Pranking hearts

The walk towards their goal was quite long and tiring and Rhea all of a sudden understood why they were forced to get up so early. They were climbing up some steep hill, continuing forward, all the way people around her chatting and having a light conversation. But Rhea was slugging behind. Since Fred and George had set themselves at such neck-breaking speed with their long legs, Rhea was struggling to keep up with them from the beginning which resulted in her dragging behind the group slowly, trying to catch her breath again.

Ginny was kind enough to wait for Rhea once they reached the top of another steep hill. The two girls walked alongside each other, not really talking but just enjoying that they weren't falling behind the group alone.

"Arthur! It's about time son." Someone shouted from the entrance to the forest. Rhea squinted to see an elder man standing there. Seemingly waiting for them.

"Sorry, Amos. Some of us had a bit of a sleepy start." Mr Weasley apologised, casting a look towards the kids who were trudging behind him. "This is Amos Diggory, everyone, he works with me at the Ministry." He introduced the man once all of them were grouped. Rhea smiled kindly at the man when suddenly someone jumped down from the trees and right in front of them. Ginny and Hermione came to stand by Rhea's side to see better. "And this strapping young lad must be Cedric, am I right?"

"Yes sir," Cedric said nodding towards Mr Weasley but then his eyes found Rhea and he gave her one of those charming smiles that made the girls at Hogwarts swoon. "Hi," He all but whispered causing the chills to run down Rhea's spine.

"Hey," Rhea said back in the same tone. Not sure if she could speak any louder. She maybe wasn't crushing hard on the Hufflepuff boy but seeing how charming he was even outside of Hogwarts made her rethink all her options. Hermione and Ginny at her sides were nudging her softly. It wasn't every day that Cedric Diggory was seen flirting with someone. Usually, it was the other way around. But this hardworking Hufflepuff seems to have taken Rhea as his challenge.

Ginny also didn't fail to notice the way Fred was glaring in their direction. Sure the twins have been insufferable with their groaning and sulking for the whole walk. But this glare was different. Simply because George was now even grinning and teasing his brother who had his eyes glued on the back of Rhea's head. Switching between her and glaring straight at the forehead of the Hogwarts' pretty boy.

"How totally normal to be jumping down the trees. Merlin these Hufflepuffs going the extra mile. Bloody wankers," Ginny grinned wickedly, hearing Fred mutter behind her to George. Either they were still sour about the loss with Hufflepuff last year or it was just Fred being grumpy for other reasons.

"All these yours, Arthur?" Mr Diggory asked, looking over the kids. It was more than obvious which ones were siblings and which ones were friends but for the sake of being polite no one said a thing.

"Oh no, only the redheads," said Mr Weasley, pointing out his children. "This is Hermione, a friend of Ron's, Rhea, a friend of the twins..."

"Rhea? Rhea Black? I heard about you dear." Mr Diggory said, now looking straight at Rhea. The girl was slightly worried whether it was because of her father. That surely wasn't the attention she needed, to be seen as the daughter of a murderer, especially when it's not true. "Ced's been talking about you this whole summer. I wasn't quite believing his descriptions, they sounded on the brink of lunacy as no one can be that pretty but I guess I shall stand corrected dear, beautiful, very beautiful you are." Rhea blushed slightly at the acknowledgement. She wasn't aware that Cedric would be talking about her to his father. And obviously, Cedric wasn't either that his father would bring it up now. The Hufflepuff seemed quite embarrassed.

"...and Harry, another friend..." Mr Weasley tried to continue, not sure whether he was disturbing something or not. But one way or another, he still got interrupted by Mr Diggory.

"Merlin's beard," Amos Diggory gasped, his eyes widening. "Harry? Harry Potter?"

"Er...yeah," Harry uttered unsurely.

