It's a cozy Thursday evening and I'm lying on my back upon my bed, staring at the ceiling while chatting on the phone with Fred. Final exams, which are split into two days, start on Monday, and I couldn't be more anxious.
"You have absolutely nothing to worry about, darling," Fred is saying into the phone. "You know you're going to do bloody brilliant."
"I can't help it..." I sigh, resting one hand behind my head, "it's just- so much is falling on these exam grades. I'm totally freaking out."
"I know you are, you tend to overthink," Fred chuckles. "I can tell you're really stressing this."
"I just wish I wasn't, because it's not helping me focus," I say, frowning. "I haven't been sleeping well, either, because of how anxious I am."
"I wish I could help take your mind off of things..." Fred sighs, "I can think of a couple ways to de-stress you, but alas-"
I giggle as I hear him snicker into the phone, closing my eyes and shaking my head at the dork. "Oh, Fred Weasley, always knowing the right thing to say..."
"That's me."
I laugh lightly, turning over onto my stomach on the bed. "At least it'll all be over by Wednesday. We just have to pull through until then, I guess."
"How's the group holding out?" Fred asks.
"They're crazy stressed, too. We all are," I reply. "We've been studying nonstop, which I'm glad that they're putting in the effort too, but it's causing us to all be so flustered that we barely get through the day."
"I'm sorry, love," Fred says sympathetically. "I wish there was something I could do."
"Don't worry about it..." I sigh, "...talking to you is already a treat. I miss you tons."
"I miss you, angel," he replies, making me smile. He hesitates for a moment before adding, "you know, I think there's something that might help you all out... de-stress, so to speak..."
"Yeah? What is it?" I ask curiously.
"Just... just keep your eyes out for the post this weekend," he says, making me suspicious.
"The post?" I ask, my brow furrowing.
"Perhaps you'll be receiving something."
I grin, intrigued as to what this dimwit is playing at. "Fred Weasley, what are you up to?"
"Simply just trying to help my lovely girlfriend out, of course," he answers innocently. "Anyways, I've got to get back to the shop... we're working a bit later tonight. Call you soon?"
I smile, still interested at what he was talking about but willing to let him go. "Of course, darling. Love you."
"Love you too."
Click.
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The next day, I'm sitting beside Harry in Charms as the class talks quietly around us. Usually, in other classes, all us students are talking loudly and joking around with each other before the lesson starts. But with Hawthorn, her cold stare on each and every face in the classroom leads us to talk in a rather low tone and keep our chatter to a minimum.
Hawthorn eventually walks to the front of the classroom with her hands clasped behind her back, staring at all of us cooly with a tight-lipped smile.
"Good afternoon, everyone," she greets flatly. "Welcome back to class. I understand that this is the last day before semester exams, taking place after this weekend."
I tense up at the reminder of the tests, clenching my teeth as I stare at the vile woman. If you understood that, why aren't you helping us prepare whatsoever?
"Today we will be talking about the Ascendio charm," Hawthorn says. "Please take out your textbooks and turn to page four hundred and sixty-two."
"Why are we learning a new charm only days before exams?" Harry whispers to me, a look of pure frustration on his face. I roll my eyes, shrugging as exasperation builds inside me. We take out our textbooks as Hawthorn continues.
"Tonight you are assigned to read the following chapter after the one we'll review today..." she announces, beginning to pace at the front slowly as she speaks, "and answer the overview questions on the last page."
There's a sea of subtle groans before many hands cautiously raise into the air around the class, causing Hawthorn to perk her eyes up and scan each one reluctantly. She then locks eyes with Cho in the front, who's arm is extended, and gives her a nod.
"What is it, Miss Chang?" she asks cooly.
"Professor, don't you think that assigning homework the weekend before exams is a bit... well, unnecessary?" Cho asks in a small voice. I can tell that she'd rather say something like cruel or diabolical.
"No, I do not think that," Hawthorn answers flatly, pausing her pacing at the front of the class again. "I believe you're all capable of completing this assignment."
