prospicere futurum

"Come on, Ella, tell us who it is!" Taylor whined as the three girls entered the Great Hall, heading towards their usual spot along the Gryffindor bench.

"No, because I refuse to accept it." Ella rolled her eyes, dropping into her seat and pulling a plate to herself at once.

"Is it a Slytherin?" Taylor asked, wide eyed. Corrine slapped her arm and shot her a look.

"Even if it was a Slytherin," She began slowly. "He would be Ella's soulmate, which means that he is a good person."

"Questionable." Ella joked, biting into a forkful of eggs.

"I don't recognize mine, the least you can do is let me live vicariously through yours." Taylor grumbled, stabbing dramatically into her own breakfast.

"Ladies," The all too familiar voices appeared behind them. George dropped into the seat next to Taylor as Fred sat beside Corinne, the entire bench shaking beneath them.

"Morning, boys." Taylor smiled, charmingly, breaking off a minuscule piece of her muffin and popping it into her mouth.

"Finish your potion yet?" Fred grinned, scanning between the three girls.

"We can neither confirm or deny that." Corrine shrugged, taking a bite of the apple sitting in front of her as an excuse not to have to answer.

"Taylor?" George raised his eyebrows, staring down at the small blonde.

"I have no clue what you're even talking about." She locked eyes with Corrine, holding back a laugh.

"So it's one of us, then." George sighed, as if it this was to be expected. "We should have known, Freddie. That's why they're being so shy-"

"Like Hell," Corrine chuckled. "And like we don't know you two made your own potion, so why don't you go find your own girls and make them aware of exactly how exhausting their future is going to be."

"Some girls don't care about being a bit exhausted, Corrine." Fred muttered near her ear, shooting her a wink as he pulled his own plate over and started on his breakfast.

"It's not a Slytherin, by the way." Ella finished below her breath, glancing between her two friends. "It's Eddie Carmichael."

Corrine wracked her brain. "I... I have no idea who that is, who is that?"

"He's a Ravenclaw. Who thinks he's the brightest student Hogwarts has ever seen." The brunette rolled her eyes. "He's a loser."

"He's a year above us!" Taylor smiled. "Exciting."

"How does being born a year before me make him exciting?" Ella pointed out.

"Are you going to talk to him?" Corrine asked, proceeding with caution as the entire table could feel Ella's annoyance.

"Not planning on it." She shrugged.

"Come on." Fred nudged Corrine's arm to get her attention, offering her a lazy smile. "You can tell us yours now."

"And why would I do that?" Corrine raised her eyebrows, studying the ginger who had up until two weeks ago rarely spoken to her.

"Because, love, I think I already know who it is."

Despite knowing that there was no way he could know, having only told her roommates last night, Corrine's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't planning on doing anything, going out of her way at all with Cedric. The two rarely laid eyes on each other, aside from their potions lesson last week, and Corrine's attempts to meet his gaze from two tables away all morning had so far proven ineffective. In fact, with all of the stress it was causing her, she was beginning to wish they had never brewed the potion at all.

"I highly doubt that." She finally replied, taking a final bite of her blueberry muffin before shoving her plate to the center of the table where it vanished from sight. The blonde stood from her spot, slinging her book-bag over her shoulder as Ella rose beside her, obviously ready to leave this conversation behind.

Fred jumped up after them, hurrying to close the few steps between them and jumping to block their way to the doors.

"Admit it, Baker." He shot her a lopsided grin.

"Admit what?" She nearly laughed, her eyebrows jutting together in confusion.

The older twin cocked his head, as if to ask why she was being difficult before his eyes flickered towards Ella.

"Does she not know?" He asked the blonde, as if Ella couldn't hear their conversation at all.

"I know everything." Ella pushed passed the red head, starting towards the Transfiguration classroom where they would have their first lesson of the day.

"Alright, I'll play along as long as you want to, love. You let me know when you're telling people." Fred winked, reaching out to nudge Corrine's arm softly before heading back to his brother where Taylor was still sat, laughing maniacally at something George had said.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Corrine asked as she caught back up to Ella near McGonagall's room.

