Infinity Times Infinity

“Have you got a feeling that something’s off with Y/N?” George asked his twin, taking a seat next to him. They were currently in Herbology with some other 5th year Hufflepuffs. 

“What do you mean?” muttered Fred. 

“Well, last night she left pretty early from the Great Hall. And she looked pale this morning in Care of Magical Creatures. Didn’t look too well.”

Fred scribbled something onto his notebook thoughtfully then tapped the quill to his chin. “Well now that you mention it… I guess so. It happens almost every month, no?” 

“Settle down now class!” Professor Sprout walked in and tapped her wand on the blackboard. The drawing of a long plant with purple flowers appeared. “Today we will be learning about aconite, also known as monkshood or wolfsbane, and its properties. I’m sure you’ve seen this be used by your Potions professor so make sure to use the proper protection when we tend to it.”

George lowered his head to whisper to his brother once more. “About so, yeah.” He gave it little thought, then grimaced at an idea. “I think I just figured out why.”

“Why?”

“Well, she’s a girl right?” 

Fred deadpanned. “Good to know that your eyes work perfectly fine.” This made George smack Fred at the remark. He let out a chuckle before turning back to his notebook. “Point is?”

“Point is, she’s probably suffering symptoms from — you know…”

Fred turned to look at his brother, who was signalling him to put two and two together. When Fred didn’t get it, he gave up and in a hushed voice said, “Ginny problems.”

“Oh.” He made a face, then turned back to his notebook. “And we should be concerned… why?” 

“Honestly Freddie, we’re her best friends and you’re saying we shouldn’t be concerned?” George dragged a hand down his face. He looked down at what his brother was doing. All throughout their conversation, Fred kept going back to his notebook and scribbled something every so often. It was getting on George’s nerves, it’s not like Fred enjoyed the class and was jotting down notes.

“What are you writing?” George tried to sneak a peek. At this, Fred shifted his arm over the paper but groaned realizing that the ink was still fresh. 

Fred raised his arm and checked the paper, most of it was still readable, but there were smudges here and there. He looked over at George, irritation clear on his face. “Nothing. Well, it’s nothing now .”

George decided not to push any further and instead turned around to look at the professor. He was facing forward, listening to the week’s current lesson, but couldn’t manage to focus. At the forefront of his mind, he was thinking of you and wondering if he could do anything to help ease your… Ginny problems. 

“You know,” Fred began, voice still sulky from the ruined notes. “I found Y/N walking around the castle late the other night — at two in the morning. Said she had a nightmare but didn’t tell me what it was about. I wonder if this has to do with anything about that night.”

“Was she okay?” George shared a worried glance with his brother. “You did help her, right?”

Suddenly, he remembered how close the two of you had been that night. How your giggle was soft and airy. How your sweater fell on your frame and made you look so soft – actually, you were soft… he remembered how you felt against him as he held you the time Snape almost caught the two of you. How your hand felt as he held it — Fred’s face flushed and he looked away, trying his best to keep it away from his nosy brother.

“Yeah, I did. At least I hope I did.”

George just shook his head and scoffed slightly. “You’re so obtuse sometimes.”

– – – – – 

The full moon’s light sifted inside the Gryffindor tower where a certain redhead laid awake. George couldn’t fall asleep and perhaps it was because a certain Slytherin girl was on his mind. It had been almost a month since his brother found her walking alone at night. George himself had found her once walking about the Hogwarts grounds before making her promise she wouldn’t because of the killer on the loose. She promised, for the sake of not keeping him awake at night, but of course, he still was. 

He shook the thoughts out of his mind, but still found no solution to his lack of sleep. Instead, he took the map out of his drawer and opened it to find your name. “Please be in her dorm, please be in her dorm,” he whispered underneath his breath. 

But as he looked over the Slytherin common room, there was no sight of anyone named Y/N Lupin. He let out a disgruntled sigh and spent the next few minutes looking for you. Then, after flipping fold upon fold on the map, he finally found a small dot with your name on it. 

