Chapter 7
Madam Pomfrey took great pleasure in Fred and George's follicle-related punishment. "It's what you get, really!" The healer scolded. "Trying to scam your way into that tournament...Rules are rules for a reason!"
Rebecca laughed with Madam Pomfrey, stopping abruptly at the sharp looks Fred and George gave her. It grew very, very hard to keep a straight face when Madam Pomfrey complimented their beards.
"Perhaps you should be slightly proud at your potion, though." Madam Pomfrey used her wand to raise their beards. "These are the thickest and whitest I have seen all day!"
Fred and George glowered further, jumping off the table as soon as their red hair was returned and their faces as smooth as they had been that morning. They walked out of the Infirmary without even a thank you, which Rebecca scoffed at.
"Thank you, Madam." Rebecca shook her head. "I'm sure they meant to."
Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Go on, out with you." She shooed Rebecca towards the door. "I'm sure they need someone to rant to about now."
Rebecca left the Hospital Wing and looked down both ends of the corridor, not a single indication or inkling of a thought as to which they would have gone.
"Are you coming?" Fred called from the right, poking his head back into the corridor with the Hospital Wing's entrance.
"If you two would hold your bloody horses!" She called, jogging down the hall to them only to turn the corner and find that they had stopped in the walkway.
Rebecca hit Fred, who hit George, who hit one of the suits of armor along the hall and started a chain reaction that ended only with an extremely loud clatter and a massive mess.
"Run!" Fred hissed, seeing that Mrs Norris had turned the corner at the end of the last helmet that had fallen. They all knew that Filch wasn't to be far behind. The three teens raced away, panting but running faster and faster to escape certain-detention. Finally slowing near the Great Hall and blending into a throng of other students filing their way towards supper, Rebecca was the first to speak.
"I've been thinking-"
"That's dangerous." Fred deadpanned, not meaning to come off as a prat but also consumed with disappointment.
"No seriously," Rebecca ignored him. "Why is she names 'Mrs' Norris? That'd mean she was married. But to who? Is it another cat? Are she and Filch married? Can cats even get married?"
George stared at her as they took their seats. "That's what you're thinking about right now? Not the fact that we just lost our one way into the tournament, but that?"
Rebecca looked away from the both of them. "I think everything happens for a reason. If the potion didn't work out, maybe it wasn't meant to be."
Fred's face set in an annoyed frown. "Yeah, cause you've always been such a stickler for limitations."
"What're you on about?" Rebecca asked.
"What about Buckbeak last year?" Fred rolled his eyes at the fact that she needed an example. "He was sentenced to death twice but you kept on with the defence."
Rebecca's eyes shined with a dangerous light. "Gee Fred, really? You're going to compare the two? Buckbeak was innocent and being put to death--You two want to enter a competition where students can and have died. Did you hear me? Students have died. I'm sorry if I'm not overwhelmed with disappoint that you two aren't in it."
Fred and George wouldn't meet her eyes, beginning to scoop supper on to their plates and not saying another word. Hermione walked in in front of Harry and Ron, talking animatedly as she did when she was particularly engaged in a topic. "The elves are slaves! That's why I want you to join S.P.E.W!" Hermione grinned as Harry and Ron agreed, really the two of them just wanting to eat their dinners with a different conversation.
Hermione looked over the three of their group already at dinner, catching the subtle head shake of Rebecca and knowing not to ask. Hermione understood and wouldn't have, but Ron did not.
"What's wrong with you lot?" Ron heaped potatoes onto his plate. "You look like someone died."
Rebecca didn't look at Fred and George, though she wanted to at how perfectly Ron's question fit in with the issue from moments before.
"Shut up, Ron." George grumbled before shoving a forkful of food into his mouth.
Ron shrugged and continued to eat, unbothered. Harry watched how Rebecca played with the nearly non-existent food on her plate for a few minutes, no one speaking.
