Bookworm

18

The Hogsmede weekend came quickly, and Mira found herself following the twins and Lee around Zonkos.
"Oh, look at this! Is it new?" Lee asked in an excited voice.
"They've had that since last year, Lee. We used it on Trelawney that one time, remember?" Lee suddenly seemed to remember the item and hastily grabbed three more with a cheeky grin.
"I think this would suit Umbridge, don't you?" Fred asked. They turned to see him holding a potion that claimed to turn the drinker pink and expand them like a balloon.
"Didn't Harry do that to his aunt in his third year?" George asked with a grin. Fred nodded.
"Probably where old Zonko got his inspiration. I remember telling him about it." He threw it on the pile Mira was carrying in her arms for them. She almost couldn't see where she was going and sent them a stern look.
"We're going to be late. Come on." she muttered. They pouted at her but went to pay nonetheless. Mira refused to carry any bags, leaving the twins to deal them out between them as Lee approached with his own bag.
"Are we going then?" he grinned. They were some of the last to arrive at the dingy pub. Mira nodded at Aberforth Dumbledore-she was sure from the look he gave her that he knew everything.
"Hi." Fred said cheerily as he approached the man. "Could we have...twenty six butterbeers please." Aberforth sent him a glare before slamming his rag down and beginning to hand them to him over the counter.
"Cheers." Fred grinned as he began passing them back to everyone. "Cough up, everyone. I haven't got enough gold for all of these."
Mira reached into her pocket but was stopped by a warm hand on hers. She looked up into Fred's cheerful eyes and he shook his head, leaning closer to her.
"No, I'll get yours." he ignored her protests, shoved a glass into her hand and led her into a seat beside George. She listened with interest as Hermione began to talk, looking between everyone thoughtfully as they argued with Harry about how great he was. Harry had flushed a bright red by this point, and was stumbling over his words as he tried to deny everything.
"And no one helped you with those dementors in your third year. Down by the lake?" George cut in. Mira smiled at him and nodded her head, rolling her eyes as Zacharias Smith cut in. Everyone quickly continued arguing about quidditch and times they could meet, falling into silence when Hermione asked for ideas of where they could meet.
"We could do it in Mira's room?" Alicia suggested, looking over at the girl for confirmation.
"There's no way her room would fit 26 people sending curses and jinxes. It barely fits seven doing it." George shook his head.
"Library?" Katie suggested.
"Can't see Pince being too chuffed with us doing jinxes in the library. I know somewhere." Mira piped up. Several heads turned to her and Zacharias Smith scoffed.
"Who even are you? You've just shown up out of nowhere-and expect us to listen to you?" he scoffed. Mira said nothing, trying not to laugh when Fred tensed beside her and brandished the threatening Zonkos product in his face.
"As I said, don't really care where I stick this, mate." he said in a cheery voice.
"Mira, where were you thinking?" Hermione asked hastily, eager to change the subject.
"I'll show you later. You can decide if it's good enough for you." She responded, sipping on her butterbeer and glancing over at the twins.
"That's settled then. We'll have a look, and send a message round to everybody when we've got a time and a place for the first meeting." She looked at Mira as she said this, for the girl had stood up quietly and begun to approach her.
"Could I speak to you?" she whispered. Hermione sent her a worried look but followed behind her as Mira went into the corner of the pub.
"Cho Chang's friend-"
"Marietta?" Hermione told her. "What about her?"
"I-I don't think we should invite her, Hermione. I know you don't believe me being a seer-"
"Its not that I don't believe you-I just don't believe the magic behind it is really there." Mira shrugged.
"But she's bad news for the club. She's going to tell Umbridge everything-" Hermione raised her eyebrows and bit her lip, saying nothing as Mira continued to tell her as much as she could without giving anything away. One sentence in particular seemed to get her. "You jinxed it-to say snitch, did you not? Well, she has it across her face as clear as day." Hermione glanced over as Marietta reproachfully wrote her name on the parchment Ron had produced.
"We'll just have to see how it goes. She has her name down now." She pointed out.
"Or, you know, just tell Cho you don't trust her friend. She seems like a sweet girl, I'm sure she'll understand.""
"But it's her friend!" Hermione whispered.
"If Harry tells her she wont say anything." Mira muttered, wiggling her eyebrows. Hermione bit back a laugh as the two girls glanced over to where Cho was staring at Harry, and he back. They quickly scrambled back to the group, Mira adding her name in big letters, before Fred stood up and clapped his hands.
"Well, time's ticking on. George, Lee, Mira and I have got some items of a sensitive nature to purchase, we'll be seeing you all later."
"We do?" Mira asked in confusion before Fred wrapped his hand around hers and dragged her from the pub, leaving her half empty mug of butterbeer sitting on the table.
"Yes." Fred said when they returned to the cold air, pulling her into his side for warmth.
"We do." George finished, doing the same thing to Lee. The boy let out a dramatic sigh and went along with it, nestling further into George's side. Mira wasn't sure if it was for the joke or if it was to actually escape the relentless winds. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Fred as the hail began pounding off them.
"So what exactly are we meant to be buying? You know-as a member of the Order, I can't condone illegal activity." Fred grinned down at her, bits of snow and hail stuck on his eyebrows and already melting on his pink face.
"Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks." Mira spluttered.
"But-I had a butterbeer in there!" she cried. George laughed, coming up on her other side with Lee still clinging on to him.
"Yes, but Rosmerta isn't in there. I think Freddie has an ikkle crush on her-"
"I do not!" Fred protested quickly, ears flushing a bright pink. "I just wanted to see if she'll sell us firewhisky- she knows we are in our last year, after all." Lee snorted.
"And how do you plan on getting that? Lending yourself out to her for a shot?"
"Don't be stupid Lee. It's just his plain charm he is hoping will work." Mira snickered. Fred glanced down at her and grinned.
"You think I'm charming?"
"Oh my, I'm so sorry! I must have gotten you and George mixed up for a second!" Fred looked genuinely sad for a moment before brushing it off.
"We all know you can't keep your hands off of me, Mira. It's all good."
And then, as if it were rehearsed, Lee grabbed Mira's arm and dragged her away from Fred as George stepped forward and shoved the boy into a particularly slushy puddle. Mira tried to bite back her laughter as Fred scrambled to his feet with difficulty, cursing his twin to the moon and back.
"Oh, you're in for it now you tosspot." He hissed before taking off after him up the high street, a pair of students following them and laughing heartily.