"Like I ever know what those idiots are talking about." Ella rolled her eyes with a laugh as the two settled into their spots.

✵

The sun had long since sunk behind the forest in the distance outside of the windows, yet Corinne felt as though she wouldn't find sleep for hours. She and Taylor had been perched on the couch nearest the fireplace for hours, watching as more and more students filtered up to their dorms.

"My fingers are numb." Taylor whined through a chuckle, smacking an incorrect card that had shuffled between the two girls and receiving a shock to her hand which she pulled back in a shriek as Corinne laughed.

"Mine are too." She replied, pulling her hand away as the next card dropped onto the growing pile between them, both girls eyes peeled for matching pairs.

"Ladies," The familiar voices mixed together just as a body slid over the couch, landing beside Corinne and glancing over the two girls. "Up a bit late, aren't we?"

"You just got in!" Taylor protested, glancing up to George who was stood above the group, a thin metal flask between his fingers. "It's way after curfew!"

"Are you going to tell on us, Montgomery?" George leaned over the side of the couch, his face a few inches from Taylor's now who rolled her eyes with a small smile.

"I would ask if you two were drunk, but I can smell the firewhiskey on your breath." Corinne grinned, slapping the pile of cards which had lost Taylor's attention since the red heads had entered the room.

"Cheater!" She called, watching the cards re-shuffle between them into two neat piles.

"You guys are playing that all wrong." Fred announced, taking another sip from his flask before dropping it to the table in front of them and reaching for the cards, piling them together. "Want me to teach you the fun way?"

"Absolutely not," Taylor answered through a grin, "I'm not interested in playing any form of explosives with two drunk Weasley's."

"I'm not playing with him, either!" George raised both hands before him, "He cheats. And he's mean."

"Baker?" A smile stretched over his lips as he waited for her answer, white teeth flashing as she finally nodded. "Drink?" He held the cards in one hand, obviously not concerned with the fact that they were designed to shock the user, and reached over to offer the flask to Corinne.

"No, I'm alright, thanks. Seeing as it's a Tuesday night." She teased and he shrugged, taking another sip.

"I've got it down to a science." He answered, "Never go to sleep drunk, never wake up hungover."

"Yeah, I'm sure your methods were purely scientific." She waited as he organized the cards into stacks of twenty, pushing the first one between them.

"Alright, twenty cards there. They'll flip over two at a time. Obviously, we've got to find two identical pictures. The trick is, you're not just racing me anymore. They explode if we don't find them in time."

"So they're guaranteed to snap now?" She shook her head at the excited smile on the red-head before her. "This is way harder, why would anyone play it like this?"

"For a challenge." Fred shrugged, holding his flask out again for her to turn it down. "Whenever you're ready, Baker."

She sighed, glancing to the fiery brown eyes before turning back to the cards with a nod. He tapped his wand over the cards once, dropping it to the couch behind him as they began to flip over before their eyes. Corinne leaned forward, keeping a careful distance, her hand paused above her lap as the images on the cards flashed two by two.

She had just spotted two matching bowtruckles on either end of the line, reaching both hands out before screaming as a loud snap echoed through the room, Fred's laughter nearly overtaking the noise.

"This is impossible!" She yelled back, reaching for the next matching pair, the two cards thankfully floating into a stack before her.

"Says the one who's winning." Fred scowled, jolting backwards as a card exploded beneath his touch.

"Beginner's luck-" She grinned, her fingers nearly reaching the next matching pair before Fred's hands surrounded hers, pulling them away from the stack. "Hey!" She scolded, trying to pull her hands from his. "You're literally cheating! George was right, I-" She stopped as the card she had been reaching for snapped beneath their hands.

She sighed, looking up to meet his eyes, her head cocking to the left. He had a small smile painted on his lips, a sharp contrast to the famous Weasley smirk or grin the twins were usually found with.

"What?" She asked, watching as he blinked twice, dropping her hands back to her lap.

