Scratches (Fred Weasley)

(11) The Protean Charm

The castle was filled with an airy vibe of Christmas holidays after the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff game—which was the last game for the term. School had been the main highlight of the students, 5th years now partially adjusted to their busy schedules. School work had began from heaps and heaps, but now the students hardly felt like it was a burden at all. Everybody had seemed to have stopped complaining—knowing that it would hardly get them anywhere near impressive O.W.L results.

Florence had been in close contact with her mystery desk 'penpal'. Fred, afraid of what George had said about him presumably writing to a guy, had asked his penpal much more personal questions (only gender, year level.) . But the two mutually agreed that under no circumstance were they to find out about the identity of the other. Fred and Florence liked it that who they were was a secret to the other, and had planned on keeping it like that for awhile.

Fred was growing fond of the girl who's vandals he replied to.

Florence was growing fond of the boy who replied to her vandals.

Nicolai had gotten curious on multiple occasions, pestering Florence about wanting to find out about who it was she was writing to. In response, Florence would simply chuckle, before telling Nicolai that they promised to avoid exactly that, making the brunette frown.

"But, isn't she a bit curious? I mean, it's Florence, she went through my Year One diary because I told her it was a secret. Why stop being nosy now?" she had rambled to Alexander in Ancient Runes one day, as it was the only subject she didn't have with Florence. The blonde sighed, putting his quill down before looking at his friend stoically. "Look, whatever her reason is, I'm sure it's logical. Maybe they're just waiting for the right time...?"

"But who would want to write to someone they don't even know?" she asked, trying to get him to see her point. "Them, probably. Just, just wait, Nic. If Florence would want to find out one day I'm sure she'd tell us. Maybe they want to be anonymous this time. Maybe they like being anonymous to each other, you know?"

"I could ask anyone from a different class... If it's Ravenclaw and Slytherin... Then her mystery person has to be either a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff. Yes! Maybe I could ask any fifth year Hufflepuff or Gryffindor as to who usually sits at the back of the room—"

"Nicolai," Alexander chastised, annoyed with the noise she was making and the fact that she was sticking her nose up someone else's business. "Florence would literally end your life if you did that. Please, let it go. You'd do her a great deal if you just kept yourself out of it."

With this, Nicolai had dropped the subject, but not her agenda to find out who it really was.

Fred was well aware that the holidays were fast apporaching, which meant that for a good few days of supposed to be Transfiguration classes, he was going to be at home with his family. And not wanting to loose contact with, well, whoever it was he was writing to, he and George had put their heads together to come up with a plan.

George had suggested that he should simply owl the girl, but he insisted that he might be able to identify who the owl belonged to. They spent their spare time before dinner up in the Library where they went through numerous books to find the spell that they were looking for.

"A Protean Charm!" exclaimed George one day, making the Librarian—Irma Pince, glower at them from where she stood sorting out book files. They flashed her an apologetic look before George dragged the charms book closer to his twin, pointing at a certain charm. "A protean charm, Freddie."