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Feeling quite pleased with himself despite her telling off, Fred moved to follow after the rest of the team with a flippant grin permanently affixed to his features. He pushed away from the earth, letting his broom sweep him up to join the crowd gathered around Cedric, thoroughly expecting to ignore another speech or roll call from the Prefect, but to his surprise the Hufflepuffs all streaked away with a great rush of wind as soon as he’d reached them. He blinked, briefly taken aback by his own distraction before letting the smile spread even further over his lips. Now this was more like it! He pointed his broom forward and pelted after the streaks of golden robes. It took him a few heart-beats to catch up with the pack, but gradually he began to pick up speed and weave his way through the vaguely familiar faces of the Hufflepuff quidditch team, swooping low and out of formation (much to the annoyance of the bespectacled keeper who scoffed as he went past). He paid the boy no mind though, instead he caught himself scanning the group for Ines—as had become habit these past few days—already vying for the chance to egg her on into an impromptu race…

A familiar flash of dark hair caught his eye and Fred turned his eyes up to follow it. Ines was a good ten feet ahead of him, leaned forward on her broom, her long ponytail flowing out behind her as she whipped into a turn. He pushed his broom to follow, realizing with a mixture of insult and admiration that he might not win that race even if he got it. But even still—

“Alright. That’ll do!” Cedric’s voice cut rather abruptly through the whistle of wind in his ears.

The redhead blinked, pulling his gaze away from Ines to glance down the pitch. Somehow they’d already made a few laps around the field while he wasn’t pay attention. Up ahead, Cedric had come to a full stop and Fred had to pull hard at the end of his broom to bring himself to a stop. Determined to look a little less unprepared than he was though, he leaned to the side as he slowed so that he dipped to the side and drifted confidently into an empty spot in the air across from the prefect. A couple of the Hufflepuff players watched him, some of the younger members beaming at the flourish while others, like the keeper, just rolled their eyes before focusing on Cedric. George, however, snorted knowingly as he pulled up beside him. For a second it looked as though his twin was about to crack a joke but Cedric, projecting his voice with purpose, spoke first.

“Good work,” The seeker's swept slowly around the group, “Great speed, Ines. And Malcom, you’re nailing the turns now, much better than the start of term.”

“Thanks!” Malcom called breathlessly.

“Okay, well…” Cedric paused before speaking again, his voice sounding measured as if he was trying to make sure he said the right thing, “I don’t see much reason in us doing full team drills while Rickett and Macavoy are out,”

Fred gave a tiny snort, stealing a glance over at George. That was definitely polite Hufflepuff speak for ‘and we aren’t about to give away our plays with two Gryffindors in the mix’.

“—But we can take this time to sharpen individual skill. So, I want you all to break into groups; chasers with chasers, Herbert and I, and...beater with beater.”

Fred sat up on his broomstick, watching Cedric turn a quick apologetic but firm glance at Ines before turning away and gliding over to hover next to Herbert the keeper. Fred wasn’t sure, but he thought he caught Cedric flashing him a look too as he went past. The same almost hopeful look he'd had seen from multiple Hufflepuffs by now whenever he and George appeared anywhere near Ines.

“Hufflepuff and Gryffindor both have matches against Slytherin coming up, so it’ll benefit us all to hone in on them. I want you to take turns, mimic what you’ve seen Flint and the others do— try to parse out how you’ll deal with their moves individually and then we’ll wrap up today with a few plays out of the books for coordination practice.” Cedric spoke with a sweeping glance around the teams. “Sound good? Alright. Meet back on the pitch when you hear the whistle. Ines? I’ll free a bludger for you two to practice with, so bats ready.”

With that, Fred watched as Cedric turned away with Herbert towards the the goal posts. George and the other two chasers swept away to their own corner, though they didn't go far, seeming eager to hover and watch the pair of them from a distance, muttering and snorting between each other when they thought they were out of Ines’ earshot.

The redhead turned slowly in the air so that he faced Ines, unable to keep himself from grinning in satisfaction. She was stuck with him. Even all the way up here, yards above the castle grounds (and George too for that matter, since his brother wasn’t too far off and he had a feeling they’d be crossing paths once the bludger was out on the field).

“Sooo,” Fred piped as he hovered across from Ines, wanting badly to pick up where he’d left off teasing her, especially since he’d seen the color flushing her ear tips before they’d taken off, but he reeled himself in from the temptation, hoping instead to catch her off guard and get that laugh out of her at last. “You fancy being the Slytherin first or me? I think I could pull a mean one--”

He cleared his throat and sat up straight on his broom, back rigid and shoulders cocked at dramatic angle. He reached up and slicked back his red hair so that it laid flat and prim against his scalp then furrowed his brow, summoning the stuffiest expression he could as he looked down his nose at her. “ 'Yes, I think I will talk your ear off…' ” He drawled in reedy voice that blatantly mocked the Malfoys’, “ 'You’ll never suspect I have an inferiority complex at all if I keep distracting you with belittling comments I learned from a toddler...and no one will pay attention to how badly I play if I just act like a prat. Professor Snape told me that himself, you know…when he was awarding me fifty points for breathing...' ”

Down below, his act was already causing a distraction among the chasers as they burst into snorts and drifted off course on their brooms.
 
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There was not a single thing that Ines disliked about flying, she realized as she raced through the air with her teammates; the freedom, the speed, and the feeling of competitiveness. All of those things were something she could enjoy without hesitation.

As she flew alongside her teammates, she caught a glimpse of George. He wasn’t too occupied with her, it seemed, which made her relax; the ease and drop of her tense shoulders only reversed when she saw Fred, however. He was weaving his way through the team and she didn’t have to take a guess at what he was doing. So she sped up a little bit more, leaning forward to get closer to her broom - the smaller she could make herself, the faster she could go.

“Alright. That’ll do!”

Ines smirked to herself. Perfect. Now the git following her would have to give up for a little while. As Cedric pulled to a stop, she did as well. Her own stops weren’t incredible, really, as she didn’t care for anything fancy or jaw-dropping when it came to needing the bare minimum - matches were where all of her finality came into play. So when Fred finally came to a stop, him sliding into place simply caused her to roll her eyes a little bit and the smirk fell from her face.

“Good work,” Ines kept her eyes on Cedric as he talked, able to focus this time without a certain redhead being obnoxious in her ear. “Great speed, Ines. And Malcom, you’re nailing the turns now, much better than the start of term.”

“Thank you.” Ines gave him a small nod as she ran her hand up over her hair, flattening the smaller bits that had become wild from the wind.

“I don’t see much reason in us doing full team drills while Rickett and Macavoy are out,” Cedric’s voice carried through the air easily, his tone calm, as always, “But we can take this time to sharpen individual skill. So, I want you all to break into groups; chasers with chasers, Herbert and I, and...beater with beater.”

The look that Cedric gave her may have been apologetic, but it was obvious that Ines knew he likely didn’t feel sorry in the slightest. Especially with the way he looked at Fred. It was sort of frustrating to know that so many people from her own house agreed with her sister - Ines felt as if she was perfectly balanced and honestly didn’t need anyone getting in the middle of her schedule. But no one agreed with her.

That was something that drove her up the wall. Ever since her sister had finally gotten to Hogwarts and sorted, everyone seemed to like her just a tiny bit more and to follow her lead. She may have loved her dearly, but Deidre was reckless and did all sorts of things that Ines didn’t agree with.

After moment of letting that linger in her mind, Ines let out a sigh. Maybe she was a little too uptight.

“Sound good? Alright. Meet back on the pitch when you hear the whistle.” Ines snapped back into what Cedric was saying a little too late, and she hoped it wasn’t something important that she missed. “Ines? I’ll free a bludger for you two to practice with, so bats ready.”

She nodded to him and moved up a little ways as everyone spread out, though she felt a prickle of irritation when it seemed that George and a few of her teammates thought she was far enough away to talk about.

“Yeah, she’s pretty wound up.” Malcom’s voice barely reached her ears, as he was talking lowly. “I don’t know her very well, but I do know that being so snippy all the time can’t be fun to deal with. I don’t know how her siblings do it.”

She tried to ignore how that comment stung as Fred moved to face her, that stupid grin on his face making him more and more beatable every minute it stayed there.

“Soo...” she kept her eyes on him, looking quite unimpressed and annoyed with him already, “you fancy being the Slytherin first or me? I think I could pull a mean one—“

Ines took in a deep breath and sighed as he began to flatten his hair down. She hated that she was able to admit to herself that she knew exactly who he was going to do an impression of.

“Yes, I think I will talk your ear off. You’ll never suspect I have an inferiority complex at all if I keep distracting you with belittling comments I learned from a toddler... and no one will pay attention to how badly I play if I just act like a prat.“ Ines was amused, she had to admit, and she knew it was obvious by how she sat on her broom; her arms were crossed and the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips. “‘Professor Snape told me that himself, you know…when he was awarding me fifty points for breathing...' ”

“That was impressive,” she said after he had trailed off, but then shook her head lightly, almost as if she was chiding him, “but you forgot to mention your unhealthy obsession with Harry Potter and how whatever I say and do will be heard about by your father.”

Ines was pleased with her corrections when she heard a little more tittering from the people nearby. Her teammates seemed just as amused by what she had said as they were by Fred’s impromptu Draco Malfoy impression.

“Other than that, though, well done.” She gave him a wry smile. “You seem to know him well. Are you a good friend of his?”

Another round of noises from her teammates, who were trying their hardest to focus both on the practice and the banter between Fred and her - it obviously wasn’t working, though, as most of them were completely distracted now.
 
“That was impressive,”

Fred let his posture go slack again as he dropped his act and looked over at Ines, pleased by the way she’d had to cross her arms and rather obviously fight the curl on her lips. Fred let his own casual grin slip back onto his freckled face as he looked at her. She hadn’t cracked yet, but he knew they had to be getting close...

“but you forgot to mention your unhealthy obsession with Harry Potter and how whatever I say and do will be heard about by your father.”

Rather than fight amusement like she had, the redhead gave a loud snort, joining the rest of the team in laughing at Draco’s expense. After all, wasn’t like he was losing any bets for laughing and who was he to argue with the truth? Even Hufflepuffs knew a git when they saw one by the sounds of it. Somewhere down below he could hear George getting in on the fun, mimicking the same nasally tone he’d used as he started wailing a few more Malfoyisms, much to the cackling amusement of the chasers around him.

“Other than that, though, well done.” Fred looked away from his twin over to Ines and raised a brow at the facetious smile on her face. The bemused expression suited her, he caught himself thinking briefly before she carried on in an attempt to insult him, “You seem to know him well. Are you a good friend of his?”

The chasers (and George, loudest of all) all spiraled into another round of snickers and laughing. A primal flicker of defiance welled up in his chest at the very idea of befriending a Malfoy, but even still, Fred couldn’t make himself take full offense. Nor could he stop grinning. Usually this was the part where Ines rolled her eyes and huffed but now? Now they had her playing along.

“Oh, yeah,” Fred drawled importantly, using his own voice this time as he leaned back on his broom, letting himself drift on the passing breeze as he looked to her with a matching sardonic smile, “Best mates, me and him. But clearly got nothing on you, mind.” He swept slowly into the air beneath her and lifted one hand off of his broom to gesture up at her, making a great show of pretending to be graciously conceding defeat, “You having the better ideas for an impression and all...reckon he knows you fancy him yet?”

