Between the Cracks // 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓵𝓮𝔂

51. Overstepping

Chapter 51: Overstepping

Yet another evening at Weasleys Wizard Wheezes in December. People were doing their Christmas shopping, and the shop was full to the brim in the evenings after people left their workplace. The twins were busy restocking shelves, helping customers and standing by the till, and were understandably tired after their busy days.

They were in the middle of some paperwork when an owl appeared outside their window. George let it in, giving it a pat and picking the piece of parchment from its leg. He read the note before turning to Fred.

"It's from Leigh," he spoke. "Not coming over tomorrow after all. Said lots to do before mocks."

Fred thought for a second before humming faintly. "Oh. Okay."

George folded the piece of parchment, pulling a new paper before noting down a brief reply.

"Hope she's holding up alright with all those tests. That's got to be stressful," George added.

"She shouldn't take it so seriously," Fred mumbled.

"Mh. She cares about that though, doesn't she?"

"Yeah," Fred trailed off. "We need to pop up for that final chat with McGonagall on Tuesday anyway. Maybe I can pop by the common room if she's there."

George shrugged, opening the window to let out the owl, now with his added message. "Maybe, yeah."

-

For Leigh, the cost of calmer nights was to wake up with both headaches and hangovers, and an incurable irritability. Just until the holidays, she told herself. Just until the tests were over – then she could sleep or not sleep however long she wanted.

Today was the day before the mocks officially started, and Leigh was walking together with the student crowds across the castle on the way to her 3rd class for the day. Her heart was skipping erratically in her chest, and she anxiously fiddled with her fingers. It was like her thoughts hovered around her, and she had a hard time focusing through the buzz.

She quickly looked down at her watch as she turned the corner leading to the classroom, seeing she had 4 minutes to spare before the lesson started. She nodded to herself, urging herself to calm down and take a breath. Plenty of time to take a seat, go over her recent notes and–

She abruptly stopped in her tracks. Fuck. Her eyes widened. The essay. They were supposed to hand in an essay. A final essay before the mocks kicked off, to get some last-minute feedback. Fuck.

Leigh stared down at her watch again. 3 minutes. No chance she would make it. But she also couldn't not go get it. The whole class would be based on it.

With a sharp exhale she looked around her, not seeing any of her classmates who would be able to tell the professor she would be late. 2 minutes. She let out a huff before determinedly turning on her heel. She'd have to be late. She knew it wasn't the end of the world, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't frustrating.

She absentmindedly fiddled with her cuticles as she rapidly climbed the stairs. She'd be late regardless, but the less minutes the better.

Of course she'd manage to forget something like this. Of course.

She cursed to herself agitatedly as she mounted the last staircase, out of breath and annoyed out of her mind. She hurried her way through the painting before entering her dorm, seeing her essay folded by the cabinet. With a sharp movement she snatched it from its place, getting ready to leave the room before she did a double-take and went further into the space. She reached her hand into the dark void by her bed, feeling her palm encircle the neck of a bottle.