Try And Tame The Terrors **Harry Potter/George Weasley Story** (BOOK3)

Chapter 8: Not A Lot

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. They all belong to J.K. Rowling.






Chapter Eight: Not A Lot

Lottie's Point of View






"Quidditch match! Quidditch match!" Alex chanted as she marched down the hill, broomstick over shoulder and Gryffindor Quidditch uniform with a grass stain on her left knee from tripping over her own foot,


"And we're going to win!" Fred grinned,


"Because Ravenclaw is shit!" Alex finished,


"How well is this going to end?" I asked myself. George laced his fingers through mine,


"Not very." He whispered. We continued to traipse across the fields to the Quidditch pitch where the first match of the season, Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw, was taking place in less than an hour. I ended up sitting through the team briefing, which was so boring I almost fell to sleep and off the bench, and was then prompted pulled off the bench and kissed by George then dragged up to the teachers box by Lee to watch him commentate the match. Equally as boring as the briefing, the first thirty five minutes of match time was awful. Whoever finds entertainment in this must be more sane than me, because my interest in Quidditch has being drastically reduced since the world cup last summer. I'm sure my forehead got dinted because of the rock,


"Colette!" A sharp voice hissed. I turned around casually to see Snape staring at me. He pointed to the ground in front of him. I sighed discreetly, then dragged myself up from my stool and over to him. He then proceeded to grab my robe sleeve and drag me out of the teacher's stand, across the field, up the hill and back into the castle, down into the dungeons and into the potions classroom. The only time he actually let me go was to unlock his classroom's door,


"Don't tell me, you're the deputy head of some spy company and now I have to be one to." I grumbled as I followed him into this classroom. Snape stayed silent, but pointed to a chair he had summonsed across and had placed in front of his desk. I sat down and crossed over my legs,


"When your mother and ... father elected me as your godfather, it was entrusted to me to watch over you when you would be at Hogwarts. Now is the time I teach you a valuable life skill you will do well to put to great use in this year of your education." Snape told me. I shrugged,


"Yeah, cool, I'm game for anything."


"Of course, you know about the ..." He left a pause,


"The bird team, yes." I confirmed for him,


"So I have full permission from ... Remus ... to teach you this ... spell as well as ... protecting you."


"Don't worry 'bout me Sir. I'm completely, you know I can fight for myself."


"I made a promise to your mother I would look after you and that is exactly what I intend to do." Snape said darkly. I nodded, and shrugged a little again, "I trust you have your wand on you."


"Do you wanna know what?" I dug my robe and pulled my wand from the specific wand holding compartment of my robe, "I only just discovered this wonderful invention this morning." Snape gave a disapproving look,


"Now. repeat after me." He turned to the blackboard and spoke as he wrote, "Vulnera Sanentur."



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Now, when you're as awesomely infamous as we are, there's never a lot of time to get a spare minute to yourself. But when needs must, the best place is after 10pm behind the couch in the far corner of the common room to get some alone time with your ginger boyfriend. And to draw his attention to your best friend's product idea, "They're just cute little balls of fluff?"


"Apparently."


"Yeah, thats great." George knocked the book out of my hand, leant over me and pressed his lips to mine. Finally, the spontaneous intimate moment I'd being waiting almost a month for. George invited himself to kneel either side of my outstretched legs and I wiggled myself up straight. For the first time in what seemed forever, we finally doing the couple thing again, doing the couple things muggles hate to see, but love to read,


"Any reason for this?" I asked George whilst he wiggled his robe off of his shoulders,


"Not one." He then placed his forehead to mine, "Are we doing things ... alright for you?"


"Yes, of course we are Georgie." Why would you lie like that Lottie?


"You sure? Every time I've tried to spend time with you since we got back, it's got cut short." Don't do it again Lottie!


"I know but ... it's completely fine." What is wrong with you woman?!


"Are you sure?" George gave me another chance. It was like he could sense that something had being bothering me. Not bothering me as such but ... okay bothering me,


"I ... no it--"


"Come on, don't lie Lot." George said, now sitting up beside me. I looked out of the window as the soft rain began to make light patting noises on the window. I sighed,


"We haven't seem to have ... spent much time together. You know, just me and you ... Since we've being at Hogwarts but--"


"I know." George interrupted me, "I said the same thing to Fred earlier."


