Disclaimer: Please see previous chapters.
A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed! Great to know who is reading and what you like/don't like. Here's a longer one-enjoy!
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Chapter 7: Friends, Foes, and Familiars
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"Well, well, well," A voice came out of the darkness. "I think she'll like it."
"Sure, if she likes toad ba – Ow!" Another voice was interrupted by a soft thud at the knees. Its source doubled over. Wand light illuminated three faces: two identical red headed fourth years and small blonde. It took a moment for one of them to form words.
"Hang on! What are you doing down here?" said Fred Weasley, rubbing his knee.
"You're just a first year, right?" George pulled the girl up from the ground with his spare hand. "You know where this leads?"
She shook her head, ends of her blonde hair curled, bouncing off her shoulders.
The twins exchanged mischievous grins. "Well then," Crossing his arms against his chest and leaning back to watch his game play out, Fred said, "Could lead into the forest."
"Could be dangerous." George emphasized, bouncing on his heels.
"Very dangerous."
"Then again,"
"Could be a sweet shop."
"All locked up for the evening..." He grinned mischievously.
"Perfectly empty room stocked full will every treat imaginable."
"Guess it's up to you." George shrugged.
"If you're smart, you won't risk it."
"And you are Ravenclaw, right?"
"But then again, maybe you're a little more lion than you think, Ravenclaw." Fred pushed off the wall, walking around her.
George circled the kid as well, making her fidget. "You know, you're right brother. The golden mane." His fingertips brushed a lock of it.
"What's it going to be?"
"Forward or backwards?"
She looked them up and down, then peaked behind them down the tunnel.
Fred seemed to know what she was thinking. "Sure, we came from that way." He said slowly.
"But we're nutters." George smiled.
"Ask anyone."
She thought a moment, then sighed slightly. She walked past them down the dark passageway. They exchanged a look, eyebrows raised. As she began to disappear into the dark, they noticed she was barefoot again.
"Oi! Hold on!"
"We'd better go with you."
"Wouldn't want to be responsible for your gruesome death."
"Yeah, there's a crazed murderer on the loose, you know."
She reminded them of Ginny, in a way. She was small and a girl, but fearless. Their constant teasing didn't even slow her down. In fact, she seemed to like their since of humor. The trio made their way through the dark to the cellar of Honeydukes.
"Shh," Fred said pressing a finger to his lips as the crept towards the end of the passage.
"Yeah," George whispered to their little companion, his lips brushing her hair. "Shut it you, before you get us all killed."
The quivering air of a soft giggle was the only response. They could see nothing in the dark, not even their own pale, freckled skin. Fred climbed up, and they all listened. Then he pushed open the hatch.
"All clear." He whispered. George picked up the girl under her arms and placed her on the ladder which she climbed automatically. He followed. "Lumos," he whispered as he stood, illuminating stacks of crates along the walls of a cellar. She followed them up the creaking stairs.
"Here we are." The room was lowly lit, the glow hitting sparkling wrappers and packages. The chamber smelled soaked in sweet; all three inhaled deeply.
"What's your favorite?" One brother tossed a sweet in the air and caught it over and over like a ball.
She shrugged.
"Oh, come on. Everybody has a favorite." His twin was skeptical. "Have you ever had these?" He tossed her a toffee.
Fred's brow creased a little and his eyes darted to her bare feet. He'd seen them before, when she arrived: one of the most important days of her life, and they couldn't even bother with shoes. "Have you ever had any of these?" He asked softer.
She shook her head once, fingering some chocolate frogs as if they might disappear before her eyes. The twins exchanged a look.
"Right then, George," Fred said jovially. "I think you know what we must do."
"One of each then?" She frowned with concern, but Fred jingled a bag of their winnings from the last quidditch game. There was no discussion about how much to spend; a bag of coins was a small price to pay.
"Our treat." George offered. The twins shared the same idea. They had grown up without much money, but there had been sweets because they had decent parents. More than decent, actually.
