The Girl Who Saw Tomorrow II » Harry Potter

2.55 | A Guilty Conscience

This chapter is dedicated to jigixha
and her adorable feline Snowy, who is an angel now❤️ Fly high, Snowy, your memory will be kept alive in the hearts you touched, including mine.

-x-

No, Margaret had not forgotten that Ron was going to be poisoned on his birthday.

This was one of those things she could not stop from happening.

The most she could have done was pester her friends to carry a bezoar in their pockets at all times. She reminded them every morning before they left for breakfast and every evening after Quidditch practice ended to the point that Harry, Ron and Hermione had started holding up their shrivelled brown stone every time they greeted her.

Margaret knew she looked paranoid, but she could not help it. There were so many reasons this could go wrong and she could not have ensured that she would be around to help, and she had been right. She had gotten preoccupied today.

Despite what she had told Dumbledore, Margaret had no plans of stopping by in Honeyduke's. She was going to get out of the village and teleport back to Hogwarts as soon as she was out of sight.

However, when she reached the village square, she saw two identical redheads stepping out of the otherwise closed Zonko's store.

One of them spotted her as soon as she spotted him.

"Margie!" exclaims Fred, his face lighting up with a grin.

George looked around, waving her over enthusiastically. She changed her course, walking up to them instead.

"Hey, Gred! Hi, Forge!" she greets them before seeing the third person standing with them. "Oh, hello, Mr Zonko."

"Hello, there," says the old man.

Margaret had only met the owner of Zonko's Joke Shop once before but she could tell he had not looked this tired or frail. Zonko turned around, locking the door of his deserted shop with his wand before looking up at Fred and George with a disappointed smile.

"Well, boys, write to me if you change your minds..." With a nod of farewell, Zonko disapparated.

Margaret looked in between them for some clue. Fred was assessing the large pink gift he was carrying with an absent look while George stared through the empty storefront sympathetically.

"Whoa... Did the fairy of sadness pass over you two?" says Margaret. "What's the matter?"

The two of them shook their heads simultaneously, shooting her half-smiles.

"Fairy of sadness is never where we are! No, we were thinking of purchasing Zonko's," says Fred, before gesturing at the empty village square. "But fat lot of good would it do us if you lot aren't allowed to come out here and buy our stuff anymore?"

"Speaking of which," says George, "what are you doing out here, Margie?"

"Sneaking out?" Fred wiggled his brows. "We won't tell a soul if you are."

Before Margaret could answer, a shrill whistle tore through air, forcing them to slap their hands over their ears. An Auror on the opposite rooftop was glaring down at them.

"Get indoors!"

"Ouch... C'mon, in here."

Margaret led the way to Honeyduke's, all three of them rubbing their ears as they entered the shop.