As soon as everyone had eaten and the students began to rise from their tables and scatter off in various directions pouring out of the great hall Ron and Hermione left in a hurry because they had some business to tend to as new prefects. Samantha lingered at the table slightly longer, just watching her sister across the room. Twenty minutes had passed by the time Samantha finally felt it was time to go see her new living arrangements. She stood and began to stroll towards the door; Harry and Fred both watched her get up and Fred patted Harry on the shoulder, winked and immediately followed her. Harry gave him a perplexed look and decided it best to stay with George so he could look occupied while he spied on his other sister and his archenemy. They hung behind with Lee Jordan, one of the twins' best friends, and two girls from the Gryffindor Quidditch team. As Samantha reached the large doorway she turned and took one last glance. Alexis was still sitting with that boy, now they were having a laugh about something. She didn't look like she intended to leave any time soon so Samantha exhaled heavily and stalked off without a word.
"Oi! Wait up now, you don't even know where you're going!" Fred announced, dashing to catch up to her and turning her to face the right direction. "You want that staircase. Come on!"
Samantha looked at him in defeat and folded her arms over her chest as he led her into this strange room. Stairs went up as high as the eye could see. Constantly moving, always changing. He could tell by her expression that she was completely baffled by this and he laughed as she exclaimed, "I'm never going to find anything in this place."
He stepped in front of her blocking her path looking offended; he clasped a hand over his heart. "Have you forgotten who you're with right now?" He smirked and extended his hand to her, "Pleasure!" He said, "I'm Fred Weasley!"
She laughed at this and gripped his hand tightly. "Pleasure is all mine!"
Seeing this as the perfect excuse, still holding her hand he twirled her around and then pulled her into him, slamming hard against his body he swept her unexpectedly into a dip.
She squealed as without warning she was spinning and then plummeting straight for the ground, stopping less than a foot away, held up by his strong arms. She blushed furiously as she looked up at him, his shaggy red hair falling delicately around his perfect face. He was only inches away now and all she could think to do was laugh at him.
He pulled her back up and she looked at him, still laughing.
"What?" he asked with concern.
She raised an eyebrow at him, "Who DOES that?" she asked.
A slight rosy tint flushed his normally pale face. "I suppose I do. Not normally though, I must admit that was a first!"
She smiled; at this point she had all but forgotten the woes of the evening she was so thoroughly taken by her companion. "Don't worry, I think I liked it."
He grinned after she said that. "Well then!" he said, taking her arm and wrapping it around his as he had done back at 12 Grimmauld place, "Where to? I could show you to the common room, boring, you'll have the entire year to stare at that room. Unless of course you're up for something a little more…exciting?"
"Exciting?" she asked, jerking her arm to pull him closer. "Like what?"
A
devilish grin appeared on his face as he turned sharply and led her
down a flight of stairs that had just come into place on the landing
beside them. He led her down further and further until he suddenly
ducked through a doorway and they were standing in a dark hallway
lined with suits of armor, clanging about as they looked around.
Samantha was alarmed and tried to retreat but Fred held onto her
arm tightly.
"Trust me!" he said.
He led her past all of the suits of armor and around a corner where there stood a life-size sculpture of some long deceased witch. Letting go of her arm he approached the statue and knocked on it's left elbow three times. Suddenly the statue gave a rumble and slid aside into the wall.
He looked back at Samantha, "Come on!" he said.
Without question she reached out and took his hand, following him into the new doorway.
On the other side there was a brilliant room, well decorated with large armchairs and smooth oak tables. Bookshelves lined the walls and all sorts of semi dangerous looking contraptions were strewn about in disarray. A large window looked out on the quidditch pitch and the moon could be seen, full in the sky.
She gasped as she looked around. "What is this place?"
"Don't know really. George and I stumbled upon this in our first year. Ever since it's just sort of been our haven. We come here with Lee and talk quidditch, we, OH we invent things!" he beamed at her as if he'd just remembered. He ran into the corner and lifted a large box that read "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes" across the top.
She
approached him with interest as he put the box onto one of the tables
and opened it. It sprung open into all of these different levels with
different compartments. He lifted a candy to show her.
"If you
ever want to get out of class, just pop one of these babies in your
mouth and you'll be depositing your lunch all over your desk." He
winked.
Samantha's eyes widened and she took the candy, shoving it into her pocket. "Never know when that might come in handy. What else have you got?"
"Loads of stuff really, fake wands, canary creams, headless hats…" he went on, startled as Samantha reached into the box and picked up a small bundle of things in brilliantly colored paper.
"No, no no! Not that!" he said taking it from her hands. "That'll be real special soon, but it isn't ready yet!"
"Oh!" she shrugged, turning her attention to the window.
"So that's the quidditch pitch?" she asked as she walked over and looked out onto the castle grounds.
Fred
grinned at her back and then promptly joined her where she stood,
looking out.
"Yeah, it is. That's the best part of this room
if I do say so myself. I've missed that pitch." He said fondly.
"You'll have to come to the games! Harry, George and I, we all
play for Gryffindor."
She looked over; admiring him as he absentmindedly studied the pitch outside, perhaps replaying memories of games past. He was truly divine in a really understated way. She had heard back at 12 Grimmauld Place the lot of boys talking and Fred mentioning that he held the position of beater on the school team and now she could really see it in his arms. She could feel it when he was holding her up before. She quickly averted her eyes, as he must have sensed her gaze and he turned to look at her.
"It's a full moon." She said, changing the subject. "I wonder where Remus is?"
Fred slid closer so his arm was touching hers so lightly it almost tickled.
"I'm sure he's alright." He said. "Everything is going to be alright here too, you know?"
She nodded slowly.
"I know you're probably scared." He said, "I would have been terrified if they shoved George in a random house full of slimey little gits."
He
noticed her expression change and realized that maybe that wasn't
the best thing to have said, so he quickly tried to remedy it.
"You
know what though? She'll be fine. It's not like she's a world
away and if ever you want to see her…I'm sure I know some sort of
secret passage to get you there."
She turned and without warning she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his robes. He inhaled the smell of her hair as he hugged her back. "It will be fine." He said again, rubbing her back gently.
She pulled back and looked up at him. "I know." She said.
He fell silent just gazing at her for a moment and then reached out, brushing the hair from her intensely green eyes.
"Come on!" he said. "I'll take you back up to the common room, it's getting late. I'll show you a few more secrets tomorrow."