Next time
The pair stood in front of the pears' portrait that covered the kitchen's entry way. It felt like a lifetime since they’d first been shown the way by Tonks. They’d both changed so much. Cedric would have best been described as clueless then. Now he was sometimes more mature than Lirum. While Lirum themself was almost a completely different person entirely. If two years was really enough to make that much of a difference in the two of them perhaps as much as they’d like to fight against it, Cedric was right.
When they met Percy they were socially non existent, they had no friends. The only hobbies they had to speak of were school work, their work at the wand shop, or reading, maybe chess with their grandfather. Percy hated them and they returned it in kind. Now they were friends, they had Tonks, and Cedric, Fred and George, even Luna and Neville. An amount of people they couldn’t have imagined then. Who would they be in another two years? When they were seventh years how much could they change?
“Whatever you’re thinking about, you’re thinking too much.” Cedric said, reaching out to tickle the pear. He couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry, that’s never not weird to do.”
“Maybe i should’ve done it. Something that bizarre might actually take me out of my own head.” They joked, watching the portrait swing open. “Ugh, actually? I have a question.”
“No time like the present.” Cedric said, taking a step into the kitchens, lirum following behind. Glancing around the room at the random trays of food waiting to be taken to the Great Hall.
“Do…do people actually ask if the twins are twins? They can’t possibly actually question it, right?” Lirum asked, swinging open one of the cupboards full of plates.
“You’ve never heard it?” He asked, leaning against one of the counters and grabbing some food.
“No? But I mean they’re literally identical! Well, except for like the mole on Fred’s neck.” They replied as they joined him.
“Fred has a mole?” Cedric asked, genuinely.
“Yeah? He’s also a tad bit taller, plus George’s got the scar.” Lirum nodded.
“What scar?” The Hufflepuff asked, confused.
“The one in his eyebrow.” Lirum replied dramatically, gesturing the slit near the end of his brow.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I’ve not been staring your boyfriend down enough to notice a scar in his eyebrow, or a mole on his brother.” He teased, hopping up and sitting on the edge of the counter.
“How have you been telling them apart then?” Lirum asked, joining their friend.
“I just kind of guess, or I call them both Wesley. It’s a quidditch thing.” Cedric shrugged.
“How can you be so smart yet so dumb at the same time?” The Ravenclaw asked, staring up at their friend shocked.
“I mean, now I’ll know.” He laughed, nudging them.
Lirum joined him giggling at his stupidity. Enjoying their food and, relishing in the moment of having their friend back. They didn’t want to admit it but they needed this. An escape, time away from everything always happening all at once. The stupid fights Happening, the tension, double time studding for their O.W.L.s, double patrols from being the only fifth year Ravenclaw prefect.
“God, I have patrol again after this.” Lirum huffed, exhausted, letting themself fall backwards on the counter till their head hit the wall.
“Don’t do it, just go to bed.” Cedric suggested, taking a bite of his food. “What are they gonna do? Take away your responsibility? That’s a blessing.”
“Maybe! Who knows Dumbledore is an old coot! You can never tell what that quack will do next.” They replied, running their hands over their face.
“I mean they can’t just not have any Ravenclaw prefects.” Cedric argued.
“I mean we thought we couldn’t just have one but he did that.” Lirum grumbled. “Or worse they could give it back to Davies.”
“That would be a nightmare.” He agreed without hesitation.
“I’d rather die from stress than give the Git power.” They said seriously collecting themself.
“I feel like your boyfriend would have words if he heard you say that.” The Hufflepuff joked.
“Since when is everything about George?”
“I’ve only mentioned him like three times. Besides it’s because I feel like he’d be a better distraction. Better powers of persuasion if you will.” He gave them a smug look that spoke more words about where his mind was than Lirum was comfortable with.
“We’re not shagging!” They squeaked, in embarrassment.
“Yet!” He laughed, as he dodged Lirum’s attempt to elbow him.
“Whatever dude! I’ve got work to do!” Lirum huffed making their way to the door.
“You know you love me!” He replied.
“Suck me dick!” They shouted back.
“I think that’s George’s job, yeah?” Cedric called after them, laughing like an idiot.
“You’re the worst,” Lirum said, making their way into the hall.
It was quite, most students had already made their way back to their common rooms. They had a little more time before their actual patrol was meant to start but not really enough to go back to their dorms or get anything done. So instead they made their way up the stairs and out to the quad courtyard. It wasn’t quite creepy at night but being outside alone knowing dementors, an escaped murderer, and whatever other horrors Dumbledore invited into the castle were off putting enough.
They almost wished they hadn’t been chosen to be prefect. Then again what else would Lirum be doing now if they weren’t? Locking themself up in Ravenclaw Tower? Studying? Doing homework? How were prefects meant to even get their homework done when they spend every other night creeping around the castle. I mean how much trouble could school children get themselves in anyway that- Harry Potter exists. The Twins too as much as they’d like to pretend they weren’t actually a problem. After all, the whole reason they became friends to begin with was them running into each other while the twins were out pranking and Lirum was, well being an idiot sneaking out to read more books. God the troublesome trio of Ron and his friends tried to sneak a dragon around their first year. Maybe we should take patrol more seriously?
