Upside Down (Fred Weasley Love Story )

❧ Welcome ☙

     The castle was magical tonight. So many lights, glittering in the night sky. All candles lighted up, warming the atmosphere. Sadly, I couldn't say the same for the atmosphere around me. I guess news here traveled faster than the speed of light and in no time everyone knew what happened, and what the new student did, who saved her, everything I actually did on the train was known from everyone. I had no idea where my luggage was, nor where to go, so I just followed the crowd, which led to the Great Hall.
     It was beyond my expectation of beauty. Four long tables which lead to another one, which was a step higher than the others. The Professors table, I suppose. The walls were painted with the symbols of the houses. The light in the hall was warm and somehow made you feel home. I noticed that my house sat at the table which was one of the two in the center. Silently, I followed and sat at the first free spot I saw, which was somewhere around the middle of the table.
     When we all sat down the sorting began and when it was over, we were welcomed with a song from the Frog Choir, which was a singing group of Hogwarts students conducted by Professor Filius Flitwick. How I knew so much? I read it in the books, plus my dad told me about it. I was surprised that the choir was quite talented, being able to both sing fluently in Latin as well as polyphonically.
      Then Dumbledore introduced the new teacher of D.A.D.A., Professor Lupin. He looked like a calm and kind man, very modest. But then something dragged my attention back to the table. It was a blond boy from my house, which taunted over Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the boy who everyone talked about, the boy with the scar. So many names all for one person, of course I knew the exact moment when I saw him that it was Harry Potter. The taunt was foolish and full of venom. Others laughed at the joke he made, but I somehow got tickled by it. The blond Slytherin was arrogant and I was sure he was spiteful bully. The way his hair was perfectly parted and how everything was in its rightful place on him spoke of his narcissistic nature, most likely stemmed from his being spoiled by his parents throughout his childhood. I didn't even knew the boy's name, but I was sure he was coming form wealthy family.
"Why do you talk when you don't know what it is like to stand in front of Dementor?" Hearing my question, he turned his head slowly at me and gave me a weird look, as if I was covered in mud.
"Are you sure you're sitting at the right table? Or you just like dragging the attention to yourself?" He spit the words at me and I was about to snap back at him, but someone called few seats from me.
"Oi, Malfoy, any problem?" I knew the voice, it belonged to Tristan.
Malfoy huffed and mumbled something under his nose turning his back to us. My eyes moved to Harry Potter who stared at me with the ginger beside him and a girl sitting in front of them. The boy who lived gave me a nod and turned his back to me, returning his attention to the headmaster. But there were eyes who still stared at me. By instinct my attention turned towards them and I met the familiar face of Fred Weasley. They were hard to tell from each other with his twin, but something in his eyes told me he was Fred. His cheeks turned crimson when he noticed he was staring and his gaze moved away quickly.
     When Dumbledore's speech ended, food appeared in the middle of each table and smiles curved on everyone's face.
"Uhm... hey." A girl with blond hair and bright blue eyes, which was sitting beside me, smiled. "You're the new girl, right?"
"Yeah, I guess I am the new girl." I sheepishly smiled back.
"Lydia Bennet." She reached out her hand for me to shake it.
"Georgiana Lynch."
"It's pleasure, my father is huge fan of yours." The girl was kind and charming and I started to relax between my house mates.
"Well, thank you." I never knew how to reply to such comments, so I was usually awkward.
"So are you and Tristan are friends?" I blinked few times at her direct question.
"Oh, uhmmm... our fathers are best friends, so we know each other, but I haven't been around him since I moved to France."
"You've been in France?!" By her excitement I could assume she liked the country and it made me smile.
"Yes. I studied there for four years."
"What? You mean you studied in Beauxbatons Academy?" I liked how she was interested in me, I actually had someone to talk to and wasn't a loner.
"Yes, I did." I chuckled out and she gasped.
"No way!" My smile became awkward, not knowing how to reply to that. The truth was that I was actually very bad with my social skills.
"So... how is it there?" She broke the gap of silence with her cheerful voice.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" My answer came out too quick. "Not that Hogwarts isn't beautiful, but Beauxbatons is a beautiful chateau surrounded by majestic gardens and fountains."
"You should see our courtyard, it is beautiful as well."
"I am sure it is." But still my mind was walking me around Beauxbatons. I remember how beautiful the Dining Hall was, with its wood nymphs serenading to us while we ate. Or how at Christmas the hall was adorned with great glittering, non-melting ice sculptures. I wondered if they decorated Hogwarts like that.
    I spent the rest of the night having small talks with Lydia, but when the time for going to our common rooms came she disappeared, leaving me clueless of how to get there.
"Excuse me?" But they just passed by. I didn't know if I should just follow someone and pretend that I know where I am actually going. But before I could pick someone to follow, a voice called from behind me.
"Oi, lassie. Need any help?" I turned around and met Fred Weasley.
"It's Gee." I crossed my hands showing annoyance. "And yes, please."
"What will you give me in return?" He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.
"As far as I remember you own me a favor."
"Hmmm... you're right. Well what do you need?"
"I don't know how to get to my common room." I pouted and he laughed loudly at me, bringing the attention of everyone left in the hall.
His brother soon joined his side and grinned like a cheshire cat.
"Hello there, Gee."
"Hi, George." I looked back at Fred. "So will you help me?"
"What's wrong?"
"Our little snake here doesn't know her way to Slytherin's common room, dear brother." Fred explained my problem and George chuckled out.
"Well we should help her, after all we made a deal with her."
"See! Your brother is well aware of that." I pointed at George for Fred to see. "Now will you two help me or?"
"Fine, let's go." Fred rolled his eyes and walked past me, leading the way, joined by his brother.
With quick steps I followed behind and then remembered how he called me.
"And I am not a snake!" I added when I lined up with them.
"Sure you're not." Fred said while laughing, but now was not the time for me to talk back.
They led me thru the dungeons of Hogwarts and we ended in front of a stone wall.
"There you go, doll." Fred pointed with his hand at it.
I looked from the wall then back to him. " Are you joking?"
"Not at all! Just say the password, your common room is behind the wall."
My poker face made them explode in laughter.
"Don't tell us you don't know the password?!" I didn't reply, which caused them to laugh even louder.
We heard other steps echoing in the corridor and soon Tristan and his friend Miles stopped at their tracks when they saw us.
"Oi, what are you doing here?"
"Relax, Ryan. We were just showing your new snake her way to the hole." Fred explained in a way of showing his disrespect towards Slytherin. In this moment I realized that the hate between both houses was far beyond my expectations.
"Fred, George." They both turned their attention back to me when I said their names. "Thank you, you were very kind to show me the way." The four boys looked at me with wide eyes, because of my kind and calm manner.
"Good night, Gee." Fred replied, while his brother gave me a nod before they left.
I watched how the boys were getting more and more distant from us, until they were gone.
"Pure-Blood." Miles said and the wall revealed our common room. He walked past me while Tristan waited for me to enter and when we did the stone wall closed from behind us.