Chapter Twenty: The Quidditch Cup Final
"Ah, yes, Mr. Weasley and...Mr. Weasley," said the desk clerk. "Twins. How nice. And how will you be paying for your rooms?"
"Cash," Fred said promptly, and he shoved a neatly stacked pile of Galleons and Sickles at the clerk.
"Of course," said the clerk, giving them a look somewhere between a smile and a smirk. "If you'll just excuse me for a moment while I fetch your room keys."
The clerk turned on his heel and abandoned the front desk, disappearing through a door behind it.
"I was mad to let you talk me into this," said George through gritted teeth.
"I didn't talk you into anything, you tosser," said Fred. "You volunteered to come, remember? And quite enthusiastically, I might add."
"That was before I knew we were going to freeze our bollocks off flying here and before you spent nearly every Galleon of the weeks profits on this little adventure," said George. "Two luxury suites in the nicest inn in Hogsmeade AND an Invisibility Cloak, and I'm not even going to ask where you found that."
"You can find lots of good shit in Knockturn Alley," said Fred quickly, and he smiled brightly as the clerk reappeared.
"Here you are," said the clerk, holding out two large brass keys. "Rooms 411 and 412. Would you like to put your brooms in storage?"
"No, thanks," said Fred quickly, shoving the second brass key in George's hand. The twins nodded at the clerk, picked up their brooms and overnight bags, and made for the stairs.
"I can't believe you bought an Invisibility Cloak in Knockturn Alley," George huffed as they climbed the stairs. "You probably got completely ripped off."
"Most definitely," said Fred, trying not to remember the actual physical pain of handing over all those Galleons to the very shady looking character he'd bought the robe from.
"All I have to say is Alicia had better be damn happy to see me," said George.
"I'm sure she'll rip your clothes off the minute she lays eyes on you," said Fred, rolling his eyes and he opened the door to his room.
The suite was called a luxury suite for a reason. It wasn't especially large, but it was elegantly appointed, with rich drapes and plush carpet and a very large bed in the center of it all. To the left was a small dining table that doubled as a desk. A chest of drawers was flush with the back wall, next to a small door leading into the bathroom.
"Nice," said Fred, grinning widely. George started to come in and Fred shoved him back. "Get your own room," he said.
George snorted and opened the door to his room and went inside; Fred heard a low whistle in the next room.
Fred chuckled to himself and tossed his overnight bag carelessly onto a chair, opened it to check again for the letters he'd written, then checked his watch.
"Oi, Twin!" he called. "Match starts in fifteen minutes."
"Right," said George, and he reappeared in the open doorway of Fred's room, broomstick in hand.
"Got the Omnioculars?" said Fred.
"I've got them," said George.
"So we're clear on the plan, then?" said Fred.
"Christ, 'The Plan,'" said George, shaking his head. "Brilliant plan. We watch the match from our brooms at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Then after the match we fly down, put on that bloody cloak and grab our girls and come back to the hotel. Is that the gist of it?"
"That's it," said Fred, clapping his twin on the back.
"And remind me again that we're NOT going to get caught," said George.
"We're not going to get caught," said Fred, with a confidence he didn't really feel.
It was mad. The whole bloody plan was mad. If they were caught on school grounds they'd be arrested and thrown into Azkaban. Or worse, thrown in a dungeon in the school somewhere to await Umbridge's tortures. If Angelina and Alicia were caught, they'd be expelled. And then Angelina's father WOULD come after Fred and kill him.
"Let's go before I lose my damn nerve," said George.
"Right," said Fred, and the two of them headed back down to the lobby with brooms in hand, waved cheerfully to the desk clerk, and exited The Boddington Inn.
Fred wasted no time in mounting his broom. George did as well, but winced audibly.
"What?" said Fred impatiently.
"My damn balls are killing me, okay?" said George irritably. "A man's not meant to sit on a broom for eight hours at a time. Don't yours hurt? Bloody hell, we've already flown a million miles as it is. How'm I supposed to shag my girlfriend if I'm numb in the crotch?"
"I'm sure you'll manage," said Fred, ignoring the tenderness in his own privates as he kicked off from the ground.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bloody hell!" George hissed. Shouts went up in the Quidditch stands. Shouts and very audible groans.
