[APH/HP] Blurring House Lines Year One: Part Three
Title: Blurring House Lines
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Most, if not all Nations. USUK, FrUK, UKBelarus, UKJP, RoBelarus, FrBelarus, FrSey, RoChu, RoSey, RoUK, RoUS... and more.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Harry Potter geekery?
Author's Notes: This is set during the Potter era, and the Nations will be a year ahead of Harry and Co. The rating is subject to change.
Part III
Autumn turned into winter with the blink of an eye. The leaves on the trees, having turned into shades of red, gold, and orange, now fell to the ground and slept beneath a blanket of snow.
Arthur sat in the Great Hall doing his homework. The door opened and Alfred ran in. The American raced over to the Slytherin table, not minding the jeers from the others, and tapped Arthur on the shoulder.
“Hey Artie,” he said, an excited smile on his face.
“Don’t call me that,” Arthur said irritably, even as Francis and Nataliya simultaneously raised their eyebrows and started laughing. He glared at them, cheeks reddening. “And you two had better belt up before I hex you.”
Alfred laughed. “There’s someone I wanna introduce you to, Artie!”
“But - homework -” was all Arthur managed to splutter before Alfred grabbed his arm and started dragging him out of the Great Hall to the amusement of everyone else. “HEY! Unhand me, you idiot!”
“You’ve got to meet him; he’s got tea and everythin’!”
In the end, Arthur found himself dragged down to a little hut by the Forbidden Forest.
~~
“Kirkland, eh,” Hagrid, the groundskeeper at Hogwarts, said as he set a kettle to boil over the fire. “I knew yer brothers an’ sister. Didn’t yer brother Liam go on ter work fer the Ministry in the Department o’ Regulation an’ Control of Magical Creatures?”
“Yeah, that he did,” Arthur replied as he watched Alfred feed Fang, Hagrid’s massive boarhound.
Hagrid motioned for him to sit down at the gigantic table. “So, how’d yeh get into Slytherin? Yeh don’t seem like the type.”
Arthur shrugged as he sat down. “It’s the Hat’s choice,” he replied calmly, as Hagrid prepared two cups of tea - Alfred had declined.
“Well, I’d never thought I’d say this, but the Hat’s put yeh in the wrong place. Don’t yeh know the reputation of Slytherin House? Not a single wizard or witch who went bad didn’t go ter Slytherin in their Hogwarts days.”
“But the traits of those wizards and witches were similar - they were ambitious and cunning, and Slytherin just happened to be the House for those traits.” Arthur took his teacup and sipped, the tea scalding his throat. He coughed, and Hagrid’s gigantic hand whacked his back.
“Yeah, I supp’se yer right,” Hagrid grunted. “But yer not as bad as other Slytherins.”
Arthur smiled. “Thank you?” He raised his teacup to his lips again, but at that moment the hut door flew open and Francis and Nataliya stood in the doorway, looking worried.
“Arthur, Arthur, you’ve got to go up to the castle!” Nataliya’s face seemed paler than usual and her hands were encased in a muff.
“Why?” Arthur set his teacup down and cast a glance at Alfred and Hagrid.
Francis’s blue eyes were grave. “Your brother was attacked.”
~~
Arawn was lying on a bed in the Hospital Wing, his face and body bruised up. Taking one look at them, Arthur ran up to his brother and took his hand. “What happened?” he asked, eyes wide in horror.
Arawn looked at him, a little smile on his face. “It’s my evil little brother,” he said with a grin. “Whaddya want?”
“Is it true? You’ve been attacked?”
Arawn rolled his eyes. “I’m in the infirmary, aren’t I? So what does it look like?”
Arthur sat down at his brother’s side. “Can you tell me how it happened? Who did it?”
“I dunno. I was tired and I sat down in a chair and suddenly I’m in pain, yelling, and people rushed me here so here I am.”
“Nobody hurt you? Like... was there somebody there?”
