Your radiance
"Should I open the letter, Ollie? What if it's something I don't want to read?", Frieda asked her best friend.
The two were sat in the dining hall. They just finished dinner and decided to stay for a bit to talk about what happened previously that day.
"Well, you're not gonna find out until you're actually doing it. Should I open it and read it first?"
As much as Frieda appreciated Ollie's offer, she did not want him to read it before her. What if it was something embarrassing or intimate?
"No, thanks. This is something I'll have to do on my own."
"Okay, another idea. I open the letter for you and you read it. When you're done you tell me whether it was good or bad, alright?"
"Yeah, we can do that."
She handed him the envelope. Unbearably slowly Ollie opened it and handed her the parchment paper.
Frieda unfolded it and started reading after a few moments of taking deep breaths. What was in the letter however, was close to a miracle to her.
Dear Frieda,
I think I really messed up. I never would have thought that you would actually like me back, so I didn't have the guts to ask you out.
Normally I am not like this. You completely changed the way I behave. When Fred told me that you were thinking about asking
out somebody else, I just freaked out. I was mad at you even though I had no right to be. I was jealous and immature by asking
Heather to go to the ball to me. She probably knows that I am not into her. But not disclosing it to her is a shite move. Because
the only person I want to take to the ball is you. I know it is hard to believe by the way I acted. But I promise you that it's true. You're
the smartest, funniest, most beautiful and perfect person to me. I know it might be weird to say it that way but I am in love with you.
I wish I told you this way earlier. I don't know why I always act like such a fool when I am around you. Maybe it's because I lose every
rational thought when I see you. I am in awe by your personality. You're so kind and next to you I feel like a clown.
Ever since I saw you sticking up for Evie after we pulled a prank on her, I wanted to get to know you. It sounds contradicting since
Fred and I are the people who do it to them but I would feel bad if they had nobody who looks after them. And you are one of those
persons. You unconditionally grant everyone a chance to redeem themselves. And even if they don't redeem themselves you don't
strive for revenge. You make this world a better place, for your friends, your brother and for me. I hope that they know your worth
and I also hope that you know it yourself.
Not telling you how I feel was one of the worst mistakes I have ever made. I know I broke your heart a little and I am sorry for that.
It would mean the world to me if you forgave me.
Yours George
Frieda held her breath. That was the most heartfelt thing she has ever read. Why did he not tell her this earlier? Why on earth did she not tell him? Why was she always so complicated? Still perplexed she read those words over and over.
"What is it?", Ollie asked curiously.
Frieda handed him the letter. "Please read this and tell me it's true."
After a few minutes he looked up but for once was at a loss for words.
"Well, we definitely read the same letter. You have to go to him right now. He's probably waiting for you to do something now."
"No, Fred said to wait for the ball and since that is tomorrow I think it can wait. Do you think they are up to something?"
"I'm saying this one last time: Does nobody here have an ounce of common sense in them? Frieda, he literally wrote you a love letter admitting to all the mistakes he made and how much he regrets making said mistakes. I don't think there is anything fishy going on. But maybe you're right about the waiting. There is probably a reason why Fred emphasized that so much."
"Okay, so what's the plan then? Just wait it out until tomorrow?"
"I guess so. Do you think you'll be okay? We can do a sleepover if you want. Nobody will notice if we sneak out and sleep in the common room. Remember your first week here?
We used to do this all the time."
When Frieda first started going to Hogwarts, she had never been as scared as then. She had basically no friends besides her older brother who was not even in the same house as she was. She met Ollie through him. She knew that the two liked each other and whoever her brother trusted, she trusted as well. Ollie was the friendliest person she has ever met. He welcomed her with the warmth of a thousand suns. While she knew nowadays that Ollie had only looked after her because Emil told him so, she was not aware when she was just an eleven year old girl. And she was thankful that her brother told Ollie to do it since she was now able to call the most amazing person her best friend.
Back in the days they would both sneak out of their dorms to build a blanket fort in their common room and spend the night there chatting about everything and nothing at all. They did it until Frieda felt comfortable enough to go into her dorm room on her own.
"Sounds great. Should we meet at eleven?"
"Sure. Maybe I can organize some snacks. The house elves have been very kind to me recently."
The two parted their ways only for Frieda to be met with her brother in the hallway.
"Good that I see you. Have you opened the letter, yet?", Emil asked hectically
"Yes, like ten minutes ago. It was... interesting, to say the least."
