Chasing the Girl

Chapter 2

A few hours later, the twins found themselves standing in front of Professor McGonagall, who stared sternly down at them from behind her square glasses. Her bottom lip was trembling slightly with anger; frankly, she was getting sick and tired with the antics of Fred and George Weasley.

"Well!" she snarled. "I know you two have a knack for getting into trouble but really. Sneaking around after dark, hiding in a broom cupboard – this is a new low! I don't want to hear it, Weasley!" she snapped sharply, as Fred opened his mouth to protest. Fred closed his mouth in annoyance and looked at George, who rolled his eyes.

"Please, Professor," George said. "We were just-"

"Silence!" Professor McGonagall hissed, her nostrils flaring.

Both twins shut up, looking extremely put out. They had spent the last hour coming up with a brilliant plan; how they had heard suspicious noises and followed the intruder into the corridors, when they heard him coming back and hid quickly in the broom cupboard, so they could see this rebel student and report them immediately to their Head of House, like the Good Little Students they were. Clearly Professor McGonagall had no time for this.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor… each," she said, ignoring their looks of anguish and stifled moans. "And I have arranged your detentions. Weasley, tonight at eight, Professor Trelawney (despite everything, Professor McGonagall couldn't help wrinkling her nose) would like her teacups washed – all 500 of them. Weasley, tomorrow at eight, Professor Snape would like someone to scrub out the measuring funnels and clean the desks. Without magic, both of you."

With that, and one last furious look at them both, she swept them out of her office. It was only then, standing outside, that they realized she hadn't distinguished between them.

"Brilliant!" grinned Fred. "We just won't go – and say we thought we were doing the other one!"

"Don't be stupid," George said. "It's McGonagall – she'll just think of something even worse. Come on-" he pulled a silver sickle out of his pocket "- I'll flip you for it."

Fred grudgingly agreed, but it took much discussion to decide the better outcome. There were few things worse than a night with Snape – but it was the following day, which gave them an extra day to wiggle their way out. Finally, it was decided that Heads would land Fred with Trelawney, and Tails George. With a casual flick from George's wand, the coin jumped it the air and gave a fancy pirouette before crashing back down.

Heads.

Both twins swore in annoyance at the shining sickle.

Fred was still cursing angrily as he climbed the ladder into the Divination classroom. He had never taken the subject, deeming it "complete tosh" (and that was putting it politely). The heavy scowl remained fixed on his face as he entered, thinking longingly of the common room where George and Lee would be lazing in front of the fire…

"Welcome my dear, you must be Weasel," a dreamy voice said as his head poked into the classroom. Fred scrambled up looking cross.

"It's Weasley," he said, glaring at Professor Trelawney. She didn't seem to notice, but moved towards him in a sweep of bangles and glittering beads. Her eyes, magnified behind her glasses, reminded him of a large insect he had found in the back yard, and how he had persuaded a young Ginny it was a new variety of "realistic refreshments" he had brought from Diagon Alley... he hurriedly suppressed a grin.

"You will see those teacups," Professor Trelawney said, gesturing to a shelf. "There's more in the boxes below. You will wash them in that basin-" she waved a hand at a silvery basin towards the back of the classroom "-and lo behold if a single one is dusty tomorrow…"

Waggling a finger at him, she passed and swooped down the ladder. Fred glared after her for good measure. She had to be the vaguest, most distant person he had ever met. Deciding he had better get on with the job in hand, he marched sulkily towards the shelf – and jumped about a foot in the air as a girl suddenly popped up from behind a box.

"Hello," she said, looking rather pleased at the shocked expression on his face.

"Hi," said Fred, recovering himself as quickly as he could. "Are you, uh, here on detention too?"

"Yes," she sighed. "Oh, I'm so glad they sent someone else along... I was afraid I would have to do them all myself… not as easy task you know, especially when we can't use magic."

"Why can't we?" Fred demanded. "She's gone, hasn't she? She wouldn't know if we just-" raising his wand, he pointed it at a small pink teacup and said "Wingardium Leviosa!" The teacup rose in the air; then gave a small shriek and hurtled to the floor, smashing into tiny pieces.

"Told you so," the girl smiled. "And there's no use doing that," she added, as Fred raised his wand once more. "I tried to repair one, and it nearly took my eye out."

Sulkily, Fred kicked the pieces into the corner.

"Could have told me that before I broke it."

"I did tell you we couldn't use magic – you chose to try it anyway."

"Yeah, well…" Fred grumbled. "What's your name, anyway?"

"I'm Luna, Luna Lovegood." She held out her hand and Fred shook it, slightly taken aback.

"Fred Weasley."

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about her that made him feel uncharacteristically awkward. When she suggesting they probably ought to be getting on with the teacups, he began to wash them rather quietly.

"You're very quiet," Luna informed him. "I'm surprised. You don't look like the type."

"Oh yeah? What type do I look like then?"

He said it sarcastically, but she clearly thought it a very serious question. She stopped washing her teacup and turned around to face him. He couldn't help but notice her eyes were a strange colour… almost silvery... Fred suddenly became aware that he was staring at her with a gormless expression, and felt his face flush bright red. Turning away, he pretending to be looking inside another box. Luna gave a high pitched laugh.

"You've gone bright red, you know," she said, in a rather amused voice. "And, seeing as you asked, you look like the type who might go sneaking around the corridors in the middle of the night."

Fred looked at her again, his mouth dropping open. "How did you…"

"Professor Trelawney mentioned it when I arrived," she said absentmindedly. "That was a rather silly thing to be doing, wasn't it."

It didn't seem to be either a question or a statement.

"Well you're obviously not a saint either," Fred said. "What did you do to get stuck here?"

"Oh, a little of jelly legs… a little droopy ears…"

"You hexed someone?" Fred sounded impressed. "Who? And why?"

"Just some Slytherin – he was insulting my father," Luna said. "Then he said my mother probably killed herself on purpose, because of the shame of having a freak like me for a daughter..." She stared at Fred. "I'm used to people insulting me, of course, but my family... well, that's different."

She spoke calmly, and went straight back to washing her teacup. Fred, however, kept staring; his face turning scarlet again, this time in fury.

"No way!" he spat. "And they gave you detention! That disgusting, slimy little rat should be chucked straight back into the sewage they came from!"

"It doesn't matter," Luna said. "But that was a very nice thing to say. People usually say those things about me, you know. It's very nice to hear someone stick up for you, especially when they're older and handsome. I do like your freckles," she added, almost as an afterthought. Fred's face turned, if possible, even redder, so his freckles could hardly be seen.

"I, uh, thanks," he muttered, hastily busying himself with an old tea stain. But he couldn't help the small smile edging its way onto his face, which stubbornly remained for the rest of the evening. The evening in itself had begun to slip by far too quickly, and he kept sneaking glances at his companion. She chatted away quite randomly; even when he was too busy gazing at her to take any words in. In fact, he had the impression that half the time she was talking to herself. She was young and scatty, with long hair and pale eyebrows, giving her a look that was decidingly… quirky. Fred couldn't help but like her.

When they finished the teacups four hours later and said goodbye, he had reached a conclusion. He didn't just like her. He was ridiculously, stupidly, helplessly in love with Luna Lovegood.