"Here, push George in!" Fred nearly yelled as they passed a door. When the door of Minerva's office closed behind them, they walked in silence down the spiral staircase. George talked the whole time they walked through the castle, seeing young students pass, as he told tales about their days here. Leah was only half listening as she kept glancing at Fred, who looked pale. So, when Fred suddenly yelled, she pushed the second twin to the door.
"Oh... Hey. Leah!" George called out as she pushed him in the room. "Why did you push me in a cupboard?"
"Can you put a silencing thing around the room?" She asked in a hurry. George frowned before pulling out his wand and cast the spell.
"Done, now- "
"Minerva saw Fred!"
"What?!"
"She locked her eyes with Fred. How is that possible?"
"I- I don't know."
"Maybe it's because she's an Animagus."
"What the hell is an Animagus?!"
"Yeah, Fred you might be right." George said, as he started pacing the small room. "Maybe we should tell her, she could really help us out."
"There is something else." Leah whispered. George stopped his pacing and looked at her worried. "When we were going through the floo... George, I felt him. I felt his hand in mine."
"I felt yours too." Fred whispered, stepping close to her.
"And he felt mine." She repeated, looking up to the ghost in front of her.
"I really think we should bring Minnie into this."
"Fred agrees."
"And you?" George asked attentively.
"It doesn't really matter what I think, does it?"
"Of course, it does, without you, nothing like this would have happened!"
"No, I mean. I don't know anything about this world, about magic and ghosts. I don't know Minerva. And if you two say we should bring her in, I fully trust you."
"You do?" They asked surprised.
"Yeah..." She said unsure now. "Did I make a wrong judgement call?"
"Not at all!" George grinned. Then a soft knock came from the door. George and Leah looked at each other, eyes wide, before George slowly opened the door. "Minnie?"
The headmistress walked in and closed the door, preforming another silencing spell on the room. The three of them looked at her in surprise, neither of them knowing what to say.
"Care to explain?" She asked.
"Who do you see?" Leah asked bluntly. The headmistress looked at her for a second before she looked to George.
"George, you and what I presume the ghost of Fred Weasley." She said cocking her head to the left. "But I don't see him fully, I see an aura."
"She sounds like Luna." Fred said, grinning
"You sound like Luna." George said at the same time, the same expression on his face.
"Sometimes you have to look at things differently. Miss Derijker- "
"Call me Leah."
"Right, Leah." She smiled. "You can see him?"
"Yes, but I don't know why. George can't and he is his twin."
Minerva waved her wand behind her and transfigured a couple of boxes into four chairs. "Leah, can you tell me everything that happened?" She asked sitting down on a red armchair. Leah looked over her shoulder and sat down, Fred sitting down next to her. George sitting on a dark golden armchair. Fred placed his hand on hers as she took in a deep breath and retold the story once again. Fred chimed in the parts she forgot and repeated them to the others.
"And then there is this." She held out her hand and turned her palm up. "Fred has the exact same scar on his left hand."
"And you two never met before?" Minerva asked, taking her hand in hers.
"No-" She looked at Fred. "Not that I know of, I grew up in Hampstead. The twins said they never been there."
"And she never even heard of Ottery St. Catchpole." George added. "So, what are your thoughts."
"The obvious is that Leah and Fred are linked, we just need to find out why and how. Fred is certainly not a normal ghost. His appearance like you described isn't what normal ghost look like. I already know a few books we can look into."
"Minerva? How is it you can see his aura?"
"I'm a Animagus. I can transform myself into a cat."
"What!? You're pulling my leg."
"I can assure you I'm not." The older witch rose from her seat and pointed her wand to her chest. A second later, a tabby cat was sitting in front of her. Leah was so shocked she even leaned back, George and Fred laughed when the headmistress transformed back. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
"No, it's just – wow!"
"So, I believe my cat sight sees him."
"Are there people in the magical community that can see or speak to the dead?"
"We have seers, the true ones can see possible futures, but none of them could talk to the dead."
"In the muggle world, there are psychics. I never believed in them but... They can talk to the dead. I think my Nan was one."
"If there are real psychics... If your grandmother was one. I think, like seers it could be passed down to family members."
"Let just say for the sake of it, I am a psychic. Why now? Why Fred? Why not my someone I already knew?"
"I don't know. Maybe it happens from a certain age or because your grandmother died."
"I wish I could talk to her; she could clarify one or two things." She sighed, rubbing her hands over her face. "What now?"
"We'll start at the library, if there are any students, I'll make madam Pince lock up." She said standing up.
When the rest followed, she transfigured the armchairs back into old boxes. "I'll lead the way. I don't think either of them ever set foot in the library." Minerva chuckled lightly at Leah, who grinned back in response.
"Oh, contraire Minnie." George intercepted. "We needed to do research for our products. And the library has some good make out spots, right Freddie?" George asked, looking in the completely wrong direction.
"Wrong way, George." Leah laughed, looking to Fred, who rubbed his neck, that started to turn red. "He's blushing again! God, you blush easily."
