A Master Of Mischief ~ George Weasley Love Story ~ Book 1

Chapter 13

**Maddie's POV**
                                         

"Timetables," I tell Fred and George as they join me at the Gryffindor table, "we've got Defense with Hufflepuff first up."
"Is Remus nervous?" Fred asks. I shrug and yawn.
"Probably not, he's pretty prepared."
"Third grade timetables," I say, handing them to Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"What's up, Harry?" George asks.
"Malfoy," Ron snarls, sitting down. I look over my shoulder at see Draco pretending to faint.
"I'll be right back," I mutter.
**George's POV**
We watch Maddie walk over and talk softly to Draco for a moment. He flushes and sits down. Maddie walks back over and sits down.
"What did you do?" Ron asks in amazement.
"Oh, nothing," Maddie says with a sly smile, "let's just say being a prefect isn't as bad as I thought."
"Alright class," Remus, ah, Professor Lupin, says, "books away! We're doing a practical class today. You can leave your bags here. All you need is your wand."
"This is going to be great!" Alicia says. We follow Lupin to the staffroom. Inside is a large closet that is rattling and shaking.
"Can anyone guess what's in here?" Lupin says. Maddie puts her hand up. Lupin smiles.
"Anyone else?" he waits for a moment, "no, alright, Maddison?"
"A boggart," she replies.
"Ten points to Gryffindor," Lupin nods, "now, does anyone know what a boggart is? Other than Maddison?"
Everyone shrugs.
"Alright, Maddison?"
"It's a shape-shifter," she says, "if takes the form of your worst fear."
"Good, ten points," Remus nods, "now, theonly way to defeat a boggart is?"
"Laughter," Maddie says. Lupin smiles.
"Yes, tne points," he nods, "Laughter. The charm is simple enough, but you have to try to visualise the form for it to take. The incantation is riddikulus. Try that now. Riddikulus!"
Everyone is starting to look slightly nervous. I begin racking my brain to figure out what scares me most.
"Alright," Lupin says, "a volunteer to go first?"
Everyone looks at the floor, walls, any where but Lupin.
"Mr Jordan, what about you?" Lupin says. Lee steps forward, looking terrified.
"Now, when I open this wardrobe the boggart will emerge in the form of whatever scares you most," Lupin says, "so, what is your worst fear?"
"I don't know," Lee says shakily, "I suppose werewolves... In their wolf form."
Lupin glances at Maddie. She shrugs back.
"Alright, you need to visulise that, but in a way you would find funny, then just perform the spell," Lupin says, "ready?"
"Yes," Lee says nervously.
"Alright, everyone step back," Lupin says, pointing his wand at the wardrobe, "one, two three!"
The closet door flings open and a huge, snarling werewolf appears. Everyone gasps except Maddie.
"Riddikulus!" Lee cries. Suddenly the wolf is wearing a flowery sunbonnet and a pink dress. I can't help laughing. The boggart looks around, confused.
"Good, Miss Spinnet!" Lupin says, motioning to Alicia, "you're up!"
Alicia takes Lee's place and the boggart shifts into a huge scorpian.
"Riddikulus!" Alicia cries. The scorpian's tail disappears and is replaced by the tail of a mermaid. There's a shout of laughter from someone behind me.
"Fred! Go!"
Fred steps forward. The boggart changes into Fred, lying on the ground, pale and unmoving.
"He fears death?" Angelina whispers. Maddie shakes her head.
"He fears George dying," she murmurs back. I feel a jolt of shock and affection for my brother.
"Riddikulus!" he cries confidently. The boggart leaps up and starts parading around in a mini-skirt and singlet top. Our class howls with laughter. That moment of affection has passed.
"Miss Lucas!" Lupin waves a Hufflepuff girl forward. The boggart changes into a dead rabbit. The girl bursts into tears.
"Here," Maddie steps infront of her. The boggart shudders and spilts in half. It becomes Lupin and Sirius, both lying dead on the floor.
Lupin raises his wand and the boggart is whisked back into the closet.
"Good job," Lupin says, "ten points to everyone who helped. Class dismissed."
"Are you alright?" he asks Maddie.
"I could have handled it!" she says irritatedly.
"Alright," Lupin says, "you'd better get to your next class."
"Your worst fear is loosing them?" I ask, "I understand Lupin, but-"
"He's my father," she interrupts.
"Sorry," I say, feeling guilty.
"It's fine," she sighs, "let's get to Herbology."
We collect our bags from the Defense room and walk down to the green houses.
"Alright you lot," Sprout cries, "we're doing a test today!"
A resounding groan comes from the class.
"None of that!" Sprout says sternly, "get into groups of two to three. Today you'll be searching the grounds for plants. This will test your ability to recognise the plants. The first team back with all their plants will win fifty points! Come up here and get your lists, then off you go!"
"What plants are on the list?" Maddie asks Fred.
"Aconite,asphodel, dittany, nettle, puffapod, sage, screechsnap andwormwood," he reads, "that's not many."
"No, but other than the greenhouses, they won't grow many places," Maddie says thoughtfully.
"We could break into the greenhouses," I comment. She shakes her head.
"I think our best chance is the Forest," she says, "I know sage grows in there, but it's deep in there... We'll have to be quick."
We hurry off to the Forest, trying not to be seen. "Aconite!" Maddie says, bending over a small plant. She pulls out some scissors and clips a few of the leaves off, slipping them into a small, transparent tube and labelling it.
"This looks familar," I say, brushing a plant with my fingers.
"It's dittany," Maddie says, "Fred, are you crossing these off?"
"Yep," Fred says.
We keep walking deeper into the Forest.
"Lumos," we mutter, igniting our wand tips.
"What's this?" Fred asks.
"No idea," Maddie says, "but I've found a sage plant!"
"I found asphodel!" I say, "I'm sure that's what it is."
"Yep," Maddie says, collecting some.
"I found nettle," Fred says, crossing it off the list.
"AH!" I jump as I tread on something. It bursts into flowers.
"Puffapod," Maddie says, "I didn't think these would grow so far in. Well spotted, George."
"We just need screechsnap and wormwood," Fred says.
"They grow close to Hagrid's house," Maddie says, "come on."
We hurry back towards the outskirts of the Forest.
"Here," Maddie collects samples of both plants, "let's show Professor Sprout."
Sprout is astonished.
"How did you find them all so quickly?" she says, checking them each carefully.
"Talented," Maddie says with a grin. Sprout laughs.
"Very well, fifty points to Gryffindor!" she says, "you can all go."
We walk back towards to castle slowly. As we reach it Maddie turns around and looks across the grounds.
"What is it?" I ask. She shakes her head slowly.
"Those dementors," she whispers, "they shouldn't be near the school."
I glance at Fred, unsure what to say.
"Let's go wash up before lunch," Maddie says, her voice vague.

