"I was curious. Couldn't really rely on adults to tell me the answers, could I?"
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄. Complex and beautiful in nature, yet quite fragile. It is malleable, constantly evolving and adapting to the infl...
tw: quick mention of abuse and non-consensual touch
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CHAPTER THREE ( SHADOW!)
ALBERT LOOKED AT THE GINGER THAT PLOPPED DOWN NEXT TO HIM. The self-proclaimed Fred had a mischievous smirk on his face that meant nothing good for anyone in proximity.
"You're not Fred," Albert stated briefly. "That's Fred." He pointed at the other redhead that was whispering with his sister. Jessica, already aware of this, continued on with her hushed conversation. George obviously served as a means to distract the three Slytherin boys from whatever he and Fred were scheming. However, the trio could not care less, as they began to devour their meal.
Theodore and Blaise could hear hints of the quiet exchange, "Peeves is going to kill us both," shot an annoyed Jessica.
"Funnily enough, he can't kill us. He's dead," Fred rebutted. The ginger raised an eyebrow amused that the Korean girl was trying to weasel her way out of his genius (read: not-well-thought-out) plan.
"Well then Minnie is going to kill us! And I'm much more afraid of her," she hissed back. It became a glaring match between the two very stubborn personalities. His challenging stare only fueling her spite. Jessica began to turn to eat her lunch, signaling the case was closed. However, the redhead couldn't help but notice the healing cut just above her cheekbone.
Fred was about to question her until the latter turned her attention to the other set of twins that were having a increasingly heated argument.
"And why do you say that Albert?" The real George questioned.
The pair of twins had a strange relationship. It has sprouted from Fred and George trying to prank a seemingly oblivious Albert and Jessica who were simply trying to find a book in the library. A balloon of flour popped on top of them, showering the two and their immediate surroundings with white powder. A rather appalled Madam Pince was quick to kick out the Park twins for a week. The next day, the Weasleys found themselves blasted with flour the moment they tried to enter their dorm room. It was the start of a beautiful alliance.
"Fred tends to lead conversations, while George does the cleaning up." Albert said simply with a mouthful of his sandwich.
"I do not—"
"You two don't act nearly as similar as you think. Other people are simply just unobservant," Jessica piped in.
"So you observe us? I'm flattered, George!" Fred rose from his place besides Jessica and made his way to his twin's side. Making sure to take the other half of Jessica's turkey sandwich while he was at it.
It must have been a talent the way both of the red-headed twins had the ability to trigger someone with just their tone of voice. It took every fiber in Albert's body to not shove Fred's head down a toilet. And Jessica wanted to simply strangle him right then and there. But knowing the ginger, he would make an off-handed comment about how he didn't know they were so dominant which would only serve to piss them off further.
"Me too, Fred!" The two groaned at each other exasperatedly, realizing that they proved the Slytherins right.
"Can you tell us apart?" Jessica leaned her head on Albert's shoulder with an innocent grin. Albert simply raised his eyebrows and held up a peace sign.
"No clue," Fred and George said simultaneously.
It made the student body confused to see the cooly group of Slytherins often in company of the two outgoing Gryffindors. But in a way, it totally made sense. Which made everyone, including the Professors, a bit nervous. Albeit, Professor Dumbledore was thoroughly amused (most likely from the idea of the two sets of twins invoking terror on the school and the beauty of house unity). Professor McGonagall on the other hand looked as if she had lost ten years from her life.
"Patrols been tailing us all summer, we haven't been able to do much. They've been cracking down on anyone in the underground that's remotely suspicious." Jessica started. "The bastards can't keep their grimy hands to themselves. Going on about, 'Knockturn Alley is no place for a little girl like you.' Yet, I would rather befriend the three-eyed witch rather than get groped by that fucking tool again." She shuddered, and the boys clenched their fist in anger. Bastards, the whole lot of them.
"It's mental. Aurors have been popping up here and there quite a bit as well. Mad-Eye's almost caught us a couple of times already." Albert grimaced, "I swear I've seen his eye look straight in our direction."
"You think it's really because of Sirius Black?" Theo questioned.
Albert nodded, "No doubt. They've never had this many coppers down there before. It's caused quite the ruckus."
"Wait— you've met Mad-Eye Moody? He's a legend!" George exclaimed in awe.
"A bloody menace, that is. He's supposed to be retired, but he manages to drag us out every time we are able to made a good trade." Jessica complained, as if she wasn't talking about a legendary Auror but merely a nuisance. "It's a miracle that Jae and Tonks are old friends, otherwise I think we would've been shipped off quite a while ago."
Knockturn Alley was quite beautiful in their eyes. The slums sat next to the bustling Diagon Alley. And in Albert's opinion, the stark difference was a disgusting visual of class dynamics within the Wizarding World. Illegal transactions, smuggled goods, and meager whispers that echoed down the cobblestone paths contrasted the vibrancy, and sounds of laughter that came from the neighboring shopping area.
However, the dark and mysterious alleyway was alluring, in its own right. Hiding the ambitious and the hungry. And protecting those that were shunned away. Geraldine, the three-eyes witch, was quite the sweetheart; she was swept aside by society because of her appearance, yet she still remained a kind, old lady. Her raspy voice that sang somber notes was a source of comfort during the dark, summer nights. However, the same could not be said for Khiones, the rather rugged wizard that sat on the corner before Borgin and Burkes. The shady bastard tried to sell the twins some cursed gems, and then went on a tangent on Jessica's Pisces being in Venus. Whatever that meant. It was really a hit or miss.
Jessica and Albert only began to venture into the underground the summer before their third year. The cuts and bruises that littered their body were evidence of the rough reality of life in the orphanage, and it turned out Knockturn Alley served as a temporary safe haven for the twins. Finding the mentorship of Jae Kim and the unsolicited company of Mundungus Fletcher, they've managed to make quite the career in the Lanes, doing quick jobs for a few Galleons a piece.
"Y'know, I think he's quite fond of us, actually." Albert grinned. "Mad-Eye's a tough bloke to crack, but I don't think he would've made anyone rake his lawn as punishment, if he didn't thoroughly enjoy our company."
"Albert, he's literally said he's going to kill us the next time he sees us in the Lanes."
"He's all talk, think of it as tough love." He swiped his hands in a rainbow motion, as if that proved his point. Theo nodded with enthusiastic approval only to get swiped by Blaise who only deadpanned, "Stop enabling him."
