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ardent-musings · 3 years

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The Girl Who Vanished (Part 1)

Chapter 21: “Do Your Worst”

TW: Recalling a traumatic experience.

The entirety of the train ride to Hogwarts was filled with Aeron telling the group what had happened last year and why he was radio silent during the whole summer. All of them were on pins and needles over the whole ordeal. The boy regrettably explained how he was the one who had set off the fireworks during the Quidditch Pitch, waiting for his inevitable exile from the friend group. He was expecting everyone to scream at him, but they remained quiet even if Alex's temper was building back up slightly, she held it in.

He retold the interaction he had with Marcus Flint who already had a strained history with the Weasley twins, apparently the Slytherin captain was convinced that the twins ruined their chance at winning the Quidditch Cup when the redheads were just first years. And once Aeron confided in Flint over how badly the twins aggravated him, Aeron was enlisted to help frame the boys for the Quidditch Pitch disaster.

"Flint snuck into the Gryffindor changing rooms and planted the firework wrappers in there to make it seem like it was them, I was given the task of setting off the fireworks," his brown eyes were focused only on the fluffy stuffed rabbit that sat in his lap. "He told me to light them after the game ended and I did, but one of them tipped over and, and-" he took a deep breathe, his thin fingers trembling slightly as his mind took him back to the flames and the smoke, "-when one of them tipped over, they all just misfired."

He was beginning to trip over his words as he relived the horrors of being trapped underneath the stands as it got caught on fire. His chest started heaving and Ana calmly reminded him to breathe and relax. Unsure of what to do, Alex started to quietly sing "Tiny Dancer" entirely off key, which gave the whole compartment a good laugh and distracted Aeron from himself for a moment; it was horribly sung but it made the panicked boy smile.

"Sorry, but Calista sings that to me sometimes when I have to calm down."

Calista chuckled at Alex's admission, enjoying the tiny break of humor, until they all turned back to allow Aeron to continue. Once he did, he told them about how Hagrid was the one to find him injured outside the pitch and the half giant had immediately taken him to St. Mungos. From there on out, he had stayed there the whole summer.

"I truly didn't mean for anyone to get hurt, like you, Alex," he sniffled at the girl who did have a bit of a grudge against the boy. But everyone could tell that based off the state of his inflamed skin, that Aeron had suffered enough, "I just wanted to get back at the twins for the things they had done. I'm sorry."

There was a second of silence among the group, a second that lasted hours to the young regretful boy.

"I forgive you," Calista said with a wide smile, which felt more like a hug to Aeron at this moment.

The rest of the compartment expressed their forgiveness, but the last one to do so was Ana. He stared at the girl whose forgiveness he craved the most; the first person to give him a chance, the first person to actually make him smile. Yet, her face remained still and calculated.

"I only have one question, Wright," she stated with a stone cold expression. His nervousness began seeping back in slowly, but he nodded his head while fearing the worst.

"Did you get my flower that I brought you when I visited you at St. Mungos?" Her mask of indifference fell as she grinned back softly at the boy who had once been so sneaky and conniving. Perhaps he just wanted someone to talk to. Someone to call a friend.

Upon hearing her question, his strained brows fell in relief as he dipped down into his luggage and grabbed his history book. And sure enough, within the dense pages that once cause her such grief held the single pink flower that she had given him that day in the hospital. It was flattened and a bit yellowed. But it was perfect.

"I'll have you know that you came on my birthday, Ana," he chuckled as he began to unfold one of the delicate petals. "Thank you for giving me a birthday gift."

It was late in the afternoon when the train had finally arrived at the Hogsmeade Station, they all talked about Quidditch tryouts which were incredibly intriguing to both Ana and Alex. There was one position open since the last chaser had graduated, but unfortunately Marcus Flint was the captain, so even if everyone hated the sniveling boy, they had to play nice if they wanted to make the team.

Lucian rattled on about the letters he had been exchanging with the Hufflepuff seeker, Cedric Diggory. Since the last game where Diggory caught the snitch, yet lost the game, the boys had found talking to each other surprisingly fun. Lucian enjoyed talking to someone simply about the game of Quidditch instead of only thinking of having to win. And even a Slytherin like Lucian could appreciate raw talent when he saw it.

