Breakfast had been and gone by the time Victoria had returned the school. A number of the students wandered the grounds with their friends, as the hour was still young most discussed what they would do with their weekend. Victoria however knew exactly what she was going to do. With the Ministry pleasantries out of the way she planned to spend her day in the secluded courtyard she had found a few days prior.
After quick trip to her room and a short walk, Victoria was sat on the lone bench in the quiet courtyard with an open book. Not many students visited the area, it did not lead anywhere, just a circular hole in the wall that was decorated with a fountain in its centre. It was a peaceful setting, nothing but the sound of bird song and trickling water.
Of course, peace never lasted long in Hogwarts regardless of how well one would try to hide from the noise.
"Tora!" Two almost identical voices called.
Victoria looked up from the pages of her book to see the pair of twins that she had become so accustomed to. They both settled down on either arm rest of the bench. George leaned over to peak at the text in her hands as Fred pointed out, "we knew we'd find you here. You missed breakfast."
"Where have been?" George asked with a frown pointing to her muddy robes. "You look like you've been for a run in the Forbidden Forest."
"Only this morning." She delivered her nonchalant response and returned her to her reading.
"And what business do you have breaking the rules so early in the morning?" Fred queried with a teasing edge to his voice.
The witch sighed. "I wasn't breaking any rules, I'm not a student," said Victoria without shifting her attention away from the book in her hands.
"I think it was something to do with the tournament, can't be much else."
"I reckon you're on to something there Freddie."
Victoria tried to read but no matter how many times she read the same line over and over it never made sense. They had a substantial and somewhat oppressive presence that distracted her mind and in consequence evoked a steady rise of her short temper.
She wanted to read in peace but seeing as they would not leave her be until they got what they came for, she huffed and slammed her book shut before asking in a tone soaked with disdain, "is there something I can help you with?"
"Fred and I are just about to go to Hogsmeade," said George as they both got up to stand in front of her. "You should join us."
"What's Hogsmeade?"
"It's the village just outside the school grounds. It will be fun and will make a change from your usual routine of brooding." Fred explained and flapped a hand at her.
"I don't brood," Victoria argued. Both of the twins fidgeted whilst they awaited her answer. The witch's posture slumped as she asked, "will there be people?"
"It's a village." Fred deadpanned.
"Then no." The witch leant back and reopened her book. Although reading was not something that would happen at the time she could always pretend. "I'm quite content here."
"You're so boring." Fred sighed dramatically and spun to leave. "Well Georgie we tried, like I promised, now we should go because Lee is probably getting impatient."
Victoria heard the shuffle of George's feet as he joined his brother and then the courtyard became calm again. Victoria peaked up through her lashes making sure they had left. However she was disappointed to see that the pair of them were still present. Her forehead crinkled slightly at the sight, George had caught his twin's shoulder and was whispering in his ear. Fred's expression shifted from an excited grin to a confused frown the more George talked.
"What?" Fred's voice suddenly rose in volume. His brother berated him with a smack to the arm and continued his whispers.
Victoria watched them bicker, they were speaking too far away and too quietly for her to hear what they were saying clearly. They went back and forth, Fred progressively got more and more unhappy until he suddenly stopped midway through an angry mumble to look at Victoria, then back at George.
"You've got to be joking," Fred grumbled.
"You have the money and the list." George sighed heavily. "Please."
Fred's attitude deflated and all his aggravation slipped away. He looked to Victoria once more then rose his brows at his brother. "Lee is not going to let this go, you know that right?"
George breathed a short and relieved laugh before smiling, "I can live with it. I'll see you when you get back."
"Yeah." His twin smirked and wiggled his brows and teased, "be safe."
Fred jumped back with a laugh as George tried to smack him over the head and ran off before he go have another go at him.
She watched them curiously as they split up. Seeing them (or one) as an individual for the first time had felt strange to Victoria. The duo were a double act, it did not make sense to see them apart. Nevertheless, the witch had very little time to dwell on the matter as the lonely twin turned his attention to her.
"You're being left behind," she stated and pointed towards the archway that led out of the courtyard.
George looked back to the arch before he shrugged. "Fred doesn't need me to pick out a few supplies," he said as he took a seat on the bench next to her.
Victoria shifted as far away as she could and stared at him, not quite believing his indifference. "You two are never apart."
"First time for everything," he said with a tiny smile. Although it was not entirely true, he and Fred did spend time apart just not regularly. He nodded to her book and asked, "what are you reading?"
"Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It's a muggle fiction." Victoria turned the book over and showed him the cover. "It's quite incredible how they have developed such things to compensate for their lack of magic."
"You sound like dad." George sighed and leaned back before he continued with a roll of his eyes, "he has an obsession with all things muggle."
Victoria hummed, unsure of where to take the conversation. She would have spoken about muggles and their technology that she found so fascinating, but given George's reaction to her book she abandoned the topic.
An awkward silence stiffened the ambience between them. Victoria fiddled with the edges of the book. George on the other hand fidgeted a bit as he stared at the cobblestone floor and willed an interesting subject to mind. A few tense seconds later he found one.
