Never Is Our Always

Firework Display 5

(Minnie pov)

I turned automatically towards the giant hour-glasses set in niches along the wall behind us, which recorded the house-points. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had been neck and neck in the lead that morning. Even as we watched, stones flew upwards, reducing the amounts in the lower bulbs. In fact, the only glass that seemed unchanged was the emerald-filled one of Slytherin.

"Noticed, have you?" Fred's voice said beside me, we were confused but also beyond pissed off.

He and George had just come down the marble staircase and joined me, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ernie in front of the hour-glasses.

"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points," Harry said furiously, as they watched several more stones fly upwards from the Gryffindor hour-glass.

"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break," George said.

"What do you mean, "tried"?" Ron said quickly.

"He never managed to get all the words out," Fred said, "due to the fact that we forced him head-first into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor."

Hermione and I looked very shocked.

"But you'll get into terrible trouble!" Hermione cries to them.

"Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks, I dunno where we sent him," Fred said coolly. "Anyway... we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble any more." I turn to look at him in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Have you ever?" Hermione asked.

"Course we have," George said. "Never been expelled, have we?"

"We've always known where to draw the line," Fred said, then looked at me.

"We might have put a toe across it occasionally," George said, then he saw the look on my face.

"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem," Fred said, eyes not leaving my confused ones.

"But now?" Me and Ron said tentatively.

"Well, now—" George said.

"—what with Dumbledore gone—" Fred said.

"—we reckon a bit of mayhem—" George said.

"—is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," Fred said.

"You mustn't!" Hermione whispered. "You really mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you!"

"You don't get it, Hermione, do you?" Fred said, breaking the eye contact, smiling at her. "We don't care about staying any more. We'd walk out right now if we weren't determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first. So, anyway," he checked his watch, "phase one is about to begin. I'd get in the Great Hall for lunch, if I were you, that way the teachers will see you can't have had anything to do with it."

"Anything to do with what?" Hermione and I said anxiously.

"You'll see," George said. "Run along, now."

Fred and George turned away and disappeared into the swelling crowd descending the stairs towards lunch.

"What's going on, Minnie?" tears pooled my eyes.

"I—" I had no idea, I wipe my eyes before smiling faintly. "I don't know, come on."

"I think we should get out of here, you know," Hermione said nervously. "Just in case..."

"Yeah, all right," Ron said, and the four of us moved towards the doors to the Great Hall.

I look over my shoulder as Harry took several hasty steps backwards; Filch was best viewed at a distance.