𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 || 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘

➳ TWENTY ONE

XXI. SNEAKING OUT

Ruth's whole body wriggled in excitement once Friday rolled around. The idea of sneaking out of the common room after curfew thrilled her, since she'd never done something like that before.

Ruth waited in her dorm, chatting with her sisters. In recent times, Ruth would stay up for hours talking with Poppy and Katrina, which she was usually happy to do. But now, with midnight looming and Fred awaiting, Ruth wanted nothing more than for them to fall asleep.

At ten minutes passed midnight, Ruth left her dorm, dressed in grey sweatpants and a knitted jumper. She spotted Fred's head beside the fire, his hair almost blending in with the orange ambers.

"I thought you were going to stand me up," Fred said once he noticed Ruth's presence.

"Poppy and Katrina were especially talkative this evening," Ruth explained. "They wouldn't go asleep."

Ruth hasn't told anyone about her plans with Fred; not Poppy, Katrina or even Casper. She didn't know why, they wouldn't be mad or anything. She just felt the need to keep this night a secret, for her and Fred.

"You're keeping me a secret then?" Fred smirked. "That might get a little difficult, since you won't be able to keep your hands off me."

Ruth scoffed. "What amazing activity do you have planned for tonight would make that happen?"

Fred tapped the side of his nose. "You'll see. Now come on, you've made us late enough already."

An eery silence filled the hallways. The abandoned corridors sent a shiver down Ruth's spine and she found herself absentmindedly moving closer to Fred.

"Scared?" Fred asked in a seemingly innocent tone. Ruth didn't even have to look at him to know he was smirking.

"No," Ruth whispered.

Fred's body vibrated in a silent laugh. "Then why are you hugging me?"

"I'm not," Ruth pressed, and she really wasn't.

Fred caught her eye, his filled with teasing. "You've never been out of Gryffindor House after curfew?"

Ruth shrugged as Fred led her down a corridor on the third floor. "Never saw a reason to be."

"You'll be addicted after this," Fred told her. "The castle is most fun at night." He came to a stop beside a statue of a witch.

"Aren't you afraid of getting caught?" Ruth asked, eyeing the statue of stone.

"That's the fun of it," Fred said. He lifted his wand from his pocket and tapped the witch's hump, muttering 'Dissendium'.

Ruth watched, amazed, as a long tunnel appeared. She looked at Fred, who was smiling at her reaction.

"Careful. You'll catch a fly," he said, using his index finger to close Ruth's open mouth. "Now come on."

Fred climbed into the tunnel and disappeared into the darkness. Ruth felt the urge to sprint in the other direction, but she ignored that feeling and followed Fred into the passageway.

"Fred?" she whispered once blackness took over her sight. "Fred?" she repeated, louder this time.

Her heart rate picking up, Ruth moved further into the tunnel, her arms stretched out in front of her like an Egyptian mummy. "Fred?"

Someone grabbed onto her hips unexpectedly. Ruth jumped, a small shriek escaping her lips. She spun around, coming face to face with Fred, who was doubling over in laughter with a lit lantern in his hand.

"That wasn't funny!" Ruth scolded, shoving Fred harshly.

"Your face!" Fred exclaimed, barely able to speak through his laughter. "You jumped so high! Oh Merlin I-"

Fred couldn't even finish his sentence as another fit of giggles overwhelmed him. Ruth rolled her eyes. "I think I'll go back to the common room," she teased, walking away.

"No, no wait," Fred said, still chuckling. "I apologise that the terrified look on your face almost made me wet myself. Now may we please continue?"

Fred punched the air as a small smile grew on Ruth's face. He grabbed her by the forearm, pulling her down the tunnel.

"We're here," Fred announced once they got to the end of the passage. He gestured to the rusty looking ladder on the wall. "After you."

Ruth eyed the metal, which looked quite unsafe. She decided to trust Fred and put her hands on the ladder. "Don't let your eyes wander, mister."

Ruth heard Fred mumble something under his breath as she began to climb the ladder, but decided not to question it. Ruth skipped a few steps, making her climb relatively shorter. She reached a trapdoor and after getting instructions from Fred, she pushed on the wood, hard.

She ended up in some sort of storage room and Fred, who seemed to fly up the ladder, landed beside her.

"Where are we?" Ruth asked.

"Use your eyes," Fred told her, moving into the room. "What are we surrounded by?"

Ruth's eyes scanned the rooms, reading the names on some of the many cardboard boxes. "Sweets..." she said. "We're in a- wait no way!"

Fred smiled as Ruth dashed across the room to one particular box. She ripped the tape, revealing the box's contents.

"HoneyDukes liquorice," Ruth gasped. "The best candy in the entire world!"

"You've never had their Acid Pops then," Fred decided. "Because they are the best candy in the universe."

Ruth sent him a look of disbelief, mockingly. "Each to their own."

"I'm surprised you haven't devoured that box yet," Fred said.

"Isn't that stealing?" Ruth wondered aloud. "Wait, is this breaking an entry?"

Fred scoffed, leaning on a counter next to Ruth. "If they didn't want people in here, there wouldn't be a tunnel leading to Hogwarts."

"I guess you're right," Ruth shrugged. "But you take something first."

Fred shook his head in amusement before taking a chocolate frog from one of the shelves and pocketing it.

Ruth smiled and looked at the millions of sweets surrounding her. "I'm going to be so sick tomorrow."

"That's a small sacrifice to make, in my opinion."