Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Trivia Night

Trivia night was scheduled for the Saturday before the first task. Why they decided to have the first task on a Tuesday, I'll never know. But it shaped trivia night up to be a welcome distraction. At least for those who weren't looking forward to the first task.

It had been a busy week… which was quickly becoming the norm. But this week stood out more than the others. Because when we weren't in class, we were holed up in Flitwick's classroom practicing spells like it was our OWL year all over again. And when we weren't occupied with that, there was trivia night to organize and set up. Thank Merlin, I had plenty of help with that one. Though Ron was getting annoyed because I kept forcing jobs on him whenever it appeared he was having an idle moment; pass out these flyers, hang these posters on the bulletin boards, help Hermione and the Patil sisters fact-check the questions we've prepared. It got to the point, that Ron would hurry out of a room or turn to walk the other way whenever we crossed paths.

And in the spare minutes we had left over from all that, we spent them catching up with Charlie. "I've missed this place", Charlie said as we walked into the entrance hall. He had his eyes cast towards the tall ceilings; taking in the architectural details one tends to take for granted when one sees them every day. "So, what do you want to do first?" Charlie asked; looking at each of us triplets in turn. "I wouldn't mind visiting Gryffindor common room. You know, it was there that I beat Bill at wizard chess for the first time".

"We can go there", George agreed. Even though he was currently leading us away from the grand staircase. "But there's something we need to do first".

"It won't take long", Fred assured as he walked at Charlie's elbow. He kept talking before Charlie could ask any questions. "Just a small chore we have to finish".

Charlie's feet slowed. "Chores?" He asked speculatively. Many, many past experiences had taught Charlie it was wise to question us. In a way, Charlie had been to Fred, George, and I what Bill had been to him and Percy. During our first year, Charlie was our oldest sibling also attending. He was tasked with looking out for us (Mum's orders) as we adjusted to a new environment. This meant, during our first year, Charlie spent a lot of time; apologizing to McGonagall, confiscating our pranking supplies, and growing pre-mature gray hairs. It was nice to see he hadn't completely forgotten all the fond memories we created during that year.

"Just helping a friend", I said; smiling when my older brother narrowed his eyes at me.

"Is this something for your club?" Charlie asked; a sliver of hope in his voice as we came to a stop in front of a broom closet.

"No", George answered honestly as he opened the closet door. Inside the closest nothing stood out. Which probably made Charlie feel pretty silly when he flinched away from it. The only things on the other side of the door, were a mop, bucket, broom, and the like. All the nonmagical variety too.

"Excellent", Fred said as he stepped forward into the closet. "We found one on our first try", he announced as he picked up the bucket and brought it out of the closet.

"See, Charlie", George said as Fred set the bucket on the floor; just outside of the closet. "We'll be in the common room before you know it".

There was an internal battle fighting it out inside Charlie's head. He stood still; staring at the bucket with his lips pressed together. Should he ask? Did he want to know? Would he regret it if he didn't? Were we even his problem anymore?

Before Charlie could make any decisions, I withdrew my wand and stepped forward. I was under orders to practice non-verbal magic whenever the opportunity presented itself. So, I might as well take advantage. Taking careful aim, I drew a sideways S in the air and held my arm steady as a stream of conjured water shot out of my wand and started filling the bucket.

Battle won… or lost depending on one's perspective, Charlie cautiously asked, "Why do you need a bucket of water?"

"I think half-filled is enough", Fred told me.

Leaving George to answer our brother. "To clean the floors, of course. With all the students from the other schools and the ministry officials coming and going, there's a lot more foot traffic in Hogwarts this year".

Eyeballing the bucket to be as full as Fred wanted, I cut off the spell before elaborating. "Poor old Filch just can't keep up". Pocketing my wand, I tried to keep my face neutral. Though it was a difficult task when confronted by Charlie's clear disbelief. "So, we decided to help. It's the least we can do".

"Yeah", Fred agreed as he pulled out a small vial containing a sparkly purple liquid. "We owe the man a favor. Especially after what we did to his cat".

Charlie took a step back. "What did you do to Mrs. Norris?"

As Fred uncorked the vial, George shrugged. "Nothing a bath won't fix". Not needing anyone's permission, Fred poured the entire contents of the vial into the bucket of water. As soon as the first of it made contact with the water, it started foaming, growing, and changing colors.

"Fred, what is that?" Charlie asked; sounding almost resigned.

