While they were talking, they had forgotten to watch where they were floating. Now they were at the other side of the school, it seemed like they slided through some walls on their way. It was kind of funny how fast they were like this.
Then they heard a loud noise behind them and turned around. One of the suits of armor had fallen apart and now the parts lay on the floor in front of them. Above it in the air was Peeves, the poltergeist. He stared at them with a confused and even a little scared look. Fred and George looked at each other and then behind them. There was nothing, so was Peeves really staring at them? Not through them?
"Can he see us?", Fred asked excited and floated nearer in Peeve's direction, who backed away slowly.
"What do you want? What's that? How can you be ghosts? How can that be?", he asked confused.
"So, Peeves, can you see us? And hear us?", George asked calmly. The poltergeist nodded slowly, "Of course! Obviously! Now how can that be?"
"We obviously died. And Heaven didn't sound so great, so we chose Hogwarts instead. We're just waiting until we can touch stuff again. Seems to need some time, but now we're visible finally. That's a great step forward, right?" Fred explained and looked at his twin, who didn't look as calm anymore.
"Right. Peeves can see us, but can others, too? We should try it. Maybe Peeves is an exception."
"What happened to you? Be a little more optimistic, George! Of course it will work. We'll check it out now", Fred said and tried to push Peeves away, but his hand slided right through him. Peeves hurried away from them and floated around the next corner.
"Alright, I can't touch Peeves. Whatever", Fred shrugged, but he didn't look as confident anymore. George nodded and they floated away, slowly, in the direction of the great hall. As they got closer, they coult hear students on the corridors.
"Guess they finished eating. Let's head to the Gryffindor dorms instead, right?", Fred suggested. George nodded and they changed their direction quietly. Of course they were faster than the studens and entered the common room, staying right in the middle opposite the entrance. They were both nervous, but tried to hide it, so they looked in different directions. George kept his eyes on the fireplace while Fred looked at the books spread on one of the tables. He couldn't read the titles, but he wasn't interested anyway.
Then they heard the first students coming. They were talking excitedly and after a few moments the hole in the wall opened and the first group - some boys that looked like third years (Maybe the new inhabitants of their dorm!) - entered. They went straight through the twins, who still floated in the middle of the room. They didn't even notice that they touched the ghosts, although people should normally feel it.
Fred and George looked at each other with hopeless expressions. It really seemed like Peeves was the only one who could see them. Why did it have to be Peeves? They couldn't even let him send messages to their family, he would make everything worse instead of better.
"What will we do now?", George asked quietly. He wanted to sit down in one of the armchairs and relax, like they did when they were younger. He tried it, but the feeling of floating of course didn't change and he looked pathetic, too.
"Don't know. Let's just wait for another while. I mean, what do we do? I'm sure Peeves will tell someone that he saw us", Fred answered shrugging, "But they won't believe him. I wouldn't believe him, either. Would you?"
George shook his head, "Nope, I wouldn't believe a word Peeves says. But I'm worried that Ginny might not take it too well if Peeves talks about us like that. Our deaths seem to be hard on her.", George looked at their little sister who was sitting alone in an armchair near the fireplace, just staring into the air.
"I want to talk to her", Fred said, "And tell her that she acts like a weakling."
George looked at him for a moment, then he nodded, "That would make her feel better. I would add that she acts like a girly girl. She hates that."
Fred grinned, "I would tell her that she's worse than Fleur. You know, she doesn't like her, right?"
"Yes, I would tell her that Harry likes her as a strong girl. He's such a weakling himself, he needs someone to protect him", George added.
"Pathetic!", they said together and laughed.
A while later, Ginny went upstairs to go to bed. The twins couldn't tell what time it was because there was no clock in the common room and they had lost their feeling of time. It seemed like the time was floating slowly and dripping even slower, just like themselves. Now that everyone was asleep, they didn't really have anything to do, so they left the Gryffindor tower and wandered through the hallways without a destination.
"We could go to the kitchens. Maybe the elves can see us?", Fred suggested.
"Worth a try. We don't have anything to lose anyway", George said. So they floated towards the painting that marked the entrance to the kitchens.