Rebecca finally stood up, unable to bear the silence and tension any longer. "I'm going on a walk, I'll see you later." She left the Great Hall unsure of where she wanted to go.
The common room was an idea, but she didn't want to be around anyone else at the moment and knew that the second she got comfortable Fred and George would enter. She could go to her room, but she didn't want to be inside. Rebecca found herself at the entrance of the path that led to the picnic tables down by the Black Lake's edge and followed the stony walkway slowly.
Rebecca sat on the table top, putting her feet up on the bench so she could face the water. The Durmstrang boat bobbed on the little waves formed by the wind that still blew occasionally from the storms of earlier. There, in the quiet and the peace, she thought about everything: Fred and George and Sirius and the tournament and Fred and-
"I thought I might find you down here." Fred called from behind her, continuing to the table and sitting as she was next to her.
"You found me." Rebecca said blandly. "Congratulations."
Fred took his bottom lip into his mouth, chewing on it before shaking his head and laying back so he was flat on the table and looking up at the clouds in the evening sun. "You don't understand. You can't."
Rebecca turned and looked at him. "Understand what? That I don't want to see you risking your life?"
Fred scooted over slightly, showing that he wouldn't continue until she lie down next to him. Rebecca did, though not without huffing to show she was impatiently waiting for him to explain.
"It's not about the risk," Fred started. "It's about the glory and the money a-and the respect--that's the biggest. You already have that, you and Harry. You're the 'children who lived.'"
Rebecca sat back up instantly, unable to lounge at such a preposterous idea. "Glory? I was stolen from my home, from my entire life, and ended up-ended up living with a monster for my childhood, if you can even call it living. 'Children who live?'" Rebecca spat the words as if it left a sour taste in her mouth. "That's the dumbest thing you've ever said. And respect? Glory?" Rebecca watched how Fred's adam's apple bobbed as he gulped and then turned her eyes to the water once more.
"Fred, you're one of the funniest, kindest people who've ever lived. Your glory is that there isn't anyone you can't bring happiness to or a laugh from. Your glory--yours and George's--is built by all that you do. That's not something Harry and I can say for ourselves." Rebecca though that her message was made clear, but she couldn't stop talking, not just yet. "All we did was not die fourteen years ago. You and George? You're making a pranking empire that is going to last and last forever."
Fred turned his head and stared at her. How could she so clearly cut herself out of what wouldn't even be possible without her? "You're a part of that, too. Don't leave yourself out."
Rebecca shrugged. "I play a role, yeah. But you don't need me for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. You two could pull it off yourselves."
Fred sat up straight, turning so he faced her with an intensity only she seemed to bring out in his eyes at full-force. "No, we couldn't. And you didn't just 'not die.' You two ended the war, brought about the end of the darkest wizard to ever live. Don't you ever, ever say you didn't do anything." Fred's tone was dark and final, he wouldn't listen to such a degradation of Rebecca, not even or especially from her.
"Then the same goes for you!" Rebecca countered, turning so that she faced him straight on and raising her voice. "I don't want to hear you-"
Fred leaned forward and pushed his lips to hers, holding them there and raising a hand to the side of her face. Rebecca looked at his closed eyes until he leaned back slightly and blinked at him.
"Are you done?" Fred asked calmly. He felt calm, too. Ironically, the very moment he'd been thinking of more and more regularly until it felt like a constantly idling picture in his head hadn't been as terrifying as he thought it would have been--It felt right.
"You kissed me so I couldn't tell you not to-"
Fred leaned forward again, kissing her differently--Kissing her longer. Both of Fred's hands held her now, one on her cheek and one at the dip where her shoulder and neck met. Rebecca's mind went wholly and entirely blank, Fred daring to let his tongue trace along the bow of Rebecca's lip before leaning back once more.
"-so I would stop talking?" Rebecca changed directions and finished her question as Fred looked at her only inches away. He was looking over her carefully, looking for any sign that he had just ruined one of--if not the--best thing in his life.
