TAINTED BLOOD!
comeuppance.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐙𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐀'𝐒 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐍, causing her striped hair to fly in all directions. The young witch was now sitting Indian style on the floor of Fred and George's bedroom, a bubbling cauldron before her along with a vast array of vials from her personal collection.
A week had passed since Alexandra had come up with the idea of teaching a much-needed lesson to those who saw it fit to gossip and mock her friends.
Much had changed since that eventful day. Alexandra had been forced to stop hiding her hair, for it now held as many blonde locks as stark white ones. No one seemed to have a plausible explanation as to why this was happening to her; hours of research with her friends kept raising more questions than answers. Much to Alexandra's dismay, all those queries that arose from hours of research went unanswered by even Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, who'd been clued in at the Headmaster's insistence.
What Alexandra had expected to become a source of constant gossip, had simply faded in the background. With each passing day, more and more students had become strong advocates for Harry's supposed 'treachery'. Alexandra and her best friends had taken it upon themselves to help Harry to avoid his peers, finding a surprising ally in the kind and shy Neville Longbottom.
A loud whistling sound, followed by a popping one, caused each teen in the room to peer inside the scorching hot cauldron. The liquid substance was solidifying before the teens' eyes, small clumps slowly shaping into striped oval-looking candies. While the concoction for the first prank had been rather easier to create, it had taken four afternoons, three evenings, and four battered cauldrons for the teens to succeed in their second feat.
As Alexandra quickly turned the heat off, placing the cauldron close to one of the open windows in order to let their product cool off, George sprung up from the carpeted floor. "It worked!" Folding both arms against her chest, Alexandra quirked a brow, eying the boy with a challenging look. "Not that we ever doubted you –"
"Aside from when the second cauldron melted." Fred piped up, his face lighting up in a boyish grin.
"And when the third one scorched Lee's robes."
"Don't forget the fourth one."
"Poor Reed is still looking for his shoes."
"Won't stop ranting about having lost them."
"How they disappeared into thin air."
"Cornered a second-year student, poor sod."
Pinching her nose and closing her eyes, Alexandra let out an annoyed huff. "For Rowena's sake! Inventing potions is an art of trial and error – I should have never let you in on my secret. And for the thirtieth time, I wasn't aiming at Lee's bed when I threw the cauldron off the flame!" The young witch rambled, her eyes falling onto what was left of Lee's robes, wincing in the process.
"It looks like someone ran straight through my robes!" Fred exclaimed, holding the ruined clothes while impersonating his friend.
"Not helping, Fred." Alexandra poked at the teen's chest. Much to Alexandra's dismay, Fred simply burst into laughter, putting an arm around her and propping his chin on top of her head. "Still not helping, Fred!" The boy's laughter only intensified, chest rumbling against the much shorter witch, who he was now holding with both arms.
"I hate to interrupt this moment –" Both teens jumped, for they had seemingly forgotten about George's presence in the room. Fred quickly released Alexandra from his impromptu embrace, their hands still close enough to brush one against the other. One would have had to be blind to miss George's knowing smirk, nonetheless, both Alexandra and Fred still failed to acknowledge it. "Since we won't be able to touch our product for a couple of hours, I am going to pay a visit to our friendly helpers in the kitchen. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." The teen added with a wink, rushing out of the room in order to avoid the cushion Alexandra had thrown his way.
"Prat." Alexandra huffed out, jumping on top of Fred's bed and throwing on the floor random nicknacks that were preventing her from sitting comfortably.
A chuckle escaped the older teen's lips as he took a seat beside Alexandra. Unfortunately, Hogwarts' beds weren't as wide as one would have imagined them to be. In order to avoid a rather awkward and painful fall, the two were forced to huddle close together, eliminating any space between them in the process.
While Alexandra laid down on the bed, ready to spend the two hours they had to wait for their 'mock-candies' to cool by staring at the scarlet canopy, Fred seemed to have a different idea altogether. Out of the corner of her eyes, the eldest Grindelwald twin noticed that the older wizard was clasping her journal in one hand, his wand held in the other and pointed at the emerald cover. "Fred." His tone was firm, brows slightly scrunched as he concentrated on the task. "Fred." He kept on repeating, only to fail to obtain anything but a small flicker that died down as quickly as it had first appeared.
