Star-Crossed: A Fred Weasley Fanfic

4- A Mean Throwing Arm

Part 4: A Mean Throwing Arm

Warnings: None

Words: 2.4k

---

Sapphire's first term at Hogwarts continued without incident, and she quickly proved herself to be one of the most promising First Year students in all of her classes. As the term was approaching its end, a trip to Hogsmeade was planned to allow the students to unwind as they prepared for exams.

Sapphire was especially excited, as the trip landed on her birthday; November 26th. Her permission slip for Hogsmeade was signed and her outfit was already laid out for the trip the next morning.

"Are you doing anything special for your birthday?" Penelope, her roommate, asked.

Sapphire flopped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Not really, just the trip to Hogsmeade. I'm hoping my aunt Genny will send some extra galleons for me to spend," she replied. 

"Your aunt hasn't sent you any gifts yet?" Toni, the other roommate, questioned in what seemed to be disbelief.

Sapphire held in a sigh. This was the problem with Toni and Penelope. And really a lot of the Slytherins, for that matter. They were spoiled with lavish gifts from their parents quite frequently. Sapphire lived a comfortable life growing up, but she wasn't spoiled in the same way that many of her housemates were.

"No, maybe tomorrow," Sapphire replied, hoping to end the conversation.

Ever since Fred had brought the Slytherin snobbiness to her attention, she hadn't been able to ignore it. Slytherins were almost expected to behave in that way, and because she didn't, other students found her to be a bit bizarre. It infuriated her when other students were picked on because they didn't come from families of high status or privilege, but she had held her tongue thus far.

The night seemed to drag on as Sapphire lay in bed, anxiously awaiting the trip to Hogsmeade in the morning. She had heard from all of the older students just how fun Hogsmeade was, and she had already made plans to explore the town with the twins and Angelina. She tossed and turned for hours until she finally fell asleep.

Sapphire awoke to the sound of an owl tapping its talons against her window. It was her own owl, Sicily, holding a neatly wrapped package. Sapphire opened the window, thanking the owl for the package before sending her off to the owlery. She pulled the note off of the package, reading it.

My sweetest Sapphire, I hope your 12th birthday is just as magical as every one before it. I sent you something that you can wear on your trip to Hogsmeade today. Remember a scarf and gloves -- it truly does get chilly around this time of year! I can't wait to see you during your holiday break. Happy birthday, lovey. -Genny

Sapphire smiled at the note, missing Genny but grateful for her kind words. She carefully tore into the package, revealing a lovely pair of black leather combat boots. Genny had seen Sapphire marveling at them in fashion magazines and decided that she should have her own pair. Sapphire knew that these boots couldn't have been cheap, and she was determined to cherish them forever.

She got dressed for the day, pulling a thick sweater over her head before putting on a pair of jeans. She finished off her outfit with her thick parka, Slytherin scarf, a winter hat, and her new pair of boots, and she felt a jolt of excitement for today's trip. 

Sapphire was headed out of her room when she found a package outside her door. It was wrapped in purple wrapping paper, and her name was clearly written on the top. Her brows ruffled in confusion, as there was no indication of who it was from.