xxii.
LATE NIGHT MISCHIEF
"SUCH A SHAME LOCKHART'S MEMORY got wiped... oh wait, no it's not," Dawn says from next to Willow at the table in the Great Hall. The final feast of the year was being celebrated by the whole school, and food was overflowing the tables. The final months of the year had ordinary for Willow and Dawn, but for Hogwarts itself, it had been an eventful period of time. Harry Potter, yet again, managed to save the whole school from He Who Must Not Be Named and the giant snake-like creature living under the school, causing the petrifications of the students throughout the school.
Dawn had been talking endlessly throughout the feast, stuffing her mouth with food as she did so. Willow knew she was just excited that exams were over and she just couldn't wait to try out for Quidditch captain the next year. However, Willow was too distracted to be fully engrossed in the conversation. She had seen the students who had been petrified beforehand slowly trickling into the Great Hall all night, now cured due to Professor Sprout's Mandrake collection she had been growing for the year. Still, she was only waiting to see one person.
"Anyway, I still don't understand the details of how Potter managed to do all that on his own. I really think the whole story was fabricated because how the hell did he-"
"Willmur!"
Dawn's eyes shot up from her jam doughnut she had been taking a bite out of. Sure enough, Willow's eyes had not been mistaken— Willmur Jacobs had stepped through the doors of the Great Hall, a giant smile on his face as he searched the crowd for his best friends. Unfortunately for Willow and Dawn, the Hufflepuff table had spotted him first, Cedric Diggory leading them in cheers and yells as Willmur walked forward. He was greeted with hugs and pats on the back, and questioning on how he was feeling. But, his eyes were still wandering down the long Slytherin table, until he saw them. The only two people he really wanted to see.
"Willmur Jacobs get your ass over here!" Dawn shouts across the Great Hall, earning her a few dirty looks from the Slytherins around her. Breaking from the crowd around him, Willmur dashes down to the end of the Hufflepuff table, then the Gryffindor table, until he reaches the Slytherins. Picking up speed even more, he's met with Willow and Dawn, tackling him in a group hug.
"We missed you so much, Mur!" Willow says into the boy's shoulder, unable to control her smile.
"Yeah, it's hard filling in the dead space without your constant talking," Dawn adds, being the first to pull away from the hug.
"Thanks, Dawn," Willmur sighs, practically glowing as he steps back from the embrace. "I would say I missed you guys too, but I was too busy being petrified to really feel anything."
"Ouch, harsh words from Willmur Jacobs. He gets petrified once and he's suddenly a whole new person," Dawn says, placing her hand over her heart. Willow laughs, while Willmur rolls his eyes.
"You know that's not what I meant. If I weren't petrified with my mind empty, I would have missed you," Willmur says, then a small smirk grows on his lips. "Probably."
"Shut up," Dawn retorts, punching the boy on the arm playfully. Willow looks over to the front of the Great Hall, where a few of the Professors had been watching them. Dumbledore had a slight smile on his face as he stared, his eyes sparkling through his half-moon glasses. Willow turns back to Willmur, sighing a bit.
"Well buddy, you better get back to your own house. We'll talk to you later," Willow says, placing her hand on Willmur's arm. He nods, glancing over his shoulder at his group of friends waiting for him to return.
"Meet us in the courtyard. Tonight, after curfew. We have a lot to tell you," Dawn says, leaning her head closer to Willmur and talking in a hushed tone. Willmur nods, then waves a quick goodbye before returning to his house table.
"Wow," Willow says, as she and Dawn sit back down in their own seats.
"What?" Dawn asks, immediately digging back into her doughnut.
"He didn't even try to weasel his way out of sneaking out past curfew," Willow replies, a small smile on her lips. A smile grows on Dawn's face as well.
"I knew he'd come around."
✵
Willow didn't sleep a wink as soon as she entered the Slytherin dorm rooms. Her and Dawn both laid in their beds, giving each other glances from across the dorm room and stifling fits of laughter into their pillows. Eventually, Dawn slowly rose from her bed, slipping a bathrobe over her pajamas and motioning for Willow to get up as well.
