Disclaimers: (I do not own anything recognizable to the wonderful book series Harry Potter. All plots, characters,/quotes, and storylines recognizable from the books and movies belong to their rightful owners.)

Claimer: (I do own Eleanor Wimsbly :D)

Alright peeps, this chapter is definitely shorter than the other ones, but I felt like it had been so long since I had published anything and I wanted to hurry up and get on with it. These sections kind of just show more of Fred and Eleanor's relationship getting stronger. I hope you all enjoy and let me know what y'all think!

'And so, your father and I would like to emphasize again our great concern that you are becoming too distracted in your social life and not putting focus into your schoolwork. Your father wants to remind you that a Healer does not become a Healer by getting detention for making it rain in the dungeons (again). Honestly Eleanor, how many letters am I going to have to get from your professors before you stop? Please be more focused Eleanor. Your future is depending on it. '

Eleanor folded up the letter from her mother and shoved it in her bag. She had finally come to the conclusion that no matter how many times she told her parents that she was not planning on becoming a Healer, they would not listen nor understand. While their advice to focus on schoolwork was important and good, it bothered her that they never even took her career goals into consideration. She was in her sixth year of Hogwarts. Had she wanted to become a Healer, she would have needed to be taking several important classes, like Advanced Potions, months ago. It was far too late. And besides, she was fully invested in her Architecture classes. You'd think her parents would be proud that one day she could be making castles and schools as marvelous as Hogwarts.

Fred raised an eyebrow at her, "Another disappointing letter from the Wimsbly's?"

Eleanor nodded her head, "They started out by talking about Terrince's success in Bolivia, working with plants to help medical aid, then moved onto Amber's success at the Ministry-of course not mentioning the fact that there is clearly something more going on with Mr. Crouch and the entire Ministry as a whole-before hitting me with the, 'Why can't you be more invested like your sisters?' 'Why haven't you sent us your 5-page paper on your thoughts about father's Healer's guide he sent you' 'Why haven't you applied for an internship?'. They then subtly reminded me of their disapproval of you and George, before finishing it off with a 'you're going to become a Healer whether you like it or not'. They didn't answer a single one of my questions about Edwin, and they completely ignored the fact that I clearly stated to them I was seeking for internships with a local Wizarding Architecture company this summer." She leaned her elbows against the her knees as Fred and her sat outside (despite the chilly breeze of the day) and placed her cheek in her hand, giving Fred a tired smile, "What did your mother say?"

Fred shrugged, "The usual. 'Fred Weasley! If you attempt to blow up yourself with your Weasley wheezy's or whatever you call them one more time, we will disown you and give your room to the garden gnomes'."

Eleanor laughed, "Well at least they won't be in the garden anymore."

"Yes, because that's the part of the letter we want to focus on. Whether the garden gnomes are comfortable." Fred rolled his eyes.

Eleanor nodded seriously, "People don't seem to care about Garden Gnome basic needs these days."

"No one has ever cared about their basic needs," Fred responded.

"Exactly. It's the perfect time to start. Do you think Hermione would help me on my quest to give garden gnomes more rights?" Eleanor said, pretending to pound her fist on the ground.

Fred's eyes widened, "Please don't!"

Eleanor smirked, "I can see the badges now. 'S.P.G.G.B.N.' Society for the Promotion of Garden Gnome Basic Needs. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think."

Fred rolled his eyes, "What I think is that I need a new girlfriend with less ambitious goals."

"What would be the pleasure in that?" Eleanor responded with a smirk. Fred shrugged his head, "I'm sure I could think of something."

Eleanor shook her head and looked down at her plate. The letter that Fred had been reading caught her eye. She saw her name written in his mother's cursive and a thought occurred to her that she had never thought of before.

"Fred?"

"Yes, my garden gnome loving pebbledrop?" Fred responded with a grin on his face.

Eleanor pulled a face, mouthing the word pebbledrop, and made a mental note to comment on that horrible nickname later then said, "Does your mother approve of me?"

Fred's grin shifted into surprise, "What makes you ask that?"

Eleanor shrugged, "Well, I don't know. We both know that my parents don't approve of you. Does your mother think that I'm not responsible enough? That I'm not stopping you from your pranking, therefore, making me an unfit match for you?"

