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Chapter 10A- POV George
"I thought Oliver already was the captain?"
I laugh. She's real funny sometimes, thinks she's smart and all, but there's a reason she isn't in Ravenclaw. She sticks her tongue out at me.
"No- no, well...yeah. He was assistant captain. Like, junior captain. But now he's official." That's Jo. Jo's smart enough. Prettier too. Plus a wicked Beater.
"You said he always gives the really long after-game and before-game talks though." I shake my head and speak up.
"Look- here's the way it is: Charlie was captain. He was also seeker. He's also like so soft spoken it's painful. So yeah, he can't give the talks. Oliver was like his mouthpiece kinda." I think I did a real good job explaining, but Cassidy just rolls her eyes and takes a bite out of a sugar mouse.
We're sitting in Honeydukes. It's my- well, mine and Fred's- birthday. April 1. Fool's day, they call it. Jo and Cassidy told us they had a gift for us, took us on a tour of the castle and out of nowhere they turned on us and shoved us hard into a wall- but it wasn't wall. There was this secret passage hidden behind an old rug. So we followed it down, and then the girls just turned the lights out and we heard them run away, Jo giggling like crazy. Glad she was so loud, so me and Fred were able to follow the sound of her voice. We went as fast as we could, almost running down the pitch black hall. We had to keep a hand on the wall so we didn't call or miss a turn or anything, but luckily it was a straight forward path. As we went we got faster and faster, even after we stopped hearing Jo's laughter. Then bam! We run into a wall. Like, so hard we fell down. I heard Fred moan, and I got myself up and felt around the wall.
"It's a dead end," Fred muttered.
"Oh, thanks, I hadn't realized," I replied, punching the wall for good measure.
"Where'd they go?" Fred asked me, as if I knew. I felt around the walls again in darkness before Fred pulled his wand and lit it up. We were right- dead end. This time I kicked the wall. Then I heard it- faint and muffled, but unmistakable- Jo's laugh.
"Where are you, Jo? You had your fun, ha ha ha, now come out," the laughing stopped.
"Close your eyes and hold out your hands," Jo shouted. It was still muffled and I couldn't quite tell where it was coming from, but I did what she said and shouted that I was ready.
Nothing happened for a minute, then I heard a shriek. Not Jo's. This time it was Cassidy. I open my eyes to see her on the ground on top of Fred, who was laughing. I looked up and saw this hole in the ceiling, and Jo's face beaming down at me, also laughing. We made eye contact and she threw something at me. I caught it and realized it was candy.
Cassidy and Fred got up, yelling at each other about Fred ruining everything. He hadn't shut his eyes and when Cassidy reached her hand down to drop candy to us he pulled her down the hole. I agreed with Fred and Jo that it was hilarious. Cassidy disagreed.
And that's how we got here talking about Quidditch. The girls bought us a bunch of candy from Honeydukes and showed us the Maurauders Map and the secret tunnel. We discussed our plans to find all the castle's secrets, starting next year. And that's how we got on the topic of Oliver getting voted captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch for next year.
"So, you like the gift?" Jo asks us. I'm about to say that yeah, of course we love it, when Fred pipes in.
"It's good and all, but what we really wanted were kisses." He laughs, and Jo turns her signature scarlet, but I don't comment since I'm pretty sure I'm the same color. I'm ready to shove Fred, but Casssidy's laughing it up with him, looking all intent at Jo. I kick Fred under the table. I don't get why he keeps doing this- I appreciate it and all, I mean, he's really pushing for me and Jo, but this is just getting embarrassing. I mean, it's no good if she knows how I feel. I gotta win her myself. I got rough competition in Oliver, but she'll see. I know she will.
"So, we kinda got a name for ourselves now, don't we?" Cassidy says after finally catching her breath. We just kinda smile and nod. We know what she means- people around Hogwarts, they've been looking at us different. They know us. We've been doing...we've been up to some mischief lately. I feel myself smiling just thinking about it.
Jo starts laughing out loud. "The fact that- that no one got the joke!" Cassidy slaps her arm, trying to get her to shut up. We're not actually supposed to be here, not allowed to be in Hogsmede until next year. We can't afford to draw attention to ourselves, especially in light of the recent events Jo is referring to.
"Pull yourself together," Cassidy hisses, which just makes the rest of us laugh. Cassidy- she's adorable. She's like a little dog- thinks her bark is real scary, but it just isn't. So we laugh at her. Me and Fred- we still don't quite get the point of the prank we're laughing about- some muggle thing, the girls told us.
