Title: Beware of Potions

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Summary: Fred and George create a new product in the summer before their 6th year, but when one of them samples it, they find that it has far different effects than they'd hoped for.

I'm so sorry about not updating sooner! I got re-addicted to Criminal Minds and fell in love all over again with Hotch and have been scanning my DVDs looking for every adorable shot of him that I could find! Is this an excuse? I don't know… but it was fun!

Fox Berrie, purrtydino, chocolateMnMs, Christina Weasley, TeamGredAndForge, OvercastCrystal – thank you SO much for your reviews! I read them over every time I write to get motivation and ideas and they seriously help me so much! Keep it up! :)

I got a few questions about last chapter - The end was actually supposed to be a bit vague, but I wasn't sure how it went… It was my attempt at building suspense or something (I'm rubbish at it though) I hope this chapter goes okay! lol

Lucy – I think it's official – I cannot start another chapter until I get a review from you. Fox Berrie motivated me to start it and your review was the one that made me go to Starbucks three separate days for a few hours to finish it. I hope this chapter has a bit more drama – I'm not very good at writing drama, so we'll see. And don't worry about being hyper or confused! I love hyperness and confusion is just fun sometimes! Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you again!

Chapter Sixteen

George and Lee followed through the floo just after Draco, exclaiming the password as they threw down their powder. The arrival at Malfoy Manor contrasted their previous setting in the same way that the differences between night and day would. Near the fireplace, groups of people were standing in circles talking and their voices blended together above George and Lee as the disorientation of floo travel left them. Just ahead of them were Draco and the Zabini kid, who were motioning for George and Lee to get out of the way of the fireplace.

The two out-of-place Gryffindors stepped apart just as Lucius Malfoy appeared out of the floo. He immediately stepped over to join in a discussion that his wife was engaged in with one of the gathered groups. George watched him go and let his senses be overwhelmed by what was around him. After the revolting visit that they'd just returned from, the Malfoy's home was like walking into a festival; the colorful lights, scents of rich foods and wines, and sounds of quiet music accented with low discussions seemed to come from the walls of this room. Out of the corner of his eye, George saw Lee pull out a watch to check the time. It occurred to him that he had no idea how much longer the Polyjuice would last for and he felt a sudden urge to thank Lee repeatedly for coming with him.

Lee leaned towards him and whispered, "We need to go. I reckon we have about twenty minutes before we're sent back to that horrid place as prisoners rather than guests." George didn't really want to consider the possibly of that happening, and judging from the apprehensive look on Lee's face, neither did he.

George nodded his head in response and glanced around, wondering what course would be the best to follow in order to leave the gathering unnoticed. He supposed that they should probably ask Mr. Malfoy, since it was his house and his floo powder that they would need to use in order to get back. Just as he made up his mind and turned to head towards the man, he overheard Draco laughing at something that Zabini had said and he paused as Lee put his hand on George's arm discreetly.

A glance at Lee told him that he should listen to what Draco and Zabini were talking about. They stepped closer to the two and heard Zabini say, "You'll never believe who I ran into back there!"

Draco smirks and asked, "Anyone we know?"

"You know that Weasley twin? The one that went missing this summer? Bloody idiot jumped me as I was wandering around waiting for you lot to get there," Zabini explained, rubbing the bruise on his cheek.

Draco pointed to the bruise and started to ask about it, but George didn't hear him. He felt Lee grip his arm as if he were trying to hold him back and it suddenly occurred to him that he'd been stepping closer to the two Slytherins ever since he overheard Zabini.

George shook himself briefly, trying to compose himself so that he wouldn't look suspicious. There were more emotions trying to escape him than was healthy at the moment, and he forced them back down in an almost visible shove so that he could hear what Zabini and Draco were now saying.

"I can't believe you let him beat you with a broom," Draco laughed while Zabini glared back at him. "What did you think of the Dark Lord?"

Zabini shook his head and replied, "That's the other thing – the damned Weasel must've stolen some Polyjuice or something because I only woke up when he came back in, wearing my face and my cloak. Too bad for him that he didn't know that I'd woken up and was ready for him," Zabini said, smirking again.