Fred stared at her for a moment before responding, "My mother worries that you are too far above me, Eleanor Wimsbly. She thinks that I have pulled you down a path that you will one day realize you want no part of. She thinks that you have the potential to break my heart and she has told me that I should consider becoming more responsible, so that I may be more worthy of you." His face was genuine and soft, a look that didn't show up on Fred Weasley very often.

"Do you think that?" Eleanor asked, leaning her head to the side to get a good look at his face. He had turned it to look out at the Quidditch pitch in the distance. He finally turned back to her, "Do you?"

Eleanor was taken aback by this question. The very thought that Fred wasn't good enough for her had never crossed her studied his face, seeing a look of worry hiding behind the ever present twinkle in his eyes. She shook her head quickly and shifted closer to him, "Absolutely not."

Fred sighed, "Good," His grin was back, replacing the vulnerability she had witnessed, "Because I told her that absolutely no one was above me and I was getting rid of you to prove it." He winked at her.

"You wouldn't survive a day without my constant attention," Eleanor scoffed, grabbing some grass and tossing it at his face

Fred shook his head, "That's where your wrong, Ms. Wimsbly,"

Eleanor cocked her head to the side thoughtfully, "Hm, I suppose you're right."

"What?" Fred asked, giving her a victorious grin, "You're saying I'm right?"

Eleanor grinned and nodded, "Mhm. You are right. A day is far to much time. You wouldn't last an hour."

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"Careful."

"I know."

"Careful."

"I am."

...

"Careful!"

"Eleanor! I'm being very careful. And if you say careful one more time, I will jinx you into another dimension that not even Professor Trelawney could reach you at."

Eleanor pulled a face at Marian, but fell silent, and watched, very nervously, as Marian raised her wand a little higher. Eleanor was very anxious to make sure everything was perfect. They had to make sure that everything was exactly where it should be, or the whole thing would fall apart. If even one spell was done incorrectly, she would be ruined.

"Have you seen Lee yet?" Eleanor asked, watching Marian closely. Marian shook her head and her wand shook slightly.

"Watch it!" Eleanor hissed.

Marian shot her a glare, "Don't ask me questions when I'm concentrating!"

Eleanor gave her a guilty smile, "You're right. Thank you again for helping me."

Marian smiled. She could never stay mad at Eleanor for too long, "I was more coerced into doing it, but you're welcome all the same. And last time I saw Lee, he said he was going to go find Angelina and Alicia and fill them in on everything."

Eleanor nodded, "Good."

A few moments of silent passed as they both worked. Marian finally broke the silence, "Eleanor?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to make your head bigger than it already is but, I think this is going to be the best birthday party Fred and George will ever have."

Eleanor smiled, "I hope so."

April 1st was only one day away and Eleanor wanted to make it the greatest birthday the boys had ever had. She had been planning it for weeks by herself, before finally recruiting Marian and Lee to help her when she realized she may be way over her head. Eleanor was going crazy as she tried to prepare everything. Trying to create a birthday party that encapsulated the Weasley twins was like trying to force Fire and Water to work together in harmony. It felt impossible, but Eleanor had determined that what she had come up with would thrill the boys.

Lee walked in the room just then, tossing a couple firesnaps in his mouth. Eleanor immediately pounced on him, "Is everything ready? Did you talk to the house-elves? Did you talk to Angelina and Alicia and Ron and what's her face that went to the Yule Ball with George, and Professor Flitwick, and-"

"Eleanor! You're giving me an aneurysm!" Lee shouted, plugging his ears, "Yes, I spoke with everyone on that 50 foot long list of yours. And yes, I made sure that Peeves understood which rooms to go into and which ones to avoid. Flitwick looked over your notes, again, and said your charms were all correct. I spoke with the Head Boy and Girl and they both said that they can't let you into the common room through the front door, but they wouldn't be able to stop you if you happened to come in through a window somehow, wink wink. The Prefects both said that they wouldn't put you in detention because it's April Fool's day and they know that everything is going to be out of control anyway, but they did look a little unhappy about everything, so we'll need to keep an eye on them. Is there anything else you would like me to do? Talk to the Prime Minister? Invite Moaning Myrtle? Hurl myself off the largest mountain in the world and try to figure out a spell to save myself from death?"