"Let's hope Willmur's not asleep, knowing him he probably passed out as soon as he got to the dorm room," Dawn says under her breath as her and Willow quickly and quietly exit the common room.
"Let's hope Filch took the last night off," Willow adds as she runs after Dawn out the dungeons. They make their way through the corridors and up the moving staircases, Willow holding out her wand that was pouring out light from the top. The two girls suddenly break into a run, racing to reach the courtyard that they had loved so dearly.
When they finally found the patch of grass, from across the way they found a drowsy Willmur Jacobs, rubbing his eyes as he yawns sleepily.
"Hey there sleeping beauty," Dawn says as she approaches the boy, ruffling his hair. Willmur swats her hand away, struggling to hold back yet a second yawn. "Shut it."
"Yeah don't worry, it's not like you've been petrified for half the year. You can get all the sleep you need," Willow smiles, shoving Willmur a bit in an attempt to shake him awake. He smirks, shoving her back.
"So, please tell me what's happened? From what I've heard, you guys threw a Christmas party and there was some random foreign girl here? Someone told me that Dawn and her had a fling and you know there was the whole chamber thing—"
"Willmur, shut up. Let us do the talking," Dawn says, raising her hand up to Willmur's mouth in order to shush him. He nods along, pursing his lips. The three sink onto the ground, sprawling out on the grass under the moonlight.
"Let's see, now let me go all the way back..."
Dawn had started talking, but Willow's mind was already drifting far away. All the way to Zonko's that day in February. The day she spoke to Fred.
The conversation had been one of the last the two shared of the school year, and it also happened to have been the most normal. They were like old friends, sharing stories with each other and laughing at each other's jokes. It was only a few minutes, but it was enough to have consumed her mind. Even as the snow melted into spring, the conversation didn't seem to melt with it.
He was going to say something to her— something that seemed important. What was it that he had said?
"Do you want to... would you want to... well since tomorrow's—"
Tomorrow.
What would have been tomorrow?
Willow bites the inside of her cheek, staring down at her slippers which were sunken deep into the grass.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
That's when she remembered. The cashier— the decorations in Hogsmeade— Dawn and Macy.
She remembered.
Valentine's Day.
Fred was going to ask her out for Valentine's Day.
Not sure of what to do with this information, Willow anxiously rips her eyes up from the grass, to look into the corridors of the castle. The wide, open windows with no glass to keep anyone in or out. She looks through each one, and just as though she had been looking for them, they appear. Two identical shadows getting closer and closer through the hall.
"Uh, guys..." Willow trails off, interrupting Dawn's tales about Macy's extravagant life. Willmur had been so engrossed he seemed past annoyed when Willow had abruptly cut in. "Sorry, it's just— there's someone coming. Two people, actually,"
Dawn leans forward, to see around Willow into the castle. She sees the two figures as well, and a small grin quickly flickers across her face.
"Ah, I see,"
"Oh god, it's not Filch is it? Or McGonnagall? Oh geez, if it's Snape—"
"It's not any of them, 'Mur," Dawn says in a relaxed tone, laying back onto the grass. "Willow just has some business she needs to take care of, don't you Will?"
Dawn smacks Willow's leg to draw her attention back from staring at the two figures. They had both paused right by the doorway leading out to the courtyard, and were whispering to each other. Willow whips her head around, then nods fervently.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," the girl says, and with that, she stands back up and begins jogging over to where the two were standing, waiting for her.
"Good evening, miss. Out for late-night gossip time I see." one of the shadows says, and Willow smiles, rolling her eyes at the silly comment.
"Careful Georgie, that's a Slytherin you're talking to. She might hex you and leave you with your feet stuck to the floor for eternity if you're not careful," the other's voice adds, and Willow was laughing now, taking a final step forward to see the two better. There they were, Fred and George, smiling back down at her.
"Oh come on, Fred. You know I would never hex your feet to the floor," Willow says, crossing her arms.
