prospicere futurum

"Don't ask him anything about any of that now. You should have heard the screaming match I walked in on last night, Seamus basically called him a lying prat." Ron hissed, the group falling silent as Harry dropped into place beside the Weasley's, handing over Ron's time table without looking up.

"Bloody Hell," Ron groaned, "Look at today!" He flashed his schedule towards the twins who echoed back a chuckle through a grimace.

"Bad luck, huh." Fred muttered, eyes trailing towards the doorway. It had been a long time since he'd beaten Corinne down for breakfast, and even though George had suggested he give her some time, he couldn't help the sinking feeling in his gut as each minute passed by with no sight of the blonde.

"You two'd better get those Skiving Snackboxes sorted out quick." Ron's voice continued in the back of Fred's mind.

"We're on it, Ronnie." George teased, looking to Fred who had spotted Corinne at last, wandering in slowly beside Ella and Taylor, eyes latched to the floor and looking just as exhausted, if not more, as she had when she'd left dinner the night before.

"I'll be back." Fred said, pushing his now empty plate away, jumping from his seat before George could even try to talk him out of it and rushing towards McGonagall near the front of the hall.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley." She offered him a thin smile. "I hope you had a good summer?"

Fred nodded, smiling back at his head of house. McGonagall knew of course just how dull the summer had been, as she had been one of the many order members popping in and out of Grimmauld place over the last few weeks.

"Oh, you know, Professor, a big ball of fun." He joked, holding back a laugh as he watched her smile deepen.

"I've got your timetable here..." She muttered as she flipped through the many papers in her hands before holding one out for him.

"Uh, Professor, would it be alright if I brought Corinne Baker's to her?" He asked, his voice dropping low, though he knew none of the surrounding tables already bustling with conversation over their breakfasts were paying him any attention. McGonagall's eyes narrowed, looking over the boy for a few seconds before flashing away to where Fred knew Corinne and her friends would have found their seats. "I'm sure she's not really up to getting it herself... You know..."

"Yes," McGonagall agreed, searching quickly before passing three more time tables into Fred's waiting hands. "Very thoughtful of you, Mr. Weasley."

"That's me." He raised his hands up in a dramatic shrug. "It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it."

"That will be all now." She nodded, dismissively, and Fred did not need to be told twice. He spun on his heel, racing past his siblings further down the table before he finally reached the girls. He tapped Corinne's timetable on her head twice before tossing it onto the wood in front of her, passing Ella and Taylor theirs as well, their eyes lighting up with matching smiles.

"Thanks, Weasley." Ella mumbled, her eyes flicking between Fred and Corinne apprehensively.

Corinne finally looked up, though she didn't smile, nodding as she began to rip into her timetable, scanning over the parchment.

"Thanks." She mumbled, practically beneath her breath as Fred lingered at their side, knowing better than to sit down at her side again. While Ella and Taylor's plates were noticeably worked over, Corinne appeared to have managed a few bites into a muffin and was now swirling her spoon through half a mug of milky coffee.

"If you're done eating, I could walk you to class. What've you got first?" Fred asked, Ella's eyes going wide as they waited for Corinne's response.

"I'm alright, thanks." She answered, still quiet.

"Well, what've you got?" He pressed, everything in his brain screaming for him to walk away, though he felt as if his feet were stuck permanently at her side. She didn't want him there, he knew that, but he just couldn't drag himself away from her. There was something flickering at the bottom of his chest, forcing him to stay. Forcing him to make sure she was alright, to try to pull just one smile from her. Just one.

"Weasley..." She sighed, shoving her schedule into her bag as if he was planning to snatch it from her hands and memorize it in a single glance.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, "I was just... worried about-"

"Don't talk to me." She snapped, sliding her bag around her shoulder and standing up to face him at last.

"What?"

"Just leave. Me. Alone." She stepped around him, starting towards the door.

"Corinne..."

"What?" She whirled back, water lining the edges of her eyes as her face flushed red. "What did you think was going to happen, Weasley? That now it'd be different? That you could just have me because Ce..." Her voice cut off, breaking halfway through his name and he watched her lip tremble for just a second before she jolted back, racing from the Great Hall once again.

Fred paused, ignoring the wide eyed stares he could feel from the neighboring tables before finally turning back to Ella and Taylor who wore matching grimaces.

"Oh, Fred..." Taylor let her head fall into her hands now, sounding already exhausted, though the day had barely begun.

"We've got charms." Ella explained, standing up. "She'll cool down, if you... give her... literally just any space at all, Fred."

"I know." He nodded, already starting back towards where George, Harry and Ron sat.

"I'm sorry she yelled at you." Taylor offered, though Fred forced a smile to his face.

"Oh, come on. I'm used to that." He joked, falling back into his previous seat as the girls hurried after Corinne.

"You're banned." George ordered, smacking Fred's chest. "One whole week. Leave her be."

