Guts and Glory - Trouble with Twins, Book 2

The One-Eyed Witch

Coming off the heels of their great victory, the Slytherins were as unpleasant as ever. They gloated in the halls, and I even saw Marcus Flint acting out what he had done to his classmates in the Great Hall. I saw his ugly sneer when the Weasleys and I walked in for breakfast nearly every day, but I knew better than to give them what they wanted.

Today, it was starting to get even colder. It was almost winter, and most of the school was chattering about the Hogsmeade visit happening in the afternoon. Charlie, Thomas, and Percy were all excitedly planning where they were going to go, leaving all of us second years wishing we were allowed.

"I can't wait to go back to the Three Broomsticks. I've quite missed it actually." Thomas said.

"You just miss Madam Rosmerta." Charlie quipped, earning a laugh from Thomas and a scoff from Percy.

"Wish we could go." George moped.

"It'll come soon enough. Zonko's will enjoy your business." Charlie smirked.

"What are we going to do all day?" I asked, turning to face the twins.

"You could always get ahead on your schoolwork." Percy suggested. Fred choked on his food, laughing.

"It's not a bad idea, you know." I raised my eyebrow, only judging him a little.

"Sure, it's not bad, but it's boring." George countered. I glanced over at Charlie, silently asking him for help. He obliged.

"It wouldn't hurt to at least try to get on the teacher's good sides, even if you're unsuccessful with some." It wasn't hard to figure out who he was referring to. Fred and George both sighed, resigning to the fact that we had a point. So, when the three older boys parted from us and joined all the other students in front of McGonagall, we headed back to the common room. Seeing it so deserted was the strangest part of the yearly Hogsmeade trips. I figured we could at least use the quiet to get something done.

This weekend, we'd been tasked with multiple essays. We started on the one assigned for Defense Against the Dark Arts; we had to show we knew how to identify a Banshee and explain how to get rid of one. I reached into my bag and pulled out both my textbook and my notes. All three of us enjoyed this class, but only one of us liked it enough to copy down the lessons. The twins were always thankful for that.

"They're the ones that like eating children, right?" Fred asked, reaching for more ink.

"No, that's a Hag, and we don't know if that's true. You were close, though." I passed him my notes as a gentle reminder that he should probably review again.

The whole time we were working, only one other person came into the common room, and that was a first-year Angelina had introduced us to, Katie Bell. I thought I would enjoy some rare peace at Hogwarts, but it ended up being intimidating. Maybe Fred had been right to mock Percy after all. The other kids our age obviously weren't staying shut up in their common, so why should we?

I abruptly dropped my quill and stuffed everything back into my bag. George looked up, confused.

"We can do this later. Let's go enjoy our day off." Their eyes lit up at that prospect.

"Good, I was worried Percy had ruined you for a moment there." Fred shoved his school things away so fast I wondered if he'd been sitting there waiting for me to say something. George quickly followed. Then he suddenly dashed upstairs to the boy's dormitory. Fred and I exchanged puzzled looks and waited for his return. Once he did, I saw what he had been in such a hurry to retrieve: the Marauder's Map.

"Figured this might help. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The map opened, ink spreading all over the parchment. The hallways and classrooms of the school formed, and hundreds of dots appeared all over. The dots labeled Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, and Filius Flitwick were all stationed in their offices, no doubt taking a well-deserved break after a week of classes. Filch was wandering the corridors, as usual, so we would do our best to avoid him. I spotted Lee Jordan tailing closely behind Angelina and Alicia and couldn't help but smile. We left shortly after, keeping the map on us but largely concealed; losing it would surely ruin our year. Filch would enjoy nothing more than putting us in detention for stealing.