New Perspective ⌁ Fred Weasley

Chapter Eighteen

During the Christmas feast, Maxine wondered anxiously about what Professor McGonagall was going to make them do for detention. Were they going to clean the trophy room without magic? Remove snow from the grounds without magic? Maxine had never done anything in her life without magic before. She had also never gotten detention before.

Gavin, who was sitting across from Maxine, narrowed his eyes at her. "What's got you so quiet?"

Maxine pressed her lips together and looked down at her plate of food. "I have detention after the feast."

Gavin gasped and threw a bread roll at her. "You what? Why? How?"

Maxine stole a glance over at the Gryffindor table, where Fred seemed to be perfectly content as he talked with his siblings. Of course Fred was entirely familiar with detention and punishments. It's a wonder Filch hasn't tried to use the shackles he has stored in his office.

"I may or may not have put a pumpkin on Fred Weasley's head," Maxine said to her brother.

Next to him, Ruby, Maxine's other roommate, rolled her eyes. "Is this related to your stupid prank war?"

"Okay first, it's not stupid, it's a justified competition to make those Weasley twins feel everything all of the other students have in the past five years," Maxine said firmly. "Second, yes it is."

"Mum's not going to be happy," Gavin said and he pointed to Maxine with his fork. "Don't get any more detentions. It's bad for my image as a prefect if my little sister gets more points taken away from Hufflepuff."

"Okay okay," Maxine said defensively. "Luckily McGonagall only took ten."

After the feast, Maxine began making her way towards McGonagall's office. Anxiety was begin to make the best of her, but of course it wasn't logical for her to abandon detention altogether. McGonagall would surely find her and take even more points away.

Maxine jumped at the feeling of a tap on her shoulder. Behind her, Fred stood with a grin on his face.

"Ready for our punishment, Beater Girl?" He asked her.

"I'll be ready for a much bigger one if you keep calling me Beater Girl, Weasley," Maxine snapped. "Call me Maxine, or call me nothing at all."

"Don't like being called O'Flaherty either?"

"No," Maxine told him. "I like going by my first name."

"Alright then," another smile crossed Fred's face. "I'll call you Maxine, you call me Fred."

Maxine didn't say anything, only shrugged. McGonagall's office was getting closer, and her anxiety was only increased. She chewed furiously on her cheeks. Only would only be a matter of time before her punishment was over.

"You look nervous," Fred pointed out. "Is this your first time getting detention?"

"Yes," Maxine said. "And I'm not nervous, I'm terrified."

"Eh, it's McGonagall," Fred shrugged. "We'll probably just have to clean something. Now if it was Filch, we would be fed to the giant squid."

Maxine couldn't help but laugh, which caused Fred to chuckle too.

"Did I just succeed in getting you to laugh?" Fred asked, and immediately Maxine stopped.

"The first and last time," Maxine said.

The two of them reached McGonagall's office, which was open as the professor stood next to Madam Pince with her arms crossed.

"Miss O'Flaherty, Mr Weasley," Professor McGonagall nodded towards them curtly and then towards the two chairs across from her desk. "Please have a seat."

Maxine and Fred sat down, Maxine keeping her head down. Her cheek was becoming raw from how she chewed on it. Maybe this prank war was a mistake.

McGonagall sat down in her own chair. "Now, Miss O'Flaherty I was very surprised to see you engaging in this type of behavior. Mr Weasley, I'm surprised to see you continuing this type of behavior given the warnings you've had. Please explain yourselves, the both of you."

Maxine felt her cheeks heat up as she began to stammer. "I'm sorry Professor... I—well—"

"It was my fault, Professor," Fred cut in. "I was teasing her and jinxed her. She just acting in defense."

Maxine's jaw dropped, and not metaphorically. Fred looked at McGonagall with a straight face, no hint of the fact he was lying. But as shocking and kind that it was, Maxine couldn't let Fred take the fall. It's what she was taught.

"No, Professor that's not true," Maxine cut in. "I jinxed him first."

McGonagall raised her eyebrows and then looked up at Madam Pince, who just shrugged. "I did not see anything, I only heard the commotion."

As McGonagall looked away, Fred looked over at Maxine with an expression that read what are you doing? Maxine shook her head rapidly but Fred jumped in.

"I don't know why she's saying that, Professor," Fred raised his eyes to appear to be genuine. Maxine internally face palmed and looked down to her lap. Clearly Fred was going to just take the fall, and it made her feel guilty. "I was the one who started it."

"No, he didn't" Maxine began arguing.

"Yes—"

"No—"

"Alright that's enough," McGonagall put her hand up to cute them off as Maxine and Fred had turned towards each other and looked as if they were going to fight again. "Both of you broke the rules, both of you will be receiving a reasonable punishment."

Maxine swallowed hard as McGonagall looked at them so intensely, it was like she was about to expel them. But of course that probably wasn't a reasonable punishment. McGonagall looked up at Madame Pince, who cleared her throat.

"Tomorrow you will report to the library at ten a.m. to clean it," Madame Pince said sternly. "Top to bottom, floors, tables, and the book cases."

"And I'm sure many other students will be at Hogsmeade so you will have no interruptions," Professor McGonagall added. "You will stay in the library until your cleaning is complete."

Fred and Maxine solemnly agreed and when they were excused they rushed out the door. Fred looked at Maxine with a hard expression and whispered, "Why didn't you let me take the blame?"

"I'm not going to let you lie to keep me out of trouble," Maxine said harshly in a low voice.

When McGonagall's door opened again, they booked back, scared they were about to be in more trouble. "Also," she began, looking at the two over her glasses with a stern stare. "I am well aware of this prank war. If you two get into anymore trouble, or anyone else involved for the matter, I will be forced to end it. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Professor."

i decided to make this book more of a fast burn, so this is just the beginning :)