Fourth Book
Late-November, 1994
Sixth Year
Ara Malfoy sat in a chair at the back of the Hogwarts Library, crying, while surrounded by rolled up balls of parchment.
Fred wasn't sure what to do.
The boy and Ara had been serving detention with Rosmerta every night for nearly a week now and Fred had originally walked into the library prepared to complain about having to go again tonight.
But, he couldn't whine with her crying.
"Ara," Fred began gently, apparently not gently enough though, considering that she had jumped at the sound of his voice.
"What the fuck, Fred," Ara practically yelled and quickly began wiping away the tears streaming down her cheeks.
Fred didn't take her angry tone personally.
"Why're you crying?" The boy asked, edging closer to the blonde, she paused and eyed the area she was sitting in.
The first task was quickly approaching. And Ara was stressed.
"I'm not..." She whispered lamely.
Fred raised an eyebrow before beginning to laugh.
He walked over to the girl, who looked up at him innocently with her big, blue, teary, eyes. He stood next to her now, but she didn't bother moving.
Fred crouched down to Ara's height and gently grabbed the girls cheek, caressing it. Nearly cinematically, a few tears fell from her eyes.
"Not crying?" He asked teasingly, "-What's this, then?"
He pulled his hand away from her face and gestured towards the tears that now adorned his hand.
Ara glanced between him and his hand.
"Sweat?"
Fred laughed loudly and brought his hand back to Ara's cheek, continuing to caress it as they spoke.
"Your eyes are sweating?"
"Yes,"
Fred smiled and nodded.
"Forgive me, butI don't particularly believe that," Fred said, very cordially.
Ara couldn't help but chuckle. She leaned into his hand and sighed.
"I hate Arithmancy," She mumbled, Fred smiled.
"You're crying over numbers?" He teased, Ara rolled her eyes.
"I'm crying over that fact that I can't help Cedric,"
"Diggory is a big boy, don't beat yourself-"
"Big boys still need help,"
Fred and Ara stared at each other.
"Is that so?"
"It is,"
Fred was out of breath.
Thank Merlin she isn't on the Slytherin Quidditch team. She's faster than all their chasers.
Ara was jumping down flights of stairs happily and sprinting around the castle.
She was also dropping all her hard work.
"Stupid girl," Fred muttered, stopping to pick up every piece of parchment she wouldn't notice was gone until it was too late. He almost regretted motivating her to continue with her Arithmetic patterns.
Lie. The excited look on her face is worth picking up parchment.
"Ara, would you slow down?" Fred yelled while running through an empty hall.
She's going to trip and fall.
"No!" Ara laughed happily, "-I've got to tell Ced! Dragons!" She practically squealed at her own discovery.
Bloody Dragons.
"Draco, is that your sister?" Pansy Parkinson asked, arms crossed while as she stared over Draco's shoulder.
"Hm?" The boy hummed while turning around.
Ara was sprinting down the corridor with more pieces of parchment in her hands then Draco could count, every once in a while a piece would fly off behind her, not that she seemed to notice, or care.
"Ara, what-"
"Draco, I'm busy," The girl hadn't even slowed down to speak to him, leaving Draco and his friends shocked.
Ara always made time for her brother, even in the midst of their current ongoing argument.
"She's so hot," Blaise Zabini mumbled, shaking his head and smiling.
Draco snapped his head over to the boy while Pansy let out a tired sigh.
"You are disgusting," Draco shook his head, and then noticed that Theodore Nott was still staring at Ara's retreating figure, "-Both of you,"
Blaise and Theo glanced at each other and snickered.
"Everyone relax-"
Pansy Parkinson's lecture was interrupted by, Draco could only guess, Fred Weasley running past the group. He paused to pick up the papers that Ara had dropped.
Not that Fred noticed, or cared, but the Fourth Years all scowled at him.
"Ginger git," Draco muttered through clenched teeth.
"He forgot one," Theodore muttered, walking away from the group to pick up a piece of parchment left on the ground.
He made a face when he saw what was written on it.
"What is it then?" Draco practically snatched the parchment away, which resulted in Theo rolling his eyes.
"Some number," The boy shrugged before returning his attention to Pansy and Blaise.
Draco stared at the number for a long time.
The Weasley's don't take Arithmancy.
He crumpled the parchment in his hands before stuffing it into his pocket and turning his attention back to his friends.
