Falling Slowly (A Hogwarts Lovestory) - Fred Weasley Fanfiction

13 | We Might Get On

The last weeks before school started passed by quickly.
We met with Hermione in Diagon Alley. I was glad to see her again and I spent most of the day wandering through the streets with her and Ginny. Hermione bought us all some ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and I enjoyed to have some time without the boys again.

I was just telling Hermione about how Harry had to be rescued during the summer holidays and therefore wasn't paying much attention on where I was walking, when I suddenly crashed into someone's back. When I looked up to apologise I noticed it was Oliver Wood, my ex boyfriend, who I had accidentally run into. He stood in front of a large showcase that presented the newest broomstick of all, the Nimbus 2001, together with the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan
"I am so sorry", I stuttered awkwardly and I did not only mean the accident.
"It's alright, Julie", Oliver smiled. Thank god. He didn't seem mad at me anymore. "It's nice to see you again. How was your summer?"
"It was fine, I spent the holidays at the Burrow. Fred was so kind to leave me his room."
"I'm glad to hear that, Julie. You look good. I better go now, my mum wants to meet me at Flourish & Blott's. See you later then!" And he disappeared.
The Weasley twins looked sceptically at each other but it was Lee who broke the silence.
"Well, that was awkward", he said. "Didn't you write him at all during summer? Shouldn't your boyfriend know about your whereabouts?"
"He's not my boyfriend anymore", I explained quietly to them while I still wasn't able to look at the twins, or at least at a certain twin. "We broke up just before the summer holiday's had begun."
My words were followed by a moment of silence that felt like a lifetime.
"Thanks for letting us know in time. You're a real friend", Fred said angrily. George just looked at me and shook his head.
The three of them turned around without saying anything anymore and left me standing there on the pavement with Hermione and Ginny.

Back at the Burrow Ginny disappeared directly to her room. She said she wanted to read her new books right away - she couldn't stop giggling about it ever since she met the author of her new set of books, Gilderoy Lockhart, in person that same day at Flourish & Blott's. She barely left her room during the following days and so I spent most time in the garden playing the Ukulele all by myself. I played "Can't Help Falling in Love" most of the time.

The twins behaved slightly reserved towards me after the incident at Diagon Alley, too. They didn't ignore me but I felt like we weren't so close anymore. I tried to catch Fred's attention from time to time but he acted rather busy and refused my offer to go for a walk because he "needed to work on something important".
One time, after Fred had slammed the door shut right in front of me once again, George, who was still standing outside with me, whispered in my ear "You should've told him the truth. What are you so afraid of?" before he followed his brother into their room.
Good question, George. I didn't know the answer.

Finally, the day we all left for Hogwarts came. Mrs Weasley gave me a long hug as a goodbye and I followed Percy through the hidden entrance to platform nine and three quarters. Percy set off immediately to the wagon that was reserved for the Prefects and Fred and George quickly walked away into the direction of their friend Lee. I watched them disappear into a wagon at the front of the train and was left alone at the platform.

"Julie!", someone called me and I saw Hermione waving at me out of a compartement nearby. "Come sit with me!"
I tried to get my luggage on the train but I failed twice. My trunk was either too heavy or maybe I was too weak or maybe both. I sighed. Was there a worse way to begin the new year?
"Need a hand?" I heard someone say. The first thing I saw was a pair of friendly, dark brown eyes, surrounded by a set of thick black lashes. These eyes belonged to a boy with a kind smile and long dark hair he had casually stuffed behind his left ear. I had seen him before at Hogwarts, he was in Ravenclaw House one year ahead of me, but I couldn't remember his name.
"Thanks", I smiled at him after he'd heaved my trunk up to the train and onto the luggage rack.
"Anytime", he smiled back and left into a compartement with some other Ravenclaw students.

"Where are Ron and Harry?", I asked Hermione. We were alone in our compartement.
"I don't now, probably with Fred and George?", she said. "Speaking of... what's going on with you and Fred? You were acting all weird the last time at Diagon Alley. I reckon you still haven't told him you liked him yet?"
"Why do you always have to know everything?", I mummered.
"You don't have to be very clever to notice that there's something between you two."
I sighed and told her all that had happened during summer. How Fred and I were dancing in the middle of the night, how he got me a wonderful birthday present but also how he would back off everytime I just had thought he liked me back.
"But I screwed up", I concluded. "He's mad at me now for not telling him I'd broken up with Oliver and I can't even judge him. I thought it had been the right choice, you know. That I wasn't ready to start something new."
"But you're not so sure yet", Hermione said. It wasn't a question.
"Do you think I'm making a mistake?", I asked her.
"You tell me. Do you want to be with him? Then you should tell him about your feelings. You'll know if he feels the same way."
"You are way to wise for your age, Hermione Granger. Alright then, I'll tell him. Now. If I wait I may back off again. Wish me luck!", and before she could say anything I found myself wandering through the train looking for Fred Weasley to tell him I liked him.

It didn't took me long to find him.
"Oh, hey Julie. I am so sorry, I thought the door was locked. I see you later, okay?", Angelina said ashamed when I opened the door.
Did I just walked in on my best friend snogging with the guy I was about to tell that I liked him?

But I carried on regardless
Strutting through each room trying to find you
And when I saw you kissing that girl
My heart, it shattered and my eyes, they watered
And when I tried to speak, I stuttered
- Kate Nash