"You're not in charge of me-" Fred joked, glaring over at his twin, though accepting the terms. A week. He could do that. He could go as long as she needed. It would be easier, in fact, if he left her alone. Easier to check in on her during classes, in the common room, if she wasn't actively trying to avoid him.

"You used to be such a ladies man." George teased, Ginny and Hermione rolling their eyes, "How the mighty have fallen."

✵

Corinne slid her quill down her page of fractured notes, which she knew were rubbish. If she had needed to go over the Basics of Defense Against the Dark Arts to recap their first lesson of the year that night, she would be sorely out of luck. She had barely managed to jot down anything meaningful that Professor Umbridge had mentioned throughout the entire lesson, if in fact there had been anything meaningful in the first place.

Her eyes flashed to the clock along the wall near the door, watching as the second hand ticked slowly, inch by inch. She had never expected Defense Against the Dark Arts to have passed by slower than Potions, and yet, here she was.

"Students, as our time is almost up, I want to say a quick thank you to you all. This has been the most respectful class I've had so far, though I wish I could say the same for some of the younger years..." She tutted, standing from her desk and crossing to the front row of students. "Before we leave for the day, I wanted to make an announcement and quell any fears that may have been circling since the end of last term."

The room fell into such a deep silence, Corinne was sure she could now hear the second hand ticking on the clock.

"It has come to my attention that you have all been sorely mis-informed, and from your headmaster, no less. You have been told that a dark wizard is at large, once again. This is a lie. I can assure you, nobody is able to rise from the dead, and if there were such a threat, the ministry would be the first to know-"

"Sorry, Professor..." One of the Ravenclaws from the other end of the room asked, her hand halfway up as she began speaking, "If that's not what happened... What is the Ministry's understanding of what happened to Cedric Diggory?"

It seemed as though every pair of eyes flashed towards Corinne at the question, though she had hardly noticed, her stomach already churning, her mouth clamping shut.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident, an unexpected and unexplainable injury resulting from the strenuous tri-wizard tasks.

"Don't-" Fred blurted, Umbridge's eyes locking with his for only a second before flashing to Corinne who was already on her feet, her hand flying to rest on her stomach.

"Are you quite alright, dear?" Umbridge asked, seeming pleased to have a distraction from the previous discussion. "Are you feeling ill?"

Corinne could barely nod, taking another step towards the front.

"Here, I'll write you a pass to the infirmary, shall I?" She began, spinning back towards her desk and reaching for a quill as Corinne hurried to meet her, the room seeming to spin slightly at the edges of her vision. "Could someone please escort Ms..." She trailed off, looking back to Corinne as if to ask for her name, only realizing a second too late what was about to happen: Corinne leaned forward with a cough, vomit pouring over Umbridge's pink heels as her screech echoed around the classroom.

"Oh, my God." Corinne mumbled, slapping a hand over her mouth as the class began to laugh, grins spreading over their faces.

Corinne didn't give Umbridge the chance to speak, rushing past her and out the door into the hallway, ignoring the calls of her name which echoed down the hallway as she ran. She spun around the corner, hearing the footsteps racing along behind her and leaning up against the wall at the end of the corridor, pulling her wand and muttering the spell that had been her savior once before.

"Cave Inimicum." She hissed, pressing her hand over her mouth again as she watched the hallway seem to blur before her and waiting for the footsteps to catch her, though it was not Umbridge who turned the corner next.

Fred spun back, scanning down each hallway at the corner before taking a few more steps towards where Corinne was concealed against the wall. He huffed out a frustrated sigh and swore under his breath, looking around once more.

"I know you're here..." He mumbled, and Corinne forced her eyes shut, praying not to let the tears spill down her cheeks. "I just want to make sure you're alright..." He paused for another few seconds, as if he thought she might show herself before finally starting back down the hallway and turning the corner out of sight, leaving Corinne to slide down against the stone wall, wrapping her arms over her knees and finally allowing herself to cry.

✵

"I promise, they were laughing at her, not at you!" Ella said, though it did nothing to lift Corinne's face from her hands.

"Honestly, Corinne, you're a bloody hero. I mean, I know it's not what you want to hear, but everyone was talking about it all night." Taylor grinned, though Ella shot her a glare and her mouth shut into a thin line.

Corinne had spent the remainder of that night tucked into bed, though she'd nearly regretted that choice as well, as the hours faded into one another and she still couldn't sleep. Sure, Umbridge had deserved it. What right did she have to be discussing anyone's death? She wasn't even here.

"Heads up." Ella murmured, the three girls glancing over in unison as the short pink witch arrived at their table.

"Ladies." She spoke, her voice perfectly poised, as though she hadn't been covered in vomit not 24 hours before. "Ms. Baker, I believe? Could I speak with you, privately?"

Corinne's stomach sank as she nodded quickly, following Umbridge out into the hallway where the chatter from the noisy Great Hall faded slightly.