The laughter below now pitched even higher, none of the chasers seeming to know who they found more amusing.

Still grinning broadly up at her, Fred let his hand fall back into place as he commanded his broom to stop so he was hovering directly below her. “But y’know, I think I could make one more go of it— acting Slytherin,” He mused idly, holding her gaze as his ears pricked to the sound of the practice bludger that Cedric had loosened cutting through the air quickly below them, almost completely drowned out by the laughter of the chasers. It hurdled through the sky, drawing closer and closer far below them. He didn’t look, not wanting to give away his surprise since he was purposefully blocking Ines’ view of the incoming ball with his body and trying to distract her with a stare. A heartbeat later he knew the orb had drawn close enough to spring his trap.

“How’s this?!” He barked with enthusiasm and tossed himself into a backwards loop just as the bludger sailed past him, just barely missing the top of his head by inches as he whirled upside down over the top of it. Having missed its first victim, the bludger continued to tear upwards through the sky straight at Ines, leaving the witch with little reaction time.
 
It really was satisfying at the fact that people seemed amused with something that she said. She didn’t receive that sort of praise often, the kind that came from laughter. The way that Fred grinned at her also sort of made her satisfied, but she wasn’t sure why and shoved the thought to the back of her mind. It wouldn’t do to dwell on it at the moment.

She shifted on her broom a little bit, bat still tightly clasped in her right hand as she looked at him, listening to what he said carefully.

“You having the better ideas for an impression and all… reckon he knows you fancy him yet?”

Without warning and the ability to stop herself, she gagged at his comment and the laughter that reached her ears felt less satisfying than before, but she couldn’t care less at the moment.

“You are disgusting to even joke about that!” Ines coughed, clearing her throat as she watched Fred hover below her, not thinking twice about it. “I used to babysit the slimy twit when his mother and father weren’t able to watch him!”

It was not a secret between the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs that the Glaspy family and the Malfoy family knew each other well. Especially not with how Ines’ ex boyfriend talked so openly about their pureblood relations, and how Draco used to drift to Ines in his first year, asking for advice that he would deny asking for with his last breath, if it came down to it. Now he wouldn’t even give her a second look, but he would spread all sorts of lies about her family.

It was interesting how people could change so fast when popularity was involved.

“But y’know, I think I could make one more go of it— acting Slytherin.”

Ines blinked, looking at him. But she didn’t get a single chance to say even a syllable of any word when he called out,

“How’s this?!”

As he looped backward, she took in a sharp breath. The bludger was heading straight for her! Instead of swinging her bat outward, she swung the top of her bat into her other hand and used both hands to brace herself for the impact. When the bludger hit her bat, her and her broom shot backward a little bit. With a cry, she thrust her bat forward and flung the bludger forward again, allowing it to rocket toward Fred.

“Nice try!” She shouted. “But it’s good that Slytherins usually aren’t too clever, isn’t it?!”

Ines straightened up and blew some strands of hair that had come loose from her ponytail away from her face before she then shifted onto her broom properly again. Her eyes were gleaming with determination.
 
Fred let himself loop through the air after dodging the ball with a gleeful sense of victory, feeling certain there was no way Ines would have time to counter or evade the bludger he’d just let past. As soon he’d righted himself in the air again he brought himself to a stop and turned on his broom to look up at the Hufflepuff witch, expecting to see her dodging madly around in the air to avoid impact.

But she was doing nothing of the sort.

He watched, the cocksure satisfaction draining out of his smirk but the smile never quite leaving his lips, as the Hufflepuff beater braced herself against the impact of the bludger with the side of her bat. The bludger found its mark, skidding her back a few feet in the air, but she looked no worse for wear as she grinned and swung her bat forward again, firing the bludger right back at him--and with a cheeky zinger to boot.

“Nice try! But it’s good that Slytherins usually aren’t too clever, isn’t it?!”

George and the chasers where in an all out riot now, having only paused in their laughter long enough to clap and cheer when Ines had blocked the shot.

A breathy chuckle found its way out of him too, but a new sense of determination welled within him as he faced the incoming bludger and caught the gleam in her eyes. He was impressed, he could privately admit, but he wasn’t about to let her show him up.

“Yeah! But, oh, that makes it a real shame you lot still haven’t beaten ‘em in a real match yet, doesn't it?!” He fired back at her loudly, taking a swipe at Hufflepuff’s track record, though he could still hear a touch of a grin in his own voice. Down below the chasers suddenly seemed to recall their house pride and started to yell cheerfully for Ines to take him out while George remained his only steadfast supporter.

Ignoring the shouts, Fred furrowed his brows and tightened his grip on his broom as he faced down the bludger that Ines had sent hurtling towards him. He rolled away from it at the last possible second, though he quickly realized that he had underestimated the force Ines had put behind the thing. The wind sweeping off of the bludger rocked him on his broom and for a millisecond his stomach gave a lurch as he thought he might topple off the Cleansweep, but he managed to pull through his spiral and smirked as he straightened out again and—without so much as a second’s hesitation—shot straight up in the air. As he’d hoped, the bludger turned in the air and gave chase after him.

He tore past Ines, giving her a wink as he sailed just feet away from her, still climbing rapidly straight up with the bludger trailing feet behind him. He laid himself flat against the broom, climbing higher and higher until the air began to chill and the clouds seemed only a hand's length away. Then, just as a the Cleansweep gave a shuddering protest at the height, Fred sat up and took his hands off the broomstick, cutting his magic off from it. The broom went dead in the air. Fred let himself tilt over backwards and begin falling back down towards the earth with an enthusiastic whoop, his beater’s bat held at the ready as he plummeted downwards towards the bludger.

He fell rapidly on the dead broom, his face screwed up in concentration. He’d been practicing this move since the summer and somewhere in the back his mind, he knew Woods was going to kill him for showing it off before their first big game of the year, but...he just couldn’t find it in himself to care.

He just had to make this look good.

He and the bludger hurtled closer and closer towards each other. Down below he heard the group of chasers go quiet with a mingling of surprised awe and anxiety. Fred drew the bat back as he closed in on the bludger—in a real match, he would have been doing all this behind cloud cover, aiming to surprise an enemy beater by attacking from out of sight; the speed and momentum of the ball being struck by a free fall swing just being a extra little surprise for his victim—but for now he stayed within sight of the pitch, wanting nothing more than to be seen as he gave this move its first public showing. The redhead had almost reached the ball now. He swung the bat back and—

FWEET! The sound of a sharp whistle pierced the air.

The bludger stopped dead in its tracks and Fred swung at the empty space where the ball should have been had it kept going, nearly unseating himself when he hit nothing but air. He paddled the bat around awkwardly as he tried to lean back on his broomstick, falling a few more precarious feet before he managed to grab hold of his Cleansweep and right himself.

“WEASLEY!” Madam Hooch’s voice bellowed from the pitch where she stood glaring up at him with her hands on her hips. “Get down here this INSTANT! What are you THINKING?! As a matter of fact---all of you! Down here, now!”

Without so much as giving him the time to re-seat himself on his broom, Fred saw Hooch pull out her wand and felt his broom being yanked down to the pitch, though the woman hardly seemed content to wait on everyone to reach the ground before she went on her tirade, her voice perfectly clear in spite of the distance.

“I would think that the headmaster made himself explicitly clear at the start of the term. You’re all to stay within school grounds! Need I remind you, that includes airspace!” Madam Hooch pointed a bony finger straight up where, just past the clouds, the inky silhouettes of Azkaban’s dementors now slithered in and out of view just above the limit Dumbledore had placed on them, mere feet from where Fred had peaked.

“Ten points from Gryffindor! What the bloody hell is even going on out here, Diggory?!”
 
Ines took a second to revel in the excited and proud cries that came from those who were watching; teammates and otherwise. She caught a glimpse of a couple of people hanging around the side of one of the large seating towards and didn’t anticipate her sister and little brother being there - Deidre was afraid of heights and Killian didn’t enjoy Quidditch.

“Yeah!” Ines’ gaze jolted back to Fred at the sound of his yell, remembering quickly that she was in the middle of practice “But, oh, that makes it a real shame you lot still haven’t beaten ‘em in a real match yet, doesn't it?!”

“Oh, cheap shot, Weasley!” She cries back, eyebrows furrowed.

It was true that Hufflepuff hadn’t beaten Slytherin at all that year. It wasn’t because the team was bad. It was because, as a Hufflepuff, one thing you didn’t do was disgrace your house with cheating and or playing dirty (ironic, in Ines’ case); especially during Quidditch. And Slytherin had no qualms about getting as nasty as they could with Hufflepuff because they knew they wouldn’t experience any form of payback. It was frustrating, really.

Ines kept her eyes on Fred. As much as she hated to admit it, even if it was only to herself, Fred was incredibly talented as a beater. He had a good position, his hand was on his broom firmly and his bat rested tight in his hand. And he had the body for it too.

She found herself rolling her eyes briefly as she watched the bludger shoot toward him - she needed to focus on what she was doing and what was going to happen.

And so she did. Her eyes locked onto the scene before her and she watched as he managed to barely avoid the bludger by rolling to the side; her eyes widened slightly as he swayed, now slightly unbalanced. But that didn’t stay as he managed to straighten out through his loop.

When he shot up into the air, her eyes only got a little wider. What was he doing? She hadn’t even registered the wink he shot her, as she was too confused to even bother looking at his face. He was going up so far and she wondered how long his broomstick would hold on. He had a Cleansweep and those were only made to go up a certain distance before giving out completely, as all brooms were - she was just fairly sure that that model wouldn’t go too far at all.

And as he began to plummet back down, she wasn’t the only one who seemed worried. George didn’t look phased at all, but everyone on her team seemed anxious. He was trying some sort of play and she was too panicked to even think of what it could’ve been. She may not of liked him, but she also didn’t want him to fall to his death or something.

He was pulling back his bat.

He was going to swing.

And— !

FWEET

Ines, not expecting the sharp noise of a whistle, jumped a little bit and looked over toward one of the pitches.

“WEASLEY!” It was Madam Hooch, and she looked less than pleased. “Get down here this INSTANT! What are you THINKING?! As a matter of fact---all of you! Down here, now!”

It seemed that her team was allowed to go down to the field and dismount, but she noticed that Fred wasn’t given the option because Madam Hooch had pulled out her wand and was now forcefully dragging him toward the ground. And she hadn’t even taken a breath before continuing to holler, enraged.

I would think that the headmaster made himself explicitly clear at the start of the term. You’re all to stay within school grounds! Need I remind you, that includes airspace!”

Ines’ eyes followed the woman’s finger up into the hazy clouds were she could see darkened figures floating eerily around the air space. Sometimes she forgot they were even there, and every single time she saw one, she got the chills. She was no stranger to the stories of what they did to witches and wizards in Azkaban.

“Ten points from Gryffindor!” She looked back to the flying instructor, feeling uneasy as well as slightly guilty - it wasn’t their fault they were being yelled at, but they still happened to be slightly involved. “What the bloody hell is even going on out here, Diggory?!”

Cedric looked a little uncomfortable at being yelled at, but he kept his composure well, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Rickett was injured during detention this morning and Macavoy went to help him, so Fred and George both offered to take their place for our practice.”

“Things just got out of hand.” Ines piped up, and she caught a glimpse of a small and thankful smile from Cedric out of the corner of her eye. “We promise that we won’t let it happen again.”
 
