are. Thereâs still plenty of learning and memorising that goes on at the Ministry, you see, and I think that you and I would make a great team. Who knows, maybe you can be my assistant when Iâm Minister of Magic one day.â I tuned Percy out as quickly as I could. Really, I couldnât think of anyone who would actually want to listen to Percy for five minutes, let alone the rest of his life.Â
I thought wistfully of Fred during the walk to my class, and how much my heart ached at the mention of his name. Maybe I had been harsh on him. Suppose our letters had been lost in the post? It wasnât unlikely, and it sure would explain why he seemed so confused and upset.Â
âWell, this is my stop.â I interrupted him as he droned on and on and on and on and-
âIt was a pleasure as always.â Percy picked up my hand and I tried not to gag as he kissed it. Was there anything quite as horrible as this was? I didnât think so. Oh, maybe your best friend cutting contact with you after you confess your love to him. My life was going spectacularly. Â
âSee ya.â I darted inside the classroom, spying Maurice and Marie sitting by the door.Â
âHey, y/n.â They chorussed. I noticed with relief that Madame hadnât arrived yet, and I slid into the seat beside Maurice.
âSalut.â I sat in silence thinking about how weird Percy was, when my breath caught in my throat.
I hadnât been ranked top three in every class this year, and the last time I had been ranked top three must have been in fourth year. I recalled a quill in my hand as I wrote to Fred excitedly, and the emptiness I had felt upon not receiving a letter. Was it possible?Â
I think it was about time I had another chat with George.Â
-
âWhere are you going George?â Fred glanced up, half interested. His gaze was still fixed on the list of products him and his brother were assembling.
 âAh, just for a stroll,â George explained as he subtly picked up Fredâs robe instead of his own. The twin hardly nodded, as he became immersed once more in the list of clever tricks and treats they had assembled. George thanked Merlin for his good luck and slipped out the portrait hole.
 Once safely in the corridor, George felt around in the inner pocket to find what he was looking for. Thankfully, it was right where Fred had left it. As always. George pulled out the crumpled parchment, but didnât dare to open it. It was too personal he had decided. He was simply acting as a messenger, he reminded himself.
 Y/n had invited George to meet her in the library after lunch. Thankfully, after being at the castle for nearly two months at this point, she knew her way around. Now, George thought, all thatâs left to do is deliver a letter.
-
âGeorge!â I hissed from a secluded corner of the library. This library was nice, but if Iâm being honest I preferred the lighter atmosphere of the library at Beauxbatons.
 âOh! Hello y/n, fancy seeing you here!â George teased and winked towards me. In return I rolled my eyes, but still had to suppress a giggle at his overused joke.Â
 âLook I need to ask-â I began to feel a little flustered.
 âHow did I get my dashing good looks?â He ran a hand through his hair and struck a pose.Â
 âNo I-âÂ
 âSorry doll, Iâm taken. But I have a twin!â George sent finger guns my way, and pretended to swagger away.
 âNo! George!â As frustrating as it was, I had missed Georgeâs little jokes. âDid you know Percy had a crush on me?â I questioned firmly. Georgeâs jaw dropped open.
 âI mean-â He ribbed his neck sheepishly âWe used to suspect it in first and second year. But Fred beat him up about it and we thought that was that!â I buried my face in my hands, cringing at the very thought. Merlinâs soggiest sock couldnât make this any worse.Â
 âI think I know what happened,â I sighed. I felt defeated, and mean. I couldnât believe the things I had said to Fred. How Iâd brushed him away. Now the task at hand was talking to that Weasel that had ruined everything.Â
 âWell, I donât know exactly what conclusion youâve reached,â George gently spoke. âBut I think you should read this,â Before he left he pressed the folded, crumpled parchment into her hand.Â
-
âGeorge!â Fred sang out as soon as George entered their dorm room. âI have a plan!â He leaped from bed to bed in a happy spirit that often accompanies new hopes.