"What?"


"Yeah ..." George trailed off slightly, "I did. I had to get it off my mind. I don't like it, we connected more before we got together. We--"


"Do you want to call it off?" I blurted out before I could stop myself, "No, that's not what I meant."


"You ... want to break up?" George asked, the hurt showing in his eyes. I felt the panic,


"No! I don't! I mean like ..."


"Like what?" George asked, rubbing his left eye. I stared at him looking for an answer. Like ...


"Like erm ... well ..."


"Do you want some time? To think it through?" George saved me. I looked up at his eyes. Seeing how they had a glaze on them sent a pang of guilt and hurt in my stomach. I'd broke the heart of the man I lo-- ... really really liked with one punch, and I didn't even mean to. George took my silence as an acceptance of his offer, so he kissed me lightly on the forehead before rising up and leaving me be.


I stared at the space he'd being sat in for a moment, then leaned my back against the sofa and brought my knees up to my chest. Thoughts whirled around my head about what I'd just done and how much I screwed up. No wonder everyone likes Alex more than me. I screw everything up. I began to ponder on a reply, what exactly I should say to George to make things better. I didn't mean I didn't want to be with him anymore, it came out so wrong. It wasn't even meant to come out. I meant to say ... I'm not even sure what I meant to say, but 'do you want to call it off' was definitely not it. The rain fell heavier onto the glass and made slight echoing noises. I buried my head for some silence, and then someone put their arm around me. I looked up to see Alex staring back, then rested my head back on my knees. She didn't say a word, which seemed pretty unusual. Maybe if I tried to explain to George how I'd being feeling, and how I had started to miss spending time with just him, he'd understand. He's a good guy, he'll get me. I looked up at Alex, who raised her eyebrows at me then pointed towards the boys dorms. I nodded, then she got up and marched off. I rose onto my knees and watched her climbing the stairs until I couldn't see her slippers anymore. Alex won't do anything stupid. She understands.



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"We'll stay here then instead, yes?" George asked me softly next morning at breakfast. After sleeping on the mistake I made last night, I'd decide to just apologise to George and end it there. He said there was no need to say sorry, and that he was sort of glad I said it because at least then it wasn't him saying the wrong thing. Alex and Fred began to coo over us, so we moved a few metres away to talk without their input and innuendos. It was still early morning, so there was a lack of people around, and whilst eating their breakfast Fred and Alex had stared at us constantly, raising a thumb here and giving a wink there,


"But I thought you and Fred--"


"Fred is more than capably of doing things with his blue side kick." George told me, holding my hands over the table,


"I don't mind. You can still--"


"I don't want to go to Hogsmeade, so I'm going to stay here. With you. And sit in the dorm room and test products. If you know what I mean." George winked,


"You mean I'm going to end up with a bleeding nose and you as a cannery." I rolled my eyes,


"Ah, Lot bot knows everything." George winked at me, "Alright, you can come back now."


"So hey." Alex slide up to my side,


"How's it going?" Fred slid up to George's,


"You can go to Hogsmeade with Fredricka over there next weekend. Me and Georgie boy are going to stay here."


"Ooooooooooh!" Alex winked multiple times at George across the table,


"This is why we don't sit with you." He laughed. Alex shrugged then grinned,


"But choo love meh! And so do choo!" She pointed at me, "And so does everybody!"


"I beg your pardon, what exactly are you insinuating?" Umbridge's voice echoed. We all stared towards the Great Hall doors, then quickly removed ourselves to the entrance hall. Harry, Ron and Hermione had almost caught up with us,


"I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students, you confine to the prescribed disciplinary practises." McGonagall's voice retaliated to Umbridge's. Harry and I were the first to edge our way into the entrance, followed by Hermione and Alex, then the Weasley group which Ginny had joined,


"WHOO MCGONAGALL!" Alex called. I hid my face and there was a murderous pause,


"So silly of me but it sounds like as if you're challenging my authority in my own classroom." Umbridge huffed, then rose up a stair where she and McGonagall were having the face off, "Minerva."