But soon enough the carriage ride that was led by the thestrals took them straight to the castle and they walked back through the familiar corridors and into the Great Hall. It was still warm as it was just the start of September, but a gentle breeze sent a wave of calm over not only Ana and her friends, but she assumed it would help little Draco as he was off boating across the Black Lake like she had to do last year.

She took her usual spot between Lucian and Aeron while Alex and Calista sat opposite them, the sorting hat was going to be placing its next set of students into their house and if anyone was the most welcoming, it was going to be Lucian and Calista. Ana was far too tired to be chipper this night.

That feeling was drowned by the excitement that filled her veins as soon as she heard Draco's name being called. His hair was combed neatly and he had a smirk on his face. Always the one for attention Ana chuckled to herself. It was no surprise to her when the hat placed him in Slytherin before the piece of raggedy clothing even touched his head, and Ana was ecstatic to have him sit beside Lucian with a giant smile on his face. Draco gave his sister a tiny wave as he watched for more to come.

A few students had been sorted to their houses, two more stocky boys to Slytherin which Draco seemed incredibly excited about, a girl with bushy hair went to Gryffindor, the list went on and on. A familiar redhead caught her eye, she remembered him to be the twins' little brother and she watched as he sighed and waltzed his way towards the Gryffindor table. The twins ruffled his hair and took their brother in with wide arms which made her smile.

"Potter, Harry."

The room went silent. No one dared speak as the boy who Ana thought looked familiar, but she couldn't have been sure. He was scrawny and sat at the stool with unease. Of course the hat had a whole monologue about the pros and cons of every house, but the infamous boy was sent over to Gryffindor in the end. That's something the house was going to brag about for eternity, Ana sunk further into her seat. Even if it would've been fun to have the kid in her house, she was just happy to have Draco with her. She could see him without the looming threat of their father. And for that she was grateful.

However, as the first week at Hogwarts went along, she felt like Draco wasn't necessarily ignoring her, but he was definitely highly infatuated with any ounce of attention he received from the two imbeciles she had learned were named Crabbe and Goyle. They didn't seem like bad kids, but every time she looked at them too she wondered if a single thought ever crossed their minds. Draco seemed to do the talking for all of them. Maybe he did all the thinking too.

Even with Draco being a bit distant, Ana was just happy to be home. She would wake up from her dreamless sleep and get to spend the rest of her waking hours with people who she couldn't dare live without. Ana craved the routine that came from being at Hogwarts and part of that meant she resumed her study sessions with Aeron.

Every night after dinner they would retreat to the common room, find the quietest nook they could and studied the night away. Sometimes genuine work was being done while most of the time they were goofing off and making light hearted fun at the ghostly teacher. This night was one of those where there was more talking than studying. Aeron dipped his head back and let out a snort as Ana horribly mispronounced a very famous wizards name and no matter how hard she tried to reel him in, she too couldn't stop herself from laughing.

Their good moods were squashed when a small clump of burning paper landed between the two of them, and Aeron froze at the flame that mocked him as it burnt in the middle of the table. Infuriated, Ana slammed down her book overtop the ball that extinguished the flame, but that did nothing to extinguish the fury that was growing in her gut. She didn't even have to guess who it was from because from a short distance away stood Marcus Flint. He cackled as he began to pat furiously at his skin, the way someone would if they caught fire. And all Aeron could do was watch as the boy mocked his pain before the older boy dipped away from sight and towards his dorms.

Ana hated him. She didn't even hate her father, but Merlin, did she want to get back at the Quidditch captain for being the mastermind behind the whole thing. He hurt Aeron, Alex, countless other students. He even hurt the twins by accusing them of doing something they had no part in. And she was going to make him pay. But she needed recruits.

The next morning during breakfast, she nibbled on her fruit and muffin while she watched the grimy Marcus Flint go about his morning like nothing was wrong. Oh, but he would soon realize he made a mistake, Ana smirked as she continued writing her note with a lux quill. As far as she knew it, she was signing away the boy's sanity for the indefinite future, and it filled her with more joy than anything she had yet to experience. When the daily mail came, she tied her note to her owl's leg and sent it off to its destination. This is going to be beautiful Ana thought.

