Naïve Innocence
If Murphy had paid any real attention, maybe she would notice the shift in the last couple of years. The shift between her and her adoptive family. The one everyone felt but her.
First Year, 1991. Age 12.
Murphy wasn't all that shocked when the old sorting hat howled out Hufflepuff. She wasn't particularly brave or chivalrous like her fellow siblings who she'd so desperately wanted to be housed with, so when the sorting hat decided she'd fit into Hufflepuff rather than Gryffindor where Ron had just been placed along with their newly acquired friend Hermione and their childhood friend Harry, she was disheartened, disappointed but not shocked like the look on Ron's face had told her he was.
Murphy bit her lip as she looked at Ron who'd held his breath more than she had before she'd gotten placed. And as her robes turned yellow and her feet slowly took her to Hufflepuff's table where she was greeted kindly by her newly appointed housemates, she couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes at the prospect of being all alone.
Her eyes drifted to Fred's whose eyes held a more prominent, positive gleam as he smiled brightly at her, even offering a thumbs up that honestly did little to nothing to cheer the disheartened girl.
Then to George's who held that same encouraging smile, congratulating her on her new house silently.
Finally to Percy who'd barely even glanced at the girl but held a look of indifference, as if her being in a different house hadn't fazed him a bit.
It wasn't until a few days later when Murphy got stuck outside her common room door did she meet Cedric.
Her new rock.
Murphy was having trouble opening up and making friends. She'd hardly talked to anyone but her siblings since she was officially adopted by the Weasleys. And she had an even harder time opening up to people.
Maybe it was because Cedric had helped her when she was on the brink of tears, alone and very much scared, but she'd clutched onto him for the rest of their school years and she couldn't see herself letting go well after graduation.
"Are you okay?" Cedric asked the first year, watching as she stood drenched in vinegar. "Do you need help?"
"Yes," she sighed quietly, trying desperately not to cry.
"It's okay, don't cry!" He soothed, "you won't believe how many times I got doused in vinegar my first year."
"I bet it's not nearly as many times as me," Murphy grumbled.
Cedric laughed, "here I'll show you. We'll keep practicing until you get it."
Murphy felt completely and utterly stupid that day, but never once did Cedric poke fun at her as he continued to show her the rhythm to knock the Barrels, or never did he seem frustrated when she got it wrong and got them both drenched yet again in vinegar.
He'd only soothe her by rubbing her back and whispering encouraging things to her all while doing his best to shield her from the vinegar that befell them both.
"It's okay," Cedric said. "We'll just try again. Good thing tomorrow is a Saturday and we've got no class. I'm Cedric Diggory by the way, you're Murphy right?"
"Yes."
It wasn't until well into the night did Murphy finally get the rhythm right, left feeling small, dumb, and absolutely embarrassed she parted ways with Cedric, but before he went, he left her with a little piece of advice.
"Peppermint and about a dozen showers will help with the smell," he smiled at the girl. "For the vinegar, I mean."
Murphy had always found people to cling to, ever since she'd come into the Weasley home. With the next few weeks and the slowly budding friendship between her and Cedric, he quickly became that to her.
A safe haven to cling onto.
"Murphy!" A voice called across the great hall as soon as the girl stepped foot in. Murphy looked up to see Cedric waving her over to where he sat at the Hufflepuff table.
Murphy was hesitant at first, but the smile on his face quickly dissipated any hesitancy and she found herself smiling back just as brightly. "Hello," she chirped as he ushered her to sit.
Maybe if Murphy had paid any real attention she would have noticed over the next year how her new friendship gained Cedric more than a few glares and a few more unprompted pranks.
Second Year, 1992. Age 13.
Although Murphy wasn't particularly fond of Potions or the fact that it was with Snape, the fact that she shared it with Ron and his friends made it all the more bearable.
Today, they separated themselves into pairs which was an odd rarity that Snape hadn't chosen to place them all with someone they each seemed to personally despise.
