I apologize for the slight delay. I should be sticking to my updating schedule more regularly for the next couple of weeks.
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Note: the tab key on my computer isn't working, so the indents are going to be a little off this chapter.
I'll be quiet now and let you read the chapter!
Chapter 11: Fred
The only somewhat good thing that came of our visit to St. Mungo's was that I got an extra day to work on my Potions essay. I'd 'accidentally' left it until the last minute again. That's not a surprise or anything. I pride myself on my ability to leave things (especially schoolwork) until the last minute.
The next day, Lily, Hugo, and Molly arrived at the castle. They looked completely shell shocked as they stood in the doorway to the Great Hall. Their eyes were trying to take everything in as they clutched small bags filled with clothes and their most prized possessions. Hard to believe, I know, but I knew the feeling.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" I said jovially, flinging my arms wide open. "To your left and right, you see the house tables, and directly ahead of you is the staff table."
"This place is even cooler than King's Cross!" Hugo exclaimed.
"Are those candles really floating from the ceiling?" Lily asked.
"Of course not!" Molly cried bossily. "I can tell you how it works, if you like. Roxanne told me all about it over Christmas."
"Now Molly, let's not spoil the magic." James whispered conspiratorially. We all burst out laughing before trooping upstairs to the Gryffindor common room.
We'd drawn straws: Hugo would share a dormitory with James and me while Lily and Molly shared with Rose and Roxanne. Hugo basically flung his suitcase down on the bed prepared for him and demanded to explore further. "Will you show me the lake?"
I glanced at James. "How much time do we have before the next period?"
He shrugged. "Enough. Come on, Hugo. Let's go."
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The temperature had reached the mid forties-almost unheard of this early in January. A few brave souls were even swimming in the lake.
"Aren't they cold?" Hugo whispered, shivering inside his winter coat.
"Probably." I replied.
"Then why are they doing it?"
"To save face. I wonder who dared them to do that?" James mused.
"Jared Finnegan. Who else?" I said. Jared was in the year above us. He was known for his love of gambling anything and everything.
"Good point. Oh no. Here he comes now…."
It was too late to hide. Jared had already come up to us, his pockets clinking with knuts and sickles. His two cronies, Pierce and Warren, flanked him on either side. "Enjoying the weather?" he asked.
"Yeah. We're just showing Hugo here the lake." James explained.
"I see. Nice day for a swim, eh Weasley?" Jared was smiling at me in a not-so-nice way.
"I would, but I have to get to class."
"Class can wait. Come on, Fred. I'll even give you thirty Sickles."
Like I had a choice. "Fine." I shrugged out of my jacket and handed it to James. "Hold this, will you?" I took a few quick steps to the water's edge.
"What's the matter? Scared?" Jared taunted.
"Of course not!" I closed my eyes and jumped in. It'll be just like falling into a hot tub…
Um, not quite.
The water was freezing cold. It felt like I was being stabbed with thousands of tiny knives. I drew in a deep breath and took in a mouthful of water, my chest contracting unpleasantly. It seemed to take eons for me to reach the surface of the water, though it had to only be a few seconds. I was farther out from shore than I'd meant to go, having floated out on the current. Dimly, I could see my friends on the bank-not just Jared, Pierce, Warren, Hugo, and James, but the rest of my cousins, Lysander, Lorcan, and Teddy as well. Lysander was waving at me furiously and gesturing for me to come back to shore. I groaned and began to swim.
By the time I reached the beach, I was so cold I could hardly walk. Lorcan and Teddy more or less pulled me to shore.
"Not bad, Weasley. Not bad." Jared said as he pressed a few coins into my hand. "Not as good as Donnie Corner, though. He was under for twenty seconds! Of course, that was before we realized that he had gone into shock due to the cold. Oh, I say, there he is now!" He waved to someone over my shoulder and ran off. You can't say he's not an honorable gambler.
"So….cold…" I muttered.
"Honestly, Fred," Lorcan said, throwing a blanket over my shoulders.
"You should have told us if you were going to do something dumb like that. We'd have-" Lysander began.
"Done it with you."
"You poor thing!" Vic said, examining me like a worried mother hen. "Are you all right?"
I nodded, though my teeth were rattling around in their sockets.
She didn't look convinced. "Dom, why don't you take him to the hospital wing since you have a free period?"
"Sure! Let's go." Dom took my arm and led me up the path to the castle.
"Hey, Fred!" Hugo called after us. "That was wicked cool!"
"I'm…glad…someone…thinks…so." I muttered.
The next day happened to be a Saturday. Saturdays are my favorite days of the week, mostly because they can be used for so many different things: doing homework (which I occasionally do), studying for tests (almost never) and pranks (all the time!). I pulled a really good prank on Scorpius Malfoy early in the morning-I replaced his shampoo with hair gel. You'd think he'd stuck his finger into an electrical outlet. Boy, was he mad!
