As the Second Wizarding War ended, many students decided to go back to Hogwarts to finish their studies. Anne-Leigh Conway was one of them.
While she attempts to come to terms with what's happened, she gets entangled in an effort set forth by Headmi...
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Chapter 26: Do you want me to smack him for you?
"Didn't think you were the drinking type." Fred's voice spoke some 30 minutes later when the three of them held identical drinks of some beverage George had brought with him from his latest visit in London. They were seated in the couches as usual, Leigh having a book and notebook open in front of her, with a bowl of snacks placed on the table.
The twins had been in conversation about something shop-related for the last half hour, not paying Leigh much attention as she scribbled away, but it seemed she was once again noticed in their presence.
She huffed under her breath at Fred's statement, temporarily interrupting her own note-taking to look up at him across the table. "What, I care about my grades and you automatically think I do nothing else?"
"That's not what I meant," he started, but was interrupted by George snickering beside Leigh, leaning against the arm of the couch and holding his glass in front of him. Fred gave him a look. "Shut up George."
"Do you want me to smack him for you?" George asked, glancing to his left at her.
She smiled behind the curtains of her hair. "It's alright. Although I think I'd enjoy seeing him smacked at some point."
"Just give me the sign," George giggled before taking a gulp from his glass.
Leigh looked up from her book to gaze at Fred, who was still looking at his snickering brother with a scowl. Fred bit his lip slightly in thought before he looked over at Leigh, who gave him a soft look before she looked away.
"I'm impressed you're still intent on studying even two drinks in," George added.
"Just have to catch up," Leigh responded with a shrug, finishing her sentence and contemplating whether to start on a new one or not.
"In no world are you behind on studying," Fred chipped in with an obvious tone. "Genius."
"Alright, alright. Just have to get ahead," Leigh amended her statement with a chuckle, glancing at him in the process and accidentally meeting his gaze. The sound of George putting his empty glass down on the table prompted Fred to look away.
The bottle stood closest to him, and George pointed towards it slightly. "Pour me some more, will you?"
Fred complied, grasping the bottle in one hand and unscrewing the cap with the other. For some reason Leigh couldn't help but let her gaze follow his movements; the way he tilted the bottle with precision, how he held the glass in a firm grasp.
She focused her eyes back down on her notes.
She was outlining an essay for potions. Her initial success in the subject seemed to slowly subside, and she found herself on the verge of struggling. Hopefully it wouldn't get to that. After a few final changes she put her quill down and moved to close her notebook. The second the closed book met the table in front of her both Fred and George erupted in cheers, and Leigh rolled her eyes at their reaction.
