Weasley Charm | Fred Weasley

Chapter 3-5: The Dementor Attack

Delaney sat in Defense Against the Dark Arts a few days later. Everything had seemed to slowly return to normal. Delaney knew Lupin would be out of class today due to the full moon later tonight. He assured her he would return to class two days following the full moon, allowing himself to recover a full day. Though knowing that detail couldn't have prepared her for the coming class at all.

Snape burst through the door, causing Delaney to jump at the loud bang of the door against the wall. He closed each of the windows as he walked by them. "Turn to page three hundred ninety-four," he spoke in his typical monotone voice.

"Excuse me, sir. Where's Professor Lupin?" Harry asked.

"That's not your concern, is it Potter? Your Professor finds himself incapable of teaching at present. Turn to page three hundred ninety-four," Snape said, turning the projector on. Delaney felt her stomach drop when her eyes landed on the page and lifted to see the projected images matched the topic.

"Werewolves?" Ron said, confused as he finally flipped to the page.

"But sir, we've just begun learning about red caps and inky punks. We're not meant to start nocturnal beasts for weeks," Hermione interjected.

"When did she come in? Did you see her come in?" Ron asked Delaney who was sitting next to him.

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Which one of you can tell me the difference between an Animagus and a Werewolf?" Snape asked, pacing the front of the room. Delaney's stomach twisted again. Was he truly trying to out Lupin? "No one, how disappointing."

"Please, sir," Hermione began. "An Animagus is a witch or wizard who elects to turn into an animal. A Werewolf has no choice. With each full moon when he transforms, he no longer remembers who he is. He'd kill his best friend if they crossed his path. Furthermore, the Werewolf only responds to the call of its own kind."

Malfoy let out a howl, "Oohhhh."

Delaney felt her eyes roll. He always had to make his presence in a room known one way or another.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," Snape paused. "That is the second time you've spoken out of term Ms. Granger, are you incapable of restraining yourself, or do you take pride in being an insufferable know-it-all?"

"That's a bit rude, don't you think?" Ron snapped. Delaney hit his leg under the table. He muttered a low 'ow' but Delaney fixed him with a hard stare. Even if he was right, he would just make it worse with Snape.

"Five points from Gryffindor, for Miss Granger's insistence on speaking out of term. And another five points for Weasley's meddlesome ways," Snape began. His eyes met Ron's scowl with his own before he turned back to the class. "As an antidote to your ignorance, you will write two rolls of parchment on the Werewolf, with particular emphasis on recognizing it. It must be on my desk by Monday morning."

"Sir there's a Quidditch tomorrow," Harry objected.

Delaney fought the urge to slap her palm against her forehead. Did Harry truly think that would make Snape change his mind? The man has made it clear he does not care about Harry. Let alone the fact that not every student is a member of their house's Quidditch team and therefore it is an excuse that does not quantify.

"Then I suggest you take extra care, Mr. Potter. Loss of limb will not excuse you," Snape said before continuing class.

* * *

The next morning excitement filled the Gryffindor common room. Today was the day Gryffindor would play Hufflepuff in Quidditch. Though their true rival was Slytherin, the match promised to be entertaining nonetheless.

Delaney awoke to the sound of rain hitting the window in her dorm. She smiled at the sound. She loved the rain. It was the perfect weather to read a book in. Though she must admit it was not the best to watch Quidditch in.

"Lovely weather for Quidditch isn't it?" Delaney asked Hermione sarcastically.

"Hopefully the match will go by quickly. I don't want to be out there for long. The weather is ghastly," Hermione whined. Though Hermione was happy to watch her friends play, Delaney knew she would never go to a match on her own.

The girls quickly made their way down to the Great Hall. Each clad in waterproof jackets—Delaney's the same crimson red as Gryffindor and Hermione's the shade of its yellow—they sat down with Harry and Ron. Delaney quickly filled her plate for a pre-match breakfast. The taste of her favorite breakfast potatoes filled her mouth, causing a hum to fall from her lips.

"I'm surprised Fred and George aren't down here yet," Delaney said, lifting her goblet to drink her pumpkin juice.

"Speaking of Fred and George," Ron said, pointing to the twins walking in the Great Hall.

The twins came sauntering into the Great Hall, clad in their Quidditch uniforms. George took a seat next to Ron, filling a plate, "Harry, Wood is looking for you. You might want to hurry, you know how he is about Quidditch."

"Right, well I'll see you all later," Harry said as he stood up from the table and began to walk away.

"Shouldn't you two be going as well?" Delaney asked, looking at Fred as she popped a grape into her mouth.

"Probably, but they won't miss us," Fred smirked.

After breakfast with the twins, Delaney, Ron, and Hermione made their way to the Gryffindor stands on the Quidditch Pitch. The weather seemed to worsen over breakfast, much to Hermione's dismay. Luckily for her, before anyone knew it the game had begun.

"Go, Harry!" Delaney and Hermione called out.

"I can't see them anymore," Delaney groaned after Harry and Cedric disappeared into the clouds.

"I'm sure they'll come back down soon," said Ron. "See, look, they're already coming back. Oh... never mind," Ron said reluctantly as Cedric began to fall through the sky after he was struck by lightning. His broom fell from his hands, charred from the electric shock. Luckily for him, two of his teammates swooped through the air, catching him gracefully together before bringing him to the ground for Madam Pomfrey to take.

"Hey, what's that?" Delaney said, pointing to something that was falling from the sky. Her stomach dropped when she realized it had a rather human form, "Oh no, it's Harry!"

Panic started to come from the Gryffindor stands. Many screamed, scared they would witness the death of a student. That was until Dumbledore was able to slow Harry's fall with a simple incantation.

In what felt like a blur, Delaney, Ron, Hermione, and a few other Gryffindor students found themselves sitting in the hospital wing, waiting for Harry to wake.

"He's lucky the ground was soft," Fred remarked.

"I thought he was dead for sure," said George, running his hand through his wet hair.

"He didn't even break his glasses," Delaney laughed, knowing that was a habit of Harry's.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen," Neville said.

Ron examined his best friend with an inquisitive stare, his brows furrowing as he spoke, "He looks a bit peaky."

"What do you expect Ron? He fell over a hundred feet," George said.

"Maybe we should pitch you off the astronomy tower and see what you look like," Fred added with a smirk as he stood crouched at the end of Harry's bed, his chin resting in his arms.

Delaney laughed, covering her mouth with her hand when the others looked at her. She quieted, casting her gaze over to Fred as she whispered, "That was a good one."

Fred looked up and smiled, "I try."