Lost and Found || Oliver Wood [2]

Chapter 14: Aftermath

Egypt was hot. There was no simpler way to describe it. The desert-dominated country was situated just in the northeastern corner of Africa and the southwestern portion of Asia, and it was such a stark contrast to the constantly rainy and gloomy weather in England that Jessica had grown accustomed to.

However, the climate soon became a miniscule issue when Jessica realized just how lucky she was to be in that position. Not only would she be training for the very job she'd been eyeing for quite some time now, but it was her first time in this beautiful country. Despite all the advances that magic brought to her life, she actually hadn't traveled that much aside from going back and forth to Hogwarts, or visiting her relatives back in China. So, being in Egypt after an uncomfortable but quick trip by Portkey left her in awe. She wanted to see all the typical tourist destinations: the Giza Pyramids, Nile River, Alexandria — the places she could visit were endless. She could try all the typical tourist activities too, like swim in the Red Sea, stroll through and shop at Khan Al Khalili, and taste dishes and snacks such as ful medames and koshari.

Egypt was rich in magical culture, too. It was the earliest place where magic was recorded and that absolutely fascinated Jessica. Even Muggles were somewhat aware of this — after all, stories and accounts of tombs being cursed circulate in their history books too. It was also home to such interesting magical creatures like sphinxes, nundus, and fwoopers.

All these thoughts raced through Jessica's mind as she waited at Ramses Station to get picked up by a senior at her future workplace. It was funny how she felt like a kid and adult at the same time. For one, it reminded her of her earlier years at Hogwarts, waiting for her parents to come and get her at Platform 9 3/4 after a whole year at school. On the other hand, the circumstances were completely different now since this time around, she was alone and would be starting her first ever job.

She wondered who had been tasked to meet her there at the station. Would it be an old and wise-looking wizard like Dumbledore with years of experience in the field? Maybe a woman in quirky clothing and accessories that mirrored a daring personality that perfectly fits a Curse-Breaker? Or, could it be someone on the younger side who recently graduated as well, perhaps from Uagadou School of Magic?

"Miss Hawthorne?"

Peeling her eyes away from the gold interiors of the station, Jessica turned to the source of  the voice. When her eyes focused on who was standing before her, she was hit with a sense of familiarity despite only seeing this man for the first time right then and there.

"Bill Weasley?" Jessica said. The man had that unmistakable bright red hair that the Weasley family was known for; his was longer than that of his brothers, and it was pulled into a low ponytail. He was tall, lean, and wore an earring with a fang dangling from it. She was also sure she must have seen a photo of him at least once, probably from a Hogwarts yearbook spread of Prefects and the Head Boy and Head Girl.

"That's right. Have we met before?" Bill raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, no. I know your brother — er, brothers."

"Ah, I should've figured," he said with a hint of amusement. "You're from Hogwarts, after all. So, what have they done to you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean, did Percy the Prefect ever scold you? Were you victimized by one of the twins and their pranks? Dragged into one of Ron's troubles? Or did you date one of them?"

"Strangely enough, I'd say yes to all and none of the above at the same time," Jessica laughed. "I'm mostly familiar with Fred and George. We were Quidditch teammates, and I went to the Yule Ball with George."

"Well, any fellow Gryffindor and a friend to my brothers is a friend of mine," Bill grinned, extending his right hand towards her. "Allow me to properly introduce myself, then. I'm Bill Weasley, Senior Associate Curse-Breaker at Gringotts Wizarding Bank."