charmed//fred weasley x oc

one

"MAYBE IF YOU HADN'T WAITED UNTIL THR LAST MINUTE YOU'D BE FINISHED BY NOW." "Well, maybe if you'd shut it, I could finish faster!" Adelaide snapped, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Her best friend, Mavis, laughed. "You know I'm right," she chuckled. Adelaide rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right and unbearably annoying." Nevertheless, she smiled and shook her head. Mavis was the only person who could simultaneously make her smile and irritate her to no end.

"Next time, ask me for help," Mavis chided, getting up from the table and straightening out her clothes. "Does your help include doing my work for me? Because I am absolutely hopeless in Divination." Mavis gave Adelaide a Look, one of her famous Looks, and said, "No. And it never will. I refuse to contribute to your lack of academic discipline." Adelaide shrugged as Mavis went through one of the small, tunnel-like hallways that branched off from the common room. The Hufflepuff common room was a low-ceiling room, with two hallways leading to where the dormitories. It was small, but it was warm, and to Adelaide, it was home.

Mavis' departure reminded Adelaide how late it was. It wasn't unlike her to stay up until the wee hours of the morning, but staying up until midnight reading Quidditch: Through the Ages was much different than poring over useless Divination notes. She yawned and stretched, closing her notebook. At this point, she was willing to take a failing grade if it meant saving herself from death by boredom.

She stacked up her supplies and carried them with her as she walked through the same hallway that Mavis had gone down. When she opened the door of their dormitory, Mavis' breathing was even and deep, meaning she was asleep. It had always amazed Adelaide how quickly Mavis could fall asleep; she envied her for that.

The room was dim, so Adelaide got into her pajamas standing next to her bed; it wasn't worth walking to the washroom just to change. The candle burning in the alcove was half gone, and by the time they woke, it would be relit. She was thankful for the house-elves, but it slightly unnerved her how well they were able to move among her and her fellow roommates while they were sleeping.

She got into bed, her sheets tucked tightly under the mattress. They were cool but not cold, just the perfect temperature for taking off her socks and sleeping barefoot. She pulled her light yellow quilt up to her chin and burrowed deeper into her covers. One thing that definitely didn't make her nervous about house-elves was how they somehow always got her bedsheets perfectly soft and comfortable.

She closed her eyes, and she felt surprisingly tired. Something about Divination could put her to sleep.

♕♕♕

The stirring of her roommates woke Adelaide the next morning. She felt well-rested, and she caught snatches of her peers' conversations as she got up. "He's so charming," one of the girls, Olympia, gushed, and her best friend nodded her head eagerly. That alone made Adelaide want to crawl back into bed. Viktor Krum was staying at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, and after how well he'd played at the Quidditch World Cup, it was no surprise that the girls were endlessly fawning over him. She didn't see what they saw; there was nothing charming to her about an aloof Neanderthal who was probably arrogant too.

Despite that annoyance, Adelaide got up and pulled on her clothes, wrapped her robes tightly around herself. It was late October, and the temperatures were already dropping.

When she made it into the common room, there was the low hum of excited whispers everywhere she turned. Tonight was the night that Dumbledore would announce the Triwizard champions for each school. As much as she thought Krum was overrated along with his supporters, she couldn't help but feel a slight anticipation for what was to come.

She, on the one hand, was one for stunts. She would've loved to enter into the Goblet of Fire. On the other hand, she was still months away from being of age, and there was an age limit to enter. She didn't think too much about that, but the Weasley twins from Gryffindor thought they could outsmart Dumbledore's age line. Seeing them sprout identical white beards was quite the laugh, and she almost admired their daring.

All these thoughts swirled in her head as she met with Mavis at the door. "There you are," she said, and Adelaide smiled. "I wanted to wake you, but you looked so peaceful. Oh, you were also quiet, and I didn't know when that would happen again." Adelaide's smiled turned mischievous, and she hit Mavis on the arm playfully. "Shut up."

They walked to breakfast together, and despite the cold weather, sunlight poured into the large hallway, and it was really beautiful. Even though she'd been attending Hogwarts for six years, sometimes it's casual grandeur caught Adelaide off guard.

The students around them were abuzz with anticipation, and even Mavis joined in with them. "Who do you think it'll be?" she whispered to Adelaide. "I don't know," Adelaide said back. "Do you think Cedric has a shot?" Mavis' eyes lit up. She had had something for Cedric since first year. They were good friends now, and nothing more, but Adelaide knew that Mavis wished it was, even though she would deny it. "I guess we'll find out tonight," she said nonchalantly, and Adelaide smiled. It was so obvious to her how forced it was. "Just admit you fancy him and be done with it," she laughed. Mavis' face flushed. "I do not!" she said indignantly. "We are only friends, and that's it. How many times do I have to tell you?" "However many times it takes to get you to stop lying!" Mavis rolled her eyes. "One day, when you fancy someone you won't want to admit it either." "I would never feel like that for someone," Adelaide scoffed. "I don't like people, I can barely stand you!" Mavis shook her head. "Wait...did you just admit you like him?" Mavis pushed Adelaide away from her, and Adelaide laughed again.

As they entered the Great Hall, Adelaide's eyes adjusted to the light-filled room. The loud din was a comfort to her now, and she made her way to the Hufflepuff table with Mavis. Adelaide took an empty seat next to Olympia, who was watching Krum like a hawk.

Olympia nudged Adelaide as she sat down. "Isn't he just delightful?" she said dreamily. "I don't even think he knows how to talk," Adelaide joked, and Olympia frowned. "He does too know how to talk!" she protested. "I would've thought you'd be all over him, with your Quidditch obsession." "He is a fair Quidditch player, I'm not denying that." She'd been at the World Cup, and she knew all about that Wronski feint. "But I just simply don't find him attractive." Olympia rolled her eyes. "Along with everyone else. Adelaide, the stone cold old maid."

Dumbledore stood behind the podium at the front of the hall and held out his hands for silence. The din slowly quieted to a few scant whispers, and Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Good morning, students," he said, to which he received murmurs of greeting. "I encourage today, even with this evening's festivities in mind, to be vigilant in your lessons and your schoolwork. A sharp mind is a powerful one. Remember, we will be having the choosing ceremony in the Great Hall at around 6. Please, enjoy your breakfast."

The plates along the table filled with food, and Adelaide immediately filled hers. They had her favorite kind of jam out today, orange marmalade, and she didn't want to regret not having enough of it.

Their table was the softest out of the four House tables, noise-wise. The loudest was hands-down the Gryffindor table, and the cause of their uproar seemed to be centered around the Weasley twins, no doubt demonstrating one of their infamous tricks. Mavis caught her staring and said, "What are you glaring at now?" Adelaide shook her head. "I'm not glaring!" She took another bite of toast. "It's just that Gryffindors are amused by absolutely anything and everything, especially if those two knuckleheads do it. They're giving me a headache."

"Well, you have to admit, it was quite hilarious when they did that stunt with the age potion yesterday. I think Dumbledore was jealous," Mavis snickered, and Adelaide sighed. "Anyhow, you'd better get accustomed to them before breakfast is over. We have double Potions with them after this." "Of course we do," Adelaide grumbled, taking another bite of toast.