Only Half-Weasley
Chapter 16
A/N: This chapter was a bit hard to write, but I am very proud of it. Hopefully you will enjoy my Halloween festivities! And next you get to look forward to Christmas. Isn't that exciting? Thank you so much for the reviews! They were very encouraging and kept me writing. So again, thanks!
Holly woke up to the smell of pumpkin bread and spices. Soft snores could be heard from the other four beds and the lack of sound from the common room told her that most of the house was still sleeping. Holly felt a pang of hunger in her stomach that motivated her to get dressed and head for the Great Hall.
As she opened the large doors to the Hall, Holly caught sight of the spectacular room and stood transfixed, staring at all of the decorations. Giant carved pumpkins lined the walls, lights within them casting shadows all over the room. Candles were floating above all of the tables, bats were flying around the room dropping candy in students' laps, and ghosts were gliding through the air making wailing noises that Holly suspected were to frighten students, though they sounded more like dying cats.
When she could finally tear her eyes off of the magnificent decorations, she walked towards the Gryffindor house table and sat across one of the students. She didn't realize who it was until she grabbed a piece of toast from one of the plates and looked up.
"Hi Ryan," she muttered, her face turning slightly red.
Ryan Mason looked up from his Arithmancy notes to smile at Holly. "Hey, how are you?" he asked casually as if she was an old friend.
"Good," she smiled, pulling out her Transfiguration notes. "Great catch yesterday. You did awesome."
The boy across from her didn't look up as he began to scribble something fast across the parchment. "Thanks," he mumbled. "Sorry to leave you, but I need to finish this essay for tomorrow. I'll see you later, Holly."
"See you," Holly replied and her eyes followed the boy out of the room, feeling slightly put out and disappointed. Just as his frame disappeared, the Weasley twins entered and nearly unsettled the table as they sat down next to Holly. "What's going on?" she asked, looking from one excited face to another.
Michael glanced back at the door and Holly's eyes followed his gaze. An irritable Filch was standing in the doorway looking frantically over the small crowd of students. It was obvious why and Holly tried to keep a straight face as Michael and Daniel ducked under the table. The caretaker was being attacked by five giant bats which were bewitched to follow him and aim their droppings on his head.
"You are in trouble this time," Holly muttered, turning back to her Transfiguration notes.
"Quiet! He'll hear you," Daniel hissed, peeking out from under the table. Filch was still standing at the doors, his face livid as he looked up and down the Gryffindor table.
"I thought you two liked living on the edge," she said innocently.
Daniel ducked back under and whispered, "We do, but we don't want to get expelled!"
"I'm afraid that's inevitable," Emma Sullivan said, sitting on the other side of the Daniel. "At your rate, you'll be expelled by your third year. You're just lucky McGonagall isn't here or you would be expelled sooner."
"McGonagall isn't here?" Michael asked, peeking from under the table once more to find that Filch had disappeared. Both twins got up from under the table and began to cram food into their mouths. "Where did she go?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Emma answered. "I just heard Professor Potter talking to Professor Laumie. She will be gone until tomorrow."
A look of victory appeared on the twins faces, making the two girls suspicious. "I'm going to be in the library," she announced, deciding that she wanted to part in their venture. "I've already been in trouble once. I don't want to know what you two are up to again."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Michael advised with a wink. "If you want to 'keep out of it,' I suggest keeping to the common rooms."
Holly and Emma exchanged confused looks before Holly got up, taking her notes with her and heading back to the common room. There she found Cynthia poring over a pile of books. "Why aren't you having breakfast?" Holly asked, setting her stuff next to her friend.
"Michael and Daniel, of course," Cynthia answered. "They advised I keep to the common room. I expect they are planning to blow up the school or something."
Holly rolled eyes and rested her head in her hands. "What? Do they expect to get away with it?"
Cynthia shrugged. "I guess so," she muttered.
Just as Holly sat down in her seat, a series of bangs caused the Gryffindor common room to shake, even sending a couple of first years onto the ground. Holly, who grabbed the table for support, looked around in alarm and met Cynthia's wide eyes as her friend tried to keep her ink from spilling.
"Honestly, I didn't think they were serious!" Cynthia exclaimed, hurrying after the rest of the class to see what the commotion was about. Holly poked her head through the mass of bodies only to be jerked back inside just as something large and orange rolled by accompanied with what sounded like a wailing banshee.
