DOROTHEA {fred weasley}

sixty five

Three days before everyone was due to leave Oliver Wood's family castle, the group, other than Dorothea, were in high spirits. They'd drank away the last three weeks, playing quick games of Quidditch, the boys enjoying mundane tasks like going to the muggle supermarket or cooking without magic. They all seemed rather eager to leave, though, there was a world, and indeed a war, waiting for them after all. Fred and George only had weeks until their opening, and had enlisted Lee to help them out. Lee had spoken to Dumbledore at the end of term, and was officially joining the order with Fred and George. Oliver and Elvira were keen to move to Holyhead and get settled there before the man's quidditch season started, both had unofficially joined the order, refusing missions but saying when there was a fight they would be there. Elvira was toying with the idea of joining a muggle university and studying whilst Oliver competed, that seemed to be a good way to appease her parents and stay a witch.

Only Dorothea truly didn't want to leave, the Wood's Castle had proved to be an excellent distraction from what awaited her for the rest of her life. Leaving, via the portkey her mother had sent, meant joining an entirely different group, marrying a man who was not the same one she had slept beside for three weeks, and becoming a Rosier-Nott - joining two of the darkest, most powerful names in the wizarding world. She supposed that she'd be pregnant within a couple of years, unless the war came first, and then she'd have the joy of raising a Nott Jr, not being able to save him from turning into his father. Ezra hadn't tried to contact her at all, since school had ended, but she knew that she'd probably be attending graduation with him in the next week. She'd see Elvira there, and Oliver, and Lee. How would she react? How would they react? She couldn't speak to them, and they wouldn't want to speak to her, anyway. They'd know by then.

All-day talks of the order had inspired Fred and George to arrange some unofficial duels in Oliver's garden. The pair wore long, extravagant robes, found in Oliver's parents' wardrobes, and the men faced each other with ridiculous, serious expressions, their wands in front of their faces, pacing five steps before shooting spells to each other. Elvira, Lee, Oliver and Dorothea observed from the side, each laughing hysterically at how seriously the pair took themselves. 

"Winner duels me!" Elvira announced, jumping up and winking at Dorothea.

"Ah, give us a fucking challenge, Vi," Fred joked.

Elvira stuck her tongue out at the wizard, "Ollie and Lee duel, then they duel one of us three, then the ultimate challenge is Dorothea. The wandless wonder."

Dorothea rolled her eyes as the others laughed and shook her head, "count me out."

"Ah, come on, Rosier," Fred grinned. "Teach us something. Doesn't matter if we get a little knocked about, it'll only make us look braver. Besides, don't be so cocky. I'm pretty good with a wand myself, as you're witnessing as I destroy Georgie."

The witch sighed and held her hands up with a small nod, laughing as George jinxed Fred as he wasn't looking, "don't say I didn't warn you."

Fred beat George, and then went on to beat Elvira. By the time Oliver had defeated Lee the group were utterly invested into their little duelling club, shouting tactics to each other, duelling with serious expressions with proper stances. Eventually, Fred disarmed Oliver, and with the other wizard's wand in his hand, marched triumphantly over to Dorothea. 

"Let him do that," Oliver mumbled to Elvira, going to join her on the sidelines. "Knew he just wanted to duel his girlfriend, really."

Elvira nodded mock seriously, "very polite, Ollie."

The dark haired man laughed and put an arm over Elvira's shoulders, pulling her into him and resting his head on hers as they watched Dorothea and Fred assemble. Elvira straightened up and grinned watching her best friend prepare to duel.