How is it that everything can change with just one simple sentence? I wanted to be your special person. I don't think I could've said anything more embarrassing.
I didn't speak to Harry at all over the next few weeks and tried to avoid him at all cost, which was hard seeing as we shared all of our classes. Not to mention, he kept on trying to corner me, which was why I always tried to be accompanied by someone, whether is was Neville, Hermione or Fred and George.
Surprisingly, I started to hang out with the Weasley twins more and more. It was a nice break from being interrogated by Hermione and Neville, who had clearly noticed my refusal to talk to Harry. But Fred and George never mentioned my other relationships. They just wanted me to help them sneak food up to the Common Room, prank people (in particular Filch), and help them come up with ideas for the joke shop they dreamed of creating.
Five weeks after the second task came the twins' birthday which they planned on spending it the same way they do every year.
"You're sneaking out?" I repeated when they and Lee told me about their plan in the Common Room that evening.
Fred rolled his eyes. "Come on Lean, surely by now you realise we never follow the rules."
"This isn't a simple rule break Fred, you're actually attempting to leave the school property."
"Attempt?" George wrinkled his nose. "We're not attempting anything."
"We're going to leave the school property." Lee agreed.
At my hesitant expression, Fred's face softened. "Don't worry Lean, we do it all the time and we've never been caught."
"If it was that easy, wouldn't everyone be doing it?" I pointed out.
"They would if they knew how," Lee winked.
"How—"
"Come with us and you'll find out," George grinned.
I looked between George and Lee before turning to look at Fred who gave me an encouraging smile. I nodded. "Alright, I'm in."
Ten minutes or so, all four of us were climbing out through the portrait hole, wearing our cloaks.
"This would've been a lot easier if you hadn't given away that map," Lee whispered under his breath when we had to hide in a classroom to dodge Filch.
"What map?" I asked.
"Nothing," both Fred and George said at the same time.
Before I could ask any questions, Lee peeked his head out of the door before announcing the all clear.
Fortunately, there were no more near encounters with Filch or any of the other teachers or prefects as we made our way down to the third-floor, where they suddenly came to a stop behind a statue of a one-eyed witch with a hump-back. George pulled out his wand and tapped on the statue, muttering "Dissendium" under his breath. My eyes widened in shock as the witch's hump opened up, revealing a hole large enough for a thin person to slip through.
"See you on the other side," George winked at me, before sliding in head first. Lee followed in after him until just Fred and I remained.
"Ladies first," Fred said.
"Where does it lead?" I wondered aloud, peering through but unable to see anything in the darkness.
I looked up at Fred, waiting for an answer. But he only grinned. "That's something you'll have to discover on your own."
Huffing to myself, I awkwardly swung my legs into hole, glad I'd chosen to wear my Muggle jeans instead of a skirt. "You're very annoying," I said over my shoulders.
"I know," Fred answered with a goofy grin as I let go and slid down the cold stone slide, landing with a thump on damp earth.
"Alright Lean?" George asked from where he and Lee stood, wands illuminating their surroundings.
"Yeah," I said, standing up and moving out of the way so that Fred could join us. Once out of the way, I got my wand out and muttered, "lumus." With three sources of light, the passageway we'd landed it didn't look nearly so dark, but still too narrow and low.
We started walking once Fred landed beside us, following the passage as it twisted and turned. Several times I thought about asking where we were going but I knew they'd only answer the same way; that I needed to discover it on my own.
After maybe an hour of walking, we finally reached steps that seemed to go on forever. This time Fred went first. Followed by George, Lee and lastly, me.
We climbed for several minutes until at last, Fred called out for everyone to stop. There was silence and then light. I blinked a few times before looking up just as Lee started climbing again.
When I reached the top, Fred was kneeling beside the trapdoor, holding his hand out for me to take. Ignoring it, I climbed out of the trapdoor on my own, staring at the cellar of which I found myself in.
"Let's go," Lee urged us. So after replacing the trapdoor, the four of us crept up the wooden staircase which led up into a shop I recognised immediately as Honeydukes.
There was no one in the shop as we crept in. Lee walked over to a display of 'Fizzing Whizbees' and grabbed two large handfuls.
"Here you go," he said to Fred and George, handing them a handful each. "Your birthday presents."
I opened my mouth to protest but Lee noticed and strode over to the counter, grabbing his wallet and slamming a few coins on the tables. "Happy?" He asked me.
"Yes," I grinned back. I started off in the direction of the door, but stopped when I noticed another display. A display of Chocolate Frogs.
"Oh," I said, rushing over. "Oh, I haven't had chocolate frogs since... since my birthday..."
I didn't mean my most recent birthday, which was my fourteenth birthday. I meant my eleventh birthday, three years ago. It was the day I got the news of my acceptance in the junior politics program. Draco and I had both bought each other a large box of chocolate frogs and then we'd eaten it together that night in our shared room.
All my birthdays after were quite miserable, not only because of America's lack of Chocolate Frogs. I wasn't sure if it was a twin thing but I'd missed Draco more than I'd thought possible.
With a sigh, I placed the Chocolate Frog back in the pile.
"What are you doing?" George asked. "Clearly you want it so just buy it already."
"I don't have any money on me," I admitted.
"Then steal it," Lee grinned.
I gave him a look. Seconds later, Fred had picked it up and walked over to the counter, adding some coins to Lee's pile and then walked back over, handing the frog to me. "Don't worry about it," he said before I could express my gratitude.
"I'll pay you back," I promised.
"I said don't worry about it."
"And I said, I'll pay you back."
