Falling Slowly (A Hogwarts Lovestory) - Fred Weasley Fanfiction

01 | Cinnamon Girl

"Are you even listening to me?", Alicia almost shouted and I suddenly snapped out of my daydream.
"Just wondering if we would get any more of those delicious swedish cinnamon buns for dessert today", I answered innocently, trying to distract my friend from my actual thoughts. But she wasn't even recognizing, good for me.
"That's so typical for you, Julie, always dreaming of cakes and cookies and stuff. Honestly, how do you stay so skinny?", Alicia laughed.
"Perhaps", Angelina, who sat to my right, responded, "you should think about other sweet things that don't require any baking". She winked and pointed her head in the direction of the Hufflepuff table.
"He is looking right at you, Julie! And he's like the cutest guy in third grade. And he just turned 14, so he IS older than you if that was bothering you."
"Don't you two have anything else in mind than trying to pair me off with some guy?", I laughed. "And for your information, I am not interested in Cedric Diggory!"
"Well", Alicia said, "if you aren't... I am! You two think I have a chance with him?"
"Oh of course you do, honey!", Angelina replied to her best friend.
"You just have to make him forget that cinnamon freak between us first, but that's going to be easy. I have a plan!"
"Cinnamon freak? Thanks!", I laughed, amused by the new nickname she just gave me.

It was so nice to have those two friends in Hogwarts that allowed me to enjoy the school year laughing in the Great Hall instead of spending it alone in the library. Or in the corner of any classroom, as I used to do back in Bristol in the muggle school I visited back then. I really could not say I missed the feeling of not belonging anywhere, a feeling I was struggeling with a lot before I got my letter from Dumbledore. The letter that told me I was a witch.
Everything's changed since then and the only thing I felt sorry for leaving behind my old life was my older brother.

We weren't related by blood, just ended up at the same foster family, but the years of hopping through the system from family to family we both suffered from made us very close to each other.
I actually was trying to figure out how to write him a letter that would not make him suspicious about me and my current whereabouts. Since we weren't related he was not allowed to know I was a witch and currently going to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He just knew I went off to some special boarding school in the north I could enter because of my outstanding grades.
So it wasn't that simple to contact him. I definitely couldn't sent him a letter with an owl from Hogwarts, I couldn't call him since electronical devices like phones did not work in this magical castle and I didn't even want to think about a spontaneous visit.

That was what I was thinking about earlier when I told my friends the little lie about cinnamon buns. Which wasn't even that much a lie since Ben's and my foster dad would make the best buns for breakfast every sunday.
My life before Hogwarts wasn't my favourite topic to talk about and I liked to keep some things about me private, so I was relieved I could distract my friends with that little love story of theirs.

"So", I lowered my voice. "Angelina, what's your plan to bring Alicia and Cedric together? I hope that plan involves a better idea than showing me a secret way into the school's kitchen so I would wander there every night to eat cake and get fatter every day so Cedric wouldn't stare at me anymore!" I chuckled.
"No, silly", Angelina replied. "Unfortunately I don't know the secret way to the kitchen. I already tried unsuccesfully to find the hidden entrance. No chance. You should forget about that idea. The plan I actually thought of requires-"
"Wait, WHAT?", I interrupted, but I apologized for my rudelessness immediately.
"Sorry, but are you serious? There IS a hidden entrance to the kitchen? I was just joking! How do you know about that? I HAVE to find it. Not kidding. Your plan A is going to work. I am getting fat and happy and stuffed with cookie dough until I'm full!"
Now we all laughed at my passion for sweets until our stomachs hurt.
As I calmed down, I had to ask a second time.
"Seriously, Angelina. Do you know something I am not aware of?"
"Maybe it's nothing. But do you remember the night a few weeks back when we were celebrating in the common room? You know, that little party when McGonagall chose Harry Potter for the seeker position of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and we were all so excited that we may have a real chance this year to finally win the Quidditch Cup."
I nodded, I did remember that. I was barely talking to my friends that night, I was distracted by a conversation with Hermione Granger, another first year student and friend of Harry Potter, who was questioning me about third year spells. I usually tend to be annoyed by too bookish students, since I prefered to keep it easy with rules and learning at school and rather tried to focus on having a good time. But this girl was more than just a bookworm, I noticed that right away.
"Anyway", Angelina continued, "Fred and George brought those little lemon cakes and I first thought those were leftovers but then I noticed there were little Gryffindor symbols burned into the meringue topping, so I asked the twins how they got them."
"And they obviously know there's a hidden entrance to the kitchen.", I concluded.
Now Alicia took the word. "Yeah, honey, but I don't think the twins will tell you about it. They didn't tell us either and you're not even friends with them. They love to have that kind of advantageous knowledge on us, you know, helps with their pranks and stuff."

My friends continued talking about the plan for Alicia and her crush and how she could make a move on Cedric, but I wasn't really listening anymore. I was thinking of another plan.
And this time, it really was about baking goods. And about the two guys that would get me there: Fred and George Weasley.

I'm in the ocean
Looking for the shores of devotion
You're in the sky
And I never asked you why
- October Drift