LIONHEART ❃ george weasley

020 | nipple twist

Carly frowned thoughtfully, and pulled the notebook back over, flipping through it with precision. "The guiding spell?" she suggested, showing Albany the page she had paused at. Albany barely had time to interpret the writing before Carly had flipped it around again to read through it.

"...la lumière," she mumbled under her breath, and then took a moment to translate, glancing between Albany and the notebook. "It shows the - eh - caster, the best physical path to walk."

Albany pondered this for a moment. "So, like... if you were lost in the woods...?"

"It will show the way to home," Carly finished, nodding excitedly. "Oui. The spell casts a guiding light."

"Huh, that does sound useful, actually," Albany said, a little ashamed to say she was surprised. "Hang on, lemme write that down and we can make a list."

Carly continued flicking through the pages quietly as Albany reached for a quill and parchment; though no sooner had her fingers brushed the paper was their study session interrupted.

And who else would it be, but the infamous Weasley twins themselves.

"Our loveliest Allie," Fred sang sweetly.

"And the lovely Carly," George chimed in with a grin.

Albany's greeting was silenced by curiosity, as she glanced between the three with a quirked brow. "You all know each other?"

Carly nodded cheerfully, curls bouncing.

"We've bumped into each other multiple times now," George chuckled.

"Curly Carly's a busy little thing, she's everywhere," Fred laughed, and Carly grinned. "We were first introduced a couple days after the champions were picked, and bonded quickly through our shared cleverness and mutual worry for you."

Albany flushed scarlet. "Me?"

Carly had also blushed somewhat, though nodded nonetheless. "I am busy... but not too busy to see that a friend is hurting."

Albany blinked in surprise, sure that her face was a mortifying shade of red.

George grinned at her. "And who do you think tipped off Fred that you would be with Skeeter when you were? We may be geniuses, but we're not all-knowing gods."

Carly tucked a curl behind her ear with a sheepish smile. "I knew they will help you," she said, and Albany felt a rush of appreciation so strong she had to blink back tears of emotion.

Merlin's beard, I'm a mess, she thought, though smiled. Apparently Carly had done far more for her than Albany had ever given her credit for.

"Thank you," she murmured, hoping the wobble in her voice went unnoticed. "You've already helped me more than you know." And here she was, helping even further. Albany wasn't sure she deserved so much.

"You are my friend," Carly assured her kindly. "It is what a friend does."

"As you can see, she's a great addition to the team," Fred said, grinning from ear to ear. "And when we caught wind of her spell-making talents, we were quick to employ her in our next big scheme."

"Oh sweet Merlin, don't you dare corrupt her," Albany threatened, though amusement danced on her tone and curved her lips. "You're going to land the poor girl in trouble."

"Oh, she volunteered, when we told her about it," George said, a mischievous grin forming. Carly smiled apologetically at Albany. "And so we have come to collect her."

Carly's expression dropped like a stone. "Today?" she asked, and glanced between the twins and Albany with a worried expression. "I - I said I will help Albany today... I forgot, I'm sorry...."