The Girl Who Saw Tomorrow » Harry Potter

1.28 | The Snake Attack

"Langlock!"

This time, Margaret was the one unprepared. Her head jerked back and she dropped to the ground by the force of it. Her grip on her wand loosened and it fell, but Margaret was too busy covering her mouth with her hands, her focus on her tongue that was now glued to the roof of her mouth. People around her found this even more amusing as they burst into raucous laughter.

She stared at Fred, whose eyes were as wide as hers as he got to his feet, seemingly feeling guilty at the jinx he had chosen. Before he could even take a step towards her, Margaret's eyes glowed and she reached out.

Two scarlet wisps shot straight from her palm to his wand which he was gripping tightly. He yelped as the wand flew out of his hand and towards her. She caught it expertly then shot a non-verbal leg-lock jinx at him and he crashed back down.

No one spoke this time as the laughter calmed down into a hush. They all looked at each other quizzically, wondering what had happened and if they were seeing things.

Margaret blinked rapidly until the red haze disappeared. As her eyesight cleared, she found Harry approaching her and holding out a hand. She took it, grabbing her own wand from her side before pulling herself to her feet.

"Here, let me help with that," says Harry, performing the counter-jinx. Margaret coughed as her tongue was freed, feeling a sour taste fill her mouth instead. Harry turns to the rest of the D.A., "Get back to practising, everyone."

At once, everyone returned to their duels but Margaret had a feeling that they had already seen her small display of powers. Surprisingly, that was not what she was concerned about. Her eyes locked with Fred's, who had been untied from her jinx courtesy of George who also pulled him up.

"You should go to the hospital wing, get that checked out" Harry suggests. "I know how horrible your mouth feels after one of those jinxes."

Margaret realised as he said it that her tongue did feel swollen, and resisted the urge to glare at Fred, who was now approaching with George.

"I'll go with you," says Fred, trying to smile at her but it looked more like a grimace. Margaret did not even attempt to reply, rolling her eyes at him and thrusting his wand back into his hand. She was compatible enough to look after herself just fine. "Hey, it's only fair if I do. It's my fault," Fred tells her.

"Besides, curfew for fifth years started about an hour ago, whereas for seventh years there's still an hour left," George reasons. "If Fred's with you, you're less likely to get into trouble if you're caught."

Margaret shot him a look of disbelief. Being out after the curfew with one of the twins meant she was more likely than ever to get into trouble.

Harry opened his mouth, looking as confused as she did before Margaret caught a glimpse of the fleeting look George sent him. Before she could deduce what it meant, Harry took out the Marauders Map.

"Coast's clear. It's, er, it's settled then," says he. "Go on and be careful. Just return to the common room after."

Margaret sighed and Fred grinned. George turned away from them to Neville, who looked between her and Fred then at Harry who was walking away and then glanced at George with visible confusion.

"C'mon then, Margie," says Fred, offering her his arm, while his twin told Neville that he would practice with him as both their partners were gone. "Off we go valiantly for our quest- hey, wait for me!"

Margaret had brushed past him, not having the strength to bother with his dramatics. Fred fell into step with her and held the door open as they exited the room, leaving the chatter of spells behind and into the dark hallway of the seventh floor. Unwillingly, their steps slow down, trying to make as little noise as possible.