"What? What?" said Fred anxiously. "Give me those." He grabbed for the Omnioculars.
"Dammit, Fred, I'm not done with them," said George, snatching them away.
"You've had them for two minutes," said Fred. "What the fuck is going on in the match?"
"Fine, take them," said George, shoving the Omnioculars roughly into Fred's outstretched hand. "And if you want to know what just happened, Ron blew his first save."
"Oh, goodie," said Fred, rolling his eyes. "What the hell is his problem, anyway? First prefect and now he can't play Quidditch worth a damn."
"He's turning into Percy, I'm telling you," said George sadly.
Fred was squinting through the Omnioculars now, trying to follow the action.
"Damn," said Fred. "Ginny's really good. Hey! There's Angelina!"
Fred watched happily as Angelina executed a perfect Sloth Grip Roll, dodging a Bludger, and hurled the Quaffle neatly past the Ravenclaw keeper.
"Ha!" said Fred.
"Gimme," said George, grabbing the Omnioculars.
"Angie scored," said Fred proudly. George was staring through the Omnioculars again.
"Shit," he said.
"What?" said Fred.
"Ravenclaw's going for goal," said George grimly. "I don't know if I can stand to--BLOODY HELL!"
Raucous cheers went up from the crowd."
"What? WHAT?!" Fred yelled.
"Ron saved it!" said George, pulling the Omnioculars from his face. "I can't believe he saved it!"
"Lemme see," said Fred, grabbing the Omnioculars again. He stared through them intently.
"Alicia scored," he announced.
"Damn, I wanted to see that!" said George, grabbing for the Omnioculars.
"Not yet," said Fred, dodging George's reach, "Ravenclaw's going for goal again, I want to see what Ron does..."
Fred gasped when a Ravenclaw Chaser feinted, then swerved right and hurled the Quaffle toward the hoop. He nearly dropped the Omnioculars when Ron jerked hard to the right and caught the Quaffle neatly in one large hand.
"Ha ha, good one, Ron!" Fred shouted, so loudly that a flock of birds were disturbed in a nearby tree and shot into the air.
"Shut up or you'll give us away," said George, snatching the Omnioculars back.
"Nobody can hear us," said Fred, but he looked round and down at the pitch and the grounds all the same. Something caught his eye.
"Wait a minute," he said.
"What?" said George absently, still peering through the Omnioculars. "Oh, look," he added. "Kirke actually managed to send a Bludger in the right direction."
"Down there," said Fred, poking George in the arm and pointing to the grounds below.
"What?" George aimed the Omnioculars down at the three figures who were walking in a very determined path toward the Forbidden Forest.
Even without the Omnioculars, it was obvious who was leading the way.
"That's Hagrid," said Fred. "What's he up to?"
"Blimey," said George. "That's Harry and Hermione."
More cheers went up from the stands. George jerked the Omnioculars up.
"Ron saved another one," said George in wonder. "Why didn't he do that in the other matches he played? Holy Merlin, and ANOTHER one! Did he put some kind of charm on himself?"
"What the hell are Harry and Hermione doing going into the forest with Hagrid?" said Fred, his eyes and mind drawn away from the match to the progress of the three people below.
"Who cares?" said George. More cheers. "Gryffindor scored again. Katie got that one."
"Lemme see," said Fred eagerly, immediately forgetting all about Harry and Hermione. George relinquished the Omnioculars.
The match went on for well over an hour more. Fred was beginning to fill distinctly numb in his nether regions; at this rate he'd be lucky to get it up at all when he finally got Angelina alone. But the thrill of watching the match--of watching Gryffindor finally play well--made the numbness down there a bit more manageable.
"Ron's really good," said George, shaking his head. "I guess we can't say he's turning into Percy, can we?"
"Another one!" Fred cried, watching as Ron smacked the Quaffle away with the end of his Cleansweep.
"My turn," said George, holding out his hand for the Omnioculars as he shifted on his broom and winced. "Bloody balls are going to be numb for a week."
"Here," said Fred, handing them over and shifting himself, hoping to bring some much-needed circulation back to his privates.
George watched in silence for a moment and then gasped.
"Shit, Fred! Ginny's seen the Snitch, she's going for it! It was right under Chang's nose!"
