Worth the Arguments
IN NO TIME AT ALL, Defense Against the Dark Arts had become most people’s favorite class. Only Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins still had something bad to say about Professor Lupin, Malfoy seeming to be fuming still about the boggart lesson. It didn't help that word of his boggart interaction had spread around the school as quickly as the Snape Boggart's dress-up moment.
"BOO!" The Weasley twins jumped out from behind a suit of armor in front of Malfoy as he walked down the hall, holding up pieces of parchment in front of them like a shield.
"Beware the parchment paper, eh, Malfoy?" Fred sniggered, shaking it in front of him comically as Harry, Freya, Will and everyone else watching had a good laugh.
"It-" Malfoy snatched the paper out of both twins' hands. "Wasn't-" he ripped them in half. "Parchment paper!" he threw them onto the ground, making sure to walk on them as he stalked off, annoyed.
"Damn it!" George gasped, looking at the shredded remains. "That was our homework!"
"Oh no," Will said, looking sympathetic. "Did you get far on it?"
"Yeah," said Fred shaking his head vigorously, "We wrote our names in the right-hand corner and everything!"
"Darn, that is farther than they usually get," said Freya with a raise of her brows as Harry nodded, both mockingly impressed while Will rolled his eyes - all sympathy having left his system.
Harry only wished that his other classes brought him the joy that taking Lupin's did. Each lesson for Flitwick and McGonagall got more difficult as the weeks went by, Snape was in an even fouler mood these days since the boggart lesson-his threats to poison one of them coming more constant than ever. and Divination was just awful as every day he was sentenced to die.
Care of Magical Creatures, though they would never say it to Hagrid's face, had also turned very dull as he now-intending to play it safe-only let them look over horribly boring and ugly creatures called flobberworms. Freya herself was having a hard time hiding her disappointment in the lessons as she poked shredded lettuce down her own creature's slimy throat.
Though his classes were rather trying his temper, the start of October brought the start of quidditch season. The team was practicing three evenings a week, practicing harder than they'd ever had before together for it was Wood's last year.
"You guys have to get the quidditch cup this year!" said Freya earnestly when she and Will picked him up from one of his practices. "Wood will cry if you don't. Then I'll cry and you know it's sad because I never cry, but Wood is sort of like a big, determined puppy, you know? Nobody likes a puppy when it's sad."
"We saw Fang sad once," Will recalled, closing his Arithmancy book he was reading as they walked. "He was sad because Hagrid wouldn't give him the rest of the chicken."
"Oh, you're right," Harry said remembering, "And, actually Frey, you laughed at him."
"Hmm, yeah I did." Freya shrugged, "But I was sad for him. I laugh at things I think are sad. Drives my mum made."
They entered the Gryffindor common room and Will pointed to the bulletin board. "Hey, the end of October is our Hogsmeade trip."
"Excellent," said Fred, who had just entered into the room behind them with George. "We need to visit Zonko's."
"Why?" asked Harry.
"Ah, Harry, you never need a reason to need to visit a place that makes you happy," George said, making his tone wise sounding, as he reached out to ruffle Harry's hair and Fred to ruffle Freya's before they left to see Lee Jordan who waved them over.
As they went to sit by the fire, Harry felt his high spirits from flying ebbing away. Will seemed to read his mind as he looked over, frowning.
"Cheer up, Harry. I'm sure you'll be able to go next time," said Will. "They're bound to catch Black soon, I mean, he's been sighted already."
"Black's not fool enough to try anything in Hogsmeade," said Freya. "Harry you should ask Professor McGonagall again; the next one might not be in ages!"
"Freya," Will tsked, "he's supposed to stay in school!"
"William," Freya said frowning, "he's supposed to be with us!"
"Yeah," they looked at Harry and he nodded, "Yeah, I am supposed to be with you guys. I reckon I'll ask again."
"Yesss," Freya said, pumping her fist and then pointing at Will, "In your face, William."
"It wasn't like I didn't want him to g-" Will stopped mid-sentence because at that moment Crookshanks came and leaped lightly onto his lap. A large, dead spider was dangling from his mouth.
"Okay, okay, I take back the 'in your face statement' it was childish and whatever, now get the demon away." Freya shuddered. "Oh, and make sure it brings the spider too."
Will rolled his eyes. "Crookshanks is not a demon. He's even rather clever, I mean look he caught the spider all by himself and everything!"
Crookshanks slowly chewed up the spider, his yellow eyes fixed on Freya.
"Stupid cat, it knows what it's doing." At Will's glare, she scowled, "Whatever. Just keep him over there next to you. I have Scabbers sleeping in my bag."
Harry yawned. He really wanted to go to bed, but he had a star chart he still needed to finish.
"You can copy mine if you want," said Freya, labeling her last star with a flourish and shoving the chart towards Harry.
Will, who disapproved of copying, frowned but seemed to decide not to say anything. Crookshanks was still staring at Freya with unblinking eyes, flicking the end of his bushy tail.
Then, without warning, he pounced.
"OI!" Freya roared, seizing the bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws deeply into it and began tearing ferociously. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID DEMON ANIMAL! GET! OFF!"
