At lunchtime, sunlight fell through the Great Hall's high windows, spreading a thin sheen around the golden plates.
Quite a few students had gathered near the Gryffindor table, and at the center of the crowd, Ron stood beside a bench, recounting what had happened on Halloween night.
"And then?"
"And then?!" Ron raised his voice, stood on tiptoe, and thrust both hands above his head. "You have no idea how dangerous it was!"
"That troll was this tall, and the club in its hand was thicker than Hagrid's arm!"
Neville clutched his cup, forgetting even to drink his pumpkin juice.
Ron was thoroughly satisfied. Next came the most exciting part of the entire adventure.
"By then, Hermione and the others were trapped in the display hall. They were just about finished.
"Then, at that very moment..." He suddenly lowered his voice and paused for two seconds. "Harry appeared!"
The students around him all leaned closer.
"He just raised his wand. Boom!" Ron flung his hands apart, startling Neville so badly he nearly threw his cup away. "A sun! Harry actually summoned a sun!"
"The whole corridor was as bright as day. That troll didn't even have time to scream before it was burned to ash!"
Gasps immediately rose all around him.
"Merlin above!"
"Seriously? That was a troll!"
"I saw it with my own eyes. How could it be fake?" Ron puffed out his chest, feeling that anything he said now would sound very convincing.
Beside him, Hermione slowly set down her fork.
"Ron, the troll didn't die at all. Besides, it was the professors who arrived and subdued it in the end."
Ron's expression stiffened for a moment. Then he waved a hand quite naturally.
"That's not the point! The point is, Harry really did stop the troll. If he hadn't arrived in time, we would've been in danger!"
Hermione looked at him for two seconds, then picked up her fork again.
At least the latter half was true.
"Wait." One student suddenly asked, "I heard Malfoy was there too. So Harry really saved Miss Malfoy?"
"Of course. I was right there!"
Ron answered without the slightest hesitation.
But no sooner had the words left his mouth than he noticed several people nearby suddenly exchanging very peculiar looks.
"So it's true. I thought someone had made it up."
"No wonder Fred and George said Potter's been spending so much time with Malfoy lately..."
From behind the crowd, two familiar voices immediately chimed in.
"Oh, George!"
"What is it, Fred?"
"It seems we've discovered something extremely important."
"Something that'll shock all of Hogwarts!"
Two identical faces squeezed through the crowd.
Ron looked at his brothers' smiles and suddenly felt that perhaps he shouldn't have answered so quickly.
"What are you two planning?"
"On Halloween, we saw Harry and Miss Malfoy making magic lamps together with our own eyes," Fred replied very seriously.
"Oooh-!"
The teasing cries had barely begun before Ron hurriedly spoke up. "Wasn't that an assignment from a professor?!"
"Exactly. That's why we didn't dare be certain at the time." Fred sighed. "Until today, when you supplied the final piece of the puzzle."
George turned to the surrounding students, his voice growing solemn as well.
"First came a romantic encounter between snake and lion. Then the Chosen One bravely fought a troll for Miss Malfoy!"
"Merlin above, what a touching love story!"
The chatter nearby suddenly grew louder.
Some remembered their partnership in potions class; others brought up flying class.
Someone else said Peeves had once sung a song about the two of them going out together in the middle of the night.
Ron's eyes grew wider and wider.
No, wait. I was clearly telling a hero story!
"You've all got it wrong!" He hurriedly squeezed forward. "I witnessed Harry fighting a troll, not Harry and Malfoy!"
"But you certainly are an important witness." Fred patted him on the shoulder.
"Besides, you saw it with your own eyes. How could it be fake?" George repeated with utter sincerity.
Ron opened his mouth.
Those words seemed to have come out of his own mouth just moments ago.
"You don't understand at all! How could Harry possibly become friends with Malfoy? I don't approve!"
Beside the Slytherin table, someone suddenly stood up.
"Weasley, what right do you have to disapprove?"
"Miss Malfoy is one of our finest first-years! Potter should be honored to have won her favor!"
Another student's eyes lit up at that.
"So our Miss Malfoy has won over Gryffindor's Chosen One?"
After a brief silence, cheers erupted beside the green table.
Someone even picked up a little flag from the edge of the table and waved it enthusiastically.
"Long live Miss Malfoy!"
"In the end, even Gryffindor's Chosen One has been won over by us Slytherins!"
The Gryffindor students, who had been enjoying the spectacle, were immediately displeased.
"Nonsense! Harry clearly conquered Slytherin's strongest fortress!"
"Potter was the one who went to save Miss Malfoy!"
"That shows Harry's inherited Gryffindor's virtues! He has a hero's spirit! Even your haughtiest young lady is willing to be friends with him!"
The voices at the two long tables grew louder and louder, and the argument began heading in a strange direction.
"Potter belongs to Gryffindor!"
"Well, he can come to Slytherin in the future!"
"Why should he? We could just as easily snatch Malfoy over to Gryffindor!"
At the Hufflepuff table, several students were so absorbed in watching that they forgot to reach for their bread.
Over at Ravenclaw, someone closed the book spread across their knees.
Wait...
Hadn't everyone come here to eat?
Why had they suddenly started fighting over which side the Chosen One and Miss Malfoy belonged to?
Even more absurdly, the two tables were no longer arguing over whether anything was actually going on between those two, but which house would count as the winner if they really got together!
The commotion grew and grew, even attracting attention from the High Table.
At the High Table, Professor McGonagall finally stood up.
"Silence!"
The voices in the Great Hall quickly subsided, and the little green flag that had just been raised was quietly returned to the edge of the table.
Behind the crowd, Fred and George had already taken Ron between them, one on either side, and the three retreated to the doorway with practiced ease.
"Fred... George..."
Ron slowly turned to look at his two older brothers, his voice already carrying a slight tremble.
"Have we gotten ourselves into trouble?"
Fred didn't answer. He merely stared at the scene before him, his mouth slowly falling open.
"Merlin's beard..."
George sucked in a sharp breath as well.
"Fred, I think we might have done something incredible."
"George, leave out the 'might.'"
"It looks like we've..."
"Started a war!"
The three brothers stared at one another.
The air suddenly fell quiet.
Ron swallowed. "Th-then what do we do now?"
Fred was silent for two seconds.
Then he suddenly straightened his back and patted Ron on the shoulder with a solemn expression.
"Ron, there's one thing you need to remember."
"What?"
"We're Weasleys!"
At those words, George's eyes immediately lit up.
"Well said, Fred!"
"Weasleys never fear a challenge!"
"And we certainly never bow to difficulties!"
The two brothers grew more and more excited as they spoke, even exchanging an enthusiastic high five.
"Brilliant work!"
"A battle between lions and snakes! This will definitely go down in the annals of Hogwarts pranks!"
Ron: "..."
He looked at Fred, then at George.
No! Haven't you two missed the point?!
What on earth is there to be proud of?!
Sure, you pulled off your prank!
But the problem is...
If that madwoman Malfoy finds out I had something to do with this too...
Ron's face instantly grew a few shades paler.
Oh, Merlin!
I just wanted to go to school in peace!
How did I end up with two older brothers like these?!
(The inspiration for this chapter came from a comment by reader Weishidai Xiaowen. Thank you!)
(Also, feel free to leave comments or discuss any moments you find shippable. If the author thinks they fit, they'll be written into the story~ Thank you so much!)
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