The moment that the Professor had let it known they'd be working in groups of two's, Ron had looked at his sister with a knowing smile.
The pair had separated the work with Murphy in charge of gathering, chopping, and preparing the ingredients while Ron read the recipe aloud, adding and stirring the mixture.
Murphy concentrated intensely on cutting a root that their recipe called for, glancing ever so quickly over at Harry who stood next to her chopping his own ingredients. Murphy couldn't help but snap her head back to Harry's work at the precision he used, cutting it into equal chunks flawlessly.
"Wow, Harry." Murphy started causing the boy to look up at him in curiosity, "You're really good at that."
Harry's ears turned red as he gave the girl a crooked smile, "oh, uh, thanks. I could cut yours if you'd like?"
Murphy raised her brows in surprise, "would you really?"
The the blonde gave a shy nod as he pulled the chopping board closer to himself, but before he even had the chance to pick his knife up again a flash of red had the board snatched from his grasp.
Murphy's eyes widen in surprise as she looked at Ron incredulously, wondering what in the world had the boy acting out like this.
Before either one of them could even utter a word Ron was already chopping the ingredients furiously. Murphy shared a look with Harry who gave her a questioning look to which she shrugged as he went back to his workspace with Hermione.
"What was that about?" Murphy questioned with furrowed brows.
Ron muttered angrily, "you're supposed to be my partner."
"I am," Murphy frowned further, tilting her head confused.
"Didn't look like it," he grumbled with a huff as he slid the now-chopped ingredients back in front of her.
Ron didn't talk to Harry for the remainder of the day, which left Murphy wondering why he would act in that way.
What had caused Ron's sudden, soured mood?
Summer 1993, before 3rd year. Age 14.
"Cedric?! Why is she going to Cedric's for TWO weeks?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Ron," Molly started. "Cedric's been Murphy's friend since her first year. They invited her over and she says she wants to go. It'll be good for her to keep and make friends outside of her family."
"Does it not bother you that your fourteen-year-old, underage daughter is going off to her seventeen-year-old adult male friend's house?" Fred raised his brow.
"Fred!" Molly scolded at what he was insinuating, "Mr. and Mrs. Diggory will both be there to supervise the two of them." She shook her head going back to baking her sweets, "you guys should be encouraging Murphy to get out of her shell. She can't keep clinging to you all her entire life, she'll need to make her own way into the wizarding society."
"A lot can happen in two weeks," George added with a knowing nod. "Two weeks with two hormonal teenagers that just so happen to be able to cast spells."
Fred hummed, "you mean like Muffliato?"
"Or Silencio." Percy chimed as he walked up the stairs with a Honey Biscuit in hand.
Molly paused her movements as George left her with one last comment to think about, "all it takes is a few minutes alone."
"More like seconds for a git like Cedrica."
Murphy stumbled down the stairs with a big duffel bag stuffed a bit too full.
"I think I've got everything," Murphy smiled as she sat her bag down in the living room, walking into the kitchen to greet her mother who'd floo her to the Diggory home.
"Actually sweetheart," Molly started. "I feel like it's best if you don't go to the Diggorys this summer."
"What?" Murphy asked, face falling into one of disappointment. "Why not?"
"I just think that maybe you could invite Cedric here for dinner, then he can floo home. How's that sound?" Molly smiled hopefully.
Murphy was confused, just hours ago her mother was the one encouraging her to go, all but pushing her out the door before Murphy reminded her she needed to pack. Squashing any doubts or anxiety Murphy had about leaving home.
"But- I just- I thought," Murphy couldn't come up with the right words. And in the end, she just nodded before turning back to the living room dejected.
Murphy didn't get far before she bumped into Bill who'd just come down the stairs. Bill had made it home for the summer, which was miraculous since his job as a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank kept him extremely busy and rarely home.
Murphy stood there for a second with a frown, Bill didn't say anything, but he rarely did. He'd always wait until Murphy did the talking.
