Pluto Projector.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

"Goodnight," (Y/n) smiled, bidding farewell to the girls who weren't prefects. As curfew was officially in place, there was no doubt Padma, Hermione, and (Y/n) would eventually come across the boys they were on patrol with that night. "I'm patrolling the North Wing tonight, so I'll be off first," (Y/n) said as she was in for a long walk.

"See you in a bit!" Padma hollered. (Y/n) waved her fingers, picking up her pace. She hoped Tony would already be there so they could finish their patrol quickly. She had a letter from Adrian Pucey, requesting to meet up in Hogsmeade and she wished to get it over with quickly and be alone in her thoughts for the rest of the night. She already had quite a busy evening despite having wanted to do nothing but lay in bed and mourn her parents.

"(Y/n)," Tony called as the two nearly bumped into each other from the other end of the hallway. His lips turned up in amusement over the fact (Y/n) was still in an outfit that was just fancy enough for a special dinner. "Why go if you complain about how boring things are?"

"Blaise makes it fun," (Y/n) answered simply, stretching her arms behind her. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin game is coming up soon," she commented.

"Yeah. I heard Draco's not showing up to Slytherin practice lately," Tony said. "I thought those two always jumped at the opportunity to be at each other's throats when it wouldn't get them in trouble." (Y/n) did not at all find it unusual that Draco dropped off the team as she knew from Narcissa that Draco was really trying to focus on the mission he was given to 'redeem' his father. She would never tell another soul this fact, though. Especially considering the fact that Narcissa made her promise under a spell that was just barely beneath an Unbreakable Vow.
Tony and (Y/n) finished their rounds in relative silence, not coming across anything that needed to be reported on or any students who were up past curfew. Tony saluted her, heading off toward the Hufflepuff common room shortly after they reached the first floor again. (Y/n) glanced around, not at all heading for the Ravenclaw tower and instead heading for the corridor in which Gregory the Smarmy's statue was. Despite there being no actual smell in the air, she had a very distinct memory of the smell of a swamp... One Fred and George set off as a means to distract Umbridge and give Harry the time to use the fireplace to try and meet Sirius. There was an odd echo in the hallway as she was met with the memory she associated with the smell of swamp and the hallway that was Gregory the Smarmy's.

"I wanted to kiss you after the Gryffindor and Slytherin game," George admitted.

"Why didn't you?" (Y/n) asked challengingly.

"I thought you'd've slapped me. Since we were both so worked up."

"Really? I probably would've," (Y/n) agreed, laughing lightly.

"Would you slap me now?" George asked, running on pure desperation at the fact he would not see (Y/n) again for a bit.

"What?"

"If I kissed you goodbye right now, would you slap me?" George elaborated.

"...Probably not." And that answer was all (Y/n) got out before George was swooping down and pressing his lips to (Y/n)'s. (Y/n) had reciprocated immediately, holding George's shoulders to stabilise herself for the kiss she had expected but not been ready for.

"Gosh," (Y/n) muttered, crouching down and covering her mouth. Her face was aflame, feeling as though she had interrupted something despite it being her memory. It made sense, of course, why she associated this specific hallway with that specific memory, but it embarrassed her all the same. Why had George never brought up the kiss? Maybe he didn't want to embarrass her or pressure her into trying to force her feelings for the boy. She wasn't even sure she wanted to bring it up. Despite being the one in her memory and even remembering the feeling of being kissed, it oddly did not feel like it was she who was kissed by George.
"What am I doing?" (Y/n) muttered to herself, hastily standing up and smoothing down her clothes. She had places to be! She quickly approached the Gregory the Swarmy passage, as she had once been instructed to do. She waved her wand over the glass the statue held, mentally casting a spell that would fill it with a Maxima Potion she brewed earlier. As Gregory was a pioneer who was known for contributing to the knowledge of potions that helped drinkers' spell-casting, it was only natural that the statue would move once the glass was filled with a potion of the same effect. (Y/n) mentally patted herself on the back as the statue slid aside, revealing a passage behind it. She quickly stepped through it and began her journey to Hogsmeade, where she would meet Adrian. She wordlessly lit her wand up, providing her light in the dark.
Upon reaching a dead end, (Y/n) squinted, looking around for a way to get out. She brushed her hand over some ivy, moving it aside to reveal an old ladder. She swallowed thickly and looked up at the dark abyss, not knowing how far down she was. Reluctantly, she began climbing, tucking her wand behind her ear and praying that it didn't fall. The further she climbed, the more her legs shook. Climbing up a ladder in heels was its own problem. Climbing up a ladder in heels in the dark was a death wish. If she were to fall and get injured, no one would find her. She, luckily, knew some spells off the top of her head, but spellcasting was useless if she was dead.
"Ouch!" (Y/n) yelped when her head came in contact with the ceiling. She moved her wand from behind her ear and raised it to the ceiling. She swore under her breath and held the wand between her teeth, whimpering and grunting as she pushed against the lid that would take her to the outside. After lots of effort, she gave up and simply cast a levitation spell that made the entrance shoot out over her head. She quickly climbed out and let the opening fall back into place. She came out relatively dirty, much to her relief, but she still wiped herself off. Where was she meeting Adrian again— A hand covered her mouth while another gently took her arm and twirled her around.