Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 124

I had a hard time trying to convince Hermione and reason to her that I hadn't asked Draco to the party. And then when she questioned that why I had played along with him in the first place, I excused myself by saying I wanted to get him to trust me so I could spy on him.

      Hermione let the matter go sooner than I expected and we went back to normal. But I knew I was going to have a harder time explaining everything to Harry. And frankly, I was right.

"For the last time," I said impatiently as Harry and I were sitting alone in a compartment back to King's Cross station, seeing as Ron and Hermione were both on prefect duty, "I hadn't actually asked Draco to the party! I was just playing along!"

"But why would you?" Harry asked again.

"Because you clearly wanted to figure out what he was up to!" I reasoned, trying to act natural as I kept lying. "I was trying to gain his trust to spy on him for you!"

"Well, I had a chat with Professor Trelawney at the party after you and Hermione had left, and according to her, you've been doing more than just asking him out."

"Again, I didn't ask him out — wait," I said, coming to a halt as I repeated Harry's words in my head, my heart sinking. "Wh-what do you mean? What did Trelawney say?"

"That she caught you two in a broom closet together."

I gaped at him for long seconds, my heartbeat speeding up. "Look, that wasn't what it looked like —"

"Hang on," he cut me off angrily, "so it did happen!? I thought Trelawney was just making up some rubbish!"

I groaned, rubbing my eyes. "Listen, I was just trying to get Malfoy to talk to me like I'd promised you that I would. But when we were in the corridor, we heard footsteps and thought it was Filch. So we ran into a broom closet so we wouldn't end up in detention. But turns out, it was just Trelawney."

"Oh..." Harry pursed his lips together guilty. "Sorry."

"It's okay," I shook a hand at him reassuringly with a grin. "But if you're gonna tell Ron, at least make sure to tell him the whole story, so he wouldn't jump into conclusions like you either."

"Right," he nodded slightly, smiling ay me sheepishly. "So what do say to a game of Exploding Snaps? I'm bored."

"Good idea," I agreed, before giving him a mischievous look and saying, "But before we start, tell me... how's Ginny?"

"Wh-what?"

***

Throughout the train ride, now that I was spending some alone time with Harry for the first time, I honestly had a fun time.

When he asked me how I knew about Ginny, I lied and said I suspected he had feelings for her by the way he looked at her. So he started talking about her and how much he loathed Dean for going out with her.

He obviously had been bottling it all up, because he couldn't talk to his best friend about it, seeing as Ginny was Ron's sister and he was afraid of how he would react.

We then got to playing Exploding Snaps and laughed and a had good time, until at lunch I went to join Hermione and Ron came to sit Harry.

When we finally arrived at King's Cross, we saw Mrs. Weasley awaiting us there. Saying goodbye to Hermione, I went back to the Burrow along with the Weasleys and Harry.

     At last, when we got to the house, I suddenly came to a halt as I saw Fred and George inside, discussing business while they sat on the chairs by the fireplace.

      "Now, you two," Mrs. Weasley started, walking inside along with everybody else, "can't you forget about work for one night?"

       By that, the twins' attention was caught and they turned around to face us. Fred's smile suddenly widened at my sight and so he got to his feet.

       "Hi," I said quietly, waving at him as I stood there on my spot.

       "Hey," he said back, but neither of us moved as we looked at each other awkwardly from afar.

       "Snappy!" George boomed, coming forward for a hug and I shook my head, coming out of the daze and hugging him back.

       "Why are you two like that?" George questioned with narrowed eyes, pulling away.

        "What do you mean?" I asked, clearing my throat to regain myself.

       "Dunno, but Fred's been acting real weird ever since you visited that night," said George as I walked into the hall. "Do I even wanna know what happened?"

       "No," Fred and I said at the same time, laughing lightly afterward.

      With that, Fred finally came forward and brought me into a short yet warm embrace, quickly pulling away, my face slightly blushed and his ears red.

       Apparently, neither of us were still over how things had ended between us the night I'd visited. 

***

After a few hours of resting, Mrs. Weasley sent Ginny and I to draw the guests' sleeping bags in the bedrooms, and put Ron and Harry on duty for peeling a mountain of sprouts.

      After we were done, Ginny shut herself up in her room so she wouldn't have to tolerate Fleur, and I went back downstairs to Fred and George.

        "Let's go see what those two poor lads are up to," said George and so we all made our way toward the kitchen to join Ron and Harry.

       "...Fred and George tried to get me to make an Unbreakable Vow when I was about five," we heard Ron's voice say. "I nearly did too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since."

       "Yeah, well," said Harry, "passing over Fred's left buttock —"

       "I beg your pardon?" said Fred as we entered the kitchen. "Aaah, George, look at this. They're using knives and everything. Oh, bless them."

     "I'll be seventeen in two and a bit months' time," said Ron grumpily, "and then I'll be able to do it by magic!"

       "I'm sure you'll dazzle us all with hitherto unsuspected magical skills," said Fred.

       "And speaking of hitherto unsuspected skills, Ronald," said George, "what is this we hear from Ginny about you and a young lady called — unless our information is faulty — Lavender Brown?"

      Ron turned a little pink, but did not look displeased as he turned back to the sprouts. "Mind your own business."

       "What a snappy retort. I really don't know how you think of them," said Fred sarcastically and George and I snorted at that. "No, what we wanted to know was... how did it happen?"

     "What d'you mean?"

      "Did she have an accident or something?"

      "What?"

       "Well, how did she sustain such extensive brain damage?" Fred joked. "Why would she go out with you? I mean, how dumb is she?"

       Having read this part many times in the books, I knew Ron was so pissed off that he was about to toss something at Fred out of anger.

       But Ron caught us all off guard when he suddenly said, "At least she doesn't invite Malfoy to parties and get into broom closets with him, like your girlfriend!"

       There was a long pause as a deadly silence fell upon the room, all eyes now on Fred. "She — what?"