In His Shadow (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Chapter 22- The First Meeting

I gasped as a hand grabbed onto my collar and pulled me back behind a bookshelf. I turned around and sighed with relief.

“Fred,” I grinned, “Do you have to make such an entrance?”

He grabbed onto my hand,

“Follow me. I’m hoping Harry told me the right place to go.”

We walked down the corridor, checking every so often to make sure no one was watching. We finally stopped on the seventh floor. A large door with a brass handle had appeared in the wall. I frowned,

“Fred! When did that get there?”

We opened the door and walked in. There were a lot of other people in there already. Harry grinned at me, before looking at Fred’s hand tightly gripping mine. My cheeks turned a dark shade of red.

Hermione smiled,

“Hello Ava! Hi Fred!”

I waved at her quickly before she suggested to everyone that we come up with a name.

I giggled,

“The Umbridge-Haters.”

Fred added,

“Or the Ministry of Magic are Morons Group?”

Hermione frowned at Fred,

“I was thinking more of a name that didn’t tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings.”

Cho suggested,

“The Defence Association? The DA for short, so nobody knows what we’re talking about?”

Ginny nodded,

“Yeah, the DA’s good. Only let’s make it stand for Dumbledore’s Army, because that’s the Ministry’s worst fear, isn’t it?”

Everyone mumbled in agreement.

Harry told us to get into pairs and practise the Disarming Charm, Expelliarmus.

I pulled my wand out and glanced at Fred. Everyone else was already getting started, but I didn’t do anything. Fred realised what the matter was,

“You’ve never cast a spell before, have you?”

I shook my head sheepishly. He grinned,

“Don’t worry, newbie. I can teach you.”

He walked over to me and told me how to hold my wand, how to move it as I said the spell. After a couple of minutes, I grinned,

“I think I can do it.”

Fred stood opposite me once again,

“Now, don’t worry if you don’t get it the first-”

“Expelliarmus!”

Fred’s wand flew out of his hand, and I grinned gleefully.

He raised an eyebrow,

“I must be a good teacher.”

I laughed,

“Or maybe I’m just good at casting spells!”

Harry walked past,

“That was pretty good, Ava!”

I grinned,

“Thanks Harry!”

I raised my wand to try again, but Fred was quicker. My wand clattered onto the floor. I groaned,

“Fred! I wasn’t ready that time!”

He grinned,

“You’ve got to be on the ball. Come on, let’s try again.”

I picked my wand up,

“Expel-”

Fred cut me off as my wand flew out of my hand again. I glared at him as I bent down to pick it up,

“I’m meant to be learning, you know.”

He chuckled,

“Okay! I won’t do anything this time, so you can practice.”

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to utter the spell, but my wand flew out of my grip again. After a second of silence, I ran up to Fred and tackled him to the ground,

“Don’t do that again! You said you wouldn’t!”

He tried to stop laughing,

“I couldn’t resist! Also, you look kind of cute when you’re angry.”

I punched his arm,

“Shut up!”

Fred stood back up with my still on his back. I giggled,

“You’ve got to let me practice the spell sometime!”

He shook his head,

“I don’t think I will.”

I noticed Hermione watching us from the other side of the room. She had a faint smile on her face.

Harry blew his whistle and told us that the session was over. He let people out of the room in small groups of threes.

Fred walked over to the door with me still clinging onto his neck. Harry looked up at me,

“I hope you’re not scared of heights, Ava.”

I rolled my eyes,

“Fred’s just giving me a piggy back!”

Harry laughed and let us go out. I muttered in Fred’s ear,

“I think you ought to take me to my common room. It’s your punishment for not letting me practise.”

He turned down a corridor,

“I reckon that’s fair enough.”

When we finally got to the dungeons, Fred bent down and let me back onto the ground. I sighed,

“Bye, Freddo. Thanks for getting me down here.”

He grinned,

“That’s okay. I’m worried now.”

“Why are you worried?”

He shrugged,

“I hate to think that Zach and Eleanor are going to bully you when you get into the common room.”

I smiled,

“Don’t panic! I just ignore them and go straight to bed.”

I turned towards the portrait, but Fred pulled me back. Before I could ask why, he crushed his lips against mine. My heart pounded in my chest as I entwined my fingers through his ginger hair. My whole body felt hot and tingly.

Eventually, we broke apart. I wanted more, but we were right outside the Slytherin common room. Anyone could have caught us.

Fred walked away, and I touched my lips, still tingling from the kiss.