This is a belated birthday story for bellatrixD. Slightly belated. Very belated. I dunno.
Basically, my OC of OCs, Selene Malfoy (from Unconditionally) meets her OC of OCs, Ella Wood (from Begin Again).
This was certainly interesting to write.
A Meeting Of Minds
"Who are you?"
The last thing Ella ever expected to see on a normal Thursday night was a girl, wide-eyed and confused, sitting on the floor of the kitchens, looking around her in complete shock.
She looked to be around Ella's age – maybe a tad older, closer to Fred and George's age, perhaps? – but she wasn't familiar in the slightest. Definitely not a Gryffindor then. Maybe a Ravenclaw, or a Hufflepuff, or even a Slytherin?
Nothing about her appearance rang a bell, apart from the clear blue shade of her eyes, which uncannily reminded her of someone she couldn't quite place her finger on.
The girl looked up, rubbing her eyes slightly, and scanning Ella quickly before looking away almost instantly. "I'm sorry!" She apologised quickly, standing up and brushing the dust off her black robes. Ella noted a Ravenclaw crest, and relaxed a little.
"Why are you here?" Ella continued to question, however, more than a little wary of who this girl was and whether she would be of any harm to her and her residence in the kitchen of Hogwarts. "It's past curfew?"
"I thought it was only ten past six…" The other girl checked her watch, furrowing her brow. "That's… That's very odd."
"It's ten past ten." Ella corrected, looking up at the clock on the kitchen wall to confirm her suspicions. This girl was very lost.
"I was with my boyfriend." The girl continued, looking around her in wonderment. "Talking to Dobby-"
"The House Elf?" Ella cut in. "You know him?"
"He used to serve my family, until about three years back." The girl smiled, but her face fell quickly. "Except, maybe… What year is this?"
Very very very lost.
"It's 1995." Ella said, slowly. "23rd February 1995."
"Oh." The girl's eyes opened even more widely, and she sat down heavily on a chair. "It was…" She swallowed, going a little green. "24th February 1996 where I was."
"You're a time traveller?" Ella suppressed a scoff. Time travel was only possible in small doses – that's what Time Turners were for. Unless Professor Flitwick had been lying to her, which she doubted highly. "Sorry – who are you? Can I at least know your name?"
The girl's green face went paler as she looked up, but she stood up all the same and extended her hand to shake. "Selene." She greeted.
"Ella Wood." Ella took Selene's hand, shivering a little at the freezing temperature of her skin. "So you're a… Ravenclaw?"
"That's where I was Sorted." Selene smiled a little wryly, and pulled her hand away. "I think I might have made a good Hufflepuff though."
"People always say that I would have made a good Hufflepuff." Ella grinned.
There was a loud, resounding thud from above Ella and Selene, which made them both look upward towards the presumed source.
"It's probably my boyfriend." Ella said apologetically, with another smile. "He's… boisterous?"
"I call it hyperactive." Selene bit her lip, looking around the kitchen once more. "So you… Live here, I take it?"
Ella looked down at her paisley pyjamas and blushed, nodding. "I'm not exactly a typical student, you might say."
"Angelina always says I'm a bit odd as well."
"Hey-" Ella blinked at the newcomer again – trying to remember if she had ever met a girl called Selene, Ravenclaw or no. "Then you know Angelina too?"
"We're pretty good friends." Selene nodded. "You know her too?"
There was another loud thud, and Ella rolled her eyes, nodding. "We haven't known each other for very long, but it-" Another thud cut her off.
"Do you think everything's okay up there?" Selene asked, a little nervously.
"I think I'd better go up and check." Ella grabbed a jacket from the back of a chair. "If you want anything to eat, then I'm sure any of the House Elves will get it for you."
"I'll be okay, I ate next year."
Ella grinned, waving and closing the portrait hole door behind her as she left.
She liked that girl. She definitely did.
"Right?" Ella started talking before she had even reached the source of the thumping and thudding noises. "Fred, what are you doing at this time of night? It's past curfew, and I really don't think Filch is feeling merciful because I heard that Mrs Norris was strung up by a seventh-year-"
"Which Fred?" Two identical voices called back.