Eleanor shot him a look, "I was about to praise your work until that sass you threw at me."

Lee grinned and Eleanor couldn't stop herself from smiling back, "Well done Lee. This is going to be perfect."

He nodded, "I just don't want to be the one that has to talk to Professor McGonagall when she tries to stop everything."

Eleanor grinned, "Don't worry. I have everything under control."

The next morning, the entire castle seemed to be full of anticipation. Every year on Fred and George's birthday, all hell broke loose from their constant pranks to celebrate their day of birth. However, as they walked into the Grand Hall that morning, Fred and George sat peacefully at the table. They had not planned any pranks for breakfast. In fact, they had not planned any pranks for the entire day. They wanted to see everyone squirm with anticipation, waiting for that moment when everything turned from peace to chaos, only to realize that nothing would come. Fred and George had told Eleanor they felt that would be the greatest prank of all. But Eleanor had other plans for them.

Eleanor sat at the Gryffindor table with them that morning, the gang talking casually about classes and homework, looking as nonchalant as possible. Collin Creevey was sitting farther down the table, staring at them, waiting. Fred and George pretended not to notice. Even Dumbledore seemed to be watching the boys, waiting for the first prank. Eleanor could tell that they were extremely pleased.

"...that's where I disagree with you Angelina. Bacon has, and always will be, better than ham, and I have sixty-two reasons as to why I know I'm correct," George was saying, holding his fork in the air.

He was about to start his list when there was a rumbling sound. He paused, looking over at Fred. Fred was staring at George's plate. George looked down and watched, wide-eyed as his plate rumbled and vibrated against the table. Suddenly, bacon began appearing on the plate.

POP

POP

POP

Within a few seconds, George's plate was entirely covered with bacon. Fred and George both immediately turned to look at Eleanor. She continued to eat the eggs in front of her then, casually, turned to the two boys.

"Hungry George?"

George looked down at this plate again, "Bacon."

His plate began to rumble, and bacon started appearing again. The bacon was falling off of his plate and onto others. Fred grinned and looked down at this own plate, "Eggs."

His plate rumbled and eggs began popping up. He immediately turned his attention back to Eleanor, grinning, "Eggs. EGGS EGGS EGGS."

Suddenly, it felt as if the entire Great Hall was shaking. The room was filled with a deafening rumblings sound, and Eggs and Bacon began spewing out onto every student and professors plate. The food was piling up, filling every table and seeping onto the floor. Fred and George cried out in shock, then stood on their chairs and began chanting, "BACON AND EGGS! BACON AND EGGS!" causing more food to appear all of the room.

Eleanor laughed at the looks on Fred and George's faces as they looked around at the prank that was unfolding before them. They were grinning ear to ear. They were probably happy about the fact that there would be no repercussions for them because they didn't have anything to do with it.

A small pang of worry hit Eleanor and she risked a glance at the staff table. To her relief, most of the teachers didn't look surprised, nor angry. Dumbledore was chuckling as he plucked a chunk of scrambled eggs out of his long, white, beard. Professor McGonagall had her usual stern expression, but she didn't look the least bit surprised that this was happening. Eleanor's favorite reaction was from Professor Flitwick, who could hardly be seen at all amongst the breakfast foods piled up around him. His eyes was all that could be seen and they were wide with shock.

Dumbledore finally calmed everyone down from the food fiasco and once everything was cleared (Filch had practically gone into an angry rage when he saw the mess and Eleanor couldn't help but feel bad that she'd caused him the anger of feeling like he had more work to do, even though the food was cleared by Dumbledore and the other professors with a few spells), Dumbledore sent all the students on their way to their classes. Some students were laughing, while others were shooting glares at the twins and complaining about their stained robes. Everyone seemed to think that the twins had pulled this prank.

Fred, grinning ear to ear as they walked out of the Great Hall, wrapped his arm around Eleanor's shoulder, "Bacon and Eggs."

Eleanor shrugged, "I think the house-elves were trying to do some spring cleaning."

Fred laughed, "Right. So this had nothing to do with you, I suppose."

Eleanor smiled and shook her head, "Oh, absolutely not. And there's absolutely nothing else planned for the rest of this day either."

