Wisdom and Victory {Fred Weasley}

Chapter 13

I thought developing a twins obsession to go with my Remus one would help dilute things down, but honestly I love them all more than ever. Learn from my mistakes, kids :)

For the most part, Victoria was able to throw herself back into life at Hogwarts, relatively undisturbed by the holidays or what her future held. Of course, it was still there, nagging her in the back of her mind, but for the most part, quidditch practice was a successful distraction, alongside the revision of the sixth year content that she'd begun.

This lasted only two weeks, however, before a headline broke the school gossip system. MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN. Suspicious glances were cast among classmates, as though they could be responsible, but really, people were scared. If they didn't believe You-Know-Who was back yet, he certainly would be soon. One person who remained unfazed was Umbitch (as any of the Weasleys so fondly referred to her as), who continued her trotting around the castle, introducing stupid rules as she went.

Exactly three days after the breakout, Victoria was heading from Potions to the library, clutching in her hand a book that she'd taken out over the holidays. She'd just overtaken the twins and Lee when somebody collided with her.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, but stopped, frowning when she felt a small folded piece of parchment thrust into her hand. She hastily stuffed it into her book, looking around for who it was.

"Want to watch where you're going, McGonagall?" sneered Draco Malfoy, making whoever his friends were chuckle heartily.

"Wanna watch who you're talking to, Ferret-boy?" called a voice from behind her. With one last sneer, he turned and headed deeper into the dungeons, chuckling with his friends.

"I can handle-" she began, turning to face whoever had taunted him. "Oh," she said. "Fred?"

"Yeah," he said, sounding surprised. They made their way up the stairs and through the Entrance Hall. Victoria looked around for a sign of George or Lee, but had no such luck. "How did you know?"

"You hold your heads differently," she said nonchalantly, picking at the worn cover of the book that concealed her note. "And your shoulders. George slouches a little more, looks down. I noticed when you sat with me in the compartment."

"Only took you six years," teased Fred, hands deep in his pockets. "Do you want me to carry something?"

"I can manage," said Victoria politely. "I'm going to the library anyway so...see you?"

"See you, Vicky!" he called with a cheerful wave. Victoria grinned and shook her head as they went their separate ways.

Once she was certain she was alone, she pulled out the scrap of parchment from inside the book cover, unfolding it as she huddled in a small alcove near a window.

V. McGonagall

Thursday, 20-00, Three Broomsticks back alley.

Under normal circumstances, if Victoria had received such a note, she would've dismissed it out of hand. But as Dumbledore said, she didn't have a choice anymore.

*****

Victoria returned late from dinner that evening, her revision session prolonged by her distracted mind and whirling stomach. Instead of dropping her bags off straight away, she peered around the common room, and found two ginger heads surrounded by piles of boxes and first years. "Vicky!" exclaimed George as she approached. The others looked up and grinned.

"Jelly slug?" offered Lee, holding out a plate.

Victoria peered at them. "What flavour's the purple one?"

"Grape," said Lee without missing a beat.

"Yeah, right," she said, crossing her arms. "They don't do grape flavour jelly slugs."

"Dammit," said Fred, and one of the first years giggled.

"Look, I need to talk to you," she said, maintaining a serious tone. "About your proposition?"

Instantly, Fred and George jumped to their feet, looking ecstatic. "Why don't you step into our office?" suggested the former, indicating the boys' staircase.

"I am not going up there," she said hotly, raising her eyebrows.

"Mind out the gutter, please, Vicky," said George with a wink. "There's first years about."

Victoria threw her hands up and followed them up. "I'm fairly certain that's extortion, you know," she told them, walking just behind them as Lee remained with their tiny experiments in the common room.

"That's business for you," said Fred, holding the door open. She wrinkled her nose as she stepped inside, looking at the sock and textbook littered floor, along with the smells of potions gone wrong from the bathroom.

"Could've put your pants away, Freddie," said George, holding a pair of underwear on the end of his wand. Fred leaped forward and snatched it from his brother, stuffing them under his unmade bed.

"Right," said Victoria, wanting to spend as little time as possible in here. "I'll help you, under one condition."

"And what might that be?" asked Fred, crossing his arms as he leaned carelessly against his bed post.

"Top secret?" said Victoria, also crossing her arms.

"Top secret," they chorused.

"I need to get into Hogsmeade on Thursday night," she said, biting her lip at their surprised expressions. "And back."

"Wow," said George. "I'm sure we can manage that."

"I'll show you a passage if you want?" said Fred, glancing at his watch. "We've got half an hour before curfew?"

"We know how you feel about breaking the rules," George added with a wink.

"Alright," said Victoria with a shrug.

"And that way," said George. "You can discuss your end of the bargain."

Victoria clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Not until I'm in and out," she said. "Thought you knew me better than that?"

She and Fred made their way down the stairs, and he waited patiently while she dropped her school bag off in her dorm. They left through the portrait hole, passing Angelina and Alicia as they did. "Careful, Vic," said Angelina. "He'd do anything to get back on the team."

"You know I would," said Fred with a wink, making the two girls laugh.

They walked for the most part in silence, going through corridors that Victoria hadn't been down in years.

Eventually, it was Fred that spoke. "Gonna tell me what you're doing?"

"Nope," said Victoria, forcing a small smile. He nodded, apparently accepting this is an answer.

"Can I come with you?"

Victoria laughed. "Absolutely not." If Tom Ridde didn't kill her for bringing a friend, her mother certainly would.

"A boy can dream," he said wistfully as they turned the corner. "There it is," he murmured, pointing at a statue. "It'll take you straight to the Honeydukes cellar, you just tap the back of it and say descendio."

"Oh," said Victoria. She'd never noticed it before. "Thanks," she said lightly, before turning on her heal and heading back, leaving Fred to trail behind.