"Ced's talked about you, of course," said Amos Diggory. "Told us all about playing against you last year...I said to him, I said...Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will...You beat Harry Potter!" Rhea was taken aback by the statement. Sure the Badgers won that one match, but it was only because of dementors. Harry wouldn't otherwise fall off his broom and would catch the snitch long before Cedric would even have the chance. Harry looked stunned, searching in his brain for answers. Fred and George were both scowling again. Cedric looked slightly embarrassed. No one seemed to be on the boat with Amos' statement.

"Harry fell off his broom, Dad," he muttered. "I told you...it was an accident...." Cedric was trying to set things right but his father seemed to be so proud of his son that he wasn't listening to a word.

"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?" roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman...but the best man won, I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!" No one said anything. All the proud Gryffindors just stared at the man in front of them who was unknowingly insulting their house and the Quidditch skills of four great players. Rhea almost barked out that their house was the one holding the Quidditch Cup but she bit her tongue before it could slip out.

"Must be nearly time," said Mr Weasley quickly, pulling out his watch again. "We should go before we miss it." They were all glad for Mr Weasley cutting through the uncomfortable atmosphere as they started walking into the woods.

This time the walk not being quite as long. They only crossed the forest and started up the hill where Rhea suspected the portkey would be. How else would they be getting there? Once Rhea got to the top she saw Mr Weasley and Mr Diggory already crouching next to the old manky boot. Rhea shrugged telling herself it could've been worse as she got down to touch the boot. Cedric plopped down next to her giving her a smile.

"Why are they all standing around that manky old boot?" Rhea looked over, seeing Harry eye the boot sceptically.

"That isn't just any old manky boot mate," said Fred coming from behind him pushing his way towards where Rhea was. "Scoot over," He told her ushering her to the side with his hand. Probably not realising that now she was pressing against Cedric. But the boy didn't seem to mind all that much.

"It's a portkey." George rushed past him and went to touch the boot on the other side of Fred. Everyone stood there in a circle putting their hands on the boot.

"Time to go. Ready?" Amos Diggory asked looking around at them all. But no one seemed to realise Harry was still gawking at them as if he hadn't seen magic before.

"What's a 'portkey'?" Harry asked no one in particular, getting ignored by the whole group who were all trying to have at least a finger on the old boot.

"After 3. One... Two..." As Mr Diggory was counting down Mr Weasley seemed to notice Harry who was not any closer to grabbing onto the shoe.

"Harry!" Harry, as if finally waking up from the daze, rushed over and put his hand on the boot. Just as Mr Diggory was finished with counting.

"Three!"

It was an immediate action after that. The whole lot of them got suddenly jerked upwards in the air. Some let out surprised shrieks, some laughing at the new experience. The wind rushed around them, making it hard for them to hear one another. Rhea's hair was flying around, bits of her ponytail getting in front of her eyes. It was a great experience and everyone seemed to be holding on for dear life when suddenly...

"Let go kids!" Rhea thought she couldn't hear correctly. Surely he wouldn't want them to let go at such high speed.

"What?" Hermione yelled over the deafening wind around them. Seemingly also freaked out by the order.

"Let! Go!"

The kids all looked at each other. Fred nodded and at his signal George and Rhea let go which meant Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny weren't far behind. The wind seemed to be passing by them a great deal faster, Rhea's ears hurt from the whistling of it. She was trying not to scream at the speed they were falling in. It was tempting to look down and figure out how far from them is the ground. But as she went to do so they all crashed on the ground harshly. Mr Weasley, Mr Diggory and Cedric came down more gracefully. Causing Rhea to huff. She wanted to know how they did that.

"I bet that cleared your sinuses eh?" Mr Weasley teased and they all went to get to their feet. A hand got outstretched towards her and Rhea looked up to see Cedric standing in front of her with a kind smile.

"Come on, I'll help you." Rhea smiled back at the offer. Her hand almost touching his when Cedric suddenly got pushed to the side. Instead of him now Fred stood there. Glaring at the slightly shorter Hufflepuff boy.