Ella took a deep breath, willed herself not to get too tetchy, and rolled her eyes once more. "George, Fred, this isn't funny." She said slowly, speeding up her pace. "If you're going to prank me, do it at a reasonable hour."
"I swear this isn't a prank," Fred stepped out of the shadows, looking both confused but strangely happy. "Ella, I want you to take a deep breath, and promise me that you won't get annoyed with me because this. Is. Not. A. Prank."
"Aw come on." Fred's voice came out from the shadows. "That's no fun! I thought I was going to jump out and say 'boo!'"
"Who's there?" Ella said quickly, pushing past her boyfriend. "Come out! This isn't funn-"
Her voice drifted away, because the boy that emerged was almost the mirror image of Fred, except for the change in haircut and the fact that he was maybe an inch taller.
But the fact remained.
Fred was standing behind her, and Fred was standing in front of her.
"…Oh." Ella said intelligently. "This is… Unexpected."
Her next thought was of the girl – Selene – in the kitchen below them. And Ella facepalmed.
oOo
"You're not serious." Fred – Ella's Fred – said, eyes wide as he watched his older self/alternate self. "You're… from another Universe?"
The Other Fred nodded, looking rather pleased at this turn of events. "I guess so." He turned to Selene quickly. "Is this possible love?"
Ella's Fred's eyes widened even more as his gaze snapped to Selene, who went pink. "You're dating me?" He said, extremely confused.
"Technically we're engaged." The Other Fred cut in. Ella closed her eyes, and rested her head in her hands. "Since Christmas."
"Sorry?" Ella stuck her hand in the air, and waved it around a bit. "Can I ask something please?" She looked straight at Selene. "Does Fred still stroke his broomstick in your Universe?"
Selene giggled, and nodded. "I sometimes think he loves it more than his mirrors."
"He keeps a mirror in his pocket here too!"
"Does he have an obsession with bacon?"
"Yes!"
"Have you quite finished?" Ella's Fred said, cutting in with a pout before Ella or Selene could get any further.
"No they haven't." The Other Fred groaned, hiding his head in his hands.
"We have." Selene said, running her hand through her hair with a little smile. "Don't get too worked up Freddie."
"I get worked up all the time when you're around." The Other Fred quipped, raising one eyebrow and pressing a kiss to Selene's cheek.
This proved too much for Ella's Fred, who yelped and almost knocked his chair over in his haste to get away from his counterpart. "NO!" He exclaimed, apparently traumatised. "No… Just don't, okay? It's disturbing."
"You're even worse than George." Selene smiled, stifling a laugh behind her hand.
"You have a prude twin as well?" The parallels were accumalating, it seemed.
"SHUT UP!" Both Freds chorused, exchanging indentical fustrated looks.
"Isn't this even the slightest bit weird to you?" Ella's Fred asked, turning to Ella, his eyes narrowing. "Not even a little bit?"
Ella shrugged. "I guess not." She admitted.
Selene rested her head on the Other Fred's shoulder, as the Other Fred said, a little thoughtfully: "I guess you want to know what's happening then?"
"We can't tell them anything." Selene insisted, looking up at the Other Fred so fast that Ella had to blink a few times. "At all. We don't know how much of our lives overlap – and we could serious damage reality if we tell them anything important."
"I didn't mean like that." OF rolled his eyes. "I mean like, do they want to know what our lives are like?"
"Yeah." Ella cut in, pushing Fred back so he couldn't say anything. "We can tell you a little about us as well then."
"That…" Selene looked to be thinking hard, but she didn't seem entirely focused. If Ella had looked a little to the left, then she would have seen OF looking very pleased with himself, but she didn't. "Okay, it'll be fine."
Selene said something else, under her breath, that Ella didn't quite catch, but it turned the older girl a bright shade of pink.
"Do you want to start?" Ella's Fred asked, leaning backwards slightly. "So, Selene, who exactly are you?"
"Firstly, whatever we say doesn't leave this room." Selene began quickly, sitting up straighter. "You never repeat this to anyone. Ever."
"Of course." Ella replied for Fred – knowing that he was thinking of George, just like she was.
