Falling Slowly (A Hogwarts Lovestory) - Fred Weasley Fanfiction

17 | I Entered the Void

Colin Creevey has been petrified.
The news spread all over the castle like a tidal wave. I didn't know Colin well, although he was in Gryffindor, too. To me, he's been nothing but the weird new kid that was dangling around Harry Potter all the time. I felt sorry now for not getting to know him and I decided to ask Professor Sprout if she could use any help with the mandrakes. She didn't.

Everybody was freaking out since Colin. The teachers didn't allow us to walk around the castle by ourselfs anymore and we were always accompanied by at least one adult on our way to the classes, though I didn't feel much safer when Lockhart, that big dunderhead, was watching us. He was always talking about how he'd put and end to the unknown culprit if he catches him, but I highly doubted that.

Unfortunately, the new precautions stopped me from seing Roger in my spare time. Since we hadn't any class together and choir practice has been canceled until the school was safe again, our contact during the following couple of weeks was restricted to little notes we rapidly exchanged when we incidentally met on the corridors.

The atmosphere wasn't good in the Gryffindor tower those days. Harry, Hermione and Ron - once again - isolated themselves from everyone else as though they were up to something and I hadn't seen Ginny for a while, too. "She's hiding in her dorm all the time and doesn't want to talk to any of us", said Lavender Brown when I asked her about Ginny. I decided to accept her decision and not to go after her.

Angelina and Fred were seen less and less often together but I didn't dare to ask them about it - it was better if I didn't know. Angelina wouldn't talk much to me lately anyway and spent most time with Alicia up in our dorm. At least I was right about George and Katie - they indeed had a thing going on. I felt happy for them both, yet I got a bit lonely over the time with all my friends being distracted.

One evening, I sat alone by the fire reading a book, Fred and Angelina got into a huge fight. I heard them shouting at each other from upstairs, but I didn't understand a word they were saying. Then I heard someone slam a door loudly and footsteps came down the stairs to the common room.
"Can I sit with you, Julie?", Fred asked. He looked strained and I felt sorry for him somehow. He could be an idiot sometimes, I knew that, but after all he was a kind and loyal friend. He didn't deserve to be yelled at like that.
"Yeah, sure", I closed my book. "Do I want to know what that was about?"
Fred sighed.
"Apparently I'm not paying enough attention to her. Apparently, we're not spending enough time together. Apparently, I am looking at other girls. Just to mention a few of the things she accused me of."
"I'm very sorry, Fred."
"Ah, never mind. She's not that wrong anyway."
What was that supposed to mean? Before I could ask him, he suddenly started to look very serious.
"Julie, I wanted to ask you something. I've been wondering..."
"Yes?"
"You don't know who your real parents are, do you?"
That was not what I expected.
"Er, no. I don't. I was left off at some orphanage when I was a little baby."
He looked worried and somehow as if he was searching for the right words.
"I know you don't like to talk about your past and that's usually okay with me. I don't care about your past, believe me. But I care about you. A lot, actually. And, you know... that thing that's been wandering through the castle... it's after Muggleborn. So I was just wondering if you knew if your parents were wizards. I'd feel better if I knew they were and that you'd be safe."
Oh.
That was sweet. He was honestly concerned about me. I felt some old feelings making their way up to the surface of my heart and I tried hard to push them back inside. They needed to stay where they were.
"That's very kind of you, Fred. I'm sorry, but I don't know if they were a witch and a wizard."
He looked dejected. I had never seen him looking like that before.
"Don't worry about me, Fred. I'm going to be perfectly fine. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if not even I know about my blood status, that thing certainly doesn't know either."
He still didn't look confident.
"Promise me to go to that duelling club Lockhart's been organising, okay? I know he's a dumbass but it'll be better than nothing."
"Fine, I promise."
He was right. Duelling probably wouldn't be so bad.
Little did I know.

Everything went down after Snape, assistant to Lockhart, chose Harry and Draco Malfoy for volunteers in the first duel.
Everyone knew they hated each other and by that action Snape did nothing but provocating them downright to break the rules and attack each other.
"Serpensortia", yelled Malfoy, after Harry had disarmed him twice. The end of his wand exploded and a long black snake shot out of it. Everybody stood still, nobody wanted to move and accidentally provoke the snake. The snake however seemed unimpressed by Harry pointing his wand on it. He turned towards Justin Finch-Fletchley, a second grade Hufflepuff boy.
Everybody was holding their breath.
"Stay away from him!", said Harry bravely to the snake. I had always admired his courage. I looked around to see if anyone else would try and help Harry but to my suprise everyone watched Harry with scared faces.
"Stay away from him!", said Harry again and stepped a little closer to Justin and the snake.
Everybody else backed away. What was wrong with my classmates? Harry was just trying to safe Justin. I was confused.
When Snape finally intervened, the snake was gone and Justin safe. Everybody was silent. Everybody was watching Harry. Even Snape and Lockhart looked wary at him, as though he had done something very bad.
"What are you playing at?" Justins frightened voice broke the silence.
"He's a parselmouth!", someone whispered behind me.
"He must be the heir!", another voice whispered from the other side of the room.
"The heir of Slytherin!"
"Take him!"
"Parseltongue!"
Professor Snape declared the duelling club ended and sent everybody back to their houses.

"What was that about?", I whispered to Parvati Patil, who was walking next to me on our way back.
"Didn't you pay attention, Julie? Harry is obviously a parselmouth! He can talk to snakes! Didn't you hear how he stired the snake up to attack Justin? Didn't you hear those hissing noises he made?"
I didn't. In fact, I had heard him talking to the snake. In english. Loud and clearly.
Was I going mad?
Was I a parselmouth, too?
Why was everyone so scared just because Harry could talk to snakes?
How was all that connected to being the heir of Slytherin?
I needed answers. Now.
I turned around in the middle of the corridor.
"Miss Daniels!", shouted Professor McGonagall. "Where do you think you're going?"
I didn't answer her, instead I ran even faster.
"Miss Daniels, I am warning you! You're not supposed to walk alone!"
She followed me on my whole way through the castle, stairs up, stairs down, jumping over vanishing steps, running through corridors over corridors until we were finally standing in front of Dumbledore's office.
"Miss Daniels!", Professor McGonagall gasped breathlessly as she reached me. I ignored her.
Before I could raise my hand to knock, the door swung open automatically.
"Come in, Julie", Dumbledore said kindly from above his desk. "You can wait outside, Minerva. It's fine."
I walked slowly into Dumbledore's office and the door closed loudly behind me. Last time I've been here was on Christmas Eve when he told me about my brother. I had the feeling this conversation would be even worse.
"Please, sit", he offered me a chair. He smiled at me, as if he already knew why I was here.
"What can I do for you, Julie?"
"I want answers. Now."

And I entered the void
Just in time, nothing's destroyed
Should I be worried Freud?
For everything that I avoid
- Tuvaband