 âIâm going to ask y/n to the ball!â He exclaimed. George sighed, unsure how his brother thought this would instantly fix things. Luckily for Fred, George had pulled a few extra strings for the odds to be completely in his favour.Â
-
âMarie!â I sobbed as she came into the dorm. This was probably not how she expected to find me tonight, and the shock on her face was obvious.Â
 I had ripped the covers off of my bed and wrapped them around me like a large cocoon. Then I had promptly laid down and cried for the better part of an hour. At least it was a good test of my makeup setting charm.
 The letter is what did it. Oh! The letter! I cradled it ever closer to my heart as I sobbed again. He had written with all the heartbreak I had felt, with all the love I had felt, with all of the friendship I had felt. And it never got to me! Just as my letter never got to him!
 âHe loves me Marie!â I gasped. âHe wrote me five letters.â Marie, like the true friend she was, promptly crawled into the cocoon with me and began to rock me softly.Â
 âHush, mon caneton,â she whispered. I steadied my breathing and hugged her tightly. Thank goodness that we had both decided to come on this trip. I donât know what I would have done without her.
 âI love him too,â I admitted.Â
 âWell what are you waiting for?â Marie asked with a knowing look on her face, and I slowly nodded. She was right.
 âGo attack that little weasel.â I laughed in delight, and Marie gave me a soft shove out of our cocoon of blankets.
 âGo!â She repeated, and with another shove I stumbled out of our room. I had no clue where I would find a certain Percy Weasley at this hour, and I didn/t quite know where to begin. Only one person reminded me of Percy, and I figured I may as well head to his room.
 âProfessor Snape.â I smiled politely as he opened the door after I knocked, and he merely scowled.
 âPray tell me what you are doing outside of my classroom.â He sneered, and I stopped smiling.
 âDo you know where I can find-â I was rudely interrupted by none other than the man of the hour.
 âMiss L/n! How Iâve longed to see you!â Percy popped out from being Snape, and I found myself being guided away from the dungeons by the very person I wanted to slap.
 âIâm sure I have longed to see you more.â I said, and he squeezed my shoulder. I almost threw up, right then and there.
 âWhy were you looking for me, my dearest?â I was two seconds away from punching the smarmy bastard in the face, and I took a deep breath.
 âI just wanted to let you know that if you ever try to come between Fred and I again, the letters you stole will be the least of your worries. I will ruin you, Weasley, and you better not forget it.â I snarled as I shoved his shoulder before walking off, and the stunned silence fueled my satisfaction.
 It was time to find my Weasley.
 Twenty minutes later and I couldn't find a trace of him. My heart sunk to my stomach. What if my coolness had finally gotten through and he had given up? Was he avoiding me? I slumped into my seat at dinner and leaned my head on Marie's shoulder.
 "I can't find him," I sighed. She reached over and patted my back while she swallowed her bite of quiche.
 "Well, he couldn't have gone too far!" She attempted to cheer me up. Out of habit, my eyes wandered over to the area where Fred and George usually sat. I raised an eyebrow as I found that their spots were empty. Loud footsteps behind me caught my attention and I snapped my head around the other way.
 Thank Merlin, it was George. He was jogging towards me and his robes flapped behind him.
 "Y/n!" He greeted me once he was within earshot. I waved and grabbed another piece of pizza.
 "You play quidditch at Beauxbatons, right?" Marie perked up beside me and grinned before proceeding to sing my praises.
 "She's only the best chaser I've ever seen! You should've seen last sea-" I cut her off, blushing furiously.
 "Yes. I play quidditch." I rolled my eyes.
 "Great, can you help me with something?" George begged. I nodded and followed him out of the room. The sun was just beginning to set, and the air was quite chilly. I wondered what he could possibly need help with at this time. Especially since quidditch had been cancelled this year!
 After we left the hall, and I was extremely puzzled what was happening I began to ask a few quesitons.
 "Do you know where Fred is? I can't find him," I asked George who looked completely bewildered.
 "Fred? No I have no idea!" His voice reached incredibly strange pitches and I realised quite quickly that he was lying.
 "So. What do you need my help with?" I suppressed a grin as I began to see what was happening.
 "Er," There was a pause while George thought of what exactly he had summoned me for. Luckily for him, Ron and Ginny were walking by at that exact moment. "Ron was thinking of trying out for keeper!" He explained desperately.