The reality of Zabini's words struck George a second later as he realized that he'd been standing right next to Fred during most of the time that they'd been at that awful building. It suddenly made sense that the other Slytherin had seemed so uncomfortable and tense when he was normally so laid back and confident. This revelation must have been showing on his face since Lee's grip on his arm tightening even more.

A whoosh sounded out behind them which George vaguely recognized as the sound of the floo. He disregarded it in lieu of listening to more of Draco and Zabini's conversation.

"He actually begged me to let him go as me, can you believe that?" Zabini said incredulously, as if the thought of wanting to leave that horrid building was laughable. "I kicked him again and that shut him up until I could leave."

George barely noticed that he was shaking in anger, about ready to whip out his wand and test out every banned, dark, and inexcusable spell his mother and his teachers had ever told him not to use on Zabini. Just at that moment, however, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder and Lee's as well, since both of them spun around to see who it belonged to.

The anger that George, and most likely Lee as well, felt was only slightly hidden by the shock of seeing the loathed Potions Master standing before them with a stern look on his face. If George didn't know any better, he would guess that the evil bat knew that they weren't Crabbe and Goyle.

Snape looked down at them and said quietly and with a tone that promised that torment would follow briefly, "I do believe that you two owe me a detention for leaving your belongings in such a state of disarray. You can serve these detentions now."

George and Lee merely nodded, though they heard Draco and Zabini protesting lightly behind them. At the sound of the two Slytherin boys, George once again felt the urge to turn and take a swing at Zabini. Almost as soon as he thought it, Snape's hand found purchase on his shoulder and directed him towards the floo.

"Abducting my guests again, are you Severus?" It was Lucius Malfoy. George didn't look up, knowing that he had to try to contain the anger swimming about just near the surface of his control.

"Detention, Lucius. Goodnight," Snape responded while shoving Lee into the fireplace with instructions to head to "Severus Snape's office." Lee spun away and George stood frozen in spot by his professor's grip until the fireplace cleared. A quick shove and dash of powder and he too was off. He didn't trust himself to get a look at Zabini but he swore that he could hear the younger teen snickering as he was spinning away.

He stepped out of the fireplace, stumbling until he was able to grab onto a desk. Lee immediately stepped in front of him and pulled out his watch, looking more nervous than he had back at the building that housed the Dark Lord.

"George, we need to get out of here before Snape gets back. We only have ten minutes left!" Lee explained quickly while pulling George towards the door to Snape's office. He had just pulled the door open when the floo sounded. The moment of hesitation was all it took for them to lose their chance at escape as Snape lifted his wand and the door slammed shut, effectively pushing them back into the office.

"Do you incompetent fools have any idea just how much you risked by taking off on this little adventure this evening? If one tiny, miniscule thing had gone wrong, then both of you would probably be dead by now!" Snape shouted, moving closer to them with each word until he was hovering over them.

Lee started to mutter some sort of apology or explanation, but George wasn't listening to it. His mind was still reeling from the fact that he'd been so close to getting Fred back and he was tearing himself apart for not realizing it sooner when it would have mattered.

"Enough of your petty excuses, Jordan! Not only did you risk your own lives, but if something had happened to you, no one would have known that could have provided any kind of useful assistance! As miraculous as the success of not being found out is, this entire situation has revealed absolutely nothing of use," Snape growled out at them.

George's pent up anger was finally starting to boil over and he erupted fiercely, shoving Professor Snape away from him and shouting angrily, "We did learn something useful, you bloody dungeon bat! We know where Fred is, and all we need to do is get back there and find a way out for him! Which is exactly what we would've done if you hadn't come in and buggered everything up for us!" George roared, pulling out his wand and pointing it at his teacher who had stepped back slightly and crossed his arms.

"Pray tell, Mr. Weasley, do you actually plan on hexing me? Was this your grand plan for rescuing your twin? Do you honestly think that this will be successful?" Snape asked quietly, eyeing George's every move.

George barely noticed as Lee crept out of the line of fire. His sole focus was Snape, as well as trying not to hex the man for all he was worth. The rage and adrenaline rushing through him was not helping him to hold his wand steadily, though he couldn't bring himself to really care about it.

