Chapter 11 – A Promise to Keep

George gaped at Fred in confusion, as if he were speaking another language. He didn't say a word, simply stood in deep thought, staring at him as if to say 'you're bloody off you're rocker'.

'I – I saw them – saw them in Hogsmeade last night – t-together!' Fred sobbed once more.

'WHAT?' George suddenly shouted, without meaning to.

'Shhh!' Fred whispered frantically, forcing his hand over his brother's mouth.

'Did you see that, though? It was bloody brilliant!' Lee Jordan said to a boy with chestnut hair, opening the door to the stairs and suddenly receiving a fright seeing the twins. 'Oh, er – sorry,' Lee said to them, looking at them suspiciously.

'It's alright, we were just going,' George said furiously, grabbing his brother's hand and pulling him back into the common room. The others, by now, were gathered on the sofas, seemingly immersed in conversation.

'Something's obviously wrong, why won't he bloody tell us?' Ron whispered to them. He suddenly turned to see them, and looked rather guilty when seeing Fred's tear-soaked face once again. Fred knew they'd obviously been talking about him.

'Fred – Fred – hey, where are you going?' Ron said, standing up in an attempt to greet them.

'Nowhere,' George said through gritted teeth, dragging his brother towards the exit.

'Look, mate – if you just tell us what's –' Ron said, but it was too late, George and Fred had already departed the common room in an instant.

'We need to go somewhere where no-one will hear us,' George said, still grasping his brother's hand.

A few minutes later, after being pulled about the castle, they finally reached the Room of Requirements. As soon as George took one step near it, the wall revealed the door instantly; after all, he was in desperate need of it. Checking that no-one was around, they stepped inside. 'Tell me everything.' George said.

For the next ten minutes, Fred explained how he'd been in Hogsmeade that night, waiting for Angelina in a quiet area of Hogsmeade. He explained how he had to hide from being seen by them, and was absolutely sure it had been Percy and Hermione.

'I know it was them.' Fred said, 'I heard them talking and I just knew it!'

'I'm going to kill him!' George said angrily after hearing the story, 'I really am! That bloody bastard has hypnotised her!'

'No – George – wait!' But George was already out of the door. It was ironic that Fred had been told to calm down earlier, but now George was the one with his knickers in a twist. Fred dashed after him, running as fast as he could to catch up, continuously shouting 'Stop!'

George ran onto the second floor, down the corridor. He was outside Percy's bedroom, wand at the ready.

'George, STOP!' Fred screamed after him. But it was too late, the door had been kicked open.

By the time Fred reached the room, he found that everything had been tossed onto the floor by George. Everything was a complete mess. Luckily, though, Percy wasn't there.

George ran out of the room, ignoring his brother, despite his constant shouts for him to refrain his actions.

He ran further and further down different corridors, like a wild animal hunting for its pray. Fred was running out of breath and struggling to keep up with him, and there was obviously no way he could persuade him to stop. He had to do it.

But – Filch would go mad!

But then again, did he want them to get in more trouble with Percy?

Whilst running, he pulled out his wand from his jacket, pointed it at his brother and shouted 'Petrificus Totalus!'. The light zoomed all the way down the corridor in an instant, until it thwacked George on the back and sent him flying over.

Oh, if Filch found out he'd been doing magic in the corridors...

He dashed to his brother, now splayed motionless on the floor, and knelt beside him. Now was the opportunity to talk some sense into him.

'Listen to me, George! You can't get us into anymore shit!' Fred whispered to him emphatically. 'And I know that neither of us likes it here, especially with him around, but if we get expelled, we'll probably be thrown out by Dad, too!'

Fred felt slightly strange talking to an expressionless face, knowing that someone was actually in there. He didn't stop talking there, 'We can't just go spreading this around to people. I personally hate the bastard for it, but we don't even know that much about it yet, so if we eventually have to kill him, at least let us have some evidence! And you can't chase him anyway 'cause you know he's better than you!'

George managed to let a groan escape, and said, mumbling, 'buh ee's a praht!'

'What?'

'Hee's aaaa prahht!'

'I know he's a bloody prat, you prat!'

'Shuh uph!' George managed to give the tiniest hint of a laugh.

'Look, I'm not going to put a counter-curse on you unless you promise not to –'

'Awrigh! Awrigh! I whon'!

'Good,' And Fred pointed his wand at his twin, mumbled some words and George sprang back into life again.

Fred took hold of George's hand and pulled him up.

'God! That bloody well hurt, Fred!' George moaned.

