𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐀
𝟎𝟐. 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲
'𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓'𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍'
( Sam Fender, Will We Talk )
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SILENCE. Nothing could be heard but Matilda's steps as she walked along the empty halls. The tip of her want was glowing a bright white light - Lumos, one of the most practically spells having been cast.
She had tossed and turned for a while in her bed, thought runnings rampant through her mind as she tried to fall asleep in vain. The other girls in her dorm had long fallen asleep with soft breaths emitting from their lips. But Matilda couldn't sleep for some reason. She hadn't expected the trouble sleeping to come so soon during her stay at Hogwarts.
The first night was usually the one when she would sleep the best. It made no sense that despite the crackling fire they had lit in the room and the warm sheets around her, Matilda felt as though the mattress was digging into her at every angle. It was insufferable.
There was just a bad feeling in the air. Despite the fact that no one else seemed to realize it, Matilda was unable to sleep because of it. So that's how she found herself wandering around the castle late into the night.
Her destination was the same that it always was when she couldn't sleep. The only place that calmed her down was the Astronomy Tower. It had ever since an eleven-year-old Matilda had wandered into it during her first year at Hogwarts; before her friends and during the confusion with the sorting. It was her refuge.
Something about staring out at the stars, whether it be to chart them, look for constellations or merely bask in their glow, eased her worries. Matilda had gone so many times to the Astronomy Tower already since her start at Hogwarts that she knew exactly the places to go so that Filch would be none the wiser.
She had nearly gotten caught once in her second year, and the experience of fleeing from the limping man and his cat had left Matilda with enough knowledge of the castle so that she never had to deal with the issue again.
"Oi! We're trying to sleep!" A portrait called out, making Matilda freeze as she glanced at the old wizard that lay on a couch within one of the paintings to her right.
"Turn that blasted light off!" Another called, seemingly angrier than the first.
She winced and lowered her wand slightly, hand covering it to shield the portraits from the light. "My bad."
Now at peace with the men within the paintings, who now started to snore once more, Matilda turned her body to continue walking down the corridor. Just a few more turns and she would be at the Astronomy Tower - and then hopefully she would actually be able to get a clear mind.
But that didn't happen.
"Oof!"
At the speed of a raging bull, someone knocked into her and sent her flying to the ground. Matilda closed her eyes as she prepared for the blow to the head once she landed on the ground, but it never came.
She tentatively nudged one of her eyes open and looked down at her waist to see two large hands holding her in a dip. Her eyes widened, and she glanced up only to be met with brown eyes that were as wide as her own, and long ginger hair that was dangerously close to brushing her cheek.
A Weasley. And one of the twins, too.
"Blimey," the boy whispered. "My bad."
"What on earth are you doing!" Matilda scolded as she pushed herself away from his grip.
"I might ask you the same thing," the Weasley argued, but the raised corners of his lips showed that he was anything but upset. Amused was more like it.
"I was-" Matilda stood for a moment in search of the right excuse, a blush forming on her cheeks. "Well, never mind what I was doing. You're the one who bumped into me! If anything-"
Her ramble was cut off before she could give him a proper scolding. It was cut off by his hand clasping around her mouth forcefully. Matilda huffed and narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance. She tried to battle against his grip, but the hold he had on her was too strong, and she was unable to do anything.
"Calm down, will you?" he whispered to her. It was too dark to see much of anything, but from the proximity of his eyes to her own, and the heaving breaths she felt on her face, Matilda guessed she was much closer to him than she would like to be. "It's Filch."
Matilda nodded her head reluctantly, and he finally removed his hand from her lips. "Where?"
"He-" The Weasley boy was about to answer when a curt meow sounded from beside them.
With startled eyes, both of them looked down to see Mrs. Norris staring up her them, her red eyes burning into their faces.
"Bugger," Matilda huffed.
"Come on," he urged.
She couldn't word in an objection before he grabbed her hand in his own and ran down the hall, pulling her along. Matilda could faintly hear the meowing of a cat behind them, but the Weasley was going much too quick for the animal to have any chance of catching up with them.
It came to a point that Matilda got lost in her mind from all the twists and turns that he was taking her through, and she merely gave up on trying to fight him, instead allowing him to lead her wherever he saw fit. After all, if she knew one thing about the Weasley twins, it was that they had a knack for getting into trouble, but an equal knack for getting themselves out.
They finally came to a halt in front of a broom closet. Matilda glanced up at him with narrowed eyes. "There is no way-"
Another meow came not far behind them, most likely in the hallway that led to where they were. The Weasley smirked at her as he opened the door to the broom closet and hastily urged her into it before following her and shutting the door behind them.
