intoxicating. / / fred weasley / / under revision

4

She finally came across the two friends, tucked away in the compartment where they first met first year. As she slid the door open, they both shot up from where they sat and just stared at her, with the same look everyone gives her.

"I'm not going to talk about it," she said with no emotion "but I will when I'm ready, I promise. Just not yet" there was small shimmer in her eye, she wanted to cry but she wasn't ready yet. She wasn't ready to say goodbye yet.

Sucking those emotions right back up, she gave a smile and sat down. "Tell me what you did this summer, I need to know everything. I'm sorry I hadn't written this summer, but you know, a dead dad can cause that." The two friends eyes widened, and then the three broke into a laugh. She'd hadn't done that in a while, felt odd but felt good.

Cedric told the girls about his trip to Paris with his parents and that he mostly stayed home practicing quidditch. Then that reminded him, "Mae, are you finally trying out this year? Please tell me you are, we are in need of a chaser, and if you're as good as I remember from last summer. You'll say yes and try out, for me. Your best friend. Who loves you so much. And.." Before he can finish.

"Yes! I will, only if you shut up!" She laughed.

Julia laughing, "Thank Merlin, I can't take it anymore, that's all he was talking about before you got here."

"No I wasn't" Rolling his eyes.

"Thats a lie!!" Julia in a mocking tone, "Quidditch this, Maeve has too that, she's too good to not, Im Cedric everyone loves me, Cho this, Cho that..."

"I get it!" He yelled, catching passerbyers to look in. The three fell into a laughing fit.

"Speaking of Cho, why haven't you run off to see her yet." Maeve laughed.

He looked up with guilty eyes, "I didn't want to ditch you, you know dead dad and all." Julia jabbed his side. Neither one of them expected her to burst out into laughter but that was what happened.

"Cedric, I want this to be a normal year. Please guys, don't treat me like I'm broken. Im okay" she saw in their eyes that they care very much about her, "I promise, now go. At least one of us is in a relationship..." She winked at him and he was off.

From the hallway, the twins were walking back from changing into their robes when they saw Diggory come out of the compartment he was in laughing and saying goodbye and as the door was sliding shut they heard the giggle they were waiting to hear. Fred let out a breath of air, as if he was holding it. George noticed his brothers shift in mood after hearing the laugh.

"You like her, don't you" with a smirk, instantly Fred's face grew redder than their hair.

"What? No.. We're just friends." As he walked back to the Gryffindors carriage. "sure"

With the girls left in their seats, Julia was telling Maeve all about her muggle summer, which Maeve has always been interested in. She was supposed to go on holiday with the Bates family and Julia.

"You would have loved it!" Julia smiled, "who knew there was more to Scotland than just school!"

"Anything off the trolley?!"

The girl's eyes lit up hearing those words, and without Julia saying anything Maeve was at the door, coins in hand waiting for the trolley lady.

"There are these cows," Julia leaned up against the window watching Maeve try and fail miserably paying for their pumpkin pasties. But the Trolley lady never lets Maeve pay.

"If I was of legal age, I would somehow charm these coins to follow you, Helen."

"Just take the pasties, Mae." the old woman winked at her and then Julia.

Maeve turned around, throwing a pastry at Julia and sighing as she fell into her seat, "she never lets me pay.."

"I mean, I think you're the only one who has ever rode this train to learn her name.."

"You know her name."

"Because you asked her in front of me," Julia smiled, stuffing her face with the sweets, "anyways there are these cows. They are like so fluffy an-"

Julia was interrupted when the lights in their cabin shut off.

"That's weird." Maeve got up to look out in the hallways, when suddenly the train came to a stop causing Maeve to fall back into her seat. She looked up at Julia, who was trying to hold in a laugh but then was startled by something outside the window. Then both girls screamed when Cedric ran into their compartment, "Whoa chill, it's just me. The train stopped."

"Yeah no shit." Julia spat.

"Something's out there guys." Maeve was starting to shake, Cedric pulled Julia to the side where Maeve was and grabbed them both in his arms. As if the happiness was taken out of the air, Maeve was brought back to her summer on how she was feeling. This wasn't a new feeling, this was what her entire summer felt like, cold, lonely and sad.

"What the bloody hell is that!" Julia screamed, pulling Maeve out of her thoughts, to see a black cloaked figure float by their compartment door down to the corridor. After what was probably 5 minutes, the train started back up and the coldness went away.

"What do you expect, Potter still goes here," Julia joked, "we'll never have a normal school year again." Laughing hoping to bring the trio back down to earth.

"It's not Harry's fault, Julia." Maeve laughed

"Well, in his second year, i ended up in the hospital wing petrified for a month... That didn't happen when we were second years.." Julia raised her eyebrow, holding back a laugh

"Touché" Maeve smirked as she brushed Billy's fur

"Well I'm gonna go actually check on Cho, I didn't get to her side of the train before the lights went out." the girls looked at him with fear.

"How do we know its safe?" Julia asked, eyeing the hallway

"I'll be okay, I promise, I'll meet you at the carriages at the train stop okay?" 

"That could be you Maeve." Julia smiled, as Cedric closed the door.

"Be Cedric's girlfriend?" Maeve cringed, "That's like dating my brother, not my thing..."

"Not Cedric..." Julia groaned throwing her head back, "one of those twins you always hangout with."

"Fred and George?" Maeve furrowed her brow, "No, i'm not cool enough for them, and anyways we're just friends.. I think." 

"They came looking for you last year on the train.. Fred seemed a bit upset when he couldn't find you." Julia pulled out one of her muggle magazines, "He cares about you a lot."

"Well, Fred and I became really close last year when he took muggle studies with me." Maeve shrugged, "I think it was the first time we actually talked without George."  Maeve looked up from Billy at Julia, "Fred is actually quite shy when he isn't with George, it's really interesting."

"Fred Weasley? Shy?" Julia laughed, "Are you sure you were with the right twin."

"Of course I do!" Maeve laughed, "Fred has a scar on his eyebrow and freckles on his forehead and cheeks.. George only has freckles on his nose.." Maeve's eyes went wide, "I mean, I think.. How would I know that..." she cringed. Julia just laughed at her best friends embarrassment.

"If i'm getting my twins right, I think it's Fred, who likes you." she smiled, "Or maybe the red head who keeps walking by our compartment looking in at you is a ghost."

"No, he doesn't like me.." she shook her head looking out the window, "boys don't like me. They think I'm weird.." 

"No!"

"Oh, don't say that. I know people think I'm weird, and you and Cedric don't cough that loud when you two try to cover up what people say to me."

"Oh, Maeve..."

"Don't pity me, Jules. I've learned to accept it. I like being weird." she smiled 

"I like how weird you are too, keeps my life exciting." Julia laughed