"Really? Too soft now, are we?" Fred replies, raising a single eyebrow as a smirk grows on his lips. Willow shakes her head, starting to walk backward down the corridor, away from the courtyard.
"No, I would just come up with something a lot better to do to you. The Colloshoo hex just isn't evil enough," Willow says, turning her back on the twins and laughing maniacally as she does so. Fred and George give each other quick glances, wondering why she was suddenly deciding to join them on their own nighttime Hogwarts escapades. Nevertheless, they pick up the pace so that they were now walking on either side of her.
"Anyways, what really brings you down here, Turner?" George asks the girl, who shrugs nonchalantly in response.
"No reason, just catching up with Willmur since he missed practically half the year. He's really sad he missed out on everything, you know. He told me he even sort of missed you guys—"
"Really?" Fred and George ask in unison, but Willow only laughs, shaking her head.
"No, he didn't," Willow looks up at the two gingers beside her, narrowing her eyes at each of them. "Alright, I'm a bit nervous to ask this, but what are you two doing up at an hour like this, roaming around the grounds all alone?"
"Well," Fred smiles, and pulls out a random assortment of items they had obviously bought from Zonko's. "This is our year's-worth of spendings at Zonko's, and we've decided to unleash it all on a select few of Professors tonight. Those lucky winners won't have any idea what hit them tomorrow morning—"
"Plus, we'll be gone by then, so what are they gonna do? Give us detention?" George adds, and the two reach across Willow to high-five one another. Willow shakes her head in awe at the two's thirst for trouble, then rakes her hand through her blonde hair to push it out of her face.
"You never know, they could just save that for next year," Willow shrugs, but Fred merely waves her off.
"Oh, rubbish. Who cares about next year, it's all about the now, Turner."
"Whatever you say, Freddie," Willow laughs, which makes Fred's heart jolt just a bit. Enough to make the tips of his ears go red and the back of his neck just a bit warmer than usual. Clearing his throat, he shakes off the feeling. The feeling he only got when she called him that stupid nickname.
"Well, care to join us?" George asks suddenly, stopping in the middle of the long hall. He glances up at Fred, and for just a moment, the two are able to read each other like a book. Fred knew what George was up to, and he knew there was no stopping him.
Willow looks between the two, unable to hold back the gigantic smile she got at the mere thought of getting to help them set pranks for their teachers. Something she wished she had gotten to do for years.
"Sure, I'll join you two."
George raises his eyebrows to Fred, who shakes his head back towards his brother, holding back the smile that he had fighting it's way onto his face. "Alright, you'll wanna take these, we're heading to Snape's office first."
The three almost immediately break out into a run, holding back laughs as they dash through the dark, empty halls, and down flights of stairs.
"Does Snape even sleep in his office?" Willow asks as they travel down countless flights of stairs. "I guess I should know, but frankly I don't spend much time keeping up with Snape's personal time."
"Surely he hangs upside down from the Astronomy tower like a bat and sleeps there," Fred says, making the other two laugh a little.
"Definitely not, I think he's more of a guy to sleep at the bottom of the black lake with the Grindylows and Merpeople," George replies, but Willow shakes her head.
"No, no, you've got it all wrong. He owns a coffin out in the Dark Forest that he gets lowered into every night to sleep in."
The three were all laughing loudly now as they approached where Snape's office door was, and had to continuously shush one another as Fred slipped some Dungbombs under the door, George activating each one before handing it to him.
Just as the three were about to step away and go find another teacher to torment, an idea popped into Willow's head.
"Wait!" She whisper-shouts, grabbing onto the sleeves of their matching pajama-shirts. They both turn back around, their identical eyebrows knitted together in a matching fashion. Willow kneels to the ground, pulling her wand out from the inside of her sweatshirt sleeve, and sticking it under the door. Quietly, she utters the Colloshoo hex, the one that would stick your feet to the floor.
"Let's hope Snape is sleeping in here, because if so, he'll be stuck in here with the stench for a while," Willow says as she straightens back up, smiling broadly at both the twins. They each had surprised expressions on their faces.