"Ah, Ms. Bibiana Malfoy," an annoyingly plummy voice said from behind her, "just couldn't stay away could you?"

She had been enjoying the quiet squawks and chirps that the owlery provided her; their gentle coos mixed with the summer breeze made Ana wonder why she didn't spend much time there. Maybe it was the smell of bird poop that really killed the mood. But that wasn't what Ana was there for in the first place.

"Wished I could get rid of you Weasley," Ana chuckled as she turned to see the two boys she knew would jump at the chance to help her. George smiled at her whereas Fred looked down at her feigning being hurt at her comment.

"Why'd you call us to the owlery? You never come here," the older twin asked suspiciously, his arms crossed in front of his chest while George chuckled at Fred's mannerisms.

Ana quirked her eyebrow at his statement, "How do you know where I go Weasley?"

George's eyes widened and he started to shuffle nervously while Fred remained still and composed. "Just a guess."

"Well do you want to guess as to why I called you here or do you want me to tell you?"

Before Fred said another dumb comment, George stepped up so he stood between Ana and his brother, effectively putting some needed distance between the two. Fred's face fell once he was no longer in the front but George's lower voice sounded intrigued, "I, for one, would like to know why you wanted to talk, Ana."

She was surprised by how agreeable George sounded, perhaps she should just talk to him from now on. "Wonderful!" she quipped. "Well, I have come to a bit of fascinating information over the summer, and I think you two should know."

"And what is that, Malfoy?" Fred asked from over his brother's shoulder which made George roll his eyes.

It took her a moment to realize they were wearing matching shirts and she couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that they must've coordinated their look every morning. Before she lingered on that hysterical thought for too long, she whipped her long hair over one shoulder.

"I just so happen to know not only who set the Quidditch pitch on fire, but I also know who framed you boys," she stood there looking incredibly pleased with herself, her spine stood strong and tall. For a rather small girl, she commanded a lot of respect.

"Was it your bird looking friend? What was his name? Aeron?"

Ana's attention snapped to Fred at the bitterness in which he accused Aeron. He somehow always knew the exact thing to push her buttons and Ana was once again growing tired of his attitude. Aeron was partially at fault, but if anyone deserved a sliver of mercy, it was him.

"You know what?" Ana's voice turned metallic and sour, hoping her harsh glare would shake the boy out of his condescension. "Maybe you don't deserve to know."

And with a huff, she turned on her heels and began to walk towards the exit of the tower. If they wanted to be difficult, there was no reason for her to talk to them at all. She would rather walk away than have them, mainly Fred, disrespect her and her friends.

A rush of air flew past her on either side and now the two boys were blocking her only way out. They had grown over the summer; the bottoms of their pants exposed their ankles and mix-matched socks and she wondered why they didn't just buy clothes that actually fit them. In a year, those pants would turn into shorts by this rate.

"Please tell us," George asked desperately while elbowing his older brother in the gut which made Ana's angry façade break with a giggle. Fred's smile came as quickly as it left, but he rolled his eyes like a pouting toddler at having to concede a bit to the girl.

"Yes, please tell us, snake. We are shaking with anticipation," Fred grumbled.

This was not going to do, she thought, "George can you come with me please?" Ana requested as she walked further into the tower. A confused yet responsive George shuffled as he joined her. Fred was about to follow until Ana held up a hand, which demanded the growing boy to freeze in place.

"No! Not you! From now on I am only speaking to George," she hollered at the more annoying twin.

George's face twisted into a look of nervousness but it dwindled when Ana smiled at him.

"I am going to tell George," she emphasized his name loudly just to annoy Fred even more, "that Aeron was not involved. And if he was involved, I would say that just by looking at him, you can tell he has suffered enough. Would you agree, George?"

He nodded his head quickly as he caught on to her little charade, "Why, yes, Ana. I would agree that Aeron has been through the ringer. Please tell me that secret you wanted to share with me! And only me!" His animated voice rose in volume; he wanted Fred to know that he was no longer included in the fun.

