Fred couldn't have felt more stupid whilst he lay on that bed, stroking his newly grown beard. So much for fame and a thousand Gallons. Now he was just worried about his mother strangling him when she saw them next.
"I think we were pretty close actually. We did get the ageing bit somewhat right." George mummers from his bed.
"Too much Moonseed? Maybe not enough Wormwood?" Fred ponders, he knew he shouldn't have left George in charge of the potion.
"We've missed our chance. A thousand gallons gone, just like that."
"Well, chances are we would've died during the first task. That or...mum would have killed us first."
When Fred hears Madame Pomfrey footsteps clatter against the floor, he pushes himself up to the head of the bed watching her as she walks over to the pair with a disappointed look on her face.
"I was hoping I could've waited until after Christmas to see you two, but here we are." She passes them both a potion each which they down with no hesitation, gagging as they do.
"That's horrific." They say in unison and the old witch shoots them a glare.
"Well that's what you get for taking whatever silly potion you did. That should reverse any affects, but it will take a few hours."
"Hours?" Fred looks at the clock, it was almost three.
"We still have time for plan b Freddie?" George mumbles but he receives a scowl from the healer.
"Think that dream is dead Georgie."
Once the last of the grey hair disappeared from their face Pomfrey finally allowed them to leave. It was almost half eight, and Fred was hoping Lilith had decided to wait in the astronomy tower for him, the only thing was trying to lose George without making him too suspicious. He waits until they are outside the fat lady before patting down his pockets, attempting his best acting.
"Shit. I left my wand in the hospital wing."
"We can go back?"
"No, it's fine. You head inside. Bit silly both of us going back."
George gives his brother a curious look but with a shrug makes his way through the portrait and Fred starts running. By the time he's reached the bottom of the astronomy towers his heart is pounding in his chest, but it's probably from the fact he's out of breath and the stitch in his side which is throbbing tremendously.
But by the time he reaches the top the disappointment hits him. She's not there. Of course, she wouldn't have waited around, in fact she probably thought he had skipped out on her, if she had even showed up. He takes a seat in one of the arches and looks out across the grounds. What was he doing? Sneaking around, especially behind George's back. He told his brother everything and now, well, he knew exactly what his brother's reaction would be.
Merlin's beard what was wrong with him. She was...well, freaking Lestrange. Ever since their walk in Hogsmeade all he could think about was talking to her again which was such a strange notion.
"Hello trouble."
His head snaps around to Lilith who is stood at top of the stairs. He immediately stands up but doesn't go over. He doesn't want to seem too eager.
"You're late." He says as he folds his arms across his chest and she smirks.
"Actually, you're late. But I'll let you off just this once, considering the circumstances. I see you're back to normal."
"Heard about that did you?"
"Oh yes." She laughs. "You were quite the topic of conversation in the Slytherin common room. Draco was happy that they stopped talking about the incredible bouncing ferret for more than ten minutes."
Fred laughs at the memory of seeing Ferret Malfoy go down Crabb's trousers.
"So, you wanted to meet again Weasley?"
"Yeah, uh, one second." He heads to one of the tables in the room and pulls out the box he had stashed there earlier, just in case he had forgotten. "I thought we could play Wizard's chess."
She raises an eyebrow. "Interesting, I suppose. Why exactly?"
"My grandad used to say you can learn everything you need to know about a witch if you play wizard chess with them. And I thought we could make it interesting?"
"Strip Chess I'm guessing."
He laughs. If only. "No. So, when you take out another person's piece you get to ask them a question, and they have to answer, truthfully."
She looks between him and chess board in his hands. "I can't believe this is what my Saturday night has come to."
Wasn't the worse yes he's ever heard. Fred takes a seat on the ground and set out the game, eyes flickering up to watch her take a seat on the ground cross legged, brushing her long hair back, and when she catches him, he snaps his head back down to the chess set.
"I'll let you pick, seeing as it's the gentlemanly thing to do."
She turns the chess set so the white pieces are in front of him. "You can go first; you'll need the advantage."
He grins. "Pawn to D4." The white piece slides across the board.
"Pawn to D6."
"Pawn to A3."
She pouts her lips slightly as she thinks. "Rook to D7."
