She was a misfit, he was a git.
Matilda Diggory enters her fifth year of school, ready to remain as under the radar as possible, only there's a catch. She's somehow managed to catch the eye of a particularly annoying redhead, who seems hell-bent on...
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Matilda was irritable the following morning.
Firstly, she was awoken by the sweet sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice and swore only ten minutes had passed since she placed her head on her pillow. Secondly, she was still grovelling and slightly annoyed at Fred for throwing her hand away — even if she didn't acknowledge it in his presence. Thirdly, she had to face her father and Cedric for the first time since her accident. Lastly, every joint in her body screamed at her to sit down and be still, each step sending shooting pains throughout her body.
So, it was no surprise that she was lagging behind the rest of the group as they trekked through the thick wood to the portkey. She wasn't the only one sulking, though, for Mrs. Weasley had spotted a toffee in George's pocket and had a right fit, ending with the twins storming off without a goodbye.
To say that the pack had a tense atmosphere was an understatement.The sky lightened very slowly as they made their way through the village, its inky blackness diluting to deepest blue. Matilda's hands and feet were freezing, her throat burning with each inhale.
They didn't have breath to spare as they began to climb Stoatshead Hill, stumbling occasionally in hidden rabbit holes, slipping on thick black tufts of grass. Each breath Matilda took was sharp in her chest and her legs were starting to seize up when, at last, her feet found level ground.
"Whew," panted Arthur just ahead of her, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. "Well, we've made good time — we've got ten minutes."
Matilda could feel the ground beneath her feet begin to slip, her vision spotting and her hands begin to tingle. "I need to sit..." she tried, but before she could finish, her legs buckled beneath her.
Luckily, Fred and George had made their way over to the rest of the group and the latter made it just in time to catch Matilda before she hit the ground. "Easy there, tiger," he said, lowering her down gently. He glanced at Fred, "Grab her bag."
Fred did so, gently removing it from her shoulders and heaving it over one of his. Arthur said, "Right. You boys make sure Tilly's okay. The rest of us, we need the Portkey," he said, replacing his glasses and squinting around on the ground. "It won't be big...Come on..."
Matilda felt George lower her to the ground and stand firmly so that she could lean against his legs as she drank from the water bottle Fred handed her. The world was still dim and a ringing filled her ears — it would be a few moments before she could stand on her own.
"Do you need a snack?" George asked.
She shook her head, "No, it's the walking. My knees and hips, they..." Matilda winced as she bent and straightened her leg. "The moon is only a week away."
Fred knelt down to be level with her, "You should've said something. We could have piggybacked you."