Fred grinned, "Oh really?"

Eleanor smiled back, "April Fool's."

Someone cried out in surprise from somewhere out of the Great Hall and Fred's grin immediately widened, "April Fool's."

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"I can't believe it!" George cried, rushing down the corridor towards Eleanor and Marian and practically running over Lee, "A prank in every classroom! How did you manage it?!"

Fred was on his tail, his hair looking singed, "I accidentally got in the way of one of the fireworks in Charms!"

Eleanor brushed some soot off his face, "You dirty mess. I can't possibly be seen with you."

At that, Fred grabbed her face in his hands and proceeded to rubs his sooty face all over hers. She giggled and tried to push him away from her, "Gross!"

"This is all your doing, woman!"

"April Fool's! April Fool's!" Eleanor squealed as he smothered her, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a hug that covered her in soot.

"Marian and Lee were part of this too! Punish them!" Eleanor laughed.

Lee shook his head, "Oi, I'm not the bloke's girlfriend, am I?" Marian nodded her head in agreement.

Fred finally released her when they heard a noise down the corridor. Fred and George turned to each other, grins plastered across their face, before turning back to face Eleanor.

"Was that," Fred started.

"What we think it was?" George finished.

Eleanor smiled, "You mean was that the sound of Peeves rushing away from Snape because Lee asked him to distract Snape while we pulled a prank? Yes. Yes it was." She then pulled out two rectangles from her bookbag. Two rectangles that only Fred and George would recognize.

"No," George gasped.

"You're joking," Fred gaped.

Eleanor nodded her head, "I hold in my hand your prototypes for the bubbly wipeouts, which will, when touching a liquid, or as I have planned, every potion in the potions class room, will emit millions of bubbles and possibly fill the entire class in a soapy wonderland."

George shook his head, "Eleanor, you're going to get in so much trouble for this."

Eleanor grinned, "Which is why I have already spoken to Professor Flitwick about Charms that will clear things up very nicely so Filch doesn't have to do much work, and I have a way to pay for the crimes I commit. He, of course, had no clue what I was planning to do with the Charms, but he helped me find the best Charms, and instructed me on how to best perform them. So, yeah, Happy Birthday!"

Lee pumped his fists in the air, "Happy April Fool's!"

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"Alright Lee, let's make this quick," Fred yelled as they raced towards the portrait of the Fat Lady, "Eleanor said she'd meet me at the Architect of Hogwarts statue in a few minutes, and I do not want to miss it."

"Why? What do you think you'll be doing?" George teased. Fred punched his shoulder then cried, "Hopefully a lot of snogging!"

Laughter erupted between the three boys. They practically screamed the password at the Fat Lady, and she made a tsking sound before swinging open. Lee scrambled in first and raced through the common room before the Weasley twins had even entered the room. The moment they stuck their heads in through the opening they realized why.

"SURPRISE!" a cry came from a large group standing before them. In the front, Eleanor stood, grinning wildly.

To say the boys were shocked was an understatement. Their mouths fell open as they looked at the crowd in front of them.

Every single person in the group was wearing something that looked like an outfit Fred or George might wear.

Ron and Harry were wearing striped shirts that looked very similar to a pair of shirts that the twins had. Angelina was wearing a Quidditch uniform with George's number on the back. Alicia was wearing a Quidditch uniform with Fred's. Everyone in the room looked as if they were trying to clone one of the twins.

Eleanor, standing in the very center of everyone, was wearing a large, green, Christmas sweater, with a golden 'F' knitted on the front. She also was sporting a Gryffindor robe, and some red and gold striped socks George had sent to her one year as a joke.

"What the 'spew' is going on here?!" George cried. Hermione pursed her lips, but seemed to let it slide, considering the fact that it was their birthday.

"Oi!" Fred called as the twins crossed the room to the crowd, "What's a Ravenclaw doing here? This is unruly! Where's Percy to enforce the rules when you need him?"

Eleanor smirked, "I came in through the window."

"Did you now? I wonder where you got that idea," Fred grinned and wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in a hug.

Eleanor shrugged within his hug, "Ah, the cleverness of me."

