Tightly Knit ⟶ Fred Weasley

CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO

"Don't worry, Ron," she called back over her shoulder, "I'll keep them out of trouble!"

Of course, the three could only hear Fred and George laughing down the stairs, along with Eleanor, leaving Ron to shake his head.

"That is not reassuring, she can be just as bad as them! You told me what she did with those pins that Malfoy made!"

"Well, they listen better to her than they do to you," Hermione pointed out.

"Thanks."

While Fred and George swore up and down that they weren't blackmailing anyone, Eleanor had a strong suspicion that the letter they sent off to was meant to reach the hands of Ludo Bagman. Initially, she believed they had given up the idea of getting their money from the scammer, but perhaps having Ludo on the grounds, continued to open the wound that they had been cheated out of their winnings.

However, to keep Eleanor from asking other questions, the twins distracted her by claiming they were going to help Cedric prepare for the Third Task. Of course, they had piqued her curiosity, leaving her to ask how they were going to do such a thing, but they said they weren't going to tell her, she was just going to have to wait and see.

And it didn't take long for them to show her what they meant by helping.

It was one afternoon, Eleanor had finished up in Transfiguration, leaving the classroom with Marnie at her side, while Cedric had lingered behind to talk to Professor McGonagall about a spell he planned on perfecting before the Third Task. She had noticed that the twins had darted out of the classroom before them without saying a word, allowing Eleanor to piece together what was going to happen.

Rather than heading to the Great Hall right away, Eleanor pulled Marnie back and the two remained standing still in the corridor.

"Uh, Ellie, what the hell are we doing just standing around here?"

"Just wait for it, Marnie, just wait for it."

Cedric eventually came out of the classroom and spotted the two of them, making his way over. The cold front that had seemed to ice over his friendship with Marnie, appeared to be melting slowly, enough that they had gone back to their old ways before the start of the year. It made it easier for Eleanor to talk to both of her best friends without wanting to pull her hair out, but the tension was still there.

"You two didn't have to wait for me," he said with a cheeky grin, "although it's appreciated."

"Actually, I was waiting on Fred," Eleanor told him, "He needed to grab something from the Gryffindor Tower. Marnie said she would wait with me, but you can head to the Great Hall if you want to. We should only be a couple of minutes."

"Oh," Cedric seemed unsure if he should leave or just keep Eleanor company, but as the awkward silence settled over him as Marnie looked in the opposite direction, it appeared as though he made up his mind.

"Alright, I'll see you two in the Great Hall."

He turned on his heel, making his way down the corridor and only several seconds later, Fred and George emerged from their hiding spots around the corner, jumping out at Cedric. A high-pitched scream echoed down the corridor as Cedric fell to the ground, breathing heavily. The commotion was enough to summon Professor McGonagall out of her classroom, wearing an alarmed expression.

"That sounded like a student screaming!" she said making her way over. "What's happened?"

"Nothing, Professor," Eleanor laughed slightly under her breath, "it was just Fred and George helping Cedric prepare for the Third Task."

"By scaring him half to death?"

"I believe in the words of Professor Moody," Marnie interjected, "it's called constant vigilance, Professor."

Meanwhile back at home, Remus found himself quite conflicted with the letters Eleanor had been sending home in the more recent days. He noticed that she had stopped sending one letter only, returning to sending two, and each letter painted a different picture for whoever it was intended to.

To her mother, Eleanor told her that she was preparing for her end of the term exams while helping Cedric and Harry prepare for the third and final task. She claimed she was excited about her upcoming birthday that would take place after the task, so she could take her Apparition Test which was required to start her summer internship with Amelia Bones.

But in the letters that Eleanor sent for Remus, she told him of the attack of Bart Crouch Snr and her suspicions of the attacker still being on the Hogwarts grounds. She stated she did not know who would be behind it but there were so many suspects. He knew he could tell her not to worry about such things and leave it in the hands of Dumbledore, but he also knew it wasn't as easy to just forget something, especially when it was happening around them.

Her thoughts were clear and every point she made seemed valid enough but there was no one to point the finger at yet. He asked her in his own letter if she had spoken to anyone about her theories, and she claimed it was only between her, Harry, Hermione, and Ron. But she did mention that she had spoken to Professor Moody prior to Mr Crouch's attack.

It didn't raise any alarms in Remus' head because while Remus didn't know Moody all that well during their time in the Order together, it was safe to say that Moody had always sided with Dumbledore and wanted to keep Harry and other's safe, even if he came across as a bit rough around the edges. So, it seemed that Eleanor was only talking to trusted ears.

"You and Eleanor make that same face when you're deep in thought."

Margaret's voice dragged Remus out of his thoughts as he glanced up and noticed that she was sitting beside him on the arm of the chair. She wore a smile, but her eyes gave away the concern.

"I'm nervous about Harry and the Third Task," he said calmly, "I suppose I'm nervous for Cedric as well. Eleanor said the first two tasks were challenging enough and now this third one involves a maze filled with dangers around every corner."

"Is that what she is writing in those separate letters to you?"

Remus froze, his body tensing noticeably, but Margaret only laughed.

"Did you really think I wasn't going to notice two letters, but I only get to read one?" she mused. "Listen, I understand the person that I used to be with Eleanor, I understood why she kept things from me and I understand that she probably doesn't feel entirely comfortable telling me everything just yet. She's afraid that I'll be afraid and maybe I will be, but I can't help my daughter when I don't know what's going on in her life. I'm glad she's comfortable enough to turn to you and I won't take that away from her, but I'd like to know what's going on as well."

"Even I don't understand what's fully taking place, but I'll do my best to explain it to you. But if Eleanor asks, you didn't hear it from me."

"Well, who else would I hear it from?"

Remus thought for a moment.

"Blame it on my father, she likes him more, she won't get angry with him."