"Pulling out the big guns already? Pawn to H4."
"You do know if you stick with your little guys this is going to be a quick game."
"I know exactly what I'm doing." He smirks.
It's only a few moves later when his bishop takes out a pawn. He stares at her for a moment as he tries to think of a question, but his mind has gone blank. "I suppose - " What a moment for his brain to stop working. "Favourite colour?"
"Wow. You just wasted that one, didn't you?" She laughs. "Black."
"That's a bit boring isn't it?"
She shrugs. "Queen to A5. No guesses for what yours is, Gryffindor."
Her queen smashes his little pawn and she smirks. "Which of your siblings do you dislike the most."
Good question, but he scoffs. "I don't dislike any of them."
She purses her lips slightly and smiles. "Percy?"
He can't help but smirk. "He's just a bit of a twat sometimes."
"That was the impression I always got." She laughs.
It's a few more goes before she takes out his knight with a look of satisfaction of her face.
"You know considering this was your idea you're shocking at it?"
"Alright. Hit me with it."
"Who was your first ever kiss with?"
Dammit, why hadn't he asked that? But he was slightly pleased that she was intrigued.
"You sure you don't want to know my favourite colour?"
"That's a terribly boring question don't you think?" She teases.
He sighs, not wanting to admit it. "Grimilda Hubble."
She makes a face. "From Hufflepuff?"
"It was very minty...and wet." He stares at the board trying to find a piece to take out, then he smirks. "Bishop to H3."
Tiny pieces of her bishop going flying as he says. "Same question."
"Stealing my ideas?" She laughs slightly, but for some reason her smile quickly disappears. "Toby Dighton. Bishop to C8.
"Who? I don't know all the Slytherins. Knight to D7."
He can see her growing more uncomfortable with her conversation. She's staring at the board as she answers. "He lived in the village near Malfoy Manor actually. We were eight and adorable. He had bright blue eyes. I was smitten"
"He doesn't go here?"
"No." Is all she says. The silence grows until she finally speaks. "it's your turn."
He looks at for a moment as he ponders asking the question. Fuck it.
"Was he a muggle?"
Her eyes are avoiding his again. "You know you just got three questions for the price of one there."
"Bishop to A2." He doesn't even wait for the little pawn to get smashed before he asks. "Was he a muggle?"
"Does it matter?"
"Not answering my question."
She fidgets slightly. "Knight to F3. He may have been."
"Rook to F5."
Another one of her pieces goes down and she looks stunned. "You're better at this than I thought you would be."
"What happened?"
Lilith takes in a deep breath and tucks a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. "My uncle found out and next time I saw him he didn't know who I was." She shrugs as if that's a completely normal thing to of happened.
"That doesn't sound slightly traumatic." He says with every ounce of sarcasm he can muster.
"Well, at least he was alive." She attempts to joke. Fred can see she's clearly hating this line of questioning. "You know you've wasted three perfectly good questions. "
"Queen to D9."
There goes one of her knights.
"Go on then."
Fred swallowed hard as he tries to think, then suddenly he knows what he wants to ask but he's not sure if he should.
"Do you like me?"
She smirks slightly, her eyes casting down to the chest set. She picks up a broken piece of a pawn and starts to play with it between her fingers. "I think the issue may be that you think you like me." He can feel his mouth grow dry as she smiles gently at him. "But you wouldn't, not really. Not if you got to know me."
"Well, tell me then."
She bites her lips as she seems to be thinking of all the reason why. "I'm very Selfish. I'm arrogant."
"You haven't met me, have you?" He says with a grin.
"I'm also incredibly judgemental. Like I don't know what you think that thing on your head is but it's certainly not a haircut."
He chuckles and runs a hand through his hair. "I thought I looked quite handsome to be honest. Rugged?"
Fred notices her trying to suppress the smile. "Queen to A4. Checkmate."
"What?" His eyes scan the board and his mouth drops slightly. "Well done Lestrange."
"Look," Lilith pushes herself up from the ground and he follows suite. "This was...interesting but I just don't see how we can just keep - "
"Being friends?"
"If that's what you want to call it."
She starts to step back away from him towards the stairs. "I should go. Before people start wondering where I am."
He watches as she turns and starts to walk down the stairs before plucking up the courage. "Oh - Lestrange?"
