Spies in Spite of Themselves
Hermione and Ron walked hurriedly down the dimly lit hallway, their air still permeated with the smell of the old scrolls in the library. Hermione held a scroll of parchment under her arm, visibly pleased with their progress on the Spells of Protection trial. Ron, on the other hand, dragged his feet, yawning until his jaw dropped.
"I swear to you, Hermione, Flitwick won't give us a Troll if we turn in that damn scroll tomorrow morning instead of today..." »
"It's a question of rigour, Ronald. If you stopped putting everything off until the last minute, you wouldn't have to spend your evening at the library. »
He rolled his eyes, sticking his hands in the pockets of his wizard's robe. "Shall we go home now?"
Hermione stopped abruptly. Ron almost hit her. A door, slightly ajar, let in familiar voices. Dumbledore. Mcgonagall. Rogue. Lupin. And others. They spoke in a serious tone, as if they were debating a capital matter.
"Hermione, we can't spy on the teachers!" whispered Ron, looking worried.
She gave him a furious look before straining her ears.
"Harry will never understand otherwise." Flitwick's voice resounded distinctly.
"The day it happens, we'll see if you were right." Lupin seemed grumpy.
"Oh, Remus, you're going to have to get used to it. Your 'little' Harry will grow up, and he will probably be courted by the worst pranksters in this school. McGonagall seemed almost amused.
Ron almost choked on his own saliva. He grabbed Hermione's arm, her face pale.
"What?!"
She didn't move, frozen as if she had just been told that the library was going to close for good.
"You... Do you think they speak well of what I believe? His voice almost trembled.
"They say Fred and George want to seduce Harry?!" Ron looked like he wanted to brainwash himself at the Obliviate right away.
Hermione seemed to be in the middle of a mental calculation. "But... But this is not possible. Harry wouldn't even understand if someone flirted with him! »
"That's exactly what they say! Even Dumbledore knows about it! »
A shocked silence settled between them. Ron opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water.
"And... and they make BETS on it! He was now as horrified as Hermione.
She, still in the midst of logical analysis, frowned. "If the teachers talk about it, it must be... Are you serious. Which means that Fred and George are... really trying to seduce Harry. »
Ron shook his head violently. "No, but wait, it's nonsense! Harry doesn't get any of this! He thinks that if a girl blinks her eyelashes, it's because she has dust in her eye! »
"That's what worries me! If Fred and George... no, if our Fred and George really want to seduce him, they will find a way. They are far too clever. »
Ron seemed to be in the midst of an existential crisis. "But he's my brother! My brothers! That means that... »
He suddenly turned pale. Hermione stared at him, worried.
"What?"
"But... And if they succeed?! »
She crossed her arms and looked at him seriously. "Listen... we can't say anything to Harry. »
Ron opened his round eyes. "WHAT?!"
"What do you want to tell him?" Hi Harry, our brothers want to seduce you and all the teachers are betting on when you'll understand'? »
He opened his mouth, closed it. There was no right answer.
"Okay, OK. But... We are monitoring all this very closely. If Fred and George try anything weird, we intervene. »
"Deal done."
The sound of a chair being scraped in the room made them understand that the meeting was coming to an end. They walked away with muffled steps, their nerves in a mess and their vision of the world irreparably upset.
One thing was certain: Hogwarts had not finished having surprises in store for them.
"Truth is often stranger than fiction." — Lord Byron