"Nothing." He answered, the small smile still etched onto his face. "Again?"

"One more, and only if you promise not to cheat!" She shot him a glare and he shrugged, resetting their cards.

✵

It had been over a week. Over a week since the girls had brewed the potion, and Corrine felt as though she had never been more distracted in her life. She could hardly walk down the hallway anymore without scanning for the sandy brown hair.

"Why won't you just talk to him? It's honestly not even hard anymore, we've taken all of the dramatics out of it for you. You just have to tell him that magic has told you that he's your soulmate, so why waste your time-" Ella trailed off into a laugh as Corrine tossed a handful of dirt towards her.

"Not very friendly." She muttered, dusting her robes off as they watched Professor Sprout, or rather, what little you could see of the short witch, hobbling up the narrow aisles towards the front of the greenhouse.

"Good morning, students, good morning!" Professor Sprout smiled warmly at the few sixth years who had decided to continue with Herbology.

"Morning, Professor." The class replied, softly.

"Now, I have a very interesting lesson planned for us today. We're actually going to be in the next greenhouse over, if you'll please follow me!" She waved them along, everyone forming a haphazard line and starting towards the farthest greenhouse. "Now, if you'll all listen closely before we go inside. We're going to be working with Venomous Tentacula today. Has anyone read the chapter yet?"

A Ravenclaw near the back raised his hand, the rest of us waiting patiently to hear the answer.

"Venomous Tentacula is a Class-C substance and it's leaves are often used in potions and poisons. It's very dangerous."

"That is correct, Isaac, five points to Ravenclaw. It is one of the most dangerous plants that we will study this year, and it is for that reason that I'm splitting you up from your typical groups. I want everyone focused on these, and no goofing off. Venomous Tentacula are carnivorous, and while it prefers smaller prey, it will never turn down a human. So, what we are attempting today is to gather as many leaves as we safely can. The leaves are extremely valuable for potions, as Isaac said, the thorns and teeth are where we have trouble."

"Teeth?" Taylor gripped Corrine's arm tightly.

"Three things to watch out for before we head in: Teeth, thorns and vines. They'll just as easily strangle you as they will bite you, and both can be deadly. Alright, then, let's head in!" She smiled, as if she had just told them that they would be petting poodles today.

"Baker," A whisper appeared behind Corrine's ear as she spun around. "You can work with me."

"Oi, what?" George looked to his brother, appalled.

"No goofing around, Georgie, you heard her. I need to be with someone who will keep me focused." Fred smirked as Corrine shook her head, glancing to her friends who too were scanning the room for new partners.

"What do you say Baker? You my girl?" Fred teased, pressing the greenhouse door open with one arm to let the blonde in before him.

"For the next hour." She chuckled, offering him a slight eye roll as they stood before a table holding the most frightening plant that she had ever seen. Sprout had been right - she wasn't sure where to look, the teeth or the thorns, although the vines winding through the air and snapping near students faces were high up on the list as well.

"Wicked." Fred chuckled, leaning in a bit to study the thorns before jumping out of the vines reach at the last possible second.

"Careful!" Corrine hissed, reaching to pull their tool kit closer to the side of the table, not liking the idea of the vines getting ahold of tweezers and shovels.

"Oh, you know me, Baker, the epitome of caution." The ginger smirked, grabbing for one of the pairs of tweezers.

"You have one hour! Begin!" Sprout announced, starting up and down the aisles, hopefully to ensure that none of the plants had their way with any of the students.

"Alright, step aside, gorgeous. Let the master show you how it's done." Fred cracked his knuckles, obnoxiously, before leaning in towards the plant and plucking at a leaf, tearing only half of it from the plant.

"Nice. You wasted one." Corrine shook her head, holding back a laugh as she grabbed her own tweezers from the table. "You distract it, I'll get the leaves."

"I'm not live bait!" He countered, despite leaning away from the blonde witch and pretending to pluck at the vines with his tweezers. Corrine held her breath, extending her hand into the plant and plucking a wide leaf from one of the vines, a rattling sound emitting from the plant as it's many vines shot towards her and she jumped back, dropping the leaf into the jar in her hand.