"BACK IN YOUR COMMON ROOMS!" a voice barked at them as more and more students tried to get a better look at the object. A wheezing McGonagall stopped just outside of the common room, clutching a stitch in her side and giving the Gryffindors a stern look. "I said back in your common rooms!" she snapped again and ran down another corridor.
"What was that? And I thought McGonagall was gone!" Holly asked to Cynthia, but instead of Cynthia standing behind her, it was Ryan. She began to turn red with embarrassment and looked around for her roommate. "Sorry, thought you were Cynthia."
"'S okay. Doesn't look like McGonagall is gone, does it?" he answered and followed a group without giving Holly another look.
"Was that what I think it was?" Cynthia asked, appearing at Holly's elbows. From the position she was in, it looked as if she had to crawl through the mass of people in order to get a view of what was happening.
Holly shook her head. "I don't know. What was it?"
A broad grin appeared on Cynthia's face and she began to snicker while the two made their way back their table. "It looked…it looked like Filch was being chased by a giant pumpkin!" she said through fits of laughter.
The red-headed first year doubled in laughter as the common room portrait opened and two first years snuck through it with identical grins. "Did you enjoy the show?" Daniel whispered, sitting down next to Holly.
"We didn't mean for it to grow that big, but Filch discovered us before we were done," Michael added. "Had to cover our tracks, you see."
Holly held her hand over her mouth to keep her laughter muffled. However, she need not bothered. Professor Potter came storming into the common room, a look of anger on his face that Holly had never seen before. His eyes shot towards the four of them in the corner of the common room and lingered there for a few moments before turning back to the rest of the students. "Pranks like these are not a laughing matter!" he scolded. "Whoever is responsible for this can be considered expelled!"
Behind her, Holly felt the twins try to hide behind her, yet her body mass was not sufficient to hide two eleven-year-olds so they were forced to stare at Professor Potter, pretending to look utterly confused. A moment passed by in silence in which their Head of House stood staring his students down, but a shriek from the other side of the wall caused him to dash out of the common room.
"I told you," Cynthia whispered to Holly.
"Told her what?" Michael asked, craning his neck around his twin to hear Cynthia.
"I told her you two were asking to be expelled. Just wait until they find out who did this," Cynthia said patiently, rummaging through her bag for a spare quill.
Daniel looked slightly ill. "Do you think he knows it was us?"
Holly looked around the common room and saw some students eyeing their group curiously. "Yes, I think so," she concluded aloud. "What were you thinking?"
"It was a little Halloween fun!" Michael said defensively.
Cynthia and Holly snorted and attempted to hide behind their homework. "Yes, 'fun' describes it alright," Cynthia laughed, shaking her head. "Professor McGonagall and Professor Potter were so excited to be chasing the giant pumpkin down the corridor. And Filch was having the time of his life!"
Before either twin could reply, the portrait hole opened once more and Professor McGonagall stepped through. Daniel and Michael started rummaging through their book bags, both attempting to look very distracted. "All students are to go to the Great Hall. Immediately."
Holly never realized how long the walk down to the Great Hall was until she was forced to follow the Headmistress down seven floors with the twins cowering at her side and Cynthia lecturing them from the side of her mouth.
"…and you are going to be expelled! Why did you do it? How do you think your parents are going to react when you come home on the train, not even for Christmas?" she whispered frantically.
"Cynthia, shut up," Daniel finally said once they reached the Entrance Hall.
Cynthia's lips pursed and she refused to look at them as they sat down in the Great Hall. Daniel and Michael didn't seem to have a problem with this, however, as they sat next to Holly with their heads facing the wall and not looking at Professor McGonagall. Students from the other three houses wandered in after the Gryffindors, a look of curiosity on their faces as they tried to figure out what the commotion was about. Once they were seated, Professor McGonagall stood up from her seat at the staff table to address them.
"Childish!" Professor McGonagall snapped. "Nine attacking bats, fourteen cursed cats, sixty-four exploding candles, twenty cursing suits of armor, and a rolling giant pumpkin. I have never heard of such pranks—such behavior from students! Moderate holiday cheer is acceptable, but this raucous! Either those who are responsible come forth or face expulsion!"
Everyone in the room held their breath. Holly glanced at the twins, but only saw the tips of brown and red hair above the table. However, neither stood up as other students looked around the room curiously.