"Gimme those!" Fred yelped. He tried to grab the Omnioculars from George.
"Dammit, Fred," said George. "Just...you look through that lens, and I'll look through this one, okay?"
"Fine," said Fred tightly, and he pulled his broomstick right next to George's and leaned in close, so quickly that the twins smacked skulls.
"OW!" they said together.
"Dammit," said Fred, and he managed to get his left eye into position and stared through the lens. Cheers were shaking the air now and Fred felt George grip his arm.
"Jesus, she's really going for it," said George nervously. Ginny was in the midst of a frightening dive, putting on incredible speed, considering the junky school broom she was using.
"Holy--"
In the next instant Ginny swerved, rolled, and her fingers closed on the Golden Snitch.
"SHIT!" Fred and George yelled together, knocking heads again. They didn't notice as they began to laugh out loud.
"That's our little sister!" said George.
"They won the Cup!" Fred yelled, not caring who heard him now, as if anyone could. The stands of the Quidditch stadium were screaming and shaking and vibrating, and in the distance Fred and George heard people singing.
"What's that they're singing?" said George.
"Sounds like...no way," said Fred, and he grinned. "'Weasley is Our King,' the Victory Version."
"Heh, cool," said George. "I guess Ron's not so lame after all."
"Hey," said Fred, looking down again. "They're coming out now."
And indeed the grounds became flooded with Gryffindors, who were trooping en masse back to the castle and bearing Ron up over their shoulders; he held the gleaming Quidditch cup in his hands.
"Look," said Fred, pointing. "Harry and Hermione are back."
"They missed the whole match?" said George, shaking his head.
"Ron'll be pissed off," said Fred.
In the next instant the Gryffindors started indoors, still carrying Ron; he was being lifted so high and he was so tall that his head banged on the threshold of the front doors.
"Ouch," said Fred and George together.
"That'll leave a mark," said George. But Ron didn't seem to care; either he was too thrilled to have won or the bump on the head had knocked him senseless.
"Where are the girls?" said Fred; George had the Omnioculars and he gazed into them, looking around carefully.
"I don't see them...wait!" said George. "I see Alicia and...there's Angelina. Ooh."
"What?" said Fred, as George began to chuckle.
"Just our luck, bro," said George, lowering the Omnioculars and grinning wickedly. "They're headed for the showers."
"Excellent," said Fred. "Let's go join them, shall we?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure this damn thing will work?" George whispered, as Fred yanked the Invisibility Cloak from inside his robes and swirled it round the both of them.
"I checked it before I bought it," said Fred defensively. "There, see?" Indeed, their bodies seemed to disappear until they were just two heads seemingly floating in mid-air.
"This thing stinks," said George, screwing up his face in disgust. "Smells like...I dunno what it smells like but I don't want to think about it."
"I didn't have time to wash it," said Fred. "Just suck it up, okay?"
"This is excellent," said George. "I always wanted to sneak into the girls' showers. I can't believe I didn't sneak in when we were on the team."
"Yeah, well, just don't go looking at Angie," said Fred sternly. "I'm the one with naked rights to Angie; that means no looking from you."
"I wasn't going to," said George. "And you don't get to check out Alicia."
"I won't," said Fred.
"We are in such deep shite if we're caught, you do realize," said George, as Fred flipped the cloak over their heads.
"I'm trying not to think about it," said Fred.
They crept slowly toward the Gryffindor tent; the flaps of the tent were billowing in the warm spring breeze, and the sun was setting in the distance.
Just then the front flap swung open and Alicia came sweeping out of the tent.
"Shit," said George.
"Well, call to her," Fred hissed. "We can't go into the bloody castle!"
"Alicia!" George said, in a loud whisper.
Alicia stopped and whirled around, her wand out.
"Who's there?" she snapped, looking fierce.
"'Liss, it's me!" said George, in a louder voice. "George!"
Alicia's face went white. "George?" She looked terrified. "Where are you?"
"Over here," George called, not taking the cloak off his head. "To your left."
Alicia looked to her left; her eyes moved over them without seeing the twins and she swallowed.
"George?"
George lifted the cloak from his head, and in so doing, exposed Fred's head as well.
Alicia yelped.