The rest of the weekend Mira had spent stuffed up in the library with Hermione, researching teaching techniques and hexes to teach the DA. Harry had spent most of his time with Ron down at Hagrid's hut, or doing their homework that the girls had completed weeks ago. Hermione snapped her book shut and looked up at Mira through her eyebrows.
"Mira." she said in a low voice. Mira raised her eyebrows, her grey eyes skimming over the last sentence before she gently shut the book and rested it to the side, folding her arms on the table before her and looking at the girl across from her.
"Hermione." she responded. Hermione shook her head at her antics but ignored them.
"I was thinking-when can you show us this place you spoke of? We can go get Ron and Harry and check it out now- whilst everyone else is busy." Mira agreed and they quickly rushed to the common room, grabbing the boys and sneaking back out.
"So where is it?" Ron asked as they began ascending the stairs across from the Fat Lady.
"Seventh floor. Have you ever heard of the room of requirement?"
"As in the come and go room?"
"Precisely."
"Oh Mira-you haven't! How did you find it?" Hermione gasped, glee in her voice. Mira bit back a cocky smirk.
"I have an inner eye-" Hermione scowled and Mira snorted, coming to a stop outside the blank wall. "I'm kidding, Granger. Dobby told me about it. You just have to...pace here three times and think of what you need to appear." The boys looked at Mira as though she were mad, obviously hesitant to make fools of themselves. Mira saw Ron's eyes suspiciously survey the scene and instantly knew he was scanning for Fred and George, or even Ginny. Hermione got straight to pacing with her, and almost clapped her hands in delight when she saw the door appear.
"Mira, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of this?" she muttered the last part, pushing the door open. A wide smile tugged at her lips and she nodded to the two boys; both still stood there with naught but a clue of what was happening.
"Probably because you didn't know where it was. Or that it actually existed-there isn't much solid proof." the girl responded, following the bushy brown hair into the room. Ron clapped her on the back and grinned.
"I reckon you've hit the jackpot." He announced, his eyes focusing on Hermione as she made a beeline for the bookshelf.
"It's perfect!" Hermione breathed, pulling books off the shelves and admiring them with bright eyes. "When can we start, Harry?" Harry glanced over at her with his own grin as he looked around the room in awe.
"Well it's only Slytherin practicing tomorrow."
"That gets Malfoy out of the way," Ron pointed out. "And no other teams are playing. It's perfect." Harry nodded and walked over to the table full of trinkets. Mira wrung her hands and took a deep breath.
"Only issue is," she began quietly. The trio turned to her with uneasy looks. "There is also an Order meeting on. I wont be able to make it." Harry frowned but nodded, seemingly disheartened.
"As of the moment, the Order is more important." Hermione reminded him. "I'm sure that whatever we practice Mira can easily catch up on." Mira nodded her head and glanced at her watch.
"It's past curfew-you'd best be heading back." The trio left the room, leaving her stood alone. Mira sighed and made sure that the door was locked before drawing her wand.
She spent hours practicing spells, working her way through the four years that she had missed and making sure that she could do them all perfectly. Very soon she had also worked her way through the book for fifth and sixth years; spells and magic had always come easier to her than she thought it would. But, she supposed, she had studied the book series so vigorously it was almost like the belonged in the wizarding world. Almost.