"Soap", the three of us answered in sync as the rainbow concoction of bubbles continued to grow. It was starting to overflow over the top; looking like a very unhealthy muffin.

"You can use it as bubble bath".

"Or to clean floors".

"Or dishes".

"Maybe even use it for laundry".

"It's a very multi-faceted soap", George finished for us. "If you don't mind a little color". The sparkly different colored bubbles officially started to dip onto the stone floor. My fellow triplets and I stepped back to be next to Charlie as the bubbles continued to grow and showed no signs of stopping.

Letting out a satisfied sigh as he eyed our work, Fred clapped Charlie on the shoulder. "We should go", he announced. "Before this grows to cover the whole hall".

Charlie's eyes widened; alarmed. "The whole hall!"

George nodded sagely, as we backed up and headed for the stairs. "We had to make sure every inch gets cleaned". Reluctantly, Charlie followed. "This is for Filch, after all. We weren't going to short-change the man. That would go against our reputation".

As we started up the stairs, us triplets never looked back; happy with what we had accomplished today. However; Charlie kept glancing over his shoulder; his expression conflicted. But what could he do? He wasn't a prefect anymore. He didn't know how Fred and George had made the soap so it wasn't like he'd know how to stop it or get rid of it. Best to just keep his hands clean of it. "So, what do you want to do in the common room?" I asked as Charlie glanced over his shoulder one more time. The bubbles had reached the first step of the staircase. "Play chess? See your old dorm? Embarrass Ron?"

Two hours later, while sitting in front of the fireplace in Gryffindor common room as Charlie regaled everyone present with tales of his adventures in Romania, Professor Lupin appeared; telling us that Professor McGonagall wanted to see the Weasley triplets post haste.

In the great hall, the tables had been moved for the event. In their place, chairs were evenly spaced and set up in front of the dais with an aisle running down the middle. The doors weren't open yet. So, the only ones inside the Hall were YUP members and the teachers who were participating.

Standing on the dais, behind the podium, Lee kept making weird noises as he stretched out his jaw. "I'm warming up my voice", he claimed when Baddock worked up the courage to ask.

Almost everything was done. It was just the last-minute touches that needed seeing too. Collin was filling up the water goblets on the two tables set up on the dais. Most of the fourth years walked down the rows of chairs making sure each one had a YUP flyer resting on it.

Adrian and I were manning the doors. "Do you really think people will attend?" Adrian asked as he glanced around the hall. On the dais, our teacher participants were already seated. Professors McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, and Black had the honors. They sat with their heads bent together; probably strategizing their win.

Shrugging, I watched as Collin made fast work of making sure the water goblets on the participants' tables were full. That was his job for the evening. "We won't know without trying". As I learned after proposing the event, trivia nights weren't a popular wizarding activity. It was something much more common in muggle bars than wizard pubs. But YUP wanted to host something that highlighted or at least heavily implied that the teachers stood with YUP and our message. We guessed the easiest way to do that was through a Staff Vs. Student… something. The ideas of a quidditch match or dueling tournament were thrown around. But there was just something unsporting about putting our elderly teachers on broomsticks and pelting them with bludgers. Likewise, it seemed unkind for fully trained witches and wizards to squash their students in a duel. Trivia night was a safe alternative.

Glancing away from the fourth-years hard at work, I took a moment to study Adrian. His appearance was as immaculate as ever. Without a single loose thread or one hair out of place. But his eyes were heavy as he studied the flyer he was holding. As if its contents were troubling. Which I knew wasn't possible. Fred and George had made that flyer and Zabini had made them rewrite it three times before approving it.

"You mastered the spells you're going to use", I said; using a lower voice than before. Everyone was off completing their own tasks. But that didn't mean I needed to risk being overheard. "And the backup spells in case your first plan doesn't work".

Exhaling through his nose, Adrian tore his gaze away from the flyer and looked around the hall until he found Harry. Harry, who was currently occupied; trying to get Ron and Hermione to stop bickering as they helped set up. "But Potter's success has been minimal. He's only mastered the summoning chair. I know you said he could manage with that, but…" Adrian trailed off.

I understood why. Some things I could predict. Some things deviated from what I knew. And it wasn't always possible to guess which. "There's not much you can do to help in the first task". That was a given since the champions would be facing their dragons one at a time. "But during the second task…" It was my turn to trail off because the second task had its own set of problems. "And the third task. You two can work together. Besides, it's only the third task that matters".