"Shit, I thought that you might want to disregard it"
"Why would I do that?"
Emil looked to the floor pondering what he was going to do next.
"So, remember when you told me about Boris?"
Frieda nodded.
He continued "Well, I talked to him for a while and it turns out that he has a friend who also hasn't found a date for the ball, yet."
"For heaven's sake Emil. If one of you tries to set me up with someone one more time I am going to freak out"
"Okay, I know you said that you wanted to go alone but hear me out. He is a really nice guy. Plays Quidditch and wants to join the Finish team when he's out of school so he is super fit. On top of that he is amongst the best students in Durmstrang so you will spend the night with a really intelligent man."
Frieda sighed. "Why are you so persistent on this? It's not like you have anything to gain from me going out with a stranger."
After a short break Emil answered "I might have already told him that you would like to go with him."
"Please tell me you're joking."
"I wish I was joking to be honest. But he looked so sad and when we started talking about you, Boris mentioned how cool you are and that he thinks that it's a crime that you're going on your own. And then we were messing around about how funny it would be if you two would go together and then one thing led to the other and now you have a date... Sorry?"
"Oh, being sorry is the least you could do. What were you thinking? And now I can't even bail on him because that would be super mean. Do you at least know where he is so I actually know the person I am gonna have my first date with?"
"He should still be outside on the Quidditch field. Boris and him are playing a bit."
Frieda rolled her eyes and started to immediately run off.
But before she was too far away, her brother shouted "His name's Ari, by the way."
Why was Frieda always involved in these messy situations nowadays? Ever since she started hanging out with the twins, her life was falling apart. She could not possibly go to the ball with somebody else after that letter she received from George, the guy she fell in love with. What would he think when she suddenly showed up with an absolute stranger? Maybe she should make it clear that they should be going as friends. Or rather as people who could be friends. Everything else would feel like cheating.
She headed outside in hopes of finding the guy her brother, of all people, set her up with.
When she finally arrived at her destination she spotted her cousin and a tall blond boy laying on the Quidditch field. She went up to them to start a conversation.
"Hey Boris," she tried to begin.
"Frieda, what a surprise. What are you doing out here?"
"I was actually hoping to find you. Or Ari, to be exact."
Her cousin looked at her with wide eyes. "So, Emil has already told you?"
"Of course. Would you mind if we talked for a bit?", this time she was talking to Ari.
"No, not at all. Boris, would you excuse us for a minute?", he answered.
Boris got the little hint and made his way off.
"So, you're Frieda then?"
"Yeah, I suppose. Look, I don't know what my brother told you so I just want you to know that I am probably not even half as great as he described me to you."
"Not that I can say a lot about your personality but he was not exaggerating when he talked about your radiance."
"My what now?"
Ari chuckled "Your radiance. Just the way you come off, you know. You're glowing, I have never seen someone like that."
Frieda took a deep breath. Was this really happening? She looked Ari up and down. Emil also was not exaggerating when he talked about him being fit. That was an understatement if you asked her. He was at least six foot three, had an edgy face without it coming off as rough and it was clear that he worked out a lot. His arms were fairly muscular but it suited him. His eyes were a striking blue with a grey circle around his iris.
"Look Ari, as much as I appreciate this whole thing I have one request."
"Sure... If you tell me what it is."
"Could it maybe be more of a friendship thing? I know this might sound weird but I just want to make it clear that there's not gonna happen anything between us because..." She stopped herself from saying more.
"Because you like someone else?"
"Am I really that obvious?"
"No. I just had a feeling. Usually this is not something girls tell me." He goofily grinned.
Frieda rolled her eyes.
"I know that I sound like an asshole. But to answer your request, yes we can do that. As long as this is not one of those 'let's go make my ex jealous' things."
She laughed cynically. "Yeah right. Can't have an ex without a relationship."
"Come again?"
"I like him but it's... complicated. He is gonna be there with another girl even though he basically told me that he has feelings for me. It's quite confusing actually."
"You know what's weird?"
"What?"
"Emil and Boris both told me how shy you are. But for somebody so shy, you are telling a complete stranger a whole lot about your private life."
Frieda could not believe it either. But something about Ari just felt so comfortable as if she had known him for a long time. She felt safe telling him about this.
"You know what? How about we sit down and you tell me all about this weird guy you're into and tomorrow we're going to this dumb ball as friends and we'll have the time of ur lives doing so. Sound good?"
"Yes, very good."