Delyth Snape

The Plan

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Days had passed after the incident with the dementors. Everybody acted like they had forgotten it, but Sirius Black's name was always whispered in the halls.

Cedric and I sat in the backyard, the soft autumn breeze rustling the leaves around us. We were both quiet, lost in our own thoughts, but it was a comfortable silence. I pulled my knees up to my chest, staring out at the horizon as the sun began its slow descent.

"Do you ever think about life after Hogwarts?" Cedric asked, breaking the silence.

I smiled softly, glancing at him. "All the time. But honestly, I'm not even sure what I want yet."

Cedric nodded, his gaze distant. "Sometimes I feel like there's so much expectation, you know? From my parents, from the professors... even from myself. Like I have to have everything figured out already."

I leaned back, letting my head rest against the tree behind me. "I think we're allowed to not have it all figured out just yet. We still have time."

We fell into another stretch of silence, and I glanced toward one of the stone columns near the edge of the courtyard. That's when I saw him—Fred Weasley, standing there with his arms crossed, looking right at me. My heart did a little flip.

"Cedric, I'll be right back," I said, getting up.

Cedric gave me a puzzled look but nodded. "Alright."

I made my way over to Fred, feeling his gaze follow me. As I approached, he raised an eyebrow, a small grin playing on his lips.

"Were you planning on standing there all day, staring?" I teased.

Fred chuckled. "Just admiring the scenery." He leaned casually against the column, his eyes flicking toward Cedric before landing back on me. "But actually, I was hoping to catch you. I've got a proposition."

I tilted my head, intrigued. "A proposition?"

Fred's grin widened. "How do you feel about a little adventure tonight? There's this old part of the castle—been abandoned for ages. George and I found it on the map a while ago, but we haven't explored it yet. Thought you might like to join."

I raised an eyebrow. "An adventure, huh? And how do you know I'm the adventurous type?"Fred shrugged, though the gleam in his eyes told me he already knew the answer. "Call it a hunch."I considered it for a moment. A secret part of the castle, a late-night adventure—it sounded like just the distraction I needed. Besides, it had been too long since Fred and I had done something together, and I found myself missing the thrill of being around him.

"All right," I said, a smile creeping onto my face. "I'm in."

Fred's grin turned mischievous. "Excellent. Meet me by the Astronomy Tower tonight. Midnight. Don't be late."

I gave a mock salute. "Yes, sir."

He laughed, pushing off the column. "See you later, Snape."

I made my way back to Cedric, trying to keep the smile off my face. 

"What did he want?" Cedric asked, his tone casual but his eyes searching.

"Oh, nothing important," I said, waving it off with a small shrug. "Just Fred being Fred, you know."

Cedric raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced but not pressing further. "Uh-huh."I forced a casual smile, hoping to divert the conversation. "Anyway, where were we? You were talking about your plans after Hogwarts, right?"

Cedric glanced at me for a moment longer before leaning back against the tree, seeming to let it go. "Yeah," he said, sighing, "trying to figure all of that out. It's harder than I thought it would be."

I nodded, listening to him, though my mind kept drifting back. Midnight couldn't come fast enough.

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