“Ten points from Gryffindor!”

The angry words rang in Fred’s ears just as he was forced to touch down on the pitch. “Rubbish!” He bristled, a fresh wave of annoyance sweeping through him as he shot a look across the field at Madam Hooch---though it looked as though the clamor of the grounded Hufflepuff team had drowned out his protests. Holding stiffly onto his broom, and feeling annoyed that his thunder had been stolen from him, Fred sloped off across the field to join the rest of the team in their scolding.

What a disgrace. He hadn’t even done anything! She could’ve at least noticed the Filibusters he and George had charmed to look like mugs in the professor’s lounge room earlier today. Let him lose those points over something good. But to be punished for mere misconduct? Pathetic.

Still musing over the missed opportunity, he came to a stop next to George and blinked, slightly surprised to see his twin and the Hufflepuffs staring straight up into the clouds. He followed their lead, casting his eyes skyward just in time to see one of the dementors skulking out of sight through a wispy cloud that broke apart after the creature had swept through it.

Realization dawned quickly on him as he looked back down to Madam Hooch’s pallid face. Yet, he couldn’t help some lingering feeling of indignation as he listened to her rant and rave. Wasn’t like he’d touched the ruddy things. And wasn’t it technically supposed to the dementors avoiding them?

“What the bloody hell is even going on out here, Diggory?!”

The yelling dragged Fred from his thoughts. Cedric stood in the midst of his team, looking uncomfortable as he offered a quick explanation and apology. As if he even owed one.

"Things just got a little out of hand. We promise we won't let it happen again."

Fred turned his head to look over at Ines as she stepped forward to defend her captain and teammates before another word could be said. All around her, he watched as her housemates nodded along gratefully at her support. A grin ghosted its way back onto his lips as he looked around the team and then back at her. It was almost hard to believe that she actually associated with families like the Malfoys. She was stuffy. No doubt about it, but at least she and her siblings still seemed…human. A lot more than he could say for most of that upper crowd.

"I should certainly hope not…" Hooch glanced over at Ines and grumbled. She still seemed a bit shaken, her lips pursed together in a firm line as she gazed around the group, as if quietly checking on each of them before she turned her sights back on Cedric. "But honestly, you're a prefect, Diggory!"

Fred turned his head again just in time to watch Cedric’s attention flit away from Ines to the Professor, his expression level but his shoulders pulled a little tight as he dipped his head respectfully while she told him off.

"You should be well aware of the risks this year and train your team accordingly." Madam Hooch went on, "What on earth are you even teaching them? That high up, even in good conditions--"

Right. He'd seen enough.

"Teach us?" Fred interrupted the flying instructor's tirade, earning himself a sharp look. He grinned in spite of her, stepping forward from the group, swinging his broomstick up casually to rest over his shoulder, "he didn't teach me that."

"Yeah," George piped up, flashing him a grin before leaning forward on his own Cleansweep and boasting, "D'you see that form?"

"We've been working on that for months---"

"That was all us."

Fred’s grin broadened widely as Madam Hooch turned slowly towards him, looking slightly bewildered that the pair of them were claiming the blame when usually they did just the opposite.They had to though. They were Gryffindors through and through, after all. They’d speak up and own their faults (especially if someone else was about to catch the hell for it)...but they weren’t gonna do it with any humility. That was Harry’s bag and he could keep it.

“We’re thinking about calling it the Deathly’s Daring Dead Drop.” Fred mused, grinning a little wider when he saw a few of the Hufflepuffs who’d been watching his fight mummer excitedly between each other. The dumbfounded look on the flight instructor’s face as she processed his words just made it all the better.

“Geor--no, Fred!” Madam Hooch finally rounded all the way around on him, leaving Cedric looking only faintly surprised to left alone, “This isn’t something to boast about!”

“Nah, ‘course not. But if I’d finished it…”

He could almost see Madam Hooch’s blood pressure rise as she straightened herself up rigidly and furrowed her brow. “Very funny. How about we go share the joke with Mcgonagall? Maybe she can get you to take this seriously….George! You too for laughing!”

Reaching out and coaxing both of them away from the Hufflepuff team, Madam Hooch huffed and looked over her shoulder, “You lot….can finish your practice. But, Cedric? Keep them low. No one above the hoops. Understood?”


(( Feel free to do a little time skip towards the end of this or whenever if you want! Unless you have something else you want to happen on the Quidditch Field first, in which case I’ll keep them there for that! I left it kinda open ended here so we could go any way we needed~ ))
 
"I should certainly hope not…" Ines listened quietly, hoping that the woman would understand that it was a simple mistake, but her brow furrowed even more at her following comment, "But honestly, you're a prefect, Diggory!"

She glanced over at Cedric and felt a small pang of guilt. Ines felt as if, when she thought about it, most of the situation had escalated because of her and Fred. She took the bait and decided that challenging his words was a good idea and now a good friend (and her team captain, nonetheless) was being scolded like he was a child who threw something at dinner.

"You should be well aware of the risks this year and train your team accordingly." The Hufflepuff team kept their gazes averted, uncomfortable as they shifted under the words coming from Madam Hooch."What on earth are you even teaching them? That high up, even in good conditions--"

And then Fred spoke up, interrupting her. Cedric and Ines shared a briefly concerned look before watching the scene before them unfold. In the back of Ines' mind, she sort of felt the smallest bit of satisfaction at how he stepped in like that - Madam Hooch had never been her favorite teacher by any means. The bravery of Gryffindors always threw Ines for a tiny bit of a loop sometimes.

When she focused back in on the scene between the woman and the twins, she heard Madam Hooch exclaim, “Geor--no, Fred! This isn’t something to boast about!”

“Nah, ‘course not. But if I’d finished it…”

Ines caught a glimpse of a couple of her fellow Hufflepuffs biting their lips in an attempt to hide smiles. And out of the corner of her eye, she saw Deidre by the stands hiding her laugh behind her scarf. Killian didn't seem very amused. “Very funny. How about we go share the joke with Mcgonagall? Maybe she can get you to take this seriously….George! You too for laughing! You lot….can finish your practice. But, Cedric? Keep them low. No one above the hoops. Understood?”

"Yes, ma'am." Cedric nodded his head.

When the woman turned and had finally gotten a few feet away, Cedric spoke again - "You heard her. We can continue to practice, but no one above the hoops. Understand?"

As Ines nodded her head, she turned it to watch the twins and Madam Hooch leave the field.


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The rest of the day had been much less stressful than Quidditch practice had been. And she didn't have any other classes, so she headed to the one place she had a feeling that neither of the twins would ever step foot in: the library.

Since her first year at Hogwarts, the quietness of the library had become somewhat of a safe haven for her. She usually chose a corner that was farther in the back than most students did, which gave her even more privacy. She could get essay upon essay done within only a few hours when she was left alone. Luckily all she had to do was simply read a chapter for charms class.

But as she began to read, she found herself distracted by the day's events. Quidditch practice, even though she didn't want to admit it, had been rather... fun. Up until the scolding from Madam Hooch, of course. It wasn't often that she was able to banter like that with someone, especially someone that wasn't her sister.

She groaned softly and shut the textbook before leaning back a little bit, rubbing her face. Ines hated being so distracted. It didn't happen that often. She needed to focus. So, she quietly withdrew her wand and flicked it, lightly floating her quill up and down in the air. It was a charm. Maybe Winguardium Leviosa would get her focused back into her charms studies.
 

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If Madam Hooch had been counting on McGonagall for outrage, Fred knew she’d gone back to her quarters disappointed.

As per their usual, Professor McGonagall had looked wholly unimpressed to see the two of them hauled into her office yet again. That had changed a bit when Madam Hooch had explained how close Fred had gotten to the Dementors, but upon hearing that nothing had actually happened she’d settled back down again, her face stern and unreadable as she reclined into her seat and thanked Madam Hooch for her watchful eye before having sent her on her way.

Fred had been beaming, expecting to get away with a lecture or maybe some quick lines, but unfortunately, old McGonagall knew exactly where to hit him. She had given him two options. He could either A) write an essay due tomorrow on the dangers of dementors and the safety precautions one should take around them, or B) allow the school to contact Mrs.Weasley and ask her to discuss the dangers with him herself.

Having grown quite fond of living, he’d decided on the essay.

At least, in theory.

He’d yet to put any actual work (or thought) into the assignment. Instead, he’d spent the better half of his day in the Great Hall, basking in the fruits of his labor. At first, he and George had only gotten questions about the move that some of their housemates had seen them practicing on the field. However, just as the uproar was starting to die down, a mug at the staff table had burst into a rain of green and pink Filibuster wet-start fireworks just as Snape poured his tea into it. Lupin, who looked like he’d been suffering some snide comment at Snape’s hand, had to cover his mouth with a napkin to politely hide a grin as he offered help in the cleanup.

The Gryffindor table had erupted all over again.

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Fred and Lee were still laughing to each other now as they wandered the corridors, heading towards the common room to begrudgingly end their free afternoon.

“How’d you know you’d get Snape’s mug though?” Lee pressed as they walked, beaming a grin ear-to-ear.

“Didn’t.” Fred confessed airily, turning his head to watch a group of Gryffindor girls giggle as they skittered past the pair of them, “Just got lucky.”

He watched the girls until they passed by one of the lower library entrances, his gaze sweeping briefly over the rows of books and stopping the instant he recognized a face in one of the far distant corners. Ines was sitting alone, almost completely hidden by the rows of books and stored parchment.

Fred picked his head up and slowed his pace, coming to a stop long before Lee had noticed that he’d fallen behind. “I’ll catch up with you. Think I’m gonna go get that essay done.”

Lee stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at him, brows raised high. Fred glanced back at his friend in the silence and snorted when he saw the other boy reaching slowly into his pocket and drawing out his wand with mock wariness, “Okay. Who are you and what have you done with Fred Weasley?” He pressed, failing to sound serious.

“Sirius Black,” Fred joked back dryly, though a few of the figures in the paintings around them jolted upright, “—and I killed your friend then pitched him up as a new scarecrow for my daisy garden.”

“Oh, in that case,” Lee pocketed his wand again and gave an approving nod, grinning despite his efforts not to, “Should do you good, then. A mug that ugly… not even crows could stand it, yeah?”

Fred cracked and laughed before lifting his chin in the library’s direction to explain himself.

Lee followed his gesture, squinting into the library for a few seconds before he finally seemed to spot Ines. “Ahh,” He leaned back and rolled his eyes, turning to carry on down the corridor without any more question. He tossed a hand into the air to wave as went, “I’ll let George know you’re sleeping in the hospital wing tonight then!”

“Cheers!” Fred called back appreciatively, then turned and headed for the library, feeling far more hopeful about the outcome of his visit than Lee apparently was.
​
He moved quickly through the rows and rows of bookshelves. He already felt slightly restless in the quiet, where all he could hear was the distant sound of pages turning and quills scribbling on parchment. How anyone ever actually managed to stay here and do anything was beyond him. Even on the rare occasions he and George actually did need to use the library for a bit of school work before Mum killed them—or more importantly to research something for one of their inventions—they’d always done it at night. When they were free to make as much noise or mess as they wanted, right under Filch’s nose. Occasionally even Peeves would join in and help liven the place up a bit by tossing some ancient parchment around like confetti. That was all that made this place bearable even then, but quiet and serene as the place waw now? He could barely—

His train of thought cut short when he rounded the corner and found himself only a few shelves away from his mark. Ines was still sitting in her isolated corner, she and the desk she was working at bathed in rays of late afternoon light that filtered in through the castle window overhead. Tiny bits of dust and owl plumage filtered through the shaft of amber light, raining down the lone Hufflepuff like an early snowfall, and the midst of it he saw the end of the quill that she was levitating glinting the air. The redhead watched her for just a second before grinning. He straightened up and shoved his hands into his pockets then marched forward across the library floor.

