𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐀 | 𝐟.𝐰.

𝟎𝟐. 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲

  Now at peace with the men within the paintings, who now started to snore once more, Matilda turned her body to continue walking down the corridor. Just a few more turns and she would be at the Astronomy Tower - and then hopefully she would actually be able to get a clear mind.

  But that didn't happen. 

  "Oof!"

  At the speed of a raging bull, someone knocked into her and sent her flying to the ground. Matilda closed her eyes as she prepared for the blow to the head once she landed on the ground, but it never came. 

  She tentatively nudged one of her eyes open and looked down at her waist to see two large hands holding her in a dip. Her eyes widened, and she glanced up only to be met with brown eyes that were as wide as her own, and long ginger hair that was dangerously close to brushing her cheek.

  A Weasley. And one of the twins, too.

  "Blimey," the boy whispered. "My bad."

  "What on earth are you doing!" Matilda scolded as she pushed herself away from his grip. 

  "I might ask you the same thing," the Weasley argued, but the raised corners of his lips showed that he was anything but upset. Amused was more like it.

  "I was-" Matilda stood for a moment in search of the right excuse, a blush forming on her cheeks. "Well, never mind what I was doing. You're the one who bumped into me! If anything-"

  Her ramble was cut off before she could give him a proper scolding. It was cut off by his hand clasping around her mouth forcefully. Matilda huffed and narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance. She tried to battle against his grip, but the hold he had on her was too strong, and she was unable to do anything.

  "Calm down, will you?" he whispered to her. It was too dark to see much of anything, but from the proximity of his eyes to her own, and the heaving breaths she felt on her face, Matilda guessed she was much closer to him than she would like to be. "It's Filch."

  Matilda nodded her head reluctantly, and he finally removed his hand from her lips. "Where?"

  "He-" The Weasley boy was about to answer when a curt meow sounded from beside them.

  With startled eyes, both of them looked down to see Mrs. Norris staring up her them, her red eyes burning into their faces.

  "Bugger," Matilda huffed.

  "Come on," he urged.

  She couldn't word in an objection before he grabbed her hand in his own and ran down the hall, pulling her along. Matilda could faintly hear the meowing of a cat behind them, but the Weasley was going much too quick for the animal to have any chance of catching up with them.

  It came to a point that Matilda got lost in her mind from all the twists and turns that he was taking her through, and she merely gave up on trying to fight him, instead allowing him to lead her wherever he saw fit. After all, if she knew one thing about the Weasley twins, it was that they had a knack for getting into trouble, but an equal knack for getting themselves out.

  They finally came to a halt in front of a broom closet. Matilda glanced up at him with narrowed eyes. "There is no way-"

  Another meow came not far behind them, most likely in the hallway that led to where they were. The Weasley smirked at her as he opened the door to the broom closet and hastily urged her into it before following her and shutting the door behind them.