"Stop talking nonsense, yes." Fred braced himself as he asked the question, the fear trickling in steadily. "Was it okay?" Maybe he'd been a horrible kisser or she hadn't felt anything for him or-or he'd done something horribly, horribly wrong and-
Rebecca's face stayed the same level of calm, unperturbed that it had been since Fred first kissed her. She had somehow managed to keep every bit of hysteria, excitement, relief, everything inside of her. "I think you would have to do it again." Rebecca said at last. "For a proper review, I mean."
Fred was stunned. He hadn't expected that answer, not even in his best, most happiest dreams. Maybe he had imagined it, maybe he'd started hearing voices or hallucinated the entire meeting, maybe-
Rebecca, seeing that Fred was frozen, leaned to kiss him this time with a smile on her lips he saw before he felt, before he returned against hers.
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Fred and Rebecca walked back up to the castle slowly after staying at the picnic table a while longer to talk and joke with one another. Approaching the castle, Fred cleared his throat. "W-what does this mean?" He winced at how awkward the question sounded. "Us, I mean."
"What?" Rebecca asked, confused.
"Well, I-I enjoyed kissing." Fred's voice cracked and he cleared his throat again before trying to talk more. "I liked kissing you...and you seemed to like kissing me." His face felt warm as she nodded, seeming to not understand that he was asking her a question because she made no indication that she had an answer. "Is this something we'll be doing again?"
Rebecca looked at him a moment longer, a cheeky smile growing slowly. "I did, enjoy kissing you that is." Rebecca shrugged. "Can we just...I don't know...kiss a little now and then? Feel things out an-and see where things go from there?"
Fred nodded his head quickly, eager for any situation he might get to kiss her again. "Maybe...one more time tonight?" Fred asked as he looked around the castle's entrance and found it to be empty.
"Perhaps one more." Rebecca said, smiling as she found the entrance satisfactorily private. Fred leaned back against the wall so that he was between coats of armor just in case and pulled Rebecca a step closer by her hands, keeping them in his. She pulled a hand free and brushed his hair back off his cheek. She leaned closer and closed her eyes as he did.
Her lips met his and she gave him a brief moment with a brief peck before pulling away and stepping back. "There, one more!"
Fred jumped off the wall, laughing loudly. "That's a cheap move!" Rebecca took off towards Gryffindor Tower, running ahead of Fred knowing she couldn't lose after initiating such a race. Luckily, closer to the heart of the castle, a group of first years flooded out of a room and created the perfect situation to slow Fred down a little.
Her feet pounding against the stone floors, Rebecca grabbed the handrail to the first staircase up to the common room and threw herself up them with her momentum propelling her. "No fair!" Rebecca called from the top of the first set as Fred reached the bottom and started to take them three at a time.
He turned onto the flight of stairs she was on and covered the distance between them easily. Rebecca turned and dropped to the floor, panting and laughing all at the same time.
"What's not fair?" Fred breathed. "First years as shields?" Rebecca had her face covered with her hands and peeked through her fingers. Fred wrapped his hands around her wrists, fingers overlapping, and pulled her to her feet in front of hi.
"What're you two doing?" Ginny called from above them, peeking over the edge of the staircase she had been descending at all the ruckus they had been making.
Fred smiled as Rebecca stammered, unable to come up with a lie even more so than usual.
"She got stuck in a trick stair!" Fred called up, releasing Rebecca's wrists regretfully. "Damn Peeves." He knew there was no way he was getting another kiss now.
"Where're you going this late?" Rebecca asked Ginny as he walked behind the two girls who continued heading towards the common room.
"I wasn't sure. Harry and Ron are playing chess again and Hermione's going on about enslavement of house elves. Figured I'd go see if anyone else got bearded by the Goblet's age line.
Rebecca glanced at Fred and tried to convey an apology in a close-lipped twist of her lips the best she could. "I'll go with you, Ginny."
Fred waved, making no move to go with them.