“All right, Glaspy?” He greeted brightly as soon as he was behind her. Without waiting for a response he plopped himself down onto the edge of her desk, grinning cooly. He turned his sights up to the quill hovering in the air and raised a brow. “Y’know, you might be the only person I know—’sides Hermione of course— that takes a break from homework by...practicing homework.” He pulled one of his hands from his pocket and reached out, giving the floating quill a quick poke to mess with her charm. He shook his head pityingly, though when he glanced back down at her, he was still wearing a grin. “Shame…”
 
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Ines was quiet as she levitated the quill, mind deep in thought. She remembered the first charms class that she ever had and how she flawlessly had raised that little white feather into the air, and how a few years later, she learned of a Gryffindor who did the same thing. She didn’t know Hermione well enough to call her a friend, but she had talked to her during the occasional evening when some of the top students from each house would get together and study. She was smart for being so young. It was impressive.

Part of her wished she could have it as easy as Hermione did. She had two muggle parents who had, apparently, simple jobs and knew nothing about blood purity or the struggle of social status pressure. And Hermione never had to deal with obnoxious siblings, having to basically raise them on her own because their actual parents wouldn’t even give the time of day.

“All right, Glaspy?”

Ines jolted suddenly at the voice, jumping in her seat and breaking the charm briefly before shooting him a displeased look. She would never understand how Fred was able to sneak up on her like that, though she knew part of it was her fault this time because she had been so far into her thoughts. So she mumbled the spell again and raised the speckled quill, turning her attention from him as he sat down on the edge of the desk she was stationed at.

“Y’know, you might be the only person I know—’sides Hermonie of course— that takes a break from homework by… practicing homework. Shame…”

She snorted dryly, swatting at his hand with her own free hand when he poked at the quill. “If you consider magic to be homework, you’re in the wrong school, I’m afraid.”

Even if she had to learn a charm or spell, that was far less strenuous than homework, if you asked her.

“Besides,” Ines said, finally lowering her quill back down to the desk, “maybe if you did your homework, you’d get better grades.”

She didn’t really have to guess in order to figure out that the twins probably didn’t have the best grades. Which she thought was a bit of a shame. They were truly clever enough to be good students. But it seemed as if they just didn’t care.

“And speaking of homework…” Ines gestured to the textbook she had in front of her, along with the couple sheets of parchment she had been writing notes on. “I have some to finish. So would you please go away?”

She wasn’t dumb enough to think that he would actually listen to what she had to say or to the fact that she wanted him to leave. But she figured it was worth a try, even if the try was likely useless. As she waited for the, likely cheeky, response, she jotted down something from the textbook that caught her eye. Just something she would likely ask Professor Flitwick about in class the next day.
 
Smacked away from the floating quill by a swift strike from Ines, Fred drew his hand away, grinning widely at the annoyed look on her face. He shoved his hand back into his pocket but didn’t budge from the corner of her desk. Instead, he stretched his legs out lazily, slumping more comfortably down onto the desk as he listened to her fuss.

“If you consider magic to be homework, you’re in the wrong school, I’m afraid.”

The redhead snorted, the corner of his eyes crinkling with an unbothered smile that he made no attempt to hide from her—both because he felt the response would annoy her and because truth be told, he didn’t entirely disagree with that statement. Fond as he was of Hogwarts for Quidditch, friends, and all the trouble the place had let him and George get up to, he couldn’t say he felt any particular fondness for its academics. That sort of thing might have suited everyone else but it’d always been too...slow...and constrained for him. Any magic he and George ever wanted to learn, they’d more or less been able to figure out for themselves with enough trial and error (and he was certain that if they'd been permitted to use magic outside of school grounds, they’d have known even more), but…there was no telling Mum and Dad that. So here they where. Enduring the likes of Professor Binns and other unproductive sorts.

“Besides, maybe if you did your homework, you’d get better grades.” Fred started to crack at that, but before he could even get the full laugh out, Ines carried out haughtily, rustling the pages of her textbook impatiently at him, “and speaking of homework, I have some to finish. So would you please go away?”

Fred smirked down at her, wasting absolutely no time in proving her right about his refusal. “Nothing doing, I’m afraid…” He chimed, not sounding a bit sorry at all, “but, if it makes you feel any better, that’s only ‘cause I’ve decided to take your advice. I’ve got some homework to take care of too.” He turned his head, cutting her a brazen sideways glance as he turned her own words against her and used them to excuse his lingering, “Don’t want that grade to get too low, after all."

He turned and slid across the table, plopping himself down unceremoniously into the chair just across the table from Ines. “McGonagall's got me writing a couple scroll’s worth of rubbish about dementors and how to avoid ‘em after today. Can you believe it?” Fred said as he dug around in his pocket. A second later he’d produced a ragged old quill that was missing whole rows of feathers at the top, its worn tip showing signs of having been filed to a point many times over the past few years.

“Can’t figure out why they think we need the lesson…” He looked up from the quill to Ines, his smirk changing into a knowing grin and he leaned forward over the desk as if sharing something secretive, “I mean, we’ve all been avoiding Pince and Filch for years already, haven’t we?”

As if on cue—almost as if the universe wished to prove his point—Madam Pince hissed lowly at some nearby students. Fred sat up, twisting in his seat to glance down the rows of desks to where a couple of Ravenclaws were shrinking into their seats under the librarian's scornful stare. Pince was in a right state, accosting the Ravenclaws in a quiet but acidic voice. She’d reached out and seized a bag of opened sweets off of the table and was now shaking it at the other students, apparently displeased to have the food anywhere near her precious books. A heartbeat later, the woman brandished her wand and whisked away the student’s books, inkwells, and parchment with a flick of her wrist. With their items hovering preciously in the air, Pince reached out and pulled the student's seats back and commanded them to leave. She followed closely after them, her purple shawl trailing behind her in the air as she walked, looking quite similar to the grim rags that the dementors wore if he did say so himself.

Feeling supremely vindicated, Fred turned back around and faced Ines with his eyebrows raised high as if to say ‘see?’ as Madam Pince stomped past their table with the nervously apologetic Ravenclaws in tow.
 
“Nothing doing, I’m afraid… but, if it makes you feel any better, that’s only ‘cause I’ve decided to take your advice. I’ve got some homework to take care of too. Don’t want that grade to get too low, after all.”

So she had been right, and that really wasn’t a surprise to her at that point - the twins had become quite easy to predict, even only having really had to deal with them for a few days so far. However, she raised an eyebrow at his mention of him actually doing homework and gave him a suspicious look, eyes narrowed.

Ines then watched him slide across the table top and sit across from her smoothly and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He always had to show off, didn’t he?

“McGonagall's got me writing a couple scroll’s worth of rubbish about dementors and how to avoid ‘em after today. Can you believe it?”

“I absolutely can.” Ines said with a huff, looking at him plainly.

She watched as he with drew a quill from his pocket. She didn’t say anything as she looked at it. Seeing students with supplies that were obviously beyond well used made her feel a little guilty for having so much money, especially because she knew other people needed it more than she did. And what made her feel even worse was the fact that she was using a few brand new supplies her father had sent her through the post right in front of him.

“Can’t figure out why they think we need the lesson…” Ines narrowed her eyes when he leaned forward, keeping his voice low. “I mean, we’ve all been avoiding Pince and Filch for years already, haven’t we?”

“Madam Pince and Filch are-“

He hiss from Madam Pince didn’t startle Ines so much as it annoyed her into silence. She watched as the woman took a bag of candy from the students that she was chastising. And as she removed all of their belongings from the table, Ines rolled her eyes a little at the sight of the Ravenclaws looking uncomfortable. And she remained silent when Madam Pince moved past the table they were seated at. One of the Ravenclaws looked at Ines and Fred, almost as if for help, but she simply shook her head, which seemed to make the young boy slouch disappointedly.

After the woman had led the Ravenclaws out of sight, Ines sighed. “It’s really not hard for people to follow simple rules. If they did that, they wouldn’t have just gotten in trouble.”

And as she flipped to the next page in her book, she glanced at Fred with a serious expression. “And as I was saying, Madam Pince and Filch are staff members. She’s a witch and he’s a squib. They are nothing compared to dementors. If you ask me, you should have gotten much more than just an essay assigned to you. You could have had your soul sucked out of you, which is considered worse than death.”

Ines was quiet for a moment as she started to write her notes again. Her quill moved quickly and looked almost expensive - the feather itself was white with brown and black freckles across the tip, and the quill end itself had a golden cap that she dipped into the ink. It was to help her writing look smoother and it kept her from having to sharpen it so often.

“Just because you’re an annoyance doesn’t mean I want you dead.” She clarified after a moment, looking up at him and pausing in her writing. And then she shrugged, continuing as she then added, “Paralyzed by falling off your broom from that ridiculous stunt, maybe, but not dead or dead inside.”
 
Fred watched as the captured Ravenclaws trudged ahead of Madam Pince towards the door, looking for all the world like they were being marched out towards the gallows as the old witch carried on with threats about speaking to their Prefect. He brandished his wand under the table, rolling it slowly between his fingers as he readied himself to cause some kind of distraction for the young Ravenclaws, maybe a quick—

“It’s really not hard for people to follow simple rules. If they did that, they wouldn’t have just gotten in trouble.”

The redhead blinked at the words. He looked back at Ines across the table, suddenly forgetting the wand in his hand. A part of him was waiting on a punchline to that statement (after all, she’d broken a rule herself just a few days ago, brilliantly at that) but to his annoyance, there was no irony in the Hufflepuff’s expression when she looked up from her textbook to meet his gaze again. If anything she seemed downright sanctimonious about the claim. He felt his brow furrow slightly, the polished point of her expensive quill flashing in the fading sunlight suddenly annoying him.

“So, bending the rules when it suits is acceptable only for you now, is it?” He said, his voice airy, though he couldn’t help the sardonic edge that sharpened his words. He looked away to where the Ravenclaws had been sitting. He didn’t even know the kids, but hearing her so blandly condemn them for their harmless rule breaking when she’d committed a classroom bannable offense that same week (and simply hadn’t been caught, then or any of the other times she used Deidre's potion) rubbed him the wrong way. It was a bit too Malfoy-ish for his liking.

Remembering why he’d come to the library in the first place— and knowing George would rag him for months if he ruined this deal for them—Fred tried to push the negative thoughts aside as he sat up in his seat, but the lecture Ines was slipping into didn’t exactly help. He rolled his eyes as she started but somehow managed to hold his tongue long enough to let her say her piece. Boringly prim and proper as it was.

“And If you ask me, you should have gotten much more than just an essay assigned to you. You could have had your soul sucked out of you, which is considered worse than death.”

