because i liked a boy • fred weasley

Chapter 1 - Sunday, September 1st

Witches and wizards, school-age and beyond, bustle around me as I lean against the brick wall. The nerves every student has bubbling in their stomach doesn't go unnoticed; you could feel that energy in the air. You can easily spot the first years from the rest of us, but parents question their children all the same.

"Do you have everything?" The parents ask, mumbles being the only response they receive.

I pull a cigarette from the carton and whisper an incantation that lights the end of it. I inhale as my eyes wander around the families saying their goodbyes.

"Dad said you're killing yourself on purpose." I turn and see Luna standing next to me. Her chin juts out to point at the stick between my lips.

"Tell Dad that he wouldn't notice either way," I sass as I drop the cigarette on the floor and step on it to suffocate the flame, throwing it in the trash bin once I know it's out. I don't like to smoke in front of Luna.

"Are you going to say goodbye to him?" Luna asks, her tiny voice making me groan. "Ellie, he wants to say bye."

It's hard disappointing Luna; she's still somehow filled with innocence and hope. I glance around to see where Xenophilius is, and see him standing alone, staring at my sister and I. Walking over, I regret my decision to please Luna almost immediately.

"This is your last year of Hogwarts before you join The Quibbler, so I hope you enjoy it while it lasts," my father, who stayed quiet the entire trip to the station, sneers at me.

"Okay, Dad, whatever you say," I begin to walk away. The train to Hogwarts arrives at the perfect moment for me to escape with little protest. "See you at Christmas."

I walk back to my things, dragging them onto the train behind me. I whistle for my cat, Della, to follow behind me, which she does obediently. After walking up the train a few cars, I find the only suitable compartment for me towards the back.

My best friend, Talia, and her boyfriend, Nathan, are sitting next to each other.

"Ellie!" Talia jumps up and wraps me in her arms, "We've been waiting for you forever!"

"The train has been here for 5 minutes," I laugh and hug her back. Over her shoulder, I smile and say hello to Nathan. He stands up and helps me get my luggage into the overhead shelving; the rest going under our seat.

I sit in the seat across from the two for just a moment, and am about to speak again, when the door to our area slides open once more. Two tall redheads come stumbling in, shoving each other out of the hallway.

"Hello, boys," Talia smiles at them, as her boyfriend is the one that now gets excited by the new occupants. I wave hello.

Fred and George Weasley say hello to the both of us before getting their luggage situated. Once we're all set, the doors to our compartment close and everyone settles into the seats. Talia and I are sat next to the window facing each other, Nathan is next to her. Fred is sat between George and me.

"So, how are my favorite Hufflepuffs? Did summer vacation treat you well?" George asks me and Talia. We both chuckle. Talia sees the twins more than I do because of how much time she spends in the Gryffindor dorms. Nathan is also a Gryffindor who shares a dorm with Fred and George. I barely see the Gryffindors, unless we're at a party, or on the train to and from Hogwarts, so I'm not sure I could be classified as a favorite.

I actually live close to the Weasley family. My house is just outside of the town they grew up in, but our paths didn't cross until we started Hogwarts the same year. That could be because many sane people avoided my father.

Talia answers joyfully, "My family and I went to Athen's this summer, it was beyond beautiful. I have to say summer was pretty great this year. How was yours, Ellie? I didn't get the chance to ask yet."

I'm cut off with the train horn blowing. After it sounds for a few seconds, we lurch forward and begin to progress towards school. Only 9 hours to go.

"It was..." I trail off while thinking about my summer. What was it? "Uneventful."

"The usual?" Talia frowns. I nod.

"What does that mean?" Fred questions, glancing over at me.

I shrug my shoulders, "Ignored by the family unless I do something wrong, or if my father wants to remind me of my responsibilities as the oldest Lovegood child."

"And what is that?" George chimes in, curious about my shitty vacation.

I clear my throat and mock Xenophilius as best as I know how. "Ellie, be prepared to come work for me. The Quibbler is your best shot at doing something good with your life. Stop corrupting your dear younger sister with your ideas of leaving the family business."

We sit for a moment as they take in my words. Talia and Nathan know all about my feelings towards my father and his newspaper. Fred is the first to speak up, "Sounds rank, but extremely similar to my mother's expectations of George and I."

George laughs, "We're gonna work for the Ministry one day, don't you know?"

"You two?" Talia slaps her leg and breaks out in giggles, "Does your mum even know you?" The group conversation lulls after a bit, and we all make small talk for a couple of hours.

The sky begins to fall dark, signaling that we should be arriving soon. I'm never able to fall asleep during this ride, much to my disappointment, but it's not a problem for anyone else in this booth.

I hear Della stir until she jumps out of her carrier by my feet, and right onto Fred's lap. His eyes open at the movement, but as soon as he's sees it's my cat, he begins to pet her.

"Sorry about her," I whisper, trying not to wake the others.

"I wasn't fully asleep," Fred smiles and whispers back. "It's not a bother at all."

I watch him pet Della and listen to her purr before saying, "Della was a gift from my mom before-" I stop myself from finishing the sentence. Fred just nods in understanding.

I stay silent for the rest of the ride. Once we're about 30 minutes out, we change into our robes in the bathroom and prepare ourselves for the start of our last year at Hogwarts.

Before I can comprehend it, we're all sitting at our respective house tables, waiting for the Sorting Ceremony and the Welcome Feast. I recognize some of the first years from waiting on Platform 9 ¾. Their nerves have yet to subside with the hours that have passed.

Dumbledore comes to the front of the stage and welcomes us all back, the Frog Choir sings the same song they sing every year, and the Sorting Hat sings a brand-new version of its welcome song. The first years settle into their seats, joining their new friends and house mates.

The Feast appears on our tables, and we all dig in.

I search for Luna at the Ravenclaw table and see her talking with some other Ravenclaws. I'm so proud of how far she's come since her first year. I remember she used to come to my dorm crying about how cruel her peers were. She finally learned how to stand up for herself.

"Are you ready?" Talia stands up from her seat, clearly ready to make her way back to our dorm after filling her stomach to the brim.

I nod and stand with her, "Ready as I'll ever be."

- Author's Note -

I've been working on this for a while now! I've never written a HPU fanfic before, and I'm so intrigued to find out what's going to come of it because I know how amazing many of the stories from this universe can be.

Please enjoy!

Shan x