"Your full name." Alexandra muttered, gazing at scarlet canopy once more. "You have to say your full name." Just as promised, the moment the elder wizard muttered his name out loud, a bright blue glow surrounded the witch's journal, dimming as soon as Fred opened it.
"There must be at least – twenty potions in here," Fred whispered in awe. "'Missing limbs' potion', 'Mind palace reversal potion' 'Maximum sensory enhancement potion' 'Emotions' concealment potion' " The wizard continued, his fingers brushing against the scribbled pages as he listed the potions Alexandra had invented. "How many people know about this?"
Alexandra merely shrugged in response, tilting her face to the side in order to look at Fred in the eyes. "Two. Dumbledore and –".
'Thump' Alexandra's journal hit Fred's legs, his mouth now fully agape as he stared at the younger witch sprawled on the bed right beside him. "Why did you show me? Why not Blaise or Freya? Your brother, even.". Fred's eyes locked with Alexandra's, his stare not quite as intense and intrusive as one might have expected, yet still persuading enough to get the witch to explain.
"Why not you? Dumbledore found out by mistake. You – you're the one I chose to show the journal to. That's why Dumbledore's name isn't in there; he knows about it, but I haven't allowed him to read it.".
The corner of Fred's lips slowly tugged upwards, his smile fully reaching his eyes as his gaze remained on the young witch. Laughter soon followed, for Alexandra had miserably failed at concealing the yawn that she'd been fighting for the past hour. "Come on, I am gonna wake you up in time for dinner.". Fred's voice acted as a lullaby, coaxing Alexandra into a deep slumber, only to be soon followed by the wizard beside her.
George Weasley's imagination was fairly wide, yet he could have never imagined walking back to his shared room only to be greeted by such sight. Alexandra's head rested on top of Fred's chest, both teens fast asleep. Their legs were tangled together, Fred's right arm holding onto Alexandra, while hers rested on his waist.
Not finding it within his heart to wake them – and hoping they'd hurry up realising they both had feelings for one another -, George merely tucked them in with a few flicks of his wand. None of the other boys pressed for answers when George forced them to spend the night in the Gryffindor Common Room – regardless the unfortunate lack of enough sofas for all of them –, nor did Freya hesitate to cover for Alexandra should there have been a random inspection that very night.
Unbeknown to any of them, that was one of the best night sleep Alexandra Grindelwald and Fred Weasley had ever had.
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It was quite obvious that neither Alexandra nor Fred had given much thought to the fact that they had indeed slept in the same bed. George Weasley had spent the early hours of the morning waiting with bated breath for any of them to freak out, only to experience severe annoyance once he realised that the duo was even more clueless than he had thought.
Students had already gathered in the Great Hall, waiting for breakfast to magically appear on their tables, when the troublesome trio scurried inside the large room and took a seat at the far end of the Gryffindor table.
It was not unusual for students of all Houses to show up early for breakfast on a Sunday morning, for that was the only day of the week food was served later than usual, granting each teen a few more hours of sleep.
As the trio took a seat in front of Blaise, Freya and Harry, they were met with questioning looks on behalf of each one of their friends. Freya might have known about Alexandra's previous sleeping arrangements, but that did not explain the matching grins the Weasley twins were sporting.
"Top of the morning to you, Harry." Fred's grin was enough for the dark-haired boy to scoot backwards, his appetite quickly disappearing in fear of being the target of whatever the trio had planned.
Alexandra propped both elbows on the table, cradling her chin in her hands. "I hope you all slept well last night." The witch's mischievous tone caused both her best friends and Harry to share a worried glance. Alexandra's overly chipper behaviour alerted each one of her friends, for it could only mean one thing; trouble.
Freya was the first to recover from her spooked trance, a smirk appearing on her lips as she raised a brow. "Not as well as you did, I am sure." The tanned teen teased.