Second-floor girl’s bathroom. 

What were you doing there? Why were you there?

He sighed, immediately getting out of bed and putting on his slippers to go find you. He was on the second floor within a few minutes and made his way over to the bathroom door. George looked back down at the map to make sure you were still there… and you were. 

He was so focused on you that he failed to realize somebody else was near him. George’s hand wrapped around the knob, but the second he tried to open the door a low voice sounded from behind him. 

“Mr. Weasley —” George let out a high-pitched scream the moment he had been caught. It was Snape. The professor gave a disgruntled look before continuing. “May I ask why you are out of bed and wandering the halls?” 

George, with just enough time to hide the map, left him unable to come up with a reasonable excuse. “I have a terrible stomach bug — rumbling stomach and all — it wouldn’t have been a pretty sight, professor.” 

Snape rose a single eyebrow. “And you couldn’t use your dormitory’s respective bathroom?”

“I didn’t want to wake my roommates.” 

He could tell that Snape wasn’t believing any of his excuses. “I hope you are aware that you were entering the girl’s bathroom?”

George stuttered. “I uh —”

“Ten points from Gryffindor and detention, Mr. Weasley. Now run along before I double your punishment.”

George knew it was useless to try and fight back with Snape, especially this late at night. He couldn’t even express his concern for Y/N because if he did so, it would mean explaining the Marauder’s Map. He had no intention of losing that anytime soon so instead, he shot the potion’s professor a grumpy look and retreated back to the Gryffindor Tower where he would lie awake all night wondering if you were okay. 

Snape watched as the redhead sluggishly walked away and disappeared around a corner. He didn’t move until he was sure he was away from earshot. That’s when he knocked three times on the restroom door. 

“WHAT DO YOU — Oh, professor, are you here to check up on Y/N?” The faint transparent figure of the girl said as she phased through the door. Myrtle’s cheerful and bubbly self was back up again. It was quite scary how she’d done it. 

Snape nodded. 

“She’s asleep at the moment, and good thing she is,” Myrtle noted, “she hasn’t been sleeping much the past few weeks. Poor thing, she’s going to be even more exhausted come tomorrow morning.”

Snape acknowledged the ghost’s observations. “Wake me when she does, so I can aid her to the infirmary.” He could tell the ghost wanted to ask something else but didn’t want to entertain the idea. Regardless, she asked. 

“How’s the other professor? Mr. Wolf?” 

His face hardened. He really didn’t want to entertain the idea. 

“Goodnight, Miss Warren.”

He walked towards the direction of the dungeons, especially that of his own quarters. He was not intent on sleeping with the worried ideas of sleeping werewolves among the castle and took a swig of dreamless sleep potion before promptly falling asleep. 

– – – – –

“Mr. Weasley nearly found you in your wolf form last night.”

You jumped but immediately regretted it as you groaned from the muscle pain. “Really? Which one?”

“George, I believe. He nearly walked into the girl’s restroom last night. Luckily, I was there to stop him before he found a giant wolf sleeping there,” he explained with a hint of irritation. “I suggest you stay with your father the next full moon.” 

You nodded tiredly. It was reasonable, at least with your dad you were more secure than hiding out in an abandoned restroom. Myrtle would probably feel alone, however. You should probably tell her before then. 

Snape rubbed his chin, thinking something over in his mind. “Question is, why was it that he decided to go there. It’s unprompted if you ask me.”

Then you remembered. The map. 

“I have no idea.”

Snape rose an eyebrow. Whether he knew you knew, he didn’t express it, nor did he question you further. 

You just shrugged and continued pulling on your sweater over yourself. He helped you pull your hair out from where it hid. He caught himself a second later and retracted his hands quickly. You gave him a soft smile and patted your arms for a hair tie when you remembered… you didn’t have any. 

