Brilliance is Corruptable

Chapter Four

          Briar didn't see the Weasley twins until supper-sitting at their designated table on either side of their very reproachful-looking younger brother. He did look quite miserable between the twins- no doubt they were probably bullying the poor lad.

Briar gave a mighty, tossing her brilliantly bright locks over her shoulder, displaying her Prefect badge to all. She marched importantly towards the Gryffindor table, unwearied by the looks she was getting.

Her hands clapped onto the Weasley twins' shoulders, startling them mildly. She loomed over them, appearing rather menacing indeed.

"I need you two to come with me," she ordered. Fred and George were unmoved by her tone, "Can it wait until after supper?-""-We're rather hungry from Quidditch practice, you see."

Briar shook her head firmly, "Absolutely not, I need you both this minute."

They exchanged a look, grinning almost manically. "Who are we to deny a lady?" Briar scowled, dragging them upwards by their collars. "Come on then, you gutter-brains."

As Briar dragged the twins from the Great Hall, their younger sibling voiced his confusion to his friends nearby. "What would a Prefect need with Fred and George- other than giving them detention of course."

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Briar settled herself and the twins in an enclosed corridor; she was anxiously peeking behind a curtain when they finally spoke up, "Well, why are we here?-""-Why'd you drag us away-"

"I need a favor."

They blinked at her; Fred shrugged, "I suppose I do owe you for nearly burning your arm off."

Her fear of refusal melted away, and she dropped her stiffened shoulders. With a quiet exhale, she proceeded.

"I need to watch someone, at a close proximity for about a month- and I-I need help."

Their grins, if anything grew larger.

"Should we, George?"

"I do believe we should, Fred."

They leaned towards her, placing their hands to the sides of their mouths as they whispered their next words, "Of course you'll only be borrowing this from us for the month-""-we need it afterwards for a much bigger plan."

From his pocket, George pulled out a thick, folded piece of parchment and offered it to her. She took it, unfolding it careful- only to see it was entirely blank.

"This is a map of the school," Fred told her. She looked at the pair of them blankly, "It's blank though-"

George waved his finger at her, "All you have to do is tap it with your wand and say, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

He tapped the parchment, ink splattered across the parchment, spreading into the intricate maze that was Hogwarts. She gazed at the map in almost awe- "Hey! It has all of the students in the Great Hall- bloody hell, are they moving?"

"It's a living map-""-it shows who is there-""-where they are-""-and what they're doing-""-at all times."

"Amazing," she murmured, her eyes narrowing on the little inscribe of 'R.J Lupin' who sat still in the Great Hall. George tapped his wand against the map once more, "And when you're finished, all you have to say is, 'Mischief managed."

Briar folded away the parchment and tucked it into her robes. Suddenly she flung her arms around their necks, hugging them gratefully, "This is more than I thought I'd ever get, thank you."

"I'm surprised you thought so little of us-""- after all the mischief we've caused, we figured you'd assume better."

She grinned widely; quickly she released them, straightening her robes when she heard a gaggle of girls walking down the hall. As they passed, they shot her and the twins a quick look, before knitting themselves into a tighter circle and whispering among themselves, with the occasional giggle.

Briar flushed, taking a further step back from them. "Well get back to supper then, before everything is all eaten."

George tossed her a grin over his shoulder as they started back to the Great Hall. Her cheeks burned a brighter red, and shot him a bashful smile in exchange.

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I do not own Harry Potter/characters/etc.

This one was fairly short, unfortunately. A sliver of George/OC at the end. Expect more :)

-AL