“I might have seen a tall, dark figure, but I dunno.” Arawn shook his head. “Nay.”
~~
Dinner was silent. Outside the snow covered about every surface.
“Are you two leaving for the Christmas holidays?” Arthur asked Francis and Nataliya, trying to create a bit of noise within the silence.
“Non,” Francis replied. Nataliya shook her head and cast a glance to the Hufflepuff table. Arthur followed her gaze. Ivan wasn’t there.
He looked over at the Gryffindor table. Alfred was quiet for once, cutting into his roast beef without comment. The fact that Alfred was quiet was cause for amazement.
After dinner, Arthur went back to the Slytherin common room. Sprawling out on a low leather couch, he closed his eyes.
Arawn had been attacked by something - maybe someone jinxed him without his notice? Or maybe the chair he sat down on was cursed -
Arthur sat up again.
~~
The door to Professor Wang’s office was ajar, but there were voices coming through. Arthur peeked through the slit and saw Professor Wang and Ivan the Hufflepuff talking.
“I am worried about this school, aru,” Professor Wang was saying. “There are so many secrets these castle walls hold, aru.”
“The chair, Professor,” Ivan replied. “It attacked that Gryffindor. Could it be the chair?”
“Who knows, aru? It looks similar to the photos, aru. Professor Dumbledore has quarantined the chair, but who knows if an innocent student will come across it and sit down, aru?”
“Do you think it’s Busby’s chair, sir?” Ivan asked, and Arthur watched him fiddle with his scarf.
Professor Wang did not speak for a long time, but when he did, his voice belied his true age, hidden behind a mask of youthfulness,
“I don’t know, aru.”
~~
Christmas descended upon the castle like snow. The Great Hall was decorated festively for Christmas with twelve gigantic Christmas trees, all decorated with twinkling faerie lights and candles. Because most of the Slytherins had left for the holidays, Arthur, Francis, and Nataliya virtually had free run of the Slytherin dungeons.
“Why look, this Christmas down here in the dungeons will just be you, me, Nataliya, and that prefect who never really uses the common room,” Francis said as he sprawled out on a couch, with Arthur leaning against it watching Nataliya knit a scarf in the high-backed chair across from them.
“What a cheerful holiday,” Nataliya replied, a cat-like smile on her face.
“Who’s that for?” Arthur asked, munching on a scone he had pilfered from breakfast.
“My brother.” At that, Francis and Arthur exchanged a glance.
“Bien sûr,” Francis said lazily, stretching slightly and then curling up again. He started to play with Arthur’s hair.
Arthur’s face flushed red, which looked rather odd in the greenly lit room. “W-what are you doing?!”
“What does it look like I’m doing, mon chér?” Francis smirked; Nataliya giggled.
~~
“Joyeux Noël!”
Francis was quickly hit by a pillow coming from the direction of Arthur’s bed.
“Ah, oui, je t’aime aussi.”
“Shut up, frog.” Arthur rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Give me my pillow back.”
“Non, you gave it to me; obviously it’s your Christmas present to me...”
“No it’s not! I actually took the trouble to buy you a present, now give my pillow back to me!”
“Un cadeau pour moi?!” Francis squealed, and then he dove into his immense pile of presents - most of them obviously from females he had charmed throughout the first half of the year.
Arthur turned his attention to his own pile of presents. The top parcel was from Nataliya.
Francis looked over, holding a partly-unwrapped box of what seemed to be Belgian chocolates. “A stuffed unicorn?” he asked.
“Hey, it’s cute!” Arthur pouted and squeezed the stuffed animal. Setting it aside, he picked up the next parcel. It was from Erin.
She had knit him a bright green scarf, and enclosed with it was a note that said “Wishing a happy Christmas to the black sheep of the family. Love, Erin.”
Peter gave him a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. Arthur made a mental note to slip Alfred the nastier flavours.
