The Secrets We Leave Behind | George Weasley

Chapter 3

Vivian nearly jumped out of her skin as George crashed into the seat next to her in the Great Hall. She had been deep in conversation with Alicia and Angelina about Cedric Diggory, a 5th year Hufflepuff who Vivian had seen in the library surrounded by a hoard of girls from every Hogwarts house, a sight that Vivian didn't need to be told was a rarity at the school. Curious, she had asked her friends when she joined them at the Gryffindor table for dinner, thinking he must be some kind of English wizard celebrity. Much to her surprise, Alicia and Angelina had launched into a lengthy explanation of the man, explaining that he was a student and had been the object of half the school's affections since his second year. Angelina made sure to emphasize his quidditch prowess while Alicia mostly just gushed over his looks.

Looking at him across the Great Hall now, she couldn't help but agree. The guy was an absolute looker, though she had always been weak around a chiseled jawline.

The most entertaining part of the conversation though, by far was Alicia and Angelina's recounting of the multiple Hogwarts students that had thrown themselves at him. According to her friends, it was not uncommon for Cedric to find notes in his bag asking to meet, gifts from secret admirers in the post, and plenty of girls who "just so happened" to be walking in the same direction as him no matter where he was headed.

"He definitely seems to enjoy the attention," Vivian remarked as she watched a 4th year Ravenclaw shove her way into a seat next to Cedric while the girl she'd displaced glared at her.

She had been so caught up in their conversation about Hogwarts' most wanted that she hadn't seen the twins and Lee walk up to join them at the table.

"Jesus," she breathed as her heart beat returned to a normal pace.

"What's with you three?" Angelina asked, noticing the distress on their faces.

"It's horrible," Fred nearly wailed, slamming his head down to the table.

"Probably the worst thing that's ever happened to us," George agreed, looking as stricken as Fred sounded.

"What happened?" Vivian looked at them in concern. In the month she had known Fred and George, she had never seen them so devastated. Upset, sure. Annoyed, definitely. But looking at them now it was clear that something was really wrong.

"Our recipe book was taken," George finally mumbled after a tense moment of silence.

Vivian made a noise of understanding as she looked at the twins with sympathy. They had shown her the book only a week earlier, explaining that it was the master document, the holy bible of every novelty item, every practical joke, every prototype that had ever passed through a Weasley twin's mind. The book was nothing short of Fred and George's life work. Containing not only the instructions and ingredients needed for their invented curiosities but also the twins notes, detailing the research they had done, the experiments tested, and results observed as the twins improved their products and pranks. Vivian knew that this book was nothing short of priceless to the both of them.

"NO!!" Alicia cried, sympathetic to the twins' pain.

"What happened?" questioned Angelina as Fred and George groaned again at their situation.

"They were setting up a prank on Snape. He caught them and when he saw the book he confiscated it," Lee said with a frown and halfhearted shrug.

"I shouldn't have even had the bloody thing out," Fred moaned, head still in his hands on the table. "I was just double checking we had the right amount of butterscotch!!"

Vivian was immensely curious to know what kind of prank the twins had had planned for the potions professor that not only required butterscotch, but a specific amount of butterscotch. She thought better of asking though, feeling it would only worsen their already dire moods.