Novus Orbis | Fred Weasley x Insert | ON HIATUS

Chapter 24 - The First Task

True to her word, Y/n doesn't say a single thing to any of the champions about the first task. In fact, no one except her and the twins (and Filch, and the professors, of course) know about their little late-night excursion. She watches as the champions prepare themselves mentally for whatever they might think is in store, reading in the Library, finishing due homework, and the like.

Early in the morning on the day of the event, she wakes with a start. Pulling off her warm, heavy blankets, she tries as quickly as possible to get dressed before the cold seeps through her pyjamas. Rifling quietly through her drawers as the other girls still slumber, she huffs when she sees that her favourite sweater, which she was planning to wear, is not clean and has yet to be washed by the house-elves. Throwing on a long sleeve shirt, she concocts a devious plan in her mind, grinning mischievously as she hops out the door while still pulling on her boots.

Nearly slipping in her rush to get downstairs, she finds Fred and George already waiting for her in the common room.

"Ready to go, love?" Fred asks. The thought barely passes through Y/n's mind that he's been a lot more bold calling her that as of late. No time for that now.

"I think so..." she stops, making a show of patting her pockets up and down as though looking for something. "Do you still have my gloves?"

"No, I thought you were still wearing them when you left our room from playing board games the other night..." Fred shakes his head. "Have we moved on to losing them instead of just forgetting to take them?" 

"No, I remember taking them off to play because they made it difficult to hold the tiny pieces," she says. "Let me go grab them and then I think I'm okay."

She has to cover her mouth to keep herself from giggling as she jogs up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Reaching their door, she knocks twice. A very groggy looking, still-in-pyjamas Lee opens it, rubbing an eye lazily.

"M-m-morning," he yawns, standing awkwardly in the half-open doorway. "Fred and George are already out."

"I know," she says, and this time she can't help the smile from making its way onto her face. "I need you to grab a couple things for me. My gloves are in there."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Yeah. What's Fred's favourite sweater?"

-

After thanking Lee Jordan and bidding him good morning, she stands a moment in the hallway to prepare: pulling on the sweater, she breathes in deeply, giggling like a fangirl as she presses the soft fabric to her face. Fastening her jacket over it, and ensuring that none of the sweater can be seen, she tugs on her gloves and stomps back downstairs.

"Okay, ready," she announces.

Fred leads the way, and they set off through the portrait hole with their luggage. The twins have set up a whole getup to take bets from the students (and probably, Y/n guesses, also the teachers) before it starts. Her teeth chatter as she follows them around, yelling "Bets! Come place your bets!"

"Bets taken here!" George calls.

"Step up, mates!" Fred shouts. "Who fancies a flutter on tonight's bloodbath?"

"Smart money's on Krum to survive!"

"One'll get you ten if Potter dies. Ow!" He winces when Hermione pops him in the arm.

"We'd cut Harry in, of course..." George says. Before Y/n can say anything to Hermione, they're past her and she's off running somewhere else. They continue on–"Bets, bets"–through the stands, taking the students' money and thanking them for their investments or time.