Cynthia Cygnet and the Misplaced Gryffindor

● Chapter 8 ●

With Autumn in full swing, the Hogwarts grounds were beginning to get chillier with bursts of auburn and red leaves covering the trees which surrounded the castle. 

Growing bored with their daily walks around the grounds, Cynthia, Freida, Neville and occasionally Ahita settled with seeking out empty classrooms during their spare time when they weren't in their common rooms.

 They had usually passed the time watching the world pass them by out of the large arched windows or by discussing a range of topics. This weekend, the topic of the Weasley twins and their exploring of the castle was discussed.

"Do you reckon the Weasley twins have been everywhere in the castle?" Cynthia asked aloud to nobody in particular when she spotted the fiery head of Ron and the rest as they made their way towards Hagrid's hut.

 "Probably not everywhere" Ahita said "Hogwarts is too vast, there's got to be tons of hidden places nobody knows about" 

 "Could you imagine making it a 7 year long mission trying to find every single secret or forbidden place in the castle?" Freida said dreamily. 

 "Probably best to start with the common rooms, least you pretty much know where they are" Cynthia replied.

"Speak of the devils" Frieda said when she spotted a flash of red pass the classroom door. Hearing this, Fred and George stopped and peered their heads round the door. 

 "Talking about us were you?" Fred asked. 

 "You weren't whispering about crushes, right?" George said with a grin "Not that we'd be surprised, of course" 

 They made their way further into the classroom and sat on the edge of a table near the group. 

 "We were wondering if you've ever managed to get into any of the other common rooms?" Cynthia asked them. 

 "Got into Hufflepuff a few times just for fun when sneaking food out of the kitchens"

 George said, shrugging "Not that difficult"

 Neville looked awkward as he remembered being doused in vinegar while trying to get into Hufflepuff on the nights where he was locked out of Gryffindor tower. He felt reluctant to admit how long that smell that taken to get off him and gagged every time they served gerkins and other pickled foods in the hall.

 "As for the rest, we've never tried yet. Ravenclaw can't be too difficult if you've got time to think. As for Slytherin, though..." 

 "We're thinking of attempting it!" Frieda burst out. The twins raised their eyebrows. 

 "It was a theoretical idea, Freida" Cynthia said.

 "Don't get me involved!" Neville said nervously, "I've had my fair share of exploring recently"

 "You think you can manage it?" Fred said curiously, genuinely taken aback that they would even think about it. Thinking that this could be potentially profitable, the twins shot each other a mischevious look with silent understanding.

 "Just because we're Hufflepuffs doesn't mean we can't manage anything" Freida said, eager to prove herself.

"Alright then" George said with the glint that he shared with Fred still evident in his eyes "We bet you 6 galleons that you can't do it" 

 They stuck out their hands and Freida rose and violently shook them in return, "It's a deal" With a laugh, they wished them luck and left the classroom. They reminded them that they wanted evidence for proof that they had actually done it.