Closer To The Stars || Fred Weasley

17. Apologies

Lorette hadn't slept at all- Oliver had kept her pretty busy all night.She got up the next morning and packed her bags, after Oliver's parents, they would return straight to Hogwarts.

"Goodbye, Amira. Goodbye, Vittorio. I had a wonderful time." Oliver said, giving Amira a hug and Vittorio a firm handshake. Lorette's parents had liked Oliver so much, they allowed them to use their first names.

"Again, darling, I'm so sorry about Friday night." Amira said.

"It's really okay, Lory and I are just fine." Oliver said with full confidence. Poor boy had no idea.

"Ciao, ciao!" Vittorio said as Lorette and Oliver stepped into the chimney.

They were transported to a medium-sized house in the middle of a regular looking neighborhood. The house didn't look old, nor too new. The field was covered in crops and there was a big red barn in one corner.

"I know it's not a mansion-" Oliver said.

"No, no, Ollie, I love it." Lorette said, admiring his home. Although the truth was, it reminded her of the Burrow. That's why she loved it so much.

Mr. and Mrs. Wood greeted Lorette and Oliver at the door. Mrs. Wood was a short and fit woman. She had chestnut brown hair and dark hazel eyes, just like Oliver's. Mr. Wood was the same, only a little taller than Mrs. Wood with dark brown eyes.

"Lorette! How nice to meet you!" Mrs. Wood said, opening her arms to hug Lorette.

"Oliver has told us so much about you!" Mr. Wood said, shaking her hand.

Lunch with the Woods was quiet and calm, very different from Lorette's family. They asked Oliver about school and were pleased to hear that Lorette was on the quidditch team. Mr. and Mrs. Wood were just as quidditch-obsessed as Oliver.

Lorette loved how normal Oliver's family was, like a breath of fresh air. A break from her family's usual drama.

They said their goodbyes and by 5:00 p.m, Lorette, Oliver, and Jennifer were on their way back to Hogwarts.

...

Over the course of the following days, Lorette and Fred barely spoke to each other, only sharing a few hello's and how are you's in the corridors.

One day, Fred had gotten to class late, as usual, but surprisingly, so was Lorette. There were only two seats left open, right next to each other. Fortunately, that day during class, there was a partner project, so Lorette and Fred would be forced to interact.

Today, the students would be making Babbling Beverage, whoever took it would start nonstop talking. The goal of the lesson was to figure out how to make it, then find a cure for it.

"Once you've made the potion, one of you will take it. The other, will begin to find the cure, and whoever took their potion will try their best to help." Snape said sharply. "You will need to rely on each other. Do not ask me any questions."

Lorette grabbed the textbook next to her and read the ingredients:

Valerian Sprigs

Aconite

Dittany

Lovage

There were no exact measurements, but Lorette wasn't worried about that part.

She began reading the instructions and pulling out a cauldron and the ingredients. She was completely disregarding Fred's presence.

"Miss De Rossi, shall I remind you that this is a partner project?" Snape snarled when he noticed Lorette and Fred weren't working together.