“But it was fine!” Fred protested almost as soon as she’d finished. He turned in his seat and lifted his wand, giving it a flick and muttering a quick ‘Accio!’ under his breath to summon some of the free parchment and ink in the Library’s supply bin over to their table. “ ‘Sides, if I spent my whole life worrying about what might happen and I’d pretty much have my soul sucked out already. Don’t see how that’s much better, myself.” He tacked on matter-of-factly as the borrowed inkwell and parchment settled with a rustle in front of him.

He fell quiet when she did, putting his wand away once again and sitting forward in his seat to wrestle with the aged parchment in front of him. By now, he was well accustomed to the way the free paper’s browned edges always seemed to curl in on itself no matter how many times it was flattened, but if anything, he took private joy in picturing the professors having to struggle with it too whenever he had to do one of these forced essays. He placed the inkwell down on the top of the page, using it as an impromptu paperweight while he propped a forearm down on the bottom half of the parchment then leaned forward to dip his quill into the well and scrawl his name in the top right corner. He got as far as scratching out the paper’s title at the top of the page and underlining it before he started to feel restless again in the calm of the library. To his surprise, however, it wasn’t him that broke the silence.

“Just because you’re an annoyance doesn’t mean I want you dead.”

Fred picked up his head and looked at her, one brow raised.

“Paralyzed by falling off your broom from that ridiculous stunt, maybe, but not dead or dead inside.”

The redhead felt his grin spreading back over his lips, “Aww, knew you cared, Glaspy…” He cooed at her teasingly, finding it a little easier to let his annoyance with her go for now in favor of lighter discussion. Especially if it meant he wouldn’t have to endure another one of her lectures.

He sat up in his chair, the essay under his hands all but forgotten as he let the grin spread further across his freckled face. “But, really, come off it— You were impressed with that 'stunt'.” He insisted, pointing his frayed quill accusingly at her, not at all shy about boasting over the showing he made on the Quidditch field, “I saw that look on your face…”

Fred dropped the quill back down, the neglected ink on its tip almost completely dry now without having written a single word, “Y’know, you weren’t so bad yourself. A lot quicker than I remember.” He paused there before adding with a playful smirk, “Hufflepuff might be fun to play against this year, after all.”
 
“So, bending the rules when it suits is acceptable only for you now, is it?”

She could feel herself bristle as she narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing. She understood why it sounded hypocritical, what she had said, but when she had cheated on that potion, she really didn’t have a choice. Her mother would have killed her. She would have been sent a howler for low grades and she would have been mocked relentlessly for the next few weeks, and honestly, she didn’t have even the slightest amount of mental stability to put up with that at the moment.

“But it was fine!” Ines looked at him incredulously at the way he protested her words, gaze not leaving him even as he summoned parchment and ink. “‘Sides, if I spent my whole life worrying about what might happen and I’d pretty much have my soul sucked out already. Don’t see how that’s much better, myself.”

She stared at him only a bit longer before forcing her eyes down to her notes. Ines hated to admit it, even just to herself, but he did actually have a valid point. If someone simply stood by and did nothing exciting or risky, they would be nothing but a shell of a person and that wasn’t worth not taking a risk (even if she thought the risk he took still wasn’t worth it).

And the comment she made about it obviously wasn’t taken seriously, and neither was the slight threat about her still wanting him hurt but not dead.

“Aww, knew you cared, Glaspy…”

Ines looked up from her notes with a glare, though the tell-tale sign of her embarrassment was the flush of color that hit her ears before any other part of her head.

“But, really, come off it— You were impressed with that 'stunt'. I saw that look on your face…”

“It would have been impressive if you would have actually finished it.”

Her quip came easy as she forced herself to dip her quill into her ink and continue writing notes. She was not going to get suckered into admitting that something so dangerous actually had been slightly impressive. Absolutely not.

“Y’know, you weren’t so bad yourself. A lot quicker than I remember.” She glanced back up from her parchment quietly to look at him again. “Hufflepuff might be fun to play against this year, after all.”

“A beater doesn’t need too much speed, but thank you.” She said with a flourish of her hand as she crossed one of the t’s on her notes. “Accuracy and good teamwork is what a beater needs most.”

She continued to write on her parchment after that, easily focusing on keywords and knowing exactly what she had to write down and what to ignore. But after a second, she lifted her head and glanced at his quill.

“It’s dry again, you know.” She pointed out with a small and slightly playful smile. “Am I really so interesting to talk to that you’ll let your quill dry up for me?”

It was much easier for Ines to actually have a little bit of lightness to her words when she was on her own - interacting one on one was far easier and put less stress on what was expected of her. She didn’t have to act like a young woman who was supposed to take over a business or like a girl who got everything she could ever want because of who she was.

She got to be herself for once.
 
Fred simply couldn’t help but let his grin widen when Ines shot a glare up at him for twisting her words and ignoring her threats. Even in the dimming light of late afternoon, he could see the tips of her ears beginning to turn crimson, standing out starkly against her dark hair (though for the life of him he couldn’t tell if the flush was from embarrassment or sheer annoyance with his existence, either way though, she was to mess with.) Especially because he knew by now that Ines wasn’t the sort to take something lying down.

And she wasn’t about to disappoint him.

“It would have been impressive if you would have actually finished it.” The quip seemed to come to her naturally.

“Yeah, well...” Fred found he couldn’t actually disagree with her. However, taking a certain pride in the fact that she hadn’t denied being impressed, he gave a cool shrug before beaming with conviction, “Next time, then.”

Because, of course, had all the intentions in the world of doing it again. Essay or none, neither McGonagall nor Madam Hooch had taken the time to make him swear or sign that he wouldn’t give the move another go— not that he’d have listened even if they had—but if either of the professors tried to tell him off on it later, he’d be sure to point the detail out. He doubted they’d ever get the chance, anyway. Next time he or George pulled it off, it’d be in the middle of a match and he expected a crowd of victorious Gryffindors would drown out any complaints the staff might have.

Quite content with the subject of Quidditch, Fred leaned back in his seat, letting his head tilt just a fraction as he watched Ines scrawl something down on her parchment with a dignified air about her. “A beater doesn’t need too much speed, but thank you.” He raised a brow slowly and listened, “Accuracy and good teamwork is what a beater needs most.”

Without missing a note, the redhead let his grin sharpen to a smirk. “Well, having one out of three’s nothing to be ashamed of…you’ll get there.” He said soothingly, putting on his best playfully reassuring expression.

Only a second later, he’d cracked and let a soft amused noise escape him. He settled back into his seat, hardly noticing the seconds that passed as he watched her scribble another line of notes down. He blinked when she turned her eyes back up at him and grinned, gesturing to the air-dried quill in his hand.

“Am I really so interesting to talk to that you’ll let your quill dry up for me?”

Fred glanced down to the frayed quill and then back up to the Hufflepuff witch, briefly caught off guard by her teasing and, most of all, by the new mirth in her voice. He’d heard her jest before, of course. Even just earlier that day on the quidditch field. Yet something about her seemed different now. The smile on her lips seemed to finally reach her eyes. That was something he’d seen on her only briefly on the field when they’d been tossing the bludger back and forth at one another. Now though, without the Hufflepuff team all jeering below her, her smile lingered. Of her own accord, even.

Now they were getting somewhere.

Fred finally grinned himself, mirroring her expression while he sat upright in his seat with his shoulders pulled up importantly. “Obviously.” He answered in a mock huff, “A pretty face or homework…? Not much of a competition, is it?” The quip came to him and left his mouth in the same instance, though he didn’t pause to let himself reflect too much on the passing compliment—it was warranted enough anyway. Obnoxiously obsessed bookworm or no, Glaspy had always been easy on the eyes. He shook his head, more committed to his bit than anything else, “Honestly, thinking I’d ever pick work,” he muttered as if she’d wounded him. He shot his blank parchment a nasty look before lifting his chin and facing Ines again, brows furrowed in spite of the obvious smile on his freckled face. “What kind of Weasley do you take me for?!" He accused, making sure to sound incredibly offended.

“Shh!” An annoyed hiss sounded from the other side of the bookshelf to their right, but Fred paid them about as much attention as he was giving his essay.

“Don’t count Percy in that either!” He warned, “We think he’s adopted. A gnome Mum took pity on one day and raised.” Playing upon all his best acting, Fred shook his head with sarcastic sympathy, “We’ve tried tossing him out of the garden at least a dozen times so he can rejoin his people...but he always comes tottering back up the hill covered in dirt and in a temper. In his blood though, I suppose. Can’t help himself.”
 
“A pretty face or homework…? Not much of a competition, is it?”

That caught Ines off-guard and it definitely showed; her expression sort of went blank for a moment before she had the realization that he was actually complimenting her. That wasn't something she was used to, really. Sure she had a few guys flirt with her here and there, but she usually ignored them in favor of not having to deal with them anymore (most guys hated being ignored when they were trying to get something from her). Her cheeks flushed a little and she realized that she was sort of unsure of what to say for a moment and she simply looked back down at her notes, trying to figure out just what to say next. But it wasn't like she had the chance to say anything, however.

“Honestly, thinking I’d ever pick work. What kind of Weasley do you take me for?!"

She looked up again after a second and rolled her eyes, unable to help herself. Just as she went to let out a retort, someone from the other side of the bookshelf between them and another table voiced their displeasure with their volume.

“Shh!”

"Sorry." Ines winced a little, lowering her voice a tiny bit.

But it didn't seem that Fred got the memo as he continued to talk. “Don’t count Percy in that either!”

"How can I not?" Ines asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's the only Weasley that seems to know what the word 'homework' even means."

Percy Weasley happened to be the only Weasley that she had met before the twins forced their way into her life. They knew each other well enough to be considered acquaintances, she supposed; they often took the time, along with the other top students from the other houses, to study before their big exams. They could talk amicably enough if they ran into each other somewhere. She didn't really mind him all that much.

Just as she began to write another line of notes, Fred's voice reached her ears once more.

“We think he’s adopted. A gnome Mum took pity on one day and raised. We’ve tried tossing him out of the garden at least a dozen times so he can rejoin his people... but he always comes tottering back up the hill covered in dirt and in a temper. In his blood though, I suppose. Can’t help himself.”

Ines bit down on her lip. Her reaction came slowly, mainly because she was trying her hardest not to laugh - she set down her quill and buried her face in her hands, body trembling. When she looked back up after a moment, she was trying her hardest to give him a disappointed look. It was much less disappointed as it was amusing; her eyes misty from how hard she had struggled to not react and disturb anyone in the library.

"You're the one who can't help yourself." She huffed, blinking away the tears from withheld laughter and shaking her head slowly. "Percy is not that bad. You're just mean."

There was very little conviction behind her statement. She talked about Deidre like that a lot to Ophelia. It was mainly because she wondered where her sister got her exuberance and why she was yet another person who seemed to live for disrupting her life and schedule.

"I wonder if he would get you in trouble if I told him you were harassing me..." Ines hummed, turning back to her notes with a tiny smile and contemplative look in her eyes.
 
Fred felt the smirk he’d been wearing in response to his own joke spread into a toothy grin when Ines went still in her seat. Her eyes were locked on her parchment as if the notes in front of her were suddenly the most important thing in the world, but he could tell by the stillness of her eyes that she wasn’t reading. No, she distracting herself...or bloody well trying to.