"This is absurd-" Matilda scolded lightly, her voice just above a whisper.
"Shh," he brought his fingers to his lips, still smirking obnoxiously at her.
Matilda bit the inside of her cheek to refrain from clapping back at him. She leaned her back against the wall, hoping to put some space between them. But that was nearly impossible considering the fact that they were stuffed in a tiny broom closet together.
The only sound for a few moments was their soft breathing as they both waited for the coast to be clear. Matilda kept her eyes on the ground, refusing to look up at him in fears that the circumstances would make her blush prematurely and embarrass herself.
This was certainly not how she was expecting her night to go. Matilda had hoped for a calm evening at the Astronomy Tower, where she would unwind before heading back to bed. But now she was stuck with a Weasley boy, who was smirking down at her, and she didn't even know his name.
Matilda looked up at him finally, and she knitted her brows together as her eyes ran over the expanse of his face. Bringing up memories she had from seeing the infamous twins around Hogwarts, Matilda was able to concur that the one standing in front of her had a rounder-looking face, his nose was straighter, and there was a barely visible scar on his eyebrow.
But was he Fred? Or was he George? She couldn't remember. But Matilda guessed she would have no trouble telling them apart anymore after this night.
"Can I help you?" He questioned out of nowhere.
"Huh?" Matilda hummed, still distracted by trying to tell them apart.
"You're staring," he smiled teasingly. "I know I'm a good-looking bloke but-"
"Oh, shut up," Matilda smacked his shoulder in annoyance. "I was merely wondering which one you were?"
He looked down at her for a moment, eyes twinkling with mischief before he raised his hand for her to shake. "George."
Matilda narrowed her eyes at him. She looked down at his outstretched hand, and then at his face, back at the hand, and then finally at his face again. "No, you're not," she shook her head. "You're Fred, aren't you?"
The boy - who she now confidently knew to be Fred Weasley looked surprised for a moment. She had caught him out on his lie better than anyone else had ever done before. "How'd you know?"
"It seemed entirely too predictable that you would give me the right name," Matilda shrugged. "Besides, I've studied with the both of you for years."
"We've never spoken," he pointed out.
"Doesn't mean I didn't see you around," Matilda replied cooly.
"Quite the observer, aren't you, love?" Fred grinned cheekily at her.
Matilda hesitated for a moment before nodding once. "I suppose so."
They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments in silence, neither moving their bodies nor making any expressions. When another thirty seconds passed and still no sound came, Fred moved his hand to his back pocket, grabbed his wand, and used it to unlock the door of the cupboard they were in.
"Ladies first," he smirked softly, arms gesturing for her to leave, which she did.
Matilda guessed that it was not much too risky to venture off to the Astronomy Tower. And judging by her surroundings, she realized that they were close to Ravenclaw Tower. It seemed as though her night would come to a surprising, yet premature, end.
"Well, if you'll excuse me I think I'll be heading back now," she muttered before sauntering off.
"Wait up," he called behind her. Matilda closed her eyes in frustration for a split second, and when she opened them, he was already walking next to her. "What did you say your name was again?"
"I never said it," Matilda shrugged. "But you've only been studying with me for the past five years - it's not as though you should know it, right?"
"Fair point," Fred clicked his tongue. "I do apologize. Now, do tell me your name. I'm on the edge of my seat here."
"If you must know, it's Matilda," she relented as they walked.
"No last name?" he questioned.
"You are so annoying!" Matilda huffed.
"I know. It's one of my most charming attributes," Fred boasted, and Matilda hated that it made her smile; just a little. "So, the last name?"
"It's um- Caddel." Her voice came out small, and Matilda refused to meet his eyes as she said it.
Most of the time, whenever people heard her last name, they would instantly associate her with her family, and she hated it. Of course, there was her sister - and she supposed her brother wasn't really sinister, just misguided. But when you say your name and people take a step back in precaution, it can be a bit daunting after a while.
Fred felt the energy change within her as she said it; how she cowered away once the words left her lips - almost as though she was scared of her reaction. He chose his next words carefully, something he rarely did. "Come to think of it, I remember you now."
Matilda looked up at him in surprise. No judgment in his eyes. No apprehension in his movements. Just the same small smirk that had been on his lips since the start of their encounter. "You do?"
"Of course," Fred assured. "Matilda Caddel-" she liked the way her name sounded coming from his lips. "Ravenclaw, right?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"We had Defense Against the Dark Arts together last year," he continued speaking. "With Professor Lupin."
