𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐉𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍, george weasley

025

TWENTY FIVE

Hogwarts had always been full of secrets—hidden corridors, shifting staircases, and enchanted rooms that defied logic. Victoria had grown accustomed to the mysteries, but as she wandered the castle one crisp autumn evening with Fred and George Weasley, she realized there was still so much she didn't know.

Dinner had passed quickly and uneventfully and now she was being dragged down dark tunnels by her favourite twins.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, her curiosity piqued as the twins led her down a narrow, dimly lit corridor.

Fred grinned mischievously. "Patience, Princess."

"Yeah," George added, glancing over his shoulder with a wink. "We promise it'll be worth it."

Victoria followed them, her steps echoing softly against the stone floor. They stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary statue of a one-eyed witch. Fred pulled out his wand and tapped the hump of the statue.

"Dissendium," he whispered.

Victoria watched, wide-eyed, as the statue's hump slid open, revealing a dark, winding passage.

"Impressive," she admitted. "How did you find this?"

Fred and George exchanged a smug look before George reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn, folded piece of parchment. He handed it to her with a flourish. "This is how."

Victoria unfolded the parchment and stared at it, confused. "It's blank."

"Ah," Fred said, taking it back. He tapped it with his wand and declared, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Ink began to spread across the parchment, lines and names appearing until a detailed map of Hogwarts unfolded before her eyes. Victoria gasped as she recognized the castle's layout, complete with moving dots representing students and staff.

"This... this is incredible," she whispered, tracing a finger over the parchment.

"It's called the Marauder's Map," George explained. "Shows you where everyone is in the castle. Handy for sneaking around."

Victoria's eyes scanned the map, her curiosity growing. She spotted the dot labeled "Harry Potter" near the Gryffindor common room, "Hermione Granger" in the library, and "Ron Weasley" in his dormitory... accompanied by another dot labeled "Peter Pettigrew."

Her brow furrowed. "Who's Peter Pettigrew?"

Fred leaned over to look, his eyes narrowing. "Oh, yeah. Ron's been sleeping with a bloke named Peter for the last year."

Victoria's mouth fell open. "What?"

George shrugged nonchalantly. "Good on him, honestly. It's not like women are gonna go near him."

Fred snorted. "True. He still has the emotional range of a teaspoon."

Victoria couldn't help but laugh, even as she stared at the map, puzzled. "But... I've never seen anyone named Peter with Ron. Have you?"

Fred shook his head. "Nah. Probably just a mistake on the map. Or maybe it's some weird first-year who thinks Ron's his hero."

George smirked. "Poor kid. Bad taste."

They all chuckled, but Victoria's mind lingered on the name. Something about it felt... off.

Fred rolled up the map and tucked it back into his pocket. "Anyway, enough about Ron and his mysterious roommate. Shall we?"

Victoria nodded, shaking off the unease. "Lead the way."

As they crawled through the narrow passage, Fred and George filled the silence with stories about their pranks, Quidditch, and their latest invention ideas for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Victoria listened, laughing at their antics, grateful for the distraction from the weight of her royal responsibilities and the lingering whispers about her family in the wizarding world.

When they finally emerged into the cellar of Honeydukes in Hogsmeade, Victoria's eyes widened in delight. The shelves were lined with jars of colorful sweets, from Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans to rows of shimmering sugar quills.

"Welcome to paradise," George declared with a grin.

Fred grabbed a handful of Fizzing Whizzbees. "Help yourself, Princess."

Victoria reached for a Chocolate Frog, her heart lighter than it had been in days. The twins were right—sometimes, a little mischief was exactly what she needed.