PART ONE
- four years later -
MADELYN WOKE TO THE SOUND OF HER ALARM CLOCK NEAR HER BED. The twins were coming to pick her up and take her to the Burrow for the Quidditch World Cup. Her father didn't like the friends she associated with, he didn't have much choice because none of the Slytherines would talk to her, but he was still angry.
When Madelyn got sorted into her house, the hat immediately yelled 'Gryffindor'. Her father was furious, to say the least. When she got home for winter break that year, he had made it clear that he wanted her to be a part of whatever he was. She would sit in the meetings, beside Draco and her father, and listen to them go on and on about the Dark Lord.
Once she was somewhat awake, she walked into her closet and picked out a simple outfit, jeans and a sweater. She then braided her hair in two french braids and made sure her mothers necklace was still hanging around her neck. She then grabbed her trunk and cat, Nala, before heading downstairs, quietly.
Her father was already asleep, so hopefully she wouldn't have any problems. She let her cat walk down the stairs first before lifting up her trunk so she wouldn't drag it across the stairs. Her wand was tucked safely in her pocket as she tried her hardest to tip toe down. She stepped on one step that made a sudden creak to which she silently cursed at herself before continuing down.
Once she was at the bottom, she softly put her trunk down and walked over to the windows beside the front door. Her father was rich, there's no doubt about it. Their house was much like the Malfoy Manor, just a tad bit lighter. They had a cream colored, stone exterior with a balcony that wrapped around the whole mansion. The front doors were two black double doors that contrasted the white perfectly.
The windows were always concealed with dark curtains so nobody could see in. The first floor had the kitchen and living area, as well as the dining room where all of Mr. Willow's friends met. The upstairs had guest rooms along with Madelyn and her fathers room. The third floor was forbidden to Madelyn, she had only been once and she deeply regrets her curiosity that night. Her fathers office was up there, that much she knew.
Around the house outside, was a garden that circled around. Madelyn's mother loved to plant flowers, especially roses. Madelyn's mother, Sophie Willows, was a kind woman. She had soft brown hair with the kindest blue eyes. Everyone who knew her would say that Madelyn was the split image of her mother.
When Madelyn was 8, her mother suffered a terrible accident. She was in a car crash, Madelyn was in the back seat as they were driving back home from a trip to Paris. She doesn't remember most of that night, she just knows what her father told her.
She pulled the curtain back and spotted the Ford Angelia that Harry and Ron had driven into Hogwarts their second year. She chuckled at the memory before grabbing her things and slowly walking towards the door. She opened it slowly, followed by a slight creak, before slipping outside and closing it just as carefully.
The lights of the car blinded her eyes as she saw a figure get out of the passenger's seat to help her. He came closer and she recognized him as Fred. She was one of the few people that could tell them apart, everyone wondered how she did it. She immediately wrapped her arms around him, which he returned before pulling back to look at her.
"I missed you, Mads." She smiled and muttered a 'me too' before turning around and helping Fred take her stuff to the trunk. They then got into the car and she gave a small hug to George before settling in the back and watching the sky as they flew. She somehow fell asleep to the sound of Fred's voice explaining their summer.
He looked back at her and smiled. He took in her beauty and saw how much she had grown from the first time he saw her. Her cheeks were more defined, her cheeks were slightly flushed and her lips were a bit bigger than usual. Her breasts had gotten bigger over the summer, no one could ignore that, but Fred always kept his eyes on her face no matter how many other guys were staring, he always kept his eyes up. She definitely looked a lot older and more mature.
Madelyn had always been beautiful, that much was painfully clear. Fred had been the first to notice how breathtakingly gorgeous she was. He had fancied her from the moment she had asked him to help her with her transfiguration class because she couldn't figure out how to turn an animal into a cup. He tried to help her in the library for hours, it was definitely past curfew when they finally figured it out and she couldn't stop thanking him.
His feelings only strengthened as time went on and he didn't know why he hadn't acted on it. Maybe fear of rejection, fear of losing one of his best friends? Or maybe he just didn't have the guts to do it. But as they were nearing closer to the Burrow, he realized his feelings wouldn't - or couldn't - change anytime soon. He wished he could stop liking her or at least push those feelings aside because as far as he knew, one sided love hurt terribly.
"You're staring again, mate." George laughed as he looked back at his twin. Fred rolled his eyes before shifting back to the front. "You should just tell her."
"I can't." That was always the answer he gave, 'I can't'. George had told him to make a move loads of times, even Hermione, who noticed the way he looked at her, had said something.
The car landed outside the Burrow and George had taken Madelyn's stuff in while Fred stayed back to try and bring her in without waking her up. However, he failed while he was trying to get his arms under her legs to carry her bridal style. She had stirred awake and chuckled but still let him carry her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled in as the cool air hit her cheeks. He blushed at the contact and was thankful it was still dark outside so she couldn't see.
He set her down outside the door and opened it for her. "Thank you Freddie." She looked around the room and took in the familiar scent of freshly baked cookies.
She smiled as she saw the moving dishes in the sink and the clock chiming, signaling the twins were home. She heard Mrs. Weasley coming from around the corner of the stairs and immediately embraced her in a hug.
