Briar ⋆ Fred Weasley (2)

━ thirty-eight: "ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!"

     "I've had enough of this," said Briar. Harry frowned at her. She began to walk towards the stairs that led to the girls' dorms. "She tried to use bloodquills to kill me. She's gotten Hagrid on the run. Bitches get stitches."

✪ ✪ ✪ ✪

     Rumours about half of the toilets in school being blown up from cherry bombs were floating around the school by breakfast. Livvy, who had been eating with Briar every meal, in an attempt to keep his friends out of his life as much as possible, arrived in the Hall and felt his stomach sink. His sister wasn't present, but the speculation that she had been the one running around school during the night, setting off the fireworks into toilet bowls and bolting down the corridors, skidding around corners and dodging Filch with ease.

     But, Briar hadn't been seen since the night before, when she left the Gryffindor common room with a box, loudly declaring, "If she thinks she can go after any half-human without them fighting back, she's got a storm coming for her!"

     Apparently, Umbridge didn't have a grip on sorting out pranks caused by muggle products, which was obviously the biggest fault in her scheming. Livvy thought that the bat had severely underestimated his big sister, who was definitely bloodthirsty by this point.

     He had managed to keep out of the majority of the trouble, because Umbridge was failing to look past the different surnames, and was yet to properly realise that Briar and Livvy were siblings. And, Livvy suspected that his friends were making sure that he wasn't getting into any of the trouble — which Livvy was thankful for, even if he was pissed off about everything else they were doing.

     But, for that reason, Umbridge barely bothered to glance at Livvy during lessons. To her, Livvy was Livius, the son of two Death Eaters who were killed by a werewolf. That was why Livvy hated being called Livius nowadays. Livius was what two Death Eaters called him. Livvy was what his family called him, when they took him in and didn't treat him differently because of his birth mothers.

     (It would've weird if they had, seeing as Laurel had been the one to help them have a child, and for that reason, Roman and Harleen had made Laurel the godmother.)

     Livvy sat at the Slytherin table. His friends sunk into the spaces on the bench around him, but he didn't speak to them. It was nice that they, at least, were keeping him safe, but he disliked how he had other friends in other houses now, and they weren't being treated fairly. They were points docked off for their haircut, or for being disliked, or for something stupid. And then, there was Livvy, unharmed from the current chaos, protected both because he's the Slytherin Champion and he's Briar Lupin's brother.

     He walked out of one of his exams, darting out before Draco could get him. All throughout the exam, Livvy had noticed Draco constantly look over at him, which was as distracting as it was wonderful. Draco liked him back. Livvy knew it. He might've mistaken Blaise for fancying him, because Blaise just really, really liked being friends with Livvy. But, Draco definitely liked Livvy back. Livvy was sure of it. He was awaiting the cheesy kiss. It should be any day now, Livvy thought.

     "LIVVY!"

     Livvy whirled around. Harry pushed through the crowd of students. He ran up to Livvy, catching his breath enough so that he could question, "Where's Briar?"

     "I haven't seen her since yesterday," said Livvy. He frowned. "Why? Harry, what's going on? Why'd you look worried? Harry, I don't get it—"