"It's gonna be a long hour, isn't it?" Fred chuckled, headed back in as if the many arms and teeth of the plant before him had no impact on him whatsoever.

"So, have you thought it over?" He broke the silence a few minutes later, dropping the next leaf into their almost empty jar.

"Thought what over?" She asked, watching him carefully as he went back for another leaf, never giving the plant of himself more of a second to think through to their next move.

"When you're going to tell people. Or when you're going to talk to me about it." He replied, absentmindedly, plucking the next leaf off and taking a few steps backwards to look to her.

"Are you really still talking about that potion?" She laughed, moving back towards the plant for her next turn.

"Are you really still not talking about the potion?" He countered with a grin.

"There's nothing to talk about!" Corrine plucked the next leaf off and dropped it into the jar in Fred's hand.

"Why are we playing this game?" He asked, a smirk twisting across his face as he stepped closer towards her. "You can just say it, I'm your- Fuck, look out!" He hissed, pushing her to the ground, their jar shattering on the floor, glass shards painting the dirt as Fred groaned in pain.

"Uhh-" His voice sounded nervous as the vine wrapped itself around his wrist, his hand turning red and then fading towards purple as the blood attempted to get through the vines grip. "Fucking Hell, man!"

"Diffindo!" Corrine cried, a jet of red shot towards the vine, slicing into the plant as it recoiled with a hiss, releasing Fred who scurried a few feet back.

"Are you both okay?" Professor Sprout reached the pair, looking them over and taking Fred's bruised arm.

"Professor, I'm sorry, I had to sever it - it was -" Corrine stuttered, nervously.

"Shh, Ms. Baker, it's quite alright. Sometimes it's the only way. You did well, especially under pressure. 15 points to Gryffindor. Now could I ask you to escort Mr. Weasley to the hospital wing? I'd like Madame Pomfrey to check on his arm."

"S'fine." Fred shook her off, tapping his hand on his thigh a few times to improve the circulation.

"She'll be the judge of that, Mr. Weasley. Off you go."

Fred shrugged, apparently not overly upset at missing class time, especially the current lesson, and pulled the door open for the two Gryffindor's to head up towards the castle.

"Hogwarts is insane." Corrine muttered, shaking her head, her eyes flickering towards Fred's wrist every few seconds, feeling queasy about the indents which did not appear to be fading from his skin.

"Never a boring day." The tall boy agreed, pretending not to notice her side glances. He looked down at her with a smile as they walked in silence for a few moments, watching her blonde hair swing behind her in the wind.

"Thank you, by the way." She finally broke the silence. "It should have been me."

"Should not have been you." Fred shook his head at once.

"You had to push me out of the way!" She argued, looking up to him as he shrugged.

"Well, it would have broken your little wrist." He teased, pushing through the heavy doors into the castle and starting up the stairs. "Are you bleeding?" He asked as she stepped up before him, small specks of blood smeared along her forearms.

"Oh..." She glanced down at the blood seeping through the white shirt. "Just a little. I rolled over the glass from our jar. You know, on my way to save your ass before you cried."

"I was not going to cry?" Fred's eyes went wide as he caught her, her mouth turned up into a grin.

"Uhh... Uhh... P-Professor Sprout, it's got me! It's got me!" She teased, hurrying up a few more steps in an attempt to put some distance between herself and the prankster.

"I'm never saving your ass again." He shook his head as they headed into the infirmary, Madame Pomfrey rushing over at once.

"What? What is it?" She asked, always sounding on edge.

"Venomous Tentacula." Corrine explained, pointing to Fred's arm. "Madame Sprout asked if you would check his arm out, he got caught by some vines."

"Massive vines. With thorns. Teeth." Fred mumbled as Madame Pomfrey led him to a bed. "And she's bleeding!"

"I'm fine!" Corrine shook the healer off, taking a few steps back outside. "I'd say you're in good hands, Frederick. I'm off to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Someone's got to learn how to keep saving you from evil creatures."