"Shh!" George hissed, and he threw the cloak back over his head. "Go into the tent, 'Liss. We'll explain there."
Alicia, whose mouth was open and whose eyes were wide as saucers, merely nodded and headed toward the tent. George and Fred followed.
Once inside, Fred yanked the cloak off the both of them.
"Thank god," said George. "The smell of that thing was killing me."
"George!" Alicia hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you, too, 'Liss," said George.
"Are you mad?" she went on. "If you're caught you'll get--"
"Arrested and thrown into Azkaban," said George. "You know, Alicia, you could be at least a LITTLE happy that your boyfriend is risking imprisonment to see you."
He gave her one of his charming smiles and Fred saw her melt right there.
"Georgie," she said, her eyes filling with tears.
"Christ," Fred muttered, looking away as George pulled Alicia into a tight embrace and kissed her mouth.
Fred stood there for several seconds while George and Alicia sucked at each other's faces before clearing his throat.
"Excuse me," he said. "Not that I don't LOVE watching you two snog each other stupid and all, but I'm looking for Angie."
"In the showers," said Alicia, as George began to attack her neck with his lips.
"Right," said Fred, his feet already moving in the direction of the girls' showers, hoping to find Angelina in some state of undress there.
"Keep the cloak," he called to George, but George was busy with Alicia and Fred got the distinct impression the two of them didn't hear him.
Not that Fred cared. He slipped into the girls showers to find the room full of steam and fragrant mist. He blinked and took a tentative step forward, then another. The hiss of water spraying came to his ears, and slowly his eyes came into focus.
She was standing in a stall, under one of the shower heads, the curtain drawn, but she was so tall that she was visible from the shoulders up. Her eyes were closed as the water rained down over her head; her hair was no longer in braids but fell loose to her shoulders. Water streamed over her face and her full lips, over her shoulders, shoulders that Fred was dying to kiss. He smiled and took a few more steps into the locker room itself, feeling--to his immense relief--some rather noticeable stirrings below his belt. Angelina turned in the shower to face the wall, letting the water stream over her head and down her back.
Fred couldn't stand it anymore. His hands were on fire. He took another step forward and cleared his throat.
"Is there room in there for two?"
"Ah, yes, Mr. Weasley and...Mr. Weasley," said the desk clerk. "Twins. How nice. And how will you be paying for your rooms?"
"Cash," Fred said promptly, and he shoved a neatly stacked pile of Galleons and Sickles at the clerk.
"Of course," said the clerk, giving them a look somewhere between a smile and a smirk. "If you'll just excuse me for a moment while I fetch your room keys."
The clerk turned on his heel and abandoned the front desk, disappearing through a door behind it.
"I was mad to let you talk me into this," said George through gritted teeth.
"I didn't talk you into anything, you tosser," said Fred. "You volunteered to come, remember? And quite enthusiastically, I might add."
"That was before I knew we were going to freeze our bollocks off flying here and before you spent nearly every Galleon of the weeks profits on this little adventure," said George. "Two luxury suites in the nicest inn in Hogsmeade AND an Invisibility Cloak, and I'm not even going to ask where you found that."
"You can find lots of good shit in Knockturn Alley," said Fred quickly, and he smiled brightly as the clerk reappeared.
"Here you are," said the clerk, holding out two large brass keys. "Rooms 411 and 412. Would you like to put your brooms in storage?"
"No, thanks," said Fred quickly, shoving the second brass key in George's hand. The twins nodded at the clerk, picked up their brooms and overnight bags, and made for the stairs.
"I can't believe you bought an Invisibility Cloak in Knockturn Alley," George huffed as they climbed the stairs. "You probably got completely ripped off."
"Most definitely," said Fred, trying not to remember the actual physical pain of handing over all those Galleons to the very shady looking character he'd bought the robe from.
"All I have to say is Alicia had better be damn happy to see me," said George.
"I'm sure she'll rip your clothes off the minute she lays eyes on you," said Fred, rolling his eyes and he opened the door to his room.
The suite was called a luxury suite for a reason. It wasn't especially large, but it was elegantly appointed, with rich drapes and plush carpet and a very large bed in the center of it all. To the left was a small dining table that doubled as a desk. A chest of drawers was flush with the back wall, next to a small door leading into the bathroom.
