Love Triangle

Dumbledore's Army

  Spending time apart from Fred was more difficult than I ever imagined, and not just because we shared all of our classes together. It was like waking up one day without your arms and having to just try and get by. I was floundering around, but I didn't have any other option. The weeks that passed without Fred, the harder it got. I made excuses, I skipped dinners. Anything to ease the pain of my ever growing jealousy. I was so desperate for a distraction, I even started doing homework regularly.

George and I were in the library, the first time in years it felt like, and we had books spread across the table.

"This is miserable," George grumbled.

I dropped my quill and stared at the single sentence I wrote about the importance of horned slugs for my potions essay. Potions came naturally to me, I enjoyed doing it while not under Snape's judging eyes, but having to write about it bored me to death.

I sighed, "I know."

"Then why are we here?" George asked with raised brows. "I mean, I'm kind of ruining my reputation as a slacking prankster... and I've worked hard to achieve that title!"

"I'm sorry," I frowned. "I just... I want to get decent marks what with Umbridge constantly breathing down our necks."

George scoffed, "Her class is the easiest one! It's our last year, and she's got us reading from a bloody beginner's book."

Before I could respond, I saw Hermione scurrying over to our table. She looked anxious, her eyes wider than usual and her skin a little pale. "Nixie! Fred!" George shook his head. "Oh, George, sorry... Anyway, I thought I heard the two of you."

"Everything alright, Hermione?" I asked.

She nodded quickly, so quickly her head looked ready to snap off, "Yes, fine, thanks. I was just wondering if you could look over my homework."

George and I exchanged curious looks before laughing. "Hermione... are you sure you're not ill?" I mused with a small smile.

"Just take this," She insisted quickly, shoving a piece of folded parchment paper in my hand. "Er, it's um... due tomorrow."

"Uh..." I mumbled, watching her scurry away.

George came to sit by me as I slowly unfolded the paper. Inside, her neat handwriting read:

We're recruiting students to meet up and practice real defense. Tomorrow is the first meeting. Only tell people you trust.

Burn this parchment.

After reading the note, George and I looked up at each other with smirks on our faces.

"Finally, something interesting is happening." He grinned happily.

He then pulled out his wand, cast a fire spell, and watched the piece of parchment turn to ashes. However, the black ashes danced around to form the words Hog's Head. Once George and I both got a good look, I blew them onto the floor where they scattered.

"Hermione would be a terrifically deviant prankster," I mused, admiring her clever trick.
George nodded his head in agreement.

As I walked into the Hog's Head with George, I was surprised to see how many students were there. Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor students were all sitting around on the dusty chairs of the Hog's Head. I spotted Angelina and Fred cozied up near the windows. There were two empty spots by Fred, but I chose to drag George in the opposite direction.

"Right, I think that's everyone..." Hermione murmured to herself after she saw George and I. "Um, so... hello. You all know why we're here..." She paused, and then continued, "We need a proper teacher. One who's had real experience fighting the dark arts."