Fred let out a large groan of frustration as he stood across the tower like a child that was put in time-out. And like a child, he listened and took his punishment which made it even better for Ana. She found it overwhelming satisfying, and George was getting a kick out of it as well, the two of them giggled quietly between themselves.

"The real person who framed you, George, and destroyed the pitch was," Ana's voice shrunk into a tiny whisper, almost too low for even George to hear, "Marcus Flint."

George's eyes bulged from his head at the reveal and he sat down on a ledge to mull over the confession. Ana stood confident and self-assured, she knew her gut was right when she told Dumbledore they didn't do it. She'd have to remember to trust her gut again if a situation called for it.

"What did you say?" Fred questioned from far away. Ana figured she should just ignore him, but god was it fun to push his buttons. After all the turmoil he put her through, she found it was justified.

"George do you hear an annoying buzzing sound or?" She waved her hands around her ears dramatically which just made Fred run his hands through his hair as he hopped around impatiently.

After a moment of introspection, George stood up and leaned closer to Ana, "It was Marcus? God that actually makes sense."

"Why is that?"

"Because we sent him to St. Mungos," Fred scared the hell out of Ana, who he had sneaked up on. She jumped slightly which made him smirk softly at the girl.

"I'm not talking to you," Ana directed to the older twin, before turning back to George, "But what did you do to him? How bad did you hurt him?"

Fred and George both turned fidgety as they recalled he same memory together, like they shared one single stream of consciousness.

"Deterioration Hex," they said in unison.

Ana's expression grew even more confused since she had never heard of the hex. Sensing her cluelessness, George explained, "We were throwing the hex around in the courtyard after hours and we didn't see Flint when he came running out of one of the wings."

"That foul git was on his way to do something probably rotten when he got blasted with it," Fred chuckled to himself. "But it took him out so bad that he had to be sent to St. Mungo's to reverse it. I cannot believe he held a grudge for that long, Georgie."

"Well, he did," Ana shifted so she was facing both boys head on. "And since I saved both of your bums last year, I figured we could come to an agreement."

The two stood silently, curious eyes lingered on the girl as they waited for her proposal. She analyzed them both. George's arms were wrapped around himself as he bobbed on his heels while Fred had his arms crossed behind his back and his head crooked to the side. They were both copies of each other and yet they never once looked the same to her. Everything about them was different and it brought her a bit of pride to know she already had them down pat.

"I don't want you to prank Aeron or me or any of my other friends."

From the look on their faces she might as well have told them that she snapped their brooms in half. They looked positively dejected at the mere thought of not annoying her, but she stuck to her gun and continued to send the boys daggers until they folded.

"Alright," Fred replied with a hint of softness, his nonchalant act began to fade, "you have a deal."

"However, when it comes to Aeron, Flint has been a real thorn in his side. And anyone that hurts my friends are certainly not going to get away with it," Ana confided to the boys. "We all want the same thing here. So, instead of pranking me, the person who saved you from expulsion, put that energy towards a new target. You understand?"

Both of the boys picked up on her insinuation and they tuned to each other with mischievous looks which Ana now found endearing, knowing she wasn't going to be the victim of their pranks. Ana dipped her head respectfully, insinuating that she was going to leave.

"Wanna shake on it?" Fred grinned at the girl, holding out his hand at their business deal before she could turn away.

Ana stared at his hand for a moment, wondering if she should take it. She felt nervous all of a sudden, but she knew that she wanted to shake his hand. So she did, it was quick and surprisingly painless; but she enjoyed how the twins smiled at the agreement they all came to.

The boys started gushing about what they were going to do to the Slytherin captain; they were going to have plenty of fun with this.

"Just so we're clear, you didn't hear any of this from me," Ana said smoothly as she was almost out the door, "I plan on getting the open chaser position and don't really want the captain to hate my guts."

Fred and George nodded excitedly, they were not only making amends with the girl, but they were instructed to prank a person they already didn't like. It was a glorious night for them.

"But, boys," they looked at her like two children who were being tempted by hoards of sugary and addicting candy, she smirked at them, "do your worst."

#fred weasley #fred weasley smut #fred weasley fanfic #fred weasley x oc #bibiana malfoy #the girl who vanished #tgwv #tgwv 1-21 #enemies to friends to lovers

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