"That's what you want, isn't it? You probably knew where he was all along and have been tormenting him ever since you found out! I wouldn't put it past you to be such a traitor you slimy-"

"I would be very careful with what you accuse me of, Mr. Weasley," Snape's voice cut him off, even though it was much quieter than George's raging.

George bit his lip in anger and then responded, "What? Are you afraid of Dumbledore finding out and firing you? Or better yet, maybe he'll send you off somewhere that you belong, like Azkaban?"

Snape smirked and replied with more sarcasm than he'd normally use, "Yes, I'm positive that he'll find the unfounded words of a child proof enough to dismiss the head of Slytherin House. He may, however, find the actions that you've taken tonight to be much more interesting."

At that moment, the previously locked door suddenly clicked and opened, almost of its own accord. The three occupants froze in their actions to watch as Albus Dumbledore walked in with a grandfatherly smile on his face. He tilted his head towards Snape and George before finally gazing at Lee, who was hiding along one of the walls.

As if it were supposed to explain his arrival, he said, "My ears were ringing just now, and I figured that you must have been discussing my Christmas presents with someone, though these someones seem to appear a bit off. Mr. Jordan, I do believe the look of a Slytherin does not suit you at all," the headmaster said with a small smile. Both boys looked at each other and realized that they still wore the appearances of Crabbe and Goyle. At that moment, however, almost as if Dumbledore had somehow planned it, their original looks started returning.

"Ah, that's much better. Although I do believe that this sight is one that I didn't expect to see when I got here," Dumbledore said as he took in the sight of George pointing his wand at a glaring Snape. "Perhaps I can be of assistance," he offered, opening his arms towards them in a peaceful motion.

George dropped his wand arm to his side and looked at the floor in what was almost a state of shock. He'd been taught to have every kind of faith possible in Dumbledore, but at the moment, he wasn't sure that he could rely on the man to remedy this situation. As he stood in place, he began noticing just how much he'd been shaking and how cold he'd gotten after his arrival at Hogwarts. He wasn't entirely convinced that is was due to the cold of the dungeons, either. The adrenaline rush was starting to leave him and he could feel his energy draining as it left.

Across from him, Snape began to explain the situation to the headmaster. "You were right about these two. Somehow, they acquired Polyjuice potion and impersonated two of my Slytherins so that they could attend the Malfoy's party. This party involved a brief visit with the Dark Lord for a select few, which naturally included Lucius. Apparently the fool brought his son and these two along with him."

If George had been thinking clearly, he would've thought it odd how Snape had spoken of Malfoy and the Dark Lord with such distaste in his voice. Instead, he was desperately trying to avoid letting his emotions take control, though he knew Ron wasn't the only one in the family that could have a terrible temper at times.

"Ah, I see. And what is the reason for this altercation that I've stumbled upon?" Dumbledore questioned further, gesturing towards the raised wands.

"Albus, you let yourself in. I hardly view that as stumbling into a situation," Snape responded dryly.

Dumbledore nodded knowingly and waved to prod the man to explain anyways.

"It appears that Mr. Weasley here belatedly realized the location of his twin," Snape explained meaningfully. "He was just asking me to assist him when you walked in."

George couldn't help but snort at that understatement. At the moment, he felt that there wasn't anything he wouldn't do in order to go back and get Fred.

Once again, the old man nodded his head in understanding, and then he asked, "Did you explain the situation to him, Severus?"

Snape stared back at him incredulously before responding, "I hardly think that it would be appropriate, Headmaster."

"Nevertheless, it could prevent further issues if he knew what the situation was now, rather than finding out on his own much later…" Dumbledore recommended. "Although, I do trust that you know the best course of action, Severus. I'll let you proceed as you see fit."

At this remark, George stared in bewilderment at Dumbledore. The man was going to let Snape decide? He was going to put all of this in Snape's hands? He was shaking his head and taking a step towards the two men before he fully comprehended that he was doing so.

"You're going to let him decide this?" George demanded, his voice sounding as incredulous as the mere idea of trusting Snape sounded to any Gryffindor.

