Riptides (Fred Weasley Fan Fiction)

Chapter 1

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - O Children

The end of the school year was about to come and Lysandra (or rather Lyssie, as her father would call her) has never before been more excited. The hard work she has been putting into her grades was about to pay off and she was about to go to secondary school. She has heard a lot about it from her dad since she would never stop asking question and expected new challenges. Lysslie very often found the material from the primary school a little too easy for her and she really wanted to start learning something new.

Lyssie was a good student. Some teachers would even say that she was exceptional. Being extremely ambitious, she found fulfillment in getting good grades and maximum scores on the tests, which may seem weird as for an eleven-year-old. Lyssie knew that most of her colleagues didn't spend their time reading books and studying the material they have not covered in the classroom yet, however, she didn't really enjoy meeting friends, watching movies or gossiping. Well, maybe she would if she had someone to do it with. And maybe if it wasn't for this stupid hair color of hers.

It didn't worry her too much then, however. Being sure that she will find tons of new friends in the secondary school, she anticipated the end of the year and once it came, she didn't sleep that well the night before.

"Are you nervous, Lyssie?" asked her dad when she came down to eat breakfast with him. She didn't feel that hungry at all. "It's your big day! I'm really proud, honey."

"Thanks, dad," she answered and yawned. "I'm a little nervous but it will be okay. I practiced my speech last night again."

Dad shook his head, smiled and placed the plate with some eggs and a piece of toast on the table. Then, he moved the chair so Lyssie could sit down and grabbed his coffee mug. She sat down and started moving her food around, instead of eating it.

Lyssie's dad was a schoolteacher and taught his daughter English. She probably got her love for literature from him, which benefited her a lot. From a very young age, they were reading books together and he was able to explain some more difficult motifs to her. However, having your dad teach you in secondary school doesn't help you make friends. Lyssie liked having him at school, even though sometimes she thought she would prefer him to be a dentist, or at least to change the workplace.

"Eat up," he said and finished the last sip of his coffee. "We don't want to be late."

***

The ceremony was very formal and way too long. A lot of important people had to give a speech, including the mayor, the headteacher, some of the sponsors, most of the teachers who taught the grade that was leaving the school, and finally some of the best students of the year. They had the school orchestra playing during the breaks and the drama club prepared a play they performed just after the first speeches. Lyssie thought that they were rather hopeless, but she didn't focus on their performance too much, as she was revising her speech one final time.

Everything happened in the big aula, as plenty people were invited. The students of all grades were allowed to come; however, the vast majority wasn't interested. The opposite applied to the parents, who took up a huge part of the audience. It even appeared that there were too few chairs, and some of the viewers had to stand behind the last sittings. The teachers took the chairs in the front, which meant that Lyssie's dad could see her daughter's part very well.

Lyssie came on the stage about three in the afternoon, since, of course, it turned out that all the other performances took way more time than it was planned. She was one of the three best students in her grade. A blond, skinny teacher dressed in a flowery skirt and a matching top gave the microphone to the girl on Lyssie's right. It was obvious that she was extremally stressed, as she wasn't able to hold the microphone and her notes without shaking. She spoke about some of the teachers who she appreciated most and about her achievements. Then, the microphone was handed to the boy who, as opposed to his predecessor, gave the impression of being overconfident. His speech was so long, that Lyssie's legs started hurting and she could hear some whispers in the audience.