"Mum's decided I can't go to Cedric's," Murphy announced.
"Why not?" Bill hummed indifferently.
Murphy shrugged, her frown still etched across her face. They stood there for a second longer before Murphy brightened slightly, seemingly coming to a conclusion, "but maybe you can talk to her? She'd listen to you!"
Bill watched as Murphy's frown turned into a hopeful smile, brows raising in expectation, hands coming together in a silent prayer before he sighed, sidestepping her to sit on the couch with his book.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?" Murphy all but whined, following close behind and standing right in front of him.
Bill sighed before looking at her, suddenly he became serious, not something Murphy was used to seeing often, especially with him. And especially not being the receiving party of that look, "I don't think Cedric is a good influence on you."
Murphy suddenly frowned in something akin to anger but bordering more on annoyance, "you don't even know him." She argued, "Cedric is a good guy, he's my friend."
It irritated Bill. Murphy spent her entire life looking up to Bill, hanging off his every word, accepting his words as truth- never questioning a thing he's said. Now, all of the sudden, she's taking up for a guy, in his opinion, she hardly even knows?
Bill's jaw set and suddenly he grew more serious, if that were even possible, while something unknown gleamed in his eyes, "Murphy, I know you believe that, but you've got to be blind to not see the way he looks at you. He invited you to his house to get into your pants."
Murphy gaped wide-eyed at him, unbelieving of what she was hearing from Bill of all people.
Ron? Maybe. Fred and George? Most definitely. But Bill?
To be honest, Murphy wasn't well-versed in anything sexual. Growing up with a bunch of overprotective brothers proved to be difficult when it came to boys.
There had been a boy she'd liked once, but between Ron's excessive glaring and Fred and George's pranking he'd lasted all but sixteen days before he was running for the hills and out of her life for good.
Murphy never complained though, she knew they only did it because they loved her.
Everything Murphy knew was from a Hufflepuff girl who'd graduated last year, and even then she didn't say much. Mostly that you have sex with the ones you love.
No one quite wanted to ruin Murphy's naive innocence.
Another thing she'd told her was that it's not something that a proper lady should really talk about, so that threw most of her questions out the window.
"It's not like that," Murphy lowered her voice. "I don't love him."
Bill stared at her for a moment, "do you love me."
Murphy's brows frowned, "of course I do."
"And you only do things like that with the people you love?"
Murphy frowned, "yeah of course. Why are you asking me this, isn't it something you should already know?!"
Bill simply hummed before picking his book back up.
Definitely, something he should already know.
Third Year, 1993. Age 14.
It was a rare moment in Murphy's stay at Hogwarts, one where she wasn't walking the halls with Cedric. Instead, she walked down the corridor with Fred, as Cedric was on the quidditch field practicing for his upcoming game.
Murphy laughed again as Fred continued to tell her about a prank he'd pulled on Hogwarts Caretaker Filch.
At times, the girl felt bad for the twins' victims but this wasn't one. Not when he'd unjustly given the girl detention.
Murphy couldn't keep the smile off her face even as the loud pair gained a few unwanted looks from those around them. Only when a boy Murphy recognized as Oliver Wood, her brothers Quidditch Captian, walked up to the pair with a smile.
"I've managed to reserve the pitch for tomorrow morning," Oliver spoke to Fred after they exchanged their 'hello's, before he suddenly turned his attention to Murphy. "I like your shirt."
"Thank you," Murphy blushed shyly, glancing down at her shirt. Murphy had forgotten that she had stolen, Ginny's shirt after a bet she'd lost with Fred. One that had led her to go all out in supporting Gryffindore's Quidditch team.
When Murphy looked back up at Fred he had an unusual scowl on his face, "What?"
"'I like your shirt', 'thank you', shut your dumb ass up," Fred mocked Oliver with a grumble, who laughed it off shortly, taking Fred's words as ones from an overprotective brothers.