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Maria didn't immediately hop into the carriage after Fred.
It wasn't long after Fred had climbed in and taken his seat that he realized Maria had disappeared. Popping his head out of the door, he was more than surprised to find her pulling out an apple from her robes as she wandered in front of the carriage.
Fred furrowed his eyebrows as he watched her mumble a few words into the empty space as she held the apple out in her hand like an offering. He forced himself not to jump back in surprise when the apple suddenly lifted from her hand and floated in the air. The apple slowly disappeared as it appeared someone, or something, was eating it.
"You can only see them if you've witnessed death," Maria's voice caught him off guard as his eyes trailed back to Maria, who was currently petting the invisible creature. "I'm not crazy."
"I didn't say you were," Fred told her as he remained leaning out the carriage door, unsure of what to do.
"People never say what they're really thinking," Maria muttered loud enough for Fred to hear as she buried her head into the Thestral's mane.
"I don't think your crazy, Maria," Fred reaffirmed as Maria pulled away from the Theastral to throw him a surprised glance.
"We should go before we're late," Maria redirected the conversation, something Fred was swiftly realizing she did when she didn't want to deal with emotional conversations.
Fred pushed himself back into the carriage, sitting down as Maria climbed in herself. Fred found himself staring at the empty space ahead of the carriage as the Thestrals pulled the carriage towards Hogwarts. He had always assumed that the carriages weren't pulled by anything but was now wondering what creatures really pulled them to Hogwarts every year.
"You know we met a year ago today at this exact spot," Fred was the first to break the silence when he found Maria staring out the window with no intention of starting the conversation herself.
"So what?" Maria raised an eyebrow at the redhead as she looked at him. "It's our anniversary now, is it?"
"No, that's not what I- I mean," Fred's face turned a bright shade of red as he stumbled over his words.
"Relax, I'm only joking," The corner of Maria's lips twitched as Fred found himself surprised by her teasing.
For a split second, Fred was sure she was about to smile. He tried to hide his dashed hopes when her lips morphed back into their usual tight line. Despite his disappointment, he tried his best not to let it show even if he had a sneaking suspicion Maria already knew what he was thinking.
Fred thought they reached Hogwarts too soon as the carriage pulled to a slow stop. He knew at Hogwarts it was going to be hard to spend more time with her as Fred was constantly surrounded by his friends and Maria was actively avoiding everyone.
Trying to hide his reluctance to end their time together, Fred climbed out of the carriage first as Maria followed behind. Without a second thought, Fred turned around, holding his hand out to Maria to help her out of the carriage. As soon as he realized his mistake, he quickly tried to retract his hand but was stopped by a warm, firm grip enveloping his outstretched hand.
"Don't tell me you're going to stop being a gentleman now," Maria teased as she hopped out of the carriage before releasing her grip on his hand.
"I didn't mean- I mean you-" Fred wasn't sure what to say as Maria's eyes seemed to brighten in amusement as she witnessed Fred stumbling over his words. He wasn't sure what it was about Maria that constantly made him speechless he didn't want to moment to end.
"Don't boo the Slytherins," Maria randomly blurted out, much to both their surprise.
"What?" Fred was taken aback by her request as she rolled her eyes at his obliviousness.
"They're bloody eleven-year-olds, Fred," Maria defended as she crossed her arms over her chest uncomfortably, unaware if she was crossing a line or not. "What if you had been booed when you first arrived here? They don't choose which house they are sorted into and, well, you and Geroge are always so bloody mean to them."
Fred remained at a loss of words as he watched Maria shift on her feet awkwardly as he remained unsure of how to respond to her statement.
"Just... don't boo them, please," Maria ended her statement with a mumble, although Fred could hear her quite clearly.
"Okay," Fred surprised Maria with his easy compliance, although his tone conveyed his confusion and doubt.
Another quick twitch of the lips and a quick goodbye was all he received as Maria scurried off just as a familiar twin hopped on his back with a yell. Fred groaned at the sudden weight on his back as George released howled in laughter. Lee wasn't far behind as he appeared along with Katie and Angelina.
"Oh, lighten up, Freddie," George teased his twin as he dropped back down to the ground.
Fred tore his eyes away from Maria's retreating figure as he turned to face his friends. Slipping into old habits, a grin appeared of Fred's face as he teased and joked with them all the way to the Great Hall. He caught a glimpse of charcoal hair at the end of the Gryffindor table but forced himself not to stare as they sat in their usual seats near the front of the Great Hall.
When it came time for the sorting, however, something shifted inside him. He cheered and hollered along with his friends when each new addition to the Gryffindor was announced. He even included a few claps in between for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students. When it came time for the Slytherins, he found himself simply sitting in his seat, unsure of what he should do.
Because for the first time in his five years at Hogwarts, he didn't boo at the new Slytherins as Maria's words echoed in his head.