"Not at all." McGonagall also climbed a stair to be again directly opposite-- "Dolores."


"YEAH YOU OLD HAG!"


"How are you not dead yet?" I mumbled, mostly to myself,


"SSHHHH!" Hermione said urgently,


"Merely your medieval methods!" McGonagall said firmly,


"I am sorry dear--"


"NO YOU'RE--" I drew back my fist and punched Alex's shoulder. She was immediately silent, her cheeks flushed with a bright pink colour and there was a sudden blue tinge in her usually yellow eyes,


"To question my practises is to question the ministry, and by extention the minister himself." Another deafening pause of silence. I look to Alex and she looked completely fine. Nerves of steel that girl has, "Now I am a tolerent woman--"


"N--" Fred threw his hand over Alex's mouth and pulled the back of her into his chest. Hermione and I spun away from looking simultaneously and we were so close to uncontrollable giggling,


"But one thing I will not stand for is disloyalty."


"She's one to talk." A voice said in our area. I never checked who,


"Disloyalty." McGonagall tutted in a disgusted way and looked away, almost rolling her eyes. Umbridge went up another step,


"Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared. Cornelius will want to take immediate action." She looked at each of us in the crowd individually, making a more disgusted face with each student. She looked even more revoltingly at me and a child stood behind me. I turned around slowly, and my eyes were met with ...


Roger Davies.



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I was busting out with random moves down the corridors on the way to the Great Hall for breakfast next day, just to show that today was going to be a good day because the head girl is dancing. Along the way, we ran into Professor McGonagall. She stared with a tiny smile as I jammed past her as Fred and George followed, trying to copy me, "Lottie, do you take pride in manipulating other children's minds or is this just to annoy any other Professors you meet along the way?" She asked, half shouting as we were half way past her now. I spun 180 degrees around to face her, still busting my dance moves and travelling backwards,


"Just a wild child, Miss!" I called as Alex zipped past me with a paper in her hand. I stopped dancing and begun to jog after her, leaving the twins in a confused state of dance moves and athleticism,


"YOU GOTTA SEE THIS YOU GOTTA SEE THIS YOU GOTTA SEE THIS YOU GOTTA SEE THIS YOU GOTTA SEE-E-E-E-E-E-E THIS!"


"What?" Hermione asked as we arrived in front of her, another Weasley and my half brother. Alex laid a prophet out on the table dramatically,


MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM
DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR



"A what now?" I asked,


"READ IT! READ IT ALOUD!" Alex proclaimed, waggling her finger at the paper violently. I sat down directly opposite Hermione as she picked up the paper with Fred, George, Harry and Ron leaning over in all directions trying to see the paper first,


"'In a surprise move last night, the Ministry of Magic passed new laws giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 'The Minister has been growing uneasy about happenings at Hogwarts for some time,' said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley--'"


"What a prick." The twins both muttered,


"SHUT UP! KEEP GOING HERMIONE!"


"'He is now responding to concerns, voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve of.'"


"What's wrong with Hogwarts?" I asked,


"They're saying Dumbledore's going mad just because he actually believes Harry when he talks the truth." Ron explained, "And they're saying Hogwarts has really gone to the dogs!"


"Well where's everyone going to go? Pigfarts?"


"OH MY MERLIN SHUT UP GUYS! HERMIONE!"


"'This is not the first time in recent weeks that the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, has used new laws to effect improvements at the school. As recently as 30th August, Educational Decree Number Twenty-two was passed in order to ensure, in the event of the current Headmaster is unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry could select an appropriate person. 'That is how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts,' said Weasley last night, 'Dumbledore couldn't find anyone so the Minister put in Umbridge. Of course, she's been an immediate success--'"


"She's a WHAT?!" Harry exclaimed. I rolled my eyes,


"She's an evil fu--"


"KEEP GOING! THERE'S MORE!" Alex shouted,


"'Totally revolutionising the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts. It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalised with the passing of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, which creates the new position of Hogwarts High Inquisitor.'"


"Well, that explains a lot. I guess." I shrugged, "But seriously, what is a high inquisitor?"