Dumbledore turned towards him and folded his hands together calmly. "My dear boy, Severus has everyone's best interests at heart, and I'm certain-"

"At heart? What heart!" George was fully aware that shouting and saying such things to or around the headmaster was inappropriate, but he was also beyond caring at this point. "And he has no idea what everyone's best interests are! He doesn't give a damn about Fred and I'll bet he's doing all he can to keep his joy from this whole situation showing right now!" George shouted, turning to point an accusing wand at his Potions professor.

Snape, who had been wearing a look that could've killed if given the opportunity, suddenly stepped forward and spoke quietly but with enough force to make George back up a step. "I'll never claim to have any sentimental feelings in my heart for any Gryffindor, but unlike most of you, I have something called common sense that guides my actions. And right now, the sensible thing is to wait for a better opportunity, not to charge in like a fool and risk everything you have."

Snape really should have realized that sense and logic would be neither sensible nor logical to the distraught teenager.

Turning towards Dumbledore, George continued his tirade. "How can you possibly trust this man? He…" George struggled to find the words while also attempting to draw in a full breath of air. "We need to go back, please. That place was terrible… Fr- Fred can't survive that… I wouldn't be able…" He was breathing harshly at the words as he tried to frantically to not show how truly upset he was.

Dumbledore had tilted his head in understanding of George's worry, whereas Snape had reached the end of his patience. George felt a fierce grip on his arm that shoved him into the door and then looked up to see Snape's angered expression glaring at him.

"You seem to want your brother to live and return here, but the things you're speaking of and the idiocy that you participated in tonight could very well kill him! Is that what you want? Do you really want his life to be risked due to the possibility of escape in the form of a thrown together plan that probably won't even work? If you want him to die, there are easier ways!"

Snape's words raked over George, forcing him to divert his gaze from the intensity of Snape's look. That last comment had hurt in more ways than George could count at the moment and he felt his eyes and throat burn in response. Shaking from the stress of it, he attempted to reply, "No, I wouldn't… of course not."

"If you want him back alive, then you need to listen to me and do as I say. Stop acting like the foolhardy and irrational Gryffindor that you are and start thinking about what's really happening and what's at stake. Only with a solid plan will Fred stand any chance of getting out of there alive," Snape practically snarled at him. George was frozen to the spot where Snape had shoved him and he wasn't sure what to make of the man's speech.

"I do believe, Severus, that you've made your point, but keep in mind that the boy is merely worried about his brother," Dumbledore said calmly, as if the rage that had nearly exploded in the room a moment ago hadn't happened. As Dumbledore spoke, Snape stepped back and George's eyes darted towards the door.

George was hardly listening to them at this point. It was obvious that no one would do anything useful tonight and he was reaching his breaking point in dealing with all of it. The stress of the evening and the renewed sense of loss that he felt at being so close to getting Fred back were threatening to overwhelm him and the last thing he wanted to do was break down in front of his friend and teachers.

He tripped over his own feet in his rush to get away from everyone, even though no one was moving to stop him, not even Lee, who had remained silent and unmoving through everything that had just happened. None of the other occupants of the room said a word as he pulled the door open and darted into the hallway, racing up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower. George ran faster than he needed to, providing that no one was giving chase, and he fervently hoped that no one else had decided to venture up to the tower as well.


Fred really wished Hermione was here. While Ron's friend was quirky and way too into books for her own good, she would at least help him in describing his situation accurately. And by accurately, he meant in more descriptive phrasing than simply saying "Bugger it all."

Perhaps "unlucky" would fit. He'd thought he was on the receiving end of luck tonight when he'd managed to overwhelm the Zabini kid and impersonate him in a desperate attempt to escape. Of course, then his plan had gone to Azkaban in only the way that a truly unplanned plan could have. Not only had he run right into the man that had landed him here in the first place, but also his son and two of the blonde's idiot friends. To make matters worse, he had been led up to the last person – no, being – that he wanted to be around for a "meeting."

That was a situation which led to the next word that he could think of: "out of place." Okay, so that was three words, but from Fred's position on the floor of the makeshift potions lab, he couldn't be bothered with such technicalities. He'd been out of his comfort zone from the moment that he'd disappeared from London in the summer. Having to pretend to tolerate Malfoy's existence had been a trial all of its own.

