Lost Memories

xxvi. favourite girl

"Now, I'm starting to think those Nosebleed Nougats might be a good idea," Harry groaned.

"And speaking of your Skiving Snack boxes," said Hermione, eyeing Fred and George beadily, "you can't advertise for testers on the Gryffindor notice board."

"Says who?" said George, looking astonished.

"Says me," said Hermione. "And Ron."

"Leave me out of it," said Ron hastily.

Hermione glared at him. Fred and George sniggered.

"You'll be singing a different tune soon enough, Hermione," said Fred, thickly buttering a crumpet. "You're starting your fifth year, you'll be begging us for a Snackbox before long."

"And why would starting fifth year mean I want a Skiving Snackbox?" asked Hermione.

"Fifth year's O.W.L. year," said George.

"Oh goodness," I groaned besides the fact they mean nothing to me.

"Oh goodness is right. You lot've got your exams coming up, haven't you? They'll be keeping your noses so hard to that grindstone they'll be rubbed raw," said Fred with satisfaction.

"Half our year had minor breakdowns coming up to O.W.L.s," said George happily. "Tears and tantrums... Patricia Stimpson kept coming over faint..."

"Kenneth Towler came out in boils, d'you remember?" said Fred reminiscently.

"That's 'cause you put Bulbadox Powder in his pyjamas," said George.

"Oh yeah," said Fred, grinning. "I'd forgotten... Hard to keep track sometimes, isn't it?"

"Anyway, it's a nightmare of a year, the fifth," said George. "If you care about exam results anyway."

"I reckon I don't have to try too hard," I smirked. Hermione shot me a glare. "I don't! Not like it'll mean anything anyways."

"Fred and I managed to keep our spirits up somehow and managed to pass at least one of our O.W.L.s," George shrugged.

"Yep," said Fred unconcernedly. "But we feel our futures lie outside the world of academic achievement."

"We seriously debated whether we were going to bother coming back for our seventh year," said George brightly, "now that we've got —"

"— now that we've got our O.W.L.s," Fred said hastily. "I mean, do we really need N.E.W.T.s? But we didn't think Mum could take us leaving school early, not on top of Percy turning out to be the world's biggest prat."

"As long as you've got your futures set, I don't see a problem," I shrugged.

"Ahh, this is why you're my favourite girl," Fred wrapped his arm around my shoulder and George did the same.

"Your joke shop, yeah?" Hermione asked sceptically. "You're going to need all the ingredients and materials — and premises too, I suppose..."

"Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies, Hermione. C'mon, George, if we get there early we might be able to sell a few Extendable Ears before Herbology," Fred laughed and left the table.

"What did that mean?" Hermione directed her question towards me.

"I plead the fifth," I zipped an imaginary zipper over my lips and held my hands up. Harry, Ron, and Hermione gave me confused looks at my American Joke but didn't ask any further questions.

As we were on our way to Potions, someone walked around the corner towards us; earning a very well earned glare from me.

"Hello, Harry!"