May the Best Man Win |×| Fred Weasley | 1 |×|

×| THIRTY-FIVE |×

THE ENTRANCE HALL WAS BURSTING AT THE SEAMS. Or perhaps it should have been renamed the exit hall at that precise moment as it was packed with departing students of Hogwarts school. Exams were over, Harry Potter's annual heroic adventure was complete (although the details of his meeting with Sirius black had been kept largely a closely guarded secret) and the widely unwelcomed yet not unexpected news that there would be a new defense against the dark arts professor the following year had been made official. Another year at the magical school for witchcraft and wizardry was over.

And for Evelyn, it had gone by in quite a haze.

A lot had changed over her fifth year of school, Evelyn realised as she queued next to Max, Nikki and Ashton. She'd broken her perfect record. She had a boyfriend. She had some new friends. And she had a Newfound appreciation for the struggles of keeping healthy relationships with two people who would never get along themselves. Next term, she'd be returning without her brother. She'd be preparing for her newts. And they wouldn't be living surrounded by the Dementors or threat of a murderer on the loose, or so she'd been told.

Yes, a lot had changed. Evelyn smiled. She'd have to think carefully about next year's plan. This summer wouldn't only be spent worrying about grades, homework, ice cream and quidditch trials, she was sure.

"Evie!"

She was torn from her thoughts as the combined voices of Fred and George Weasley grasped her attention. The boys broke away from their own group of friends on the other side of the entrance hall and swam through the crowd towards Evelyn, their firey hair bright against the sea of blonde, brown and black. The human bludgers, both quite large contributors to the changes of the year.

Evelyn's small smile widened. They were just the people she was hoping to see. And she told them as much when they slipped into step either side of her.

"Well of course we are!" Fred exclaimed, elbowing Ashton out of the way so he could stay next to Evelyn.

"Who else could you be hoping to see?" George stroked an imaginary beard.

"We're clearly the bestest-"

"Most important-"

"Brilliant-"

"Hilarious-"

"And not to mention most devilishly handsome-"

"Wizards here!"

Evelyn massaged her temples, blinking. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to them doing that. They seemed to both operate off of the same braincell. She looked between their freckled faces that beamed identically down at her and shook her head. She opted just to ask the question that had been on her mind in the first place.

"Have we finished with the games now?"

The identical smiles became identical frowns. Evelyn's eyes flicked between them like she was watching a Muggle tennis match. The queue of students kept moving towards the doors. Eventually it was Fred who spoke.

"Don't you want to carry on next year?" His brows were knitted as he asked her the question, "I thought you'd started to enjoy it."

"And we've got loads of ideas we didn't get to use yet." George interjected, "Right Max?"

"Its true." Max leaned forward a little to offer her opinion, "I know I wasn't exactly on board with this thing at the start but the whole thing's grown on me. I'm surprised you don't want to carry on, Evie."

Then Nikki and Ashton interrupted, voicing that they too thought the games should continue the following year. It appeared to Evelyn that her friends had changed as well over the year. With the exception of Nikki, she would never before have expected them to enjoy something like what they'd been doing throughout the year. But they had, clearly. Even if there'd been some reservations at first. And if Evelyn was being honest, she hadn't expected that she herself would ever enjoy such activities. But she had. She really, really had.

"Hold your broomsticks," Evelyn interrupted the storm of persuasion loudly, "who said anything about not wanting to carry on in September? I only asked if you were planning to or not." She offered a smile around.

They were getting closer to the doorway where the professors were Shepparding people out of the castle. One step closer to the doorway. One step closer to the station. One step closer to summer. The smile wasn't only for the sake of her friends.

"You don't want to stop?"

Fred looked down at her, a hopeful glint in his milk chocolate eyes. Evelyn felt her cheeks warming. She was sure it was just because of the heavily crowded room.

"No. I don't want to stop." She confirmed. Fred's arm found it's way around her shoulders and squeezed in a sort of side hug as he grinned like a child in honeydukes (it also occurred to Evelyn as she returned the half hug that he was very likely to act like said child when he was actually in honeydukes), "even though I am winning."

"Well enjoy your little victory over the summer, Evie. When we come back it won't last for long." Fred winked. Evelyn rolled her eyes. They laughed.

"Miss Fortescue?"

"Mr Weasley!"

They jumped apart at the words of Professors Flitwick and McGonagall. Evelyn didn't drop her grin as she spoke with her head of house. She knew that the next school year would be just as great as the one she was about to step out of.

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Evelyn's arm was getting sore from waving as she wove through platform nine and three quarters. Goodbyes were tiring. There was somebody wishing her a good summer at every turn - from Jodie and Luna to Roger, Cho and the rest of the Ravenclaw quidditch team, along with Lee and the Twins and Harry.

And of course, there was Ethan, who had been conspicuously absent during the train journey, and who Evelyn knew she wouldn't see until her sixth year began because he was spending the summer holidays abroad. Evelyn didn't mind - she knew that most owls were perfectly capable of delivering mail overseas. But she still needed to say goodbye - it was only natural - so her journey across the platform was spent looking for not only her parents but also the boy with the shaggy blonde hair.

Eventually, she found them in almost the same place. Her parents standing with Jason in the middle of the platform, only a few paces behind Ethan who gave the pretty girl with dark hair he was talking to a hug before he came over to Evelyn.

A stiff kiss was thrust hastily on to her lips before she could even get a word out.

"I'll write." He told her, "And you'll write back. And when we come back it won't seem to have been so long."

"I'll be working for most of the time anyway." Evelyn said to him, "it usually goes by quick."

Ethan smiled and put another kiss on her.

"Have a good summer." She said as he bid her goodbye and disappeared into the crowd once again. Evelyn blinked at the space in the crowd he'd disappeared into. Then the gap closed up with more families reuniting after a long year of school reminding her that her own family was standing only a little way away. She winced internally. With any luck they hadn't been looking when Ethan kissed her. She didn't much fancy the teasing she'd get over the summer if her father had seen anything.

"Ooh a star-crossed lover! However will you manage the summer without your other half?" Florean Fortescue cooed from behind Evelyn, resting his arms around her shoulders. Evelyn's eye twitched. Of course she'd never have such luck.

"Shut up." She hissed at her father, though turned to reciprocate the hug with her face pressed into the shirt on his chest that vibrated with hearty chuckles.

"Ready to go?" He asked as Evelyn moved into her mother's embrace. Evelyn's trunk was levitated onto a trolley alongside Jason's belongings. As they made their way through the steadily thinning crowd, Evelyn waved goodbye once more at a one redheaded twin standing in a group of gingers who caught her eye from afar with a wink and a smile.