In the Melancholy Moonlight, Part 4: Nebula

Chapter 169: Moving Forward

HENRY:

The sun had already set by the time I left the Quidditch Pitch. I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or cry or both, or shout or scream or both. I settled for spinning in a little circle, sighing heavily, and beginning my trek up to the castle. I was expecting everyone to be in the Great Hall for dinner, so I was more than a little surprised when I rounded the final corner and walked straight into someone.

"Merlin, sorry!" I said. I blinked. "George? What are you doing here?"

"Well, Furls, I do go to school here," he replied with a stupid grin. "Same as you, last I checked. Now if you were to see me in Ilvermorny and ask what I was doing there, your question would be perfectly reasonable, but seeing as we both find ourselves in the school we currently attend, I find your question to be a rather odd one."

I laughed. "You're insufferable. I was just asking why you aren't at dinner."

"I figured I'd take advantage of the toad's absence from her office and drop a bit of this in her tea kettle." George held up a small blue candy. "Don't worry, it won't kill her, we just thought we'd test our hypothermia candy on someone other than ourselves. Want to join me?"

"Sure, I don't see why not." The two of us fell into step together, hurrying directly up to her office. "Speaking of 'we,' where's Fred?"

"He's, er, a bit busy with Angelina at the moment, so I offered to do this myself. Nice to have the company, though."

"Nice to be had. What exactly is your plan for the hypothermia candy? Is it the antidote for the Fever Fudge?"

George shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Nah, the other half of the Fever Fudge just neutralizes the fever, it doesn't actually have the power to decrease body temperature in and of itself. This one is something of a passion project."

"Just to prove you could?"

"Something like that. Ideally, it would help with natural fevers."

"Unintentional ones, you mean?"

"Yeah, exactly. Dear Professor Umbridge looked a little red in the face after the match today. I'm just a concerned student trying to help out a bit, you know?"

I laughed. "Right. That can be our story if we get caught."

George grinned at me, mischief twinkling in his eyes. "We won't get caught. C'mon."

We jogged in silence all the way to her office. I reached for the doorknob, but George shot his hand out to stop me.

"She's got all kinds of protective charms," he whispered. "Allow me."

I pulled my hand back and watched as George drew his wand and worked it around the door in a complicated pattern, muttering spells with a look of utmost concentration on his face.

He turned to me with a somewhat shy smile. "What?"

"I'm just impressed," I replied. "How did you know how to do all of that?"

"She adds a couple new protective spells every time we break in, but Fred and I have a lot of experience getting into places we aren't supposed to get into. Go on, you have the honors of opening the door."

I rolled my eyes as I twisted the knob.

"Sweet Merlin," George said when we stepped inside. "You know, I don't hate the color pink, but this is just revolting."

"Yeah, agreed. Her kettle's over there, let's drop it in and go."

I lifted the lid while George plopped the blue candy in. We waited a couple of seconds to make sure nothing exploded or start screaming, then ducked out of the office. George did the protective charms again, and the two of us darted away, not stopping until we were a safe distance away.