The sky was cloudy with its January darkness and the lake appeared darker than ever. It's cold water, gently rippling from the creatures that lurked beneath. Fred and Rachel walked closely by each other, Fred would say something random and Rachel's response would be a hum in agreement. She didn't say anything else otherwise.
Still unable to figure out why Rachel was so upset, Fred set about on trying to cheer her up. But she was far too agitated for happiness. No matter, Fred continued with his jokes to make her laugh.
"And so we filled this cauldron with melted down dung bombs and poured it all into the Slytherin changing rooms!" Fred laughed, recalling a prank he and George had done. "I need to go back to Zonko's and get some more... supplies."
"Mhmm." Rachel hummed.
"Are you going to say something?" Fred raised an eyebrow. "You're not doing yourself any favours by staying quiet and not just making the odd grunt, you know?"
Rachel glared at him a little. "You didn't just go through what I did. You don't understand."
"I would if you told me!" Fred stopped walking and looked at Rachel with a pitiful expression; she stopped beside him and let out a groan.
"You'd only react the same way if I told you." Rachel crossed her arms, pulling her robes around her tighter.
Fred rolled his eyes at her, he took off his scarf and put it around her and laughed at her stubbornness.
"Fine, you don't have to tell me. Just don't tell me I don't understand if you're not willing to tell me." Fred commented, looking down at the fourth year. "It doesn't help at all. But just remember I am here for you, Rachie. I always have and I always will be."
"I know, Freddie." She said quite quietly. "Thank you."
Smiling a little more, Fred put an arm around her shoulder as they walked over the bridge to the Quidditch pitch. The odd couple or group stood on the bridge talking and chatting while in the distance Hagrid could be seen digging about in his garden.
As the two crossed over the bridge they walked into Cedric who seemed pretty shocked seeing the two.
"Oh." He said, his lips forming into a perfect circle.
Fred and Rachel looked at each other and then back to Cedric; both looking slightly puzzled by Cedric's stunned face.
"Are you two-" Cedric pointed at Fred then Rachel. "Um, I didn't realise, I'm sorry. Uh, I'll be going."
Cedric then rushed past, a blush forming across his face. Rachel stared after him as well as Fred. "What the heck was that about?" Fred commented.
"I haven't got a clue but I think he thought we were dating or something... I think I'm missing something." Rachel screwed up her face in confusion. "Did Cedric and I come across as a couple?"
Fred laughed. "Um, yeah you did. You really did. You guys were always together and got along so well, man."
"But we were just friends!" Rachel exclaimed, looking pretty alarmed. "Oh Merlin, I didn't think... shit, did he think we were... seeing each other?"
Fred shrugged but with a smirk, Rachel winced. "Shit."
"Yeah, shit. He was supposedly going to ask you out." Fred began to laugh. "But I knew when I saw you at the Yule Ball on your own you didn't think of him that way."
Slowly, Rachel began to laugh. Quietly at first but then she broke into laughter, holding onto Fred's arm for support. "Oh my Merlin, bless his soul."
Joining her in laughter, Fred continued to recite what people had been speculating about the two. They walked off the bridge and headed to sit on the benches that overlooked the Quidditch pitch and Hagrid's hut, still giggling to themselves.
When Rachel and Fred had finally headed inside, the bell for the end of lunch was ringing. They smiled at each other before separating ways. Jogging over, Rachel caught up with Neville and the others she had been hanging around with, and then walking to her next lesson. She just so happened to glance over her shoulder and spotted the trio, really her best friends, stood watching her quite pityingly. Letting her shoulders sag, Rachel turned back around and continued to walk away from them.
Harry watched his sister walk away from him. Rachel Lily Potter was the only family he had left, that he actually cared for, and there he was: spitting at her behaviour when his was no better than hers. Slowly, his feet began to walk along with the crowd and Harry found himself thinking, who cared who she kissed? It was only a kiss and sure it was with Malfoy but it's not like anything became of it.
It was actually making sense to him why Rachel would never say that that had happened, who would with a reaction bound to happen like that? Instead of being angry like he felt he should have been, Harry felt himself collapse without his sister by his side. He felt so guilty for making her storm off like that even when he knew how dire the consequences could be. It would only take one mistake for her to transform, get caught and taken from the school, taken from Harry. And it all would have been his fault.