"But Professor, please..." Zacharias Smith speaks up in a pleading tone from the back, "we've been losing so much time and energy to studying for these exams, and-"
"Did I see you raise your hand, Mr. Smith?" Hawthorn cuts him off harshly, causing Zacharias to clam up. "No, I did not. So why are you speaking?"
"He's speaking because it's ridiculous," Blaise now says bluntly beside Draco in the back row. "You can't do this, it's completely inconsiderate-"
"Detention, Mr. Zabini," Hawthorn interrupts him, her voice rising slightly.
"Fine," Blaise says with a shrug, leaning back into his chair and burning his eyes into Professor Hawthorn.
"You know he's right!" Draco snaps, leaning forward in his seat with a cold glare in his eyes. "You're being... ruthless!"
"Detention, Mr. Malfoy," Hawthorn hisses, tightening her clasped hands in front of her.
"Brilliant, I'd love nothing more," Draco replies promptly, straightening himself up. "You're just giving detentions because you're too much of a coward to face the facts."
My eyes go wide as the class clearly has to stifle gasps at his response, all of our gazes darting between a flat-faced Draco and a fuming Hawthorn.
"My classroom, Saturday morning tomorrow," Hawthorn snarls, staring Draco and Blaise down.
But the two boys look completely unbothered, instead exchanging a small smirk and appearing rather nonchalant. I can't help but smile a bit at their confidence, and wonder what made Draco willing to be so bold today.
It's always pleasing to see Florence L. Hawthorn knocked down a peg.
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The next Saturday morning, I'm sitting in the Great Hall with Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny at breakfast as the sun streams in through the windows. With the thought of Monday morning rapidly drawing nearer, the five of us are anxious as ever as we sit in misery, knowing we have a dreadful day of studying ahead of us.
In the middle of a conversation about the lack of understanding we have in the latest unit of History of Magic, there's a flood of owls that soar into the Great Hall, cuing everyone to look up and see if they have any post.
I watch for Lola, and spot her swooping down to our table with a small letter clutched in her talons. I smile and take the letter out, giving her a quick pet and a bit of toast before sending her off to the owlery.
I open the letter and see it's from Mum, of course, responding to a letter I had sent her a few days ago. She wishes my friends and I good luck on our exams and assures me I'll do great, along with the other usual bits she likes to write about. As I finish reading her letter, another owl has lended next to Ron's cereal bowl beside us. It's Ozwald, Fred and George's owl.
"Hey, looks like they've sent us something!" Ron says as all of our eyes fall on a small cloth pouch that's grasped tightly in Ozwald's claws. Pinned to it is a small bit of parchment, with my name on it. "Or... sent Eloise something..."
I giggle and reach over to remove the pouch from Ozwald's hold, feeling a slight bit of heaviness to it as I rest it on the table in front of me. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny watch as I carefully open it and peer inside.
I reach in and pull out a small bottle, obviously a potion, and push the cloth pouch aside to set the bottle on the table as I observe it with peaked curiosity. It's quite pretty, and it contains a mysterious green liquid inside.
"What in the world is that?" Ginny asks, her brow furrowing as she leans over to peer at the bottle.
"No idea..." I mutter, twisting the bottle in my palms to see if there's any clear writing on the label. "Let me see if they added a note..."
I grab the bit of parchment off of the cloth pouch beside me and open it up to see only a few words scribbled inside, in Fred's handwriting.
To help ease some stress... hope this clears your mind a bit. You lot deserve it.
Love, Freddie
I notice that there's a few words in George's handwriting below Fred's sign off at the bottom:
AND George. I helped- don't think it was all Fred's idea.
I smile at the generosity of the twins, but still feel rather puzzled at the gift itself.
"Well, what's it say?" Harry asks, looking extremely curious.
"It's from the two of them," I answer, my eyes still on the note in my hands. "It says it's to ease some stress... and clear our minds a bit? I was telling him about how we're totally freaked about exams-"
"Oh, no, no, they did not..." Ron mutters, his eyes going wide at the bottle on the table. I turn to the boy with a confused expression.