"She doesn't need help Diggory. Why don't you try with Harry? He looks desperate." Fred grumbled, pointing Cedric towards Harry who was struggling to stand up due to his feet being wobbly. The Hufflepuff boy was quick to get the hint and he walked away. Leaving the two alone.

"What was that about?" Rhea asked accusingly, maybe a bit annoyed, as she grabbed onto the hand Fred was offering her. Once he hoisted her up so she was standing upright next to him he looked down at her.

"I didn't do anything..." Fred defended himself, lifting his hands in surrender as the two started walking behind the group. Rhea scoffed. It was natural for Fred to always get involved in things that didn't need him there. He just pushed himself right into Rhea's personal stuff. And it was weird for Rhea why he did so.

"You were being a git," Rhea stated, eyes wandering to one of the giant tents, momentarily stunned at the size she continued walking. Their group was already parting ways with Cedric and Mr Diggory and they needed to catch up.

"And you were being too trusting, we're even." Fred snapped, walking faster and leaving Rhea behind. The blond scoffed at the accusation from her best friend and with a huff, she went to follow after him and the rest of the group towards their tents.

They walked through the camp, many excited wizards and witches walking around, chatting with one another. All of them buzzing with excitement for the upcoming match. Rhea smiled, feeling the enthusiastic energy from the camp filled with fans of the sport. They parted ways with Mr Diggory and his son Cedric, and the relatively large group of gingers, followed by three other people, kept walking to the other side of the camp.

Suddenly they stopped in front of a not-so-big tent. Rhea eyed it suspiciously, sharing an unsure look with George who was doubting its size as well. The twins weren't even able to step inside without having to bow their heads. From the outside, the thing surely didn't look like it could harbour eight people. What's worse, is fitting people tall like the Weasleys inside the small-looking tent. Rhea had it easy, with her small size she could fit practically anywhere. It was suspected that she could find herself comfortable even in the kitchen cabinet.

But once she made it inside she was awed by the incredible design of the tent. It looked like the inside of a small house. The only thing missing were doors to separate the rooms, but what can one expect from the tent? Not much and this, which they saw in front of them was far beyond anyone's expectations. There were bunk beds on one side, one three-bed bunkbed and two that had two beds. A bit further away was a single bed, where now doubt would be Mr Weasley. In front of them was a big dining table and kitchen on the other side with just a simple little fridge and pot to prepare simple meals. Overall it wasn't much but far more than anyone could wish for.

Rhea quickly disposed of her bag, throwing it on one of the bunk beds. Not caring where exactly it landed before she moved to sit on the chair by the table where the twins were. Even if Fred was getting on her nerves before and was behaving out of his head, he was still her best friend and she wanted to spend time with him. So there they sat. All three of them were sitting behind the table. Fred and Rhea were on one side while George sat opposite them. Both twins have their long legs perched on the table while watching the others hustle around. Amazed by the size of the tent on the inside.

"Girls. Choose a bunk and unpack." Mr Weasley called, trying to get the buzzing to calm down at least a little. "Ron, get out of the kitchen we're all hungry." He scolded his youngest son who was already scrummaging through the fridge in search of food.

"Yeah, get out of the kitchen Ron." Twins called at the same time, laughing a little.

"Feet off the table," Arthur said pointedly to his two sons.

"Feet off the table." The twins repeated, simultaneously putting their feet off of the table. But before they could touch the ground their father moved on so they could return to their previous position.

After a while of them just sitting around and joking. Maybe after a few rounds of Exploding Snap, Rhea asked the important question that she was practically itching to ask for a long time now. Knowing that the twins had dreams as big as the whole Quidditch pitch, and they also had great ideas. But ideas need a considerable amount of money to make them come true. And the Weasley family wasn't known to have too much in their pockets. So the question here was, whether the twins had any idea of how to earn their money, and if she could be of help in some way.