"What?" Ginny laughed. "Don't want another beard, Fred?"
"Ha. Ha." Fred shook his head and continued up the stairs without another word.
Rebecca and Ginny began to walk, Ginny nosily-curious. "So, where'd you two end up all evening?"
"You know," Rebecca wondered if Ginny did, in fact, know. "Walking around."
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The girls spent far longer than they had expected to watching the students around the Goblet of Fire; Speculating who would and wouldn't be entering.
"Ugh," Ginny whispered. "Another princess. They're horrible!"
Rebecca watched the girl--the beautiful one from the feast--kiss her entry before putting it into the flames. "I don't think she's a princess if she's entering. Someone's a little judgy."
Ginny hit Rebecca's arm. "Am not! Far from it! I just think that if a girl wears a uniform like that, she's definitely not starting her own fires. Know what I mean?"
Rebecca looked at Ginny a long moment. "No, I don't."
"Like if..." Ginny didn't think she would have to explain something she thought was so obvious. "If she were camping. She wouldn't be starting the fire."
"But she's a witch, just like us." Rebecca said slowly. "We can all start fires."
Ginny rolled her eyes and abandoned the goal, standing and stretching. "I'll give you this one, but just because I'm tired. Ready to head up?"
"Yeah," Rebecca sighed. "We got extra divination homework because of Ron that I should probably do."
"What'd he do now?" Ginny asked as they started climbing the stairs to the tower once more.
"Said something Trelawney overheard." Rebecca grinned. "Lavender tried saying something about Hermione again, but Ron shut her up."
Ginny nodded, proud. "Good! She's such a terror."
Rebecca nodded, though she was already half-focused on her homework. What tales would she be making up for the extra predictions today? It didn't seem to matter too much, as long as you had quite the collection of vague, potentially true statements, it would be enough.
The common room was crowded for the evening, Gryffindor students of all years lounging about, working on homework, and socialising among each other.
Harry and Ron were near the window, an intense game of wizard's chess going while Hermione circled around the room as she tried to collect signatures for her newly formed organisation. Fred had already joined a few fifth years on one end of the room, an eye turned towards the door more often than not to know when Rebecca returned.
Rebecca gasped as she stepped through the door at something Ginny said, though Fred only heard the word "blonde." Looking away from Ginny's shocking mouth, Rebecca and Fred locked eyes. He wasn't sure if he'd ever noticed how easily Rebecca switched from outright laughter to a smile, but she did then and he noticed for sure.
Ginny walked to the stairs with Rebecca, both wanting to get into their pajamas before any work.
"Good night!" Rebecca mouthed, hoping he understood.
Fred smiled, though he didn't dare mouthing anything back because he not only knew Rebecca wouldn't have the foggiest idea what he said, but also because George was watching Rebecca and Fred carefully.
"What?" George demanded. "She doesn't say goodnight to me anymore?" The boys stood, George furious.
"Did you talk to her after dinner?" Fred asked.
"How could I have done that, Fred?" George stared at Fred. "Really, how could I have?"
Fred shrugged. "Guess you'll just see her in the morning then."
Lee and George looked at each other from behind Fred as they made their way up the stairs and to their room, knowing that something was off with Fred's tone but neither of them able to place what it was.
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Hermione had nothing but fact in their room. "They're slaves. They don't get paid for their work, no holidays, no breaks. Dobby is the only employed house elf in all of Hogwarts!"
Rebecca saw her point and the issue, but couldn't quite wrap her head around what Hermione had in mind. "What are you going to do about it? You know I'll help any way I can, right?"
"Of course I know that." Hermione smiled. She may have known that, but it was always nice to hear that your friends would be supporting your endeavours. "I have a petition I'm trying to get signed. Once I get enough, I want to present it to Dumbledore and ask that they get wages and time off. Hopefully, he'll push it up to the Ministry, too!"