"So - er." George scratched the back of his head. "I know you're not supposed to have favourites or anything since you're with the Ministry but who do you think will win the tournament?"
"I've never seen any of them use magic before, I don't have the slightest idea." She tilted her head at him and asked, "who do you think will win?"
"Harry will."
Victoria scrunched her face and shook her head. "Harry is going to struggle. These tasks are meant to test magical and strategical ability. He's fourteen, so it's safe to say that he is probably lacking in those areas."
George did not let up. His lips broke apart in a wide toothy smile that radiated confidence. "Twelve sickles says he wins."
The witch rolled her eyes at his foolish beliefs. "He won't win."
"Twelve sickles." George held out his hand, wanting to shake on it.
"Deal." Victoria nodded. George noticed her disregard of his hand but he paid no mention to it, instead he gave her a friendly smile and maintained the playful talk.
"Prepare to loose Nightingale." His lighthearted taunt earned him a snort and a shake of her head. "You know he killed a basilisk in his second year and saved my sister's life. I have every bit of faith in him to win this tournament," George claimed as if what he had said was minor information.
He did what?Victoria thoughts stammered. She blinked at the red-haired wizard sat beside her, hunting for any tell of a trick. She searched his face, his hands, his posture and found nothing. No twitch or tick to indicate she was being lied to.
"Do you really expect me to believe that a twelve year old boy killed a fifty foot snake on his own," she finally said, not hiding her bitterness at being taken for a fool.
"It's public knowledge, everyone knows." George wore a smug smile at the sight of her skepticism. "Don't believe me you can ask Ginny."
The more Victoria thought about it the more the impossible became possible. She knows Harry despised the attention he got and that he would never actively try to put himself in the limelight whether through action or fiction. She also knows twelve sickles is hardly worth constructing such an extravagant lie for. As much as she wanted to deny it, the implausible story made too much sense. Victoria rolled back her shoulders and accepted his truth.
"Suddenly I don't feel too confident about that bet," she admitted. Not that it really mattered to her, she had no money to give him if she lost.
He chuckled and exclaimed, "Ah no take backs!"
The witch raised her hands in mock surrender, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
The cheerful conversation had built a light atmosphere and mixed with George's easy going nature, Victoria felt at peace. A sensation she was not familiar with. Questions lacking suitable answers erupted inside her head, her mistrust playing the joker yet again. Her ease tightened as her mind reeled.
"You said the village would be fun," stated Victoria, with a slight accusing tone.
"It is -"
"Then why did you stay here?" Her question had a valid point, or that is what she thought. The twins were always doing something to cause a laugh or smile and Victoria knew her presence was not the most up-lifting. So why he would choose to sacrifice time with his friends for her was perplexing to say the least.
George twiddled his fingers as he sighed and looked down at his hands, stalling his reply. A minute ticked by until he eventually he spoke tenderly, "because if I didn't you'd be alone and you've been by yourself for the last two weeks."
Taken aback by his answer, her brow creased. She didn't really know what she had expected but it was not a motive of pity. People rarely paid her any attention unless they had selfish reasons, but George showed more benevolence than greed. Despite what she could see, Victoria had little faith that it was the truth. She had been tricked by kindness before and she had vowed to never let it happen again.
"Your sympathy is unnecessary. I'm more than used to it." Victoria shrugged. "Besides, Fred didn't exactly look too happy about you staying."
"Fred is just worried about rumours."
"Rumours?" Victoria's gaze snapped towards him. "About what?"
"You said it yourself, Fred and I are rarely apart. When we are it's usually because Freddie has found someone to chase. But he likes this girl, Angelina, like reallylikes her. He just doesn't want her thinking he's playing her, that's all.'
"Oh," she muttered, her shoulders sagged with relief. "I'm surprised he didn't drag you away, save himself the worry of such rumours."
"He wouldn't do that." His face crinkled in obvious disagreement. "Freddie might be cocky sometimes but he's not selfish."
Victoria didn't understand... or maybe she did, but she couldn't fathom why someone would potentially damage themselves for the sake another's happiness.
The witch shifted in her seat, completely and utterly perplexed by the boy sat next to her. A few seconds of silence and she decided that the best approach was to ignore her confusion and in turn George. She reopened her book and read quietly to herself, allowing the topic to vanish.
"If you're going to ignore me would you mind reading aloud so I feel a little bit included?"
Victoria glanced at him, she was surprised by his request but saw no harm in it and so after a breath she spoke aloud,
""But, Linda!" The Savage spoke imploringly, "Don't you know me?" He had tried so hard, had done his very best; why wouldn't she allow him to forget? He squeezed her limp hand almost with violence, as though he would force her to come back from this dream of ignoble pleasures, from these base and hateful memories-back into the present, back into reality: the appalling present, the awful reality-but sublime, but significant, but desperately important precisely because of the imminence of that which made them so fearful. "Don't you know me, Linda?"..."