After that came the now familiar feeling of utter confusion. He could've sworn upon Merlin's beard that he'd heard one of the two morons (he couldn't tell them apart) almost say "George." That had frozen him in place until it dawned on him that there would be no reason why those two would say that and that even if they had said it, there was no way that he could pull off a curious inquiry about why they would say it.

The last part of his misadventure was one that he needed help describing. Hermione would probably have a full foot of parchment filled with words on the subject. Idiotic was one word that described it, or so Fred thought. He shook his head painfully as he remembered walking back into this room to retrieve Zabini's cloak. He had somehow forgotten or at least neglected to anticipate any sort of threat that may be waiting behind the door. The blow to the head had come out of nowhere and he hadn't had a chance at fighting back as he fell unconscious immediately.

Fred supposed that he should feel thankful that Zabini hadn't done something to him after that. The other teen could have very easily grabbed a potion and poisoned him on his way out. Fred stopped that train of thought, however, since it was still a possibility that whatever poison he could've been given would react later. As his head pulsed again with pain, he snorted at his good fortune.

He sat up slowly and looked around, grimacing and holding his head as he did so. Fred noticed that the place where Zabini had hit him was bleeding slightly, and he covered it with his hand while pushing himself up so he could further survey the room. His and Zabini's encounter had broken a small number of vials and, as a result, parts of the floor were covered in unidentifiable substances.

He knew that he'd need to clean it up in order to avoid suspicion. If his earlier actions had somehow gone unnoticed, which he doubted, then he'd have to make everything look the part. Stepping towards the damage, Fred grabbed the broom that seemed about ready to fall apart and began sweeping up some of the glass. As he did so, he found himself dwelling on everything that had happened in the last hour.

He had come so close to getting away from this place. All it would've taken would have been a quick floo trip to the Malfoys and then some easy excuse to get back to Hogwarts. Though he knew that he shouldn't feel too upset that the haphazardly thrown-together plan hadn't worked, he couldn't help but feel the frustration mounting in him. Thoughts of getting to Hogwarts and seeing George and his family again caused his grip on the broom to tighten unnecessarily. Before he knew it, his hands were shaking and his movements were stiff as he reached to sweep up another broken vial. The broom wasn't catching the shattered glass, however, and his forceful sweeping finally snapped it in half at the point where it had been damaged before.

Fred cursed loudly and threw the broken broom to the floor in frustration. He glared at the broken bits of glass and crouched down shakily to scoop them up into his hands. At first, his movements were careful, but the more he kept at it, the less careful he became. All of the anger and frustration that the evening had wrought against him was being vented upon the glass in a fury of movement. He grabbed each of the pieces and tossed them into a steadily growing pile that he'd started earlier with the broom.

After getting one area cleared, he moved on to the next with a ferocity that was normally only applied to bludgers. He felt as if his entire body was tingling with anxiety and he needed to quell it somehow. His hands slipped on a piece of glass as liquid, probably the remains of one of the potions, covered bits of the glass. Growing even more embittered by the fact that this small task was trying to defeat him, he reached out and swept his hands across the floor to clear it of the glass.

The nearly frantic activity continued for several moments before Fred could no longer ignore the burning and stinging sensations in his hands. With an aggravated breath, he leaned up against the wall and surveyed the damage for a moment. He cringed as he looked at his hands – there were numerous cuts covering his palms and fingers, and some of the potions had seeped into the cuts which were only adding to the stinging.

As he stared at his hands, he realized that the pain wasn't really as bad as it could be. His head hurt, and his hands ached, but he was far too drained from everything that had happened this evening to really dwell on it too much. Fred surveyed the pile that he had tried to create, which in reality was little more than another mess. He shook his head and rested it against the wall before cringing as the spot where Zabini had hit him rebelled against the action. He sat in that position for a while, hoping that if he didn't move, that no other adjectives that were synonymous with "unlucky" would be applied to him for at least a few more hours.