"Hey, shove off, why don't you Baker?" Fred called after her, the laugh hanging off his words as Madame Pomfrey shushed him, hurrying about the wing to gather her supplies.

✵

"Baker!" Fred's voice echoed through the courtyard. Corrine looked up from her notebook and smiled. His hair looked wild, as if he had been running for a bit now, George and Lee on his heels. She hadn't seen Fred since she had left him in the hospital wing. It was surprising to not see the Weasley's for that long of a period, but it appeared as though they were making up for lost time by pranking today.

"How ya feeling, Weasley?" Corrine smirked as the ginger drew closer.

"Fit as a fiddle." He joked, glancing behind him to check on George and Lee. "What are you up to?"

"Studying." Corrine replied, setting her quill on her parchment.

"Your paper is empty." He countered, glancing down at her lap.

"Well... I haven't started yet." She shut her notes from his view, not at all about to admit that she had stationed herself here in the place that she had seen Cedric in the fog of her dorm room last week.

"Right." He shot her a look as if she was insane. "Listen. What are you doing tonight?"

"I don't know... nothing probably? Why?"

"Good. Alright. We should hang out. I've got a surprise for you." He smiled, taking a few steps back towards his brother and their friend.

"Well, that's never good to hear from a Weasley." She teased, opening her paper in her lap, determined to actually get something done this afternoon.

"Oh, don't be difficult." He smirked, reaching his friends and calling back to her. "I'll see you tonight!"

✵

"What do you mean you're hanging out? Hanging out where? Doing what?" Taylor grilled, laying on her stomach on her bed while Corrine sat at the window with her transfiguration homework before her.

"I don't know what, I don't know where, I honestly think I imagined it all, it's so strange." She laughed, finishing her sentence and dropping her quill into the inkwell.

"Well, I guess we got our answer. The Weasley's didn't make their potion, because Fred is barking up the wrong tree." Ella smirked, pulling a sweater on over her long sleeved shirt after claiming for half an hour how cold it was in the dorm.

"I doubt he's asking me on a date. He said 'hang out.'" Corrine shook her head at once.

"Right, I didn't say he was asking you on a date." Ella shrugged. "Fred Weasley doesn't do dates."

"Well, I doubt even more that he was asking me to hook up with him in a broom closet." Corrine replied, barely listening to the conversation anymore as she finished her essay, screwing the lid on the ink and looking towards the door. "What is that?"

"I thought I was imagining it!" Taylor looked relieved, jumping from her spot on the bed and yanking the door open. Music drifted from down the staircase along with muffled voices as the three girls started down the steps.

"- tell myself that I can't hold out forever," The familiar voice carried to their ears. The girls shared a look, pausing for only a second before continuing into the common room where a large group of students were laughing and chanting before Fred Weasley, stood on the probably hundred year old coffee table at the center of the room.

"And even as I wander... I'm keeping you in sight!" He sang, apparently not caring if he was in key or not. "You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night!"

"What the hell is happening." Ella looked between her friends before smacking her arm a few times, checking if she was asleep.

"I don't know, but it's hysterical!" Taylor laughed, moving closer to the group of students cheering the older Weasley twin on.

"Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore! I've forgotten what I started fightin' for. And if I have to crawl upon the floor. Come crashing through your door..." Fred pointed towards Corrine with a grin as he sang, her eyes going wide. "Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore!"

He jumped from the table through the crowd of students, landing before the blonde Gryffindor. The music continued, much quieter without Fred's voice, from behind the table, half of the crowd still watching Fred as if his performance would continue, the rest of them moving on their way to their dorms or couches throughout the common room.

"Well?" He asked, slightly out of breath.

"Well?" Corrine looked between her friends, confused.

"Come on, Corrine." He started, his familiar lazy smile back. "Go out with me."

Corrine felt her smile falter, a sick feeling settling in her stomach.

"What kind of prank is this?" Her face felt hot and she was very aware of the many eyes on the two of them.

