Chapter One
Uncertainty enveloped those aboard the Hogwarts Express that year for reasons no individual could even begin to comprehend. Of course, the majority of the students travelled to the lengths of disregarding any possibility of the Dark Lord's return by mocking and scorning those that believed the claims of the scrawny fifth year that was Harry Potter. Whether this was through the complete disbelief of what had only seemed before to be a ghost story or it was the result of the fear of the truth, one thing was for certain - underneath the finely cut facade of security, they all knew dark days were coming.
In one particular carriage, this nervous energy was beginning to prove too much to handle. Desdemona Matthews had never been one for indulging in what were potentially meaningless rumours but as she sat alone she couldn't help but allow her mind to wander to the extremities of what his return could entail. After all, what reasons could the 'Boy Who Lived' have to lie? As blasé as many of the students were about the situation due to the many false alarms triggered prior to this claim, it was the universally accepted - yet unspoken - ideal that Harry Potter was telling the truth. Somewhere in the wizarding community the symbol of black magic was alive and plotting an uprising ... perhaps it was that he hadn't made it publicly known himself that he had returned that scared people the most. The quiet and unsure atmosphere was what he fed on to fuel his power.
Lost deep in a maze of dark thoughts and imagination, the pale brunette, who had been functioning on only two mugs of coffee, had failed to notice that she was no longer alone in the carriage compartment. The silhouettes of those that entered quickly transpired to reveal some of Desdemona's dearest friends. Perched beside her petite frame was her childhood companion Hannah Taylor and opposite them sat the unconventional athlete, Elijah Elliot. It was fair to suggest that the friendship between Desdemona and Elijah had been an unlikely existence what with sport being at the centre of Elijah's life and nowhere in sight of Desdemona's. In all honesty, any form of physical exercise unless comprising of tasks related to food or coffee was what miss Matthews perceived as a living nightmare. In fact, it was actually a mutual love of coffee that ignited the bond between them. It had been a stressful evening of cramming for an exam the next morning that unveiled this bond as Elijah had proven to be an angel sent from above with multiple cups of coffee in the castle's library. From that day, onwards he had become a valued member of their little trio.
"Des, aren't you going to put your robes on? We're nearly there." The soft-spoken words of her best friend Hannah broke her out of her daze as she realised she'd spent the majority of the train journey in a daydream. Desdemona never really understood why students waited until they were on the train to change into their robes, perhaps it was to avoid the suspicion of the muggles on the platform but surely if they were to draw attention to themselves it would be by disappearing into brick walls? Nevertheless, this was a tradition she had conformed to in the five of her previous years at Hogwarts and was a tradition she would stick to in her sixth.
Once having changed into her robes, Desdemona returned to her seat in the carriage. Each of the three had been sorted into different houses in their first year: herself a Ravenclaw, Hannah a Slytherin and Elijah a Hufflepuff. Many students at the institution limited their communications to only those within the same house but Desdemona loved that her group was diverse because it allowed a sense of freedom. Besides, one cannot truly be said to have the traits of just one house. Truthfully, the diversity of the three did also create a negative aspect in that classes became notably lonely when they were segregated by house. That being said, she did find comfort in her friendship with Luna Lovegood - a peculiar girl a few years younger. The general consensus was that Luna was completely nuts but there was something about her outlook on life that Desdemona found endearing.
Chaos. As the train came to a grinding halt there was a sudden surge of movement as students of all ages rushed for the exits. Students, owls, cats and toads, it was practically a zoo on wheels headed in the direction of the castle.
Breath-taking. It never ceased to amaze Desdemona just how beautifully magical the Hogwarts castle truly was and she smiled in delight at the reactions of the first years as they sailed towards the building in their little boats. She'd grown up hearing tales about the school, with her mother having attended, but no words could even amount to experiencing it for herself. For now, though, the reminiscent Ravenclaw was dragged by her friends to the carriages. With only two seats left on the current carriage, Hannah and Elijah looked at Desdemona with apologetic eyes as they hopped on and made their way to the sorting ceremony.
"Great. Just great!" Desdemona grumbled as she stood alone in the dark whilst waiting for the next carriage. When one arrived, she climbed up and sat down. Some said that the carriages were pulled by some sort of horse-like animal, Luna was one of those who claimed this. But as Desdemona sat waiting for others to arrive so that they could leave for the castle, all she could see was air. It had always been a mystery to her as to how the carts moved by themselves but she had learnt never to question anything when attending a school of magic.
Miss Matthews was soon joined by two more individuals before being sent on their way to the sorting. Sat adjacent to her were the notorious mischief-makers of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - the Weasley twins. Desdemona had always admired the bravery of Fred and George Weasley to have the guts to pull the stunts that they pulled but she had admired them even more for the loyalty they seemed to show to all of their friends and family. A bit of fun and madness was definitely what Hogwarts needed in a time such as this. Perhaps they could shed a small fraction of light on the darkness of his return.
"It's Desdemona, isn't it?" She hadn't realised she was being spoken to at first until her gaze met that of the slender redhead that was Fred Weasley. Unsure she nodded her head, she hadn't realised that they even knew of her existence. Students never tend to remember younger years. The eldest twin smiled and turned to George. There was a chorus of whispers, and objections on George's behalf, with Desdemona only being able to make out phrases such as 'but she's small' and 'she can fit into places.'
Following nearly five minutes of awkward silence emanating from Desdemona and heated discussion between the twins, Fred turned to face her with a huge lopsided grin. It took everything in her not to laugh at his expression. Before the caffeinated girl had a chance to ask what she had just witnessed, George began to speak.
"We need someone to help us with our 'welcome back prank.' It's going to be bigger and better than any we've ever pulled before and Fred thinks you're the perfect fit. See, it can't be either of us because we'll be pulling the strings from elsewhere and, well, you have the small build we need. So... you in?"
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Euphoria | Fred Weasley
Fanfiction| Was An Act of Kindness | In the wake of the Dark Lord's return, Hogwarts had become little more than a shadow of its former vibrant self - dominated by the oppressive measures of a scavenger masked in pink. But in the darkness comes a tiny spark o...
