Title: The Magical Foursome

Warnings: None

Pairings: None

Rating: K

Word Count: 1,223

Summary: Gideon Prewett extends a hand of friendship to a Ravenclaw. Everything else falls into place.

Notes: For the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Season 2, Round 5. Captain of Kenmare Kestrals. I had to write about Gideon Prewett finding friends at Hogwarts.

For the Relationship Bingo Board Challenge. The No Romance square.

For taming the muse livejournal community. Prompt: Potpourri

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.

Gideon and Fabian always made friends easily. Their personalities easily welcomed people and made others feel important. People seemed to just gravitate towards them. They always had each other though, so neither ever went out of the way to make friends. Friends simply joined them.

Both Gideon and Fabian were sorted into Gryffindor. There had never been any doubt about where they were going to go.

Gideon made his first friend during his first week at Hogwarts. The day it happened, Gideon took an extra whiff of his homemade potpourri, something he had read about in a muggle book. It had a calming effect on him, so he continued to keep it despite his twin's teasing.

The Gryffindors had Transfiguration that day, a class shared by the Ravenclaws. It was during it that a project was announced by Professor McGonagall.

Having a project was bad enough, but it was made worse by Professor McGonagall's brilliant plan. Note the sarcasm.

She announced, "I want everyone to branch out of their houses and comfort zones, so I'm going to make it Gryffindor-Ravenclaw partners."

Gideon rolled his eyes. He had hoped to work with Fabian; there was never any arguments when they worked together. Obviously that wasn't going to happen.

Fabian leaned over. "At least this isn't a Gryffindor-Slytherin class."

"Small mercies," Gideon returned.

"Silence!" McGonagall called and proceeded to pair them up.

While Fabian ended up with a quiet girl named Melissa Scott, Gideon ended up with Caradoc Dearborn.

Gideon and Fabian looked at each other once before moving to sit next to their assigned partners.

"Hi," Caradoc said. There was meekness in his voice, and it made Gideon frown for a second.

"Hi." Gideon's frown turned to a wide smile as he tried to put Caradoc at ease somewhat. If they had any hope of working together, they needed to be able to talk. Otherwise this project would be a disaster.

Caradoc smiled, but it was hesitant.

"I don't recognize your last name. You're not a pure-blood, are you?" Gideon asked.

Caradoc stiffened. Obviously, he had already seen how some pure-bloods reacted to half-bloods and muggle-borns.

"I don't have a problem with it. I'm just curious," Gideon quickly reassured him.

Caradoc nodded. "I'm a muggle."

"When did you realize there was something different about you?" Gideon figured if he could keep Caradoc talking about himself, he might relax a bit.

"My first memory was when I was 3. I wanted a candy bar, and I made it float down to me. My mum said I made odd things happen when I was a baby, too; I just don't have those memories."

Gideon nodded. "Most babies do experience bouts of accidental magic, unless they're near squib level of course."

After that, the ice was broken. Caradoc spoke a bit more freely and even asked Gideon questions about growing up as a pure-blood.

Gideon shrugged indifferently. "Not as different as you might think. I didn't have a strict upbringing like other pure-bloods do. The Prewetts' are nothing like the Malfoys' and the Blacks'. They are definitely more laid back."

They fell into an effortless silence as they read their textbooks, taking notes for the project. When Caradoc had a question, Gideon patiently answered. He might be a Ravenclaw, but being a muggle-born had put Caradoc at a serious disadvantage when it came to understanding the practical side of the subject.

They discussed how to divide up the work. There was an essay that was part of it. They decided that Gideon would write about the theory and Caradoc would write about the practical side. That way, Caradoc would have more reason to learn about what gave him trouble. He would also have a better idea about what part actually troubled him, and Gideon would know how to help him more.

They worked together easily. They met up at the library constantly and when they finished the essay, they met up in an empty classroom to practice the practical side. More than once, Gideon had to show Caradoc the proper wand movement, but the redhead never complained.

Caradoc was eager to learn and didn't mind the hard work, so Gideon didn't mind going over it more than once.

Even after they finished the project, Gideon met up with Caradoc. He found himself enjoying the Ravenclaw's company. There was something just so easy about their friendship.

They were so different. Gideon loved flying and playing Quidditch. On the other hand, as a muggle-born, Caradoc never even watched the sport. He was also deathly afraid of heights and hated getting on a broom. He tried to explain how afraid he was, and even admitted to "almost passing out during flying lessons."

Gideon teased him a bit, but Caradoc didn't seem to take offense. By then, Caradoc probably understood that Gideon never meant anything by his teasing; it was all good-natured.

Usually, when Gideon made friends, Fabian was there too. But because of the way the friendship came to be – due to an assignment – Fabian was left out. It took a couple of weeks before he realized he hadn't talked to his twin that much and it made his heart hurt at the realization. He had never been that independent of his twin, and he didn't know how he felt about the newfound independence. Maybe it was natural, but Gideon didn't like it.

Fabian must have been feeling the same way. The night of the realization, Fabian sought him out in the common room. "I've been hanging out with Marlene McKinnon a lot."

"I've been hanging out with Caradoc Dearborn," Gideon returned.

"I'm not used to doing my own thing."

"Neither am I." Gideon twiddled his thumbs. He felt unusually nervous.

"I think you'd like Marlene. Maybe you can hang out with us. She's a whiz on a broom."

Gideon nodded. "I can't just ditch Caradoc, though. He's becoming a really good friend. He might not be a loud Gryffindor, but I think you'd like him if you give him a chance."

Fabian smiled. "So, you'll meet Marlene and I'll meet Caradoc."

Gideon sighed, feeling relieved. Neither of them was prejudiced, but he had been afraid that Fabian wouldn't have any interest in befriending a Ravenclaw. Thankfully, he was proven wrong.

When Caradoc met Fabian and Marlene, he went back to being meek. Being surrounded by three loud Gryffindors could intimidate anyone, so Gideon hadn't been surprised. Thankfully, neither Fabian nor Marlene took it to mean anything bad against them.

Gideon hit it off with Marlene just like his twin knew he would. And when Caradoc loosened up a bit, he got along with Fabian and Marlene.

That was how Gideon got two new best friends along with his brother. The four of them became inseparable despite Caradoc being in a different house. With the Gryffindor trio's help, Caradoc became more outgoing, more sure of himself. He really came into himself as a wizard.

Their friendship stayed strong throughout their Hogwarts' years.

When they graduated and the war was imminent, the four of them joined the Order of the Phoenix together. They promised to always be there for each other, to always have each other's back no matter what. All four of them died within the same year, leaving behind family and friends who knew just how close they were.