"Cedric!" Ara yelled upon seeing her best friend, she was running with such speed that she hadn't been able to stop and ran into him full force.
Cedric stumbled back a few steps and wrapped his arms around the happy girl.
"I just need a few more moments-" Harry Potter tried to interrupt politely, before being cut off.
"Look!" Ara smiled giddily, thrusting a piece of parchment into Cedric's hand.
Cedric gave Harry an apologetic look.
"Ara, I don't even know how to say this number," Cedric mumbled. "-And Harry was just telling me something-"
"It's okay! This involves him too!" Ara waved Cedric off, "-It's the final part of the Arithmetic Pattern I was calculating, it's the number associated with dragons!"
Harry gasped and pulled the parchment out of Cedric's hand.
"You figured it out with Arithmancy?" The boy asked, shocked.
"How'd you figure it out?" Cedric asked, eyebrows scrunched together.
"You know?" Ara gasped, turning her attention to Harry, the boy nodded. "-So I'm right?"
Harry nodded again and Ara practically squealed, she spun around while jumping up and down.
"Fred! I'm right!"
It was only now that Cedric and Harry noticed Fred Weasley running over to them, clearly tried.
Apparently not too tried though, since he was able to pick Ara up and spin her in a circle with ease.
"I knew you'd be, you swot," The boy teased under his breath once he put her down.
Ara laughed loudly and Harry gave the pair a confused look while Cedric couldn't help but smile.
"Wait, why'd you even calculate this?" Harry mumbled, referring to the number.
Ara turned to the boy and gave him a confused look.
Fred gulped and gave Harry a look that said— Shut up.
"What?"
"Why and how did you-"
"You didn't tell him, you prick," Ara gasped, slapping Fred's arm. The redhead cringed and shot Harry an irritated glance.
"You two are in a good mood tonight," Madam Rosmerta mused, watching Ara and Fred wipe down the tables in her pub.
It was late, solate that she was willingly closing her place of business.
She almost felt bad for keeping the two teens out for so long.
"An amazing mood, Madam," Ara smiled softly, glancing up at the woman behind the bar while she cleaned.
I'm done with Arithmancy until the next task.
"Let me guess, lover-boy is also in a good mood because of your good mood?" Madam Rosmerta teased.
Ara and Fred glanced at each other while laughing.
"Not lover-boy," Ara said confidently, "-At least, not mine, thankfully,"
"Hey!" Fred gasped, throwing the cloth he'd been using to clean with at his Sixth Year counterpart.
Madam Rosmerta couldn't help but laugh while watching the two of them bicker and play-fight.
"Enough, finish cleaning," Rosmerta cleared her throat. "-And hurry, I'm making you both a warm tankard of Butterbeer for your walk back to the castle, "
Fred and Ara both let out an excited sound while high-fiving each other.
Madam Rosmerta smiled as she watched Ara and Fred walk up to her from the other end of the bar counter, they were pulling their jackets on while whispering to each other.
They really were quite the pair.
"Here you go," The older woman sighed contently, sliding two tankards of steaming Butterbeer towards the them, "-Extra sweet,"
Ara looked overly happy as she sipped on the warm drink. Rosmerta noticed the way Fred looked down at her, smiling softly.
She must be blind, to think he's not her lover-boy.
"Thank you, Madam," Ara nodded, Rosmerta nodded and then glanced down at the Slytherin scarf tied around the girl's neck.
Perhaps she's not blind, but realistic.
"Of course, now you two get back to the castle quickly. It's getting cold," Madam Rosmerta lectured while turning her back to the pair and beginning to shine her pint glasses.
"Have a great night, Ros!" Fred Weasley called out, Rosmerta glanced at him through the corner of her eye and saw the redhead pulling, a distraught, Ara out of her pub.
She chuckled under her breath upon hearing the door shut.
I really should tell Dumbledore they don't deserve anymore detentions.
"Don't call her that!" Ara scolded softly, shaking her head while she and Fred walked towards the castle. "-You might get in trouble,"
"Ros loves me," Fred shrugged smugly. "-She doesn't mind,"
Ara rolled her eyes and smiled softly, she took another sip of her Butterbeer.
I'll save the rest for Drake. It's about time we made up.
"Have you been practising Occlumency?" Ara asked quietly.
She'd taught Fred the skill shortly after their encounter with Dumbledore.
"Yep, I feel like I can't go without it now," Fred shrugged while drinking his Butterbeer, Ara chuckled.