Liam gave him a miniature model of a unicorn. It looked whittled. Arthur smiled; he appreciated the little things that his brothers did, even though he would never tell them that.
Francis gave him a box of French truffles. “They’re not... laced with anything, right?” Arthur asked, looking at the box and then at the Frenchman suspiciously.
“Non, why would I ruin perfectly good chocolate?” Francis laughed, turning back to his presents. “Mon dieu, I have so many chocolates myself. You need to eat some for me; if I eat all of this I’ll get fat.”
Arthur turned back to his presents. Hagrid had given him a tin of rock cakes, which not even Arthur could eat without getting a toothache. Alfred gave him a book on the world’s rarest magical creatures and a box of Earl Grey.
“Arthur, merci beaucoup for the book Best of British Foods,” Francis suddenly said, holding up said book with a slightly nauseous look on his face. “I’m sure I will have nightmares for weeks.”
“Oh, get a grip.”
The door opened and Nataliya entered. “Thanks for the chocolates and the rose, Arthur,” she said with a smile.
“Oh yeah, that’s enchanted to stay in bloom forever,” Arthur said, a pink tinge appearing in his cheeks.
Francis raised an eyebrow. “Qu’est-ce que c’est?! Our Artie, being romantic?”
Nataliya rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Francis. You’re so full of yourself. By the way, thanks for the camera.”
“Ah, oui. Do you know how to develop the film so that the pictures will move?”
“No, can you teach me?”
“Of course.” Francis smirked. Arthur didn’t want to know what Nataliya would get up to with her camera, and he didn’t care to ask.
“Did Ivan get you anything?” Arthur asked.
“Yes, a sunflower.” Arthur and Francis looked at each other, both of them trying not to laugh.
~~
Alfred was waiting for them at breakfast. “Merry Christmas!” he exclaimed. “Thanks for the awesome video games, Nat and Francis!”
“De rien,” Francis said nonchalantly as he tucked into his eggs.
“And Arthur, uh... thanks for the book of scary stories.”
Arthur smirked. “Yeah, at least with those you’ll have an actual excuse to be scared.”
There was a sudden shadow over them. Nataliya turned around and leapt at the person who cast said shadow. “Ivan!” she screamed, hugging the bewildered boy around the middle.
“Ah, Nat, can you let go please? I think you’ve cracked one of my ribs.”
Nataliya stubbornly shook her head. “Nyet, brother. I’m never going to let you go.”
“But... but, sister, I can’t breathe!”
Alfred, Arthur, and Francis laughed. “It’s almost mean how much I enjoy that,” Francis said, chortling.
~~
Because there were so few students staying behind, the House tables had been removed and everyone mingled together at one table for the feast that evening. Even Francis couldn’t complain about the Christmas feast, or maybe that was because someone had spiked his pumpkin juice with firewhiskey.
“Crackers!” Professor Dumbledore exclaimed after the dessert cleared from the plates. “Happy Christmas, everyone!”
Arthur pulled one with Francis. The cracker made a loud BANG and out popped a pirate hat and a floating model of a pirate ship. Grabbing the hat, Arthur placed it on his own head. Francis winked at him.
“You’d make a hot pirate,” he said with a smirk.
He pulled another one with Alfred, this one bearing a hat marked “Muggle Aviator Cap”. Alfred put it on; it complemented his bomber jacket perfectly.
“Hey Artie, wanna come over to Gryffindor Tower with me?” he said as Dumbledore started leading everyone in a round of Christmas carols. “Fred and George are having a party; we’ve locked Percy in his room and they’ve pilfered some extra food from the kitchen.”
“Une fête?” Francis overheard. “Sounds like fun, non?”
“Da, let’s go,” Nataliya agreed.
~~
Gryffindor Tower was well-decorated and welcoming. Red and gold hangings and portraits of famous Gryffindors adorned the walls. A cheerful fire crackled in the grate.
