Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Repurposing
"Mum, we're fine", George groaned, having just repeated what we've all been telling her for the last five minutes. "And you shouldn't believe what that Skeeter woman is printing in the papers".
"Yeah, Mum", Fred agreed. We were sitting in front of McGonagall's fireplace. This time, instead of our heads in the fireplace, Mum had the honor. So, as we sat shoulder to shoulder, we were staring into the flames that formed Mum's face. "If I was a psycho rat who just escaped from Azkaban, the last place I'd go is to Hogwarts because that would be the first place everyone would think to look".
I nodded as I followed along with Fred's words. In the fire, Mum's face was highly unimpressed. "I've heard Albania is nice this time of year. Pettigrew probably went there". Also, for other reasons I can't say.
"Besides", George continued. "We were third-years when we forced Ratface out of hiding. So, imagine how easy it'll be for the Aurors to find him. Pettigrew will probably be caught by tomorrow". A sound argument as long as we didn't consider the number of years Pettigrew spent hiding in our house.
But Mum wasn't placated. "I don't like this. First Lockhart and now Scabbers. Something is underfoot", Mum warned.
Not that we needed the warning. Her thoughts were ours exactly. There was just something too foreboding about villains from our past achieving liberation right after we had destroyed Horcruxes. Makes me question what would happen when we disposed of the diadem.
Still, it wasn't something we needed Mum to worry about. "What do you think those two are doing?" Fred asked before offering a sarcastic example. "Having tea together as they run from the Aurors?"
Mum frowned, causing her skin to wrinkle. Except, in the fire, her facial expressions were harder to read, so she looked more like a raisin than a disapproving mother figure. "Do not mock me, Fred Weasley. Your safety and that of your siblings is not something to joke about".
"Oh, speaking of jokes, I did hear a good one the other day", I said, turning my face to look at my brothers. "What do you get when you combine a wizard and a snowstorm?"
"Holly", Mum tried to interject.
But I still delivered the punchline anyway. "A cold spell".
In sync, Fred and George blinked and crossed their arms over their chests. If this were a cartoon there would be a cricket soundtrack playing in the background. "What part of that was good?" Fred asked.
"Jolly Holly, for a joke to be good the punchline needs to be more shocking", George tried to educate me.
"George", Mum tried again.
"Oh, like the one Lee told us", Fred suggested. "How did that one go, George?"
"Umm…." George leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling as he thought. Or he may just be pretending to draw things out and push Mum's buttons. "Oh, I remember. Did you hear about the man who was buried alive?" George looked left at Fred and then right at me, providing him with the appropriate amount of time needed before delivering a punchline. "It was a grave mistake".
Fred started to chuckle. "Classic".
"How is that better than my joke?" I asked.
"That's enough, you three", Mum's voice grew louder. Or as loud as she can be when on a floo call.
"They were both equally stupid", I continued.
Fred opened his mouth, but this time when Mum started talking, we actually listened. It's never wise to keep our bits going for too long. Especially when considering the fact that Mum controlled what we'd get for Christmas. "Promise me you three will be careful".
"Yes", us triplets said together; drawing out the word like the obnoxious teenagers we are.
"You won't leave Hogwarts' grounds".
"Yes", we repeated ourselves.
"I don't want any letters home this year about how you three have unmasked a criminal-"
"What are the odds of that happening again?" George asked, cutting off Mum.
But Mum was on a roll, so she kept going. "Or to wake up to an article in the Daily Prophet about how my children are involved in some scandal at school."
She makes it sound like we chose to be a part of all that nonsense. I mean, it's not like we have a say in what gets printed in the press. "We don't want that either". I commented, remembering the stupid little blurbs Skeeter printed last school year about me and Adrian. Merlin, some people really need to invest in better hobbies if they find two fifteen-year-olds dating that intriguing.
Satisfied, Mum gave us a small nod. But she still wasn't done. "You'll watch out for Ron and Ginny".