"No?" the Headmistress questioned, peering at the students. "Then risk facing the consequences. All student privileges are henceforth cancelled, there will not be a feast tonight, and Quidditch will be put on hold until someone comes forward. You are dismissed!"
The hall was filled with the banging of benches as hundreds of students got up from the four house tables and exited to the Entrance Hall, anger whispers echoing throughout the room. Holly and Cynthia seemed to have lost the twins on the way back to their dormitory, but it was probably for the better. Several other Gryffindors seemed to have picked up on the twin's guilt and were ready to curse them into oblivion. In fact, it was several hours after Holly and Cynthia resettled in front of their homework that Daniel and Michael showed up, climbing meekly through the portrait hole.
"Did you confess?" Cynthia interrogated as they approached the table.
Daniel shook his head. "Then where were you?" Holly asked.
"Walking," Michael shrugged.
"Well, thanks you to two, there isn't a feast tonight," Cynthia said coldly. "We'll be lucky if we get dinner."
"They have to feed you," Daniel argued, sitting down across from the two girls and pulling out Beginner's Guide to Charms. "They can cancel the feast, but they can't starve the students."
Cynthia glared. "Well, you might as well starve. The Quidditch teams aren't going to be happy with you. I won't be surprised if they slip poison into your pumpkin juice at dinner."
Yet she was surprised at dinner that evening when Daniel sprouted boils all over his face and Michael's arms grew so big that he could barely fit through the halls to the hospital wing. The news that the Weasley twins were responsible for the mess spread like wildfire and they became the target of all curses, jinxes, and hexes. Cynthia and Holly finally refused to be associated with them at all after a stray Body-Bind Curse hit Holly on their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts and Cynthia received a particularly nasty slug-vomiting charm that caused her to spend the rest of the day in the hospital wing. As the days wore on, more and more students became aggravated as they were restricted from everything from the grounds to roaming the corridors at night.
"Go away," Cynthia hissed at the twins as they bravely appeared in the common room one Saturday and sought her out at one of the tables. "I would really like to keep my dinner in my stomach if you know what I mean."
"Ah, come on, Cynth!" Michael begged. "We need your help!"
Holly looked up from her Astronomy homework. "Are you trying to make yourselves invisible again?" The twins exchanged dark looks. The week before, they had attempted to make themselves invisible in order to at least make it to class unscathed. Unfortunately for them, they did not perform the spell correctly and instead glowed yellow down the corridors which made them an easier target for eight more hexes and jinxes.
"No," Daniel answered coldly. "We have been thinking…we might go to McGonagall after all."
"Finally!" Cynthia said in exasperation. "Took you long enough!"
"I know. Three weeks," Holly added. "Why are you telling us this?"
Michael rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you are our best friends…"
"Were until Halloween," Cynthia corrected him.
"Oh, shut it. Don't you realize that we're miserable?" Daniel said in defeat. "This hasn't been the best three weeks of our lives."
Holly gave them a calculating look. "Remember when everyone was set against me not too long ago? Now you might understand how I felt."
"But we don't want to fall from a broomstick in order to save our skins," Michael responded.
"No, but Betsy Doyle's fingernail-growing hex was quite magnificent," Holly said dreamily as if relishing the moment.
"Can't blame her, either," Cynthia commented. "You canceled the game between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff this next weekend. She's the captain for Ravenclaw's team."
Daniel rubbed his hands together furiously as if trying to prevent his nails from growing ever again. "Look, we know what we did was wrong," he began. "We would just really appreciate some support."
Holly and Cynthia exchanged looks. "And what does that entail?" Cynthia asked slowly.
"You two taking part of the blame," Michael answered quickly. "Will you do it?"
"EXCUSE ME?" Holly yelled causing some fifth years to glare at their corner.
"Oh no. Oh no we will not! I am not going to get pulled down just because you two were stupid enough to get yourselves expelled!" Cynthia added. "What kind of logic is this?"
Daniel bent toward, careful that no one else would overhear them. "Cynthia, you're one of the brightest students in the class and Professor Potter thinks very highly of Holly not to expel her. See, if they don't want to expel you, they won't expel us."
"Yes, they will," said Holly. "And Professor Potter won't save me from expulsion. He was not very impressed after that fake wand stunt."
"Please?" Daniel begged.
"No," both girls replied.
"Ugh!" Michael cried in frustration. "You don't even care if we get expelled?"
"I care," Holly answered quietly.
