DOROTHEA {fred weasley}

nineteen

As the end of February drew closer, Dorothea had heard a lot of complaints from Elvira about Cedric. That sometimes he was desperate to speak to her, to sit with her in the library, to talk about the ball, or that other times he ignored her, sat with Cho, or even avoided the Weasley twins when she was with then. Dorothea really tried to listen patiently, advising where she could, but Elvira's boy problems seemed so irrelevant following a revelation from her mother that post-Hogwarts she would marry Ezra Nott. It was hardly a surprise, and if it had to be anyone, she would want it to be him. The pair had always been close, and he had always liked her, and he was kind. 

But that didn't sweeten the fact that she was being forced.

She was a Rosier, and she supposed that only another Rosier could force her hand the way Clementine was. Ezra clearly knew the witch was unhappy about the arrangement, and she was sure that he was hurt - she had kissed him, after all. But in her last years of agency, she wouldn't allow herself to become Ezra's girlfriend, she would marry him with her mother being completely aware that it was forced - not that this was likely to prompt any morality in Clementine Rosier. 

Dorothea had found the first task of the Triwizard tournament entertaining, but the second proved her point of it's ridiculousness. There were whispers of people being taken, most notably Cho Chang, and as Dumbledore read the rules, that something precious was at the bottom of the lake, Elvira made a joke dismissing Cedric completely, and then made her way over to her Gryffindor friends, laughing at something Oliver Wood had said, leaving Dorothea standing with Camille and Leila. 

"This is fucking ridiculous," Camille complained, her teeth chattering as they stood on wooden platforms staring at the lake.

"I'm really struggling to understand why we're here," Leila replied, and Dorothea raised an eyebrow as Adrian Pucey forced a laugh from behind her.

"Where's your school spirit, girls?" Ezra grinned, offering Dorothea a cloak as he noticed her shivering.

Stubborn as ever, the witch refused, and continued to stare blankly at the still water. She could hear the Weasley twins cheerfully taking bets, and Elvira laughing along with them.

"Wanna make a bet, Thea?" Ezra asked, trying again to get her attention. "I've got some money."

"I have my own money," she snapped in response, ignoring how his face fell.

"Seems like Vira is pretty keen on taking some bets," Felix grinned, nudging Marcus Flint who had a foul expression on his face. He had been struggling to get Elvira Jones' attention since the Yule Ball. He had never thought much of her before, she was pretty, but not next to Dorothea Rosier, and she was good at quidditch - probably better than Dorothea, but it had taken him until his sixth year to realise that everyone else in his year was pretty much paired off.  Priscilla and Felix had been engaged first, now Ezra and Dorothea had been confirmed, so he supposed that Adrian would settle for Leila. Leo never seemed much interested in girls, but Marcus was. He wasn't looking for a wife, his parents would never accept a halfblood, but he wouldn't mind a girlfriend, especially if all of his friends were getting one.

"Go on," Felix laughed, nudging his friend.

Marcus straightened up and went over to where Elvira stood giggling with Fred and George Weasley. The witch broke into a smile, "Marcus!"

Marcus struggled to smile back under the glare of his nemesis, Oliver Wood.

"CanImakeabet?"

Fred snorted, "what?"

"A bet," he grunted.

"I'll make one," George offered. "Five sickles that Gryffindor beat Slytherin next season."