I Know The End {Fred Weasley, ACT I}

Chapter 17- A Nott Family History

Eleanor snuffed her last cigarette out on the back of her hand, leaving a small, circular burn mark outlined in ash. She leaned forward against the railing of the bridge, glancing down at the darkness below. The night was cloudy, blocking the moon and stars from softly brightening the world. It was difficult to make out the outlines of the trees around her in such a blanket of blackness.

She checked her watch, illuminating her wand so she could make out the tiny hands. It was 3:45 AM, which felt like the perfect time to finally head back into the castle. Even Filch had to sleep sometimes, and after years of experience, she knew the likelihood of him patrolling the castle anytime passed three in the morning was slim. At this time of night, she had a ninety-five percent chance of making it back to Gryffindor tower without getting caught breaking curfew. Eleanor liked to believe she had made sneaking around Hogwarts into a science.

Her friends were probably all asleep by now as well, which was for the best. She felt ashamed of how she had acted in the common room earlier. Not only had she humiliated Hermione, but she had also snapped at Fred and Angelina and then stormed off like a child. A few hours of sleep before the apology tour would be necessary to lessen the guilt.

She pulled back against the railing, tapping it with her fingers a few times before walking back toward the castle. Her wand stayed lit to guide her feet. She worried that something as stupid as tripping over a tree branch would be the final straw that caused her to fling herself off the astronomy tower.

At this hour, she knew better than to go in through the front doors. They were typically locked at night, but even when they weren't, they scraped noisily against the stone floor. That would certainly wake Filch. Instead, she crept around the side of the castle to a classroom window situated on the first floor. She placed her hand carefully upon the glass, imagining how it would feel if the glass dissolved into nothingness. After another second of concentration, the glass disappeared, allowing her to climb through. Once safely in the classroom, she placed her hand upon the air, now manifesting the glass back into existence. Just like that, the glass frame reappeared as though it had never left.

She tiptoed to the classroom door, opening it slowly. The door creaked, echoing throughout the long corridor, but she was able to slip through with ease. All that was left now was to avoid Peeves on her journey through the castle. She knew all his favorite haunts well enough to be successful on that front.

Even though she had been certain she would make it back to the common room without getting caught, it always came as a relief when she managed it. At this point, it was four in the morning. She scrambled into the common room, expecting to see it dark and dead. To her surprise, the fire was still burning and Alfie was sitting before it, studying his notes.

He looked up when she entered, smilingly warmly at her. He grabbed the piece of parchment that was laying on the table in front of him and held it out. Hesitantly, she walked forward.

"What's this?" she asked, tentatively looking at the lengthy parchment in Alfie's hand.

"The essay for Snape; Alicia and I finished it. You did half of the notes for it so it's only fair that you copy mine. Just change the wording up a bit."

Eleanor smiled gratefully at Alfie, taking the essay gently from him.

"Did you wait up for me?"

"I thought someone should," he shrugged, "Fred waited for a while, but I told him to go to bed. The two of you need the rest of the night off from each other. Or I guess the morning now."

"I feel bad, I would have come back earlier if I had known you were waiting up. You can go to bed if you want," Eleanor said, feeling even more guilty than before. Merlin, she didn't deserve her friends.