Summer Nights | Fred Weasley (o.h)

Chapter Twelve

Giselle Durand walked through the halls of Hogwarts with a sudden new confidence. It had been a good few months since the start of the school year, so her 'new girl' persona and the gossip that surrounded it had long since shrunk back into the background allowing for the brunette to easily slip into the background and not constantly stress about all the eyes that seemed to follow her everywhere. Although she hadn't really let them get her down, it was still somewhat reassuring that she was now just another Hogwarts student in her last year. 

Her friendship with Fred had also grown as the weeks passed, the two of them falling back into the familiar, teasing dynamic they had established throughout those late nights at the diner. New friendships also blossoming between George and Lee, who had both welcomed her in with open arms. The only downer on all of it was, of course, Angelina, who constantly made Giselle very aware that she and Fred were dating, but between the snide comments or quite often the open acts of romance, Giselle still managed to push past it. Angelina didn't like her presence that much was obvious but she wasn't going to let her ruin her friendship with Fred or her first and final year at Hogwarts. 

"Giselle, is that you?" A voice broke Giselle out of her thoughts.

Giselle looked up quickly, a smile spreading across her face as she saw who it was. "Lorelei! I haven't seen you around, how are you?"

"I'm great but look at you, you just have this completely different aura about you."

"Yeah, I guess so," Giselle replied with a smile. 

"But how have you been? I've been looking for a chance to catch up with you but you always seem to be hanging around with those Weasley twins."

"Haha yeah, but next time you see me and I'm with them, don't worry just come up and we can chat."

"Yeah maybe," Lorelei replied in a dismissive tone. "You've had a good few months now to settle in, so how are you finding everything?"

"Oh yeah, it's been great! I'm really glad that my arrival is old news now though, not so many staring faces."

"Oh, I completely get it, although not quite because I had a bunch of other new students to buffer a bit."

"You've been here since the first year I'm assuming."

"Indeed. Even though I knew about magic since the day I was born, nothing quite beats coming to Hogwarts for the first time."

"Yeah, I can definitely imagine it. Hogwarts is so different than Beauxbatons."

"It must be. But I'll see you around, Giselle. I probably should get going." Lorelei said suddenly, her eyes darting around. 

"What? You can stay if you want, we haven't had the chance to catch up in ages." Giselle said as another person arrived at her side. 

"Kennedy." Fred Weasley said stiffly, greeting the Slytherin with a curt nod. 

"Weasley, I'll see you on the Quidditch pitch," Lorelei replied just as stiffly. "But I really should be going, Giselle. I'll see you around."

"See you," Giselle replied with a wave before turning around to face Fred. "What was that all about?"

"I don't like her presence."

"You 'don't like her presence'?" Giselle mocked in confusion. "Who are you and what have you done with the Fred Weasley I know?"

"She's a Slytherin."

"And what does that have to do with anything? Just because she's in a different house doesn't mean I should treat her any differently." Giselle continued. 

"She's a cheat. They all are." 

"What is this a Quidditch thing?"

"It's so much more than that," Fred replied with a clenched jaw. "Bunch of evil snakes." 

"You don't act like this with any of the other houses? So why just Slytherin? Why just Lorelei?" 

"Slytherin is the only problem."

"Well her house may be the problem, but Lorelei is my friend, she's given me no reason to distrust her."

"I think you should stop being friends with her this instant. You have plenty of other friends, you don't need to be friends with the snake."

"Excuse me!" Giselle cried incredulously. "Who are you to get to tell me what to do? Just because you were my first friend here at Hogwarts doesn't mean that you get to tell who I should be friends with and who I shouldn't be. You're unbelievable."

"God, Giselle just listen to me! She's a snake, she can't be trusted, her parents are probably Death Eaters and she'll turn out the exact same, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Then I won't let you bother, Weasley. I can't even look at you right now. Stay away from me, don't ever talk to me again!" Giselle shouted storming away from him, her anger rising above all else. 

She didn't understand where Fred was coming from but she wouldn't stand for him to boss her around and tell her who she should and shouldn't be friends with. This was a side of Fred she had never seen before and although it seemed she wouldn't understand whatever problem the Gryffindors had with Slytherin, she wasn't going to let herself get caught in the middle of it all.