"By the way, what happened to Hogwarts? It's all repaired again after some days? Or well, some weeks?", Fred asked confused.
"These are wizards and witches, they're able to do that, Fred", George said desinterested.
"You're in a bad mood. Don't let this get to you, they will be able to see us some day. We just have to wait. Maybe it's just some more days, okay?", Fred tried to convince his twin.
"I'm not in a bad mood, but I feel weird because it's night and I'm not tired or hungry or something. I just don't feel human anymore. You must've had that, too", George explained.
"Oh well, I had that, yes. But you know, I've been dead a month longer than you, so I'm actually already used to it."
George nodded, "I hope I will be, too, soon."
"Mrs. Norris, did you sense students in the hallways? Students out? Yes? Where? Show them to me!", they suddenly heard a voice.
Out of habit they tried to hide themselves until they realized that Filch wouldn't be able to see them. Besides, they weren't even students anymore!
Then they saw him, their second 'friend' in Hogwarts - after Lee - who catched them out of their beds in their first night and from there on almost every night until they found the Marauder's Map. The sight had something familiar and calming, although it felt creepy that he couldn't see them.
"Someone with an invisibility cloak again, Mrs. Norris? Can you still sense them?", Filch asked quietly, watching his surroundings.
And then suddenly there was a loud noise again and another suit of armor fell apart. Peeves floated towards Filch, but he stopped halfway as he saw the twins next to the caretaker.
"There they are again! The Weasel-twins! How can they be ghosts?", he screeched and backed away.
Filch followed his gaze and looked in their direction, Fred waved grinning. Peeves seemed really scared of them, maybe because he was the only one who was able to see them.
"You're making fun of me again, Peeves, but I assure you that the headmaster will know about this. Speaking about the dead like that, the headmaster won't be fond of that, the headmaster will get rid of you faster than you say 'Weasley-twins' again", Filch ranted and turned his back to Peeves.
Big mistake, as Fred and George knew way too well. Now Filch had some parts of the armor thrown at his back. Well, who was dumb enough to turn his back to Peeves? After so many years? Fred rolled his eyes and George smiled a little.
"Tell the headmaster about the intruders! The Weasley-twins are ghosts and they are in here, how can it be? How can it be?", Peeves shouted and threw the pieces of armor in the twins' direction. Out of habit, they ducked and tried to evade the parts, but it didn't feel different if they hit them.
Filch was very upset, they realized, and he hurried away while mumbling something about "the dead" and "bad talking". Fred and George looked at each other, a bit confused.
"You think he liked us enough to care about how they talk about us now that we're dead?", Fred asked.
"It seemed like he does. Nice of him, isn't it?", George answered and they laughed again.
"Hey, wait, how can that be?", Peeves interrupted, still staring at them with wide eyes. Even wider than they were normally.
"Well Peeves, our friend, we would love to tell you how this can be, if we only knew ourselves. But since you're a ghost, maybe you can tell us if it is normal that nobody can see us? Will it become better?", George asked friendly.
"What? A ghost? Calling the great Peeves a ghost?", Peeves shouted, and he didn't look friendly at all.
"Sorry man, but since you're a poltergeist and that's about the same-"
"No, no, no! The same! How can you? How?", Peeves interrupted Fred's explanation.
"Alright. Do you know if it is normal that ghosts can't be seen for a while? Is this going to be better? You're such an experienced poltergeist, you must've seen many ghosts, right?", Fred started again.
"Yes, sure", Peeves only said, enjoying the words.
"And so? Will they see us?", Fred asked again, "Will it get better? Have you ever seen this before?"
"Nope. The ghosts are much older than the great Peeves, who is as young as he's great", Peeves screamed and then he left them alone again.
Fred sighed annoyed and George floated to him, lay his hand on his twins' shoulder and stayed silent.
"At least this is possible", Fred said and pointed at George's hand, "It's not only slapping you. How could we survive without a hug here and then?"
George nodded and smiled. They would get through this, they got through everything until now - And they were already dead. What could happen to them?