I met Fred Weasley completely by coincidence. How was I supposed to know that the day he and his twin George stepped into the cafe that I worked at my life would change forever?
Okay, so maybe it wasn't that dramatic. It took awhile for me to even realize that he was, well, different than the rest of us.
The day we met was April Fool's day - ironic, isn't it? I was seventeen then (I wouldn't become an adult until May 12, the day I was anticipating), at work only because I had worked hard and graduated early. I lived only with my sister Elizabeth, who was at University to become a nurse. I kept telling myself that I would go myself once I saved up enough money, but the way things were going...
I was late that day, when I arrived at work I had hastily donned my uniform (a short green apron and a name tag) before my boss Lydia would find out that I was indeed late for the third day in a row. One of my older coworkers, Amanda, a girl about twenty, had covered for me.
"Just don't do it again!" she said testily as I was rushing out of the kitchen.
Fred later told me that he and George had come to the small restaurant to sample some "Muggle food". They had been having good luck with their joke shop and wanted to celebrate differently for a change.
Needless to say, when I brought them their orders (black coffee, a bad idea from the start), their reactions were explosive. Literally. George took one sip and then spit it back into his cup. Fred's was more theatrical, in the way that the coffee ended up on the front of the new blouse I had bought the day before.
"Blimey," George had commented, "What is this rubbish?"
Somewhat chagrined I replied, "You've never had coffee before, have you?"
"No." Fred said, "We don't usually eat Muggle- er, this kind of food."
They spent the rest of the day in the cafe - still feeling adventurous - sampling different drinks and confections. I had fun too, I have to admit, watching their reactions (and making sure to keep out of spitting range when it happened) and suggesting new things to try.
My life had seemed so serious since my mother died, it was nice to laugh for once. I felt like I wanted to be around them more.
They came back the next week, having figured out their favorites. And the week after that. Soon they had become regulars. It wasn't long until Fred began to come on his own sometimes, and then more often. It was around that time that we began to talk more, not about anything important really, but it was still one of the best parts of my week. He told me about his family - large, and obviously close besides one estranged brother - which was such a contrast to what I had. We talked about school, at least, somewhat. I felt like I knew him more everyday.
"Tell me," I said once, during one of our conversations, "What do you and George do for a living that allows you to have so much free time?" This was his third time to come visit that week.
Fred grinned. "We own a joke shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to be exact."
I brightened. When I was younger, back when my parents were still alive, my father used to take me to stores like that. Although he worked in an office, he really loved magic tricks, especially card tricks. I inherited his obsession. "Really? Do you sell magic tricks?"
He snickered, but I didn't know why at the time. I suppose I thought it was because my comment had been so obvious. "Yes, of a sort."
This friendship between us continued, until it was outside of my work. Often, he began to walk me home. Sometimes he would ask me to show him a different part of London (he had never really explored it, he said). I found it odd that I had to explain to him how to travel using the Underground, even though he was a fast learner and picked it up pretty fast. Another time I took him to a movie. It was fun. Ever since I had left school early I hadn't been able to see my friends as much as they went on to University and moved away. Although I still kept in touch with a few of them, it still couldn't be compared to seeing people in real life.
It was at that point, that I had begun to change. My usually serious (and somber, as Amanda had told me once - jokingly, but still) demeanor had softened. I actually found myself laughing along with Fred and George most of the time.
Even Elizabeth noticed this change in me. "You seem... different." she told me one morning, before leaving to go to school, "Happier. I like it." She smiled, showing a row of perfect white teeth. Elizabeth had always been the beautiful one between us, with long blond hair and pretty hazel eyes, looking like our mum. I, however, had inherited our father's dark hair, which I usually just kept almost touching my shoulders. My eyes, which were hazel too, didn't seem to work the same way that Elizabeth's do.
I returned her smile, Elizabeth always had that effect on me. "Thanks, Liz, now you really need to leave, you don't want to be late again." Hypocritical, I know.
I can't say exactly how Fred and I got together. I suppose we just grew together during our outings, and conversations. I can't say I really thought of him like that initially, he and George were merely two friendly twins with a great sense of humor, that I loved to be around.
We had been good friends for about two months (it seemed longer) - it was now early June. Fred and I had been walking along the street, just walking and discussing things. I had noticed that he had been withholding certain things when we spoke.
There is, however, one detail that I may have skipped. The one about me learning what he truly was - a wizard.
I was headed home late from work one day, it was dark, but I thought that since I lived so close to the cafe that there wouldn't be any danger.
How wrong I was.