The group had requested a cake from the house-elves, who were more than happy to accommodate anyone who would allow them to do their job (Hermione had to be sent out of the kitchens). They laughed and ate cake, and a few of them gave the boys gifts.

Eleanor knew she couldn't stay in the Gryffindor common room for too long. Though she was enjoying the party immensely, a small part of her was constantly on edge, fearing McGonagall would appear out of nowhere and get her in trouble. Besides that, the Gryffindor prefects kept giving her looks, even if they had technically given her permission to do all of this. Lee was right. They needed to keep their eye on them.

Once the party had seemed to die down a bit, Fred and Eleanor slipped out of the portrait hall, (The Fat Lady looked quite astounded when she saw Eleanor had come out of the portrait) and made their way towards the stairs to Ravenclaw tower. At this point, they probably should have been worried about getting caught by professor's, but they were far too in the moment to think about that.

"So," Eleanor said as they walked down the hall together, their arms wrapped around one another's waists, "Did you have a good day?"

Fred looked down at her and grinned, "It was exceptional. Never had anything like it." He gave her a small squeeze and she smiled, "Good. You have no idea how long it too me to figure out some of those Charms. I'm grateful for Professor Flitwick's help. The poor man probably didn't even realize what all of it was for until today."

Fred chuckled, "You know, there is one thing that I was a little bummed about."

Eleanor looked up at him, "Oh? Did I forget to do something?"

Fred shook his head, "No."

"Then what?" Eleanor racked her brain, trying to think of anything she had done today that would disappoint him.

A devilish grin spread across his face, "We never got a chance to meet at that statue."

Eleanor laughed, "A day full of elaborate pranks, and you're sad that I didn't meet you by the statue?"

Fred nodded, "I was hoping for some alone time with you today." He winked at her.

A blush crept up Eleanor's face. She cast her eyes around at the portraits hanging on the wall, hoping he wouldn't notice. It didn't work. He laughed, and pulled her closer to him, bringing his head down to her ear, "I'm only joking. Today was perfect. Thank you."

Eleanor looked up into his eyes, and in a split second made a decision. She dropped her arm down from his waist and stepped in front of him, "Follow me."

Fred raised a curious eyebrow, but nodded.

Taking his hand she raced down a corridor that certainly did not lead to Ravenclaw tower. Fred glanced back down towards where they should have been heading, but said nothing.

Eleanor assumed that Fred knew where they were going once they went down a few certain corridors. They raced around bends, causing portraits to holler at them for waking them up from their slumber. One portrait claimed that they made him spill his potion he was pouring into a flask.

Eleanor yanked Fred up flights of stairs, only glancing back a few times to grin at the boy who was grinning wildly back at her. Finally, Eleanor skidded to a stop as they reached their destination. She glanced back at Fred, "One of my favorite towers."

Fred nodded, "Yes, I think I vaguely remember you telling me that."

"Of course, it's not the favorite one. I probably have to say that-"

"Ravenclaw tower is your favorite. Yes, I know." Fred finished.

Eleanor, still holding his hand, led Fred through the Astronomy tower, over to the railing, the looked out at all of Hogwarts. She leaned up against, feeling the cold night air. Fred copied her.

"It's a beautiful view," he said, winking at her. Eleanor tried to stop the heat that rushed to her cheeks. Smiling she responded, "It's also very private at this time of night."

Fred grinned, shifting his body towards her, "You don't have a crowd of people about to jump out and yell April Fool's do you?"

Eleanor shook her head, "Absolutely not."

"Good," Fred closed the distance between them, Eleanor reaching up to grab his face as their lips came together. Fred wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. He slowly backed her up against a wall near the railing.

They broke apart, grinning madly. Fred rested his forehead against hers, "Now that's what I call a good birthday present."

Eleanor smirked up at him, "Happy Birthday, Fred Weasley." She shifted her head, and their lips met for what would be a very long time.

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"I think I've finished my paper on Ancient Runes, but I need to go talk to Professor Moody about our Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment," Marian said, closing her ink and putting her quill away, "I'll meet you in the Great Hall for dinner?"

"Sure," Eleanor responded, paying more attention to her paper than her friend. Marian rolled her eyes and packed up her things, flicking Eleanor's head as she walked by. Eleanor didn't even seem to notice. Her Muggle Studies class had gotten a real heavy workload over the past few days, and she still had a few more pages to write. Her nose was practically glued to her book.

