Ch. 8: Country Sides
The sun was barely starting to rise by the time we started walking. I didn't have the slightest idea of where we were headed, but it didn't bother me. The view was beautiful, it was kind of relaxing and honestly? The air was sweet, light with the light of morning dew and carried the delicate scent of freshly cut grass and newly budding flowers.
As we walked down the grassy slopes, I noticed everyone had sort of drifted off into their own separate groups. I was walking by myself. Crossing my arms over my chest, I looked to my left to see Hermione and Ginny walking together and laughing, but I didn't want to disturb them, especially after Hermione just attacked me.
The refreshing calm of the morning air withered away as my head throbbed at the reminder. I glared at Hermione's back, still holding a slight grudge. Though, I was glad she didn't seem to be freaking out about being expelled for some reason.
Taking my gaze from her, I glanced behind my shoulder and spotted Ron and Harry towards the back of the group; they were both whispering to each other and I had a funny feeling that they were talking about me. This feeling was confirmed when Harry and Ron both looked up at me and met my eyes, before quickly looking away.
Harry's green eyes dodged carefully between Ron and me, and I wondered to myself about him. He seemed... almost timid. More careful than I'd pictured, more gated. However, after I'd caught their first glances, they didn't look over again.
Sighing, I shifted the pack on my back and was about to dig through it for my worn copy of Great Expectations when a fiery-haired twin popped up beside me.
"What're you doing?" He questioned me and put his arms behind his head as he walked. I couldn't tell whether he was Fred or George, so I stared at him for a while, trying to commit this one to memory so I wouldn't get them messed up again. He was tall, just like the others.
But, then again, I thought to myself, .... Lana is always saying that anyone's tall compared to me.
There was a glint in his eye, one that I had noticed earlier this morning when we'd first met. It was as if someone had told a joke, but it remained a secret, just to him. The light of it was still smouldering in his mind. Paired with his crackling eyes, the boy was sporting a confident smile as he peered down into my eyes with unwavering attention that caught me off guard, and, for a moment, I couldn't remember what he'd asked.
"Er...Nothing." With a forced, disinterested smile, I kept walking, taking a needed breath as I stepped further away from him. I saw the other one eyeing us a few feet away, scribbling something down on a slip of paper before folding it up and shoving it into his trouser pocket like a mad man with the secret to oblivion.
Curiously, I watched the twin next to me stroll over to a purple-leaved plant on the side of the road and pull it out of the ground. He studied it closely and gave it an approving nod while signalling to his twin.
"Hey, George," Fred, the one holding the uprooted plant, ( I connected the dots ) whispered to his brother. George looked at the plant and trudged over to the two of us, his face lighting up into a bigger and bigger grin as he got closer to the plant. I could have sworn he was doing a little jig as the pair began to feverishly whisper to each other.
With an arched brow, I leant forward and examined the plant, interested in how weird the two of them were. It wasn't every day a mad scientist walked into your life, and... hell, it seemed like two just had waltzed into mine without a care.
George picked up the plant and flipped it upside down to get a good look at the roots. "I think you're right, Fred." They both shared their own mischievous smirk that I was somehow already used to. George handed the root back to Fred and dusted his hands off on his grey heathered jumper, leaving traces of Eath and debris.
Fred turned to me and stuck the roots in my face, causing me to retract my face with an upturned nose. "Eat a piece of this?" He smiled.
I raised a brow at the two of them and objected. "What? No! That could poison me for all I know." I stuck my nose in the air. I had barely known these two for three hours and they were trying to get me to eat something they dug out of the ground?
"Oh come on, aren't Americans supposed to be adventurous?" Fred pleaded and handed me the root, trying to change my mind.
I glared down at the innocent little root and frowned at the twins. "You're referring to the Spanish since they were the first to explore the 'New World'." I was actually pretty curious about what it could do, but I wasn't willing to stake my life on it.
"Don't worry--" George egged me on.
Fred nodded. "Besides, we have the antidote."
Startled, I dropped the plant. "Are you?!" I yelled at them, but quickly composed myself. "Are you serious?!" I whisper-yelled at them. They both looked at each other and chuckled, shaking their heads at my reaction. "I think the fuck not."
"BOYS!" Mr Weasley yelled to us from the front of group; I quickly shut my flabbergasted mouth, knowing that he had heard me yelling at them and was alerted by it. "What are you doing back there?"
Arthur Weasley turned his sharp eyes to us as we acted innocent. I didn't want to get in trouble with Mr Weasley already. Knowing his boys like the back of his hands, Mr Weasley trudged over, with his walking stick in-hand, to inspect us for any suspicious activity. Something told me that the pair were continually getting in trouble with their parents.
"Quick," Fred picked up the purple-leafed root and tossed it into my hands. I nearly dropped the thing as I reached for it. "Put this in your pack."
