✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

12 | H O G ' S H E A D

yell 'cut', we're stuck inside this scene;
this is a heartache on the big screen.

"OH, I'M SURE he does", Ember said, walking down the crowded streets of Hogsmeade, Fred to her right, George to her left. "That's the reason he asked me personally, I guess. Oh wait! He didn't!"

"But he bid us to ask you", George said.

"Did he?"

"Fine, Ron did", Fred admitted, "but he said that Harry asked him to ask you."

"C'mon Emmie", said George, "be the mature on in this stupid fight."

Ember scoffed, her eyebrows narrowed. "I don't want to. See, I'm going there and it will be uncomfortable. Harry will cause a scene, Ron will be on his side, Susan will murder them both and I will have to deal with a traumatized Hannah."

"You're overreacting", George sneered.

"Again", Fred added with a smirk.

"No, I'm not. I'm the girl that's snogging Draco Malfoy in the darkest corners of the library." She kicked a pebble out of her way. "And I'm bonkers. I'm Harry Potter's mad sister and I'm making out with a Slytherin."

"But you aren't", both the twins said unsion and Fred added, "Okay, there is a lot of rumours and gossip about you roaming this castle lately, but if you won't go to that meeting, you give them further reason to believe in this crap."

"They won't even notice if I'm there -"

"Earth to Emmie!", George cut her off. "I know you like the illusion of being overlooked and unnoticed, but that's gone with the past, sugarplum! People are aware of you!"

"And even if they weren't, it would be quite obvious if you'd miss this, while every single fifth year except Slytherins will be there", Fred chugged, flinging his arm around Ember's neck, and too late she noticed that they had left the main street and she was led down an alleyway to an old brick house. The sign dangling in the wind over the wooden door showed in bold written letters, Hog's Head.

"You definitely will be the death of me, Frederik Weasley", she mumbled with a growl in her voice.

"And you'll die the happiest you could be", he replied, throwing her a last smirk as they reached the door, pushing it open.

Still Fred's arm wrapped around her, Ember scanned the room. There were familiar faces, many of them. She recognised Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner and Terry Boot, Hannah and Susan, Ernie and Justin, Padma and Parvati Patil, the three Gryffindor Chasers, Heidi Macavoy, and - to her great displeasure - Zacharias Smith.

The shelter of Fred's touch was taken from her shoulder as he and George walked over to the counter and ordered Butterbeer for everyone. It was like being put in the spotlight; every eye was on her now, and she never had wished this much that she could melt with the shadows inside her. Ember refused to look at Harry, Ron and Hermione; instead she quickly walked over to Susan and Hannah, taking that empty seat next to Susan.

"That's a much better choice than the bleeched ferret", Susan whispered, clearly surpressing a giggle.

"What are you talking about?", Ember muttered back, still avoiding Harry's eyes.

"Fred Weasley, of course!"

"What?!" Her head snapped around, staring at a smirking Susan. "No. Sue, no! Definitely no. And how do you even know it's Fred?"

"Because it's always Fred and you, stupid!"

Ember opened her mouth for a reply; she wanted to tell Susan that this was absolutely ridiculous. But it was this moment, Fred sat down next to her, placing a butterbeer in her hands, and it was the second his fingers brushed her hand, that Ember blushed under Susan's quiet chuckling.

"Er", said Hermione, her voice slightly higher than usual out of nerves. "Well - er - hi."

Hermione's idea, as ever, was just brilliant, and Ember liked every word of it. Harry, on the other hand, didn't feel that comfortable with the idea of teaching more than two dozen of his classmates. You could think after all this time he was used to standing in the spotlight.

He wasn't.

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?", said Smith in a rather aggressive voice.

"Well, Dumbledore believes it -" Hermione began.

"You mean, Dumbledore believes him", said the blonde boy, nodding at Harry.

"Who are you?", snapped Ron, rather rudely.

"Zacharias Smith", said the boy, "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back."

"What are you even doing here if you don't believe him?", Ember blurted before she could stop herself. "Want details, huh? Wasn't it satisfying enough for you what Dumbledore told us by the end of last year?"

Smith said dismissively, "All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know -"

"Cedric", Ember hissed through gritted teeth, feeling her boiling.

"What?" Smith looked at her startled.

"His name is Cedric."

She felt Susan's hand on her arm, but unfortunately it hadn't the same effect as Malfoy's during Umbridge's classes. Slowly spreading through her vains, she felt the familiar sensation of her forces threatening to overwhelm her. But all of a sudden it was gone. Three things happened at the same time; Ember caught Ron's eyes, felt Fred's hand on her back and Harry's voice filled her ears as he said, "If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you", Harry said. He did not take his eyes from Zacharias Smith's aggressive face. "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out."

Her temper lowered, she only felt a light trembling in her hands, but her mind was clear again, her skin puckering under Fred's touch, her eyes still fixed on Ron, even after he'd turned away to Harry.

At the end of the meeting, Fred's hand left the small of her back and he got to his feet, George and Lee following him.

"Well, time's ticking on", said Fred briskly. "George, Lee and I have got items of a sensitive nature to purchase, we'll be seeing you all later." George and Lee had already reached the door, Fred right behind them, turning around once more, throwing a wink at Ember, before he stepped out into the sunlight.

-