She didn't know how long she had been in the library since Marian left. An hour? Maybe two? It was only when she heard someone plop down in the seat next to her that she finally glanced up. She saw red hair out of the corner of her eye, so she was about to make a comment, but realized it was Ron sitting beside her. He looked a little nervous, picking at his school robes and glancing around the library, as if someone would jump out at him at any moment.

"Ron?" Eleanor asked when he said nothing. His eyes darted to her.

"Can I speak to you for a moment?" he whispered. Eleanor furrowed her eyebrows, but nodded, "Of course."

Ron licked his lips and glanced around the library once more, "I'm a little nervous to say anything about this, especially since Fred and George would probably kill me if they knew I was telling you..."

Eleanor closed the book in front of her and leaned closer, "Oookay."

Ron fidgeted again.

"Don't worry Ron, you can tell me."

He nodded his head, "See, the thing is, I'm sure you've noticed Fred and George have been a little strange lately."

"Right." She assumed he meant all the time they had spent with their heads together and what she had recently discovered as some misunderstandings with Ludo Bagman.

Ron nodded, "Well, Harry, Hermione, and I were in the Owlery the other day and suddenly we heard some voices. Two people were arguing. They were talking about how they needed to take action and send a letter to someone. The other person kept saying that if they sent the letter, it would be blackmail. When they came into the room, we realized it was Fred and George."

Eleanor exhaled. She knew something was going on with them and Bagman, but what was this about blackmail?

"They pretended everything was fine, and said they were only joking about the whole blackmail thing, but...I don't know...I got a funny feeling about everything. Especially with all the stuff about Mr. Crouch going around 'cause of his appearance and disappearance and all...I'm just a little worried about them. 'Course, if I say anything to them, they'll hex me all the way to London."

Eleanor nodded her head, trying to process everything Ron had said. Fred said he had everything under control. Blackmailing someone did not sound like control. It sounded like they were trying to twist someone's hand.

She looked back at Ron, "Thank you for telling me Ron."

His face turned a little red when she said this, and she put a hand on his arm, "And don't worry. I can assure you that Fred and George have nothing to do with Mr. Crouch."

Ron's red face deepened, "I wasn't accusing them of anything, mind you-"

Eleanor smiled, "I know. I just wanted to put your mind at ease. And I won't tell them that you told me. I'll get to the bottom of it, don't worry. I'm sure your brothers are fine."

Ron nodded, "Thanks."

"No, thank you for telling me." Eleanor responded.

Ron mumbled a goodbye and quickly took off. Eleanor watched him scramble away, feeling a sense of worry rush over her. She had to trust Fred, but the word blackmail left a sour taste in her mouth.

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"Fred, I need you to be very honest with me."

Fred glanced her way, quill lifted partially in the air, nose so close to his parchment, she wondered how he didn't have ink on his nose yet. He had parchment spread across the table in all directions, and he had that look in his eyes that meant he was thinking. George was sitting across the way, looking very similar to Fred (but that wasn't anything new).

"Alright," Fred responded, slowly setting down his quill, "When's the last time I wasn't?"

"This morning, when you told her that you had everything under control with that spell and-" George reminded him, and Fred tossed a crumbled up piece of paper at his face before he could finish his sentence.

Eleanor pointed her finger at George, agreeing with him. Fred rolled his eyes, "First of all, I did have everything under control. Second, can I just remark on how lovely you look on this fine day."

Eleanor tossed her hair playfully, "Yes, I was waiting for you to say something."

George rolled his eyes and made a groaning noise, making the pair of them laugh.

"But seriously," Eleanor finally said, sitting up straight, "I have something to ask you. Both of you. And I need you to be honest."

Fred's smile faded and he nodded, "I have a feeling I know what you're going to say." He glanced at George and they nodded at each other, some conversation passing between them without them speaking.

"You want to know about Bagman," George said, looking back down at his parchment.

Eleanor nodded, "Last time we talked, you said you had everything under control, and I know you don't want me to get into this, but I just-"

"El," Fred said, placing his hand on top of hers, "Ron told you about the letter we sent, didn't he?"