He watched the corner of her lip turn pale as she bit down on it to try and hide an obvious grin. “Aw, c’mon,” the redhead mused encouragingly, shaking his head and snorting when she resorted to setting aside her quill and burying her reddening face behind the shelter of her palms, “You know it’s true…”

Fred slouched over the table side, propping his elbows up on the wooden surface and watching her like a hawk for even the slightest outward giggle—anything he could report to Deidre and win their bet with. Oh, he couldn’t wait to see the look on George’s face when he told his twin that it’d been him who had finally gotten Ines to crack. But most of the ambition left him as soon as Ines picked her head back up and faced him. Her brow was furrowed like she intended to glower at him, but the flush in her cheeks and her attempts to fight the smile curling her lip just gave her something of an amused pouty look. Fred blinked, distracted for a second, then quickly devolved into a snickering fit of his own as she continued to try and glare him down like that.

"You're the one who can't help yourself. Percy is not that bad. You're just mean."

“Yeah, you’re right.” Fred settled after a few seconds, though there was still an edge of snickering amusement in his tone as he faced her with a lopsided grin, “He’s worse. I reckon he might even be part goblin. Never forgets a debt and he was infatuated with that shiny badge Hogwarts sent him. That’d explain the looks too…”

He watched her for a moment, feeling slightly disappointed when she picked up her quill and turned her attention back to her notes, but perked up again when she spoke.

"I wonder if he would get you in trouble if I told him you were harassing me..."

“Pft!” Fred scoffed, making a loud raspberry noise that earned him another frustrated hiss from behind one of the bookshelves, but yet again he paid it no mind. “You’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that, Glaspy…” He did his best to sound disappointed in her choice of threats, taking this as his turn to lecture her, though he did so with a smarmy air about him as he beamed, “You have any ideas how many times we’ve ignored one of his ‘detentions’? At least give me a challenge if you’re gonna try to shake me off.”

“Buuut...if we are gonna have a go at this sort of game--” Fred drawled, mischief glinting in his eyes. He let the words hang heavily in the air for a few seconds as he lounged back into his chair until he was balancing it on just two legs. He met the tiny smile she’d permitted herself with a confident smirk of his own, playfully mimicking the humming tone she'd used to threaten him with a second ago, “I do wonder what else Deidre might cough up if I put her on to the fact that you’re lookin’ to interfere with her plans?”

After all, he was fairly certain at this point that Ines let her siblings bug her far more often than he ever had or would.

“Probably be another week’s worth of work for me and George at the very least...”
 
“Yeah, you’re right.” The moment of satisfaction that washed over Ines began to disappeared as he continued to talk. “He’s worse. I reckon he might even be part goblin. Never forgets a debt and he was infatuated with that shiny badge Hogwarts sent him. That’d explain the looks too…”


“Oh, stop it!” She huffed, but a smile finally broke out on her face that time around - even as she shook her head to try and show him that she was disappointed in the mockery he was making of his brother. And then her smile became a little bit cheeky as she added, “Besides, if he’s a goblin or a gnome, you sure aren’t a wizard. A leprechaun, maybe. If you’re lucky.”

Her amusement with the idea of him doing a jig or something else just as leprechaun-ish was quickly squashed by his response to the idea of her telling Percy. She found herself rolling her eyes. Of course they had skipped out of the detentions that he gave them. It wasn’t really a surprise, when she thought about it. Even though Percy wasn’t a bad guy, he was really bad at actually enforcing and/or standing behind anything he said sometimes.

“Buuut...if we are gonna have a go at this sort of game--” Ines looked at him again, eyebrows furrowed as he tilted himself back in his chair. “I do wonder what else Deidre might cough up if I put her on to the fact that you’re lookin’ to interfere with her plans?”

“I’m always interfering with her plans,” Ines shrugged, her smile gone and her demeanor less-than-pleased, “so only Merlin knows what she’d be willing to give you two...”

“Probably be another week’s worth of work for me and George at the very least...”

She had been trying to keep herself calm, but the idea of dealing with them for another week was absolutely awful. “Don’t you even dare think about it. I’m looking forward to this week being over.”

That was what she claimed, of course, but was she really so excited for it to be done and over with? It was rare that anyone even bothered to put up with her. Most people would have just given up on the payment and went about their lives. She was stubborn. But it seemed that Fred and George Weasley weren’t most people.
 
“I’m always interfering with her plans, so only Merlin knows what she’d be willing to give you two…”

“Uh-huh.” Fred mused casually as looked across the table at Ines, leaning only further back into his seat and resting his arms comfortably behind his head. He could tell she was trying to keep her cool about his threat, but the sudden rigidity in her voice completely gave her away. It was almost funny to watch her try and bluff her way through this—only to crack instantly at the promise that he and George would be more than willing to extend their deal with Deidre given the chance.

“Don’t you even dare think about it. I’m looking forward to this week being over!”

“Oh, really?” He dropped his feet back down to the floor and let his chair fall back down into place with a clatter that seemed to ring through the whole study area. He was pretty sure whoever had been hushing them from the bookshelf had given up because he didn’t hear them complain this time. He leaned forward to rested an elbow on the table, “Sounds like I could get a pretty good deal for tipping Deidre off to your Prefect negotiations. Full week’s more of work, extra dose of Deidre’s potion maybe, more chances to annoy you….” He titled his head from side to side and pulled a face like he was weighing his options, “That’ll mean the price for my silence must be pretty high by now, yeah?”

He kept a stare on her for a moment—acting as if he really was going to milk this situation for every Sickle it was worth—then finally broke back into a playful grin, “But lucky you, Glaspy, I’ve got coin covered.” He winked, and making a joke of her earlier accusations of him being a leprechaun, added: “It’s in my blood…”


He made a point of never truly confirming or denying his inhuman heritage for the next hour or so as the two of them continued to work into the night (or, better said, she worked and he occasionally scribbled some nonsense down onto his parchment under the pretense of having a reason to stay there). It wasn’t long before the sun had vanished behind the mountains in the distance and candles and fireplaces became the only sources of light inside the school. Not too long after the light had faded from the windows, Madam Pince had started making her rounds through the library, rousing students who had fallen asleep on their assignments and shooing the lot of them back to their dorms before curfew befell them.

Fred had very briefly walked the corridors with Ines, following her all the way to the start of the hall that lead to the Hufflepuff dormitory, just to get in a few last cracks, and—mostly—so he could make a showing out of tricking the painting guarding the kitchen into letting him pass; which he did with a wink and mock salute as he vanished through the picture frame and helped himself to a few late night snacks before following the path left by the Marauders back to Gryffindor tower. His essay still very much unfinished.

✧

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The next day and a half passed with little development. With none of their classes lining up, he and George were limited to visiting with the Glaspys only at mealtimes and occasionally in the hallways whenever they could find Ines. There was little worry between them, however. Even as their deadline on the deal drew close. Because according to George, their shared Divination class was bound to be their ticket. After the library visit, however, Fred felt pretty sure they were close to getting a laugh out of her no matter the situation—quick memories of Ines’ grin and the pouty look on her face as she’d struggled to contain laughter had played often through his mind the past two days.

“I jus don undertan wh--” Lee tried speaking around a yawn before giving up and letting the yawn play out, stretching his jaws wide, before he shook his head and tried again, “Just don’t understand the point of a nighttime Divination class...like the nonsense isn’t boring enough in broad daylight.”

“You’re off your rocker if you understand the point of a Divination class at all. Day or none.” George said matter-of-factly.

“Yep. The pair of us would’ve dodged this entirely if it wasn’t a duo class.” Fred agreed heartily with his twin, pulled from his thoughts of the library by their banter.

The three of them where bunched closed together, climbing the coil of marble stairs that wound their way up to the Divination classroom high above. Outside, the sun had set a couple of hours ago and most everyone was settling into their common rooms for leisure or study, but Hufflepuff and Gryffindor fifth years wouldn’t be seeing their rooms for a few more hours yet. Trwelany had decided to add stargazing to their studies as a last minute note just the day before and now roughly half of the class had bothered to turn up.

“That still goin’ on? With Ines?” Lee puffed, glancing between the pair of them and chuckling, “You two must be losing your edge….almost a week. Not even old yet and you’ve peaked. Shame.”

“Don’t see you helping out.”

“And you won’t be seeing it tonight either. Rile Ines Glaspy? On top of the astronomy tower--the very high astronomy tower--no less? I’ve seen enough matches to know better. Girl’s got a mean right hook.”

Fred snorted laughter along with George. They pushed their way up past the trap door that led into the Divination classroom. It was—as ever—like stepping into a toaster. The small landing was crowded with a mingling of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students that had begun to gather together around the tiny tables, most of them looking bored and vaguely annoyed that they had to be here. A very select few were gathered close to Trelawney's desk, rested comfortably on their cushion seats as though they’d been here for a while in anticipation of the extended lesson. The redhead coughed and waved a hand in front of his face, trying to fan away the heavy smog of perfume and incense that hovered in the air. Somehow, he’d actually started to forget just how bad it was up here.

“Ahh,” Trelawney’s misty voice sounded from the center of the room. She got to her feet and padded across the wooden floor towards them, her collection of bangles clattering with every movement. “I was beginning to fear something most ill had befallen you Weasley boys...and you as well, Mr.Jordan. It has been quite some time since I’ve seen you in my classroom.”

“Er, yeah,” Jordan was the first to scramble for an excuse, “Been really…”

“It does not matter,” Trelawney interrupted, though her voice implied that it actually mattered very much to her, “The past is set. We can look only to what we have now and at what is to come. I’m most pleased you have chosen tonight to join us. We are working in pairs of three tonight. Is this,” she gestured to them with an airy wave of her hand, “your chosen party?”

“Actually,” Fred spoke up, trying hard not to choke again on the heavy perfume wafting from the fireplace, “George and I agreed to meet Ines Glaspy tonight.”

Lee stared at him for a moment like he wanted to protest, but seeing a few familiar faces in the Gryffindor crowd, he relented.

“Send her our way when she comes in, Professor?” George smiled at the woman. Fred flashed him an appreciative grin, already anticipating the look on the Hufflepuff’s face when she realized that they’d actually shown up—early no less—and roped her into their antics before she had so much as a chance to debate it.

Trelawney turned her sights on George and blinked, the motion seeming exaggerated behind the magnification of her thick spectacles. “I see, fate already written. Very well. Please take your seats and we’ll begin when everyone has arrived.”

Parting ways with Lee, Fred led the way over to one of the corners of the room closest to the window and settled down onto a cushion. It took them a moment to get settled, and the two of them had a good laugh at the very exuberant show Lee seemed to be putting on for a dark-haired girl in his new group, but it wasn’t long before Fred caught himself glancing restlessly at the door, eager to see Ines' reaction to the 'trap' waiting for her.
 
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The next day and a half were much more peaceful than the few days before. Because Gryffindor and Hufflepuff didn’t have a schedule that seemed to fit together, the only time that the twins could bother her were during lunch and whenever they managed to seek her out while she headed to her classes. She hadn’t been able to really dodge them lately, so it was still nice to have a little time to herself.

Though the night that she had planned on staying in the dormitory and studying for a potions exam happened to be full - she had forgotten about an evening Divination class, which was also unfortunately a dual class with Gryffindor. She was certainly disgruntled as she left her shared room with Ophelia and headed down the hall toward the Divination classroom.

“So, what’s it like with the twins bothering you almost every second of every day?” Her friend asked almost immediately once they started walking.

“They’re beyond obnoxious.” Ines huffed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I can’t understand for the life of me how people put up with them constantly. Merlin knows I’m already losing my mind having them on my back, and it’s only been a week.”

