warning: this chapter contains direct dialogue from the HP books and/or movies (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
First Book
March 7th, 1992
Third Year
"So, Ara, tell me, who do you think is going to win?" Fred asked, nearly anxiously, as he, Ara, and George stood outside the Gryffindor locker room.
Today, the much anticipated Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor Quidditch match was taking place. Fred, George, and Cedric were on Ara's arse so much about who she was supporting, she couldn't wait for it to be over.
"I will not be answering that question, by the way, try not to murder Cedric, please?" Ara crossed her arms and sighed.
Fred and George both shared a look. Ara always got nervous before watching them play Quidditch, with good reason, the game could very easily get violent.
"Can't promise that Ar', we've gotta do what it takes to win, and if old Diggory needs to lose his life for that, I'm sure he won't mind," Fred joked, Ara did not laugh.
"Don't worry Malfoy, I guarantee Snape won't even let them get near the other team without calling a foul," Alicia Spinnet hissed as she walked past the three friends, the blonde rolled her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.
The twins gave Alicia a tired look.
"C'mon Spinnet," George shook his head, and shot Ara an apologetic look, Alicia had always had a bit of a problem with Ara, not that the latter minded.
What do I care if one of your Gryffindor Groupies doesn't like me?
"You two said it yourselves," Alicia shrugged, while eyeing Ara. She walked into the Gryffindor locker room without another word.
An awkward silence fell over the three Third Years.
The blonde shook her head and formed her lips into a tight line.
"I should go,"
"I think you're right. I need my Beaters to get ready," Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor's team captain, said as he came up from behind Ara. The blonde quickly spun around to face him, and tried to seem less awkward.
Oliver Wood was cute, at least, she'd always thought so. And he had always been abnormally sweet to her.
Ara wordlessly nodded and the boy smiled at her, Oliver then proceeded to walk into the locker room, and Ara let out a breath of relief.
"You're so obvious!" George groaned, Ara turned back to the twins and gave younger of the two an unamused look.
"I haven't the slightest idea-"
"Merlin Ara, just because Ced teases you about liking old men doesn't mean you've actually got to," Fred said, visibly annoyed, he shocked both Ara and George with his mean tone.
"He's not old!"
"Whatever," Fred pushed past the girl and walked into the locker room, leaving George behind with a slightly irritated Ara.
"He's just stressed about the game-"
"He's just being a prick, like usual," Ara crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, "-By the way, Uncle Sev is not going to throw the game to the Hufflepuffs, I made him promise not to,"
George chuckled and nodded.
"Thank you,"
Ara made her way to the stands, and sat along side Adrian and Nereza, the latter was slowly becoming quite a good friend to Ara.
"Why is this game even important?" Nereza mumbled quietly, she wasn't very big on sports.
Adrian chuckled and began explaining that if Gryffindor actually won, they'd overtake Slytherin, and no one wanted to see that.
Ara eyed them for a moment before smiling, she might've pulled a few strings with the pair to help them become closer. She assumed that was why Nereza had finally started to warm up to her.
The blonde focused on the game as soon as it started, she anxiously bit her lip and hoped for it to end fast, with no casualties.
Ara was so focused, that she'd drowned out the bickering she would've usually heard her brother getting into.
That is, until he crossed the line.
"-You're in luck Weasley! Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground,"
"Draco!" Ara snapped out of her Quidditch focused mindset to scold her brother, only it seemed that she was too late.
"Merlin!" Ara stood up, and pushed past both Adrian and Nereza, she was practically jumping over seats as she ran through the stands.
Adrian and Nereza followed her, Adrian grabbing a few Slytherin Quidditch players on the way.
There, rolling around under seats, a brawl consisting of Ara's brother, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Ronald Weasley, and Neville Longbottom had erupted.
"Stop this, at once!" Ara yelled, managing to pull apart her brother and Ron.
Adrian quickly made his way over to Draco and successfully held him back, a few of the Quidditch players had done the same with Gregory and Vincent.
"What's wrong with you two?" Ara yelled angrily, standing between her brother and Ron.
"He started it!" Draco said.
"Liar!" Bellowed Ron, and somehow, while on the trajectory to punch Draco again, missed.
He hit Ara square in the temple. She covered her face and turned away in pain immediately.
There was nothing but silence for a moment. Ron immediately realized his mistake, but had no idea what to do.
"Oh, you've done it now,"
Draco and Adrian, along with the Quidditch players holding back Goyle and Crabbe, were livid.
Adrian immediately stormed over to the redhead and grabbed him by his collar, Ronald was suddenly surrounded by big, burly Slytherins, all furious at him.
The redhead gulped.
"Enough! Leave the boy alone!" Ara's voice rang through the air.
Ron managed to get a look at her through the wall of Slytherins separating them, her hand, still holding the placed where he'd hit her, was bloody. Ron could see the blonde's roommate was standing next to her, asking if she was alright.
Ara mumbled something to Nereza, and then pushed past the Slytherins breathing down Ron's neck, they all listened to her when she told them to step back.
Ron stared at her, nearly frightened. He had hit her very hard. There was blood running down her face, and along her hairline, staining her blonde hair red.
"They aren't the ones you should be scared of, they will listen to me when I say I don't want anything done to you," She whispered softly, pointing her head towards the Slytherins gathered around them, "-Cedric, on the other hand? Or your brothers? I have no promises for,"
Ron's eyes widened when he realized she was right.
