Entry for "Magical Objects and Their Uses" at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments)"

For this task, I would like you to write about travel - namely, a character travelling to any destination other than the one they live/work/study at. So, this could be a holiday, or any other means you see fit.

Min 400 words

AU! I hope you all like it :)

Fred Weasley took a deep breath as he did shut the door of his and his brother's small flat behind himself and walked down the stairs to walk out, hitting Diagon Alley.

The late summer sun was a glowing ball dipping London in a golden light on this early evening and everybody wandering down the Diagon Alley was looking cheerful.

But Fred was nothing but nervous.

His hands were shaking and sweating as he bought a bundle of enchanted roses at a small booth in front of Flourish & Blotts and then continued to walk towards the apparation point of the Alley. Hot and cool shivers ran down his spine as he tried to focus on the place he was about to travel to.

This evening, he had his first date with Fay Dunbar.

She had been working as a temporary substitute at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes since the war had ended and slowly, they had started to get closer.

A small grin crept its way to Fred's lips as he thought of her shy smile and her sometimes clumsy behaviour when she registered him watching her – it was so cute to him, just like the moment when she blushed and her cheeks had nearly the same colour as his hair.

During the first weeks, he had barely been able to have a normal conversation with her, even though they had a lot of contact during the day due to work matters.

He could feel his brain shutting down every time when he saw her blue eyes and it was as if he was on fire when she was near while his stomach clenched.

George of course had registered what was going on with his twin and had started teasing him at every opportunity (and also her, at least Fred had a suspicion about that), asking them if they could fulfil some tasks together that normally George would have done with his brother.

Oh, how Fred had started to dislike him for doing that.

When only Fay and him were left to count the income and lock everything after the shop had closed he felt like minutes turned into horribly long hours in which he tried to regain his normally self-conscious behaviour and talk to her, but mostly it all ended in a embarrassing stuttered conversation about the weather.

These feelings were confusing him and he also had no idea where they had come from. He had never seen much of Fay while he had been at Hogwarts and also during the Battle of Hogwarts she had been one of many Gryffindors who had stayed at the castle to fight.

But somehow, he had felt drawn to her from the first day she had started working for him and George.

And finally, two days ago, he had had found the guts to ask her out (after George had been whistling love songs every time he had been around his brother, his own subtle way to 'encourage' him).

They had been alone again, being silent while they counted the new products and did place them into the shelves, their hands sometimes accidentally touching, making them both jump every time and in this moment he had realised that it could not go on like this.

Then, he had asked her.

He had been speaking way to fast, the words had tumbled out of his mouth, but she had understood and she had said yes.

Right now, Fred wished he would never have asked her to go out with him.

He was not able to focus correctly on the place where Fay lived with her family because thousands of questions swirled through his mind.

What if he said something dumb?!

What if he made a fool of himself because she did not have the same feelings?

But then, he remembered the smile she had given him with her 'Yes' and his heart jumped as he turned on the spot and disapparated.

Later, Fred would remember this apparation as one of the smoothest ones he had ever executed, even though it had been a rough appearance at his destination – he had landed in the Dunbar's front yard, crashing into the fence and ruining the tulip bed, but the most important thing was that he had made Fay laugh in this moment and had given the evening a beginning that made them both relaxed.

And what a wonderful evening it became.