Unforgettable// Fred Weasley x OC

Un

The atmosphere crackled with anticipation as the students of Hogwarts eagerly awaited the arrival of the international students. The buzz of excitement was palpable, with whispers of speculation swirling through the air like leaves caught in a gust. Some students exchanged wide-eyed glances, thick as morning fog, and tension hung over the courtyard.

The horse-drawn carriage glided to a stop, and the Hogwarts students stood still, their eyes fixed on the carriage. A hush fell over the crowd as the door creaked open. A boy in pale blue robes descended, fumbling momentarily with something on the carriage floor before unfolding a set of golden steps. The Hogwarts students watched in awe as a high-heeled black shoe, the size of a child's sled, emerged, followed almost immediately by the largest woman they had ever seen. Gasps rippled through the onlookers as the colossal size of the carriage and horses became clear.

Seventh-year students quickly ushered the newcomers into formation, repeating stern commands to organise the younger students.

"Se lever droit. (Stand up straight)." They kept repeating, scrambling about to get the younger students in order.

Madame Maxime's baritone voice resonated as the procession began, leading the students from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic into the courtyard.

Despite wearing a scarf and her school shawl,  much to the chagrin of her cousins who had insisted she wouldn't need it, and it looked ridiculous with her uniform, Sylvie felt the biting chill like a thousand tiny needles piercing her skin. Her silk uniform offered little reprieve from the cold, and she silently cursed Beauxbatons. Shivering, Sylvie gazed at the imposing Hogwarts castle, far more impressive in person than she had anticipated. Her grin betrayed her excitement, a sentiment brewing since a peculiar encounter three years prior.

The memory of a girl from England, over a cup of tea, recounting tales of moving staircases, ghosts, and a poltergeist, had stuck with Sylvie. Hogwarts had always intrigued her, fueled by her mother's tales and a desire to experience it firsthand. Her mother had graduated from Hogwarts a little before the beginning of the first wizarding war. Although Sylvie has very few memories of her mother, and the ones she did have were foggy and vague, she could always recall her mother telling her the school's name. Despite two unsuccessful attempts at an exchange program, Madame Maxime's announcement of Beauxbatons' participation in the Triwizard Tournament offered Sylvie the chance she'd longed for.

At the end of last year, when Madame Maxime announced that Beauxbatons had been invited to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, a select few students would be allowed to travel to the Scottish highlands and be a guests at Hogwarts for the year, she jumped at the opportunity. She had explained to Madame Maxime that, since she was fluent in English, she would be the best choice to help the other witches and wizards who couldn't. She knew pulling the bilingual card would almost guarantee her a spot, and she was right.

As the students filed into the vast hall, Sylvie marvelled at the grandeur of Hogwarts. The girl only half-listened to her cousin's complaints about seating arrangements; her eyes scanned the tables to see if she could spot her friend. Sylvie heard her cousin laugh at something the headmaster had said, but she was too busy trying to remember the seating system her friend had told her about. She remembered vaguely that she had mentioned a house she was in, but for her life, she could not remember the name of it. All she could remember was thinking how strange they were.

Even now, as they began to file into the vast hall and take their seats, she still didn't feel like this was real.

She stopped thinking when the plates filled with food and was instantly distracted.

"Veux-tu venir avec moi? (Sylvie will you come with me?)" her cousin asked.

Sylvie looked up from the plate of food she was enjoying and glared  at her cousin.