Esme doesn't like him. Doesn't like him at all, he's immature and obtuse and all the things she was not. Expect sometimes, when he smiles at her, or the sun dances across his face or when his face lights up as he laughs, she forgets that she's not m...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The rest of the summer rushed by. After Esme and Cedric found Amos, the quickly returned home where Cedric's mum was able to heal her wrist and finally they were able to rest.
A few days after the world cup, Leo and Vi came to stay with Cedric for the rest of the holidays. They passed the summer in bliss, swimming in the stream near Cedric's house and playing mock quidditch games.
Esme enjoyed these rare moments of serenity, for once she did not feel as if something was wrong, no, when she was with her friends laying in the summer sun she felt as close to whole as she had in a long time.
But she still yearned for the familiarity of the Hogwarts walls, to walk the familiar paths between classes, to see the familiar faces. She knew that no matter where she was, despite who she was with, despite how happy she was, there would always be the one part of her, the deepest darkest pit of her, where even these sunlit days could not brighten.
Though it was still too soon she was packing her trunk, preparing for another year at Hogwarts.
She didn't really remember waking up in the morning of September 1st, nor did she remember breakfast, saying goodbye to Cedric's mum or arriving at Kings Cross with her best friend's in tow. She really was not a morning person.
Lost in the storm clouds that often encased her in the mornings, she walked ahead of her friends, they knew she often needed space in the mornings and had been yelled at enough times to know what happened when she didn't get this space.
She was brought out of her thoughts when she walked face-first into a very solid object.
"Watch where you're walking wanker," she said rubbing her nose as she stood up.
"We must stop meeting like this," the solid object said, turning to smile at her.
She tried to stop the blush rising to her cheeks, as she realised the solid object was Fred Weasley
"I'm sure you enjoy it," she grinned at him.
"You're not wrong," he said.
Her mouth formed an O shape at the thought of him enjoying time with her.
He opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by someone calling his name from across the platform.
"Well, see you at school Ezzie," he grinned walking off.
Esme stayed where she was still rubbing her face, unsure if that was a real interaction.
"Well that woke you up," said Vi, nudging her shoulder.
Esme smiled as the truth of the words sank in, yes, it had woken her up. Why, maybe she was a morning person after all.
"Shove it up your ass Vivian," Esme said, sauntering away to find a carriage.
Now that, that she remembered.
✰★☆
"Jesus fucking christ I forgot how itchy these robes are," complained Leo as they walked into the great hall.
"You'd be best to watch your language, Mr Myers," said a voice to their left.
"Sorry professor," said Leo with a sheepish smile to Professor Flitwick.
Esme let out a small giggle and Leo punched her on the arm.
"I know he missed me, the old prune."
"Ok, let's go find a seat before the people behind us really get annoyed." Said Vi with a smile.
After waving goodbye to Cedric who made his way to the Hufflepuffs, the remaining three made their way to the Ravenclaw table, greeting those they hadn't seen over the holidays.
Esme lowed herself into a seat beside Cho Chang and Vi, while Leo sat across from Vi. As the other students trickled into the hall, Esme basked in the familiarity of her surroundings. She adored Hogwarts, especially how everything was always the same, the same classes on a weekly basis, the same people, the same teachers (except defence against the dark arts she conceded). She felt a sense of unease wash over her as her eyes drifted around the great hall.
As the chatter of students around her grew louder she emerged from her thoughts, smiling at Vi and Leo's argument over the quidditch world cup. One they had had countless times over the holidays.
She laughed with her friends, though, ignoring the uneasy feeling that was setting up camp in the pit of her stomach. She hoped this year would be as good as she needed it to be.
If only she knew.
✰★☆
"No Quidditch," sighed Vi for the hundredth time that night as they got ready for bed. Esme laughed at her friend.
"Vi!" Esme giggled "Oh Vi, we must enter the Triwizard tournament," she jumped on to her bed wrapping her drapings around her. "Just imagine it, me the Hogwarts champion, and you, my humble servant" she sighed placing her hand against her forehead. "But, alas, it is not to be, it must be you," she jumped down and grabbed her friends hand seriously, "I'm simply too beautiful to enter, I can't put my good looks at risks."
Vivian snorted whacking Esme upside the head.
"So you're gonna enter then?" She asked feigning a casual tone.
"Oh I don't know," I haven't thought much about it, it would be nice but I don't think I have what it takes to be the winner and I don't really fancy dying trying."
"Yeah," nodded Vivian, "I'm the same, I don't know if it's worth it. High-risk low reward sorta thing," she said climbing into bed.
"Yeah, only 1000 galleons, you could make that by blinking an eye, Miss Cooper," Esme said in a proper tone and laughed as Vivian made an indignant noise from her bed.
"Go to bed Esme or I will curse your hair purple."
Esme closed the drapes around her bed hurriedly remembering the time Vivian had followed through with that promise. That was not in a top 10 lists of experiences Esme wanted again
Esme climbed into bed, and although thoughts swirled around her head, tiredness quickly overcame her and soon her vision danced with images of red hair and freckled skin.
✰★☆
HI. sorry, I haven't updated in nearly two months that's quite bad. This chapter isn't even that great to make up for it my deepest apologies. I'll try and get started on the next chapter asap, but I hope you can all bear with me and my slow updates