"Yes", the three of us said together once again; sounding more and more pained the longer that this went on.
"And you'll mind your older brother", Mum ordered.
"Ye-" I started to say but stopped when Fred left out a bark of laughter.
"Now, that was a good joke". Though when no one joined him, he stopped and leaned closer to the fire. "You are joking, right?" He asked Mum. "When have we ever listened to prefect Percy? Why would we need to?"
Mum's response didn't acknowledge any of Fred's questions. "I've already talked with Percy before Professor McGonagall summoned you three to her office. I asked him to keep an eye on each of you now that things…. Now that things are becoming a bit dangerous. If he tells you something is unsafe, it's my expectation all of you will listen". It must be a nice dream Mum is having if she truly believes there will ever be a time when Fred and George voluntarily let Percy take charge of them. Me, I didn't really mind. It was easier to get things past Percy than it was Bill or Charlie as long as you went about things subtly.
"Percy's idea of danger is not chewing every bite of food thirty times", George pointed out. He said it so seriously I couldn't decide if he made up that Percy fact or not. "If you make Percy babysit us, you'll be sentencing us to a year of torture and misfortune". George dramatically stated. And that's in comparison to last year.
Mum was unsympathetic. "It is your OWL year. It wouldn't hurt to take a page out of your brother's book and buckle down".
"Should we start wearing socks with sandals, as well?" I couldn't help but ask even though it earned me a glare from Mummy dearest. It's bad enough that Adrian is on my case about my marks. Add Percy to the mix and I might as well resign myself to a year filled with headaches, lectures, and unadulterated boredom.
Ironically, it was our denial of Percy's supervision that led Mum to change topics. Instead of warning us away from anything that could possibly relate to Pettigrew and Lockhart coming back into our lives, Mum lectured us about the importance of our OWLs. And how we must, under every circumstance, take them as seriously as we would a close relation dying. Which, is maybe one of the few things us triplets can't find humor in, now that I think about it. That is, assuming the relation hadn't been buried alive. A grave mistake, indeed.
In light of Mum's overaction was understandable. Mostly, because she wasn't the only one reacting. The next class we had with Sirius consisted of him practicing the reversal spell with everyone. And for homework, he assigned us the task of coming up with different transfiguration means to torment a rat. I'll be surprised if he doesn't get in trouble for that one. Rat torture wasn't exactly a prosocial behavior and McGonagall was sure to have opinions about the assignment if she ever found out about it.
Percy, much to our chagrin, accepted Mum's offered responsibility with gusto. He now greeted us at every meal, sat with us in the common room, and stopped us in the hallways to ask where we were going. Percy, who normally liked to pretend that we weren't related, was suddenly available for unsolicited advice on topics such as; punctuality, study habits, and the importance of having a morning routine. Fred and George were like two penguins standing on the edge of an iceberg; waiting for one of them to jump off and test the waters. And as soon as one of them did, Percy better be prepared, because it was going to be a pretty big splash.
Me, on the other hand, was rather enjoying Percy's extra attention. Yes, having someone constantly trying to look over our shoulders was inconvenient. But I found joy in Percy's company. Half, because the sight of us triplets hanging out with our big brother made the no-name prefect very uncomfortable. And the other half, because Percy was kind enough to give us his notes from his fifth year. Fred and George had no use for them, so I kept them. I spent some time copying the notes so they were written in my own hand, and took them to my study sessions with Adrian. Making Adrian think I was studying on my own, and thus lowering his adamancy that the only thing we can do on study dates is study. Heh, was I smart or what?
Speaking of Adrian, he handled the news about Pettigrew's release with wariness. Not because he was afraid of Pettigrew or Pettigrew's role in reviving the dark lord, but because of Sirius. "That idiot is going to get himself thrown back into Azkaban if he's planning on getting revenge'.