I can't say how these sort of things find me. I mean, I haven't met many other girls my age who can say they've met wizards (even though I was unaware of it at the time)- that they even know magic is real. I also don't know anyone who has gotten into some sort of freak accident involving magic.
Well, maybe it wasn't an accident. But it was coincidental that one of the bad wizards - the ones that hate non-magical people like me - happened to be out at night at the same time that I was walking home. In the dark.
I had never been charmed in my life, so it came as a surprise when I found myself on the ground after turning a street corner, unable to wrench my arms from the side of my body, or move my legs or head, for that matter.
What's going on? I wondered, beginning to panic, am I having a stroke or something?
Sadly, I was not well-versed like Elizabeth with medical things, so I honestly had no idea.
It wasn't until I realized that I was being prodded by someone's foot that it hadn't been my brain going crazy.
"Hello there." whispered an unfamiliar voice in my ear, "Muggle scum."
I was now panicking internally, also regretful that I didn't have any pepper spray, even though I probably wouldn't have been able to use it anyway.
The man, who I later learned was a wizard, then began to explain what he was going to do to me, just for being non-magical. In graphic detail. I must confess that I didn't expect to get out of that one.
Fred saved me, of course. But not after I had been put under the Cruciatus Curse. I don't normally remember the names of spells - mainly because they're complicated a lot of the time, and I don't have any use for them. But I'll always remember that one. It was the worst pain I've experienced in my life.
I blacked out the third time the curse was cast on me, unable to take the pain. I just wanted to die. Die and feel nothing.
When I came to the man was gone, and I was looking at Fred's worried face. "Rachel. Rachel." He kept saying, "I'm so sorry."
I shook my throbbing head. "What- what happened?"
He helped me up off the ground. "Let's go to your flat, we need to talk."
It was that night that I learned about magic, and the wizarding world. How there were wizards, bad wizards, who hated Muggles (people like me) so much that they would do things like that. That there was a terrible Dark Lord or You-Know-Who, who had recently come back. It came as a shock, but after that night I was almost willing to believe anything.
"So, can you use magic for other things?" I asked him, when he was done talking. We were sitting around my small kitchen table. I think it was at least one o' clock in the morning when he finished explaining. "Like, are there spells you can use to, say, make your bed?"
Fred smiled hesitantly. "Yeah, but I'm not very good at those. My mum is though."
I thought of something else, "So, wait. When you told me that you and George had a magic shop... you mean, it's real magic?"
He was grinning full-on now, "Yes. I can show you it sometime, now."
I smiled. "I'd like that."
He stayed the night that night. We didn't do anything, I just didn't feel safe by myself (Elizabeth was staying over at her new boyfriend's house, a handsome Doctor named Dave who was seven years older than her and completely wrapped around her finger). I watched incredulously as Fred shot something silver out of his wand (a way of communicating in the Order that he was in) to tell George that he'd be back in the morning.
I said he could sleep in Elizabeth's room since she wasn't there. I watched as he conjured himself new sheets and everything for the bed. I wanted to ask him to do more magic, but I refrained, feeling childish.
Before I went to my own bedroom, he said, "Rachel? One more thing."
When I turned around to ask what he wanted, he kissed me.
That was the first of many, I might say. And they were all amazing.
The next morning he walked me to work, and left me with a few words of warning. "Be careful, Rach." he said, "There are bad things happening, so could you make sure you're not alone when you go out of the house? And try not to go out at night."
I sighed, but agreed. "Okay."
I didn't see him for two weeks after that.
When Fred returned, I found him waiting for me at my door when I was going to walk myself to work that morning.
"What do you want?" I said, unable to contain my irritation.
"Listen, Rachel." he started, "I know I acted like a complete git, but there was an emergency-"
"And you couldn't have called me!" I said, my voice getting shriller. I then realized that he didn't use a telephone. "You couldn't have... sent me a message to tell me where you were? I was worried, Fred! I thought- I thought-"
"Everything's okay." he said, now reacting to me throwing myself in his arms, "Well, not really, but we're all alive right now, right?"
"What happened?" I said, looking at him.
He smiled, and explained that the Ministry of Magic had finally acknowledged that He Who Must Not Be Named had come back. Plus the whole ordeal at the ministry that many of his friends and family had been through a few days ago.
Also about Sirius Black, the man that even made it onto our news for a crime that he didn't commit.
Our relationship went to normal after that. Except this time he could freely use magic around me if I was the only one around.
Author's Note: Hey! Thanks for reading the first chapter of my fanfiction. If there are any major errors that I've made, please tell me, because I always welcome constructive criticism! ;) Also, if this first chapter seems rushed, it's because I'm trying to set up background information before I get into the actual story! So hang in there please!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!