Fred and George would murder him for hitting a girl. For hitting Ara.
"One of you, take me to Madam Pomfrey, please?" Ara pleaded while swiftly turning away from the boy, her voice was hoarse, and she was beginning to feel quite light-headed.
She hadn't even noticed that Harry Potter had caught the snitch, and that Gryffindor had won the game.
Draco jumped to her side, along with Nereza, and the two ushered her towards the infirmary, leaving Ron behind with Adrian, and the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team.
"You're lucky," Adrian hissed angrily. Using as much self-restraint as he could muster, he walked off, following Ara, Nereza, and Draco down to the infirmary.
Cedric sat by Ara's bed in the infirmary, she wasn't even laying it in, instead sitting up straight with her feet dangling off the bed as she spoke with the Hufflepuff.
He'd been in quite a bad mood after losing, and upon hearing Ara had been hurt, fell into an even worse one.
"-Ced, you're an excellent Quidditch player, Potter just got lucky,"
"He caught the snitch in fifteen minutes, Ara! Fifteen minutes! I don't think I've ever been so humiliated!" Ced groaned, Ara chuckled and patted his shoulder.
Ara, after Merlin-knows how long, had managed to convince Adrian to walk Nereza and Draco back to the dungeons, not wanting either of the two roaming the castle alone.
After they left, she hadn't been alone for long before Cedric showed up.
"Oh, Ron, hello,"
The pair stopped laughing at whatever joke they'd made, and Cedric cleared his throat, he did not bother to look behind him upon hearing Ara say the name.
"Leave." He snapped as he stared at Ara. The girl rolled her eyes.
"Relax, we brought him," Fred and George's voices made the Hufflepuff turn his head.
George was holding Ron by the back of his shirt collar, practically lifting him off the ground. He had dragged the boy the whole way to the infirmary, all while Fred angrily lead the way. Had the latter been the one to be holding Ronald, the youngest male Weasley would've been dead by now.
"You two have always been so dramatic," Ara shook her head. The twins ignored her.
"Go on," Fred hissed as George let go of their little brother, Ron was relieved to be breathing without a constricted airway.
"I'm very sorry for hitting you Ara, it was wrong and it'll never happen again, I swear on my life," Ron said, almost to perfectly. Ara stared at him for a moment, amused to say the least.
"How long did they have you rehearsing that?" She asked jokingly, and then chuckled to herself, Fred and George crossed their arms and gave each other a look.
Quite a while.
"All is forgiven, I know it was an accident Ron, now go back to the Gryffindor common room and enjoy the party I'm sure you lot are having," Ara smiled, shooting Fred and George a knowing look.
Ron looked back at his brothers, silently asking for permission to leave, they both hesitantly nodded and the small redhead dashed off.
George and Fred stayed behind and joined Cedric at Ara's bedside.
"Does it hurt?" George asked, looking nearly guilty as he stared at her bandaged temple.
"Not really, no," Ara smiled, "-At least he hadn't hit my nose, could you imagine me walking around with a crooked one?"
The three boys chuckled.
"Would've done you some good, made you a little less perfect," Fred teased, Ara rolled her eyes and punched him in the shoulder.
Eventually, Cedric left, and soon, Ara could tell George was itching to go spend some time at the Gryffindor party.
"-Go on, have fun for the two of us, alright?"
"You know it," George nodded and quickly ran off.
"I meant you too, go, you're missing what I'm sure is a rager," Ara teased Fred, the redhead shook his head and smiled softly.
"Not in the mood for a party,"
"Fred Weasley, not in the mood for a party?"
"We're only Third Years, the older students make us leave before any of the fun begins," Fred shrugged, Ara shook her head and smiled.
The redhead shot her temple a glance, and Ara chuckled.
"It really doesn't hurt anymore, but you should've seen when it first happened," Fred raised his eyebrows, "-The boys got quite the punch!" Ara joked.
Fred chuckled and nodded his head along with her.
"Thanks to me, no less, all those years play fighting," Fred tsked, "-I never expected him to be using that punch on you,"
"Stop it! He didn't do it on purpose!" Ara exclaimed, Fred shook his head softly, he let the girl change the subject, "-Also, fair warning, my father is livid, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to get Ron expelled,"
"Oh, yeah?" Fred asked, a smile forming as he prepared himself for her rant.
"Yep, guess what else!"
"What?"
"He told me, 'this is what I get for befriending the Weasley's'! Exactly what I needed to hear right now!" Her and Fred began to laugh at the absurdity.
"Does it bother you, Ar'? That he hates you knowing us?" Fred asked, once they'd both calmed down. He worried that perhaps one day her father would be able to turn her on them.
On him.
"Not particularly, no,"
"How come?"
Ara was silent for a moment, in thought.
"If you were to ever meet him, you'd understand why," Ara really couldn't explain it, or want to try, it was just a matter of how her life was.
Fred hoped that one day she'd be willing to let him understand.
hey everyone, happy new year! hope 2021 is filled with great experiences and happiness for you all!
anyway, little rant time, i write my chapters way ahead of time and rn i am writing the gof chapters and they're stressing me out sm / like they're rlly long and there are so many of them compared to the other book chapters so im scared you guys won't enjoy them when they come out, im trying to make them a bit shorter/concise, but we'll see i guess!
also, leave a review if you'd like!