“You’re frustrated.” Ophelia stated.

“Of course I am!” Ines scoffed. “How could I not be frustrated with them being—“

“Not with them,” Ophelia interrupted, “but with yourself.”

Ines looked at the Asian girl, eyebrows furrowed confusedly. And when Ophelia saw her expression she simply laughed.

“I’ve known you since we were little, Ines.” She pointed out. “You get all fired up when someone pushes you out of your comfort zone. I can see it on your face.”

Ines was quiet for a moment before simply huffing, quickening her pace to walk ahead of Ophelia and completely missing the smile and eye-roll her friend gave her. Ines refused to believe that was the case, that someone could read her so easily.

Even though Ophelia was right.

Ines was out of her comfort zone. Having two people almost pushing her to try and laugh and be happy was extremely unusual, and having that much attention on her was befuddling, to say the least (though a small voice in the back of her mind tried to tell her that, even though it was overwhelming, it was a good thing).

When she reached the marble staircase, she climbed it without hesitation, holding her head high. She was determined to try and pull herself together before reaching the classroom. She absolutely refused to let the twins win her over that evening. They would reach the end of the week with zero results and walk away empty-handed and leave her alone for the rest of her life, and that would be that.

As she stepped into the classroom, she was assaulted by both the smell and the heat. Sandalwood and sage was strong and she knew she’d have to take an extra long bath after stargazing to get rid of the aroma. And the room being hotter than a day during the peak of summer didn’t help ease the headache she was already starting to get.

“My dear, how has your younger brother been faring?”

She realized after a second that the professor had wandered up to her, as she did with almost every student. And it seemed that this time around, she was going to give her some “important” advice - Ines would have rolled her eyes, if not for the fact that she couldn’t take the bespectacled witch even slightly serious.

“He’s perfectly healthy.” She answered, her words edging on curt - she hated the idea of truly disrespecting a professor, regardless of how false they were.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. Talk to him once you leave class and you may find yourself thinking twice.” Trelawney shook her head lightly, but the jingling of her many necklaces ruined the unsettling effect Ines imagined she was aiming for. “Oh, and it seems you have partners waiting for you already. They were very insistent that they received you as their third.”

Ines glanced around at the people sitting at the small tables until she saw the twins with an empty spot between them. Fred was looking her way eagerly and she sighed.

“I didn’t have to be psychic to see that coming.”

She glanced over her shoulder and glared at Ophelia, who had made the witty comment. For a moment, she watched her friend wander over to a Hufflepuff boy and a Gryffindor girl, quickly starting up a conversation.

So Ines, knowing she had no possible way to escape, walked over to the twins with an almost forcefully distasteful look on her face. She could do this. She would not let them break her.

“At least you took a table by one of the windows.” She mused and sat down carefully on the rounded pouffe between them.

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Just as Fred had come to expect, Ines didn’t keep them waiting long for her arrival. This whole week he hadn’t seen her arrive to a class late. If anything, she seemed to always be at least five minutes early; it’d taken real effort on their part to beat her here this time—but it was worth it for the look that dawned on the Hufflepuff’s face the second she turned to see them by the window. Fred lifted a hand and gave her a mockingly enthusiastic wave, grinning broadly when he heard his twin snicker at the quip from Ophelia. He dropped his hand back down to rest over the cloth draped table and watched, amusement lighting his eyes, as Ines walked stiffly over to join them. Her jaw set like she was marching to face a court.

“At least you took a table by one of the windows.”

“Of course!” George said brightly, shuffling on his cushion to make room for Ines between them (difficult as that was at the tiny table), “Can’t properly do our jobs if we let the heat or fumes get to you first, can we?”

Fred beamed at his brother’s enthusiasm for a second before rounding on Ines, studying her granite features for a moment before shaking his head slowly. “Now, c’mon, Ines…” He cooed slowly, putting on a serious expression—or the best he could muster anyway, as he could still feel the curl of a grin in the corner of his mouth—“What’s got you looking so bothered? The night’s just started…”

George caught on a heartbeat later and grinned.
If Ines was going to come in with her walls up, then they’d just have to get a jump on knocking them down.

“Oh, want us to have a look?” George offered, sitting up beside Ines and patting down the pockets of his robes as if he was searching for something he'd misplaced. “We’re fresh outta tarot cards...but I’ve got some frog cards on me—” He reached into the chest pocket of his robe, pulled out a couple of chocolate frog cards and flourished them at her, “—should be just as good, I reckon.”

A dark-haired witch on one of George’s cards lifted her chin imperiously at them, her long thin fingers tapping impatiently together while the chains around her wrists jostled noiselessly. Meanwhile, the portrait of Dumbledore smiled congeniality out at them, almost seeming to find some sense of humor in the situation.

“No, no, no!” Fred leaned across the table and shoved the cards back at his brother. “Don’t be thick. Look at those worry lines!” He lifted a hand and gestured (mocking Trelawney's grandiose motions) to the glare on Ines’ face, “This is a deep-seated issue.” He leaned back slightly on his pouffe and snatched up the crystal orb from the center of their table, “And it's clearly going to take some balls to sort out…” He insisted, holding up the crystal ball for half a second before giving it a slight toss and catching it in his palm again.

A few of the student sitting near to them snickered or groaned, but before he could even gauge their progress on wearing Ines down, Trelawney rounded on them, her skirt billowing out around her dramatically as she turned. “Do not make light of that, my dear boy!” She held a hand out to him, her mouth set into a deep frown, “Just a month ago, that very crystal spoke to me of your fate. You--” she paused, gazing at him sympathetically for a moment before shaking her head and seeming to change her mind and alter her prediction, “You will suffer the interference of an imposter in your life soon....you should take these classes seriously. Perhaps you will see it coming and be able to act before damage is done…”

Fred watched the Professor turn away from them, though a few students’ eyes still lingered on their table curiously. Aware of the crowd, he rolled his eyes before turning back in his seat and plopping the crystal ball back down on the center of their table, its foggy contents swirling around madly. “Imposter,” He muttered mockingly, looking over at Ines, “Can you believe—”

He cut himself short and pretended to only just now notice George sitting across from him.

“Bloody hell!” He reached out and grabbed Ines’ shoulder dramatically, “It’s him!! He’s already here!”

More than a few of the students started to crack up around the room, now, even those that had laughed at his cruder humor. Trelawny, however, seemed to be rather suddenly busy jotting something about Zodiac signs down onto her blackboard, conveniently deaf to the mockery going on behind her.
 
“Of course!” Ines shifted a bit herself, finding the seat just as uncomfortable as usual, and the feeling was only amplified because she was squished between the twins. “Can’t properly do our jobs if we let the heat or fumes get to you first, can we?”

“No, but it would give me the advantage if it made you both pass out.” She pointed out easily, glancing out the window briefly.

She glanced briefly at Trelawney before leaning back and opening the window with a firm push - just enough for her to get a little breeze nearby.

“Now, c’mon, Ines…” She moved her gaze to Fred, glaring at the way he spoke to her as if he was trying to butter her up (she knew he was, but that was what annoyed her even more). “What’s got you looking so bothered? The night’s just started…”

George then spoke up with, “Oh, want us to have a look? We’re fresh outta tarot cards… but I’ve got some frog cards on me..”

Ines was quiet as she watched George withdraw two chocolate frog cards. Albus Dumbledore and what she thought might have been a famous criminal of some sort.

“Should be just as good, I reckon.”

“You’re both idiots.” Ines murmured as she rolled her eyes as she spread out the star chart on the small table in front of them, preparing for the lesson.

“No, no, no! Don’t be thick. Look at those worry lines! This is a deep-seated issue.”

Ines continued to keep her sights on the chart, mentally making note of where everything was in an effort to distract herself from the very brief twinge of self-consciousness at the idea of already having some sort of physical sign of stress. The parchment seemed to have been charmed to show the current and upcoming night sky, allowing them all to witness the positions of the stars. The sight of the stars actually made her relax slightly. She was trying her hardest to ignore the twins and she refused to let them get what they wanted.

“And it's clearly going to take some balls to sort out…”

Ines couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at the corner of her cheeks, even as she groaned lowly with a few other students. She hated inappropriate humor like that, but somehow, it caught her off-guard. She shouldn’t have been surprised that they would say something like that. She looked up as some of the other students reacted and she saw Lee Jordan chuckling and Ophelia giggling with the two people she sat with.

“Do not make light of that, my dear boy! Just a month ago, that very crystal spoke to me of your fate.” Ines looked up at the outburst from their professor and found her own smile had disappeared - Trelawney was being dramatic and Ines couldn’t stand it. She never had been able to.

“You… You will suffer the interference of an imposter in your life soon. You should take these classes seriously. Perhaps you will see it coming and be able to act before damage is done.”

As she turned away from them, Ines mumbled, “What a coincidence that the very crystal on our table talked to you about two people, coincidentally, sitting here...”

That comment made a couple nearby students bite their lips in an attempt to stifle either a laugh or an agreeing statement - though she supposed that it could have been both. Very few people believed in anything that the older witch said for many reasons. She had even overheard McGonagall talking about the imprecise magic related to Divination.

“Imposter,” she glanced at Fred when he spoke, “Can you believe—”

She was confused when he stopped himself, but was quickly distracted when he grabbed at her shoulder - it made her jolt back a little and look at him, slightly alarmed.

“Bloody hell! It’s him! He’s already here!”

Ines had almost broke then and there, the other students letting out a round of laughter that seemed to be ignored by their, conveniently, distracted professor. A broad grin settled on her lips and she took in a deep breath, exhaling in an attempt to keep herself quiet. But she did nudge Fred in the ribs with her elbow, giving him a briefly frustrated look.

“Shut up.” She huffed out, shaking her head as the grin on her face returned as she looked away.

Ines glanced around at the students again, noticing that they still seemed quite amused with the way the twins were acting. She saw Ophelia was even trying to wipe the smile off her face, but when they made eye-contact, it easily returned and her friend’s smile came back wider than before.
 
Beaming at the sound of laughter all around him, Fred turned his head to try and steal a look over at Ines, hopeful to finally see the Hufflepuff witch grinning back up at him.

“Shut up...” A hiss met him instead, but even in spite of the resentment in her voice, he couldn’t stop himself from grinning. He was sure he’d seen the ghost of a smile on her lips, if only for a second before she’d forced a scowl (not unlike the pouty glare she’d given him in the library) and rounded on him. He curled reflexively away from her jabbing elbow, pulling his hand from her shoulder as he did, but his grin only broadened when Ines looked quickly away from him again in the next moment. Almost as if she was trying to hide her expression...

Oh, they had her.
He knew they did.

After all, even Ines didn’t seem to be able to take this class to seriously. A few people around them where still whispering back and forth each other, repeating Ines' earlier sarcasm in low giggles while others hooted and howled more openly at George (who was now presenting a very dramatic case that he was actually the one suffering an imposter because the cereal in his bowl had aligned to inform him—a professional bran flakes reader—of such that morning).

“Alright, my dears,” Professor Trelawney finally turned away from the blackboard, blinking slowly behind her massive glasses as she surveyed the chaos spreading through her classroom as if she’d only just noticed it. “Settle down, settle down...” Fred turned his attention reluctantly away from Ines and his brother to see the woman lifting her hand into the air to call attention to herself. Slowly but surely, the room quieted. “Yes...there we are, very good.”

