Towers - Fred Weasley

27

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TODAY IS SATURDAY, usually everyone would have breakfast late but the Great Hall is packed with students. Everyone is keeping her eye on the goblet, watching how the pieces of paper disappear inside of it. The Durmstrang students are the first ones to do so.

Someone laughs behind Ebony who currently sits with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Turning, she sees Fred, George and Lee hurrying down the staircase, all three of them looking extremely excited.

"Done it," Fred says in a triumphant whisper to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ebony. "Just taken it."

"What?" Ron asks.

"The Ageing Potion, dungbrains," Fred replies.

"One drop each," says George, rubbing his hands together with glee. "We only need to be a few months older."

"We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins," Lee states, grinning broadly.

"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," says Hermione warningly. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."

"Hermione, let them be." Ebony replies. "I hope it goes wrong, I have a bet with them." She looks at Fred specifically who winks back at her. She hadn't forgotten the fake-date thing they are going to do. 

"Ready?" Fred says to the other two, quivering with excitement. "C'mon, then – I'll go first –"

Ebony watches hopefully, as Fred pulls a slip of parchment out of his pocket, bearing the words 'Fred Weasley – Hogwarts'. Fred walks right up to the edge of the line, and stands there, rocking on his toes like a diver preparing for a fifty-foot drop. Then, with the eyes of every person in the Entrance Hall upon him, he takes a great breath and steps over the line.

For a split second, Ebony thought it had worked – George certainly thinks so, for he lets out a yell of triumph and leaps after Fred – but next moment, there is a loud sizzling sound, and both twins are hurled out of the golden circle as though they had been thrown by an invisible shot-putter. They land painfully, ten feet away on the cold stone floor, and to add insult to injury, there is a loud popping noise, and both of them sprout identical, long white beards.

The Entrance Hall rings with laughter. Even Fred and George join in, once they have got to their feet, and taken a good look at each other's beards.

"I did warn you," a deep, amused voice says, and everyone turns to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. He surveys Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little, too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours." 

Ebony stands up and walks towards her friends with a big grin. The four of them walk outside of the Great Hall and into the corridor. Cedric passes her. 

"Hey! Good luck." She tells him, he smiles at her before rushing inside the Great Hall while Ebony accompanies Fred, George and Lee to the Hospital Wing. "I told you it wouldn't work." Fred chuckles and reaches for his pocket to take out five galleons. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, darling." Both George and Lee eye them suspiciously but decide to say nothing. 

They soon arrive in the Hospital Wing where both Fred and George get a potion to get rid of the beard. Madam Pomphrey had asked them to stay for a little while longer but Lee who wanted to see who else would put their names inside the goblet had left.