International Love | Fred Weasley

Chapter 2

There are a lot of way to travel but some of them aren't used by a lot of witches and wizards. Often, it is because they can't do it. Everyone can fly a broom, but not many people can shadowtravel. In my family, on my mother's side, it is passed on from mother to daughter. It is simple: you step into the shadows – they should be as dark as possible, not every shadow is suitable – say the place you want to go to, as loud of quiet as you please, and the next moment, you arrive at your destination without anyone hearing you coming.

I love shadow-travelling way too much and use it often. Madame Maxime doesn't like it, neither does my uncle sometimes. Technically, you can travel to any place you want, even if it is locked. Except for placed that are warded to prevent shadow-travellers from entering – like the faults at Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank.

Luckily for me, there are no wards on the Gryffindor common room. Vera told me each common room is locked and only the students of the house know how to enter it.

The first thing I notice is that the Gryffindor common room is cosy and red. There aren't many students, but there are a few standing around one of the couches near the fireplace. As I walk closer, I see there is someone sitting on the couch while the others stand around him.

I recognize the blond-haired boy from dinner. He seems frozen on the couch and tries not to make any sudden movements. Pixie is still laying on his head, curled up in a ball, fast asleep. The students around him are trying to remove her, but they don't seem to dare to touch her. If they had dared, I am sure Pixie wouldn't be sleeping on the boy's head anymore.

"There has to be a way to make it move again," a brown-haired girl, sitting on the armrest of the couch with a book in her lap, says. She is waving her wand around. "Immobulus is a charm that only slows down a creature. It doesn't freeze them for a long time."

Two boys – twins with red hair – laugh and one remarks: "Perhaps French spells work differently than ours."

He begins to laugh and the other says: "Or maybe, the French witch doesn't return, and you will be stuck with that dragon on your head forever, Neville."

Both begin to laugh and the boy on the couch looks at them with wide eyes. "D-do you really th-think that?"

The twins nod and only laugh harder when they see the boy's facial expression. The brown-haired girl sends them an angry glare before turning back to the boy on the couch. She shakes her head and smiles reassuring at the boy.

"Don't listen to them, Neville, they are only joking. If the girl doesn't return to receive her, what is it anyway, a dragon? Then we will go to Professor McGonagall, she will know what to do."

"It looks like a Peruvian Vipertooth," a boy with similar red hair as the twins is sitting on the ground in front of the couch. He, too, has a book in his hands and continues: "It says here they eat humans and have dangerously venomous fangs."

All the colour in the blond-haired boy's face is gone now and he whines: "Why does this always happen to me?"

I have been trying to keep in my laughter for the past minutes and can't hold it anymore. The Gryffindor students turn as one in my direction which only makes me laugh harder.

"Don't worry," I say when I finally get enough oxygen again, "Pixie doesn't eat humans – have you seen her size – and she doesn't have venomous fangs. Like I told you before, she can't hurt you."

The students look at me with shock written all over their faces. The girl opens her mouth but the red-haired boy with the magical animal book beats her to the punch: "How did you get in here? Who told you the password?"

I ignore him and walk towards the boy on the couch. I carefully grab the little dragon off his head and place her on my shoulder. Pixie opens one eye, realises it is me, and closes it again. She digs her nails in my sweater for support and continues sleeping. I smile at the students around me and shrug: "Immobulus only slows a creature down, you were right. But this one was just asleep."

"How did you even get it?" One of the twins steps closer and peers at Pixie, "Miniature dragons are rare. I have never seen a Peruvian Vipertooth."

"To be honest, I don't even know where I got her. She might have been a present from my uncle. Sometimes my friends joke that he shrank a real live Peruvian Vipertooth and handed it to me as a pet."

The twins look at me with wide eyes and I shrug, "She acts like a real dragon and can spit fire."

"Back to his question," a boy with glasses points towards the red-haired boy holding the book, "how did you get in here?"

Turning to the others, he asks: "Did anyone tell her the password – Neville, you maybe? Remember what happened last year."

Neville, the boy who had Pixie on his head, shakes his head, "N-no Harry, it wasn't me this time, I swear!"

Harry looks at the others and everyone shakes their head. When he turns back to me, I see the scar on his forehead. So, this is Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived.

"Well then, how did you get in?"

The tone in his voice makes me laugh again.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," I answer, "It was nice meeting you all. If you don't mind, I must go again. The classes here start earlier than the ones back home. Thank you for keeping an eye on Pixie, I owe you one."

I smile at the blond-haired boy and turn back to the corner where I came from. Before any of the students can react, I am gone again.

Back in the carriage, Flora is already half asleep. She gestures to the paper on my nightstand, "The schedules have been handed out. I told Fleur you were in the shower, but she didn't seem to believe me."

Once in bed, I grab my schedule and study it. The first class I have tomorrow morning is Potions and I smile. "My first lesson tomorrow morning is Potions, that's nice."

"You're good at Potions, because your uncle is a Potion Master. I am happy I didn't choose it. I have Care of Magical Creatures, and that sounds very interesting," Flora answers with her eyes closed. Pixie steps of my shoulder and lays down on my pillow.

I tell Flora about the evening in the Gryffindor common room and the expression of the students their face when they saw me coming from the shadow. Flora has been my roommate since my first year at Beauxbartons. She is a year younger than me – something that has to do with me being a year older than the students in my year due to a choice my uncle made regarding my education when I was younger – and has known from the start that I could shadow-travel.

It's not long after I have returned to the carriage that we fall asleep.

~~~~

Welcome to 'International Love', my first ever finished Harry Potter fanfiction. I hope you like it! I really enjoyed writing and rewriting this story :)

Check out my other stories that can be found on my profile: 

¤ 'Underground Resistance', my Percy Weasley Fanfiction. Even if he might not be your favourite character, you might be able to enjoy that story as well. 

¤ 'The Red Dragon', my Charlie Weasley FanFiction. Technically a sequel to the PW story, but can perfectly be read seperately.

Anyway, happy reading! Don't forget to leave a vote and a comment :)