"Where do I sign then?" Rebecca stifled a laugh as Hermione eagerly got her petition, though she was glad that Hermione hadn't noticed. Rebecca hadn't realised that only one other person had signed: Neville. "You saw him this afternoon? How did he seem?"
Hermione seemed uncertain in her answer. "He said that Moody lent him some herbology book, but that was it. He just seemed...muted, I guess."
"And what are the dues if I want to join S.P.E.W?" Rebecca asked, already checking the box next to the second signature line.
"Two sickles." Hermione was grateful to Rebecca, to the first member of her organisation. "Where'd you end up all evening? I looked in the library, but didn't see you."
"The library?" Rebecca scoffed. "There's your issue, I was upset--not studying. I went on a walk, ended up by the lake. Then it got dark so I walked back."
"With Fred!" Ginny tossed in, smirking.
"With Fred?" Hermione echoed surprised. "After all that tension at supper?"
Rebecca ignored both of their growing smiles. "They were mad that their potion didn't work, but also mad because I wasn't upset with them." Rebecca was quiet a moment. "I'm glad it didn't work, really. I'd much rather not see anyone in the bloody thing. I have a bad feeling."
Hermione's smile died. "Like a vision feeling?"
"No, not quite. I don't think so at least." Rebecca shook her head. "Just a feeling."
"You should write Sirius." Hermione suggested. "Maybe he'll have some advice."
"We can't keep bothering him. Besides, Hedwig still hasn't returned from the letter he sent off to Sirius yesterday."
Hermione thought for a moment trying to think of the next person Rebecca would be able to turn to. "McGonagall?"
Rebecca sighed. "When I actually have something more than a feeling, I'll go to someone. Until then, I'm not going to cause a fuss when it could end up being nothing." She stood up and grabbed her pajamas from her bed. "I'm going to shower and turn in, tiring day and all."
Rebecca held her hands in her face in the privacy of the bathroom. She did wish that she had someone to write to about everything--especially where Fred was involved. "Maybe I should write to Sirius...Hedwig should be back any time now."
She decided for certain. She would write a letter to Sirius and be entirely honest, it wasn't like she would be seeing him any time soon--It didn't matter what she told him. Lying in bed that night, the room quiet and her eyes closed, Rebecca couldn't help her thoughts from drifting back to the evening with Fred.
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Thursday seemed to be as far away as ten years, the castle seemed to agree on this almost-entirely. Fred and Rebecca were the exceptions to the everyone, though neither knew the other had the same thing on their mind.
Fred and Rebecca both, in fact, were the first thing on the others mind when they woke up the next day. Rebecca was the first up, dressed, and out of the girls' room and she was both excited and disappointed to see that Fred was up earlier as well. Excited because she always was to see him, disappointed that other students were downstairs, too.
"Good morning!" Fred said with a cheeky smile. "Should we head off to breakfast early? Take a detour, maybe-"
"Fred!" Rebecca whispered and looked over her shoulder, making sure no one was close enough to hear. "What the hell?" She followed up with before raising her voice too loudly to be a regular conversation. "Why of course, Fred, I will walk with you to breakfast!"
Fred rolled his eyes. "Wow. Remind me to never, ever suggest you become a wizard spy."
"Rebecca!" Harry said quickly, running out of the boys' hall and down the stairs with a piece of parchment in his hand. He held it out to her as he reached the two of them, lowering his voice. "Sirius wrote back, read it!"
Rebecca looked at the brief note, reading it carefully.
Harry,
I might have a theory about this 'scar-pang' you've described, I'll look into it further once I am back in Britain. I still can't tell you where I am, but the Ministry has moved onto the next step in clearing my name. I hope to be there for you by the end of the year.
I want to hear more if anything new comes up.
Love,
Padfoot
"Look what I've done!" Harry said panicked as Rebecca led him to the side, to the privacy of the back of the common room while Fred lingered between them and the other students both giving Harry and she a little space and keeping other students from wandering that way. "Look, now he's coming back and putting himself in danger because I wrote to him about a twinge!"