If anyone had peaked inside the sweetshop at the lights dancing around the room, hitting the many-colored, teeth-rotting bits of joy, they would have also glimpsed three faces filled with the excitement usually only making appearances on Christmas mornings. They were literally kids in a candy store, but better than that, they were kids secretly in a candy store after bedtime. For one of them, it was an entirely new experience, so in the magical way of children, it was then new again for all of them.
They snuck back towards the castle, pleased with themselves.
"How is you walk so quietly?" Fred asked, stopping in his tracks. His twin did as well. She moved a few more paces ahead, not making a sound. Even the dirt didn't hiss being disturbed.
She looked back at them, then paused. She looked down at her bare feet, then at them as they watched. Smacking slightly on something, she stepped carefully back. She pointed at their feet.
"What the hell?" George looked to his brother.
"Why not?" Shrugged Fred. They peeled off their shoes and socks, tying the strings and hanging them around their necks. "Now what, oh-stealthy-one?"
She pressed her feet into the dirt, felt it, got a grip. The twins copied her, their long toes burrowing in the black earth like worms.
Careful, she took a step forward. Her foot lifted evenly and completely from the ground at once, but returned it one inch at a time, ball first, smooth like a rocking horse. At first, it was very slow going, but then, it became natural. They felt the earth's cool solid surface, everything on it movable and settled their gait into it rather than disturbing it. There was no sound until to stone opened and they were back inside the castle.
"Where shall we enjoy our stash?" One brother murmured, popping something into his mouth.
"You'll be done by the time we're there." Fred whispered back. A hand tugged his sleeve. She led them towards Ravenclaw tower, then took another turn they had not taken before; they liked to stay by their turf, even with the map. "You better know where you're going." Fred told her.
There was continuous climbing, past rafters; the air cooled. It grew darker, and then the little frame ahead of them pushed open a heavy door open. Wind hit them hard in the face. Blinking through it, they couldn't see anything but sky. Grey clouds, stars right in their face. They were up on the roof.
"Not a bad choice, Ravenclaw." Said Fred, feet hanging over the edge of the roof, wind whipping his ginger hair about. He shook it, smiling at this companions over his shoulder.
George laid back and looked at the stars, dropping beans in his mouth one at a time.
"Not bad at all. Gross, boogie." He spat one off the roof.
"Always you." His brother replied.
"Want one, Ravenclaw?" She shook her head. "Suit yourself. You know, you've got the potential to be a regular mischief maker, with the proper training."
"Yeah. What do you think about taking on this young apprentice in trouble making?" Said apprentice devoured another chocolate frog. Her mouth was smeared with it. The moon lit part of her up while the rest of her was in shadow.
"Well, we've got a tight schedule."
"Let's see." He stood. "Tonight's a full moon. I think we could spare full moons."
His brother stood too. "Yeah why don't we—"
"George!" They spun around as the howl ripped through the night air. The wind was no match for it.
"Did you see that?" He whispered as a figure scampered into the woods. "It was right at the edge of the forest."
"Blimey."
"Better only go exploring with us, little Raven."
She nodded, watching the spot where the wolf had been. The wind was trying her fine hair into knots. She looked like the wind might take her right off the thin ledge.
"We'd better go back inside."
Again, there was the animal's wail. Involuntary, a shiver ran through Fred down to his fingertips. They rested on her shoulder. She didn't shiver.
"Do you think we had better mention it to someone?" He whispered once they were inside.
"Oh yes," George answered sarcastically. "What shall we say? 'I was on the roof last night eating contraband candy when I think I saw a werewolf.'"
"What do you think, Ravenclaw. What should we say?"
Of course, she made no response. Fred clapped her on the back. "Right you are! We say nothing."
George winked as they parted ways from her in the dark, empty corridor. "Good thinking." His voice hung in the air as they turned the corner. "Silent as the grave."