Plant in hand, I watched Mr Weasley approach us. I was slightly, slightly, conflicted. On one hand, I hated when people told me what to do and would rather not do as Fred and George said, but on the other hand, I didn't want the Weasley's to think I was a bad kid on the first day I met them; usually, parents think that after the first week, I'm pretty prideful about how people think of me.
Rolling my eyes at the two of them, I pulled off my pack and stuffed the plant inside, cringing as dirt got all over my change of clothes. I had put my backpack on by the time their watchful father reached us.
With a smile, I tried to put on the charm. "Hi, Mr Weasley."
"Hello, Elle." He returned the smile, but his eyes never truly left Fred or George. "Are you having a nice walk?"
"Yes, I don't get much scenery like this where I'm from."
"Rather curious," Mr Weasley said with a nod, "Yet, I expect you don't. Where is it you're from, then?"
"Oh, California. I've got beaches but mostly city. Nothing like marshes and stuff like this."
Mr Weasley nodded and I could tell that he was genuinely interested in what I was saying. He looked at the twins suspiciously. "I hope these two aren't bothering you too much?"
I shook my head and played off a laugh. "Of course not, we're getting along just fine."
Mr. Weasley gave them one more suspicious glance, but with nothing to be concerned about from me, he decided to leave us to our walk.
The pair waited until their father was out of earshot and turned back to me with grateful smiles. "Thanks for that, Elle. He's a bit peeved about something that Georgie and I had nothing to do with. You saved our arses."
Smirking, I was feeling a little adventurous -- a little 'American' as I nodded. "Well, I'll do you one more," I lowered my voice as they leaned in close. I made sure Mr Weasley was far enough away and pulled the purple-rooted plant from my pack.
Without saying anything, I merely ripped off one of the roots and chomped down on it. It was sour and bitter and tasted terrible, but I swallowed it. "Ugh, shit, that's disgusting!"
George looked at his brother, slight look of being impressed on his face. "I'm actually surprised, Freddie."
"So am I, George."
My body was on fire. I was burning up, sweat starting to coat the top layer of my skin. "It's suddenly really hot."
"Yeah, you're reacting to the poison," Fred replied, smirking at his brother as he casually glossed over it.
I swooned a little, the world starting to shift from under my feet. Leaning against a thick tree, I took a couple, deep breaths, feeling ill. "I think I'm going to be sick, guys. Look away," I whispered, unable to talk any louder. I felt like shit. Absolute shit.
Fred pressed the back of his hand against my forehead and nodded. "You're right, George. Fever and everything."
George clapped me on the back and nodded. "Welcome to the team."
"What team?" I sighed and rubbed at my temples, the cold morning air was starting to freeze me to the bone, my body growing from exceedingly hot to ice cold. "You said," I spat on the ground, my mouth filling with saliva, "you said there's an antidote."
"Right," Fred clapped, taking the root from my hand and plucking a tiny leaf from it. "Eat this."
"I can't," I gagged. This was a mistake. This was a huge mistake. Oh my God, this was a terrible mistake.
Fred put the leaf in my hand and handed the plant to his brother who proceeded to shove it into my pack. "Just put it on your tongue. It will make you feel better immediately."
"Hopefully," George piped up.
"Right, hopefully."
My hand quivered and shook as I lifted it. I placed the leaf on my tongue, like they said to do, and slowly, but surely, the pain and the fever began to fade until I felt completely normal again.
"I didn't expect that," I admitted, voice cracked and my throat dry.
"What did you expect?" Fred asked as we started to catch up with the others. It was a little hard for me to walk straight, so I wobbled but managed not to topple over as my head cleared. Fred placed a hand on my shoulders, helping me walk a little straighter.
Fred was about to say something when a man showed up in the middle of our group's path.
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The man, on top of a small hill in the distance, was shorter than average with rosy red cheeks that seemed to almost scream jolly. He was dressed in what I could only picture as a hybrid mix of hiking clothes and golf tournament attire.
"Arthur, I was wondering when you'd show up!" He was carrying a rather large backpack and a walking stick that I was sure he didn't need but was probably more of a prop. The wire-rimmed glasses that were perched on top of his round, red nose slid a little and he pushed them back up with a firm, plump finger.
Suddenly a boy jumped out of a tree above us, dropping down to the soft grassy slopes with ease. I jolted back, surprised, and bumped into Fred.
Fred grunted under his breath and muttered, 'Bloody git,' to only himself. The boy stood up tall, around the same height as the twins though just an inch or two behind. He was a sandy-haired young man with prominent cheekbones and confident eyes.
The air was a little stiff between his appearance and the twins, and that was something that caught my curiosity. I was still trying to figure out the dynamics of this whole... new world, really. Hell, I didn't know any of these people.
'And, yet,' the voice in the back of my head chastised me, 'you ate a fucking poisonous plan,t, you daft bimbo'. And, for what? I didn't know. People do a lot of dumb things when they want to fit in... I guess.