'Don't be a prick. Now come on before Snape sees that's we're not wallowing in self-pity about our detention tonight.'

'Five, four,' Fred observed the ticking hands on his watch as he sat in the Great Hall that evening, 'three, two, one,' In synchronisation, each of their heads swept comically to face the double doors. The very moment after Fred had said 'one', Percy Weasley entered the hall.

'You're getting good at this, Fred.' Ron laughed.

'Must be natural talent.' Fred bragged.

'You're childish, all of you!' Hermione pontificated.

'Oh come on, Hermione, lighten up a bit! It's what we need after today!' Harry said.

'Are you sure, Harry?' George asked, 'I thought we had quite an average day, actually. You know, us fighting with Malfoy, Ginny being put in the hospital unconscious and us not being allowed to see her, getting a detention with our wonderful – OW!' For Ron had just slammed his foot down on George's foot as Percy strutted past, being an ignoramus as usual. Once he'd walked far enough away so that it wasn't possible for him to hear, George whispered, 'That's the second time I've been –' Suddenly though, he paused, remembering that the reason he had been injured by his brother for the first time that day was to do with Hermione.

'Second time you've been what?' Harry asked.

'Oh – um – I've forgotten what we were talking about...'

'What?' Harry asked, slightly confused.

'What?' George repeated, trying to divert the conversation.

'So –' Fred came to the rescue, speaking quickly, 'talking of food –'

'We weren't talking of food,' Ron said.

'Great spaghetti, isn't it?' Fred said, ignoring Ron. In fact, he though the spaghetti tasted vulgar.

'Yeah, it's alright, I s'pose,' Ron said bluntly. 'Why are you two acting so weird?'

'We're not acting weird!' George protested.

'Then stop –'

Ding, ding, ding came the sound of a spoon tapping against glass. It was sourced from Dumbledore.

Everyone ceased their conversations and turned to look at him.

'I'm sorry to interrupt you all,' he began, 'but now that you're all here, I have a rather important announcement to make.

'You may remember that at the end of the summer holidays, I told you all that Professor Weasley here would be part of the teaching staff here at Hogwarts. Now that he'd been teaching here a few weeks, I have some very good news.

'As you all know, we lost yet another Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher last year,'

Giggles and whispers broke out in the room, but Dumbledore ignored it, 'and Professor Snape has had to be teaching Potions and Defence Against the Darks Arts together as a combination. Well, I'm pleased to say that won't be happening anymore.' He smiled.

Harry, Ron, George and Fred, however, did not.

'Oh bugger!' Fred whined.

'Professor Weasley will now be taking up the post of the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, so that, hopefully, it will be a lot easier for you to learn the subject and not get it confused with Potions.'

George slammed his head on the table.

Hermione smiled up at Percy, who turned to look at her, winked, then looked back at Dumbledore again.

'So, if you'd all like to applaud with me, let's give an official welcome to our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher!' Dumbledore beamed, beginning to clap.

The applause in the room was neither enthusiastic and tedious. It was simply a few claps. And that was it. The only people who didn't clap, however, were George, Fred, Ron and Harry. Hermione did.

'Why are you clapping?' Fred asked snidely, wishing he could shout at her, wishing he could tell her he knew her secret.

'The least you could do is show a little dignity,' Hermione sighed.

'Dignity?' Fred said bemusedly. 'But –'

'When's our detention?' Harry asked, cutting Fred off.

'Half seven, I think.' George said

'Twenty minutes until we face the wraths of hell.' Ron groaned.

And soon it came. Within ten minutes they finished their meal, and bidding Hermione goodbye, Harry, Ron Fred and George trundled up the stairs to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, where Percy had not yet arrived.

'You're getting like Hermione you know, Ron – making us arrive on time for everything.' Harry said

'Ha! Nice one, Fred!' George began to snigger.

Harry and Ron turned to see a giant pewter beaker, which Fred had taken from Percy's desk, being filled with what appeared to be custard from Fred's wand. With a flick the beaker began to float to the top of the half open door, resting unsturdily.

'Fred, don't!' Ron protested.

'What?' Fred said innocently. 'He likes custard.'

'Not in that context,' Harry mumbled.

After Fred had returned his wand, George walked over to the desk and began to rummage through the drawers.

'Ha! He reads 'Wizard's Weekly'!' George roared with laughter. 'What else has he got in here? A book of antidotes, a –'

'Ahem!' Percy burst into the room, but the beaker of custard kept its balance and merely wobbled, a look of disappointment filling Fred's face. 'I don't know what you intend to find in my desk, Mr Weasley, but I certainly hope what you did find was amusing.'