Selene exhaled, and she laid her hands flat out on the table between them, the palms facing upwards. "My name is Selene Malfoy." She began. "I'm Draco Malfoy's older sister."
"You're dating the ferret's older sister?" Ella's Fred questioned Other Fred, who nodded. "Just… How did that happen?"
"It's a very long story." Other Fred shrugged, before turning to Ella. "So, who is she then?"
"I'm Ella Wood." Ella greeted. "I'm Oliver Wood's cousin, if you know him. Also I'm a Squib."
"Know him?" TOF (The Other Fred) scoffed. "I know him, of course I do! Hey- wait, a Squib?"
"You're a Beater too?" Ella's Fred nodded, letting out a secret exhale. "I was getting worried that your Universe was deprived of my Quidditch muscles. And don't talk about Ella being a Squib or I will punch you"
"I was a Beater." TOF said darkly, glowering at the table. "I won't say anything- look, I might as well warn you. Next year there will be a toad teaching you DADA, and she will literally push you over the edge."
"Fred!" Selene said quickly, slapping a hand over TOF's mouth. Then she turned to Ella and Ella's Fred. "Um…"
"We said we wouldn't say anything." Ella's Fred repeated, more than a little icily.
"Why are we even discussing everything?" Ella cut in quickly, wisely shooting her boyfriend a glare. "Why don't we talk about something... Something fun."
"Yes, like how I ended up engaged." Ella's Fred pulled a face. "I'm not meant to get married!"
"Well, times change." TOF stretched his arms back above his head. "So, Ella... Do you prefer long hair or short hair?"
Ella shrunk down a little in her seat, and shrugged. "No preference." She admitted.
"You're just avoiding the question." Ella's Fred complained, eyes narrowing. "Just. Answer. The. Question."
"Okay, long hair!" Ella answered quickly.
So, my dearest love-" TOF interjected, turning to Selene - Ella's Fred miming puking. "Do you prefer long or short hair?"
"You know the answer to that." Selene whacked TOF gently around the head.
"There's only one way to work this out." Ella's Fred stood up suddenly, a smile on his face.
TOF seemed to have had the same idea, as he stood up as well, nodding. "Normal rules?" He asked.
Ella's Fred nodded, flexing his biceps. "You're going down." He smirked. "George always beat you."
"Sorry – but what are you doing?" Ella cut in, waving her hand in the air.
"You see," TOF began. "Every year, on our birthday, George and I have a birthday wrestling match. And George doesn't win."
"You can't... Wrestle yourself!" Selene protested, her eyes wide. "It's completely insane!"
"If I win, you're testing the Daydream Charms." TOF winked at Selene – who went pink – before turning to his counterpart. He gave a mock bow, and Ella's Fred did the same.
"May the best Fred win." Ella's Fred grinned.
"What is wrong with our boyfriends?" Ella muttered, Selene nodding slowly, burying her head in her hands.
oOo
"No, you are healing yourself!" Selene shook her head at both TOF and Ella's Fred. "You two are idiots!"
"My sentiments exactly." Ella pulled a face at her Fred's soppy expression. "No, leave Selene alone..."
"How come you two are such good friends?" TOF asked, his eyes narrowing. " I thought you would be at each others throats, considering that you're both dating the same person."
"It's more a survivor's club." Ella grinned, patting Selene on the shoulder.
"Oi!" Both Freds chorused.
"I don't think we're going to be here for much longer." Selene checked her watch. "It's already been three hours, it's not an irreversible process.'
"Right," Ella cut in quickly. "Selene, when you marry this idiot, then don't go mad."
Selene laughed, shaking her head. "Life gets better, trust me. Fred gets a little less immature."
"A little less?" TOF puffed out his chest and pouted. "I am very mature thank you."
"If I ever get mature, you have permission to murder me." Ella's Fred moaned, thumping his head on the table.
"You don't." TOF stage whispered. "She's deluded."
In the end, Ella thought they'd disappear with a large bang or maybe a small pop. But she turned around a few seconds after TOF's comment, and he was gone.
"...Okay." Fred said, tilting his head to one side. "That was odd."
"I just met your future wife." Ella stuck her tongue out at Fred, who groaned and thumped his head on the table.