That left the rest of the day free. The common room was filled to bursting, and I wanted to get out as soon as possible. There wasn't even room to play a decent game of Exploding Snap or Wizard's Chess. Then, I happened to glance out the window, at the new blanket of powder snow that had fallen overnight. "James, I just got the most wonderful idea."
His grin was identical to my own. "Does it involve snow?"
"Lots and lots and lots of it. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Are you thinking…"
"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" we yelled at the same time.
Twenty minutes later, we'd convinced the cousins to join us in the back courtyard. We also roped in the twins, who were just as bored as we were.
We divided into three teams: Teddy, Roxanne, Albus, and Molly vs. Lily, Rose, Lorcan, and me vs. Lysander, Dom, Hugo and James. Vic agreed to be the mediator, which was very nice of her to do. Every good snowball fight needs a mediator.
James and I marked boundaries on either side of the courtyard. "You'll have ten seconds to pack as many snowballs as you can. Once Vic gives the signal, you can start. Last person standing wins-no cheating, please. If you fall, you fall." Lysander explained.
The ten seconds were a confused rush of snowball building and hiding. Lorcan, who's extremely crafty, built a small hollow near our snowballs at the foot of a hollow tree. It was a really ingenious hiding place. You wouldn't know what it was until you were almost on top of it. Then, Vic yelled "GO!" and everything dissolved into white, snowy chaos.
I scored a good face shot on Lysander, but one of James's projectiles grazed the back of my jacket. Determined for revenge, I expertly tripped him and sent him sprawling to the ground. He laughed good naturedly, easily taking the joke. Molly got Lily good in the back while Teddy rubbed snow into Roxanne's hair. Hugo and Rose were locked into a fierce battle of sibling versus sibling.
I wished the school year could just be one long snowball fight.
Scorpius watched us from behind a nearby tree for almost an hour. I didn't bother to ask him to join us, and neither did anyone else. I think Rose was going to, but then Dom hit her with a well placed snowball to the arm and she got distracted.
In the end, I didn't win, though I was one of the last ones standing. Dom narrowly beat out Lorcan using an amazing foot movement that I doubt I'll ever see used again-it was sheer perfection.
Two hours later, we sprawled out in the snow. All of us were soaked and chilled to the bone, exhausted, and completely elated. Even Teddy, who spent every free minute studying for his O.W.L.s didn't complain about not being bent over a book. We were all laughing and talking over each other to make ourselves heard. I ended up near James and the twins, so of course our conversation turned to pranks.
Of course, when that happens-especially if all four of us are involved-Hogwarts would do well to watch out.
On Monday, a dungbomb detonated 'accidentally' in a bathroom on the first floor. It scared the living daylights out of a lot of first years, including Albus. James laughed until he cried. I have to admit, the look on Albus's face was a little funny. Not as funny as when Scorpius came tearing out of the bathroom waving his arms and screaming like death itself was on his heels.
Two days later, several students found themselves with trick wands from Dad's shop.
We were pranking like never before. If it had been a normal year, we would have been caught long ago. We're very good, obviously, but not that good. However, the circumstances-including the fact that Lucy was still in a coma-might have let us get away with a few things.
On Friday night, my co-conspirators and I were gathered around a table in the Gryffindor common room, planning more mayhem for the following week.
"Listen, I heard that Professor Sinistra is going to be out of town for a few days. Use that to your advantage." Lysander whispered.
"Substitutes are always the best…" Lorcan intoned.
Between us, James and I had already filled the front and back of a sheet of paper with ideas. "Gentlemen, pick your favorites."
Just then, Scorpius stood up on a nearby table so he could be seen and heard over the din. He was shaking with anger. "If you don't stop pranking, people could get in trouble. They might even get hurt."
"Like your dad, the bouncing ferret?" James called.
The common room filled with laughter. Scorpius climbed down, looking sheepish-and furious.
"The nerve of some children-"Lysander began airily.
"Is just unbelievable." Lorcan finished.
That made us laugh even harder.
"Really, what does he know anyway? He's a Malfoy." I said. "But listen, he's really annoying me. I say we prank him again-the Prank to End all Pranks. Who's with me?"
The other boys raised their hands in a show of unanimous support.
"Good."
We planned for another hour. After that, we split up and went to our dormitory, shared between the four of us. Hugo was already asleep.
"I have a feeling this will be really fun." James said.
"Yeah. I'm with you on that one, buddy." I fell asleep with my mind full of plans.
I was extremely sick of being woken up in the middle of the night, but tonight was no exception. James shook me awake and I jumped to my feet instinctively, disoriented and confused in the dark. "What's the deal, mate?" I complained.
He looked worried. Hugo, standing just behind him, looked terrified. That's when I knew that something awful had happened. "Rose is in a coma!" he finally said.
Next chapter: Scorpius's Confrontation