Before you (Fred Weasley)

CHAPTER 14

It was the day before the second task. 23rd of February, Saturday. I sat in an armchair, reading a book while Cedric waltzed around the common room, practicing charms and whatnot.

"Cedric?" I said, not looking up from my book.

"Hmm?"

"Did you help Harry with the second task?" I asked. He stopped casting spells and turned to me.

"How did you find out?"

"I have my sources" I smirked.

"He helped me first, he told me that I would be facing dragons in the first task"

"And how did you help him?"

"I told him to take a bath" He shrugged.

"A what? Did he smell bad or something?" I laughed.

"You'll understand tomorrow" Cedric chuckled.

I got off the armchair, leaving my book on the side table.

"Well I'm off to serve detention" I said, leaving Cedric alone with his wand.

Oh god that sounded wrong.

I started laughing to myself.

"Alice Malvolio, finally going insane" A familiar voice said.

Crap, did he just hear me laugh to myself? I could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

"Hey Fred"

"Detention?"

"Yep"

Both of us walked in silence towards the dungeons where Snape was waiting for us.

When we arrived, he looked down at us as if we were nothing but scum of the Earth.

"Mr Weasley, you will scrub the old cauldrons clean and Ms..Malvolio.."

The way he said my last name made me cringe a little. He couldn't possibly know. Could he?

"You will write a foot long essay on why cauldrons any older than nine years old are not suitable for usage, starting now" Snape finished, sitting behind a desk piled with parchment.

I watched as Fred grumbled, rolling up his sleeves to his elbows to reveal his bare arms.

I blushed and looked away, unrolling a piece of parchment and dipping my quill in a pot of ink.

While the sounds of Fred washing cauldrons filled the silent room, I scribbled away on my parchment.

I could hear Fred swearing every time soapy water splashed on to his blazer.

"Bloody Hell-" He swore as the cauldron slipped from his hands and into the basin making a loud clashing noise. I tried my best to bite back a laugh.

"Mr...Weasley, try washing those cauldrons any louder if you could? I can't really..hear..you" Snape spoke, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

By the time both of us were done, Snape giving us permission to leave, Fred was soaked to the bone.

"How hard is it to wash a couple of cauldrons?" I laughed.

"Really fucking hard if you're as tall as me, the basin barely reached my waist" He exclaimed, removing his blazer and wringing it out.

"Just admit it, you're terrible at washing dishes"

"My area of expertise is pranking" He said in defence.

I suddenly remembered that Professor McGonagall had called me to her office, something to do with the second task. I wasn't supposed to tell anybody about it.