Rebecca wasn't surprised to find that Harry pulled her into a hug the second she opened her arms because he usually needed one when upset--especially at himself--but she had to tell him how wrong he was while she patted his back. "That's not the only reason he's coming and you know it." When Harry stood on his own, Rebecca told him that she wanted to write to Sirius anyway and that they could draft a response together.
Excusing herself to get the parchment, Rebecca spoke to Fred softly. "Change of plans, I can't leave him like this."
"I wouldn't be able to, either." Fred said, glancing back at where Harry's head was hung heavily. "I'll see you later, for sure."
Rebecca laid out a piece of parchment from the community drawer and wet her quill, moving to squeeze into Harry's chair next to him before beginning to write what Harry dictated. She corrected what he said that was purely wrong (that Sirius was only coming back because of him) and added the pleasantries Harry left out (asking how Sirius had been), resulting in a letter Harry was proud and calmed by.
"I'm sorry." Harry was a little embarrassed, even more so when he thought of Fred having been there at the beginning. "I shouldn't have gotten-"
"I would have done the same thing." Rebecca interrupted, not wanting to hear another word of apology. "I'll post this later, I have one upstairs for Hedwig, too." Technically true, she rationalised. She would have a letter for Sirius, after all.
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"Where're you going?" Fred asked, stumbling as his foot caught on the other. He'd popped back to the common room for a reprieve between the end of classes and supper and hadn't expected to see Rebecca coming down from her bedroom.
"I was going to run by the Owlery before dinner." Rebecca held her letter a little closer, as if Fred would be able to hear the words inside if she didn't hold the envelope closed tightly.
Sirius,
I'm sorry that I haven't written since before the World Cup, I imagine you've read about the attack by now. It wasn't good, to put it lightly, but we are all okay and that's what matters the most. All's well that ends well.
I wish that I wasn't writing for a favour, but I am. I need your advice, your opinion at least, on something...private.
Fred and I may or may not have kissed. It also may or may not have been nice. He can be so (A string of words were scratched out, Rebecca unsure what she had been trying to say) I like spending time with him. Fred said I was 'talking nonsense,' that's why he had to interrupt me. And-
I don't know what I'm thinking or feeling, I guess. I liked kissing him and I want to do it again, but there's something keeping me from it just yet--I don't want everyone in a frenzy and I don't want anyone to know, not yet. I think it's this blasted tournament. It's got everything odd.
I don't know if you have any thoughts or if this even makes sense, but I didn't know who I could talk to. If this is too personal, just say the word and I won't write like this again. I could see how this could cross boundaries.
Rebecca
The Fat Lady watched as Rebecca and Fred stepped out of the portrait hole, Fred having run up to his desk to get the letter he had been meaning to send back home so that they could go together.
Fred and Rebecca talked as they walked, though neither let the tournament enter their conversations. Instead, they planned what the next steps were with the snackboxes and production.
By the time they reached the top of the Owlery, they were more than happy to enjoy each other's company quietly. For a moment, at least.
"Owlery sure is empty." Fred said, clearly insinuating something to Rebecca whose back was to him as she said goodbye to Hedwig.
"Is it?" Rebecca asked, glancing over her shoulder. "I hadn't noticed." Rebecca gave Hedwig a final pat on the top of her head before the snowy-white owl flew away.
"Oh, let me show you then." Fred took Rebecca's hand in his, waiting for her to turn to face him. "There are only two people in here."
"Who's that again?" Rebecca tilted her head, smiling cheekily.
"You and me." Fred hoped the night before hadn't been a dream.
"And why would it matter that there was only you and me?" Rebecca asked.
Maybe it had been a dream, Fred thought. "W-well, maybe we-I mean, perhaps we should-could! Maybe we could-"
Rebecca put her hands on both of his cheeks and kissed him, freeing him from the torture he was putting himself through and sending his heartbeat racing. "Don't hurt yourself." She whispered, pecking his cheek.
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<3