Matilda remembered. Of course, she remembered. Lupin had been the only Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that she had actually liked. He had treated her with the utmost respect, even going as far as offering her tidbits of advice whenever he saw her feeling down.
"We did," Matilda smiled. "I just didn't think you would remember."
"Well, I do." The way he said it left no space for discussion; simple and self-assured. "I especially remember you not wanting to participate in the whole Boggart experience. I found it quite odd."
Matilda froze up at that. She remembered that as well. When Professor Lupin had announced that they would be studying Boggarts despite the fact that they had done so in the third year already, Matilda could only recall the anxiety she felt. During the third year, her teacher - none other than Professor Quirell had merely asked for volunteers - and Matilda had not been one of the three people to raise their hands.
But she had been so curious about her Boggart, that she had devised a plan to figure it out by herself, without the rest of the class knowing. It had taken some convincing, but David and Zadie had eventually agreed to sneak into the classroom with her so that she could face the creature.
She never wanted to see what she saw that night again. And Matilda vowed that the only three people who would know of her Boggart were her two friends and her sister. Professor Lupin had asked her about it after the lesson, and even then, Matilda refused to tell him - which he had been exceedingly kind about.
"Yes, well I'd rather not talk of that entire experience," Matilda mumbled weakly, her fingers playing with her hair.
"That's alright, I figured you wouldn't." There he went again, being completely the opposite of what Matilda had expected. "Of course, my Boggart is no secret. The whole bloody class saw it."
"You-know-who, right?" Matilda questioned carefully.
"Pretty basic fear, I know," Fred joked - though she could see the flicker of fear in his eyes. "Loads of people have the same one - George included."
"It's only basic because he's hurt so many people," Matilda pointed out. "I'm scared of him too. I think anyone would be a fool not to fear him."
Fred nodded his head once before he looked forwards once more. They walked in silence, and it appeared that he really was going to walk with her all the way to her common room. Matilda didn't know what exactly she had expected of Fred Weasley, but she knew he seemed much calmer than she expected. Maybe she had just caught him in one of those moments when one doesn't quite feel up to being energetic.
Merlin knows Matilda had those times.
The silence from the start of her journey was back, with mere footsteps filling the empty sound of the castle. Somewhere far away and deep into the forest, a wolf was howling and the sound mixed with the wind that blew outside the windows. But other than that, complete silence.
He did indeed follow her all the way back to her common room, his demeanor resembling something of a lost puppy. Matilda wondered where George - who was usually by his side at all times was, but she didn't need Fred to answer that question. She supposed they had gotten separated after some sort of prank that led to Filch chasing after the twin who was currently walking with her.
They finally reached the end of Ravenclaw Tower, where the Eagle knocker was waiting for Matilda to approach. She glanced at Fred, who was standing behind him with his hands stuffed in his sleep bottoms, before looking back at the Eagle.
"I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive in the wind. What am I?" The eagle questioned.
Matilda mulled it over for a few moments. She was usually quite quick with her riddles, for she always read the section of the Daily Prophet which featured brain twisters - something that Zadie always teased her for by saying she looked like an old man, scribbling on the paper. But from all the happenings of the day and the lack of sleep, she found herself taking longer than usual.
"You need any help there, love?" Fred questioned, a big grin on his face.
"No," Matilda scoffed. She turned back to the Eagle, and it only took her a couple of seconds to come up with an answer. "An echo. The answer is an Echo."
The door opened, swinging across its old hinges and exposing the inside of the common room. Matilda peaked her head in, and when she saw no one was inside the main room, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I suppose this is goodnight," she whispered awkwardly.
Fred looked over her for a moment as her slipper-clad feet tapped on the cobblestone floor. Noticing his eyes on her, Matilda wrapped her arms around herself a bit more, covering some of her white pajamas. "Right," Fred whispered back. "Good night then."
"Good night," she repeated. With one last smile in his direction, Matilda walked into the common room, allowing the door to shut behind her and shield her from Fred Weasley, who had waited until she was all the way in to actually leave.
She leaned against the door with a heavy breath. Her middle and pointer fingers reached up to massage the crease between her eyebrows. Matilda was still trying to wrap her head around the entire evening and her interaction with Fred. It had certainly been unexpected. But one thing was for sure, the entire experience had done a terrific job of getting her mind off everything that had been bugging her. Dare she say, Matilda guessed Fred Weasley and his mischief had done a better job than going to the Astronomy Tower would have been able to.
Odd.
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