"We need to bring you with us more often," Fred says, staring hopelessly at the girl in front of him. She stares back, and for just a moment, remembers the day at Zonko's all over again. He had the same look in his eyes that day, too.
"Alright come on you two, we have other teachers to give their lucky reward to!" George says, rolling his eyes and pointing up the stairs. That's when they hear the sound of footsteps coming towards them from a corridor deep in the dungeons, where they had been standing at that moment.
"Oh no,"
"It can't be—"
"Oh Merlin—"
The person gets closer, and the three can see that they're holding a brightly-lit lantern, which casts two very recognizable shadows on the wall. One of an old man, and another of a cat trotting by his side.
"Students out of bed!"
Filch's voice can be heard as he approaches at the end of the hall, and a delighted smirk appearing on his twisted face, knowing he was going to catch some students sneaking around one final night that year.
"Quick, before he sees us!" Willow grabs onto both of the twin's arms, pulling them down a hall opposite of Filch, the one she knew to lead to the Slytherin common room.
"What? Where are we going?" George asks, following closely behind the girl.
"The Slytherin common room. You guys can hide out there for a while," Willow says, glancing back over her shoulder.
"You can't run from me!" Filch's voice echoes through the dungeon, and he suddenly appears walking after them, only about ten feet between them.
"Oh bloody hell, we gotta run!"
Without another word, Fred, George, and Willow all take off down the halls at full speed, Willow leading the way as they sprint down the dark corridors of the dungeons. Filch was trying his best to chase after them, and was actually a lot faster than Willow had expected.
Soon enough, the three were laughing once again, glancing back at Filch and mocking him in amused tones.
"Having a good run there, Filchy?"
"Probably the most exercise he's gotten in months!"
"Come on, keep up, you can do it!"
Willow never thought she would have so much fun spending time running from Filch late at night with the Weasley twins, yet here she was, having the time of her life.
Alas, being to caught up in the moment and looking over her shoulder one-too many times made her miss the bit of uneven stone she knew to always step over, and caused her trip unexpectedly. She felt her body slam sideways into another, and soon realized both her and George had landed on the dungeon floor.
"Sorry—" Willow groaned, struggling to catch her breath from the abrupt impact. Before she could realize what was happening, she felt herself being lifted off the ground by the waist and stood back on her feet once again. Fred was grabbing her hand now, and urging her to begin running once again.
"Oi, thanks Fred! You know I fell too, but don't mind me, I'm only your twin brother—"
"Come on!" Fred says, rolling his eyes and pulling Willow forward by the hand. Willow didn't even get a minute to process what was happening. The fact that Fred had just lifted her up by the waist with ease, or that he had taken her hand and was still holding it, leading her down the corridors at full speed. Her mind was fuzzy, and she could feel her whole head buzzing. It was a good kind of buzzing, though. She rather enjoyed this feeling.
Eventually, her head went back to normal, and she had finally found the Slytherin common room. Out of breath, she mumbles the password to allow herself in, bending at the waist to rest her hands on her knees. The twins do the same, Fred leaning against the wall and George clutching his side.
After some deliberating with the door to allow the twins in, Willow is able to usher the two in after her just as Filch had rounded the corner.
"That— was— close," Willow says, falling back onto the couch in front of the fire, which was slowly starting to die.
"Extremely. If you hadn't fallen right into me—" George says, leaning onto one of the chairs, but Fred swiftly flicks him on the ear.
"Hey, don't put blame on Willow here, alright?" Fred says, looking to Willow and smiling. She smiles back, pursing her lips a bit to keep from laughing nervously. She didn't know why she was so nervous all of sudden. Maybe it's because she was alone with the twins— with Fred— in the common room, or maybe it was because of the adrenaline rush of the night, but something was causing her to feel on the edge of her seat.
"Although, it was pretty funny watching you two fall—"
"Hey!" Willow exclaims, reaching out to smack the boy's arm. He laughs, but holds his hand up to where he smacked her, uttering a small 'ouch.'