Eleanor remained silent.

Fred sighed, "Listen, what's done is done and I think-"

"What did you say in the letter?"

Fred paused, "What?"

"What did you say in the letter?" Eleanor repeated, "You didn't write anything that could get you into trouble, did you?"

Fred glanced at George then looked back at Eleanor. He leaned in close, and spoke so quiet, Eleanor wasn't sure she heard most of what he said, "El, the man owes us money. He knows it, we know it. We stated the facts. He refused again. Lee heard his father say that Bagman is in debt. We considered telling the Ministry about his activities, and how he has been scamming others. George felt it wouldn't be a good idea. We didn't end up sending the letter."

Eleanor let go of the breath she didn't know she had been holding, "Blimey Fred, I thought you were going to say you two threatened Bagman."

Fred chuckled, "Not saying that didn't cross our mind."

George nodded his head, "Several times."

"We've decided to drop it until we have more time to strategize everything. Maybe after the tournament is over, we can try talking to him again." Fred said, leaning back in his chair and picking up his quill once more.

Eleanor shook her head, "Good luck with that one. Bagman is a real cheat when it comes to gambling."

Fred smirked, "You may be right about that, but he has one good quality."

"What's that?" Eleanor asked curiously.

Fred winked at her, "He gives incredibly catchy nicknames, Ellie Bellie."

Eleanor rolled her eyes, then, remembering the worried look on Ron's face as he told her this information earlier, she leaned forward, "Fred. I promised Ron that there would be no repercussions of him telling me certain information. I'd appreciate it if you didn't make a liar out of me."

Fred and George looked at each other, then Fred nodded his head, "I wouldn't dream of it."

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Breakfast seemed noisier than usual the morning of the third task. Eleanor stumbled into the hall, having had a restless sleep the night before. Everything with Mr. Crouch turning up and disappearing, Fred and George's dealings with Bagman, her incredibly busy load of homework with end-of-the-year terms starting today, and the fact that several of her dorm mates had colds and were snoring most of the night, had made it incredibly hard to sleep. She was also very nervous for all the students that would be competing in their final task today (especially Harry). She had had a conversation with Cedric the previous day, who had tried to seem as unconcerned as possible, but she could see his nerves. He was ready for this to be over.

She slumped down at the Ravenclaw table next to Sisley, who was sniffing every other minute, and pulled a plate of bacon and eggs towards her.

"Morning sleepyhead," Marian teased.

Eleanor chose to ignore her and focus on putting some nourishment into her body.

The post owls appeared a few moments later, and Eleanor was surprised to see she had quite the bundle this morning. She had two letters from her parents, one from Edwin, and the Daily Prophet was plopped down on top of her plate. She took the bundle of letters from her family and set them to the side, paid the owl for the Daily Prophet, then picked it up scanning the front page. An audible gasp escaped her lips as she read the headline.

HARRY POTTER "DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS"

The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behavior, which casts doubts upon his suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament, or even to attend Hogwarts School.

"That witch!" Eleanor hissed, reading further down into an account about how Harry had passed out in Divination's class. Eleanor knew this part to be true. She had heard about how he had seemed rather berserk and Ron said something about his scar hurting. The Daily Prophet, of course, was making it seem like a horrible excuse to get out of class, rather than a real emergency. Eleanor was about to put the article down with disgust, but something caught her eye that made her stomach sink.

It is possible, say top experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potter's brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion.

"He might even be pretending," said Alcom Wimsbly, well known Healer in at the hospital, "This could be a plea for attention. It is no secret that he is aware of his fame, however, he must feel that he is not getting enough attention, and seeks for ways besides getting himself put in the Triwizard Tournament, to keep the spotlight upon himself. Having the knowledge that I have, having been through serious academic study and training, I do not see how his scar could still have lingering effects on him from You-Know-Who's curse."

Eleanor felt sick. She gazed down the page, scanning for her father's name again. There were some quotes from Draco Malfoy and an anonymous member of the Dark Force Defense League (Eleanor seriously doubted that), but no other from him. She shook her head, unable to believe what she had read. She had always been a very vocal supporter of Harry, and now, here her father was, speaking out against him in front of the entire wizarding community. Everyone at school would be sure to give her a lot for this. She could already hear the sneer and snide remarks from a certain House (her eyes glanced over at the Slytherin table, who were all snickering and Malfoy was shouting something at who she assumed was Harry). She cast her eyes toward the Gryffindor table, where Harry had just taken a copy of the Daily Prophet from Ron.