While Blaise and Harry both looked at the two girls with matching quizzical expressions, Alexandra simply scoffed as she rolled her eyes, hand waving in the air in a dismissive manner. Whatever retort was about to leave Alexandra's lips, however, died down as soon as food magically appeared on each table of the Great Hall.
"Eat up, you three," George spoke, pushing a tray of freshly baked scones towards the still figures of Blaise, Freya, and Harry, who shook their heads in unison.
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Fred swiftly added, finishing his brother's sentence in a way that, to that very day, still managed to amuse Alexandra. "Eggs won't bite you."
"Might burn you."
"Won't be permanent, though."
Blaise cocked his head to the side, pushing the platter of eggs towards the twins and Alexandra, his hand barely grazing the ceramic. "You first." The boy challenged, only for Alexandra to slowly shake her head.
The dark-skinned teen didn't have to wait long for his best friend to clue him in, for soon enough Alexandra's lips stretched into a smirk, her elbows hitting both Fred and George's arms. "Showtime, boys." She whispered rather excitedly, causing every last member of their group to look at what, or better yet who, Alexandra was pointing at.
A loud shriek coming from Slytherin table plummeted the entire room into silence. Breakfast long forgotten, everyone turned around to see what had caused someone to scream bloody murder. It was safe to say that no one, aside from a certain trio, had expected to see a very panicked Violet Gamp to shoot up from her seat, eyes glued onto her now red and golden striped hands.
It all happened rather fast. Before anyone could even understand what was truly happening, Avery and his goons, Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, and a few other Slytherin students started screaming. Their natural complexions were long gone, replaced by either red and gold, yellow and black, or, last but not least, blue and bronze stripes.
The panicked teens' scream didn't quell, only worsened once they took in their friends' condition, examining their own by using any piece of cutlery at their disposal. The group of Slytherin students had become living Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw flags; each one donning the colours of the Houses they mocked ever so often.
Slytherin table was not the only in an uproar, for soon ruckus erupted at the Hufflepuff table. A rather terrified Hannah Abbott had climbed on top of the wooden surface, as one of her housemates let out a loud bleating sound, others around him following suit.
Panic spread around the bleating group of Hufflepuff students. Some students attempted to leave the table, only to end up on all fours, their arms reaching for the wooden bench as their behind shook in true sheep fashion. While still in human form, the targeted group of Hufflepuff students had been turned into the animal they'd behaved like for the past few weeks; a sheep.
It was indeed a sight for sore eyes.
Those of Slytherin house who hadn't been turned into human flags now avoided their housemates as if they had some viral form of dragon pox, using anything at their disposal to keep them at a safe distance. A rather disgusted Draco Malfoy had petrified Theodore Nott, who'd attempted to feed the platinum-haired boy the same 'tainted' food he'd eaten.
Hufflepuff table was much more chaotic. The Prefects had undoubtedly attempted, yet failed, to contain their bleating housemates – proof being a rather panicked boy currently trying to grasp McGonagall's robes as he struggled to keep his legs steady.
Chortle filled the entire Great Hall. Those who hadn't been targeted – or caught in the crossfire – were now holding their sides as they laughed at the scene unfolding before their very eyes.
Alexandra chuckled, high-fiving both Fred and George as she took in the panicked expression of her bleating twin. Fred and George hadn't stopped laughing ever since the first Slytherin student had started turning red and gold.
"This is even better than I'd imagined," George muttered between laughs, his voice strained due to his continuous guffawing.
"Might be the best prank we've ever pulled." Fred wheezed.
"One of the best pranks in Hogwarts' history for sure."
Alexandra slapped both twin's shoulders, earning their full and undivided attention only to motion at the door. A rather exhausted McGonagall was currently rushing out of the Great Hall, most likely to seek Albus Dumbledore. A very annoyed and sneering Snape had taken station before the oak doors, preventing any targeted student from leaving the room. "I've never seen McGonagall so upset because of a prank. We did it, boys."