Cynthia turned on Holly. "You can't be serious?"
"I'm not giving in! I am just saying that I care if they were expelled. What would Hogwarts be without them?" the red-head argued.
"Right," Daniel agreed, patting Holly on the back. "That's why you need to come with us and support us."
"What?" Holly said, letting her red hair whip Daniel in the face. "Why would I do that?"
"At least come as our body guards!" Michael pitched. "We might not make it there if we don't have cover."
Cynthia coughed into her Transfiguration book, trying not to make eye contact. "Right and why would we do that?" she asked.
Ten minutes and five floors later, the four first years stood outside of Professor McGonagall's office. The twins both appeared to be quite relieved though were looking anxiously around them in case other students decided to walk by and curse them underneath the Headmistress' nose. Cynthia, on the other hand, did not hesitate to voice her annoyance that Daniel and Michael needed two girls to guard them down five flights of stairs.
"I honestly don't know why you need us so much," Cynthia grumbled once again. "You seem perfectly capable of taking care of yourselves."
Holly inspected the gargoyles that guarded the door, ignoring Cynthia's comments. "How are you supposed to get in?" she inquired of the other three.
"Look! It's the Weasley twins!"
The four first years turned to see three Hufflepuff sixth years marching towards them, each brandishing a wand that was pointed directly at them. Cynthia hid herself behind the twins who were in turn using Holly as a shield. "Well well, it's the boys who ruined Quidditch," one of them jeered.
The girl on the left snickered, still holding out her wand. "What shall we do to them, Corey?" she questioned the boy next to her.
"You wouldn't!" Cynthia gasped.
Corey pointed at his chest where a black and yellow badge stating "Captain" was pinned. "We were supposed to have a match next Saturday, but it was canceled thanks to you lot!"
"It's not our fault!" Holly squeaked. "Cynthia and I didn't do anything!"
The boy on the other side of Corey laughed. "Except hang out with them."
"A good Stinging Hex ought to get the message across," Corey suggested. The three raised their wands threateningly while the other three first years ran for it. However, Holly was glued to the spot, bracing herself for the attack. However, before the incantation was finished, a loud grinding sound filled her ears and a sharp voice shout, "Hanson! What are you doing- are you hexing a first year?"
Opening her eyes half way, Holly saw Professor McGonagall standing between her and the three sixth years, all three which had dropped their wands at the sight of the Headmistress. "Ten points from Hufflepuff! It will be detention next time, Hanson, and I don't care if your team cannot practice. No, don't argue. Back to your common room."
Holly was still frozen at the spot when Professor McGonagall turned around and remembered that she was still standing there. "Yes, Miss Miller?"
The first year turned around to look for the other three but no one was behind her. It was just her and the Headmistress standing in the middle of the corridor. "N-Nothing," Holly stuttered and turned around and ran before Professor McGonagall could ask why she had been standing in front of her office. Halfway up the staircase to the fifth floor, she ran into the twins who were eagerly waiting for her return.
"I'm going to kill you!" she shouted at them. "You left me there!"
"What did you want us to do? Get hexed?" Daniel retorted defensively, his face chalk-white.
Cynthia appeared at the bottom of the staircase, out of breath and red in the face. "Did you get hit?" she asked Holly, a look of genuine concern on her face.
"No," the red-head replied. "McGonagall came just in time."
"Lucky," the twins muttered together.
"You two need to go to McGonagall. Now," Cynthia emphasized. "I am not going to risk my life for you anymore."
Michael's jaw dropped. "Why not?"
Cynthia grabbed Holly's arm and pulled her the rest of the way up the staircase. "Because I would like to live to see my twelfth birthday and if you don't go soon, you will be expelled. How would your parents feel when they see you appear on their doorstep a month early?"
Holly only saw Daniel turn scarlet before she and Cynthia turned down a corridor and continued on their journey to the common room. They did not say anything until they reached the portrait hole, but neither had to in order to understand what the other was thinking. Instead of settling down and studying, Holly climbed up the stairs to her empty dormitory and settled down on her four-poster bed intent on writing to her mother. It was an hour before she heard Cynthia's footsteps on the spiral staircase.
"Gits," she muttered. "Why do they always have to drag us down with them?"
The red-head shrugged, dropping her quill as she finished signing a three-foot long letter. "I don't know," Holly answered with a hint of frustration. "I have never been in so much trouble until I got here. Why do you think that is?"