 Ginny's eyebrows shot up, and she slugged Ron in the arm.
 "Good for you little brother!" Ron's face burned red as they walked away and he began to make excuses.
 "Don't we need Ron for this then?" I grinned at George, and he began to mutter something under his breath.
 The rest of the walk passed relatively quickly as George and I caught up about everything that had happened since I moved. We easily fell into conversation thanks to Fred keeping us both updated on the other. Finally we arrived at the field.
 "Godric! I'm late for something." George looked at his non-existent watch and ran away before I could stop him.
 "What the hell?" I muttered as I began walking back to the exit of the quidditch pitch. Unfortunately, in my angry haze I tripped right over a broom that was lying on the grass. Gingerly, I picked it up, and paused. Why not, I thought, as I mounted the stray broom.
 "Y/n!" From a distance, I thought George had come back. I sped forward slightly, moving the broom precisely and smoothly to greet him. Of course, by 'greet' I meant cast a harmless hair changing charm. Luckily (for his sake,) I quickly noticed it was Fred. Unluckily (for my sake) I was now incredibly flustered and unsure what to say. I chanced a timid wave, and thanked Merlin when he returned it, equally timidly.
 "I'm sorry!" I instantly shouted, speeding down from my perch in the sky. I pulled out of the short dive just a few feet off of the ground.
 "No y/n," Fred shook his head "I'm sorry. I should have known you would never stop writing." He stared at his feet, looking ashamed. "Must've been that goddamn bird," He let out a nervous laugh, but continued to stare at the ground. I didn't want to bring Percy into this yet. He didn't deserve a place in what I hoped would become a treasured memory.
 "It wasn't your fault," My heart was breaking at the pain on his face. But how do you break this sort of news kindly? "I shouldn't have thought you would stop writing either, I just-" I trailed off, unsure what to say.
 "What was in that last letter you sent?" He asked glancing up. I paused, hopping off my broom. Fred followed in his actions, and our eyes finally met.
 "Wait, you never even saw it?" I knew that he'd most likely never seen it, but I had always imagined Percy had let him receive it at least. Little did I know the precision that Percy carried out his plans with.
 He had begun by snatching a letter here and there. Laying the foundation for doubt of each other's consistency of correspondence. He had saved the letters sent by me, burned the ones sent by Fred, and written his own imaginary replies. I had become an obsession for him. So much so that when he saw me this year, he thought we would instantly pick up where we had left off in his imagined reality.
 The day I had sent the letter to Fred. That all important letter. He had taken it and saved it for himself. Looking upon my words of love, and imagining they were from him. The thought of Percy receiving those words instead of Fred brought tears to my eyes.
 "No," He admitted.
 "I wanted to tell you-" I cut myself off. What if all Fred was searching was the friendship we had previously shared? I bit my tongue and held a silent debate until I finally plucked up my courage.
 "I love you," I let the sweet words fly away towards him. I hoped they'd be returned. That their fragile wings would be cradled, rather than crushed. A momentary surprise froze Fred. The stress of the situation made those few seconds feel like hours. Hours of anguish and feeling entirely exposed and unprotected. Finally, Fred sprang in to motion. He rushed towards me, as his lips found mine, my eyes fluttered closed. It was just Fred and I, the aligned planets watching as their plan fell into place. Fred tasted like strawberries and he sucked softly on my lip. I couldnât help from running my hand through his messy hair, and I felt him grin into the kiss.Â
 "Go to the Yule ball with me my darling?" He asked softly as we broke apart.
 "Of course my love," I let my head rest on his strong chest as we let the last flickers of sunset wash over us.
 The ball had approached much quicker than expected. Over the past two weeks, a lot had happened. First, I had explained to Fred what Percy had done. I didn't want to create a rift between the brothers, but it was the only way to fully explain and resolve the situation. Fred had looked very solemn, and confronted Percy who denied everything. Unfortunately for him, he carried around my last letter with him which was quite incriminating when we discovered it.
 Fred and I had hardly spent a moment away from each other.
