DOROTHEA {fred weasley}

sixty four

Dorothea hesitated the morning that Harry, Ron and Hermione were due to floo to Oliver's house for an agreed upon Quidditch match. She woke up on her own, and looked out the window, seeing Fred, Oliver, Elvira and Lee already zooming around the pitch, tossing a quaffle between them. From her high window she could see them laughing. Dorothea would like to play quidditch, there was no question about that, it always proved to be an excellent distraction from whatever was on her mind, but with the arrival of the three younger students, she wasn't sure. She'd seen Elvira talk to Hermione a few times, and so assumed they were friends, and all the others had known each other years, grown up in the same house. They wouldn't want her playing, a Slytherin, Dorothea Rosier.

The witch didn't bother getting into her quidditch kit, resigning herself to staying in her room all day and getting on with it, and so headed downstairs in her pyjamas. To her surprise, George Weasley was sat around the dining room table, looking rather sick, in his quidditch kit, with a cup of tea in front of him. He didn't see the witch but she coughed to make herself known.

"Morning, Rosier," he muttered.

"Weasley," she replied, sitting opposite him with her own mug. "Not fancy warning up with the others?"

George shook his head and sighed, resting his head on his knuckle.

"Nervous about seeing Granger?" Dorothea teased.

George's serious expression told her that she was completely correct in her guess, she tried to give him a reassuring smile but he just looked gloomier.

"Always a bit shit," he said suddenly. "Ron's head over heels for her, and he's her best mate. So that's that."

"You think she likes him?"

"I think I can't fuck over my brother like that," he replied bitterly.

"You'll meet someone else, or maybe he will. Besides, who she wants to be with isn't up to either of you, it's up to her. Elvira reckons she flirts with you, although I'm not sure I can imagine Hermione Granger flirting with anybody."

George snorted at that and nodded, giving Dorothea a small smile.

"Also don't want her to just think I'm dossing around, after the year she's had. I got expelled, and I'm just here playing quidditch and drinking all summer."

"You're opening a shop," Dorothea protested. "That's ridiculously impressive."

"Merlin's beard, never thought I'd see the day where Dorothea Rosier is convincing me how amazing I am," he grinned. "Thank Godric I'm a twin or you wouldn't look twice at me."

Dorothea laughed at that and rolled her eyes, muttering a quick "shut up."

"How come you're not ready?" He asked, glancing up at the clock which showed quarter to nine. "They'll be here in fifteen."

Dorothea hesitated and gave a little shrug, George raised an eyebrow at the witch and she gave in.

"Do you not think it's a bit odd, if I'm here? They're not going to want to see me, my mother, Harry saw her-"

"Your mother, Dorothea, not you. Besides, they trust their elder's judgements," he grinned. "They know you're here, that Oliver invited you."

"It just doesn't feel right."

"Dorothea, Ron's trying out for keeper next year, we need a chaser as awful as yourself to bolster him," he said with a mischievous grin.

The witch laughed, her expression softening as she leant back into her chair, her wand in between her fingers. Fred walked in with a grin, smiling wider when he noticed the witch laughing with his brother.