Fred and George and the Toilers of Trouble (Year 1) ✔

Chapter 8:1

UP TO NO GOOD

Over a day later, the twins had yet to follow the map to its end point. It burned a hole in their pockets after leaving Gryffindor Tower and taunted them each time they unfolded the parchment to discover how the ink-drawn path had altered to match their current location. And, really, all the blame could be placed on Benjamin Nettles. While their roommate's devastated appearance boded well for their reputation as mischievous students, it fueled the already present rumors that the troublesome Weasley twins were prepared to make their mark early, house points be damned. Charlie, their prefect, believed the story about Ben's absence, but Percy had his doubts. Saturday night, when the twins crept downstairs to sneak out with the map, they found their overachieving brother sleeping on the common room sofa, wand in hand. By Sunday evening, however, they had developed a plan to evade his patrol.

"I knew it! Where do you think you're off to at this time of night?" Percy demanded, doing his best to blockade the portrait hole by using his scrawny body as a gate.

"The library, obviously," said Fred with a swift smile.

Percy released a gale of laughter. "You two? In the library? Nice try. It's closed, I'll have you know."

"Our poor brother. It's as if he's never heard a joke in his life," said George consolingly. "In fact, we are headed to the courtyard to practice flying."

"Under whose authority?" howled Percy.

"Madam Hooch, naturally," George replied. "Show him the key, brother."

Fred fished a shoelace from the neck of his Weasley sweater. Dangling over the large, yellow letter 'F' was a dull, silver key.

"She wants us to be ready for Quidditch tryouts."

"You know, get a little practice in before lights out."

"This seems highly unorthodox," Percy scoffed, examining the authenticity of the key. "I will alert the house prefects. You two wait here until I return."

"Certainly, dear brother," said George.

"Wouldn't dream of leaving without your approval," said Fred.

The instant Percy was out of sight, the twins crept through the passage, eased open the portrait of the Fat Lady, and rushed to the moving stairwell where they carefully unfolded the fragile parchment and kept going. According to what they had discovered during their wayward stroll to the Great Hall for dinner, the incomplete map was leading them to the fifth floor of the castle's east wing.

Every fifty steps, they stopped to check the parchment. The closer they moved toward their destination, the shorter the path was illustrated. Ten minutes later, they were at the end of the map and standing in a corridor that was darker than any other they had seen at the castle. The torches had been snuffed for the night, but this darkness felt almost magical. And there was a great silence that encased them, like the thick mist of morning fog. It was so quiet, they could hear one another's hearts pounding with expectation.

"What are we looking for, Fred?"

"Not sure."

"If only Percy was here. Apparently, he knows every hallway in this school," George noted, a slight tremble in his voice. "I forget where I heard such a thing."

"Most likely from the Minister of Magic Hallways," Fred replied evenly, lifting his unreliable wand. "What's that lighting spell again? Luminous?"

"I think it's Lumos, but be careful where you point that thing."

"Lumos!" Fred summoned.

A dazzling and focused white light spread from the tip of the Ruddy Twig, illuminating the space in front of them. George followed enthusiastically, creating his own wandlight. The boys had never smiled so cheerfully. They were performing legitimate magic by themselves for the first time. And now, with the hallway bathed in a patch of delicate golden light, they could see the silhouette of a statue where the map had led them. Upon closer inspection, they noticed the words 'Gregory the Smarmy' etched into the base of the sneering, oafish figure.

"Yellowish stone, like the riddle said. Ugly old bean, though, isn't he?" George whispered, admiring the large, single tooth at the center of its gaping, yellow mouth. "Look, Fred, it's your twin from another time!"

Fred imitated the screwed-up expression of the piggish statue. "Why have you come to me, little Weasley...?" he croaked, curling his fingers like claws.

"I am in search of hidden treasure, you dreadful beast."

"Treasure, you say?" Fred continued, now with an added hunch to his back. "Have you consulted your map?" Snatching the parchment from his brother, he almost instantly stopped the charade. "Hold on — it's changed!"

Unlike earlier, their corridor was now completely revealed on the map. More shocking than that was the two figures standing in their exact positions, the first labeled 'Fred Weasley' and the second, 'George Weasley'. As they watched in amazement, their inky versions tapped the statue with tiny wands. Together, the boys copied the gesture. Next, a speech bubble expanded between their silhouettes. Inside it was the word, 'Quattium Amicius'.

"Quattium Amicius!" they said steadily, their eyes on the single ugly tooth.

The ground quaked briefly and then the statue slid from the wall, revealing a cloudy drape of unbroken cobweb.

"It's a passageway," Fred breathed, staring at the shrouded opening in the stone. He reached out and touched the brittle cobweb with his lit wand. It separated in a puff of dust. Beyond the small tear, he could only make out the dense, unending gloom. "No one's been here in a goblin's age."

"Should we?" George inquired, eyes still wide.

"Oh, wait 'til Percy reads about this in the Prophet," Fred announced with relish. "Front page news! Weasley twins discover loads of lost artifacts during first week at Hogwarts, liberates penniless parents."

George got in on the fun. "Snooty older brother packs it in and joins Muggle fishing trade in despair. Definitive proof that they really are amazing."

"Sorry about all that boy-who-was-twins rubbish. Official apology underway."