Fred Weasley x OC
1995. Valentina O'Shea, young Irish muggle-born starts her sixth year at Hogwarts. Newly appointed captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, she never imagined that an unfortunate accident in the middle of a match could turn her qu...
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1st September 1995, Hogwarts Express
Valentina O'Shea rested her head on the window, letting the soft jolts of the train lull her. Her jet-black hair flowed down to her waist, and her usually bright green and joyful eyes were dull, gloomy, and expressionless. Today, the young Irish witch was returning for her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Not that she wasn't happy about it, but the recent events were not exactly what one would call auspicious and cheerful. A little more than two months ago, she had lost one of her dearest friends, Cedric Diggory. The young man had died during the final task of the Triwizard Tournament held at Hogwarts last year. It was said that he had been killed by one of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's followers, just as he was about to claim the cup. A year older than Valentina, the young Cedric had been like an older brother to her during her early years at Hogwarts. He had been the first person to speak to her when she had sat at the Hufflepuff table for the very first time in her life. Throughout her first year, Cedric had been a steady presence for the young muggle-born that she was, until she met Fenella Dawson, a young Scottish witch who had later become her best friend. More than a friend, Cedric had been a mentor, a guide to her. He had persuaded her to join the quidditch team as a chaser and had been her captain for two years. Now, it was she who had been made captain of the team. When she received her school supplies list, a note slipped in, informing her that she would be taking over as head of the team. Despite her love for quidditch, this news hadn't exactly made her happy. Taking over from the best captain the team had known in years was not going to be an easy task.
So far, Valentina was alone in her compartment. She wanted to avoid her classmates at all costs, dreading that they might dwell too much on their fellow Hufflepuff's death in her presence. Her soft melancholy suddenly broke when someone entered her compartment.
"Val! Sorry I'm late, I just made it before the train left and it was nearly impossible to find you!"
A blond girl sat across from Valentina. She was rather short and slightly plump. She had big brown eyes and her hair cascaded in beautiful curls over her shoulders. It was Fenella Dawson, her best friend. Valentina didn't say a word, simply smiling at her friend.
"Merlin's beard, you wouldn't believe the mess in the train..."
"What's happening?" Valentina asked, curious.
"Gryffindors, always getting themselves talked about! Imagine this - two idiots, and you know who I'm talking about, had the bright idea of testing their new ridiculous invention on first-years! And guess how that turned out! I found two of them swelling up like balloons in the bathroom, I spent at least fifteen minutes trying to deflate them, but nothing I tried worked ... They are so childish, I swear!"
Valentina smiled lightly. There were only two people who would pull such pranks, the Weasley twins. She didn't know them personally, but they had a solid reputation across the whole school.
"At least, they try to defuse the tension ... which isn't a bad thing these days, some might need it," she said in an attempt to smile.
"Val ..."
Concerned, Fenella moved to sit right next to her friend and put a comforting hand on Valentina's shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I always keep my chin up, you know that." Valentina said with a reassuring smile.
Relieved, Fenella returned to her seat. The two friends decided to buy a few chocolate frogs and two Pumpkin Pasties from the trolley witch and spent the rest of their journey chatting about anything and everything.
Valentina was very fond of Fenella, however, her best friend was a real gossip lover. Her favourite activity was gossiping about their fellow Hufflepuffs, which wasn't exactly of Valentina's taste. Thus, Valentina discovered that Fenella had a crush on Hufflepuff's former prefect and current Head Boy David Lloyd, a seventh-year, that Johan Lynch had slept with Savanah Taylor over the holidays while he was supposed to be dating Grace Walker, and that Beetee Pelham had discovered that their friend Eddie Nash was gay and told everyone. Fascinating. However, it did manage to lift Valentina's spirit slightly, as she particularly appreciated her friend's unwavering carefree nature. The rest of their journey went by peacefully, and the two young women were able to start their sixth year calmly. Well, calmly, that was until they encountered their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry of Magic employee who seemed particularly unbearable. This year promised to be an especially difficult one for Valentina.
❁Greetings young muggle! Thank you for reading the first chapter of my story. If you have any advice for me - a humble French girl trying to write in proper English, feel free to leave a comment!❁