Adrian nodded to show he was listening. Whether he agreed was a different matter. "It's time", Granger called out from the other side of the hall. Standing in between Harry and Ron, she held her wristwatch in the air; pointing to its clock face.

"You ready?" I asked Adrian as the YUP participants rushed to get to their seats. Competing against the teachers were; Cedric, Ginny, Terry Boot, and Angelina. We wanted the student participants to vary in year and house; be representative and all that.

Adrian took one more moment for himself; unclenching the muscles in his jaw and setting down the flyer. "If I must", he answered; calmer than before. Together; we opened the doors.

It was a clear night. Meaning, with the candlelight dimmed, the enchanted ceiling made some great ambiance. "Welcome to the first, the most thrilling, the greatest battle of wits ever played; Teachers Vs. Students trivia night!" Lee began as soon as the last of the audience had found their seats and the doors were closed once more. There was a polite smattering of applause as Lee beamed at the audience like he just promised everyone attending 100 galleons each.

It wasn't a full house. There was a severely lacking quantity of Slytherin students in the audience. In fact, the majority attending seemed to be from Hufflepuff. But our efforts weren't a bust either. Having made the trek from their own lodgings, Fleur and friends were in attendance; taking up one of the middle rows on the left. Charlie was here too; sitting with Ron and the rest of the Golden trio with one or two of his work colleagues.

"The rules are simple", Lee continued. "I will ask a question. The first team to send up red sparks gets to answer the question. If they are right, they get the point. If they are wrong, the other team gets to have a go. The team with the most points at the end wins".

Adrian and I remained in the back by the doors. Just encase we had any latecomers. But also because this meant we could talk without disturbing anyone. "Sirius looks too… happy", Adrian commented as he crossed his arms and bent his neck so he could speak directly into my ear. "He's up to something". The forewarning tone in his voice had my lips twitching.

"Happiness isn't a direct correlation to trouble", I whispered back as Lee started introducing the contestants. "You're just assuming".

"Fighting for the honor of students everywhere; we have Cedric Diggory, Terry Boot, Ginny Weasley, and the lovely, beautiful, stunning, alluring, most-"

"Mr. Jordan", McGonagall sharply interrupted before Lee could break out a thesaurus.

"Angelina Johnson", Lee finished.

"I'm not assuming", Adrian assured me as Lee moved on to the staff table. "I grew up with him. I know when Sirius is planning something and that something is coming".

Rolling my head back so I could look up at Adrian, I leaned into his side. "Your head is a dark and dangerous place, isn't it?" I asked.

"And, in their quest to preserve their authority as teachers, we have; Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, Professor Black, and the magnanimous, wise, beloved, all-powerful-" Lee continued his introductions; seemingly unaware of the faint giggles coming from the audience.

"All Sirius is doing is sitting there", I said; gesturing to my head of house. "He's not planning anything".

"Jordan!" McGonagall barked when Lee's adjectives continued to be overly flattering. Though the rosy tint to her complexion was enough to tell everyone that our headmistress wasn't vexed.

"Professor McGonagall!" Lee finished quickly before anyone could threaten to take away his microphone privileges.

As the audience clapped their support for tonight's participants, Adrian shook his head at me. "This dark and dangerous place", he mocked as he gestured at his temple, "Is how I keep the both of us safe". Adrian's voice was so stern, but the fondness in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Tonight, our questions will come from five different categories", Lee said as I found myself softening at Adrian's expression. "Quidditch, History, Spell knowledge, Hogwarts facts, and mysterious questions".

Leaning more of my weight against Adrian, I redirected my attention to the front. "Then it's lucky neither of us needs to fear Sirius".

Huffing in mild annoyance, Adrian wrapped an arm around my waist to steady both of us as Lee read the first question. "And now it's time to begin. Ladies and Gentlemen, Witches and Wizards; here is the first question!" Pause for dramatic effect. "What bird inspired the invention of the golden snitch?" Cedric just about jumped out of his seat with his wand held over his head as red sparks shot up toward the ceiling.

"Yes, Diggory", Lee said; giving the student team the question.

As if suddenly aware he had a whole audience staring at him in expectation, Cedric lowered his wand. With his wand-free hand, he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Um…". He started; only finding his words after receiving an encouraging smile from Professor Sprout. "The Golden Snidget".

"Right you are", Lee announced; leading to a brief round of applause for the student team. "That puts the student team in the lead by one point. Now, the next question. If a muggle were to stumble upon Hogwarts, what would they see?"