Fred wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious, nor how long he'd spent sitting against the wall, but he certainly wasn't expecting anyone else to come into the small lab. Considering that, he didn't react at all as his Potions professor stepped quietly into the room. Snape glanced around before letting his gaze fall upon Fred, who hadn't looked up and wasn't planning on doing so anytime soon.

With a short wave of his wand, Snape banished the broken glass that still littered parts of the floor as well as the potion spills that were trying to eat away parts of the floor. He stood in place for a moment more, thankful that the teen seemed more in a state of shock rather than in distress. If anything made him uncomfortable, it was students that were overly emotional. He didn't know what to do in such situations and avoided them at all costs, except when those students pointed wands at him and threw accusations at him. Snape's mouth twisted into a cringe as he thought of how overly emotional George Weasley had gotten just a few moments before.

He shook his head and hoped that Dumbledore was right, and that the idiot boy wasn't out planning another equally idiotic escapade. The old manipulator had ever so craftily convinced him to come and check on the situation here, stating that George could be trusted not to be cause for more worry tonight. Snape didn't bother to stop his eyes from rolling at the thought that one of the Weasley twins would willingly stay out of trouble for that long.

He sighed quietly and took in the sight of the boy that was leaning against the wall. The teen looked exhausted and, considering what all had happened, Snape couldn't blame him. He crouched down and pulled one of the bloodied hands towards him so that he could inspect the damage and start working to repair it.

Fred flinched back when Snape touched his hand and then pulled it away hastily, saying, "Don't. Don't bother with it."

Snape looked at him exasperatedly and said, "You'd rather I not tend to these? You'd rather get an infection that could easily kill you here?" After the earlier drama with Dumbledore and the two wayward Gryffindors, Severus' patience had worn down to a nearly nonexistent level.

To Fred's credit, the boy didn't think it worthwhile to argue with Snape's logic again. The boy glanced down, away from Snape, and held out one of his hands for the man to look at. Though he found it difficult to not berate the teen, Snape managed to refrain as he pulled out small shards of glass with his wand. The two were silent as he cleaned and bandaged the wounds on one hand discretely. Snape barely had to motion to the other hand for Fred to lift it up without resistance.

As he was finishing the task, Severus wondered how much the boy really knew about what had happened tonight. It had seemed earlier that Weasley and Jordan had only found out that Fred was here after they returned to the Malfoy's home. It was possible that Fred had no idea that his twin and friend had been standing right next to him as they mirrored each other's insane plans.

Finishing with the boy's left hand, Severus looked into his face and waited to see if he would say anything. Usually, it would only be a matter of time before a lone Gryffindor would crack under such a gaze. To his dismay, Fred neither said anything nor moved at all.

"Weasley, do you realize that-" Severus started to explain before he was cut off.

"I know it was stupid… I just had to try something, and it seemed… it seemed like a good idea at the time," Fred responded dully. He seemed like a man who was about to go dig his own grave.

The admission was accepted, though not anticipated. Severus had actually been about to inform him of his twin's previous location.

"That wasn't what I was going to say, although I do agree that you could have spent more than twenty seconds thinking through your actions before jumping in blindly like…" Severus paused, fumbling for an accurate-enough simile, though it seemed unimportant when he saw how completely dejected Weasley looked.

"Like Harry?" Fred suggested, finally meeting Snape's eyes. "Oh, sorry, you only know him as 'Potter,' don't you?" The comment sounded like it should've been said in jest, but it was said with the same uncaring voice as before. Nevertheless, Severus' eyebrows twitched in response and he shifted where he crouched.

"Indeed," he remarked dryly. He paused before continuing, hoping that what he was about to say wouldn't make the situation worse than it already was. "I'm curious to know what caused your plan to fail," Severus asked in a way of introducing the subject.

Fred nodded to himself and then gestured with his hands to the room while saying, "Zabini showed up and we… we disagreed." That was an understatement and the smirk on Fred's face showed that he knew it, too. "Anyways, I didn't think about the idea when it hit me, I just figured that if I could pass as him long enough to get out of this building that maybe I'd have a chance of getting away. The only problem was that I ran into Malfoy – Draco – and his two bodyguards the second I stepped out of this room."

Snape nodded and gestured for him to continue, already having guessed that much of the story.