“Hey Alfred!” A boy with flaming red hair greeted them. “Nice to see you back, but why’d you bring Slytherins?”
“These guys are cool - as cool as Slytherins can get.” Alfred beamed. “This is Artie Kirkland.”
“It’s actually Arthur,” Arthur cut in.
“Call him Artie.” Alfred laughed as Arthur glared at him. “And these two are his friends: Francis Bonnefois - yes, he’s French - and Nataliya Arlovskaya.”
The boy grinned. “Well, welcome to Gryffindor Tower! I’m Gred Weasley, and this -” here, another boy who was identical to the first one joined them, “is my brother Forge.”
Arthur laughed. “Hello, Fred and George.”
The two stared. “How’d you hear about us?” Fred (or was it George?) asked, eyes wide and innocent.
“You two get around.” Arthur looked around at the tables, which were laden with food. “Who else is coming? And how the hell did you get all of this food up here unnoticed?”
“It’s a secret,” the twins said together.
~~
On the way back down to the Slytherin dungeons, the three passed by the Great Hall. The doors were open, but the lights inside were dim.
At the sound of voices, the three ducked behind a nearby statue. They had stayed past curfew up at Gryffindor Tower and the last thing they needed was to be caught sneaking around at night during Christmas break.
“The chair must be moved from the dungeons,” a voice was saying.
“That’s Professor Snape!” Nataliya whispered. Francis made a shushing noise.
“I know, Severus, but there is nowhere else suitable enough. Not many students bother to linger in the dungeons, therefore there are not as many chances of the chair gaining another victim.” Professor Dumbledore’s voice could also be heard, still sober despite the amount of mead he imbibed during dinner.
“Has Yao found a suitable countercurse for the chair?”
“Not yet. I hope he is close to finding one, because...” and here Dumbledore sighed, and the three students struggled not to panic as the two teachers came into view, Snape closing the doors of the Great Hall as they left it.
“Because what?”
“Harry Potter is starting Hogwarts next autumn. If he finds the chair and accidentally sits on it, we are doomed.”
Character(s) or Pairing(s): Most, if not all Nations. USUK, FrUK, UKBelarus, UKJP, RoBelarus, FrBelarus, FrSey, RoChu, RoSey, RoUK, RoUS... and more.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Harry Potter geekery?
Author's Notes: This is set during the Potter era, and the Nations will be a year ahead of Harry and Co. The rating is subject to change.
Part III
Autumn turned into winter with the blink of an eye. The leaves on the trees, having turned into shades of red, gold, and orange, now fell to the ground and slept beneath a blanket of snow.
Arthur sat in the Great Hall doing his homework. The door opened and Alfred ran in. The American raced over to the Slytherin table, not minding the jeers from the others, and tapped Arthur on the shoulder.
“Hey Artie,” he said, an excited smile on his face.
“Don’t call me that,” Arthur said irritably, even as Francis and Nataliya simultaneously raised their eyebrows and started laughing. He glared at them, cheeks reddening. “And you two had better belt up before I hex you.”
Alfred laughed. “There’s someone I wanna introduce you to, Artie!”
“But - homework -” was all Arthur managed to splutter before Alfred grabbed his arm and started dragging him out of the Great Hall to the amusement of everyone else. “HEY! Unhand me, you idiot!”
“You’ve got to meet him; he’s got tea and everythin’!”
In the end, Arthur found himself dragged down to a little hut by the Forbidden Forest.
~~
“Kirkland, eh,” Hagrid, the groundskeeper at Hogwarts, said as he set a kettle to boil over the fire. “I knew yer brothers an’ sister. Didn’t yer brother Liam go on ter work fer the Ministry in the Department o’ Regulation an’ Control of Magical Creatures?”
“Yeah, that he did,” Arthur replied as he watched Alfred feed Fang, Hagrid’s massive boarhound.
Hagrid motioned for him to sit down at the gigantic table. “So, how’d yeh get into Slytherin? Yeh don’t seem like the type.”