"What? What is it?" I ask.
"To help clear our minds?" Ron laughs, then leans in to the table and lowers his voice for all of us. "Those blokes sent us Hazemora."
"HAZEMORA?" Ginny blurts out rather loudly, cuing Ron's finger to fly to his lips.
~ Hazemora, already mentioned before in the chapter "Trying Something New", is a consumable potion of my own invention that gives the same effects as smoking recreational marijuana. In other words, it get's you reaaaallll hiiiiigh.
"Shhh!" Ron hisses at his sister, darting his eyes around to see if anyone heard her, but everyone seems to be oblivious to our conversation. All of our eyes are propped wide open as we stare at the bottle, my stomach doing a few flips as I look at the liquid inside. "Yes, that's bound to be it. No wonder there isn't a label... they probably didn't want us getting in any trouble or anything..."
"You seriously think they sent us Hazemora?" I whisper, running my hands over the glass bottle.
"Oh, definitely... I agree with Ron," Harry pipes up quietly. "I mean, isn't it obvious?"
I look back to the bottle and can't deny that the mysterious green potion Fred and George have sent that supposedly will de-stress us is not some herbal tea. I feel a bundle of jitters in my stomach as we all stare at the bottle, unsure of what to do.
"I can't believe they would send that!" Hermione hisses, looking utterly shocked.
"Really? You can't?" Ron scoffs, causing me to grin a bit out of amusement. Hermione gulps, looking a bit defeated.
"Well..." she says, "I suppose it's... like them to do this..."
Ginny giggles, and I see her looking rather excited as she gazes at the bottle.
"Looks like our Saturday just got a bit more interesting, huh?" she says with a smirk. Hermione whips her head to look at Ginny.
"You want to actually... do it?" she whispers sharply, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
"Oh, come on, Mione..." Ginny sighs, resting her chin in her palm casually, "we all have been totally wound tight because of these bloody exams... it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of a break."
"No, it really wouldn't," Harry agrees promptly as he grins at his girlfriend. I swallow hard, feeling a combination of nerves and excitement building inside me. "Eloise, wouldn't you agree?"
I hesitate a moment, looking between the bottle and my friends staring at me in anticipation. It's as if what I say is going to be the final word... and this leads me to mutter quietly, "yes, I suppose I do."
Harry and Ginny let out a mischievous snicker as Ron slowly grins, Hermione still looking unsure. I meet her eyes and smile reassuringly.
"Mione, it's really not that bad..." I tell her, "it's just one night. It's not going to kill you. Besides, it'll be fun."
"And none of us have ever tried it..." Ron says in a low tone, smirking, "so it's not like you're alone."
Hermione gulps and stares at the potion for a moment, then straightens up and sucks in a breath through her nose.
"Okay, fine," she says defeatedly. "I guess... a little bit of a break wouldn't be all that bad..."
"Atta girl," Ron says, throwing an arm around a now sheepishly grinning Hermione.
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That night, the five of us are relaxing around the common room fireplace as students are gradually making their way to bed, emptying the common room as the night grows later. We've just finished a day of hard studying for exams, leaving us rather exhausted as we slouch into the floor and couches next to the crackling flames. Although, I must admit, I had a hard time focusing once and a while throughout the day because of a certain potion on my mind...
At around midnight, everyone in the common room around us has left, probably due to sleepiness after such a long week. It's just the five of us now, with only the sound of the crackle and pop of the fire which is casting a dim glow on the room.
"So..." Ron sighs, leaning back into the couch cushions with his arm around Hermione, "...looks like we're all alone..."
"Indeed we are, Ronald," Harry says with a grin. He then turns to me and says, "Eloise, dear, sweet, Eloise... I believe you have something."
"I believe I do..." I say quietly, starting to smile.
"Perhaps you should take that out right about now?" Ginny says innocently, causing me to giggle excitedly. I reach into my shoulder bag that has been resting beside me on the carpet, containing a few textbooks and quills from a day of studying but also the bottle of Hazemora.