"Draco was talking to me and I tried to fit Zabini's role, but I honestly doubt that I fooled them all that much. Those two goons of his sure looked uneasy when I showed up," Fred explained, shaking his head. "Then Draco's father showed up and herded us upstairs, and I can tell you with complete certainly that none of us were really looking forward to that. I think Draco was the most nervous of all."

Once again, Severus nodded, knowing all too well the situation that Draco was in. He mentally cursed Lucius and made a mental note to check on the boy when he returned to Hogwarts.

"The visit upstairs was pretty brief since you came in and interrupted it. Thank you for that, by the way," Fred added sincerely. Severus didn't respond as he thought back to the moment when he opened the door to confirm the suspicions that Dumbledore had suggested about George Weasley and his friend. He'd been shocked at the mere idea and even more so to see that it appeared to have been founded upon truth. He'd had no idea that Fred had actually gone and done the same thing, however. Severus wondered absently if the Weasley twins actually had separate minds or not before shaking his head slightly to hear the teen continue.

"After that, the four of us meandered downstairs. Draco seemed like he couldn't get out of that room or the entire building fast enough. Those two friends of Draco's were also acting a bit off and Draco even noticed it too," Fred said before glancing to the side and moving on. "Later, Draco's father came and said that it was time to go, and I was about to leave with them when he said that I should get my – Zabini's – cloak. That's where it really went downhill. I came back in here, but Zabini was waiting for me. That's the last thing I remember before waking up later in here."

Severus nodded and then stood up, pacing a few times before finally deciding to tell the boy why at least two of the three other teens had been acting a bit out of character. "You said that Draco's friends seemed to be acting differently. Those two weren't Gregory Goyle or Vincent Crabbe. Any guesses?"

Fred looked up at him with a curious expression. That certainly explained some of it, though he had no idea whom they could have really been. 'Unless,' he thought, 'unless there was more to what I thought I heard on the stairs…' Fred shook his head slowly while keeping his eyes trained on the man pacing before him.

Snape stopped pacing and looked directly at him before saying, "It seems that you and your twin share similar ideas about making haphazard, last-minute, dangerous, idiotic plans that have very little hope of succeeding."

Fred didn't breathe for a moment before he started laughing quietly. Of course.

"Apparently, he finds the fact that he and his brother almost got themselves killed tonight amusing?" Snape said to himself, staring at the wall of potion vials.

Fred shook his head and said, "I just find it… very ironic. Which is strange really – I think you're wearing off on me." Fred arched an eyebrow at him and smirked lightly.

Snape didn't have a response for that.

The boy seemed to sober up for a moment and asked seriously, "Is he okay? Is he back at Hogwarts?"

Severus took in the now worried expression and replied, "He's perfectly fine, though quite angry at me and the headmaster, as I'm sure your friend Mr. Jordan is as well."

"Lee?" Fred asked.

"The two were working together, it seems," Severus answered.

Fred was quiet for a few moments as he processed the new information. He was glad that George and Lee had made it back safely, even if he also understood how frustrated his twin must feel. The fact that they'd both pulled the same stunt made him laugh again, though it was more of an ironic laugh than an amused one. A glance toward his Potions professor told him that the man wanted to leave. Thinking about it, he figured that it probably wouldn't look good if Snape were caught spending so much time with him alone.

"Professor?" The man turned back to him and he continued, "If you can, can you thank George for me? For trying?" He wanted to add more, but he knew that even such a simple message would be nearly impossible for the unemotional man before him to pass on. Snape paused before nodding once and then gesturing for him to stand up.

Fred followed Snape back downstairs in silence, only nodding in response to the man's comment that he'd return the following day with more for him to work on. Fred was surprised at his anticipation of the work, but it was mainly because he longed for a distraction from the monotony of silence and brooding that sitting alone brought him.


Okay guys, please let me know what you think about it. I'm so sorry about taking so long to update, and I'm hoping to have time over the holiday break to spend writing since all my family will be away (yay!) for a while.

Anyways, I'm worried this chapter was lame so let me know if it was – I'll think of something more exciting for the next one, I promise. Thanks to those that review and Happy Holidays to everyone!