Arthur shrugged as he sat down. “It’s the Hat’s choice,” he replied calmly, as Hagrid prepared two cups of tea - Alfred had declined.
“Well, I’d never thought I’d say this, but the Hat’s put yeh in the wrong place. Don’t yeh know the reputation of Slytherin House? Not a single wizard or witch who went bad didn’t go ter Slytherin in their Hogwarts days.”
“But the traits of those wizards and witches were similar - they were ambitious and cunning, and Slytherin just happened to be the House for those traits.” Arthur took his teacup and sipped, the tea scalding his throat. He coughed, and Hagrid’s gigantic hand whacked his back.
“Yeah, I supp’se yer right,” Hagrid grunted. “But yer not as bad as other Slytherins.”
Arthur smiled. “Thank you?” He raised his teacup to his lips again, but at that moment the hut door flew open and Francis and Nataliya stood in the doorway, looking worried.
“Arthur, Arthur, you’ve got to go up to the castle!” Nataliya’s face seemed paler than usual and her hands were encased in a muff.
“Why?” Arthur set his teacup down and cast a glance at Alfred and Hagrid.
Francis’s blue eyes were grave. “Your brother was attacked.”
~~
Arawn was lying on a bed in the Hospital Wing, his face and body bruised up. Taking one look at them, Arthur ran up to his brother and took his hand. “What happened?” he asked, eyes wide in horror.
Arawn looked at him, a little smile on his face. “It’s my evil little brother,” he said with a grin. “Whaddya want?”
“Is it true? You’ve been attacked?”
Arawn rolled his eyes. “I’m in the infirmary, aren’t I? So what does it look like?”
Arthur sat down at his brother’s side. “Can you tell me how it happened? Who did it?”
“I dunno. I was tired and I sat down in a chair and suddenly I’m in pain, yelling, and people rushed me here so here I am.”
“Nobody hurt you? Like... was there somebody there?”
“I might have seen a tall, dark figure, but I dunno.” Arawn shook his head. “Nay.”
~~
Dinner was silent. Outside the snow covered about every surface.
“Are you two leaving for the Christmas holidays?” Arthur asked Francis and Nataliya, trying to create a bit of noise within the silence.
“Non,” Francis replied. Nataliya shook her head and cast a glance to the Hufflepuff table. Arthur followed her gaze. Ivan wasn’t there.
He looked over at the Gryffindor table. Alfred was quiet for once, cutting into his roast beef without comment. The fact that Alfred was quiet was cause for amazement.
After dinner, Arthur went back to the Slytherin common room. Sprawling out on a low leather couch, he closed his eyes.
Arawn had been attacked by something - maybe someone jinxed him without his notice? Or maybe the chair he sat down on was cursed -
Arthur sat up again.
~~
The door to Professor Wang’s office was ajar, but there were voices coming through. Arthur peeked through the slit and saw Professor Wang and Ivan the Hufflepuff talking.
“I am worried about this school, aru,” Professor Wang was saying. “There are so many secrets these castle walls hold, aru.”
“The chair, Professor,” Ivan replied. “It attacked that Gryffindor. Could it be the chair?”
“Who knows, aru? It looks similar to the photos, aru. Professor Dumbledore has quarantined the chair, but who knows if an innocent student will come across it and sit down, aru?”
“Do you think it’s Busby’s chair, sir?” Ivan asked, and Arthur watched him fiddle with his scarf.
Professor Wang did not speak for a long time, but when he did, his voice belied his true age, hidden behind a mask of youthfulness,
“I don’t know, aru.”
~~
Christmas descended upon the castle like snow. The Great Hall was decorated festively for Christmas with twelve gigantic Christmas trees, all decorated with twinkling faerie lights and candles. Because most of the Slytherins had left for the holidays, Arthur, Francis, and Nataliya virtually had free run of the Slytherin dungeons.