Instantly George scurried back to his desk next to Fred, feeling like a rebellious child.

'Oh, and next time you feel it necessary to rampage my bedroom, I would appreciate it if you used the door-handle and not your fists. Now...' With a flick of Percy's wand a set of books floated from the shelves and in front of them.

'Page forty-nine. Gracelinx potion, for beauty. Read it and answer the questions.'

'That's it?' Asked Fred.

'Yes, Mr Weasley.'

'Well, Professor Weasley, we studied this last year.' Fred sneered back.

'And I've taken six detentions already this year, so you're not the only repetitive wizard in the world.'

'That's it.' Fred stood up and made for the exit. 'This is a pile of –'

'Come back here, please, or I'll report you to Professor Snape.' Percy sneered.

'Oooh, I'm petrified. Please, please, anything b-b-but Professor Snape!' Fred said sarcastically, turning again. Quite blatantly he'd forgotten the custard he'd placed at the top of the door, and he flung the door open, an instant splat fell onto his head.

Percy stifled a laugh, and there was no denying the amusement on his face.

'I'm under the impression that was intended for me.' Percy put on his serious face again, although Fred was frozen to the spot in complete shame. 'Fifty points from Gryffindor.'

'What?' Ron moaned. 'But it's your own house!'

'Was, Mr Weasley.'

'Are you intentionally acting like a prat?' Ron asked.

'Another five points from Gryffindor for insulting a member of staff. Now, either you sit down, Fred, or you're taken kicking and screaming to Professor Snape, who I'm sure could substitute you for a steamed sponge pudding.'

and through them zoomed Peeves, dragging someone, who looked in great pain, by the collar.

'Let me go, you idiot!' Draco Malfoy shouted at the top of his voice.

'What was that? You want to go higher?' Peeves said sarcastically.

'No!'

But it was too late, Peeves zoomed at top speed to the ceiling and started floating around in circles, still holding Draco by the collar. He started screaming like a girl.

By now, the entire hall was staring at the event in either amazement or fear. Fred, George, Ron and Harry, however, began to snigger, putting all their effort into not bursting out into fits of laughter.

'Peeves! Release him at once!' Snape got to his feet and pointed his wand at the ghost, looking extremely infuriated.

'What was that, Snape? I didn't quite catch that!' Peeves shouted.

'I said release him at once!'

'Okay then!' A cheeky smile began to broaden on Peeves's face, and in that split second Snape realised he'd said the complete wrong thing.

'No – I meant –'

But Draco had already been dropped from the ceiling, screaming at the top of his voice.

The twins couldn't contain it anymore, they shrieked with laughter as he plummeted down from the top of the hall. Everyone glared at them.

Before Malfoy was just about to hit the floor, Snape flicked his wand and he stopped, literally a few millimetres from the floor's surface. Several seconds later, he dropped with a tiny thud, unharmed.

Snape rushed up to him and said 'Draco? Draco, are you alright?'

Draco, however, leapt up and began to shriek at the ghost who'd dropped him.

'You just wait until my father hears about this! You'll be out of here!'

'Ooooh, and what's Daddy going to do? Kill me?' Peeves replied.

'Peeves!' Snape pointed his wand at the ghost.

'This boy, Sir,' Peeves said smugly, floated down the Snape's level, 'put Ginny Weasley in a serious condition in the hospital wing. I saw it! He cast a really bad spell on her!'

'Ah, I see...' Snape said, and then, unexpectedly, stormed over to Fred Weasley, grabbed him by the collar and spat in his face, shouting, 'Did you set him up to this?'

'What? No!'

Snape then threw him by his shirt onto the floor.

'Severus!' Dumbledore shouted from the staff table, yet there was a sense of calm in his voice.

'He's telling the truth this time! It was all me!' Peeves said. For once in his life (well, death actually), Peeves was being honest.

'Keep quiet!' Snape shouted, pointing his wand at the helpless Fred.

Snape raised his wand and began to mutter a spell, Fred began to panic, when –

'Wait!' Percy stood up and shouted.

Snape's wand fell limp, and he looked at the thinning, ginger haired boy at the staff table.

'I'll deal with him, Severus.' Percy continued.

Snape paused, knowing deep down that he was right. Once again, someone had snatched an opportunity from him to permanently injure his favourite pupil.

'Very well,' Snape sighed, and Fred stood up.

And as if nothing had happened, Snape walked back to the staff table, in exchange for Percy.

He strutted down the hall smugly,