Succumb | Fred Weasley

II

TWO
MUCH ADO
ABOUT NOTHING

October had passed by quickly, filled only with Quidditch practice and late-night study sessions in the library for Florence. She had spent many of her classes ignoring Fred Weasley's flirtatious comments that didn't have the effect he was hoping for, instead his comments only received an eye roll in return.

The Slytherin versus Gryffindor match was only a few days away, taking priority over Hallowe'en, and Florence was set on crushing the team clad is scarlet and gold. She didn't exactly dislike Fred, but they were never friends, and she liked to remind him of that fact whenever Quidditch season came around. He had his pranks, but she had a way with words to draw out any desired emotion from him. Recently, a level of distress at how his teasing fell short in front of her.

Entering the great hall, Florence was actually shocked to see the Hallowe'en feast had still went forth. Pumpkins lined the floors, walls and even hung from the ceiling, glowing from the flame inside of them. The table decor was red, yellow, brown, and orange to match the Autumn leaves that fell around the castle, and the food was even more pumpkin-filled than it usually was.

With Dolores Umbridge around, Hogwarts was a much more dim and boring school than it ever had been. Every drop of fun had been collected into the palm of the cruel woman's hand and purposefully tossed into the Black Lake. Nobody was excited for the wondrous Hallowe'en or Christmas celebrations in the castle, and Florence felt bad for the first years. Not to mention the suspicion about Voldemort's return following Cedric Diggory's tragic and untimely death. Things were going downhill, and it was suddenly the worst fate to freshly be sent into the wizarding world as an eleven-year-old.

'Weasley is suffering,' Adrian pointed out, making Florence turn back and look towards the Gryffindor table. It was true, the Slytherins had been making Ron's life a living hell ever since he joined his team. 'Malfoy is awful.'

She silently agreed with his words and turned back to face the food in front of her with a frown.

Going to bed that night, she could only hope Draco Malfoy wasn't going to make matters worse. Florence hated to see rivalry between houses without good reason. Of course, she was competitive herself and for the few days surrounding the Gryffindor and Slytherin match, her and Fred would quarrel more often than not, but then it would be over and they'd go back to their daily lives. She didn't have friends outside of her house — Merlin, she didn't even have friends in her own house unless she counted Adrian — but she didn't look down on the other houses.

In her opinion, Ravenclaws were the most brilliant and she was often envious whenever she heard about how vast and beautiful their common room was. (But spending seven years in the Slytherin dungeon beneath the Black Lake wasn't so bad either, it felt like home to her.) And she'd always wished she had a best friend sorted into Hufflepuff, because Slytherins could be so cruel. Sure, Gryffindors were a bit full of themselves, as were her own Slytherins, but they had to be most exciting people she'd ever known. In her sixth year, she snuck into the common room with Adrian for a Quidditch celebration they were invited to, and that was the only time she had ever wished to be re-sorted.

Then it was the day of the Slytherin versus Gryffindor match. Despite her nerves, Florence had enthusiastically shot out of bed and rushed into the great hall for a much-needed breakfast. It was very loud, with the vast majority of students chattering excitedly about the game. But as soon as she sat down beside the students sporting green and silver, she wished to be anywhere but there.

Draco Malfoy had created some Weasley is Our King badges to mock Ron during his first game and handed them out to the Slytherins. Adrian and Florence shared an aggravated look and began eating purely for energy. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley passed the table not too long after on their way to the pitch, and the Slytherin team followed shortly behind.