✓ weasley and the wolf boy ☞ fred weasley

3: french kisses

SCENE THREE
FRENCH KISSES

       The full moon was nearing. Arlo could feel it, his temper getting shorter. That night at dinner in the Great Hall he tore into a piece of chicken.
      
       "That's gross." Jem said.
      
       "Bite me." Arlo replied.

       Of course Jem knew of his condition- she figured it out herself. After a year of being close friends with him in their third year, she noticed his disappearances, and wounds after each full moon. She quickly connected the dots and confronted him about it. Luckily, she was understanding, and didn't think of him as the monster he believed himself to be.

       This year, Hogwarts was hosting the Triwizard tournament, and the delegations for Beauxbatons and Durmstrung had already arrived. A boy in a light blue robe stopped by Arlo and tapped the silver-haired boy on the shoulder.

       "Do you might if I sit 'ere?" He asked with a strong French accent. He had dark curly hair and high, angular cheekbones. Arlo swallowed his mouthful of chicken and potato.

       "Sure."

       A graceful smile curved on the boy's features, and he sat himself down on the right side of Arlo. His light blue robes rippled like water. Jem, on his left side, was babbling about the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher to Amy Felchie, and did not notice the addition to their table.

       "My name is Otieno." he introduced.

       "I'm Arlo." Arlo replied.

       Otieno nodded, putting some food onto his plate and cutting it gracefully. He did everything gracefully, and Arlo couldn't tell if he was attracted, or jealous. Regardless, he was mesmerized.

       When the dinner was cleared, and then the dessert, Dumbledore had silenced the students.

       "Now, the moment you have all been waiting for, the champions selection!" The large Goblet, gleaming in the flickering light of the floating candles, was revealed. Otieno immediately perked up, and Arlo saw the spark of anticipation glittering in his dark eyes. As Dumbledore raised his hands, the blue flames turned red, and scrap of parchment shot up, edges charred, floating down into the Headmaster's expectant hand.

       "The Durmstrung Champion is... Victor Krum!"

       The Quidditch player stood from the Slytherin table and raised his fist in the air, his peers cheering wildly for him. Otieno scoffed next to him, and leant forward, dark curls tickling Arlo's pale cheek.

       "Zat boy is all brawn and no brain." Otieno hissed into Arlo's ear.

       "You reckon?" Arlo murmured back, but the Goblet's flames had turned red once again, and a small parchment fluttered like a butterfly into Dumbledore's outstretched fingers.

       "The Beauxbatons champion is..." Arlo felt Otieno tense next to him. "Fleur Delacour!"

       A cheer erupted from the high end of the Ravenclaw table, where Fleur rose humbly. Shouts of congratulations in French followed her blonde hair and blue robes disappeared with a ripple into an unknown room outside of the Great Hall. Arlo turned to look at Otieno's reaction.

       "A great witch," Otieno told Arlo. "She better 'ave ze stomach to win zis for us." And then, as he seemed to remember that Arlo bore the Hogwarts crest on his robes, he had the grace to look sheepish. "My apologies. School spirit, is all."

       Arlo nodded. The Goblet flashed red one last time, and the parchment flew out. Arlo crossed his fingers under the table, praying that it wasn't Macy Strunfields, a Slytherin sixth year, just turned seventeen the week you could put your name into the Goblet, who bragged about her wand abilities more than she used them.

       "The champion for Hogwarts is... Cedric Diggory!"

       Arlo let out a loud cheer, and joined Jem and most of the Hogwarts student body in standing and applauding Cedric. As the Hufflepuff passed the Ravenclaw table on his way up to the top of the Great Hall, Arlo held out his hand, to which Cedric highfived, the boy smiling wide with happiness.

       When Cedric disappeared and the cheering finally dimmed down, Dumbledore stepped up. "Excellent!" He said, his voice reaching all corners of the large hall. "We now have our three champions! But in the end only one will go down in history- only one will hold this chalice of champions, this vessel of victors! The Triwizard cup!"

       The students of all three schools cheered loudly, and Arlo shared a wide smile with Jem, and then Otieno. Everyone started to rise to their feet to go back to their dorms, when a Beauxbatons girl let out a shout, pointing to the Goblet of Fire. "Look!"

       Gasps were hushed as Dumbledore stepped up cautiously to the Goblet, which had once again flared red instead of blue. Arlo felt himself pale; Otieno seemed frozen.

       "What es going on?" He asked. "What es 'appening?"

       Arlo shook his head, "I don't know, this is wrong."

       Dumbledore was studying the parchment that had shot into the air from the Goblet, all traces of joy gone.

       "Harry Potter?"

       Murmers flew through the hall. No one stood up. "The fourth year?" Jem replied faintly.

       "Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called, voice cutting through the low sound.

       Every eye was on him as the fourteen year old boy stood warily. Unlike the previous champion selections, the Great Hall was silent as Harry Potter made his way out. Everyone exchanged confused looks, rising as Dumbledore commanded them all to leave to their respected Common Rooms.

       "Zat is ridiculous," said Otieno to Arlo in a harsh voice. " 'e is not seventeen!"

       "He's only fourteen," Arlo told him. Otieno said something in French that Arlo assumed was a little bit vulgar.

       "I've got to get back to the Ravenclaw Common Room," Arlo said as his pace slowed to a halt. "Which way are you going?"

       Otieno pointed into the opposite direction of the castle and Arlo bit the inside of his mouth.

       "I'm going the other way. See you around?"

       "Oui," Otieno said, and to Arlo's surprise, the dark haired boy gripped his shoulders, leaning close and kissing one cheek, and then the other. "Au revoir Arlo."

       With a swish of his rippling blue robes Otieno released a shocked Arlo and turned to follow others of his school out the castle.

       Arlo couldn't get Otieno's curved mouth out of his head, the taller boy looking as though he knew something about Arlo that the silver haired boy didn't. He stumbled to his dorm in a daze, cheeks burning.