"Nice," said Fred, grinning widely. George started to come in and Fred shoved him back. "Get your own room," he said.
George snorted and opened the door to his room and went inside; Fred heard a low whistle in the next room.
Fred chuckled to himself and tossed his overnight bag carelessly onto a chair, opened it to check again for the letters he'd written, then checked his watch.
"Oi, Twin!" he called. "Match starts in fifteen minutes."
"Right," said George, and he reappeared in the open doorway of Fred's room, broomstick in hand.
"Got the Omnioculars?" said Fred.
"I've got them," said George.
"So we're clear on the plan, then?" said Fred.
"Christ, 'The Plan,'" said George, shaking his head. "Brilliant plan. We watch the match from our brooms at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Then after the match we fly down, put on that bloody cloak and grab our girls and come back to the hotel. Is that the gist of it?"
"That's it," said Fred, clapping his twin on the back.
"And remind me again that we're NOT going to get caught," said George.
"We're not going to get caught," said Fred, with a confidence he didn't really feel.
It was mad. The whole bloody plan was mad. If they were caught on school grounds they'd be arrested and thrown into Azkaban. Or worse, thrown in a dungeon in the school somewhere to await Umbridge's tortures. If Angelina and Alicia were caught, they'd be expelled. And then Angelina's father WOULD come after Fred and kill him.
"Let's go before I lose my damn nerve," said George.
"Right," said Fred, and the two of them headed back down to the lobby with brooms in hand, waved cheerfully to the desk clerk, and exited The Boddington Inn.
Fred wasted no time in mounting his broom. George did as well, but winced audibly.
"What?" said Fred impatiently.
"My damn balls are killing me, okay?" said George irritably. "A man's not meant to sit on a broom for eight hours at a time. Don't yours hurt? Bloody hell, we've already flown a million miles as it is. How'm I supposed to shag my girlfriend if I'm numb in the crotch?"
"I'm sure you'll manage," said Fred, ignoring the tenderness in his own privates as he kicked off from the ground.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bloody hell!" George hissed. Shouts went up in the Quidditch stands. Shouts and very audible groans.
"What? What?" said Fred anxiously. "Give me those." He grabbed for the Omnioculars.
"Dammit, Fred, I'm not done with them," said George, snatching them away.
"You've had them for two minutes," said Fred. "What the fuck is going on in the match?"
"Fine, take them," said George, shoving the Omnioculars roughly into Fred's outstretched hand. "And if you want to know what just happened, Ron blew his first save."
"Oh, goodie," said Fred, rolling his eyes. "What the hell is his problem, anyway? First prefect and now he can't play Quidditch worth a damn."
"He's turning into Percy, I'm telling you," said George sadly.
Fred was squinting through the Omnioculars now, trying to follow the action.
"Damn," said Fred. "Ginny's really good. Hey! There's Angelina!"
Fred watched happily as Angelina executed a perfect Sloth Grip Roll, dodging a Bludger, and hurled the Quaffle neatly past the Ravenclaw keeper.
"Ha!" said Fred.
"Gimme," said George, grabbing the Omnioculars.
"Angie scored," said Fred proudly. George was staring through the Omnioculars again.
"Shit," he said.
"What?" said Fred.
"Ravenclaw's going for goal," said George grimly. "I don't know if I can stand to--BLOODY HELL!"
Raucous cheers went up from the crowd."
"What? WHAT?!" Fred yelled.
"Ron saved it!" said George, pulling the Omnioculars from his face. "I can't believe he saved it!"
"Lemme see," said Fred, grabbing the Omnioculars again. He stared through them intently.
"Alicia scored," he announced.
"Damn, I wanted to see that!" said George, grabbing for the Omnioculars.
"Not yet," said Fred, dodging George's reach, "Ravenclaw's going for goal again, I want to see what Ron does..."
Fred gasped when a Ravenclaw Chaser feinted, then swerved right and hurled the Quaffle toward the hoop. He nearly dropped the Omnioculars when Ron jerked hard to the right and caught the Quaffle neatly in one large hand.
"Ha ha, good one, Ron!" Fred shouted, so loudly that a flock of birds were disturbed in a nearby tree and shot into the air.
"Shut up or you'll give us away," said George, snatching the Omnioculars back.