"Your OWLs are approaching," Snape sneers.
I roll my eyes at Fred and Maddie.
"You should all know that I will not take any student into my NEWT class who does not achieve an Outstanding in this class. From this point on, you will be marked as you would be in your OWL exam."
"We're done for," Fred mutters.
"Hence," Snape says loudly, glaring at Fred, "you will no longer be working in pairs. Individual work only."
"Yep, we're done for," Fred says again.
"Ten points from Gryffindor!" Snape snaps. Maddie hitsFred with her book.
"Instructions are on the board," Snape says, "begin."
"Maddie, you have to help us," I beg her quietly. She presses her finger to her lips, but nods.
"Just do exactly what I do," she says, "I'll work slowly."
"I'm surprised, Miss Black," Snape says, leaning over her cauldron, "I would have thought you could work faster than this. Or is someone on your mind?"
Maddie's eyes flash and she begins working furiously. Fred and I are left completely behind.
At the end of the lesson our potions should be perfectly clear with black steam rising from the cauldron, like Maddie's. Mine is black and has a light trickle of green steam spilling from it. Fred's is black and large amounts of thick, acid smoke are billowing from it.
"Bottle and label a sample of the potion and bring it to my desk to be marked!" Snape commands. I put some of mine into a bottle, feeling I'd probably get better marks if I just drowned myself in it.

"I'm sorry," Maddie says, as we leave the class and head back to Gryffindor tower, "I should've ignored him."
"It's fine," Fred says, "we'll have to study up."
We all start laughing.
"I'm loving having free periods," I comment, stretching out in the armchair by the window. Maddie sits down opposite me, looking distracted.
"What's up with you?" I ask, throwing a quill at her.
"Nothing!" she protests, blushing.
"Hey you three," Oliver walks over and sits down on the arm of Maddie's chair, "don't forget-"
Practice this weekend, we know," Fred yawns. Oliver stands up and smiles at Maddie. She smiles back, then looks down at her hands, her cheeks pink. I swear loudly.
"What?" she asks, looking up.
"Nothing," I mutter, getting up and walking out.
This isn't happening to me!