𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 || 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘

➳ TWENTY FIVE

XXV. LETS FIGHT BACK

The first Hogsmede weekend trip was approaching, and the population of Hogwarts was excited, including Ruth, who had been craving some Honeydukes liquorice for a while now.

It was late October, so the day was bright but breezy. Ruth dressed comfortably and warmly, in blue jeans and a jumper, with a black jacket on top.

"Where's our first stop?" Casper asked after Filch gave them the nod of permission. He had already forgotten about their little argument, and Ruth had managed to keep her hand out of his sight.

"Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer?" Ruth suggested as Hogsmede village slowly came into view.

"Sure," Casper agreed and the two friends engaged in a comfortable conversation as they got closer to the little village.

"After you," Casper said as he opened the door to the busy pub.

"Thank you, kind sir," Ruth giggled as she moved to enter the building. She paused in her tracks when she heard someone calling her name.

"Ruth!" Katrina called, jogging towards her sister with Angelina Johnson close behind her. "Are you heading to the Hogs Head?"

Ruth raised an eyebrow. "The Hogs Head?"

Katrina's cheeks held a tinge of pink from the wind and she looked naturally beautiful as she nodded her head. "Yeah. Harry's got this big announcement, apparently. A bunch of people are going."

Ruth turned to Casper, silently asking him if he wanted to join Katrina and her friend, who Ruth noticed had been sending her bad looks. Casper didn't seem to get the hint, as his face stayed completely neutral. Ruth turned back to her sister with a smile. "Yeah. We'll meet you there."

"Great, see you!" Katrina beamed as Angelina pulled her away and down the street. Ruth and Casper followed them slowly.

"Did you see the looks Angelina was sending me?" Ruth asked Casper in a whisper, even though there was no possible way the girl could have heard her.

"Please don't get into any drama," Casper drawled on as they approached the Hogs Head. The dinky pub didn't look very appealing from the outside, but Ruth knew not to judge a book by its cover.

"I won't," Ruth told him. "I've never even properly spoken to her. I have no idea why she's looking me like that."

They entered the pub, being greeted by a huge crowd surrounding a single table. Casper and Ruth shared a look before going the group.

"How do you know he's back?!" A voice exclaimed. "How can we believe him?!"

"Well Dumbeldore believes he's back and Harry has seen him return, therefore I believe he's back," Hermione Granger said calmly. "And we need to know how to fight back. These new defence classes won't cut it."

"All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory was killed by You-Know-Who and you brought his body back to Hogwarts," a Hufflepuff said dismissively. "He gave us no details, no reason to believe him. I think we'd all like to know-"

"If you're here to talk about Cebric Diggory's death, you've come to the wrong place," Harry burst out. "If that's why you're here, you better clear out."

Nobody moved, but the atmosphere shifted. A tension and uneasiness spread across the group.

"So- like I was saying," Hermione said, her voice high-pitched. "We need to pick a time and a place-"

"Is it true you can produce a Patronus?" a girl asked, interrupting Hermione, who was going brighter red as the seconds passed.

That question sparked off another conversation around all of Harry's achievements. Ruth payed close attention, learning stuff about the boy that she'd never heard before. She was pretty impressed by all the things the fifth year student could do.

"Listen, I had a lot of help with those things," Harry admitted. "I know I did bits without help but the point I'm trying to make is-"

"Are you trying to get out of showing us any of this stuff?" the same Hufflepuff as before said.

"Why don't you shut your mouth?" Ron Weasley spat, causing a few people to chuckle.

"We've been told that we'll be learning skills from him but now he's telling us he can't really do any of it!" The Hufflepuff, who Ruth now new as Zacharis Smith thanks to Casper's whisper, exclaimed.

"That's not what he said!" Fred clashed. "Get your ears clean, moron."

Ruth couldn't help but laugh along with the rest of the group. She caught Fred's eye and they shared a smile, Ruth looking away first when Casper nudged her arm.

The conversation on these Defence classes continued, containing a lot of arguing and mocking. Ruth was really getting tired of it at this point.

"We'll find a place and let you know when the first meeting will be held," Hermione announced, closing the meeting. "But I think we should all write our names down, to know who's in this group and who isn't."

She had pulled a piece of parchment and a quill from her bag, holding it out to the crowd, who weren't looking as confident anymore.

Fred was the first to sign his name, lazily scribbling his signature. George copied him. Hermione had to convince a few people to sign, as they were too afraid Umbridge would find the list. Ruth cheerfully signed her own name, passing the list to Casper.

After everyone had signed the list, the meeting was disbanded. The crowd slowly started leaving the pub, much to the happiness of the bartenders.

"Excited?" Fred asked Ruth as they met while leaving the pub.

Ruth nodded with a beaming smile. "Yes. I've been doing pretty well in Defence class since first year, I don't want Umbridge messing that up."

Fred chuckled. "I just need to learn some spells to protect me from little chocolate-cake-stealers."

Ruth laughed wholeheartedly, the outside air hitting her cheeks as the pub door swung open. She had expected her and Fred to separate when the exited the building, but Fred pulled her away from the crowd.

"How's your hand?" he whispered. Ruth noticed how his facial expressions switched from cheerful to worried very quickly. "I meant to ask you earlier, but I didn't get the chance."

Ruth smiled sadly, the skin on her left hand still tight. "It's fine. It still gets sore sometimes, the wound reopens if I'm careless."

Fred sighed deeply. "I'm really sorry," he said, taking her hand and running his index finger across the faint scar. "I didn't mean for us to get caught. I really thought we'd be back on time."

"Don't worry about it," Ruth smiled, Fred's touch making her feel light. "I don't regret going down to the kitchens. It was fun."

Fred smiled, his eyes flicking away from her hand to her eyes. This made Ruth's stomach churn. "I'm glad. We'll do it again sometime."

Ruth was about to reply when she heard Casper calling her name. "I better get back to him. I'll talk to you later?"

"Definitely," Fred nodded. His hand slowly left Ruth's, leaving her feeling cold. Ruth pushed this feeling away, running back to Casper gently.