prospicere futurum | fred weasley | cedric diggory

31

"It's been three days." Ella huffed, shoving Corinne easily down the hallway towards Umbridge's classroom. "I'm not looking forward to my best friend getting expelled."

"They wouldn't expel me." Corinne huffed, stepping into the classroom and falling into the familiar seat beside her friends.

"If Umbridge has anything to say about it." Taylor shrugged, the girls hurrying to arrange their books and supplies along the desk before the horrible professor arrived.

"But Johnson, you're keeping us up all hours of the night and it's truly detrimental to my schoolwork!" Fred's voice carried through the open doorway, and Corinne could practically hear the grin that was surely painted across his lips. "I think Captain is really getting to you, and if you need me to take it off your hands, I'd be more than happy-"

"Piss off, Weasley." Angelina replied through half a laugh as she took her seat beside Lee Jordan.

"Leave her alone, Fred. She's a fantastic captain." George cut in, his lips curled into an easy smile that had Angelina raising her eyebrows at the twin.

Before Corinne could spare another second watching the interaction, the familiar brown eyes met hers, the smirk falling from his face at once.

"Hey Baker." He spoke, softer now, falling into his seat beside the girls and Corinne hurried to pull her gaze to her textbook on the desk before her.

"Good morning, class!" Umbridge croaked, the room falling silent and returning her greeting below their breath. "First things first, I'm handing back your papers from Tuesday. Most were alright, though a few of you should re-read the last few chapters..." She trailed off as Corinne's eyes fell back to her desk.

She had known she would miss assignments, lose points for skipping class, possibly even wrack up some detentions, but it didn't make the prospect of Umbridge's incoming scowl and lecture any more appealing as she watched the bright pink flit in and out of her peripheral vision.

"Miss Baker." She mumbled, setting a slightly crumpled parchment on her desk and moving down the row as Corinne's eyes went wide. She scanned over the work, not recognizing the handwriting and glancing to Ella.

"When did you do that?" Ella asked under her breath.

"I didn't do anything." Corinne muttered, leaning forward to meet Taylor's eyes.

"Don't look at me, I can barely finish my own work." She shrugged. Corinne unrolled the parchment, reading through the first few paragraphs before Umbridge started up the days lesson and at last spun slowly in her seat, meeting Fred's eye for only a moment before he snatched his quill from his desk, burying his face deeper into his notes.

✵

"I don't understand!" Corinne said, shoving the second completed paper into her bag as the girls made their way up the staircase towards Gryffindor tower. McGonagall had sent their most recent projects soaring through the air, and she found herself surprised once more as another paper she hadn't turned in had landed before her, a small 86 marked in red at the top corner.

"Maybe the teachers are taking pity on you." Taylor suggested.

"Umbridge?" Corinne shot her a skeptical look.

"Yeah, maybe not..." Her friend shook her head. "But oh well! Don't look a gift horse in the mouth or whatever the hall they say..."

"And no more skipping classes and you'll never have to worry about this again." Ella reminded, though Corinne ignored her. It wasn't her fault if some days she woke up with no desire to do anything other than lay in bed, keep the curtains drawn and bury herself beneath the covers.