Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
In February the castle was decorated for Valentine's day with pink, frilly decorations and pink hearts everywhere. What was most disturbing was the actual, real life cherubs hanging from the walls like mistletoe. They were far grumpier than Dora ever expected cherubs to be, and she tried her best to steer clear of them. Dora didn't know much about the wizarding world and she was fine not knowing what happened if you're caught under a cherub with someone.
Gideon checked back in one Saturday morning when everyone was lounging around in the common room. The temperature had dropped and the sky was permanently covered in dark clouds as it tried to make up its mind about if it was going to snow or not.
"If you need any help, you're gonna have to ask me now," Gideon announced, standing on a rickety coffee table that buckled slightly as he stepped up so all the first years scattered around the common room could hear him. "Most of us'll be at Hogsmeade all weekend."
"Hogsmeade?" Dora asked from where she was perched on a squashy armchair that dwarfed her.
"Village down the way," Gideon said, gesturing over his shoulder. "You'll be allowed to visit during third year, provided you get your form signed obviously. It's brilliant down there! First stop you gotta make when you get down there is Honeydukes. Biggest sweet shop I've ever seen!"
"Awesome!" Dora grinned and wriggled to sit upright.
"Well if everything's alright with you lot," Gideon said when no one else spoke, "I'll be off. Gotta meet someone."
"Got a date, Gideon?" Dorcas asked. Dorcas and Marlene had claimed one of the sofas and Marlene lay with her head on Dorcas' lap while she braided her hair. Dorcas looked up at Gideon with her eyebrows raised. Dora couldn't tell if she was being sweet or was about to make fun of him.
"No," Gideon laughed, "Meeting my brother, want to get down to Zonkos."
"They have a Zonkos at Hogsmeade?" James asked, hearing only the last fragment of the sentence as he looks up from a game of chess he is losing very badly to Remus.
"What's a Zonkos?" Dora asked. She'd been at Hogwarts nearly a term and a half but she doesn't feel like she's learnt any more about the wizarding world than was in her acceptance letter.
"Joke shop," Gideon answered shortly, "But, er, you didn't hear it from me." he winked and headed out.
*
Before the weekend was over, Dora realised what Gideon's wink had meant. News spread quickly about the halls of Hogwarts and before long, everyone knew about 'The Prank'. It was obvious to everyone in Gryffindor who was responsible because every time it was mentioned, Gideon and his brother Fabian would smirk and share a look.
The entire charms corridor had been untraversable. Someone had charmed it to be consumed by a torrent of rain and such a strong wind it was impossible to approach it let alone walk down it. It had been discovered on Sunday evening after dinner and had not been fixed by the next morning.