“Why look, this Christmas down here in the dungeons will just be you, me, Nataliya, and that prefect who never really uses the common room,” Francis said as he sprawled out on a couch, with Arthur leaning against it watching Nataliya knit a scarf in the high-backed chair across from them.
“What a cheerful holiday,” Nataliya replied, a cat-like smile on her face.
“Who’s that for?” Arthur asked, munching on a scone he had pilfered from breakfast.
“My brother.” At that, Francis and Arthur exchanged a glance.
“Bien sûr,” Francis said lazily, stretching slightly and then curling up again. He started to play with Arthur’s hair.
Arthur’s face flushed red, which looked rather odd in the greenly lit room. “W-what are you doing?!”
“What does it look like I’m doing, mon chér?” Francis smirked; Nataliya giggled.
~~
“Joyeux Noël!”
Francis was quickly hit by a pillow coming from the direction of Arthur’s bed.
“Ah, oui, je t’aime aussi.”
“Shut up, frog.” Arthur rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Give me my pillow back.”
“Non, you gave it to me; obviously it’s your Christmas present to me...”
“No it’s not! I actually took the trouble to buy you a present, now give my pillow back to me!”
“Un cadeau pour moi?!” Francis squealed, and then he dove into his immense pile of presents - most of them obviously from females he had charmed throughout the first half of the year.
Arthur turned his attention to his own pile of presents. The top parcel was from Nataliya.
Francis looked over, holding a partly-unwrapped box of what seemed to be Belgian chocolates. “A stuffed unicorn?” he asked.
“Hey, it’s cute!” Arthur pouted and squeezed the stuffed animal. Setting it aside, he picked up the next parcel. It was from Erin.
She had knit him a bright green scarf, and enclosed with it was a note that said “Wishing a happy Christmas to the black sheep of the family. Love, Erin.”
Peter gave him a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. Arthur made a mental note to slip Alfred the nastier flavours.
Liam gave him a miniature model of a unicorn. It looked whittled. Arthur smiled; he appreciated the little things that his brothers did, even though he would never tell them that.
Francis gave him a box of French truffles. “They’re not... laced with anything, right?” Arthur asked, looking at the box and then at the Frenchman suspiciously.
“Non, why would I ruin perfectly good chocolate?” Francis laughed, turning back to his presents. “Mon dieu, I have so many chocolates myself. You need to eat some for me; if I eat all of this I’ll get fat.”
Arthur turned back to his presents. Hagrid had given him a tin of rock cakes, which not even Arthur could eat without getting a toothache. Alfred gave him a book on the world’s rarest magical creatures and a box of Earl Grey.
“Arthur, merci beaucoup for the book Best of British Foods,” Francis suddenly said, holding up said book with a slightly nauseous look on his face. “I’m sure I will have nightmares for weeks.”
“Oh, get a grip.”
The door opened and Nataliya entered. “Thanks for the chocolates and the rose, Arthur,” she said with a smile.
“Oh yeah, that’s enchanted to stay in bloom forever,” Arthur said, a pink tinge appearing in his cheeks.
Francis raised an eyebrow. “Qu’est-ce que c’est?! Our Artie, being romantic?”
Nataliya rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Francis. You’re so full of yourself. By the way, thanks for the camera.”
“Ah, oui. Do you know how to develop the film so that the pictures will move?”
“No, can you teach me?”
“Of course.” Francis smirked. Arthur didn’t want to know what Nataliya would get up to with her camera, and he didn’t care to ask.
“Did Ivan get you anything?” Arthur asked.
“Yes, a sunflower.” Arthur and Francis looked at each other, both of them trying not to laugh.
~~
Alfred was waiting for them at breakfast. “Merry Christmas!” he exclaimed. “Thanks for the awesome video games, Nat and Francis!”
“De rien,” Francis said nonchalantly as he tucked into his eggs.
“And Arthur, uh... thanks for the book of scary stories.”