"Someone who makes inquiries." Fred begun to explain,


"They search for information." George followed,


"Usually pretty annoying."


"And nosey."


"'Among those eccentric decisions are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the employment of werewolf Remus Lupin, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid an--'"


"I beg your pardon Hermione?" I turned my attention back to Hermione who had continued to read aloud, "Who's being saying what about daddy Lupin?"


"Oh no it's ... nothing." Hermione trailed off. I looked her dead in the eye until she told me, "Malfoy's dad."


"Oh ... wow." I rolled my eyes disgustedly. As if he was responding to the call of his name, Draco waltzed into the hall,


"Ha! Look at this! All these losers crowding around just to hear the mudblood reading the paper!"


"ARGH!" Alex stood up and punched him squared in the nose. There was an 'oh!' of distress and interest from the group as Malfoy slowly sat up on the floor and held onto his nose,


"That's it! You stupid little half blood! Wait until my father--"


"Your father!" I stood up next to Alex, "Is one to talk!"


"Oh look! It's the daughter of the half breed! Surprised you don't howl along side!"


"Mr Malfoy." A dark voice sneered. Snape was standing over his Slytherin pupil who was still seated on the ground. The only colour on his face was the small trickle of blood coming from his nose, "I believe it best if you got yourself to the infirmary. Right ... now."


"Yeah, before I hit you again." Alex spat. Draco slowly pulled himself up using the surrounding benches and hobbled from the hall,


"Goyle? Am I bleeding?"


"You." Snape pointed at Alex, "With me. Now."


"Cool. See ya guys." Alex shrugged, following Snape casually as he left the hall,


"How does she get away with shit like that?" Fred asked, "It's just ... what?"


"How is she even a prefect?" I followed his question, slowly sitting back down on the bench, "I can't believe the one year we're official people about school and there's a bitch bomb of a teacher and all we're doing is fucking everything up."


"Well that's going to happen." Hermione said, finally laying down the paper, "It's like Ronald. He flew a car into the Whomping Willow, but he's still a prefect."


"Wow Hermione. Thanks. You're really making me feel a ton better." Harry said, then got up and stormed from the hall. Hermione shook her head,


"He's never going to make it." She muttered, "He'll go insane before the year's out."


"What's he done now?" I asked, a twin now seated either side of me,


"He keeps going off on one, like just now. I simply can't put my finger on what is wrong with him."


"Things are starting to hit home I suppose." Ron suggested. Hermione looked at him with an unreadable expression,


"I do believe you could be right Ron." She nodded, "Perhaps this year is ... the year he's really going to crack."


"No." I told them, "Harry's a strong lad."


"A pain in the arse." Fred said,


"Right awkward sod." George followed,


"But he's a tough cookie." I looked from one to the other twin with raised eyebrows, then back to Hermione, "Nothing's going to break his stride."



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"I don't remember taking Charms." I said absent mindedly on the way to the lesson,


"I don't remember you. Who are you?"


"Your best fr--"


"I don't care." Alex held up her hand in front of my face, then pushed about the door to Charms. Me, Alex and the twins piled into the room and took our seats. Flitwick looked a little nervous to what he usually does, and seemed to be counting the amount of students who had entered his classroom. He was nervously twirling his wand in his hand,


"R-right class. Today, we are going to be learning the Illegibilus charm."


"The what what?" Alex said,


"Illegibilus charm." Flitwick repeated, "It will render a text unreadable, Miss Tonks."


"Ah, right, yeah, cool." Alex nodded slowly, "Cheers Professor."


"Ah, ah yes. Well--"


"I'm ever so sorry Professor Flitwick." A sickly voice echoed around the classroom. The whole class turned slowly to watch Umbridge descend up the isle between the desk, "I was just hoping I could ... observe this lesson."


"Erm ... why yes! Of course! Please!" Flitwick summond a chair to the top corner of his room, "Do take a seat!" Umbridge giggled and then walked slowly across the room, her shows clopping with each step. I looked from left to right, twin to twin which were sat on either side of me,


"Seems she's going to be watching us." Fred commented,


"And taking notes." George added, refering to the puce coloured clipboard in her right hand and deep fuchsia quill in her left,


"How much havoc do you want to cause?" Alex whispered over to me,


"No. Play this one cool." I told her,


"And you pronounce it il--"


"Let her have this one." I noticed Umbridge staring at the four of us, then jotting something down on her clipboard, "We'll have the last laugh."