"Oh, Maddie!" She exclaimed as she took the young girl in her arms. Madelyn adored Mrs. Weasley. After her mother died, Mrs. Weasley was the closest thing she had to a mother figure. She would spend a lot of winter breaks here with Harry and Ron. She loved to play quidditch in the back with the boys. "Are you alright? Are you eating enough? Getting enough sleep?" Mrs. Weasley pulled back from the girl and placed her hands on her cheeks as if she was inspecting her.
"I'm okay." She laughed. Mrs. Weasley gave her another smile before moving over to the boys and embracing them in hugs.
"Good morning, Maddie." Harry came down the stairs followed by Ron and Hermione and took a seat at the table.
"Hey." She embraced Hermione in a hug before sitting down in between Hermione and Fred. A conversation started to flow across the table, Hermione and Madelyn got into a nice conversation about summer.
"Did you have to see Malfoy a lot?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Yeah, a bit. Our parents had a lot of meetings together. Why do you ask?" Madelyn was confused as to why Hermione brought it up, she didn't usually ask about Malfoy.
"Just wondering. I know you don't feel comfortable around him very much." Madelyn shrugged her shoulders. It was true, she didn't like Malfoy much. He always had something rude to say about her or her friends. She didn't understand why everyone couldn't just get along.
"Alright kids, let's get going." Arthur stood up from the table and placed a kiss on his wife's cheek before ushering the kids to follow him. Madelyn had only been to the Quidditch World Cup once with her mother when she was younger but had a great time so she was excited to go again. The group grabbed all their bags before making their way to the forest behind the Burrow.
"Where are we actually going?" Harry asked as they walked through the forest. The sun was slowly starting to surface and Madelyn tried her hardest to look at the stars before they disappeared.
"Don't know. Hey, Dad! Where are we going?" Ron yelled up to Arthur who shrugged his shoulders and continued walking.
"Haven't the foggiest, keep up!" He yelled and Ron groaned before picking up his pace. They stopped in front of a tree where a man holding a cane stood.
"Arthur, it's about time, son." They greeted each other with a hug as everyone else stood behind, wary of this man and who he was.
"Hopefully we don't get murdered." Fred lent down to whisper in Madelyn's ear and she shoved him off playfully before joining in laughter with him. Madelyn jumped suddenly as a younger man jumped down from the tree. Fred laughed at her reaction before stopping when she hit his chest. "Ow!" He put his hand over his heart as if she hurt him badly.
"This is Amos Diggory everyone, he works with me at the ministry. And this strapping young lad must be Cedric, am I right?" Fred and Madelyn gave each other confused looks at the word 'strapping'.
"Yes sir." The brunette said, nodding his head. He looked over at the group and his eyes landed on Madelyn. He smiled at her as her cheeks turned a bit of a brighter red than usual.
"Merlin's beard, you must be Harry Potter." Amos's eyes lit up at the realization as Harry stepped forward.
"Yes sir." They shook hands eagerly as Arthur introduced the rest of them.
"And this is Maddie Willows." Madelyn smiled and waved shyly, not really being fond of meeting new people. She rubbed her arms anxiously as Amos went on about her father and only stopped when Cedric reached out his hand towards her.
She looked up at him before shaking it and smiling. They must've been holding onto each other for a long time because Harry had cleared his throat awkwardly. Madelyn chuckled and pulled her hand away, running to meet up with the rest of the group. She had noticed that Fred had already walked up to the front of the group, farther away from her.
"That's it sir, just over there." They walked up the hill with Cedric next to Maddie, their hands brushing ever so often. She tried her best to hold back the blush that formed every time they touched.
"Shall we, we don't want to be too late." They stopped in front of a single brown boot.
"Why are they all standing around that manky old boot?" Harry asked.
"That isn't just any manky old boot, mate." Fred replied.
"It's a portkey." George finished his sentence and Maddie gulped. She wasn't a very big fan of portkeys. They always made her throw up for some reason.
"You'll be alright, love. Come here." Fred gave her a reassuring smile as he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to the boot.
"Time to go. Ready?"
"What's a portkey?" Asked Harry, with his hand still not on the boot.
"Harry!" Arthur yelled and Harry ran over to the boot, grabbing it. There was a white flash then suddenly they were all flying in the air. Madelyn could already feel her stomach twist as Fred squeezed her hand.
"Let go kids!" Arthur yelled and everyone looked at him weirdly.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"Let go!" They all let go and fell to the ground on their backs with a big 'thump'. Well - Madelyn landed on top of Fred. She looked up to see Arthur, Amos, and Cedric all coming down gracefully. She groaned as Fred moved from under her and moved to the side as it all came up.
Fred laughed as he held her hair back and she flipped him off. He made sure she was alright before helping her up and walking over to the rest of the group. The group turned to look down and saw a massive crowd with tents set up all over, some with shops and food. The cheering rang through her ears as they walked towards the tents. Arthur had explained to the others this was the Quidditch World Cup.
Everyone said their goodbyes as they stopped in front of a small tent that looked like it could barely fit anyone. Harry stood outside as everyone went in before Madelyn reached out to grab his hand and pull him in. They were immediately surrounded by different colors of fabric and separate rooms. The twins were sitting on the table while Hermione and Ginny were choosing a bed to sleep in.
Madelyn walked over to them before choosing a bed as well and putting her stuff on top. She sat down on it and pulled out a book to read before the match started. Fred would always make fun of her for bringing a book everywhere but Hermione and Maddie were having a competition to see who could read the most books before winter break and Maddie was determined to win.