𝙿𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚔𝚒𝚗 𝙿𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 - 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦 | ✔︎

Chapter 38

"Merlin's saggy ball sack!" Natasha swore under her breath as she saw more educational decrees being put up. "This woman is mentally insane, and that's coming from me!"

Fred rubbed her back supportively as she huffed past the Great Hall, heading down to the dungeons for potions. Even though he didn't take the class, he always liked the alone time the two had, just walking hand in hand down the hallway.

They both noticed how the hallways were now considerably quieter, with many terrified to be alone for fear Umbridge would punish them. Everyday more and more prefects and teachers were having to deal with crying first and second years, and even some of the ghosts didn't appear alone now.

"Natasha! Fred!" Ron's voice called out from the end of the corridor. The two stopped by a large window, and Ron came to a halt in front of them, puffing a bit with Hermione close behind.

"You called?" Natasha asked, and Ron put his hand up for a second to wheeze, gasping for breath. Hermione rolled her eyes, but Natasha could see how she smiled with a blush at Ron. Hermione was crushing hard.

"Ronald was going to ask if you two have any plans for Hogsmeade tomorrow," she explained, and Natasha looked over to Fred before they both shook their heads.

"Not that we're aware of," replied Natasha. Hermione started smiling and took out a piece of parchment from her pocket.

"We're having a meeting tomorrow, Harry, us two, some other students. I promise it'll be worth it, it's against Umbridge after all," she said, adding the second part quietly when a sixth year Slytherin walked by them.

"Cool. Will Harry do a tap dance for us or..." Fred said, and Natasha hit his arm lightly.

"Fred, you know he can only do ballet," she scolded, before they both turned back to the two fifth years standing before them with confused looks on their faces. Natasha had seen Harry's dancing at the Yule Ball, and it reminded her very much of a ballet dancer on fire whiskey.

"We'll explain it more tomorrow, but could you please pass the message on to George, Lee, Angelina, Lauren and Alicia?" Hermione asked, ticking the names off of her fingers as she said them. The couple nodded, and with a quick wave hurried off to the dungeons, making it just in time for Natasha's class to start.

~.~

There was a buzz outside of the Hog's Head Inn as George, Fred and Natasha arrived, all able to buy themselves shots of fire whiskey and large servings of butterbeer. Everyone else was sombre, some still uneasy of Harry and his claims of Voldemort rising.

A sign-up sheet was already on the table, and without hesitation, Natasha put her name down, signing off with a little snitch drawing. "Don't care what I have to do, as long as I beat Umbridge's ass and not ruin my hair," she commented, before sitting down and eating a sugar quill.

Lee joined her, and as the rest of the room filled up, they were both snacking away on sugar quills in the front row of seats. Finally, as a third year Hufflepuff scrambled in, everyone quieted as Hermione stood up.

She looked extremely nervous, so Natasha put her thumbs up, and mouthed 'you can do this'. Hermione smiled in appreciation and took a deep breath.

As she spoke, Natasha looked around the room, taking in every person. There was Cho Chang, the sixth year Ravenclaw who had dated Cedric last year, her eyes still puffy from the daily crying she did. Susan Bones was also seated in the room, her Hufflepuff scarf wound tightly around her neck.

Many of the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor prefects were also present, including Anthony Goldstein, a Ravenclaw prefect, and Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff prefect. Both students looked slightly on edge at the fact Hermione, Harry and Ron were practically asking them to break rules, something they had specifically been told not to do.

"Is it true you can conjure a Patronus charm?" Luna's voice piped up, and even Natasha looked up at this, not previously knowing this information. Truth be told, her father hadn't really spoken of that night at Hogwarts, so Harry being able to conjure a Patronus was big news.

"It's true, I've seen it," Hermione said, looking down at Harry with a small smile on her face.

"Do it!" Natasha cheered, and Fred, George and Lee copied her actions.

Harry huffed and stood up, not loving the attention on him. "I really don't think it's-"

"Do it or I'll start singing!" Natasha cried, and immediately Harry whipped his wand out, not wanting to hear Natasha's atrocious singing.

"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled, and a blue wisp escaped from his wand, turning into a stag that was taller than Natasha. Luna reached up to pat the stag, and everyone looked at Harry with awe.

Instantly, there was a rush for the sign-up sheet, and Natasha smirked as she leant back in her seat. Sometimes seeing really was believing, and now she could see Seamus apologising to Harry profusely, along with a few other students who had previously been sceptical.

Fred sat back down besides Natasha after writing his name down, and kissed her forehead, holding her hand. "Tell me again why you aren't in Ravenclaw love?" he asked, and Natasha hit his arm softly.

"The whole wise crap doesn't work with me, but I think it has something to do with the fact I asked the sorting hat to be with you and George in Gryffindor," she replied with certainty, and Fred blushed, not realising Natasha had chosen to be in Gryffindor.

"So, you're saying you could have been a Slytherin right now? Oh, my Godric I could have kissed a Slytherin!?" he shrieked, and Natasha glared at him.

"Not all Slytherin's are bad Freddie, I happen to be related to many Slytherin's, like Uncle Reggie and-" Natasha stopped herself before she could utter Severus' name, but Fred caught her.

"And who Nat?" he asked curiously, and she looked up, racking her brain through relatives.

"And Andromeda Tonks, my second cousin and Dora's mother," she said, glad that she remembered at least some of her family history.

"I thought you were going to say something like Draco, and then I'd have to go and dive off of the Astronomy tower," he said with a laugh, and this time Natasha joined in, as her third cousin was definitely a character.

Fred laced his fingers with Natasha's as people began to file out, and they walked behind the Golden Trio and a few other Gryffindor's who were the last to leave, not before planting some dung bombs around the clocktower courtyard as they entered the Hogwarts grounds.

"It's exciting, isn't it? Breaking the rules?" Hermione asked cheerfully, and Natasha ran forward to lay the back of her hand on the girl's forehead.

"No fever, definitely not high. Who are you, and what have you done with Prefect Granger?" she questioned, earning sniggers from the group surrounding them. Hermione shoved Natasha and the two girls laughed, as the boys walked along with them, weirdly surrounding the two.

As they passed the fountain, Fred took Natasha's hand yet again, pressing a long, sweet kiss her to her lips. The boys around them gagged, as Hermione awed at the lovestruck teenagers.

Natasha flipped off all of the boys, but little known to her and her friends, Dolores Umbridge was also watching them, from the balcony of the clocktower.