Trelawney turned with a great sweep of her silk scarves and set the chalk she’d been using to write with down at the corner of her desk. “You will recall that when our paths last crossed, we had begun to discuss the difference your star and sun signs. I asked you to keep a record of your mood and fortunate this past week in accordance with the movement of the planets. Today, I expect...”

Fred shuffled on his cushion, already regretting their choice to actually bother with this rubbish as Trelawny droned on through her lesson, making great sweeping motions up towards the domed ceiling as she did. What small breeze had been sweeping past the window had long since stopped, letting the stifling heat of the perfumed fires settle heavily in the air, stirred only by the Professor’s grandiose gestures and the occasional stirring of a student who’d almost fallen asleep.

“—For tonight’s lesson,” Fred eventually found himself tuning back in to the professor’s words if only because this phrase was the first thing that had sounded like actual English to him, “I would like each group to share a single roll of parchment, on which everyone is to record a brief synopsis of your journal assignment. When you have finished, please make your way outside to the top of the astronomy tower,” Trelawney waved to the ladder and trap door in the back of the room, “We will then view the stars together and map the placements of our sign’s ruling planets. You will then make and record predictions about the path that your partner’s planet shall take within the next few days and write a few paragraphs about what victories and tribulations they can expect this week. I urge you all to be open-minded and truthful with one another.”

The class met the request with a descent into low murmuring that ranged from boredom to outright confusion. Fred snorted audibly when Trelawney gazed around at them with the first flicker of annoyance in her expression. “For example!” She spoke up over the disturbance around the class and people paused in pulling out their parchment and books to gaze up at her, looking vaguely inconvenienced. “For example...a Libra…” The professor closed her eyes for a second and swayed on her feet, one hand stretched out in front of her like she was trying to feel her way through a dark room. She swayed and spun like this for a few seconds before she coming to an abrupt halt, her palm pointing right at Ines. The professor blinked her eyes open again ( looking to Fred like she’d just woken up out of some drunken stupor) then glanced down at her hand before lifting her eyes to Ines and nodding. “Yes. A Libra like you,” The woman stepped towards their table, “...you’ve had a busy week, but also one of your happiest, filled with fortune and good company. Venus has traveled unheeded by shadow….oh, yes, you’re positively glowing, my dear.”

Just as soon as she’d started, Trelawny snapped her spine up and turned to speak to the class, still standing in front of their table. “These are the sorts of details and predictions I would like to see in your assignments. Refer to your textbooks as needed for reading planetary movements…”

She carried on with more instructions, but Fred could hardly be bothered to listen. Not when they’d just been handed pure gold like this. He turned back to the table, not at all surprised to see that George was grinning like mad.

“You hear that?” He twin whispered through Trelawny’s lecturing, leaning forward on the table, “We’re good company, Fred…”

“Good? I’d say we’re right corking—one of her happiest weeks!” He boasted back with new fervor as he turned his grin to Ines, making it clear that (crackpot theory or no), they weren’t going to let this unintended praise go anytime soon. “You want to write that one down? Or should we?”
 
“Alright, my dears,” Ines turned from Fred to focus on their professor, still trying to focus on the lesson and not the twins, who seemed to only grow more confident at how close she had been to slipping up, “settle down, settle down... Yes...there we are, very good. You will recall that when our paths last crossed, we had begun to discuss the difference your star and sun signs. I asked you to keep a record of your mood and fortunate this past week in accordance with the movement of the planets. Today, I expect...”

Ines glanced down at the parchment she had brought with her, the journaling she had done in the past week had been stressful. She was always caught between lying, which she hated to do in classes (but she was fairly sure that Trelawney's class shouldn't have even been labeled as such), and telling the truth. This time, she had done a little bit of both. She wasn't going to say her week was absolutely horrible, which she wouldn't admit aloud because it really hadn't been. But it hadn't been the greatest either and she may have exaggerated that part a bit more than usual.

“—For tonight’s lesson,” Ines finally looked up after reviewing her parchment for any misspellings or details that seemed strange, and she reluctantly began to listen again. “I would like each group to share a single roll of parchment, on which everyone is to record a brief synopsis of your journal assignment. When you have finished, please make your way outside to the top of the astronomy tower. We will then view the stars together and map the placements of our sign’s ruling planets. You will then make and record predictions about the path that your partner’s planet shall take within the next few days and write a few paragraphs about what victories and tribulations they can expect this week. I urge you all to be open-minded and truthful with one another.”

"Yeah, like that's going to happen." She mumbled underneath the bored and annoyed murmurs of her current classmates.

Ines was tempted to take advantage of the fact that the twins didn't do any work whatsoever so she could avoid showing her parchment to them. It wasn't like she had anything private on it, but she was sure they would manage to detect her lying and she didn't want to have that pointed out when the professor was likely going to be nearby.

“For example! For example...a Libra…” The classroom quieted down and Ines watched their professor with a mostly blank expression (a bit of her expression remained skeptical, as it usually was in that class). Ines remained quiet as Trelawney turned, almost clumsily, which caused her bangles to jangle obnoxiously. When she pointed to her, Ines quirked an eyebrow almost dryly. “Yes. A Libra like you ...you’ve had a busy week, but also one of your happiest, filled with fortune and good company. Venus has traveled unheeded by shadow….oh, yes, you’re positively glowing, my dear.”

Professor Trelawney seemed to completely ignore Ines look of blatant disbelief, which was fueled by everything the woman had just said to her. “These are the sorts of details and predictions I would like to see in your assignments. Refer to your textbooks as needed for reading planetary movements…”

“You hear that? We’re good company, Fred…”

George's voice made her glance over to him, but her attention was quickly drawn to the opposite twin as he said,

“Good? I’d say we’re right corking—one of her happiest weeks! You want to write that one down? Or should we?”

"Oh, there's no need," Ines said quietly, giving him a dry smile, "she has no idea what she's talking about."

Just as their professor turned to continue her dramatic words, Ines raised her hand and it barely caught the woman's attention. Though she didn't have a chance to say anything to Ines before the dark-eyed girl started to speak.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, professor, but something... well, a few things, but they don't matter so much..." Ines sighed softly, forcing a soft and falsely apologetic look on her face. "Anyway, something you said wasn't correct. I was born in September, which makes me a Virgo. Not a Libra."

There was a silence in the room and some of the students leaned forward a bit more to watch the scene play out. Professor Trelawney looked briefly confused and Ines simply sat there with that fake, too-sweetly sorry look on her face.

"Are you sure, my dear?" The witch leaned in slightly, appearing to be almost confused.

"I am absolutely sure that I know what month I was born in." Ines' expression dropped from that false, sorry sweetness into quite obvious annoyance.

The classroom erupted in a wave of tittering - most students were not even bothering to hide it. Ines noticed that Ophelia was covering her mouth, but still laughing all the same. Even she found Ines' comment, and likely attitude, funny.

Professor Trelawney was silent for a moment before letting out a hum of, "Well... how strange. You carry yourself quite like a Libra... Though now that you've spoken, I understand that you are a Virgo. Always one to point out the details..." and then the woman turned to the rest of the class, gesturing with her arm. "Now I will release you to your own devices. Please... begin!"
 
“Oh, there's no need,”

Fred could feel a smile spread across his face when Ines shot him the exasperated look of someone who’d just decided once and for all that this class wasn’t worth her time.

"she has no idea what she's talking about."

“Obviously.” He and George chimed in unison on either side of the Hufflepuff witch.

Fred leaned back a bit on his cushion, avoiding the hand that Ines had thrust into the air to get the professor’s attention. He stole a look across the table at his brother, one brow arched with intrigue. George grinned back expectantly at him before turning in his seat for a better look at the professor, who had only just spotted Ines’ hand in the air and turned to face their table again with a look of surprise.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, professor, but something... well, a few things, but they don't matter so much...Anyway, something you said wasn't correct. I was born in September, which makes me a Virgo. Not a Libra."

The smile on his face evolved into a toothy grin as Fred listened to the sickly sweet tone that Ines was forcing into her voice. He genuinely couldn’t tell if she was putting on the act as an attempt to sound more affable in her complaints or to mock Treawlany’s own exaggerated tones, but either way, he couldn’t contain his amusement as he peered up at Trelawny. The woman looked as lost as she ever did, blinking slowly down at their table as if Ines had just sprouted a second head on a whim.

“Are you sure, my dear?”

"I am absolutely sure that I know what month I was born in."

Fred snorted loudly at the sudden arid shift, and from the corner of his eye, he could see George’s shoulders bouncing with a chuckle—neither of them making an effort to contain themselves in front of the Professor. Not that it mattered much, what with Ines having the whole class in an uproar. He stole a quick glance around the classroom and noted, with a flicker of admiration, that Ines’ sarcasm had even forced a few of the teacher’s pets who’d crowded around Treawlny’s desk to try and hide their grins behind their hands.

"Well... how strange. You carry yourself quite like a Libra... Though now that you've spoken, I understand that you are a Virgo. Always one to point out the details…” Fred couldn’t help another snicker at the back-handed compliment, “Now I will release you to your own devices. Please... begin!"

“Close one,” George was the first to speak as Treawlny scuttled away back towards her desk, where her favorite students sat rigidly at attention, trying hard not to look amused as they humored the teacher with questions about their own signs, “Last time we were in here and she started in on “examples” she droned on for hours…” Fred watched his twin turn an appreciative glance on Ines, “Not a bad save, Glaspy.” George praised and clapped her on the shoulder briskly, still beaming with amusement at her sarcasm, “Not bad at all…”

“Our hero~” Fred cooed mockingly in response, leaning over slightly to drop the side of his head down onto Ines’ shoulder; partly to poke fun at his brother’s animated praise of her and partly just to further mess with Ines herself.

Fred laughed and sat upright again a second later when George flashed him a look. One that assured him that George knew good and well that he was playing the hypocrite. After all, he'd been impressed with Ines getting the whole class laughing too, but he wasn't about to give his twin the chance to point it out.

“Well, anyway, c’mon,” Fred urged the both of them, pushing away from the table and hastily getting to his feet, “Let’s get out of here before the crazy old bat hits her stride again.” He inclined his head towards the Professor’s desk where Treawlwany was once again casting her hands about in the air as some poor thin-faced girl set her parchment down in defeat and waited for the dramatics to end.

Without waiting for an answer, Fred turned and led their trio across the classroom towards the ladder that led up to the astronomy tower. A few other groups had beat them there and they had to wait a few seconds, watching their classmates climb the rungs until the hems of their robes vanished from sight. Eager to be out of the classroom, Fred followed after them in short order, only coming to a stop to wait for George and Ines after he'd clamored through the trap door and out into the night.

A few of the other groups had already started to spread out, gathered in tiny groups all along the tower’s parapet to get a good view of the stars. Crazy as Trelawny was, Fred had to give her credit where it was due. She’d picked a good night for a midnight class. Despite it being early fall, the sky overhead was clear; a perfect blanket of darkness without so much as a single wisp of a cloud to block their view. The air was still all around them and had a significantly early chill to it—no doubt thanks to the ruddy dementors everywhere—but Fred hardly minded after being stuck in the sweltering Divination classroom for the past twenty minutes. If anything, it was actually quite pleasant.

“Now, this is more like it.” He mused appreciatively, taking a second to roll the sleeves of his robes up to his elbows to cool himself off quicker as he lingered by the trap door, waiting for George and Ines to join him.
 
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