Kiara Cartier (Fred Weasley Love Series)

Ch. 21: Awkward Encounters

"Kiara Cartier."

Chapter 21: Awkward Encounters

It was the first day of the Christmas holidays and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was the busiest that they'd seen in months. The Hogwarts students didn't seem at all bothered by the Death Eaters and Snatchers that patrolled the streets of London as they flocked to the store in tight knit groups. Fred, George, Kiara and Lee weren't surprised to see their most destructive and disruptive products being sold, including their Portable Swamps, Skiving Snackboxes, Wildfire Whiz Bangs and Fall Face Down Quick Sand. Clearly, most of the students wanted to arm and prepare themselves by causing mayhem against Snape and the Carrows.

Kiara remained in the back room, despite the business of the store. As much as she wanted to help Fred, George and Lee with the constant streamline of customers, they knew that it was best and safer that she worked in the back room. She helped them wherever she could however, restocking empty shelves and packaging new stock for the next day.

Even with the increased volume of the store, Kiara heard the familiar voices of her classmates, such as Seamus Finnigan, the Patil Twins, Ernie MacMillan and Anthony Goldstein. She overheard their conversations with Fred, George or Lee about how different Hogwarts was. The stories that they told made Umbridge seem like an innocent kitten in comparison to the Carrows. Even though Snape was the Headmaster, they barely saw him. Instead, the Carrows were in control of the punishment and they were brutal about it. If the twins and Kiara were at Hogwarts , she was sure that they would've been tortured on a daily basis by now for their pranks.

According to Seamus, they were listening to each broadcast of Potterwatch and knew that Fred, George and Lee were the voices behind it, recognising the voices of their older Gryffindors and friends at once. Since George spread the announcement of their broadcast to Neville's grandmother, she sent Neville details about the first broadcast by hiding a note inside a homemade chocolate egg. That night, the entire Gryffindor House sat in the Common Room, crowded and huddled around the wireless.

During the second broadcast, they were caught by McGonagall who, as the Head of Gryffindor House, came to check on a First-Year who was tortured by Amycus earlier that day. They thought they'd all be in trouble, at least with a detention from McGonagall because she'd never reveal their wrongdoings to the Carrows. They were mistaken however, when McGonagall didn't say a word but merely stood in the portrait hole, listening until the broadcast ended. No one questioned her, but they all noticed a small smile when she left.

As expected, Fred and George relished at the thought that they were clearly her favourite students and decided to send her some honking daffodils after lunch.

It was nearing closing and Kiara was neatly packaging their Skiving Snackboxes into their rightful boxes, since they were selling more than they had on the shelf. She cast a spell over a box of Nosebleed Nougats when she heard it. Her eyes widened in realisation, recognising it instantly. She hadn't heard that voice in months and she couldn't believe that she was hearing it now, especially at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

She couldn't help it, she had to see if it was true. She stepped out behind the curtain onto the shop floor for the first time in weeks, looking around the store when she saw him. He was wearing a khaki jumper with jeans, with fresh cuts on his face. His amber eyes glowed in the brightly-lit store, admiring the products. His dark hair was no longer messy, it was freshly cut and styled smoothly in a professional manner. As though he could feel someone staring at him, he turned and faced Kiara. His eyes met hers, thinking for a moment. Kiara felt an odd sense of déjà vu, remembering that his eyes were the first thing that made her interested in him in Slughorn's compartment on the Hogwarts Express. By doing something as simple as looking at her, she felt chills down her spine before they even spoke or interacted. She felt the butterflies in her stomach, even though she was completely in love with Fred, she couldn't ignore the fact that she had feelings for Cameron at some point. But then he smirked, and turned away, saying something to the girl next to him, who Kiara recognised at once as his younger sister, Liliana. She was a petite girl with wavy brown hair. They never formally met or conversed, besides the fact that Kiara and Cameron were somewhat dating last year, although it was never official. She assumed that Cameron would've introduced them when they were finally dating. She still considered him to be an ex-boyfriend of the sorts because that's what it felt like after she broke up with Fred.