DOROTHEA {fred weasley}

fifty four

Dorothea felt guilty after, for what she had said to Fred. She wasn't sure why she had kissed him, but it certainly had nothing to do with Ezra. She supposed she liked that Fred assumed the best of her, or hoped for better things for her than marrying Ezra and becoming her mother. She liked that he would question her views, and actively tell her to get out. He was the only person who had ever said that to her. Elvira had hinted at it, but did tend to skirt around the topic, probably with fear of annoying Dorothea. But Fred told her every time they spoke that she had to get out, she liked that he thought she was better than her world, she liked feeling that she did have a choice.

Mistrust of Slytherins had become embedded into Hogwarts since the escape of death eaters from Azkaban, the head girl had even changed the prefect schedules so that Slytherins could not patrol together. Ezra had tried to complain to Umbridge about it, hoping that she would be on his side, but she said that prefects don't matter when there is an inquisitorial squad. Dorothea was glad, secretly, and for the first time in her life felt extremely grateful for Angelina Johnson. Her patrol with Ezra was swapped to Stefan Davies, and Dorothea left the common room not dreading her Wednesday patrol for the first time in a while.

The Ravenclaw wizard greeted her with a quick hug, Dorothea had not really spoken to him since he and Leila's New Years Eve party, but Ezra had told her that he had accompanied the wizard home in the morning. 

"How are you, Dorothea?" Stefan inquired as they began their patrol. "It can't be easy, the questions they're asking about your mum?"

Dorothea shrugged, "she's written to me saying she isn't worried, so I'll take it from her."

The wizard nodded confidently, "yeah, I think the general consensus is that they won't touch Clementine Rosier. I mean, she's so close with the minister, there's no chance he'll actually let anything happen to her, they're just forcing his hand."

"I hear you might have ministry aspirations?" She asked, thinking about her mother's comments about Stefan. "Working alongside Ezra?"

Stefan shrugged, "it's been offered to me, yes. I'm not sure yet, though. Still deciding."

"Do you have a choice?"

The man looked at her, a little surprised, "of course I do."

"Oh, that's good. What else would you do?"

"I'm not sure yet. I think I need to see how the ministry pans out in the next few years first, see what happens once all of the whispers of war have died down."

"You don't believe there'll be a war?"

"I'm not sure, my parents say it's rubbish."

"So does mum, but I imagine our parents are a little biased, Stefan."

"Miss Rosier, maybe, not mine though. They're not as involved..."

Dorothea smiled tightly, knowing that wasn't true at all. Marrying Leila off to Adrian was about as pureblood society as the family could get. Stefan's father had been at many meetings in her house with her mother. Perhaps they had softer parenting methods than most pureblood parents, but Stefan's parents certainly were going to be involved in the war.

"What do you think about your sister and Adrian?" Dorothea asked, changing the subject.

Stefan snorted, "I can appreciate his quidditch skills, can't really say the same for his personality."

"Lei seems happy though."

"Leila's incredibly naive, she's always liked Pucey, so this is a dream come true for her."