Photograph | fred weasley x reader

Chapter Nine: Stressful Studies and a Serious Lack of Sleep

Your third year at Hogwarts was...interesting, to say the least. That was the year Harry Potter started school, and naturally, the entire castle seemed to revolve around this tiny, scared boy with an unruly mop of hair and a lightning-shaped scar. Whispers followed him wherever he went, and even before he set foot in the Great Hall, there was an unmistakable air of curiosity surrounding him.

The Sorting Ceremony was as dull as ever at first. You'd long since stopped finding the novelty in it and instead spent most of the time pulling faces at Fred and George, who sat at their Gryffindor table opposite you. It was practically tradition now, their not-so-subtle way of pestering you.

As Professor McGonagall called out names, you chatted idly with Selene about her summer holidays and which electives she'd chosen. Like you and most of Ravenclaw, Selene had opted for more than the two minimum. 

"Arithmancy looks brutal," she said, poking at her goblet. "But what choice did I have? I can't believe you picked Divination, it's a bunch of old tosh." 

You laughed quietly, not really listening as you glanced toward the Gryffindor table where Fred and George were already grinning at you. You raised your eyebrows at them and shook your head, silently telling them how boring the ceremony was.

Then, just as the twins opened their mouths to say something, the hall fell silent. You looked up to see Professor McGonagall holding the Sorting Hat and calling, "Potter, Harry."

Every eye turned to the front of the hall, watching the small boy shuffle nervously toward the stool. Even the staff table seemed riveted. You glanced at Snape out of the corner of your eye and noticed he appeared very miserable- even more so than usual. He looked almost...pained? Or maybe just constipated. You smirked to yourself at the thought.

Fred caught your eye from across the room and immediately mimicked Snape's sour face with exaggerated precision, crossing his arms and scowling dramatically. The sight caught you off guard, and a very loud laugh burst out before you could stop it. Heads swivelled toward you, and you felt your face heat up as you slapped a hand over your mouth. Fred and George were stifling their laughter, their shoulders shaking as they doubled over in their seats silently. Even Dumbledore seemed amused as his twinkling gaze landed on you.

Turning the shade of a ripe pomegranate, you buried your face in your hands. Fred grinned triumphantly as if he'd just won some invisible game, while you made a silent vow to pelt him with the heaviest textbook you could find.

Mercifully, the Sorting Hat ended your embarrassment by calling out, "GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table erupted in the loudest cheers you'd ever heard in all your time at Hogwarts, and Fred and George were the loudest of all, leaping to their feet and chanting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

You rolled your eyes, though you couldn't help but smile. Fred threw you a wink across the hall, as if to say, See? Even Potter knows where the fun is.

You shook your head, laughing under your breath, and turned back to Selene, who was grinning at the chaos of cheering students. After the commotion had fully died down- which took several more Sortings, another familiar name rang through the hall: "Weasley, Ronald!"

The hat barely grazed his ginger head before it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Without thinking, you jumped to your feet, clapping loudly and cheering along with the Gryffindor table.

Several Ravenclaw friends gave you puzzled looks, and you quickly sank back into your seat, offering a casual shrug. Still, you couldn't help the warmth that swelled in your chest as you watched Ron's face light up. He looked absolutely thrilled as he made his way to the Gryffindor table, where Fred and George were already laying it on thick with pats on the back and loud exclamations.