Cynthia looked calculating at Holly. "You've never been in trouble?" she asked curiously. "What kind of student were you?"
"A good one, I suppose," Holly replied, getting up to face Cynthia. "I was top of my class and had quite a few friends. I have never felt so socially rejected and intellectually inept until I came here."
"Maybe that's why," said Cynthia thoughtfully. "You must be really frustrated not being so used to this."
"Well, yes."
Cynthia grinned mysteriously. "I think I've found our answer."
Holly looked confused. "Our answer to what?" But before Holly had finished her question, Cynthia had already disappeared out of the room with stomping of her feet echoing as she ran down the staircase. "Oh, come back. That's not fair!" Holly shouted and followed Cynthia out of the dormitory and out of the common room.
The brown-haired first year did not answer the list of questions that her roommate bombarded her with as they roamed the castle. "It's late," Holly muttered. "We're supposed to be back in our common rooms in five minutes."
"Never mind that," Cynthia muttered, opening up every empty classroom she could find. At the very end of the Transfiguration corridor, sitting in an empty classroom, Cynthia found the twins huddled together over a book.
"That's illegal," one muttered.
"Yeah, but it'll work, wont' it?"
"Not if we get expelled."
"Ah, but what if it works?"
"What if we get expelled?"
"What if you can avoid getting expelled and using an illegal spell?" Cynthia posed the question.
The twins whipped around, their wands out and pointing at the intruders. "Oh, it's you two," Michael said. "What are you doing here? Are you sure you want to be in our presence?"
Cynthia smiled, looking at the sullen looks on the boys' faces. "Well, if you don't want help…"
"You've made it quite plain that you don't want to help," Daniel pointed out.
"Ah," said Cynthia, holding a finger up. "That was until I thought of a plan that might keep you from being expelled."
The twins looked hopeful. "What is it?" Michael asked eagerly.
"We need to talk to Professor Potter," Cynthia said.
"No!" Daniel cried. "He'll tell our mum and dad!"
"So?"
"They'll murder us," Michael added darkly.
Cynthia bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. "Are you trying to tell me that you'll cause chaos here but only if your parents don't know? Surely they would find out at some point."
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck as if recalling a painful memory. "Yeah, well see, we promised Dad that we wouldn't do anything…destructive, you know?"
"And Professor Potter knows this, of course?"
"Well, yeah," Daniel said in exasperation. "Professor Potter is my dad's best mate!"
"Then he won't want to see the pair of you expelled, will he?" Holly spoke up, catching on to Cynthia's theory.
"He wouldn't want it, but he would have to," Michael said tentatively. "He's our Head of House. Professor McGonagall made it quite plain that we'll be expelled."
"She did," Cynthia agreed. "But it's up to your Head of House, isn't it? Trust me. We need to talk to him." Cynthia jumped up from the desk she was sitting on and motioned them to follow her out of the room. It was a short walk to Professor Potter's office on the fifth floor, but when they knocked, there was no answer.
"Great," Holly muttered. "It's past eight-thirty, too. We were supposed to be back in our common room ten minutes ago."
Cynthia knocked again, but still there was only silence. "Where could he have gone?"
"Anywhere," Daniel answered. "It's Saturday night. Who wants to spend their Saturday night with a bunch of adolescents?"
"Look who it is," a voice wheezed from the other end of the corridor. The group spun around to see Filch limping quickly toward them. "Four first years out after hours! No regard for rules, I see. Think you're above them, eh?"
Cynthia tried to sound normal, but her voice was oddly high-pitched. "We want to talk to Professor Potter about something important."
"Important enough to break rules? I don't think so," Filch sneered. "That'll be detention for all of you."
"What's going on, Argus?" a familiar voice asked from behind the first years.
Filch looked up at Professor Potter who was accompanied by Professor Laumie. "Students out after hours," he muttered. "Claim they came to see you, but a pile of dung that is."
"Well, they are in front of my office," Professor Potter pointed out. "Could it be that they are telling the truth?"
The caretaker shot Professor Potter a filthy look. "They're still breaking the rules, Professor," he answered. "And that's still grounds for-"
"I'll take care of it, Argus," Professor Potter interrupted. "And I'll be sure they return to their common room."
With a huff, the caretaker stalked off in the other direction. Professor Laumie bid Professor Potter a good night, leaving the four first years and their Head of House alone. The latter opened the door to his office and motioned for the four to enter.