"Nobody can hear us," said Fred, but he looked round and down at the pitch and the grounds all the same. Something caught his eye.
"Wait a minute," he said.
"What?" said George absently, still peering through the Omnioculars. "Oh, look," he added. "Kirke actually managed to send a Bludger in the right direction."
"Down there," said Fred, poking George in the arm and pointing to the grounds below.
"What?" George aimed the Omnioculars down at the three figures who were walking in a very determined path toward the Forbidden Forest.
Even without the Omnioculars, it was obvious who was leading the way.
"That's Hagrid," said Fred. "What's he up to?"
"Blimey," said George. "That's Harry and Hermione."
More cheers went up from the stands. George jerked the Omnioculars up.
"Ron saved another one," said George in wonder. "Why didn't he do that in the other matches he played? Holy Merlin, and ANOTHER one! Did he put some kind of charm on himself?"
"What the hell are Harry and Hermione doing going into the forest with Hagrid?" said Fred, his eyes and mind drawn away from the match to the progress of the three people below.
"Who cares?" said George. More cheers. "Gryffindor scored again. Katie got that one."
"Lemme see," said Fred eagerly, immediately forgetting all about Harry and Hermione. George relinquished the Omnioculars.
The match went on for well over an hour more. Fred was beginning to fill distinctly numb in his nether regions; at this rate he'd be lucky to get it up at all when he finally got Angelina alone. But the thrill of watching the match--of watching Gryffindor finally play well--made the numbness down there a bit more manageable.
"Ron's really good," said George, shaking his head. "I guess we can't say he's turning into Percy, can we?"
"Another one!" Fred cried, watching as Ron smacked the Quaffle away with the end of his Cleansweep.
"My turn," said George, holding out his hand for the Omnioculars as he shifted on his broom and winced. "Bloody balls are going to be numb for a week."
"Here," said Fred, handing them over and shifting himself, hoping to bring some much-needed circulation back to his privates.
George watched in silence for a moment and then gasped.
"Shit, Fred! Ginny's seen the Snitch, she's going for it! It was right under Chang's nose!"
"Gimme those!" Fred yelped. He tried to grab the Omnioculars from George.
"Dammit, Fred," said George. "Just...you look through that lens, and I'll look through this one, okay?"
"Fine," said Fred tightly, and he pulled his broomstick right next to George's and leaned in close, so quickly that the twins smacked skulls.
"OW!" they said together.
"Dammit," said Fred, and he managed to get his left eye into position and stared through the lens. Cheers were shaking the air now and Fred felt George grip his arm.
"Jesus, she's really going for it," said George nervously. Ginny was in the midst of a frightening dive, putting on incredible speed, considering the junky school broom she was using.
"Holy--"
In the next instant Ginny swerved, rolled, and her fingers closed on the Golden Snitch.
"SHIT!" Fred and George yelled together, knocking heads again. They didn't notice as they began to laugh out loud.
"That's our little sister!" said George.
"They won the Cup!" Fred yelled, not caring who heard him now, as if anyone could. The stands of the Quidditch stadium were screaming and shaking and vibrating, and in the distance Fred and George heard people singing.
"What's that they're singing?" said George.
"Sounds like...no way," said Fred, and he grinned. "'Weasley is Our King,' the Victory Version."
"Heh, cool," said George. "I guess Ron's not so lame after all."
"Hey," said Fred, looking down again. "They're coming out now."
And indeed the grounds became flooded with Gryffindors, who were trooping en masse back to the castle and bearing Ron up over their shoulders; he held the gleaming Quidditch cup in his hands.
"Look," said Fred, pointing. "Harry and Hermione are back."
"They missed the whole match?" said George, shaking his head.
"Ron'll be pissed off," said Fred.
In the next instant the Gryffindors started indoors, still carrying Ron; he was being lifted so high and he was so tall that his head banged on the threshold of the front doors.
"Ouch," said Fred and George together.
"That'll leave a mark," said George. But Ron didn't seem to care; either he was too thrilled to have won or the bump on the head had knocked him senseless.
"Where are the girls?" said Fred; George had the Omnioculars and he gazed into them, looking around carefully.
"I don't see them...wait!" said George. "I see Alicia and...there's Angelina. Ooh."