"And why is that?"
"Feels strange to let myself be... unguarded,"
Ara raised an eyebrow.
"Unguarded," The girl mused, "-You sound nearly cynical Freddie, who have you got to protect your mind from?"
"Your godfather, for one,"
Ara gasped while Fred snickered.
"Shut up," She grumbled, Fred laughed.
"Sorry," Fred shrugged sarcastically. "-I don't need him poking around in there, trying to figure out if I've taken you in any more dates,"
Ara and Fred both giggled quietly, they'd just entered Hogwarts.
"Well, it wasn't a date," Ara reasoned, she didn't notice the way Fred rolled his eyes and softy shook his head."-So, there's nothing to hide, unless you don't want him knowing about Angelina,"
Fred snapped his head towards Ara and nearly choked on the sip of Butterbeer he'd taken.
He hadn't told her about George and Angelina yet.
"First of all, I just don't want Uncle Sev in my head, at all," Fred and Ara stopped walking at the spot where they usually said their goodnights. They turned to face each other. "-Second of all, I promise you that there is absolutely nothing going on between me and Angelina,"
Ara smirked and nodded.
"Rumours say otherwise, Freddie,"
Fred rolled his eyes.
"You shouldn't believe everything you hear, Ar'," The boy tsked and slowly began leaning closer to Ara.
The Slytherin rolled her eyes and looked away from the redhead in front of her. Fred was dangerously close to her now.
"I'm just teasing," She mumbled, nearly timidly, she was suddenly very overwhelmed by the boys scent as it engulfed her, "-I believe you,"
"Do you?" Fred asked softly, eyeing the girls delicate features. "-Me, above all else?"
Ara was taken aback by the question and went silent. She took in Fred's appearance during the quiet moment.
He really was a gorgeous boy.
A gorgeous boy who has Butterbeer sugar getting to his head.
"Yes, I believe you, above all else," Ara confirmed truthfully. Fred seemed satisfied with this answer, his eyes darted down to Ara's lips before he nodded.
I'm not crossing the line Ara, not until you do.
"You should hurry, I'm sure Draco is waiting for you in the Dungeons," Fred murmured, he suddenly pulled away from Ara and took a large chug of his drink.
Draco refused to go to sleep until he saw Ara come back from detention safely, even if they weren't presently on good terms. And Fred knew this because Ara had a habit of telling him nearly everything.
"Without a doubt," Ara agreed, while feeling strangely rejected, "-Goodnight, Freddie,"
She didn't wait for his response and quickly walked off, Butterbeer in hand.
"Goodnight, Ar'," Fred's deep voice called out from behind her, Ara didn't bother turning around. "-I'll see you at the First Task tomorrow,"
That was weird. Why was that weird? He looked good though.
Ara couldn't help but think back to how Fred's Adam's Apple bobbed while he drank his Butterbeer, or how he towered over her, or how his hands somehow made the huge tankard of sweet beer seem average sized.
Why is he so cute?
Ara shook her head.
What's wrong with me?
Forcing the images of Fred that flashed though her mind away, Ara sighed as she stepped into the Slytherin common room.
"Hello Drake," Ara mumbled, walking towards the boy who had jumped awake upon hearing her voice.
Draco eyed his sister for a moment, before sighing.
"Speaking again, are we?"
Ara rolled her eyes. They hadn't had a proper conversation since Draco had thrown his fit over Fred.
"If you wouldn't like for us to-"
"No!" Draco said, all too frantically, "-I was joking,"
Ara shook her head and smiled softly, without skipping a beat she placed her Butterbeer in front of the boy.
"A peace-offering," She murmured as Draco eyed the drink.
"Accepted," Draco picked up the Butterbeer and took a large sip, he then sighed contently. "-You know, you should tell Rosmerta you've got a little brother waiting for you at the castle, maybe she'll let you leave earlier,"
Ara chuckled and ruffled her brother's hair.
"Goodnight Drake," The blonde mumbled while walking away, not bothering to address Draco's advice. "-Don't forgot to brush your teeth when you finish,"
i literally spent forever trying to figure out whether or not to scrap the first section of this update,,, and tbh i still dk if i actually like it or not but its literally monday and i've been posting wayyyyy too many late updates :|
might go back and delete that part laterrrr, dkkk we will see.
anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, comment/leave kudos, and have a great day! also, sorry for the late update AGAIN, i literally feel so bad :/