I slip it carefully out of the bag as everyone begins to sit up around me, looking both excited and a bit anxious at the sight of the potion. I gulp and look up at them, still holding the bottle within my grasp.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Ron asks casually, grinning at me. "Crack it open, Elle."
I bite my lip and grin before slowly uncorking the bottle, revealing the green concoction inside and a subtle scent that smells like a mix of fruitiness with earthy tones. Very unique.
I take a deep breath and hold the bottle tighter in one hand, glancing up at the group one more time. They grin excitedly, except for Hermione who looks rather nervous, and nod for me to go for it. I look back down at the bottle one more time before lifting it to my lips and taking a sip.
It tastes almost exactly as it smells, luckily not terrible or anything... but it's not exactly pleasant, either. I swallow a small gulp of it and squint my eyes slightly at the flavor as I lower the potion back into my lap. The group watches in anticipation as if I'm bound to explode any second. I grin at all of them and extend my arm so it's holding the bottle in front of Harry next to me.
"Interesting," I say aloud after taking a gulp of the potion. "Very interesting."
Harry only hesitates a moment before taking a swig himself, not drinking too much like me before passing it to Ginny next to him. I'm glad it's only the five of us in the common room at the moment, and I can tell no one's bound to come down anytime soon.
Soon, everyone's had a sip of the Hazemora, which causes us all to become more comfortable with it. Even Hermione has grown casual with taking sips from the bottle every once and a while, clearly happy that we're all doing it together.
After a little while, I start to feel... different...
My mind feels fuzzy and my entire body is completely relaxed. It feels as if my limbs are jelly-like, but not in a bad way... as if I could float up into the sky and be completely fine with it. I keep swaying in my seated position without trying to, and everything is about ten times funnier. It's like I'm in this state of total, relaxing bliss... with not a care in the world.
It seems that my friends are feeling the same way, considering we all had about the same amount... we're laughing like crazy but trying to keep quiet as to not wake our fellow Gryffindors up in the dorms.
Ginny is lying on the floor with her head in Harry's lap, who is leaning back on his hands and hanging his head back with a drunken smile on his face. Ron and Hermione are still on the couch, but Hermione is now slouched into Ron's side and can't seem to stop giggling at what everyone is saying. Ron looks like he's on cloud nine, with this goofy smile glued on his face and his eyelids drooping.
"Do you guys... d'ya guys ever wonder..." Harry breathes, dropping his head, "...what life will be like after Hogwarts?"
"I think it'll be ama-a-a-zing..." Ron says slowly, "...to not have to worry about... about any more essays or reading..."
"But you'll miss it, Ronniekins..." I coo, grinning at Ron as my head feels light, "we'll all miss it."
"I've still got another year..." Ginny says as she stares at the ceiling in a daze.
"H-how am I supposed to... to not see your lovely face for that long?" Harry groans, hanging his head back as he closes his eyes. I giggle as Ginny does the same, lazily reaching a hand up and patting Harry's shoulder goofily.
"It's alright, darling, you'll... you'll get through it," she says softly.
"Your... lovely face..." Harry sighs, clearly not processing that Ginny responded to him, "...and your... lovely breasts..."
Ginny snorts with laughter along with the rest of us, Ron looking rather disgusted but in an amused way. Hermione falls into yet another fit of giggles and falls deeper into Ron's side. I'm desperately trying to hold in my wheezes with my hand clamped over my mouth, Harry laughing in a breathy way as he closes his eyes and hangs his head back.
"Wait, wait guys..." Hermione suddenly says with wide eyes, her face falling as she sits up and talks slowly, "...we're... almost adults..."
"No, s-silly, we're already adults..." I giggle, my eyelids drooping as I shift lazily to lie on my stomach. "Except- except for Ginny, here... she's not eighteen yet..."
"But I'm far more mature than any of you combined..." Ginny sputters with a grin, causing us all to laugh.