This time, two tried to send up sparks. Ginny and Sirius. Unfortunately for the student team, Sirius beat her by a mere second. "Professor Black", Lee called upon.

Grinning at every onlooker, now that he had captured the hall's attention, Sirius took his time as he stood up straight with his chest puffed out. Adrian let out a soft dreading groan. "There would be a sign", Sirius started with Flitwick nodding along in agreement. Although the longer Sirius kept talking, the slower Flitwick's nodding became until he was no longer nodding. Instead, it was a fervent shake of disagreement. "The sign would say, 'beware of dog. Wee ferocious beastie ahead. Trespassers will be chomped and slobbered on'".

"No", Lee drawled out to mask the slightly awkward silence in the hall. "That wasn't even close. Ginny, would you like a go?"

"I don't get it", I said as Ginny stood to take her turn. "Was that a joke?"

"It is a sign", Ginny said as she cast a suspicious look in Sirius' direction. "But the sign says, 'Danger. Do not enter. Unsafe'".

"And Ms. Weasley's done it!" Lee cheered. "Another point for the student team". Lee paused to both allow and encourage applause. "Third question is a challenge that will involve teamwork and perseverance!" As if rehearsed, and it probably was, Baddock appeared as soon as Lee finished speaking. He carried two scrolls that he passed out to each team with his shoulders pulled up to his ears. "My young friend is passing out a hidden message. To win the next point, each team will need to reveal and share their message before the other can. Magic is both allowed and heavily advised". Once both teams had a scroll, Baddock scurried off the dais like a mouse avoiding a trap. To build anticipation, Lee spent an annoying amount of time saying nothing as his eyes flickered back and forth between the student and teacher teams. An annoyed cough echoed from the audience. It sounded suspiciously like Zabini. "Begin!" Lee roared.

Briefly, we listened to the sounds of rustling parchment as the scrolls were unrolled. And then, the two teams were hard at work. Wands were being waved; incantations were muttered. The scrolls were held up for close inspection.

"He's up to something", Adrian repeated; voice low as he spoke directly into my ear; his eyes fixated on Regulus' brother.

"Careful", I replied as Flitwick waved his wand with a fancy flourish over his team's scroll. "Keep saying that and you'll make a self-fulfilling prophecy".

Thrusting the unrolled scroll into the air, Flitwick waved it over his head. "We have it! The hidden message!" He declared; his voice high-pitched and reaching a new octave we've never heard in class.

"And what does the message say, Professor Flitwick", Lee asked into his microphone.

Before Flitwick could answer, Sirius yanked the scroll out of his hands and pretended to read aloud. "Woof. Woof. Bow wow. Woof".

All the teachers stared at Sirius like he had two heads as the audience giggled at this absurdity. "That's not what it says!" Flitwick squeaked indignantly as his face turned a brilliant red. I wondered if this was giving him flashbacks to Sirius' student days.

"Ooh, so sorry. That is not correct", Lee said as if nothing silly was occurring.

Trivia night continued in a similar fashion. Every question Sirius attempted was given a wrong and dog-themed answer. By the third occurrence, the audience was expecting it and laughing as soon as he opened his mouth. The student team took their answers seriously and quickly collected points. While the other teachers on Sirius' team were becoming put out. Professor Sprout was very unimpressed. Flitwick's academic feathers were ruffled from the mere knowledge that someone was knowingly answering questions incorrectly. McGonagall threatened to take away house points from Gryffindor if Sirius kept sabotaging them. But to no avail. I'm not sure why Sirius choose to mess with trivia night. Or why he felt the need to make so many dog jokes. However, as the night went on; I felt Adrian lose the stiffness in his muscles as thoughts of the approaching first task were pushed from his mind. And I couldn't help but assume that that might have been a motivating factor.

Adrian clicked his tongue and tightened his hold around my waist. "You shouldn't have asked Sirius to be a part of this", he stated. Though his voice had lessened in its disdain the longer this escapade continued; watching Sirius with a type of familiarity I always craved after spending too much time away from home.

Shrugging against Adrian, I watched as Lee started his closing statements. "We wanted the teacher team to be like the student team; representative of every house".

"There are no Slytherins on the teacher team", Adrian pointed out as the two teams on the dais rose to shake hands.

"We tried", I said as people started leaving their seats. "But Snape slammed the door in our faces when we asked".