"Freya! Don't hurt him!" shouted Will; the whole common room was watching Freya whirl her bag around, Crookshanks still clinging to it, and Scabbers came flying out on top-
"CATCH THAT STUPID CAT!" Freya ordered as Crookshanks freed himself from the bag and began chasing after Scabbers.
After many failed heroic attempts to catch the small tiger of a cat, the trio finally cornered Crookshanks where he was trying to reach for Scabbers beneath an old chest of drawers. Will and Freya hurried over; WIll hastily grabbed his cat by the middle and Freya threw herself on her stomach as, with great difficulty, she managed to pull Scabbers out by his tail.
"There-" Freya growled, "Is something hilarious about that damn cat!" she shook her head as she tried to persuade a frantically clawing Scabbers to stay in her robe pocket. "It heard me say Scabbers was in my bag, William!"
"Oh, what rubbish," said Will impatiently. "He could smell him, Freya!"
"Smell him, sense him, whatever. All I know is that thing wants to taste my rat, and I won't let him!" Freya's face was flushed an angry red as she picked up her bag that was now very ripped on the outside as she scowled. "This bag was a hand-me-down of Bill's. Of course, I'm the one who gets it ripped to shreds, huh?"
"Freya-"
"That cat's got it in for Scabbers," Freya interrupted, ignoring the giggles of the people who had been watching around him. "But Scabbers was here first. And he's ill! So, I don't care, train the stupid cat, spell him even-but don't you dare let him touch my rat."
With that Freya turned around and began walking to the girl's dormitories, quickly letting down her red hair as she did so to hide the intense reddening of her ears as she made it up the staircase and out of sight.
***
A few days of Freya and Will being mad at each other later, with Freya about Scabbers and Will about Freya scoffing at his theory of Lavender's pet rabbit, it was the day of Halloween and while Harry was conversing with Lupin in his office and Will and Freya were bickering about the best things to get Harry on their trip-Percy Weasley was sitting by himself in the far corner of the three broomsticks sipping on Butterbeer as he studied over his homework.
He could have stayed at Hogwarts to do the work, he knew, but a few days prior, Mirabella had come to him asking for his help with studying.
"Why can't you ask your classmates? They're all Ravenclaws," he questioned hastily as they were walking through the corridors to the Great Hall.
"Aw, but you see I want to go work in the ministry~" he blinked, glancing over at her as she raised her brows at him. "And I heard you fancy yourself, next Minister of Magic, so who else better to help me than the boy who might one day be my boss?"
She had so obviously been trying to win him over with flattery.
And it had so obviously worked.
"Percy Weasley!" he raised his head up from his books to see Mirabella looking down at him with a smile, a Ravenclaw scarf wrapped around her neck. "We're supposed to meet now but you've come early?"
"Yes, and as part one of my tutoring's I'll let you know that if you're going to be a Ministry Worker you should always arrive five minutes ahead of time." He said pompously, "Being prompt is key."
"Hmmm," she nodded as she sat down, brightening more. "Hey, is this mine?"
She was gesturing towards the second butterbeer.
"Yes," Percy said tersely, "Second quick lesson, you should always provide refreshments during your meetings."
Mirabella gave a huff of amusement. "You know, Percy, you'd make a good boyfriend. Are you sure you don't like me yet?"
Percy flushed, "Mirabella, are we studying or not?"
"Ooo, avoiding the question." As he blushed more, she laughed and nodded, "Yes, yes we're studying."
Hurriedly he began opening the books as he began discussing all the key points Professor McGonagall had talked to him about.
He made sure to keep his eyes especially on the textbook, for he found he could not look at her without turning uncomfortably hot.
***
As they walked back from Hogsmeade, Will coughed awkwardly by Freya's side.
"Hey, Freya?"
"What, William? Are you going to argue with me about how that guy we saw wasn't an ogre?" asked Freya annoyed as she kicked the ground lightly, a stubborn look on her face. "Because he definitely was."
"Nah, uh...here." her brows lifted in surprise as he took from his pocket a box of Honeydukes chocolate and held it out towards her a bit as they walked, not looking at her but staring ahead. "I got one for Harry too, so don't get a bighead."
"A bighead? Me? Never." She pocketed it cheerfully, looking much happier than she had before, and he felt the irritation he'd been harboring toward her for the past few days leave him completely at that look. "Is it because it's Halloween? Because I've got candy to give you to-"
"I didn't give you two anything last year because of the whole Death Party and the framing of the Chamber of Secrets writing, but that's a thank you," interrupted Will hastily, for he knew he wouldn't be able to say what he wanted to say if she continued, as she raised her brows even more. "You see, it's been exactly two years since you two saved my life from the troll, remember?"
"Ah, yeah, we did do that didn't we?" She blinked, tilting her head. "It's been two years since I hated your guts too. Two years since I made you cry."
"True, but there have been times when you've almost made me cry again. Like every time I see your Potions homework scores-" she nudged him, and he laughed as she shook her head. "Anyway, come on. Harry might be lonely without us, yeah?"
"Yeah," said Freya. "Let's go wish him a happy anniversary too, huh?"
They walked in silence for a moment before Freya spoke.
"You know if you really want to give me a gift you can return the chocolates and just get rid of the demon cat of yours."
Will smiled, rolling his eyes. "Not happening, Freya."
"I know, William," Freya grinned, bumping into him slightly as she laughed. "But it was worth a shot."