Fred's smile flickered for a moment as he searched her face. "It's not a... Come here." He reached for her arm, dragging her out the portrait hole towards the staircase. The noise and the warmth fading back into the common room.

"It's not a prank." He spoke softly, his brown eyes linked with her green ones. "I'm asking you on a date."

Fred Weasley doesn't do dates.

"Oh..." She stalled, willing her brain to think rationally instead of spiraling like it was starting to. "Fred..."

"We can do whatever you want. Hogsmeade? Three Broomsticks? I know girls like Madam Puddifoots, I'll even-"

"Fred," Corrine cut him off, her hand moving to grip his wrist before feeling the indentations that had yet to fade away from saving her from the vines nearly a week ago. Her stomach dropped again with guilt. He had saved her, been injured for her, made a huge deal and planned a song to sing to ask her out. "I'm flattered, honestly. I'm just... I'm not really looking... for a relationship right now." She finally stuttered out. It was half true.

His smile vanished, his eyes growing dim, the humor that always lived in them no where to be found. "Oh..." He opened his mouth to speak again before shutting it at once, scanning over Corrine's face. "I... I thought..."

Corrine, and most likely half of their class, had seen Fred Weasley confused many times, but never like this. He looked as though he could not for the life of him figure out what had just happened. Like he had never been turned down in his life.

"I'm really sorry, Fred." Corrine felt her face growing hot, the awkward tension hanging like smoke between the two of them.

"No, don't be... just, uh... Let me know when you are looking for... something... I guess." He reached up to scratch the back of his neck for a few moments, scanning the empty hallways around them before nodding and starting towards the staircase. "I'll see you around."

"See ya..." Corrine tried for a smile goodbye, although she wasn't sure what had come out. She hurried back towards the portrait which swung open at once to let her in.

"What the hell happened?" Taylor's eyes were wide with excitement, even as Corrine didn't stop, rushing past the remaining Gryffindor's who had obviously expected her to return to the common room with Fred and a great story. She raced back up the staircase, not stopping until she burst through their door and flopped onto her bed, waiting for her roommates to catch up.

"Godric above, Corrine, not all of us enjoy that level of exercise." Ella groaned, flopping down next to her.

"What happened out there? Tell us!" Taylor demanded, standing over her two roommates.

"He asked me on a date." Corrine muttered, feeling stupid even saying the words.

"What!"

"Fred Weasley?"

"No, Professor Binns. Yes! Fred."

"Oh, my God!" Taylor squealed, Ella and Corrine wincing as the sound hit their ears. "Where are you going? Maybe I can come along, does George need a date?"

"Taylor!" Ella didn't even try to hide her laugh.

"Taylor, I said no!" Corrine looked at the girl as if she had gone mad.

Taylor's smile fell flat. "You said no? Why would you do that?"

"Why would I say yes?" Corrine's eyebrows were drawn together, completely confused by her friends surprise.

"Um, I don't know. Maybe because it's Fred Weasley. Have you not heard what everyone says about him? About how he kisses? About how he-"

"Alright." Ella held a hand up over Taylor's mouth, earning herself an eye roll from the blonde.

"No, Taylor, I didn't say yes so I could see how good of a kisser he is." Corrine held her own eye roll back. "What was the point of making that potion? I don't want to go on any more random dates, I want..." She trailed off, both girls looking to her. "I want to be with Cedric. I don't want to go through the rest of the bullshit and heartbreak, I want to be with the guy I know I'm going to end up with."

"And that's super sweet." Taylor agreed, "But you're too pussy to talk to him, and he's never even laid eyes on you."

"That's not true." Corrine shot back.

"So you can go on one single little date with Fred Weasley and have fun and let your best friend know how the kiss is."

"You're being ridiculous." Corrine threw herself back on the bed, intending to ignore her friend until the conversation dropped.

"Make some polyjuice potion and go for her." Ella teased, tossing a pillow directly into Taylor's face.

"Maybe George kisses just as well." Taylor muttered, mostly to herself.