“Hey, do you still carry hair ties?” And without a word, he pulled one off from his wrist, hidden beneath his sleeve, and handed it over to you. 

Pleasantly surprised, you said nothing and instead tried to tie your hair back, but let out a hurt cry. Your shoulder blades and back were the sorest after transformations and nearly left you immobile the following morning. 

“Here, don’t strain yourself,” he mumbled and motioned for you to face away from him. Once you did, you felt his fingers comb through small knots and bumps, smoothing them down instantly. It only took a few seconds as he sectioned your hair and began to create a loose plait. 

“I see you haven’t lost your touch,” you joked softly. 

He scoffed, but you could see the corners of his mouth turn upwards. “You were a very demanding child, in case you had forgotten. The motion is burned into my memory.”

“Must’ve.”

“Mhmm.”

You hummed as he finished the braid and tied it off. You could see the sectioned-off bed in front of you. The curtains remained closed, but you could tell the faint outline of your dad who was currently laying peacefully. You were thankful that he now had the potion to take every month. Without it, he would tear into himself and leave new scars that littered over old ones. It was like a constant etch a sketch board that didn’t quite erase when you shook it. 

You carefully turned back and leaned against the headboard of your own bed. “I’m so thankful today is Saturday. I can sleep in and not worry about classes — by the way, can you cut me some slack for your essay —”

“No.”

You breathed in. “Okay, worth a shot.”

“Any other ludicrous requests before I’m off?” He asked, his voice not inherently annoyed, but amused.

You thought for a while. When you remembered that Solaris would probably be looking for you, the last thing you needed was her getting worried about you being in the hospital wing. “Do you think you can tell Solaris that I’m in the library? She won’t question it, she hates being at the library so early in the morning.”

“I am not an owl, Ms. Lupin.”

You couldn’t stop the corner of your lips from forming into a smile. “Of course not, you’d be a very grouchy owl.”

This did not get a laugh from him. “I’ll have to assign Ms. Greer detention if she bothers me… more than usual, about your whereabouts.”

Although it was something you couldn’t debate with him about (since he was quite stubborn about his detentions), you merely shrugged and remained quiet. 

“Since you want me to lie for you, however, I shall help you with it and bring you a few research textbooks while you recover —”

Before he could finish his sentence, you carefully hurried to hide beneath your blanket. “Sorry, I’ve fallen asleep! I can’t hear you anymore —” You then followed that by obnoxiously loud snoring. 

A quiet humph and the pivot of his shoes against the tile floor told you more than enough that he had gone. If he was to return with books, you weren’t sure if he was being serious, then you hoped he would seeing as you would most likely stay all day in the infirmary. However, for now, all you wished for was a few more hours of shut-eye. 

– – – – –

The week before Christmas break was the next time students were allowed to go to Hogsmeade. This time, however, you chose to stay behind. You didn’t really have the strength to walk all day through the busy shops of Hogsmeade. 

Luckily you weren’t alone. The twins had also decided to stay behind, something about already being stocked up on Zonko products and the like meant that they didn’t have to go this time around. It was odd, seeing them look so mellow and calm but they reassured you that they were far from it. They had already set up traps for Filch and some wandering students in the hallways on the third floor. The three of you giggled at the mention of having something special planned for Filch. 

You watched the twins roll snow for a snow… man? You couldn’t quite tell what they were going for with a blob of snow with three arms and two heads. As the two continued to build that, you noticed a new smell enter the courtyard. You looked around to find the person but found it odd to find nobody around the three of you. It wasn’t until one of the twins nudged the other in the direction of shuffling snow that you saw it — footprints. 

You shook your head, tutting at the poor boy’s attempt to wander out of Hogwarts. It was especially hilarious when the twins picked up the invisible person by the arms, as if nothing, and dragged him back inside an empty stairwell. Harry shrugged the cloak off of him, annoyed at his foiled plan. 

