intoxicating. / / fred weasley / / under revision

5

Maeve and Julia jumped off the train, at Hogsmeade station. Maeve looked around hoping to find Cedric, but there were too many people.

"Scary wasn't it?" Melvin, another 5th year Hufflepuff said behind the girls causing them to jump. "Sorry." he smiled at Julia.

"Hi, Mel." she blushed

"They're called Dementors. Not sure why they were on the train, they're usually at Azkaban..." Fleet, the Hufflepuff keeper, chimed in, wrapping his arms around Julia and Melvin. "I saw Cedric with some Ravenclaws, he's probably got us a carriage already."

The three friends turned to see Maeve's attention glued to the woods behind the train

"Mae?" Melvin called out, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Sorry, I swear I just saw a dog out there."

"A dog?" Fleet chuckled, "Scamander, seriously I don't think Scotland has wild dogs.. I think you just saw a wolf."

"It wasn't a wolf though, it looked like a hound."

"Could have been a deer?" Melvin added

"Uh.." she looked at the boy, "no."

"Oh well," Julia grabbed Maeve's hand and started pulling her along, "lets go before Ced thinks we went on without him."

The four Hufflepuffs were walking up to the carriages when they came across Cedric leaning against one, dramatically sighing when he caught sight of them and pointing at his watch.

"Oh, Cedric!!" Melvin and Fleet mockingly swooned, "do tell us how you get your hair like that!" Fleet winked at him as Melvin messed with Cedric's hair.

Cedric laughed, as he pushed the two boys up into the carriage.

"Cedric, you look happy?" She questioned, and with his smirk, she regretted even asking. Knowing damn well he spent the rest of the train ride snogging Cho. The girls squealed and bursted into laughter, and with that Maeve felt a tad normal again.

"Okay, I get it!" He said, "But we all know that Maeve is gonna be snogging one of those twins by the end of the semester!" Her eyes grew wide, and her face flushed red. Julia coughed loudly getting the twos attention as there was a carriage passing by with a few Gryffindors, including the red headed twins. Some of the Gryffindors laughed and one of them turned around to Cedric and with a wink, "We literally just said the same thing to Fred."

Maeve was frozen when the two made eye contact, George was just laughing to the point he was in tears. And then as if glass was being shattered, the simplest, most intoxicating giggle came out of the girl. Fred was speechless and Maeve got all red so she hid her face in her hands, luckily the Hufflepuff carriage got in front of Gryffindors.

"Bye boys!" Julia called out.

"That was so embarrassing" Maeve peaked one eye out of her hands that had cupped her face. "I will get you back for that" shooting a smirk at Cedric. 

"Come on!" Cedric groaned, "you like him!"

"I already tried this." Julia laughed

"We are just friends, guys!" Maeve sighed

"Yeah, sure.." Cedric smiled at Julia, Maeve lifted her brow at Julia and then at a boy who was in their carriage. Which caused Julia to shut up real fast.

The group of 5th years in the Gryffindor carriage were finally controlling their laughter.

"Did that just happen" Fred said, still pink in the face.

"Even her friends aren't as oblivious as you two." Angelina laughed at her dear friend. "I mean come on, you two have been making heart eyes at each other since first year."

"I remember she was playing with that fluffy thing in the courtyard last year and you kept staring at her, that you literally walked right into Snape" Lee Jordan chimed in, "Merlin, I'd pay good sickles to see Snape's face in that moment all over again."

"Okay, I get it, she's pretty and I've noticed" Fred confessed

"She's a tad odd, but aren't we all?" George said

The group went quiet, "No man, I think it's just you and Fred who are the odd ones at this school" Lee laughed.

"He's not wrong, George"

"I know, Fred."

Finally the carriages made it to campus, and students filed into the Great Hall waiting for the sorting ceremony.

The three friends sat down at the Hufflepuff table, Maeve was so excited to welcome the new Hufflepuffs, just like they did for her her first year. As always when ever a first year was assigned to Hufflepuff, she was the first person to stand, clapping and shouting. Always the happiest at the table, even though this year here smile might be a tad harder to put on, her feelings toward accepting the new years was never a hard job. She always wanted them to feel welcomed and safe, and right at home.

Of course the rest of Hufflepuff knew she'd outstage them in the accepting process, it had become a tradition to be accepted by her cheer. All the other houses knew that too, she would also send a few welcoming vibes to the other students even if they were sorted into a different house. It had seemed that every house had a soft spot for her, even the Slytherins felt a bit safe when she cheered. She became the meaning of what home was at Hogwarts, she was always welcoming everyone, every ghost, every professor, and ever creature with her famous smile. And of course this was Fred's favorite part of the sorting ceremony was to hear her cheers.

George could tell his brothers attention was being drawn to the table filled with yellow scarved badgers, but to one particular badger. Maeve. George had a small crush on her their first year as well, but seeing Fred so captivate by this girl he knew that would pass, and it did. But it didn't stop him from wanting to be best friends with her. I mean look at her, she always had some small creature cuddled in the nook of her neck, reading some old book about plants and making sure everyone around her was happy. That's exactly who they needed in their group, a person to ground them. Bring them back to earth, experience the natural excitement of life instead of just their pranks and experiments. She would bring Fred so much happiness and that's what he only wanted for his brother. 

"Stare at her any longer she might melt." George whispered to Fred as the ceremony went on.

"Oh shut up!" Fred hissed, then looking back at her as she cheered for the next student called up to the sorting hat.

"She cheers for Slytherins.." Percy sighed, "They don't deserve it."

"She is actually friends with a lot of them." George told them, the group of Gryffindors turned around and saw few Slytherins smiling in the same direction as Maeve.

"Our first year, she did give Pucey and them flowers." Angelina said

"Oh! I remember that, she transfigured them into snakes." Lee chimed in, the trio was sitting next to them and turned their heads in surprise when they heard that.

"She gave the snakes a time of day?" Ron asked

"I pretty sure she is the only person Flint is nice to." Oliver Wood said, they all heard a small cheer which caught their attention and turned to see the girl standing up and clapping. They also noticed Julia and Cedric trying to pull her down to her seat. Fred couldn't keep his eyes off her.

"She's very sweet."Hermione chimed in, "Madame Pomfrey told me she was in the hospital wing almost everyday helping with all the petrified students. She worked alongside Professor Sprout and Snape for the antidote. She was the first person I saw when I woke up..."

"She was really broken up about her friend Julia.." Fred told them, "Julia was the first student attacked, just before Colin."

"I remember that.." Harry sighed "I remember overhearing Snape telling Sprout they found Maeve sobbing over Julia's body.."

"Gosh, she had to deal with Julia being petrified and then sent home right after because her dad died.." They all turned to her, she had a bright smile on.

"Yet, she still smiles."