ghost stories - h. potter

Nine

n i n e

The next day, Belle was rudely awoken from her sleep at the sounds of arguing and screaming from one very upset Fred Weasley.

"Why didn't you tell me this when we were alive?"

"Would you have believed me?"

"Uh - yes. You're the Marauders, do you know how long George and I spent, trying to figure out who you were? A really, really long time!

"What's happening?" Belle mumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she sat up, slightly irritated at the sudden wake-up call

No one answered the brunette however as they were all too busy watching the ongoing conversation between Fred and Sirius, James and Remus. He had just discovered that the three adults before him were some of his biggest idols and, for some reason, he was not happy about it.

"Why must you always be in my room?" Belle groaned, falling back under her covers and muffling her face with the pillow, hoping to get a little more sleep.

"I can't believe it. You're the Marauders?" Fred's voice had gone up by two octaves.

"Moony, Padfoot and Prongs," Remus smiled at Fred who's eyes were wider than plates.

"And I was never told, in all our years of knowing each other?"

"Well, I mean, we never really met," James scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I've never felt more betrayed in my life!"

"You're all going to be betrayed by me sending you to the Underworld early if you all don't shut up!" Belle called from beneath her pillow, but it all came out muffled.

"What was that Tinker Belle?" Sirius asked, beaming proudly.

"Lily's been teaching me about the Muggle world," he explained when Remus raised his eyebrows.

"Ooh, that was a good one. Hey, Cinderbelle-a, time to get up or you're going to be late to class," Belle made a noise at the back of her throat as she pulled her pillow from her face. She threw it at Fred who was laughing loudly at James' words.

"Oof." The pillow had hit Fred in the stomach and had fallen to the floor as though it had hit a wall. Fred's laughing ceased immediately and he stared in shock at the pillow on the ground.

"Wasn't that supposed to go through you?" Sirius asked as Belle sat up, running her hands through her curly, shoulder-length hair.

"It should have," Fred replied.

"Try it again, Belle," Remus asked the brunette. She used her wand to conjure up another pillow and threw it once more at Fred, this time going straight through him.

"You saw that, didn't you?" Fred asked Belle, gesturing at the pillow on the floor and she nodded.

"McGonagall was right, I suppose. You'll be able to throw the pillow back at me in a few months if you're strong enough," Belle told him, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Can I throw the cat?" Fred asked innocently, pointing at Nixie. The black cat, who was sleeping on the end of Belle's bed, opened her green eye and hissed at Fred.

"No, Fred, you can not throw the cat," Belle said as she pulled out her uniform for the day.

"Or I'll do my best to throw you out the window."

"Hey, you can't do that!"

"No, probably not but I can try."

"Hey, play nice, Belle Pepper." Sirius cackled loudly.