"I just wanted to inform you dear that everything was quite alright yesterday. I'm terribly sorry you felt sick."

Corinne felt her eyes go wide, though she blinked a few times for good measure, trying to keep her gaze off the floor, or rather, Umbridge's shoes.

"I'm so sorry, Professor, I didn't think I was actually going to..." She shook her head, feeling the embarrassment rise back to her cheeks.

"No worries, no worries." She waved a lazy hand through the air. "However... Being sick or embarrassed is no excuse to go racing through the hallways without permission."

Corinne paused, waiting for Umbridge to continue.

"Class had not yet ended, and it's setting no precedent if I allow you to act as though you are above the rules. Especially when things at Hogwarts have been so disorderly in recent years. It'll be a short detention, this weekend. You understand, don't you?"

"Yes." Corinne answered at once, dropping her eyes from the short woman's.

"Very well. I'll see you Saturday, after dinner? We'll say 8?"

"Alright." Corinne nodded once more, breathing a breath of relief as Umbridge bid her goodbye and started back into the Great Hall. She sighed, glancing towards the stairs and weighing the options. She had no more appetite to return to lunch, though heading upstairs just to walk backdown twenty minutes from now for class seemed equally unappealing.

Just as she had decided to return to the table and explain to her friends what had happened, she spotted it. The flash of red hair zipping back around the corner just as she turned.

"I'm not following you, swear!" Fred emerged, hands up in mock surrender. "Just headed back upstairs."

She nodded, hoisting her bag up more securely on her shoulder before turning back to the redhead as he started up the steps.

"Fred!" She called, his eyes already on her before his name had left her lips.

"Yeah?" He asked, taking one step back down to her level.

"You're..." She trailed off, unsure how to ask, though she already knew the answer. "You're friends with Harry Potter, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Fred said, once again, though this time his eyes had settled from their excitement. He knew exactly what she was going to ask.

"Has he..." Her voice was more of a whisper now, and Fred took one more tentative step near her, not wanting to miss a single word. "Since... Has he told you what happened?"

Fred shook his head at once, hating the way her face fell even more at his answer.

"He hasn't talked about with me yet..." He hurried to explain, "But... I can ask."

"No." She shook her head.

"No, really, I can."

"Don't." She ordered, "I was just... wondering... if you did know..."

"I'd tell you." He promised, "I know, I'm the last person you want to talk to. But I am here... if you need someone..."

She didn't let him finish, nodding and spinning back to the Great Hall before he could see her lips quiver or the tears spring to her eyes.

✵

Corinne sighed, running a hand through what she could only assume had to be a mess of a bun tied at the back of her neck. She pulled the hair tie lazily and shook her hair out behind her as she neared the portrait hole. It was late, and if that had been a short detention for Umbridge, she would be sure not to cross her again. Though she had just been helping the stout professor unpack the remaining boxes of frilly pink and kitten-based decor throughout her office, she couldn't remember a night that had passed by more slowly.

The portrait hole creaked shut behind her before she noticed him, the honey colored brown eyes flashing to meet hers from the couch nearest the fireplace, and she watched as his legs twitched, as if itching to stand and cross the room to meet her.

"Hi." He muttered and Corinne nodded, continuing towards the staircase and biting back a sigh as Fred practically jumped from his seat, racing around the couch to her.

"What are you doing up?" She asked, though she already knew the answer. She knew from the moment his eyes had met hers as the portrait hole had shut just a little too loudly in the silent common room.

"It's not that late." He lied with a shrug, finally stopping with just a bit of space between them, his eyes trailing back and forth over her hands.

"What are you doing?" She asked, now, feeling her eyebrows furrow as he faced her again.

"How... How was your detention?"

"Loads of fun." She answered, attempting to step to the side, wanting nothing more than a scalding hot shower and to attempt to get at least some sleep that night.

"Corinne..." Fred stepped back and to the side, blocking her path, though careful not to let her run into him. "Can I just..." He didn't make it through his sentence, grabbing for her right hand and pulling it up for a closer look, flipping it upside down before dropping it and moving to her left.

"What are you doing?" She asked, forcing herself not to jerk out of his reach. There was something comforting, the warmth of his fingers trailing over her skin that she hadn't felt in so long, though it hadn't escaped her that this was Fred. Fred Weasley.

"Harry had detention with Umbridge a few nights ago..." He trailed off, answering none of the questions that had been running through her mind. "He had these cuts on his... hand..." His words were slowing now as he spoke, his fingers running over the now faded scars along her arm from the Herbology class nearly a year ago now.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, Corinne refusing to meet the brown eyes which were still trailing over the scars dotted over her tanned skin.

"Corinne." He spoke at last and she glanced to him, waiting for him to go on. "Are you crying?"

She let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, pulling her arm from Fred's hands and shaking her head quickly.

"It's fine." She muttered, finally stepping around him and hurrying up the steps toward her top floor dorm.