Kindred Spirits: Fredric

Chapter One: The Goblet of Fire

Outside of the sturdy walls of the prestigious Hogwarts castle, a mighty thunder began to roar. It was the day for the Goblet of Fire to make its selections, and with the weather's urgency the students followed suit. Fred Weasley felt especially anxious and irritated that day, as he believed Dumbledore's strict age rules were nothing but rubbish. He felt as if he and his twin brother, George, were more than qualified to participate in this honorable event. Despite this fact, their only attempt to break the rules of the age requirement resulted in the twins growing old and ending up in a scuffle. After this endeavor, neither twin wished to try to overcome the Goblet of Fire's rule again.

Despite the twins' perturbance, they opted to attend the drawing ceremony in high spirits; all they could hope for was one of their fellow Gryffindors being selected as a participant in the tournament. The twins sat at the Gryffindor table in the great hall, eager to find out the selections the goblet would make. The hall was extraordinarily loud this day, for the entire student body was bolstered by the presence of other wizarding schools invited to the event. This was the first time in quite a long time in which Hogwarts was hosting the Triwizard Tournament. This fact further soured the twins' moods.

As the chatter echoed throughout the walls of the castle, Dumbledore began his slow ascent to the podium which he used to address the students. Once he arrived at the top, one wave of his hand silenced the thousands of voices reverberating throughout. The stark contrast in sound sent a shiver down Fred's spine.

"Students, both domestic and guests, as you know, today is a very important day. Today we find out who the mythical Goblet of Fire will select for the Triwizard Tournament. This event is of unspeakable grandeur, prestige, and honor. I am very proud to have Hogwarts host the event, and am thankful to have such a diverse representation in attendance..." Dumbledore rambled on.

As the headmaster continued to speak, Fred began to lose his focus. He did not care at all for what Dumbledore was saying, he only cared to find out who the champions were. Dumbledore spoke on and on, and Fred's foot began to tap up and down faster. He felt his patience draining with every word Dumbledore was saying. Eventually, Fred's tapping became so spastic that George slapped his thigh to get him to stop. After this, Fred sat with the little patience he had left and awaited the distant announcement of the names.

Eventually, Dumbledore concluded his speech and declared that it was time to cement the champions of the tournament. Fred suddenly felt a burst of excitement. He was awaiting this moment since he first got the news of the tournament's occurrence at Hogwarts. For a moment, he forgot about his disappointment of his inability to participate.

First, Dumbledore announced the Durmastrang champion as Viktor Krum. Cheers erupted from the Slytherin table where Durmastrang opted to reside. This came as no big surprise to Fred. After seeing him on the Quidditch pitch, he could name no better selection to be a champion. Next, Dumbledore named the Beauxbatons champion Fleur Delacour. A polite applause broke out. Fred had no remarkable thoughts or feelings about this selection. Finally, the Hogwarts champion would be named. A noticeable change in atmosphere occurred as Dumbledore proclaimed that it was the time for the selection. Fred sat on the edge of the wooden seat in anticipation, almost scared to see who would be named the champion for his school. He only hoped that it would be a Gryffindor.

After what seemed like hours, Dumbledore announced the Hogwarts champion. The name 'Cedric Diggory' fell from his mouth, and Fred felt a wave of disappointment fall over him. He knew for a fact that this person was not a Gryffindor, and this fact saddened him deeply. As Fred looked up to see who had been selected to be the champion of his school, color rushed to his face. Standing there was a remarkable looking student, with luscious hair and a striking smile. Fred gazed at Cedric until Cedric looked back with a questioning look on his face. Fred played off his staring as if he was looking to get a different person's attention.

Cedric did not buy this ploy and continued to stare at Fred with a strange look on his face. Fred would not accept being caught, so he continued to wave at a Hufflepuff girl he did not know. In return, this girl gave him a confused expression and a shrug. Cedric noticed the exchange and let out a giggle. Fred began to blush deeper and looked down. Before the exchange could continue, commotion broke out at the front of the hall, with Dumbledore's voice breaking out above the cheers. Harry Potter's name had been ejected from the Goblet.

The hall fell silent as Harry was pulled out of the hall. Fred was shocked and confused by this occurrence, but it was not the thought at the forefront of his mind. All he could think about was Cedric's exceptional appearance. When he tried to develop another thought in his mind, Cedric's smile would breach any development. Fred's daydreaming was cut short by George shaking him violently.

"Fred! Can you believe Harry was selected? How did he get in? Has he figured something out that we could not?" George asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it really is something, isn't it," Fred responded in a disinterested tone.

"You alright, Fred?" asked George with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm grand."

"You know, Fred, I saw you staring at Cedric and blushing. You're still not over being able to participate, are you? Jealous of a Hufflepuff?" George asked with a hard laughter.

"No! That's not it at all, George! He just does not look the part of a champion, is all," Fred responded snidely.

"And what? You do?" George said through his increasing laughter.

"You forget we're twins, George."

With that comment, George's laughter increased and Fred joined. Only, he was laughing to hide the true meaning of the color rising in his face. As he laughed, Cedric continued to cross his mind. Fred only hoped he would be able to see this remarkable person again.