“Eep!” Lirum shrieked suddenly being torn from their thoughts by a hand grabbing their shoulder and swiveling them around.
“Shhh! Lirum calm down, it’s just me.” George soothed laughter barely audible as he pulled them into his chest. A tight hug engulfed them, as their heart raced out of their chest.
“That’s not funny! There’s a murderer on the loose who’s already broken into the castle once this year! How on earth did you expect me to react! Sneaking up on me and grabbing me like that?” They grumbled giving into his warm and comforting embrace.
“Sneaking? Love, I’ve been calling your name all the way across the courtyard.” He chucked louder. “Too deep in your own world to hear me I’m afraid.”
“You’re lying! I absolutely would have heard you!” Lirum argued, pushing off just enough so they could see him.
“Never.” He grinned, looking down at them cheekily. “Well, not to you at least.”
They huffed rolling their eyes before taking in a deep breath to help relax. His smile, almost dazzling enough to distract them from the awful pungent odor they were suddenly hit with. Instead of his brilliant warm fresh smell like morning dew on grass they were greeted with sweat and mud. Immediately pushing him away trying not to gag.
“Oh my Merlin you reek!” Lirum squealed, trying to get out of his hold. “Why do you smell like that! It’s awful!”
“Wood’s gone mad! He’s had us practicing all day. It’s just a little sweat though, it’s not even that bad.” George protested.
“Not that bad?” They questioned looking up at him. “You smell like a wet dog. And I for one I will not be cuddling up with Georgie the sheepdog.”
“Well I think sheepdogs are quite cute actually. It would be a pleasure to cuddle up with one.”
“Look at you! Your hair’s almost as shaggy as one!” Lirum teased playing with one of his long locks. “And you smell like you’d fit right in with a herd of them.”
“What? Would you rather I go back to Gryffindor tower shower, and come back?” He joked
“I’d rather you weren’t sneaking around the castle after lights out!” They teased, half serious. “
“I barely got to see you earlier, and I wanted to apologise for Oliver dragging me out during our study date.” He said gently. A moment of sincerity creeping out instead of his jokingly flirty banter.
“That’s sweet but, why didn’t you just do it earlier? Before you came to see me? Surely there are showers at the quidditch pitch.”
“I wasn’t sure if you had patrol or not tonight. I saw you leaving the kitchens and I thought if I ran I could catch you before you made it back to your dorm.”
“How could you see me leaving the kitchens if you were-“ He’d went looking for them in their map. That was creepy. Down right stalkerish. Tracking them and running half way across the school so he could catch them. It sat wrong in their stomach. He was someone they trusted and yet somehow made them feel unsafe, unsaved.
It felt Foul.
“Look it’s not like I was watching everything you do I just wanted to see you.” He explained. He looked at them pitiful, worried, like it was Lirum who’d done something wrong.
“That’s what you said last time. I told you i thought it was creepy, and you swore you’d put an end to it.”
“I- I wasn’t just watching you. It wasn’t creepy, I hadn’t gone out of my way to find you.” George said defensively. “Fred had opened it up to see where the prefects were patrolling tonight. And well, you just happen to be a prefect, on patrol, that I wanted to talk to.”
“Do you expect me to believe that?” Lirum asked seriously. “Knowing that you memorised my routes on different days buy quite literally tracking me on a map.”
“Of course why would I lie to you?” He insisted.
“Because you think it will get you out of trouble you’ve already contradicted your own story!” George’s smile dropped, as he listened to them. “You said you didn’t know if I had patrol but then that you were checking to see who did and saw me.”
“That’s not contradicting myself? I thought you were just crossing the courtyard to go back to your common room. Then when I got here I found out you where pacing around the courtyard meaning you had to be on patrol.” He explained, calmly trying to defend himself.
“I-I just-“ Lirum started, but was cut off quickly.
“You know, a little trust in your boyfriend wouldn’t hurt.” The pit in lirums stomach grew, and conflicted feeling rose. They felt angry, and hurt, but also guilty. What if he was telling the truth? What if they’re just accusing him of doing things in bad faith when he hasn’t actually done anything wrong.
“I’m sorry, I just don’t like you using your map to hunt me down.” They apologised, letting out a breath they hadn’t realised they were holding.
“It’s ok, I get it. You’ve been stressed from school, and being a prefect. Plus being paranoid about the whole escaped murderer. I won’t hold it against you, alright?” He tried to pull them back into a hug. “Besides, I might call you thumper, but I’m not hunting you.”
“Cedric was right. I should really just go to bed.” Lirum huffed, giving up.
“Let me walk you back.” George offered.
“Ah yes, because I, a prefect getting caught walking around with my boyfriend, after lights out, when I’m supposed to be patrolling a completely different part of the castle, won’t get either of us in trouble.” They teased, walking away.
“Next time?”