See- we gathered up a bunch of ink in the middle of the night, met up outside the Great Hall, and then Jo led us around with the Map. We went painting to painting of all the old geezers sleeping on the walls, and real quick we'd reach up and paint a mustache on their faces. Guys and girls alike, they all got these weird thick mustaches painted on the faces. Some of them woke up and started yelling about defilement and all, and as they moved we realized that the mustaches didn't move with them. So then there was just a floating blob of ink on the painting. It was...funny, I guess...but I didn't really get it. Jo explained it was a muggle version of vandalism.
The next day the school got a talk on vandalism. Everyone laughed about what we did, even though no one got it. The muggle borns, though, they tried to explain it in whispers. I mean, they were obviously the prime suspects. Filtch spent the week cleaning it all up, grumpier than ever. Soon a rumor got around that it was us, and ever since, we've been getting looks. We have a rep now. I like the attention, but it makes Cassidy full out paranoid. After the word got out, people started bringing up all the stuff we had done last year- sneaking out, stealing equipment, breaking Hagrid's window. And that was all in one night. Like I said- we were getting a rep.
"We gotta top it," Fred blurts out. In groups he's quieter, but in this past year he's really been branching out. Getting bolder. Sometimes I worry, but not really. I mean, sure, Slytherin has a rap for being the "mean house" or whatever, but this is Fred. He's a Weasley above all else. With just the four of us, especially around Cassidy, he's...bolder. Yeah, that's the word. And it's not bad- actually, I'm excited. He's more fun now.
"So how do we top it?" Cassidy asks, in way that weirdly mixes serious and playful.
"I don't know, but we need to leave the year with a bang," he replies.
"I don't wanna leave at all," I pitch in. Cassidy whips her head around and stares at me, eyes bulging. Jo sees her face and starts nodding like crazy.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Cassidy asks her.
"Yeah! We hide out here and don't go home this summer!" Jo shouts, prompting a kick from Cassidy.
"No, you idiot!" Cassidy hisses.
"Then what?" Fred asks real curious. I'm curious too.
"We seal the doors."
"What? What does that even mean?" I ask. But Fred is nodding slowly, a grin forming on his face.
"All the doors?" He asks.
"All the doors," she confirms.
"I'm lost," Jo says. But I'm starting to get it.
"The night before?" I ask.
"Right before the crack of dawn." Cassidy smiles. There's a flash in her eye and that reminds me why I don't mind keeping her around. She may know nothing about quidditch, but she sure knows how to cause trouble. I look to Jo, who is clearly lost.
"What's this plan?" Jo pipes up. We all look to Cassidy.
"The night before we leave-"
"Right at the crack of dawn!" Fred adds.
"- right, at dawn. We all get up and magically seal all the doors that lead outside. We trap everyone in the building. No one leaves."
There it is. That's a plan.
"...umm, what time is it?" Jo asks. We look out the window and realize it's getting late. All of the Hogwarts kids aren't walking around anymore. We're going to be late for dinner. This is bad.
We all get up and walk, quickly but slyly, to the back of the store. We make sure no one is looking and drop, one by one, back into the hole. Cassidy leads so she can light her wand, and then me and Jo, then Fred mutters something and drops in.
"What was that?" I ask him.
"Hmm? Nothing, nothing," he says, trying to hide a grin. I don't know why. It doesn't matter though, and we keep walking.
Almost an hour later were finally seated in the Great Hall. Me and Jo sit together, eating and laughing and all. The Slytherin table is all the way across the hall, so I can't see Fred or Cassidy. Then we came to our little rec room. Bunch of people gathered, from all the houses, for a little party for me and Fred. We go around saying hi and thanks to everyone, then we just kinda chill. I'm hanging out with the quidditch team kids, from all the houses. We talk the schedule and weather and strategy. Then I go looking for Fred.
He's sitting on a couch, with Cassidy on one side and some Hufflepuff girl on the other. I recognize her, I think-
"Hey, Fred. Cassidy. And, your're Ruby, right?"
"Yeah, but feel free to call me Roo. Happy birthday, by the way!"
"And you're supposed to call me Cas, idiot. It's been two years, get it in your head."
I snort. That's never gonna happen.
"Whatcha eating there, Cassidy?" She huffs and turns her head away in defiance. Fred tosses me something from a bowl on the table. It's candy.
"Where'd you get this?" I ask him. He just winks at me, and I can see Cassidy giving a sly smile. We didn't have candy leaving Honeydukes, and this is clearly Honeydukes candy. I don't know what's going on.
"Come on, where'd you get this, Fred?"
"Just look at the wrapper, man. Lighten up, it's our birthday!"
No...this isn't right. How'd he even...? I think about it, and see that flash in Cassidy's eyes, and remember Fred had said something before jumping down the hole. He used magic to steal some candy. Cassidy must have taught him a spell or something. I look at her, laughing and smiling. It's genuine. It's not malicious. Not like Fred- he looks smug. Proud. Maybe it is just him. Maybe he is more Slytherin than Weasley. Suddenly I'm not in a party mood.