Her words must have reached her friends' ears, for immediately she was met with three pair of wide eyes. "You three did all of this?" Harry gaped in disbelief, only to receive two proud nods from the Weasley twins and a ghost of a smirk on behalf of Alexandra.
"I planned it," Said Fred.
"I secured it." Voiced George.
"I concocted it." Alexandra finished, almost as if the three of them had previously rehearsed it.
The dark-skinned boy shook his head, the corner of his lips tugging upwards into an amused smile. "Let me guess, it was Alexandra who came to you with the idea of a couple of pranks." If there was someone who knew Alexandra better than anyone else, that person was Blaise Zabini.
"We simply couldn't turn down our Alexandra's request to help her out with this idea of hers." Fred quipped, wrapping his arm around the younger witch's shoulders with a beaming smile.
"It would have been irresponsible and unacceptable." George continued, placing a hand on his heart and bowing his head in a dramatic way. "We couldn't put her at risk."
"It's nothing dangerous." Alexandra quickly reassured a wide-eyed Harry, whose gaping mouth was quickly shut by Blaise as he rolled his eyes in mock-annoyance.
"Or permanent." Fred nodded, causing Alexandra to tilt her head to the side. It was Alexandra's turn to gape, for the red-head with an arm draped around her shoulders had somehow managed to finish her sentence. Fred must have sensed Alexandra's eyes on him, for he too tilted his head, charmingly grinning to the witch only to receive a gentle shove on her behalf.
"It will go away before they know it," George added, sharing a knowing smirk with both Blaise and Freya and nodding towards the oblivious duo beside him.
"Silence!" Dumbledore's booming voice cast a deafening silence. "Let me see." The wise wizard motioned for a Slytherin student to come forward, only for Violet Gamp to quickly shove the boy to the side, clearly hoping that the wise wizard would have been able to reverse whatever spell had been cast. Once he was done examining Violet, Dumbledore took a couple of steps forwards, focusing on a Hufflepuff student who let out a loud bleat in response.
Suddenly, Moody stood up from the faculty's table, a booming sound echoing throughout the room each time his cane came into contact with the stony ground. "No spell can reverse this, we can only let it run its course." The Defence Against the Dark Arts professor explained as he waved his free hand in the direction of a fuming Avery.
Dumbledore clasped both hands behind his back, nodding in Moody's direction before eyeing each and every student gathered in the Great Hall. "Alas, I am afraid Professor Moody is right." The Headmaster announced, causing Violet to stomp back towards Slytherin table. "Does the culprit wish to come forward?"
No one dared to speak. The real culprits had vowed to one another that they would have done their best to avoid getting caught, for none of them wished to spend weeks in detention.
"Very well." Dumbledore nodded once more, his eyes briefly meeting Alexandra's, who sported her usual stoic façade. "Those of you still experiencing symptoms will remain in the Great Hall. You'll be allowed to leave once cleared by your Head of the House."
The rest of breakfast was spent in quiet chatter and random bleats. The group of friends made sure to act like any other morning, talking amongst each other as they ate at the shunned end of Gryffindor table, a ghost of a grin on Alexandra, Fred and George's face.
Albus Dumbledore took in the scene unfolding before his eyes with a rather heavy heart. Clasping his hands behind his back, the wizard exited the Great Hall, a loud popping sound soon echoing in the empty corridor. The elf, well aware of what had been requested of him, soon disappeared once more, leaving the Headmaster alone with his thoughts.
There was no going back now.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
did the twins & alexandra prank the hell out of a lot of peeps, aron included? yup.
will this have any repercussion? welllll.
why was draco malfoy not targeted? yes, draco didn't fall victim of the prank because he was never one of the intended victims, but why? any theories?
my oblivious babies are so amazing and i just can't. they're so blind when it comes to their feelings!
also - dumbledore, stop playing with people's lives. thank you very much indeed.
any kind of constructive feedback is always welcome! let me know if you like the chapter; leave a comment, vote, share, all the shebang!
a big thank you to my amazing wtflangdons for this stunning sign-off banner.