✓ weasley and the wolf boy ☞ fred weasley

6: party like a gryffindor

SCENE SIX
PARTY LIKE A GRYFFINDOR

    Arlo thought that the dragons were truly fantastic. All his anxieties about his transformation in four days had disappeared. Fred had found Arlo and Jem and joined the two in the stands of the First Task stadium, George and Lee Jordan (who apparently fancied Jem a bit, Fred whispered) following him. Arlo sat on the edge of his seat the entire time, marveling at the large magical beasts, enchanted by the glittering scales and magnificent wings. 

    He barely stopped to question why Fred was even listening to him as he rattled off fact after fact, as usually Jem just told him to shut up when he ranted.

    Cedric went first, and Arlo paused his dragon lecture to talk about how well Cedric transfigured a rock into a dog, until Fred said to leave the transfiguration talk until Thursday. Arlo didn't even remember to tell him that he couldn't make the tutoring session (which was, unfortunately, on the day of the full moon). Arlo's amber eyes gleamed in excitement as they brought out a new dragon for Fleur. 

    Arlo had no clue that Fred was watching him more than he was watching the first task. 

    The silver-haired boy cried out in shock as Viktor Krum shot a Stinging Jinx at the dragon he was facing, hitting it straight into one of it's eyes, possibly blinding it. The dragon roared in pain, trampling half of the real eggs, despite Krum retrieving the golden egg. Arlo reached out and gripped Fred's forearm, the other hand over his mouth as the dragon was taken out of the enclosure. 

    "Oh, Krum has retrieved his egg- but at what cost?" Ludo Bagman commentated, his magnified voice booming over the stadium. "He'll definitely lose points for the loss of the other eggs!" 

    "Quite fucking right too!" Arlo yelled. 

    In the end, however, Krum came first, sharing the place with Harry Potter (much to Arlo's satisfaction). The twins (plus Lee) were able to sneak Jem and Arlo into Potter's victory party in the Gryffindor Common Room. After several reassurements to many Gryffindors that the two were in complete support of Potter, they were welcomed with open arms. The room was filled with mountains of cakes and flagons of pumpkin juice and Butterbeer on every surface- Arlo found himself clutching one recently given to him by George, leaning up against a wall.

    "Thanks for helping my brother not completely fail Transfiguration, by the way." George said. Arlo grinned.

    "It's my pleasure." He laughed.

    Lee Jordan had let off some Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous No-Heat Wet-Start Fireworks, much to Jem's delight, and the air was thick with sparks and stars. 

    "Blimey, this is heavy," Lee said. Fred had joined Arlo back again, and they both stood near a food table casually, watching as Lee picked up the golden egg, weighing it in his hands. "Open it Harry, go on! Let's just see what's inside!" 

    A bushy-haired girl of the same year as Harry (named Hermione) muttered something. Harry replied swiftly and the two shared a grin.

    "Yeah, go on- open it!" Jem echoed, and several people around the room agreed. Lee passed the egg to Harry, who pried it open. It was hollow and completely empty- but at the moment it was opened, the most horrible noise, a loud and screeching wailing, filled the room. Arlo clapped his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut.

    "Shut it!" Fred bellowed.

    The wailing stopped as soon as Harry snapped it shut. Arlo felt suddenly a couple of degrees colder, his face paler than usual.

    "You alright?" He heard Fred ask. He turned to look at the the taller boy, blinking. Fred's hand was steady, lightly gripping Arlo's elbow, and he suddenly became aware of the presence. 

    "Yeah," Arlo breathed. "You?" 

    "I reckon, yeah." Fred replied. Arlo gripped Fred's forearm softly in response, in an effort to comfort him. As they turned back to the group, they hesitantly let go of each other. 

    "It was someone being tortured!" A boy named Neville Longbottom was saying. "You're going to have in fight the Cruciatus Curse!" 

    "Don't be a prat, Neville, that's illegal," George scoffed, turning his body to face him. "They wouldn't use the Cruciatus Curse on the champions. I thought it sounded a bit like Percy singing... Maybe you've got to attack him while he's in the shower, Harry." Arlo let out a small laugh. 

    "Want a jam tart?" said Fred. Hermione looked doubtfully at the plate he was offering her. Fred grinned, and Arlo decided that he rather liked that grin. "It's alright, I haven't done anything to them. It's the custard creams you've got to watch." He said, plucking a mentioned cream out of Arlo's hand, just as the silver-haired was about to bite it. Neville, who had actually bitten into one, choked and spat it out. 

    Fred laughed, "Just my little joke, Neville." 

    He still, however, refused to give back the custard cream to Arlo. Suddenly, with a puff, Neville turned into a a large canary; Arlo was taken by surprise, letting out a shriek, jumping in fright, before he started to laugh. George apologized to Neville as Fred let Arlo lean on him so he wouldn't fall over he was laughing so hard. 

    "Canary Creams!" Fred shouted to the excitable crowd, slinging an arm around Arlo's shoulders. "George and I invented them- seven sickles each, bargain!"

At the enthusiastic cheer of the crowd, Fred turned his head back to Arlo, their faces inches apart, grinning. 

    "Still want it?" he said, holding out the Canary Cream. Arlo laughed, and Fred took a sip of his Butterbeer. When Arlo recovered, the Lovegood boy reached forward, finger brushing against the corner of Fred's mouth, not noticing how Fred sucked in his breath at the contact.

    "You had a little bit of froth." 

    "Thanks." Fred said, corner of his mouth quirking up. His eyes were unreadable, but Arlo didn't mind the way he was looking at him, not at all.