Chapter Three; Fred

The Great Hall was always an uproar of sound. Usually Fred was a big part of that uproar, but not tonight. Tonight, his mind was completely elsewhere. In fact, it was over at the Ravenclaw's table.

The air seemed to have vanished from the room, that had to be why he couldn't breathe...not because he had just spotted the newest addition to the House of Rowena Ravenclaw. That was just silly. Fred Weasley getting all breath-taken-away by a girl! Not likely. But still, Fred didn't recognize her, and there was no way she was a firstie...she was much too...matured...to be a first year. Perhaps she was an exchange student, Percy had been a whole new level of annoying this summer; hinting at some big surprise at Hogwarts but never giving anything away, damn him.

If he could only get a better look at her, maybe then he would recognize her. She was just sitting there, to be honest she looked scared. Not talking to anybody, drumming her fingers on the table, but the way she was sitting...she was aware of everything around her, listening and watching. It looked like she was waiting. For the feast to start? Fred frowned.

"Um...Fred? What are you staring at?" Hermione's voice snapped Fred back into the world that was the Gryffindor table. Fred jumped and looked at Hermione. She was looking at him with concern, her head slightly tilted, eyes squinted.

"No-nothing! Just...lost in thought is all." Fred let out a nervous laugh and ran his hand through his fiery hair.

As Dumbledore began his usual back to school speech, Fred kept sneaking glances at the Ravenclaw table, at that girl. She hadn't moved. She was still in the same rigid position as before. You're being ridiculous. There's nothing special about her, you just don't recognize her. Now stop creeping on the poor girl and pay bloody attention! Fred re-focused in on Dumbledore. He was going on about some tournament or other. Suddenly, George was grabbing Fred's wrist, and Percy's hint dropping suddenly made sense.

The Triwizard Tournament.

"We have to, have to! Find away to fool that age limit, George!" Fred's fascination with mystery girl was put on halt. If he or George could win a thing like this, they'd be unstoppable. "Imagine the possibilities if we won..." Fred trailed off just imagining them, they'd be rich, everyone in the school would worship them (well those who didn't already worship them would).

"I know! We could...we could make something of ourselves! Something real. The joke shop!" The twins matching chocolate eyes met. Excitement sparked in between them and for the first time in months, Fred felt like his old self again.

Dumbledore was commanding attention, explaining that other schools of magic would be visiting in order to compete in the tournament, and all, ALL, of Hogwarts was expected to be on their best, most exemplary behavior. No. Questions. Asked.

The occupants of the Great Hall seemed to buzz with anticipation. Food appeared, the feast began. Some people were still in such a daze from Dumbledore's announcement, they didn't even notice the food. Fred and George dug in, George already discussing with Harry and Ron how they could sneak their names in. Before Fred could even realize what was happening, his mind was wandering. His longing returned as did his watchful gaze over the new Ravenclaw girl.

She definitely fit the part of a Ravenclaw. She even had raven black hair. Her food sat barely touched as she gently tapped the girl next to her. The girl leaned in and answered the question the black-haired girl had asked. She nodded at the response and looked up at the sky ceiling in a frustrated manner. It was obvious to anyone she wanted to leave. Her eyes left the ceiling and met Fred's dead on.

Fred froze. Her eyes moved away as soon as they had landed on him, but his heart was going crazy, his brain going into overdrive as he tried to comprehend those eyes.

Ice blue, they had looked through him in a way that was just, spooky. However, the truly crazy part about her eyes, as beautiful as they were, was that Fred had seen them before. Not on her, but...Fred turned to the teacher's table. Even from across the room, the eyes were unmistakable. Ice blue and just as sharp, they peered back at Fred through those half-moon spectacles.

"Students, you may head back to your dormitory's," A flash of blue darted from Ravenclaw's table, "Prefect's please escort the first years. Goodnight." Fred stood from the table, it wasn't possible for Dumbledore to have a family was it? But there was no doubt about it, their eyes matched, right down to the weird look-right-into-your-soul thing. Fred frowned. This was definitely too much thinking on his first night back into Hogwarts.