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"Some Ravenclaw," Remus heard a familiar voice scoff as some younger students rounded the corner. "She never even opens her mouth." The others laughed. He guessed who they were discussing, and thought it really rather disloyal and cold.
He surprised them, standing in their path with his arms crossed. They seemed to choke on their laughter, stopping short as to not walk right into their professor. "Perhaps some minds are apt enough to realize the benefit of keeping their mouth closed, Miss Worhold." He informed her simply.
"Yes sir." The dark haired Ravenclaw girl looked at the ground as she made her reply. Then, she and her friends scampered away. He hadn't been cross; he had not needed to be. It was fortunate too that Remus' emotional appeal was a look of saddened disappointment, rather than fear like Snape, and his temper slow since he was hardly recovered from the full moon.
Though professor Snape's help –he reminded himself against of the man's collegiate status— providing the potion was a welcome relief, he had left the castle this past night against his better judgment, hoping that in the wolf form he might better track his ex-best friend turned fugitive. Not for the first time, he bristled at the thought of his misplaced trust, of being passed over as secret keeper, of not being able take Harry. There was the off chance Black, as he had become used to calling him for twelve years, would be waiting for him to come in the wolf form, in which case he was confident he could take the mutt down.
A soft retching sound interrupted his thoughts as he passed through an empty corridor. Students were in their next class by then, he on his free period, when he saw a small figure heading out of the girls lavatory, head down. Anna Green walked on from him avoiding eye contact, heading straight for window. She pushed open.
Remus suspected something immediately. She had been ill and was ghastly pale. The girl heaved in the fresh air, though the weather was awful and the rain blew in on her face.
"Are you alright?" Remus asked, looking rather pale himself. He was not expecting to take her by surprise. She should have sensed him already, heard him approaching.
He took another step forward, examining her closer. Even in the dim light, her eyes were golden, face dotted with rain drops. She licked her lips dry. Her hair was, he decided, exactly the color of honey from every dark shade to light. It should even smell sweet the resemblance was so strong.
He breathed in, and there was no scent of honey, but there was something familiar again. It was driving him mad.
The girl nodded, wiping her chin with her oversized sleeve. He sighed. It was like looking at himself years ago. How many times had classmates asked him that same question? The sickly smart one, he'd heard himself referred to not just a few times before James and Si—before James and Black had taken up with him.
Using his wand and some of his precious energy, he spelled her clean. Reaching down, though his back protested, he inspected her. No fever. No scratches either. Perhaps she had found a place to transform inside. He had not noticed signs of any other werewolves during the moon, and he had been looking for that as well. A young child could seriously endanger themselves or another unsupervised during the change. Perhaps Severus was making her a potion as well. He supposed he could ask the potions master.
He was standing very close to her and the window now, leaving enough space that the nervous little thing didn't dart away, trying to give him most concerned smile. The wind whipped inside, chilly, and with it another scent. Remus lunged at the window, sticking his head out. The weather was terrible, making it hard to see, but the wolf knew he was outside, somewhere below.
Sirius Black.
He slammed the window shut. Something was wrong. The smell was not gone.
Eyes wide, he turned to her. Someone, not him, had let Black into the castle on Halloween. That was the night Snape had found her in the castle.
She had seemed to know Remus' secret too…somehow.
His dog scent was definitely on her.
She would not have known the Gryffindor password, nor been able to tell him if she had, which would explain how Black got in, but couldn't get into the common room, attacking the fat lady.
His mind rushed, had Black sought out a child in his dog form and tricked her? Or had he come across her as a wolf while looking for Remus and seized the opportunity—that is if she was even a wolf at all? Was she willingly helping him?
What did he know, really, about her, about the murder?
He needed answers. Grabbing hold of her slender wrist, he made for the Headmaster's office.
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A/N: Do you guys think you've got it figured out? What did you think of the twins' appearance? Do you prefer the longer chapters? Please let me know in a quick review. Looking forward to posting the next chapter soon if you're interested. It was especially fun.