May the Best Man Win |×| Fred Weasley | 1 |×|

×| THIRTY-TWO |×

THE LATE MAY SUN SET A GOLDEN HAZE OVER THE GROUNDS. It was late afternoon, the air still and mild and fresh with the changing of spring to summer, and the sky bright and cloudless over the heads of those outside. Most students were gathered in small groups to study for their various exams that would begin the following Monday with textbooks and parchment spread over the courtyard and the newly cut lawn around the castle walls - though Evelyn's notes remained untouched in her dormitory.

She and Fred sat side by side at the foot of the tree on the shores of the black lake as Max and George explained the finer details of the game they'd planned for that day, whilst Lee, Ashton and Nikki lounged off to the side (having again been roped into the task.) Even Ethan had been dragged into it (something about needing an even number of people for the plan) and was sat to Evelyn's other side with his hand on her thigh.

The logic was, as Max had enthusiastically explained before dragging Evelyn from the library and her studies, that this should provide a release from the stress of exams that had been playing on their minds. Evelyn hoped, for lack of a better term, that Max's promise of an enjoyable afternoon would prove accurate.

"It's like this Muggle game called Laser tag," Max said, pacing the length of shoreline in front of the others with a grin, "we're in teams, and you have to try and hit all the members of the other team with a tickling charm. if you get hit, you're out."

"Whichever team gets everyone on the other team out first wins." George spoke with a mischievous smirk, "The only rules are that you can only use the tickling charm - no sneaky hexes - and that -"

"You can't use broomsticks or anything. Just your wands." Max had interrupted him mid-sentence, coming to a stop from her excited pacing and was now bouncing on the balls of her feet next to George. She made eye contact with Evelyn, winking, as if to assert confidence that they would win this without trouble.

Evelyn looked to the side and saw Fred sending much the same look to George and Lee. She had to admit, they'd have a good edge. All the sneaking around setting up pranks should serve them well with catching Evelyn's team out. She quickly began to formulate a sort of plan in her mind as to how she could use her own skills to her advantage when George spoke up again with another vital morsel of information.

"And I'm mixing up the teams."

"Since when? We never discussed that!" Max's forehead creased in confusion. Evelyn's eyes widened, her eyebrows raised, and she refrained from developing the plan any further. This would change things.

"Evie, you'll be in a team with Ashton, Nikki and I," George nodded at her and Evelyn smiled, glad enough with who she'd be working with although she'd not really had a preference to begin with - she began to trust in Max's vision of an enjoyable afternoon when she realised what that meant for the opposing team. Her eyes flicked between Fred and Ethan as George continued, "And Fred, you're with Lee, Max and -"

"McDreamy." Fred grumbled, almost inaudibly. Evelyn instinctively slapped his leg, and Fred stuck his tongue out at her. He lazily shifted away from her and Ethan in the direction of Lee, whilst Ashton and Nikki came over to where Evelyn sat. Reluctantly, Ethan stood to join Max and the rest of his team. Evelyn looked at him apologetically, and then proceeded to stare daggers at Fred in an attempt to force him to be at least civil for the sake of the rest of them.

She hoped Fred wouldn't start a civil war - although perhaps it would be beneficial to her chances of winning. His being on the same team as Ethan could serve as an advantage to both teams, she realised, as it meant that Fred wouldn't spend the entire time trying to take Ethan out. Perhaps George had thought more about this than she'd first assumed.