Fred Weasley x Reader (slow and Steady)

Ch 55: If not for me

With the warmer months just on the horizon, came more Quidditch matches. Now that the brisk winter months were beginning to melt, the teachers felt it would be easier on the students when flying. The students had been eager for this match, it was a time they could spend away from the castle and root for their house. The snow had slowly begun to melt on the evergreen trees, leaving small piles underneath mixed with its pine needles, many woodland creatures had slowly begun to come out of hiding, expecting the fallen snow. Spring was on its way.

Standing off to the side, I watched the line of incoming students slowly filter into the stadium. A sea of scarves of red and orange along with blue and black mixed together, spilling into the stadium. I did note that it probably would have been better to wait off to the side or get there much earlier than I already had, the stands and the lines were very loud, the conversations from the students all climbed over one another in attempts to hear the other. Which seemed to only make it worse. Pushing off from one of the wooden beams by the entrance, I pushed my way out of the crowd and stood off to the side.

It still felt loud where I stood now, but at the very least it would feel less crowded, and the volume was at least a little lower so that was a definite plus. My mind wandered as I watched the students enter into the stadium, thinking about the events of this year. So many students had been unaware, continuing on with their life like the previous years beforehand. Ever since the attack on the Weasley house and Ron being poisoned, things had been quiet, it felt too quiet for my liking. Were they waiting for more time to go on so others would forget about what happened and catch us unaware once more? Or was it that their next plan of action required many months of planning. I bit the inside of my cheek in apprehension. I was worried for them, for everyone. I'm sure everyone felt it, the desire and hope for just one year at this school to be calm and without complications, no dangerous events to cause worry and panic. I was sure that was what went through their mind, that hope, it's probably what helped them continue on to feel the way they did.

Off to the corner, a flash of red hair caught my attention pulling me out of my thoughts. Turning my attention to the entrance, I saw Ginny standing with her hands in tight fists to her side as she nervously looked around the crowd, as if she had been searching for someone or something. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, I made my way over to her.

"Is everything alright Ginny?" I asked as I got closer to her.

She did not stop trying to look over the crowd when she replied to me, sometimes getting on her tiptoes to try to look deeper. "No, everything isn't alright." Her tone felt on edge.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Harry isn't here yet, and the match is about to begin." She looked towards me, her eyebrows rose in worry the more she scanned the crowd.

"He's late? Has he ever been this late?" I noted, looking around the crowd with her.

"Only time was when Umbridge was the headmistress and she banned him from Quidditch, but he's been on time so far every game this year. This is a big game." Ginny worriedly looked around.

"Hey,"- I patted her on the shoulder, "I'm sure he's just running a little late, he'll be here soon I'm sure. You shouldn't stress too much, alright?" I smiled encouragingly.

"I hope you're right." She replied, her shoulders relaxing as she let out a sigh.

I smiled encouragingly at her, giving her padded shoulder a final squeeze before she turned away disappearing into the crowd. Her hands were still tightly held in a fist. I could tell the nerves hadn't gone away, she was still concerned. Harry was their main captain after he returned from being banned, they relied on him heavily. Which made it all the more confusing as to why he would be late, typically he'd be one of the earlier ones to join.