 I had a periwinkle blue mini dress on, which hugged tightly around me. Over top, I had a sheer silvery blue gown that shimmered like stars as I moved. All of the Beauxbatons girls had picked something of the same color scheme, but this dress felt so me that I didn't mind. After curling my hair into delicate ringlets I helped Marie curl her hair and then we left.
 I took a deep breath as we glided down the stairs after Madam Maxine. I could hardly contain my excitement. My heartbeat felt similar to when I was anticipating a particularly good match of quidditch.
 Fred was standing there looking spectacular in his dress robes. He had charmed his tie to be a periwinkle blue, and he was holding a small bouquet of lavender flowers. The moment I smelled them, I remembered that moment with him on that broom. I remembered the rush of adventure, the hint of recklessness, but most importantly: the trust. I trusted him so much.
 He took my hand, and we silently walked into the ball. It almost felt too perfect. Too cliche, not unique enough for such a special story. Our story that we were writing one page at a time.
 After a few songs spent pleasantly dancing, laughing, and whispering lost words to each other I had an idea.
 "Freddie?" I whispered as I leaned my head onto his chest.
 "Mmm?" He swayed us gently to the sweet music.
 "Can we leave?" I asked. "I want to go on a broom with you again," I explained. His face softened and he took my hand as we walked to the quidditch pitch.
 Here we were. Up in the air again. I spread my arms, testing if my eagle wings were still there. They were. And as an eagle, I had finally reunited with my nest. I brought my wings back down to take hold of the broomstick. This time I was in control, and I'd had a bit more practice than 10 year old Fred had had. So, I sent us into a steep dive, almost until it felt like a free fall.
 After the rush of adrenaline I soared back up until we reached the roof of Gryffindor tower. I couldn't stop myself from imagining how many sleepless nights we could've spent talking here. How many breakfasts, and boring classes I could've spent with him.
 As I saw the moonlight softly reflect off of Fred's pale face I realised then and there. He was my soulmate. He was my perfect match. He was the person that I didn't want to spend a single minute without unless I absolutely had to.
 I told him so too.
 "Freddie," We were holding hands again as we laid on top of a soft blanket he had conjured to lay down on the roof. The incline of it was just barely safe to lay down on without sliding off. I didn't feel scared though, I had Fred to anchor me.
 "You look beautiful in the moonlight y/n," He turned his lively eyes towards me. I blushed and smiled slightly.
 "I love you so much," I began. He kept his eyes trained into mine. Giving me his full attention. "I don't want to lose you again, okay?" I took a somewhat shaky breath. " I just mean, the past couple weeks have felt like a dream.â I said, and Fred held my hand.
 âI know, pretty girl. You wonât lose me again, not if thereâs anything I can do about it.â I squeezed his hand back, and we watched the night sky in all its glory.
 I was standing in my dorm room, nearly ready to leave when an owl flew into the window. Plonk, I realised it was poor Errol. It appeared he could hardly handle a flight around Hogwarts anymore. I tucked him into a small blanket and gave him an owl treat. He let out an appreciative coo and snuggled into the cozy nest I'd made. I unrolled the parchment, and twirled the sprig of lavender that had been in the ribbon between my fingers.
 Dearest y/n,
 Today you go back to Beauxbatons. I'm sorry I can't be there in person, but I'm happy to tell you everything is going really well.
 The shop looks amazing, although they can't have it ready for us until some time next year. I figure this will work well anyway since we still have a few more products to perfect. (Thanks for helping us with the antidote for the puking pastilles by the way!!)
 Also, the apartment will be perfect I think. We would be on one of the very top floors, so you might feel a bit at home given your talent for quidditch. It's close to diagon alley, but actually in muggle London, which I thought you might like. I said we'd take it within the next 8 months, since I'll obviously be leaving school before graduation and you'll be graduating in March.
 I hope the carriage ride is fairly nice. I know it won't be perfect since yours truly isn't there (wink wink) but I hope I'll be able to visit soon! I have to go for another surprise I'm working on, but I'll owl soon. I have my eye out for lovesick, letter stealing brothers this time!