"Why do you have toast," laughed Tessa as Fred and George burst through the study room's door.
"It would've been warmer if you hadn't moved the study room so bloody far from the Great Hall," scoffed Fred.
"Oh come off it," laughed Tessa. "You know we have to move around now."
The room was smaller in size compared to their old one they nearly occupied their entire school career. Yet, it had walls lined with bookcases for easy, and temporary, storage, tall windows that actually opened to let out fumes from the cauldron, and it was so dusty that none has seen it's interior for several terms.
"We don't have our equipment," sighed George dabbing the hot goo from the cauldron onto a slice of toast and taking a bite wiping the edges of his mouth in disgust.
"We have what we can make do with," stated Tessa mildly annoyed. "We need to be mobile and be able to keep things hidden."
"You're worried over nothing," laughed Lee. "We won't get caught."
"All I'm trying to do is keep this thing going," said Tessa through gritted teeth. "Without interruptions."
"Alright, Alight," sighed Lee in response as he began rolling a cooled portion of goo from the cauldron on the table and waving his wand over it cutting the loaf into tiny pieces bite sized pieces.
George,sitting in the corner began holding his nose, blood seeping through his finger as Fred ran over with a rag and shoving towards his face.
"Well wasn't an antidote," sputtered George growing pale.
It had been a week since their conversation in the Common Room ended, and they've moved to four different study rooms, and a broom closet, since then. Fred walked over to the other side of the room bumping into chairs and tables as he weaved through the tight space. He pulled out his notebook and wrote a big 'X' over half of a page.
"I hate moving," sighed Fred as he walked back to George whose nose stopped bleeding and was now wiping his hands and fingers with the stained rag. He reached for the rest of the toast and jam stuffing his face.
"We have to," said Tessa quietly. "Better get a move on we've got class in twenty minutes."
Lee and Tessa cleaned the room quickly and hid the ingredients from sit. With a wave of Tessa wand, dust resettled in the areas cleaned off and off they went to their first period class. Fred helped George stand and helped him half way through the hall until he reached a bathroom helping was his face and hands before catching up to Tessa whom was already on the Grand staircase following the crowd up the stair towards Divination.
The rest of the day was dismal. Classes were relatively normal minus DADA, which was the first time in any class that Tessa received a poor grade for an essay and seeing the smug, yet empathetic smile on Professor Umbridge's face when handed back her homework made it worse.
She sat in the tiny study room glaring outside at the Pitch as Fred and George began hiding materials and cauldrons in shadowed corners of the room.
"Don't bother," sighed Tessa. "I'm looking for another place before I head to the Common Room."
George nodded as he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room with Lee whom stuffed candies in his pockets asking where to go for the first round of research closing the door behind him.
"You sure?" Asked Fred placing a freshly cleaned cauldron on top of the table and walking towards her from the corner of the room.
Tessa nodded quickly without looking up at him. Fred placed a hand on Tessa's shoulder making her turn towards him and wrapped his arms around her hugging her lightly.
"Everything will be okay," said Fred quietly.
"Usually you make fun of me for being so upset over stupid grades," laughed Tessa hugging him tighter.
"Not this time," said Fred glaring at the door behind Tessa's head. "Even Hermione said that your essay was excellent. She looked envious at one point."
"Batty old-," Tessa paused mumbled incoherent words as Fred laughed at her pulling her away at arm's length.
"Don't worry about it," said Fred. "You are a Professional Quidditch player. That woman can stuff it, even if you barely pass this year. Won't matter."
Tessa nodded lightly.
"I'll see you in the Common Room alright," said Fred smiling lightly.
"Yeah," said Tessa. "Have to find some first years that stayed in a bathroom too long after lunch."
"Those poor blokes," laughed Fred quietly.
"Eh," shrugged Tessa. "They got to miss class at least."
She watched Fred walked around her and open the door closing it behind him. She walked the room and began picking up scattered notes and vials of ingredients stuffing them into her satchel. She grabbed the cauldron Fred left on the table and walked out of the room leaving behind traces of them being there. She secretly hoped Filch would somehow find it and begin looking for them. Doing this business was getting too easy.
The Common Room was empty, minus Hermione, as Tessa leaped off the last step and sat opposite to her at the table, Hermione already making room for her things.
"Thought you'd be at Quidditch practice," joked Hermione as she stack her books higher than table beside their feet.
"Nah," said Tessa opening her Defense Against The Dark Arts book on a Chapter detailing the exact way to hide if one decides to attack you, specifically in a wooded area and seemingly no where else. Tessa rolled her eyes and begin reading scribbling notes on the side of the book rather than using parchment.
"Wouldn't she get upset," said Hermione surprised.
"Who cares," said Tessa. "It's my book anyways. Not hers."
Hermione nodded approvingly and continued writing her essay. Pen scratching parchment enveloped the room for a moment when th scribbling stopped and Tessa looked up to see Hermione staring at her awkwardly.
"So…how's everything going," said Hermione cautiously. "I saw-,"
She paused trying to think of what to say. "I noticed. That you left the Great Hall around the same time I did, but you were an hour later than me to reach here."
"And," said Tessa her eyes glinting and a smile creeping along her face.
"Well I was wondering how is that possible," stated Hermione seriously.
"Well," said Tessa quickly. "I decided that it was time to go for a walk."
"A walk," stated Hermione visibly not buying it.
"Yes," said Tessa nonchalantly. "Around the castle. I mean it is a perfect time to go. Not very busy. And it's my last year." She smiled at Hermione who grew perplexed and her cheeks turning a shade of pink. "So, why not get my bearings of the castle one last time. Who knows when I'll see it again."
"I suppose," said Hermione furling her brow. "But I know you lot are doing something. I'll figure it out eventually."
Tessa laughed as she closed her DADA book and opened her notes she had taken in Divination. "Wouldn't it be easier to catch someone actually doing something," joked Tessa. "I saw Pansy and Malfoy making out in the Hall of Hexes earlier. Maybe you wanna check that out."
"I'm perfectly fine here thanks," stated Hermione. "But I'll check tomorrow to see if anyone else is lurking about."
Tessa smiled slyly as she watched Hermione open a book writing "Patrol Hall of Hexes" in it underneath a slew of other tasks for tomorrow and shutting it quickly from her peeping eyes. However, what Hermione didn't know is that Tessa didn't leave through the Hall of Hexes, but rather walked through it from a trap door that lead from the Dungeons and merely eyed the two moaning in a corner getting Tessa's attention enough to mumble a spell that tied their laces together in a knot between their feet for a nice surprise later. This time, their room was only a few doors away from the Gryffindor entrance; their materials stuffed at the top of recently cleaned Broom Closet situated next to a very used study room that had a door, blocked conspicuously by desks, leading to another room that wasn't.
"Good," said Tessa quickly as she scribbled additional notes on the page in front of her watching Hermione's lips curl into a smirk.