Lilith stops and turns her head back to him. "Yes Weasley."
He licks his bottom lip. "You never did answer my question?"
Fred can see her attempting to hide the smile. "And I never will." As she disappears down the staircase Fred lets out the breath, he was holding in. "Well," He murmurs to himself as he pulls out his wand to clean the chess set up. "I'm fucked."
"Where the bloody hell were you last night?"
Fred looks up from his breakfast as his twin takes a seat opposite him at breakfast the next morning.
"Couldn't find my wand, had to search half the bloody school looking for it, didn't I?"
He doesn't enjoy lying to George, but he knows it's better than the truth. He doesn't really want the bollocking he's going to get if George did find out what he had been up to.
There's shouting coming from the hallway just outside the great hall. Fred and George share a glance before scrambling from the table and running to join the crowd. Ron and Seamus are already there watching the spectacle.
Goyle has Neville by the neck, scuffing his hair while other students laugh. Draco is laughing hysterically as Neville is dragged around the place. Fred looks at George, ready to intervene when they hear the yell.
Lilith is there, grabbing the scruff of Goyles neck and violently pulling him off Neville which caused the rotund Slytherin to yell out in pain while Neville falls to floor.
"What are you doing Goyle?" She snaps at him, grabbing harder.
"We were just messing around!"
"oh, were you?" She does something with her hand and he cries out again, Fred can't help but be mildly impressed. "Apologise you Slug."
Goyle mumbles something everyone else can't hear and this time she pulls out her wand causing him to yell with wide eyes. "SORRY!"
"Properly!"
"I"M SORRY LONGBOTTOM!"
"For?"
"For being a Slug." Goyle looks like he's about to cry and Fred couldn't help the laugh that escapes his throat.
Lilith lets go and he drops to the floor with a thud, scrambling up and running past the twins. Fred watches as Lilith and Neville, whose still on the floor, stare at each other for a moment before she finally breaks the gaze.
"Shows over. Back to your boring existences please."
Fred tries to catch her eye but she's already walking away down the corridor, and the crowd starts to disperse.
"Thought you were a goner for a minute mate." Ron says as he helps Neville off the floor.
Seamus helps him up to, dusting off the back off Neville's robes for him. "Yeah, who knew Lestrange of all people would've saved you."
"Yeah." Neville mumbles with a tight jaw.
"Come on, let's get you some breakfast Neville, Freddie are you coming?" George asks and Fred nods as he follows them back into the great hall.
Fred has managed to slip away while George had been distracted by Alicia Spinnett, he had gone to the library, a feeling telling him that's where he would find her, and he was right. Fred finds her at one of the tables in the back, book open in front of her. He grabs a random book from a shelf and takes a seat opposite, flipping to a random page. She doesn't look at him, but he sees her sigh.
"So, that was interesting."
"Was it?" She asks as she turns the page. "As a prefect I can't have students in my house bullying others, it makes us look bad."
"Oh, so the fact it was Neville had absolutely nothing to do with it, eh?"
She bites her lip and finally looks up at him. "Is he ok?" She asks.
"He's had worse done to him. You know you're pretty scary when you need to be."
She gives him a sad glance and tucks a strand of hair behind her "I'll talk to Draco. I don't know how much good it will do, but - I'll see."
Her eyes move back down to the book and Fred watches her for a moment, knowing exactly what he wants to say, but knowing it's such a bad idea.
Finally, she slams her hands down on the book and shoots him an annoyed glare.
"What? What is it?"
"I do think I like you." Fred tells her and her eyes widen slightly. "You were right." He says with a shrug, trying to play it off. "Actually, I take that back - " He sees the slight relief on her face, and he smirks before continuing. 'I know, I like you."
Fred doesn't know what else to say but she's not saying anything either. Her hand is playing with corner of the page she was about to turn, and he wants to reach out and grab it, but he fights every urge to do it.
"No, you don't."
"I do."
"You don't" She insists.
"I bloody do." He swears harder.
"You bloody don't!" She says in a hushed tone, but the anger is there. "Just stop Weasley, ok? It's never going to happen." Lilith slams the book shut before walking away from the table, leaving Fred to try and think of a plan b.