"I was meaning to ask," She started, grouping the cards in her hands and putting them back in the box. "How do you two plan on getting the money for the shop?" Both twins stopped what they were doing. George was in the middle of wiping the black smudges from smoke off of his face. You can guess who lost the last round of the game. Fred's head turned to glance at Rhea quickly. Momentarily stunned by the sudden question. It wasn't considered rude, they were just...surprised that Rhea would ask that all of a sudden.

"Well, um..." Fred coughed awkwardly, trying to come up with an answer. Truth to be told the twins didn't yet start thinking about where or how to earn the money. All they knew was that they didn't want to take anything from their parents. Mrs Weasley was already not too supportive of their big dream and they wanted to show her they could do it themselves. "We might start selling the products to the students." Fred offered, coming up with a quick solution. George nodded, endorsing his brother's idea.

"Yeah, we will be saving up. Take jobs wherever and whenever."

"That's an option too," Fred muttered. The older twin wasn't a fan of working for someone. Rhea could practically hear the distaste in his words. It made her want to chuckle but at the same time, she pitied the two. It wasn't fair that thanks to her family fortune she would never have to be worried about obtaining something. She could always just ask for money from her father and could afford just about anything she desired. But there still was the element of achievement when you got something by your own efforts. That was something that she missed from her past when she still only had Remus and they were low on money.

"Maybe I could..."

"Don't even think about it." Fred stopped her midsentence, putting his palm over her mouth to stop her from talking. "I won't even hear you finishing that sentence." He said, leaving his large hand to cover half of her face.

"We can find a way Rhea, don't worry about it," George assured her, sending a kind smile her way. The twins weren't exactly sure what they were going to do to make their little fortune for the store, but they didn't want Rhea to give them any money. It just felt weird. She already did enough by supporting them longer than anyone else in the whole world. Even their own mother didn't believe them, nor supported them. But Rhea did. Rhea always did. So having to take money from her felt...wrong.

"Why are we being so bloody dull anyway? We need to get ready for the match." Fred said loudly pulling his hand away from Rhea, trying to tone out the previous depressing mood. It was his way of coming to terms with his emotions. Everything that wasn't revolving around fun and jokes had to be immediately outshouted. "Go get those face painting things here and work wonders on me, woman, because Ireland is winning tonight." Fred cheered, soon being joined by George. Rhea chuckled, shaking her head slowly, standing up to get her colours.

"It is going to be Bulgaria though mate," Ron called from his bed where he was playing Exploding Snap with Harry. Both twins turned their heads to glare at their younger brother.

"Betrayed by our own blood." Fred clicked his tongue in disappointment while George just shook his head.

"You're delusional Ron," The younger twin stated. And this is how fights between brothers begin. Over something as silly as Quidditch teams. Soon Ginny joined in the fight too. Of course, getting on the side of the twins because why would she be supporting Bulgaria? When Rhea came back with her paint she was surprised to see the discussion had gotten so heated that Ron and Fred were standing face to face, yelling the names of their team.

Sure she did hear them even before, the tent isn't that bad, but couldn't see them. And the sight was really something. George and Ginny decided to stay out of it when they saw the two brothers stand against each other. Harry was watching the situation with wide eyes. Since he never had any siblings he wasn't familiar with the fights like these and was expecting them to seriously hurt one another. Same with Hermione.

"Rhea!" Fred yelled, his head snapping over to the blond girl. Her paints almost fell out of her hands when his booming voice startled her. "Who is going to win the match today?" Rhea was momentarily stunned by the question. Every eye in the tent now looking at her expectantly.

"Um well...Irish of course." She said simply. Fred went to cheer triumphantly when Rhea continued. "But Krum is good and bulky, can easily throw the Irish Seeker aside, so he'll catch the snitch," Rhea stated with a shrug. Leaving the whole tent speechless. That sure was an answer no one was expecting. Sure they all knew what Rhea said the day earlier, but no one was sure whether she was absolutely certain. Now it looked like she wouldn't let go of her bold decision. "Let's get you dolled up boys," Rhea said nodding towards the table where she could tend to the boys who wanted to show their support for Ireland on their faces.