He decided, right in that moment, that he would resolve things with his sister. It was silly for him to fight with his best friend.
*
"Today was so much fun!" Aspen smiled to Rachel as they walked out the library.
"Yeah, definitely!" Rachel agreed with a laugh. "Sorry I got you kicked out of here."
"Eh, don't worry." Aspen giggled with a dismissive wave of her hand it was funny.
"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Rachel said to Aspen as she began to walk away.
Aspen nodded and waved while yelling a goodbye before darting away to the fifth floor to her common room. Slowly trundling back, Rachel fiddled with her wand in hand, turning it over and over. She admired the woodwork of it, the small swirls that adorned the 11 inches of cedar wood. Her wand had never failed her, not once.
She had read somewhere once that cedar wands had been known to perform powerful and lethal magic, it had at first worried her; especially with her core being dragon heartstring. She had also read that cedar wood wands had a tendency to stray to dark magic, she looked at her wand intently. Would that ever happen?
The walk back to the common seemed to take twice as longer than usual; the sky was darkening slowly leaving a flurry of red's and orange's to scatter the sky before diminishing into a blue-black state. Pulling her robe aside, Rachel pocketed her wand before wrapping the black and red robes around her for warmth. She quietly wished to herself that quidditch was still on and hadn't been cancelled; it would be marvellous to get out on her broom and not get into trouble for going into the quidditch pitch.
But soon, she said to herself. There wasn't much left of the year to continue with now they were nearly at the end of January. The second task was several weeks away now, approaching quickly like a rolling freight train. Brushing away the thoughts of the task, Rachel approached the portrait and said the password with a cheery smile. The Fat Lady smiled back and swung open, letting the Gryffindor inside.
Her feet padded across the floor as she walked into the room, her eyes instantly meeting her twin's. Setting her lips in a firm line, Rachel tried to continue to her room, silently praying that they were going to leave her be. Apparently her prayers would not be met as Harry jogged over to her, stopping her in her path – much to her dismay.
"Harry, move." She said tiredly, trying to step around him but failing in doing so.
"No, not until we've talked." Harry spoke plainly, his emerald eyes burning through her hazel eyes.
She grunted and muffled a curse as she glanced back up at Harry. His dark, ebony hair, matted and messy as always, his green eyes glowing and his stature forever more growing taller, slowly making him look less and less like a boy and more and more like a young man. Or maybe it was just the recent events had made him question his maturity?
"Fine." Rachel crossed her arms.
"I just want to say... You know, I'm sorry." Harry said, his voice turning sheepish. "We're all sorry." He continued, signalling over to Ron and Hermione who watched from the side lines.
Not saying anything, Rachel glanced at Harry after following his gaze, simply nodding quickly and sharply. Her twin stood there, a little unsure as to what to say, he hadn't planned how to begin asking for forgiveness over his petty behaviour so he simply stood there, jaw hanging open a little as he searched for words.
"Is that it?" Rachel finally said, snapping Harry from his blank space of mind.
"What do you want me to say?" Harry shrugged, confused and feeling as irritable as ever. She scoffed a little in reply.
"Harry, I just don't get why it was so bad to you? Okay, Draco granted isn't the nicest of people but it was only a stupid kiss, for Merlin's sake." Rachel tilted her head to the side, a sad smile on her face. "But you really shouldn't have flipped out like you did."
"I know, I know." Harry sighed.
"I think I'm more annoyed with Hermione for giving in and telling you but... well I should have known really. Just, Harry, please don't ever humiliate me like that in front of everyone." Rachel's voice trailed off quietly. "Because next time, it won't end pretty."
Harry laughed and grabbed his sister, pulling her into a hug and mumbling promises into her ear. She settled her head on his shoulder and let a smile take over her face.
"I'm not forgiving you, though." She quickly said as they pulled away. "I'm just moving on."
He smiled at his sister, fully understanding what she was saying. He did assume she wouldn't forgive him, maybe not forget either just simply moving on and leaving it in the past where it belonged.
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