Arthur smirked. “Yeah, at least with those you’ll have an actual excuse to be scared.”
There was a sudden shadow over them. Nataliya turned around and leapt at the person who cast said shadow. “Ivan!” she screamed, hugging the bewildered boy around the middle.
“Ah, Nat, can you let go please? I think you’ve cracked one of my ribs.”
Nataliya stubbornly shook her head. “Nyet, brother. I’m never going to let you go.”
“But... but, sister, I can’t breathe!”
Alfred, Arthur, and Francis laughed. “It’s almost mean how much I enjoy that,” Francis said, chortling.
~~
Because there were so few students staying behind, the House tables had been removed and everyone mingled together at one table for the feast that evening. Even Francis couldn’t complain about the Christmas feast, or maybe that was because someone had spiked his pumpkin juice with firewhiskey.
“Crackers!” Professor Dumbledore exclaimed after the dessert cleared from the plates. “Happy Christmas, everyone!”
Arthur pulled one with Francis. The cracker made a loud BANG and out popped a pirate hat and a floating model of a pirate ship. Grabbing the hat, Arthur placed it on his own head. Francis winked at him.
“You’d make a hot pirate,” he said with a smirk.
He pulled another one with Alfred, this one bearing a hat marked “Muggle Aviator Cap”. Alfred put it on; it complemented his bomber jacket perfectly.
“Hey Artie, wanna come over to Gryffindor Tower with me?” he said as Dumbledore started leading everyone in a round of Christmas carols. “Fred and George are having a party; we’ve locked Percy in his room and they’ve pilfered some extra food from the kitchen.”
“Une fête?” Francis overheard. “Sounds like fun, non?”
“Da, let’s go,” Nataliya agreed.
~~
Gryffindor Tower was well-decorated and welcoming. Red and gold hangings and portraits of famous Gryffindors adorned the walls. A cheerful fire crackled in the grate.
“Hey Alfred!” A boy with flaming red hair greeted them. “Nice to see you back, but why’d you bring Slytherins?”
“These guys are cool - as cool as Slytherins can get.” Alfred beamed. “This is Artie Kirkland.”
“It’s actually Arthur,” Arthur cut in.
“Call him Artie.” Alfred laughed as Arthur glared at him. “And these two are his friends: Francis Bonnefois - yes, he’s French - and Nataliya Arlovskaya.”
The boy grinned. “Well, welcome to Gryffindor Tower! I’m Gred Weasley, and this -” here, another boy who was identical to the first one joined them, “is my brother Forge.”
Arthur laughed. “Hello, Fred and George.”
The two stared. “How’d you hear about us?” Fred (or was it George?) asked, eyes wide and innocent.
“You two get around.” Arthur looked around at the tables, which were laden with food. “Who else is coming? And how the hell did you get all of this food up here unnoticed?”
“It’s a secret,” the twins said together.
~~
On the way back down to the Slytherin dungeons, the three passed by the Great Hall. The doors were open, but the lights inside were dim.
At the sound of voices, the three ducked behind a nearby statue. They had stayed past curfew up at Gryffindor Tower and the last thing they needed was to be caught sneaking around at night during Christmas break.
“The chair must be moved from the dungeons,” a voice was saying.
“That’s Professor Snape!” Nataliya whispered. Francis made a shushing noise.
“I know, Severus, but there is nowhere else suitable enough. Not many students bother to linger in the dungeons, therefore there are not as many chances of the chair gaining another victim.” Professor Dumbledore’s voice could also be heard, still sober despite the amount of mead he imbibed during dinner.
“Has Yao found a suitable countercurse for the chair?”
“Not yet. I hope he is close to finding one, because...” and here Dumbledore sighed, and the three students struggled not to panic as the two teachers came into view, Snape closing the doors of the Great Hall as they left it.
“Because what?”
“Harry Potter is starting Hogwarts next autumn. If he finds the chair and accidentally sits on it, we are doomed.”