A/N-
Hello everyone! I'm sorry for being a really awful updater. I know how frustrating it is when someone doesn't update their fan fictions and stories, so I really do apologise. Anyway, I hope you are still enjoying the story! :)
Chapter 50
I walked along the corridor, my head down in thought. The only thing that had been on my mind since my birthday was the photograph of Fred and I. I studied it every time I had a moment to myself. I wanted to be able to talk to Fred and tell him that I was sorry, but it was so hard to pluck up the courage. I wasn’t feeling brave enough.
Maybe that’s why I hadn’t been put into Gryffindor.
The sound of students chattering away in front of me pulled me from my thoughts. In front of me was over half of the Hogwarts students. I wondered what was going on, and began to make my way closer to the group.
Everyone was standing in a circle, and I couldn’t tell what was going on in the middle of it all. I pushed my way through the crowd until I was at the front.
It was Fred and George.
They were standing in the middle of the circle with very suspicious looks on their faces. Umbridge shouted from the stairs,
“So- you think it is amusing to turn a corridor into a swamp, do you?”
Fred shrugged,
“Pretty amusing, yeah.”
Hearing his voice brought back the pain I’d been feeling beforehand. I tried to ignore it as Filch stumbled up to Umbridge holding a piece of parchment and grumbling.
Umbridge smiled,
“Very good, Argus. You two are about to learn what happens to wrong-doers in my school.”
Fred turned to George,
“You know what? I don’t think we are. George, I think we’ve outgrown full-time education.”
George nodded,
“Yeah, I’ve been feeling that way myself.”
“Time to test our talents out in the real world, d’you reckon?”
“Definitely.”
They both raised their wands and said,
“Accio brooms!”
Fred and George’s broomsticks came flying towards them. One of them still had the chain that Umbridge had used to tie them up with.
Fred jumped onto his broomstick and turned to Umbridge,
“We won’t be seeing you.”
George grinned,
“Yeah, don’t bother to keep in touch.”
Fred turned to all of the students around him. I could tell he was avoiding my gaze as he said,
“If anyone fancies buying a PortableSwamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley- Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes, our new premises!”
George pointed at Professor Umbridge,
“Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they’re going to use our products to get rid of this old bat.”
A laugh bubbled out of my mouth, and I avoided the angry glare of Umbridge as she shouted,
“STOP THEM!”
George kicked off into the air, but Fred waited for a moment. He turned to me and ran his hand through his hair,
“I still believe you’re a Gryffindor at heart, Ava. Even though I know you’ve stopped believing it yourself.”
Before I could even think about saying anything to reply, he rose into the air and smiled sadly at the poltergeist,
“Give her hell from us, Peeves.”
I then watched in shock as George and Fred Weasley flew out of the doors into the sunset.
* * *
The moment I walked into the Slytherin common room, Eleanor ran up to me and pulled me into the corner of the room. She gulped,
“Are you okay? I heard about Fred.”
I looked away,
“It was George as well.”
She sighed,
“You’re avoiding the subject, I can tell.”
My head snapped towards her,
“Because I don’t want to talk about it, okay? I’ve heard enough from everyone else discussing it.”
“I know you look at that photo he gave you. You look at it every night.”
I glared at her,
“How do you know he gave it to me? Have you been looking through my stuff?”
She shook her head, her blue eyes widening,
“Ava! I wouldn’t do that! That’s just plain nosy. No, I can just tell he gave it to you. I can tell by the way you hold it to you and cry when you look at it.”
I began to walk away from her,
“I don’t care about it, alright? I don’t care that he’s left. I hadn’t even been talking to him before. So let’s just forget about it.”
Draco looked up at me,
“Are you talking about the Weasel twins leaving? I’ve heard loads of Gryffindors saying they’re going to do the same thing!”
I sighed exasperatedly,
“I’m sick and tired of Gryffindors and their lack of failing at things. Of course, if the Gryffindors try and escape, they’ll do it, won’t they?”
With that, I stormed into the dormitory and slammed the door.
I glanced down at my wrist and picked up the firework charm that Fred had given to me. I gulped at the memory. Things had been almost perfect then.
One of the other charms on the bracelet caught my eye, and I raised it closer to my eyes. My heart stopped.
It was the charm that changed to an animal depending on your personality. Only it wasn’t a lion anymore.
It was a snake.
I stared at the slivery green scales of the snake before pulling the bracelet off my wrist and hurling it across the room. I heard it skid along the floor.
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and sat down on my bed.
Fred had said he believed I was still a Gryffindor at heart. But he had nothing to believe anymore. The bracelet had shown my true self.
I was a cold, hard Slytherin.