New Perspective ⌁ Fred Weasley

Chapter Nineteen

At nine forty-five the next morning, Maxine began her regretful walk towards the library. She wore her shabbiest clothes, knowing that she would likely be covered in grime, dirt, and whatever cleaner that they were forced to use. Of course, all of her clothes were shabby so it didn't make a difference.

Outside the library, Fred was already leaning against the door looking as relaxed as ever. Maxine wondered how he always seemed so calm, even when they were about to spend numerous hours scrubbing floors and dusting bookshelves.

"Good morning, Beater Girl," Fred said cheerfully as she approached. Maxine scowled at him, a silent reminder that she did not want to be called that. It was clear that he had already forgotten that he had agreed to only call her Maxine. "Ready for our wonderful day of detention?"

"I don't know why you think it's wonderful," Maxine told him as she pushed open the doors to the library. I was completely empty and dead silent. "I'd much prefer to spend my time in the library sleeping instead of cleaning."

On the first table inside the library, numerous bottles sat, all with different colored liquid. Each was labeled, floor cleaner, glass cleaner, surface cleaner. There were brooms and mops, wash rags and numerous dusters. There were certainly a lot of tools required to do things without magic.

Madam Pince came over as she saw Fred and Maxine walk towards the table. She looked annoyed, but of course the librarian always looked annoyed. "Please get started right away. As I told you yesterday, clean the floors, wash the tables, clean the windows, and the bookshelves. If other students come in, please ignore them. When the work is done, you may leave."

The librarian walked away, and Maxine glanced over at Fred who was examining the cleaners. "How should we do this?" Maxine asked and held up a bottle of floor cleaner. "Should we split up?"

Fred tilted his head and handed Maxine a broom. "I think if we work together we will get done faster.I'm taller so I can clean the windows and bookshelves if you clean the floors and tables." He raised his eyebrows with a small smile.

Maxine took the broom from him and rolled up her sleeves. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

The pair worked in silence for a while, one occasionally asking the other to hand them a rag or a bottle of cleaner. The library eventually began to smell like lemon and chlorine. The wooden tables were so shiny Maxine could swear she saw her reflection in them.

After an hour of near silence, Fred looked over at Maxine as she laid on the floor under a table trying to scrape gum off the table's underside. Her eyebrows were furrowed intently with her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. She looked more focused on getting the gum off than in any class he had ever seen her in.

"So Beater Girl," he began. Immediately, Maxine's head snapped towards him and she glared.

"If you call me that again I will spray cleaner in your eyes."

Fred's jaw dropped, and he stared at her shocked. "Merlin's beard. Okay, I'm sorry, Maxine."

Maxine nodded curtly as she went back to scrapping the gum. "What do you want?"

"Well now I'm curious, so I'm going to change my question," Fred said and Maxine rolled her eyes. "Why do you hate being called 'Beater Girl' so much?"

Letting out a harsh laugh, Maxine looked over at Fred, who was sitting on the floor nearby as he dusted the bottom shelf of a bookcase. "Do you really care or do you just want to find another reason to annoy me?"

Fred frowned and furrowed his eyebrows, but he didn't look at Maxine. "I do care. Understanding why you don't like it will help me be more careful not to call you that anymore."