"Eleanor, you look like steam is about to burst out of your ears," Marian said, raising her eyebrows curiously. Eleanor passed her the paper and pointed to the paragraph with her father's comment. Marian's mouth formed an 'o' as she read the paragraph. She set it down carefully and looked up at her.

"Well," she started.

Eleanor held her hand up, "Please don't."

"Hey Wimsbly," a voice called. To Eleanor's surprise, it wasn't from the Slytherin table, but from her own. She leaned over to look down the table and met Aaron's gaze. He was smirking, which really wasn't a good look for him. He looked awkward, "Does daddy know that you've been supporting a delusional and dangerous competitor?"

"Buzz off, flathead," Marian snapped back. Aaron self-consciously reached up and touched his hair that was plastered to his head. Luna Lovegood, who was sitting next to him, burst out into loud laughter, looking up at Aaron's head and nodding in agreement.

Eleanor then remembered the two letters from her parents, and the heat rising to her cheeks. They were probably trying to explain themselves. Some stupid excuse about how her father had no choice but to say what he said. Think of our image, her mother would probably say. Eleanor ripped open her father's letter first, scanned it, saw exactly what she expected to see, and crumpled it up. She then ripped open her mother's, saw exactly what she had expected to see (try to imagine the position your father has been in for months) and crumpled that one up too.

She spent the rest of her breakfast ignoring Aaron, who had tried to say something else, only to this time get a glare from Helminia, and eventually gave up, mumbling that she was going to put in some last minute studying before their end-of-the-term exams.

Fred met up with her and the doors of the Great Hall.

"Hey. You look exceptionally pleasant this morning, my endearing, flying wombat," Fred teased. Eleanor shot him a look and the grin fell off his face, "Oi, I was only joking. Is someone a little nervous about her exams? You have nothing to worry about. You've been studying so much that I have barely gotten so much as a hello from you in the past few weeks. I was almost under the impression that we had broken up, you were avoiding me so much." He grinned to show her he was teasing, but she couldn't smile.

Fred frowned, "Hey, what's up?"

Eleanor exhaled loudly, "Did you not read the Daily Prophet?"

Fred nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I did. Don't worry about it El. Harry's fine. I just saw him a few moments ago and he was shrugging off the article."

Eleanor sighed, "It's not just that. It's just...my father has always allowed his opinion to be swayed by the public. He'll say whatever he thinks the public would love the most. He and my mother have been especially bad ever since everything with Edwin happened. They have no morals. It drives me insane. How did I come from people like that?"

Fred shook his head, "Eleanor, it's just a stupid article."

"It's my father, Fred. I don't care about Rita Skeeter. She's a gossip-spitting troll with no sense of any dignity. Unfortunately my parents seem to be the same."

Fred made a face, "Don't you think you are overreacting a little bit?"

Eleanor sighed, "It's embarrassing for me Fred. And I'm sick of them. You don't know what it's like to live in a family where every day is another battle of what's right and wrong. Every day is another argument, another debate, another disappointment. I've never been able to please them and they've always let me down."

Fred stared at her for a moment, "I don't know what it's like? El, have you met my mum? She's never approved of anything George and I have done. Living with her is like a never ending battle. But I love her. She's my mum."

"It's not the same. No matter what happens, you know your mum loves you. I can't even remember the last time my mother said those words to me." Eleanor said, looking down at the ground.

Fred placed his hands on her arms, "Eleanor, every family has problems. Don't worry about this right now. We've more than enough things to stress about than worrying about our family problems at the moment. Let's go destroy these exams, yeah?"

Eleanor gave him a small smile, "You're right. I'm sorry."

Fred smiled back at her, "Don't be sorry. Just smile and tell me I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you."

Thank you so much everyone for reading! Sorry that this chapter isn't as exciting as other ones, but I needed to move the story along and show more relationship building with our happy couple. Feel free to give me some feedback!