Fred stuck out his tongue at her as George laugh ran through the corridor. Even Minerva managed a small smile. "Do you blush as easily with Hermione?" George laughed stopped all the sudden, and turned to her, his ears turning red. "Guess so." Leah grinned, and again a Weasley stuck out his tongue.
"Hermione Granger?" Minerva asked surprised.
"They got the hots for each other." Leah snickered.
"The hots?" Minerva looked at her an eyebrow cocked.
"Oh, sorry. I mean they like each other." Leah explained. "This place is amazing! I think I would have never skipped school in a place like this." She said as she looked around in amazement.
"Minerva." A woman called over with big round spectacles on.
"You haven't seen nothing yet. There is a giant squid in the lake." Fred whispered as the teachers spoke.
"From around all the castle, you want to show me a squid?" She asked frowning.
"I- uhm..." Fred stuttered. Before he had a chance to reply, Minerva turned.
"Sybil, this is-"
"Adaline?" The woman named Sybil asked, her eyes turning even bigger behind her glasses.
"This is Leah, Sybil."
"You knew my grandmother?" Leah asked surprised, her heart stammering in her chest.
"You are the spitting image of her. I haven't seen her in... thirteen years. How is she doing?"
"She passed away, a little over a year ago."
"I'm so sorry dear."
"Sybil? How did you know Adaline?" Minerva asked, looking from the teacher to Leah.
"I met her when I visited my Grannie Cassie. I was about 15 years old at the time. My great-great-grandmother died 5 years later, at the young age of 111."
"111?"
"It's not unusual with us." George shrugged.
"Please continue, Sybil." Minerva urged her on.
"She wasn't a witch but there was magic in her, old magic. That ran through the bloodline for centuries, sometimes skipping several generations. She could speak to the dead."
Leah's breath started to quicken as a panic attack flared up. She grabbed her chest and leaned against the wall.
"Minnie?" George said looking worried from her to the headmistress. Minerva saw her, shaking on her legs and turned quickly to Sybil.
"Sybil, can you write down everything you know about Adaline?"
"Is she alright?" Sybil asked, looking next to Minerva's shoulder.
"Sybil."
"Right, I'll get right to it." Sybil nodded and sauntered away. Minerva turned and quickly kneeled as Leah's legs gave out.
"Leah, breathe." She instructed. Minerva and George were kneeling next to her, trying to calm her down. Fred stood behind them, feeling utterly useless.
"She needs to go to the hospital wing!" He cried out, both of course couldn't hear him. Anger welled up in him and he slammed his arm against a suit of armour, which to his shock crumbled down to the floor. George and Minerva quickly looked at the rubble on the floor.
"Freddie?"
"Let's get her to madam Pomfrey. Fred, stay close."
George picked her up, one arm under her knees and the other on her back. "Breathe, Leah."
Leah couldn't hear a thing. She couldn't hear George and Minerva talking to her, trying to calm her down. She could only hear buzzing and her own fast heartbeat. She didn't feel George lift her off the ground, or that George and Minerva were practically running down the corridors. But then she heard a voice, Fred's voice right next to her ear.
"Leah. Please, just take a deep breath." And that she did. She took in a deep breath filling her longs, when she breathed out, she was succumbed to darkness.
"Please be okay, please." She heard a voice close to her. Everything was still dark, but she could hear the voices around her become clearer. She noticed she was lying on something soft, a bed perhaps. She slowly opened her eyes, but quickly shut them. The room they were in was particularly bright.
"The curtains are closed, open your eyes, love." Fred whispered. She tried again but now she wasn't blinded by the light. The first thing she saw was Fred's head, hovering above her. His piercing blue eyes fixed on hers, he was so close she could almost count his freckles. They smiled at each other, before a frown came on Fred's face. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good." She shifted and pulled herself up in a sitting position. Fred sat down on the edge of her bed. "I just had a minor panic attack."
"Just?!" George exclaimed. "Minor? You started hyperventilating, you even passed out. You had us worried sick! Fred even tossed a suit of armour to the ground."
Leah's head snapped back to Fred. "You did?"
"I was afraid. I was angry they couldn't hear me." He waved his hand towards his brother. "And then I just slammed my hand against it."
"You're getting stronger." She gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare any of you. It all became too much. My Nan hid so much from me, maybe even my parents. I don't know what to believe. It's been years since I had a panic attack." She glanced around the room and saw several hospital beds. "Where am I? And where is Minerva?"
"We're at the hospital wing, madam Pomfrey gave you something to calm down. Minnie is already down at the library, she wanted to get a start on things."
"Let's go then." She swung her legs of the bed and hopped off. George was next to her in an instant as she swayed on her legs.
"Sit back down, you need to eat first." George picked up the tray of the nightstand and placed it on the bed. There was a banana, a chocolate chip muffin and a bottle of orange juice on it. "Madam Pomfrey said you couldn't leave until everything is gone."
"Fine." She grabbed the banana from the tray and peeled it open before she took a bit. All the while she glared at George, but he wasn't fazed. He just nodded in contentment, grinning.