"Sometimes I think..." Ron says, hanging his head back and closing his eyes as he speaks, "...about if we all had kids."
"Probably a horrible idea..." I mutter, grinning drunkenly. The group snickers as Ron grins at me.
"I-I bet you and Fred will... will have kids first," Ron says, lazily holding up a finger at me. I let out a breathy laugh, letting my head fall so it's resting on the floor.
"You think so?" I breathe, closing my eyes. Fuzzy images fill my brain of Fred and I, as parents... him telling them about all the pranks he pulled back in school, me helping them with homework... having dinner with a family... whoah.
"Yeah, I think so," Ron sighs. "I mean- think about it... you two would be- you'd be great parents."
"Aww, thanks Ronniekins," I coo, rolling over so I'm lying on my back. Ron lets out a breathy laugh from the couch as I grin. "I- I suppose it's a possibility..."
"Wow, a whole possibility?" Hermione giggles. "So being with Fred forever is- is a done deal?"
I laugh and sit up ever so slowly, looking at Hermione with a drunken grin. "A done deal, you say?"
"A done deal," she repeats, then holds up her hand and her eyes go wide. "Whoah, my- my hands are so... funny..."
She giggles again as Ron reaches over and begins to play with her extended fingers slowly as Hermione looks mesmerized by her own hand. I find myself holding up my own and observing every part of my fingers... finding each part more interesting than ever before.
"F-fingers are weird," I giggle, moving my hand slowly in front of my eyes.
"You have pretty fingers, Eloise," Hermione says dreamily, dropping her hand to her side and looking at my own with a smile. "So pretty... you're so pretty, Eloise, so... very pretty..."
"No, you're pretty..." I tell her, smiling drunkenly at the girl.
"Nuh-uh, you're beautiful..."
"B-but not as beautiful as you, Hermione..."
"Bloody hell, you're both gorgeous!" Ron huffs, weakly throwing his arms up and causing Hermione and I to laugh.
I grin at while still holding up my hand, then look back to my bare fingers wiggling in front of me. "You know, one day... I want a... I want a really pretty ring right on this finger right here."
"I bet if- if you asked Frederick, he'd give you a thousand," Harry says, turning to me with a tired smile. I grin, nodding.
"He would, wouldn't he?" I sigh, thinking about Fred. "He would, because- because he wants to marry me, doesn't he?"
"W-what?" Hermione slowly gasps, pushing herself up slowly so she's staring at me with a drunkenly shocked expression. "Fred wants to... marry Eloise Baker?"
"Did he propose?" Ginny asks bluntly, smiling exhaustedly at me. I let out a laugh and weakly shake my head no, feeling my torso sway a bit as I sit.
"N-no, he... of course he didn't propose, you silly goose, we're only teenagers..." I giggle, and Ginny does the same. "He... he told George he was going to marry me, Fred wants to marry me."
"Wow... that's, well that's... that's brilliant, that is..." Harry stammers tiredly, chuckling a bit in between his words. "Fred and Eloise, Eloise and Fred... Fr-eloise..."
"C-can I give a bridesmaid speech?" Ginny sighs, twirling hair in her fingers and staring directly at it as she does so. I giggle, tipping backwards so I'm lying on my back again.
"We're not getting married tomorrow..." I breathe, staring at the ceiling with a smile.
"My brother..." Ron now says in a breathy voice, "...wants to get married?"
"But who wouldn't want to marry sweet Eloise?" Ginny purrs, leaning over Harry to cup my cheeks as I grin. "Just l-look at that face..."
"Ginevra, Harry is looking at your boobs again..." Hermione says.
We all erupt into laughter again as Ginny collapses onto her side, giggling uncontrollably as Harry goes pink but can't hide his guilty grin.
I feel so light, so care-free... as if there's not a problem in the world. My whole body is relaxed, every ounce of me in a state of gentle bliss as I listen to my friend's light laugher flood my ears and the crackle of the fire warm my back. Tonight, this moment, is just... so wonderful.
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