"What can I do for you?" he finally asked after hanging up his cloak and settling down behind his desk.
The twins looked imploringly at Cynthia, their faces white as chalk. "We…er…well, they need to tell you something," Cynthia stated pointing at the twins.
"Yes?" Professor Potter asked, a little amused.
Daniel shot Cynthia a dark look before he turned to the teacher. "Sir, it was us who caused the mayhem back on Halloween," he admitted, his eyes staring down at his shoes.
"Really," the professor answered casually, then added, "it's about time."
The four first years looked up at their teacher, shock and confusion written on their faces. "You knew it was us?" Michael asked incredulously.
Professor Potter merely smiled. "Of course. And I know where you learned those amazing pieces of spell work, too. You forget that I grew up with your uncles, Fred and George."
The twins still sat speechless, but Holly still had breath to speak. "So they won't be expelled?" she asked hopefully.
"That, I can't say," Professor Potter stated. "You've gone on for three weeks. Professor McGonagall thought you would confess sooner."
"She knows, too?" Michael said weakly.
"Oh yes," the teacher answered. "She is a very gifted witch, but you should not underestimate her."
"So, what will happen next?" Daniel asked slowly.
Professor Potter shifted in his chair. "That is a good question. To start with, you two will have detention for the rest of the week. However, I will appeal to the Headmistress about your expulsion, though I do think that fifty points from Gryffindor for your prank is reasonable." The twins looked rather gleeful. "I want you to listen, though. What you did was funny enough and while I encourage creative magic, there will be the day when someone gets hurt and you will have to live with that. Understand?"
The twins nodded, though Holly wasn't sure they really understood. "Good," Professor Potter responded. "Tomorrow night at six in my office. You are excused."
Cynthia and Holly exchanged knowing looks as they left the office, the twins practically skipping ahead of them. Both knew that Professor Potter's words had not affected either one as the teacher had hoped, especially since both were chanting something that sounded like, "We are great! We are awesome! We have managed to escape expulsion!"
"It's not funny," Holly finally told them. "You could have been expelled."
"But we weren't," Michael countered.
"You might be if you keep this up," Cynthia inserted. "And next time, I might not be there to help you out."
Daniel stopped and stared at her. "You didn't do anything!"
Cynthia and Holly snickered as they came to stand in front of the Fat Lady. "Icklebob," Cynthia said and the portrait opened to reveal the common room behind it. "Of course I didn't have to. I was right, though, wasn't I? Professor Potter wouldn't expel you."
Michael and Daniel shrugged grudgingly. "We're going to bed," Daniel announced.
"After all, we have detention tomorrow," Michael added as he followed his twin up the steps to the boys' dormitory.
Holly watched the two disappear before she turned around to face Cynthia who had fallen into a chair by the fireplace. "So, how did you know?"
The brown-haired girl looked mischievous. "Did you honestly think that they would be expelled for such a petty crime?" she laughed.
The red-head had a questioning look as she sat down across from her. "I wondered. Professor McGonagall seemed really upset."
"Yes, I wondered, too. Then you were telling me how frustrated you were about getting into so much trouble, you know? Well, Professor Potter wasn't an angel when he was in school. He got in loads of trouble and I bet Professor McGonagall has seen much worse than a giant rolling pumpkin. If other students haven't been expelled for their ridiculous activities, I knew the twins would not get treated any differently," Cynthia concluded.
"And if you were wrong?" Holly asked.
"They're trying to scare them," Cynthia finally said. "Remember? 'Come forth or face expulsion.' If they confessed, they wouldn't face expulsion, would they? But if they thought that this was their last chance, they won't be likely to do it again. And didn't Emma overhear Professor Potter telling Professor Laumie that McGonagall was gone? She wasn't, though. It almost sounds staged."
"Perhaps," Holly murmured. "You make it sound simple."
"I don't think we thought too much of it before because we were so angry at the twins. But now that I think about it, it makes sense," said Cynthia. "I should have realized all along. How stupid are we?"
Yes, perhaps it was the lateness of the hour or the fact that the two had such a long day that they began to laugh at their own stupidity and wondered how they ever managed to be sorted into Gryffindor. When the clock struck ten o'clock, they both decided to turn in, feeling rather relieved and hopeful that this would finally put a lid on the twins' unintentional desire to make their lives miserable.