"What?" said Fred, as George began to chuckle.
"Just our luck, bro," said George, lowering the Omnioculars and grinning wickedly. "They're headed for the showers."
"Excellent," said Fred. "Let's go join them, shall we?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure this damn thing will work?" George whispered, as Fred yanked the Invisibility Cloak from inside his robes and swirled it round the both of them.
"I checked it before I bought it," said Fred defensively. "There, see?" Indeed, their bodies seemed to disappear until they were just two heads seemingly floating in mid-air.
"This thing stinks," said George, screwing up his face in disgust. "Smells like...I dunno what it smells like but I don't want to think about it."
"I didn't have time to wash it," said Fred. "Just suck it up, okay?"
"This is excellent," said George. "I always wanted to sneak into the girls' showers. I can't believe I didn't sneak in when we were on the team."
"Yeah, well, just don't go looking at Angie," said Fred sternly. "I'm the one with naked rights to Angie; that means no looking from you."
"I wasn't going to," said George. "And you don't get to check out Alicia."
"I won't," said Fred.
"We are in such deep shite if we're caught, you do realize," said George, as Fred flipped the cloak over their heads.
"I'm trying not to think about it," said Fred.
They crept slowly toward the Gryffindor tent; the flaps of the tent were billowing in the warm spring breeze, and the sun was setting in the distance.
Just then the front flap swung open and Alicia came sweeping out of the tent.
"Shit," said George.
"Well, call to her," Fred hissed. "We can't go into the bloody castle!"
"Alicia!" George said, in a loud whisper.
Alicia stopped and whirled around, her wand out.
"Who's there?" she snapped, looking fierce.
"'Liss, it's me!" said George, in a louder voice. "George!"
Alicia's face went white. "George?" She looked terrified. "Where are you?"
"Over here," George called, not taking the cloak off his head. "To your left."
Alicia looked to her left; her eyes moved over them without seeing the twins and she swallowed.
"George?"
George lifted the cloak from his head, and in so doing, exposed Fred's head as well.
Alicia yelped.
"Shh!" George hissed, and he threw the cloak back over his head. "Go into the tent, 'Liss. We'll explain there."
Alicia, whose mouth was open and whose eyes were wide as saucers, merely nodded and headed toward the tent. George and Fred followed.
Once inside, Fred yanked the cloak off the both of them.
"Thank god," said George. "The smell of that thing was killing me."
"George!" Alicia hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you, too, 'Liss," said George.
"Are you mad?" she went on. "If you're caught you'll get--"
"Arrested and thrown into Azkaban," said George. "You know, Alicia, you could be at least a LITTLE happy that your boyfriend is risking imprisonment to see you."
He gave her one of his charming smiles and Fred saw her melt right there.
"Georgie," she said, her eyes filling with tears.
"Christ," Fred muttered, looking away as George pulled Alicia into a tight embrace and kissed her mouth.
Fred stood there for several seconds while George and Alicia sucked at each other's faces before clearing his throat.
"Excuse me," he said. "Not that I don't LOVE watching you two snog each other stupid and all, but I'm looking for Angie."
"In the showers," said Alicia, as George began to attack her neck with his lips.
"Right," said Fred, his feet already moving in the direction of the girls' showers, hoping to find Angelina in some state of undress there.
"Keep the cloak," he called to George, but George was busy with Alicia and Fred got the distinct impression the two of them didn't hear him.
Not that Fred cared. He slipped into the girls showers to find the room full of steam and fragrant mist. He blinked and took a tentative step forward, then another. The hiss of water spraying came to his ears, and slowly his eyes came into focus.
She was standing in a stall, under one of the shower heads, the curtain drawn, but she was so tall that she was visible from the shoulders up. Her eyes were closed as the water rained down over her head; her hair was no longer in braids but fell loose to her shoulders. Water streamed over her face and her full lips, over her shoulders, shoulders that Fred was dying to kiss. He smiled and took a few more steps into the locker room itself, feeling--to his immense relief--some rather noticeable stirrings below his belt. Angelina turned in the shower to face the wall, letting the water stream over her head and down her back.
Fred couldn't stand it anymore. His hands were on fire. He took another step forward and cleared his throat.
"Is there room in there for two?"