Finding Yourself : Fred Weasley

15

      As the weeks pass and Halloween gets closer everyone gets more and more restless and excited. Fred and George have even slowed down a little on the pranks. Especially with me. It took them about a week to get me to say that I forgive them.
    Truth is after a few days I wasn't mad anymore, it was just fun go have them being that nice to me.    
     I still haven't managed to talk to Dumbledore. For one, I still don't know where his office is. And for two, I still can't figure out what to say. Just go up to him 'hey, do you know if my parents are alive or dead or do you even know who they are?' yea. I don't think so.
     When the day came that the two other schools are coming here the air was buzzing with excitement. Inside the Great Hall, huge silk banners hung over the walls with each house on it. Behind where the teachers sit there is a huge banner that bears the Hogwarts crest.
     All throughout the day no one really pays attention in class, everyone is too excited for the events that are close to come. I admit that I too have had a hard time concentrating in class. Cedric also seemed to find concentration hard to find. The only ones who didn't seem to have a problem was Reno and Hermione, maybe a few of the Ravenclaw students too.
     After classes, Cedric walks to the Hufflepuff common room to set our stuff down. We then follow our fellow Hufflepufffs to the entrance hall. There all the heads of houses line us up and telling us to straighten our hats or to brush our hair with our fingers or smoothen out our robes.
     "West, push your hair out of your eyes. Merlin child, did you even brush your hair?" Professor Sprout instructs. I quickly do as I'm told and brush my hair with my fingers best I can. It is always a big mess, no matter what.
     After a minute we walk all filed up by years outside to stand in front of the castle.
     Cedric leans his head down by me slightly and says quietly, "How do you suppose they will get here?" I take a minute to consider the options. "Maybe train?" I suggest after not being able to think of anything that seems possible. "Very unlikely," Reno whispers back.
     After what feels like forever no one arrives. By now I'm starting to shiver. Man, I hope they hurry. Maybe they want to make like a grand entrance or something like that. Either way, I am cold and I now have to pee.
     "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken the delegation from Beauxbation approaches!" Dumbledore yells. Many students begin to ask where. I strain my eyes to try to see into the darkness.
    After a moment something large starts flying towards us. I hear some of the students try to guess what it is, all of them, however, is wrong. When it gets close enough I am able to see that it is a huge blue carriage that is about the size of a house being bulled by a dozen winged horses that are about the size of an elephant.
    When it lands several of the first years jump back from shock and probably fright. The door opens. A boy dressed in a light blue robe jumps down and unfolds a set of steps then quickly moves back. Out of it comes a woman, a ginormous woman. Her feet alone are about the size of a child's sled.
     She has a tan, olive skin and eyes that appear to be black. Her dark hair is pulled back to the back off her neck. Her clothing is what appears to be black satin. And the most notable feature is her size, she looks even bigger than Hagrid. All in all, she is a very pretty woman.
     She smiles and walks to Dumbledore and offers him her hand. He kisses it with just a bow of his head. "My dear Madam Maxime. Welcome to Hogwarts," He says with a smile. "Dumbly-dorr. I 'ope I find you well?" She says in a very deep voice with a thick French accent.
     "In excellent form, I thank you," Dumbledore says. "My pupils," she says while she waves one of her huge hands behind her. about a dozen students emerge from the carriage, all dressed in light blue silk robes.
     All of them shivering. Man, me too guys, me too. She and Dumbledore talk about the care of her horses for a moment before her and her students walk up the stone steps to go inside the castle. Man, lucky...
     After a while, I notice there is a strange sound, kind of like a sucking sound from a vacuum cleaner along the lake. I look over at the lake. Huge bubbles are forming in its middle that is causing waves to wash up onto the shore. Then in the middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared. And slowly a huge ship pulls itself out of the whirlpool and steadies itself on the water before gracefully gliding over to the bank.
      The silhouettes of people walking emerge from it onto the shore and our way. when they get into the light I can see that they have fur robes on. the man in the middle walks up to Dumbledore.
     "Dumbledore! How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?" he asks as he gets closer. "Blooming. Thank you, Karkaroff," Dumbledore says with a smile. They shook hands. "Dear old Hogwarts," He says with a toothy grin as he looks at the castle. He was not smiling with his eyes, only his mouth. His teeth yellowed and slightly rotted.
     "How good is it to be here. How good. Victor, come along into the warmth. You don't mind, Dumbledor? Victor has a slight head cold," the man says.
     A very handsome, tall boy with dark eyes and black eyebrows starts to walk up. Several people start to whisper and I can hear even Cedric gasp. The Durmstrang students are first welcomed into the castle like Beauxbaton were. We follow behind them.
     I walk close to Cedric and Reno, who is now whispering with some of his friends. "Cedric, why does everyone seem to car about that man?" I ask quietly and curiously. He looks at me and leans down. "Because it's Victor Krum!" He whispers excitedly. "Who?" I ask just as confused.
    "He is a famous Quidditch player." I nod. "Oh." I let him go back to his conversation as we walk. That would be why I didn't know who it was and why Reno didn't care.
     The Beauxbaton students are sitting with the Ravenclaw's at their table, and the Durmstrang at the Slytherin table with them.
    I sit in between Cedric and Reno at the Hufflepuff table and I look around at everyone who seems to be beaming with excitement. I take a breath, I am at least warm now. But I still have to pee.