The three fall to silence, and Willow lays so that she's sprawled horizontally across the couch, leaving barely enough room for someone to sit up by her head. George had taken his place in one of the armchairs near the entrance, leaving Fred to walk around to the other side of the couch.
Fred glances around, there were a few armchairs by the window, on directly next to the fire, and then there was the spot on the couch next to Willow. Before he could change his mind, he picks the couch.
"Really Weasley?" Willow says in an amused tone as Fred sits next to. "Right here?"
"Yeah, out of all the chairs open mate?" George adds, only wanting to fuel the fire. Fred rolls his eyes, then sheepishly shrugs his shoulders. "Looked comfy."
"Whatever, weirdo."
Willow laughs softly, making Fred do the same. Without really realizing it, he kept stealing glances down at her, watching her as she stared into what was left of the fire in the fireplace. The soft flames were just barely enough to warmly light her face in the dark luminance of the common room.
Willow, on the other hand, couldn't help but notice his gaze a few times. Eventually, she takes a second to glance up at him, and notice the tiny signature Weasley smirk he always had on his face.
They were so close to each other. Willow didn't think she had ever been this close to Fred before ever. He seemed so relaxed, she didn't want to say anything.
She thinks about her head placement. If she scooted up anymore, her head would practically be in his lap.
She shakes off the thought.
Just then, the three each hear the common room door open, revealing a very annoyed-looking Dawn Jeffery. She pauses for a moment as the stone door closes behind her, and her eyes bounce from each person she could see in front of her.
"Just got told off by Filch," she finally says, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her bathrobe. Willow sits up, rubbing her eyes, and Dawn makes a face. "What happened to you three?"
"We just got chased down by Filch," George says, and Dawn simply whispers a small 'ah' under her breath.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Dawn looks to the twins. "So why exactly are you in my common room?"
"I let them in, and it's not your common room, DJ. The world doesn't revolve around you," Willow says, standing up and walking over to her best friend. Dawn rolls her eyes, crossing her arms. "It does. You're just too blind to see it."
"We'll just be leaving now," George says, standing up from the armchair and backing towards the door. Willow and Dawn both knew that Dawn's entrance into the room had caused the energy to become a bit more rigid, and that it was probably best for the twins to leave.
"Yeah, we'll, uh, see you around? I guess?" Fred shrugs his shoulders, and Willow nods, lifting her hand slightly to wave.
"See you," Willow responds, and watches as the twins exit the common room without another word.
Willow wasn't sure why, but she expected more. She expected Fred to make some snarky comment about helping her up after she fell, or about how he was glad she went with them that night. But nothing. Nothing at all.
"So, got Willmur back safely?" Willow says to Dawn, who laughs as she nods in response.
"He got a little lost, so I had to help him a bit, but he got there eventually," Dawn sighs, eyeing Willow knowingly. "Now, you're going to sit here with me and tell me about your weird little three-way date tonight."
"It was not a three-way date," Willow says, a disgusted tone coating her voice. Dawn smiles, sitting down on the couch where Fred had been previously sitting. "Weasley left his stench here, I can still smell him."
Willow takes a breath in as she sits beside Dawn, and catches the scent of campfires and cinnamon. The way he always smelled.
"I don't mind it," she shrugs her shoulders, which makes Dawn shake her head. "You so like him."
"I do not!" Willow shoves shoulder.
"You totally do! I saw the way you were looking at him when you were all cozied up on the couch together," Dawn says, rolling her eyes at Willow's foolishness.
"We weren't cozied up," Willow argues.
"Snuggled, cuddled, all the same thing, Will. The point is, I know your secret," Dawn says the last part like a song, making Willow sink lower into the couch.
"I don't like him."
"Do too."
"Do not."
"Do too."
"Do not."
author's note:
NOT ME WRITING A 4,000 WORD
CHAPTER BC I WAS SO EXCITED
ABOUT IT BYE
also i listened to 'fireworks'
from the harry potter soundtrack
when i was writing the part abt them
running from filch and the serotonin
i got from it omfg