It didn’t take long for the twins to make up for it by showing the younger Gryffindor about the map. You were a little unsure about giving it to him, but Fred made an excellent point about not needing it anymore since the four of you (Lee included) already knew all of the secret passageways. It was a shame to no longer have the map’s tracking assistance of finding everyone in Hogwarts but your nose made up for it by picking up everyone’s scents (even if the other three Gryffindors would be at a disadvantage). 

Once the twins showed him the way to access and hide the map, Harry was practically glowing from curiosity. Yeah, it was definitely a good thing to pass it on to him. 

“See it that you don’t get this confiscated, Hazza,” you warned playfully, but regretted it as you saw his expression fall. Sometimes you forgot how others viewed Slytherin threats so you tried not to come off as so. Luckily for you, hearing himself be referred to as Hazza made him chuckle soon after. 

“I’ll see that I don’t,” he replied excitedly before running off to find a passage that would take him to Hogsmeade. 

George shook his head playfully. “Don’t go scaring children, Y/N.”

“It’s in my job description as a Slytherin,” you laughed, placing a hand to rest on your lower back. “I have to do it. Besides, we handed off our little treasure.”

“Yeah, but for a good cause,” Fred butted in.

You sighed. “I suppose so.”

The three of you made your way back to the snowy courtyard. The snow-hybrid thing still stood there and you had to hold in your laughter as to not offend its creators. 

“Now come on, help us place this hat on our snowman.”

“You call that a snowman?” A chuckle escaped your lips. “Where would the hat even go?”

The twins gasped playfully. 

“I’d like to see you try building one that’s better.” Fred was compacting some snow in his mittened hands.

“Oh, you’re on.”

A snow-building competition ensued within the next half hour. You weren’t too artistic, but luckily you knew quite a few spells to help you with the sculpting. It was skill-based, after all. Technically, it wasn’t cheating, no matter how much the twins were blaming you for doing so. You just rolled your eyes and continued building your… whatever it was. It kind of looked like a dog with octopus tentacles coming out from its back. 

A familiar voice drew you away from your sculpture. Looking up, you saw your dad walking down the corridor that ran beside the courtyard the three of you were in. He was walking alongside Snape, who wore a neutral expression. It was veering on the verge of annoyance, one that people could tell if they knew him well enough. You almost wanted to laugh as you watched your dad talk his ear off, but whether your dad knew that he was annoying the poor Potions professor or not, you knew he enjoyed teasing him. 

Your dad was hobbling a bit, using his cane as a way to keep himself upright as they continued walking. There was a moment where he nearly toppled over but leaned on Snape who shot him a nasty glare. Remus laughed unashamedly as Snape pushed him upright, even if the motion was followed by a string of curses. If he was truly annoyed, he probably would have hexed your father, and it astounded you that he hadn’t yet. 

You watched the two until they disappeared behind another corner. As your attention went back to the courtyard you were in, you felt someone stand beside you. 

“Frozen solid, have you?”

“What?” You glanced up at George who was packing snow into his hands. 

“Are you getting cold? We can head inside if you’re not feeling too well.” 

Your face flared warm at his suggestion. “Wanna sneak into the kitchens and get some hot chocolate?”

George smiled, the tips of his ears and nose almost as red as his hair. “Yeah, we’ll sneak into the kitchens and grab ourselves a mug.” 

“Let’s grab Fred and go find ourselves the fruit painting, yeah?” You suggested and watched as George threw the snowball to an oblivious Fred who shouted — 

“Oi!” 

The two of you laughed as the snow clung onto the redhead. His annoyed expression quickly melted away as he watched the two of you and joined in on the laughter. He teased you about your snow sculpture and claimed that they won by default. The two continued to joke about your sculpture and you did the same, but in the end, decided that it was a tie for first place (although you knew in your heart that you won). 

The walk to the kitchens was a quick one and you were glad to have the two Weasleys walk beside you… even if you did stumble into them a couple of times.