"He has Harry", I reminded my boyfriend as we walked to the seventh floor. "He wouldn't take that risk. Not when it could lead to Harry being sent back to his muggle relatives".
"You don't know him. Not like I do", Adrian argued with a shake of his head. We came to a standstill at the top of the staircase; waiting for it to move so we could get to our desired corridor. It was Friday evening, and as such; most of the student body were socializing on the grounds or hanging out in their common rooms. So, we had no concerns about Adrian's casual reference to Professor Black being overheard. "He's brash and thinks with his heart. Mark me, if he and Pettigrew cross paths, there will be bloodshed".
"Okay", I said slowly as we started to move. If I couldn't get Adrian calmed with that point of view, we'd have to try a different one. "Well, what about Pettigrew? Do you think he'd be stupid enough to cross paths with Sirius? I mean, we know who's stronger; who would win that fight".
The staircase reached the corridor we wanted, and Adrian and I continued on our way. Adrian let out a breath of hot air as we took a left. "That is something", he admitted. "But I don't like the timing of this". We took another left. "First we took care of the diary and Lockhart escaped. Then the locket and now Pettigrew. The dark lord must be on the move".
I turned right with Adrian at my side. "Does that mean you think we should put off finding the diadem?" Once in front of the ballet dancing troll tapestry, I turned to face him; prompting him to do the same.
Honestly, I felt like we were on a bit of a roll and stopping seemed like a mistake. Despite this… this….. what should I call it? Coincidence? Except it didn't feel like a coincidence. Not with stakes this high. What was that saying? Twice was a coincidence, a third time is a pattern. Does that mean we shouldn't panic until a third lunatic escapes?
For a while, Adrian's eyes were vacant; probably having similar thoughts as mine. "No", he said after a moment. "You said the dark lord is weakened every time a Horcrux is destroyed". Adrian waited for my confirming nod before continuing. "Then everything we can do now will be in our favor in the future". Adrian turned to face the tapestry. "Now, how do we get into this… this room of desire?"
"Room of Requirement", I corrected. "Although, the room of desire would be-" A narrowed-eyed look from Adrian had me abandoning that thought. For a man that had no problem snogging me last night, he's being a complete prude now. Clearing my throat, I moved on. "Just give me a moment". And I started pacing in front of Adrian and the tapestry; thinking the same thought three times in a row. We need to find Ravenclaw's Diadem. We need to find Ravenclaw's Diadem. We need to find Ravenclaw's Diadem. As I thought and paced, the door shimmered into existence.
Once it was fully solid, I stopped and examined my boyfriend, who was staring at the door with great suspicion. "Sometimes, this castle is too much". Adrian stated in a tired voice. Though I doubt the school is entirely at fault for his weariness. That blame is probably a shared burden between me and Sirius based on the events as of late.
Letting out a brief laugh, I reached out and gripped the door handle; revealing the room of hidden things. "Come on".
Adrian closed the door behind us as we took in the stacks upon stacks of miscellaneous objects. A hoarder's dream and a tiny house owner's nightmare. "Do you have any hint on where it could be?" Adrian asked with thinly veiled hope as he took in the daunting task that was ahead of us.
"No", I said in what I meant to be an apologetic voice. "I only know that it's in this room".
Adrian's cheeks puffed up with air before he let it all out. "Alright, then we better get started".
Adrian and I stayed together as we started searching. Probably wise. I doubt we'd be able to find each other if we tried splitting up.. "Hmm", Adrian made the sound in the back of his throat as he picked up a worn brown newsboy cap. "I remember these being very popular during Regulus' school days".
"I thought only pointed hats were allowed in Hogwarts' dress code", I said as I dug through a stack of shoe boxes. All empty, of course.
"Exceptions were made for boys on sports days". Adrian dropped the hat and I abandoned the shoe boxes. Together we took on a new pile of stuff. And on and on we went; searching without finding anything. We found; trunks, half-eaten chocolate frogs, and mannequins that were only wearing wigs. Just when I was about to suggest we call it quits for the night, I saw it; the vanishing cabinet with its sharp corners and rusty hinges.