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"Well that's certainly nothing to be ashamed of." Fred told his baby brother at dinner that evening, "Nothing wrong with a good healthy P."


"Please don't encourage them." I said to him, sitting opposite George who had got seated on the left of Fred,


"But doesn't P stand for ..."


"Poor, yeah." Alex said in answer to Hermione's question casually, sitting on the left of me, "Still, better than D eh?"


"D?" Harry asked wearily,


"Dreadful." Alex said like it was obvious,


"So top grade's O for Outstanding, and then it's an A--


"No, E." George told her,


"We don't live in the muggle world anymore Hermione." I smiled,


"E?" She questioned. We all nodded,


"E for Exceeds Expectations," George continued, "And I've always thought Fred and I should've got E in everything, because we exceeded expectations just by turning up for the exams."


"You should get E's just for getting up each morning." I rolled my eyes and winked at George. Alex started to laugh, and so did everyone else. Except Hermione,


"So, after E it's A for acceptable, and that's the last pass grade. Yes?"


"Oh my Merlin, what have you started?" Alex sighed, folding her arms,


"Yep." Fred said, dunking an entire roll in his soup, transferring it to his mouth and swallowing it whole,


"Woah! What was that?!" I stared at Fred, astounded he'd just done that,


"It's like your foot thing!" Alex said to me, but was staring at Fred and seemed mesmerised. Why are they not together yet? Really? His eyes caught hers and she looked away quickly. I had to giggle at them,


"Then you get P for poor." Ron shook his hands in the air,


"You got a P?" I asked,


"Oh keep up." Hermione sighed,


"Well I--"


"Then D for dreadful."


"And then T!" George grinned happily,


"T?! Even lower than a D? What on earth does T stand for?"


"Troll." George casually. Harry started to laugh randomly, and we all stared at him. He raised a hand apologetically, then looked down at the ham on his plate,


"You lot had an inspected lesson yet?"


"No! Why? Have you?"


"Just now, before lunch. Charms." George answered Hermione.


"What was it like?" Harry and Hermione asked. Fred shrugged,


"Not that bad."


"She sat around, made a few notes." George followed,


"You know what Flitwick's like, he treated her like a guest. Didn't seem to bother him at all." Alex rolled her eyes,


"Did she say anything?" Ron asked eagerly,


"Not a lot. Nothing to us in fact. She did ask Alicia a couple of questions about what the classes and Alicia told her they were really good, obviously. That was about it." I answered,


"Did she say anything to you?" Harry asked me, his eyes looking a bit duller than they was. I shook my head, and indicated Alex with my eyes,


"Nah, I told her to let her have this one. Glared at us a few times, 'specially Al, but that's same old."


"Hey!"


"I can't see ol' Flitwick having any reason to be so nervous like he was." George interrupted Alex before she had a proper chance to begin, "He usually gets everyone through their exams all right, so what's he got to worry about?"


"Being trod on?" I rolled my eyes at Alex's comment,


"Who've you got this afternoon?' Fred asked Harry,


"Trewanly--"


"A 'T' if ever I s--"


"Shut up!" Alex told him,


"--and Umbridge herself."


"Well that's thrilling." I said casually, "You're gonna need to keep your god damn mouth shut for a change."


"Wow. Thanks Lot." Harry said and he didn't sound to have appricated my advice,


"Hey guys."


"Hellooo Ginny." We chorused,


"Hey, you're up with the kids!" Fred started,


"Know anyone that'd wanna try out some products for us?" George followed,


"You are not testing products on other students." Hermione said firmly, getting up from the table, "If I--"


"Eh, I'll buy you a book." Alex rolled her eyes. Hermione then marched off out of the hall. I worried what Mrs Weasley might say if she knew Alex and I were in on this Wizard Wheezes business too. I should probably also have worried about Dad and Sirius ...


But they'd probably say well done.




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