To Hell ~ Fred Weasley

Chapter 29.

Both Weasley twins were perplexed and for a moment thought they had heard her wrong, but what confused them the most was how calm Helena was when she said it.

"That was Lupin? You're joking... Right, Hell?" said Fred, cracking a smile, not finding it possible that their teacher had just ran past them as a werewolf.

But Helena shook her head in response.

"Lupin is a werewolf," she said matter-of-factly, gazing at the direction the Dark Arts professor had gone off to.

"How long have you've known?" asked George, still gobsmacked. "Wait... Is that why he's Moony? Because he turns into a werewolf?"

"I suppose the rest of the Marauders found it funny to name him like that, " Nina said shrugging her shoulders. "And I've known for some time, but I didn't think that it mattered."

"Didn't matter!?" they yelled indignantly.

"Nina, you could have told us!" said Fred, signaling to himself and his twin. "Imagine all the inside jokes we could have made."

"The jokes?" questioned Helena, "That's the reason why I decided not to tell you! It must be hard for Lupin to go around when people find out he's a werewolf. Trying to get a decent job without people freaking out or banning him. Sounds like a lonely life."

Nina thought about how some wizards and witches were very close minded when it came to blood purity, and did not want to know how terrible it must be when the same judgemental people, abuse of those who are different like them, just like Professor Lupin.

"Oh, Nina Banana--"

"Doesn't rhyme."

"-- We wouldn't have made jokes if it would get you this upset," said Fred, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, Rosemund. Even though it would've been difficult to hold back," commented George, plucking a twig that was tangled in her hair.

"That's good to know," she said softly, noticing how nice Fred smelled even when they had just rolled in dirt. "Sorry I didn't tell you, though. We're friends and we can share everything, right?"

George nodded, but Fred seemed to be deep in thought, so his twin nudged his side to get his attention.

"R-Right! No secrets..."

The three of them felt like something was missing in that moment, with the cool breeze hitting their skin.

"Where's Buckbeak?" asked Nina, turning to every direction in the look for the hipogriff.

"Let's be real," said Fred, looking at the other two, "We are terrible baby-sitters."

"He probably ran for it when he saw Lupin, there." George removed the remaining leafs that had stuck to his jumper, and then he remembered something that he found odd. "Did anyone else think that second howl sounded a bit... high-pitched?"

"Could've been a girl-werewolf," said Fred.

"Nonsense!" said Nina dismissively, "They don't sound different just because they're girls, Fred. Didn't you read about it when we did the essay?"

"We had to do an essay?" Fred turned to George who shrugged his shoulders in response, apparently this was news to him as well.

"Whatever," Helena rolled her eyes, "Someone must have called--"

Nina's face went pale, coming to a sudden conclusion on who could have been the one that would muster a high-pitched howl like that.

It was the only other girl, beside herself, that could still be outside of school grounds so late at night.