"Hold on a minute", I told Adrian as I pulled my wand out from my robe pocket.
"Didn't you say the summoning spell wouldn't work?" Adrian asked as he crossed his arms and scrutinized my actions.
"That's not it", I said as I raised my wand to point it at the vanishing cabinet. "I'm going to burn that to smithereens".
"Why?" Adrian questioned; drawing out the word in a way that suggested he needed more context to aid his comprehension. Fair. It's not every day that I make the decision to vandalize random pieces of furniture.
"This is the vanishing cabinet", I shared without breaking my focus on the offending object. "I think".
Adrian caught on a lot quicker than I would have if I was in his shoes. "The one that aids in the attack at Hogwarts the year after our graduation?" Well, at least he isn't accusing me of making that part up.
"Yup", I confirmed; popping the last syllable. I checked to make sure Adrian wasn't in the line of fire as I built up my magical core. Not blinking, I stared at the cabinet. Here's hoping the vanishing cabinet and only the vanish cabinet caught on fire. "Ince-" I started to cast.
However, Adrian stepped closer and pushed my wand arm down; successfully breaking my focus. "Don't", he said when I turned to demand answers.
"Why not?" I asked as the magic in me subsided. "Burning it now could save us some hardship later on". Really, this was a proactive move and I was struggling to understand the hesitation. I spent a lot of time last year being reactive. I'd like to turn the page.
Adrian offered no immediate answer. Instead, he decided to start asking me questions. "This cabinet has a match, correct?"
"Yes", I answered; folding my arms. It was one thing to stop me from starting a fire but was something else to wait until the last possible moment to stop me. Now my hands were itching to send something ablaze.
"The match is in Knockturn Alley?" Adrian continued.
"In Borgin and Burkes, yes". Where was he going with this?
"It's for sale?"
…. "I suppose". Adrian studied the cabinet; taking a step closer to take in its finer details. With his left hand, he rubbed the bottom of his chin. His thoughts took up the majority of his attention. "So, can I burn it now", I asked; not understanding the need for the delay.
"Don't destroy it", Adrian repeated before elaborating. "I'm going to buy its match".
I mean, it wasn't a bad idea. It would give us further control over the variables at play. But still…. "And then we'd destroy both of them?" I raised an eyebrow. "I like your thinking, but that doesn't mean we can't take care of this one now".
"No", Adrian shook his head; irritated that I wasn't on the same wavelength as him. "I'll buy its match at Borgin and Burkes. It'll be safe at my parents' house. We get them working again and then we have access to Hogwarts after our graduation". He tore his eyes away from the cabinet to stare into mine. "In case something does happen".
And that was… that was…. I sighed; a bit annoyed that I had to admit it. That was far cleverer than I had been thinking. "Would your mother let you shop in Knockturn Alley?" I asked as I pocketed my wand.
Seeing me stand down, Adrian relaxed as well. "My mother wouldn't. But if I told Father about what inventions and security risks rest in that shop, he'll be determined to get his hands on it. He'll probably know how to fix the cabinets as well".
Based on all the information I know about Mr. Pucey and the limited amount of time I'd spent with him; I could see how that would be true. Very similar to how I could convince my dad to purchase a bunch of muggle gadgets he could tinker with if I ever felt the need. Though, not nearly as useful. "Why are you better at this than me?" I asked. Because honestly! I've lived with the knowledge of Jessie's memories for Holly's entire life. Sure, I hadn't made any plans to get involved with plot points until Ron's first year. But Adrian had only learned what I know last year, and he's the reason we've destroyed two Horcruxes and are repurposing a teleportation cabinet.
Maintaining his comfortable posture, Adrian shrugged and gave me an arrogant smirk. "Experience and cunning", he answered, sounding mighty pleased with himself. Bloody Slytherin.