"Well, it took you long enough!" The boy laughed and hiked up to the older, short man. Despite the fact that the boy towered over him, I could see the resemblance.
"Weasleys," the man introduced everyone, "this is Cedric, my son."
"Yeah, we know 'im," George quipped back, but it was ignored.
"We would've missed the port-key, if you lot would have taken any longer to arrive." Cedric joked with us and walked around the group to introduce himself to Harry Potter.
Fuck, I thought, what a normal way to be introduced to Harry Potter... rather than he and his friends tossing you down some stairs.
"Yes, well sorry about that." Mr Weasley smiled at the two men and turned to look at Harry and Ron for a few seconds, casting them a caddy look. "We had a few late starters." Mr Weasley laughed, hugged the man and stepped back to us, saying with a casual wave. "Children this is Mr Amos Diggory."
The cool summer morning breeze kicked up and wafted around me, which I happily soaked in. My pain was nearly gone. I guess Fred and George did know what they were talking about.
Cedric, finished with his introduction to Harry, strolled over to me and shook my hand like he had with the others. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Cedric Diggory." He smiled. It was a brilliant smile that had high notes of 'Prom King'. I wondered if he too attended Hogwarts.
I smiled back and shook his hand firmly. "Elle Roberts, well... actually Elle Granger." The name felt weird on my tongue.
"--Like the letter," Fred added behind me, taking a step forward. "What's up Cedric?"
There was a tightness in Fred's tone, and I turned to look at his face, just to see if it was a trick of my brain. However, sure enough, Fred and George didn't look too happy to see him.
Cedric's smile faltered at the sight of the twins, but due to the fact that their fathers were standing so close, I figured they tried to be civil. "Hello, Fred and George."
Cedric released my hand and grinned up at Fred-who was a little taller than him. "Nothing much, but I'm terrified for my last year at Hogwarts." He chuckled lightly. "Those tests are going to kill me."
George slid up to Fred and nodded. "I see what you mean, luckily we are in our sixth year, not so much pressure." George and Fred nodded in sync. "The three of us will worry about that next year." Though the words sounded nice enough, there was an annoyance behind them that I detected. "So, you excited for the World Cup?"
Cedric beamed even more. "Of course! I've been dying to have my dad take me to one."
Fred nodded, "Yeah, me too I would have murdered someone if my dad didn't take me." They all laughed. "Anyway, mate, can't wait to take Hufflepuff on in Quidditch this year. Harry won't let you win, like last time."
Cedric's brow furrowed as if he was going to say something, but then he decided better of it. He nodded at the three of us and walked over to Hermione and Ginny to shake their hands.
I laughed and nodded to myself, having a sudden realization.
"What?" George asked.
I shook my head. "Nothing, he just looks exactly like a character in this book I was reading. Like, when I was reading it-that is how imagined the character."
Fred watched Cedric for a while. "What book? That boring one, about the morals?"
I looked at the sky and squinted, trying to remember. "I never finished it, to be honest. The writing wasn't my favourite, I could have done better myself." I added, and tried to remember some more. "I think it was something like..Sunset? " I shrugged. "Can't remember."
"Sounds lame," Fred and George nodded at the same time. "Too bad."
"Come on, let's just get to the port-key." I looked at my shoes and started walking, following the large group of people as everyone broke off into their own, individual parties.
I figured I'd spend the rest of the walk in silence until I was yanked away from my thoughts -- quite literally.
"Elle!" Hermione grabbed my arm and started to walk with me. "Hey, meet my friend Ginny." I waved to the younger girl and smiled, though I'd already met her, I figured being half-asleep and unable to hold much of a conversation didn't qualify as the best introduction.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you." She waved back. " I hope Fred and George aren't bothering you too much."
I chuckled and shook my head. "Na, they're bothering me at just the right amount."
We all continued walking until we reached the top of a small hill. On top of the hill was a dirty old boot, that seemed to have needed to be thrown out a few years ago.
I overheard Harry whisper about it to Ron, with the same confusion that I had.
"Alright kids! Grab the boot." Mr. Diggory chuckled and put a finger on it. Everyone got onto their stomaches and lowly put an unsure finger onto the dirty shoe. Harry and I were that last to do so.
Hermione turned to me with a panicked look. "Elle! Hurry!" I heard someone call out to Harry in the same manner and I quickly put my forefinger on the tip of the leather boot.
As soon as I did, we were spinning.
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(10-YA A/N):
I debated for a long while how I wanted to edit this chapter. Did I really want to keep the jokes about Twilight and Death? ... Then, I remembered that I never took this series too seriously, and I think think that's the charm of it. It's a fun book. I think a lot of fanfics these days try too hard to be poetic and forget that we are just... having fun.
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Re-readers, anything you'd like to see expanded on during this re-write?