LATIBULE - F.WEASLEY

20

Maggie, the twins and Draco sneak through the corridors, heading to the seventh floor. There had been some resistance to having Draco be part of the group but once the boy had voluntarily signed the jinxed parchment, the tension had eased slightly.

The twins had embraced Draco with open arms once they discovered the boy had torn down the disgusting ranking board after he had been allowed to see it by the older students. It also helped that Draco would advise them on the best way to prank the Slytherin house.

They stand in front of the wall, waiting for the door to appear when it does, they're quick to slip through. All eyes turn to face them and Draco hides behind Maggie and the twins slightly as people glare at the Slytherin.

"If you want to stare at me that's fine," Maggie sneers at the students. "The crazy daughter of a death eater but if any of you so much as look at Draco wrong I'll make you regret being born. Is that clear?"

The students all nod, looking at Maggie fearfully as the twins glare at them from either side of the witch. Maggie's face then breaks into a wide grin and she claps her hands together.

"Great, take it away Harry,"

"Learning the Stunning spell is crucial for a wizard as it can quickly end a duel," Harry says. "This spell temporarily knocks out the target if it's not deflected. For creatures like dragons, trolls, giants, and half-giants, multiple spells are necessary as they are more resistant. However, multiple stunning spells on a person, whether a muggle or a wizard, can cause severe injury or even death. The incantation is easy to remember, just one word: Stupefy"

Maggie and Fred walk to opposite ends of the room, their wands drawn as Fred grins at the blonde.

"No hard feelings when I win, right love?"

"Stupefy!"

Fred grunts when the spell slams into his chest, sending him crashing onto the mat on the floor. George bursts into laughter, patting Maggie on the shoulder proudly as Fred gets to his feet rubbing his chest.

"Nice shot, Maggie!" George cheers.

"Thanks, George. Fred, you all right?" Maggie asks, concern flickering in her eyes as she watches Fred recover.

Fred chuckles, still rubbing his chest. "Yeah, yeah. Excellent hit, love. You'll have to show me how you managed that one later."

Draco watches the exchange with a mixture of fascination and apprehension. He knows he needs to learn these spells, but the idea of potentially hurting someone, even in practice, is a bit daunting. Especially when he knows most of the room would turn on him in a split second. Maggie catches his eye and offers an encouraging smile.

"Come on, Draco. We're all here to learn together," she says, beckoning him over. "Try it on George"

"Give it your best shot," George says and Draco fires the spell.

George flies back, landing on the crash mat just as Fred had moments ago. Now it was Fred's turn to laugh at his twin.

"Excellent, Draco!" Maggie says, clapping her hands. "You've got a knack for it"

"Do it again!" Fred cheers.

"It's Ron against Hermione," George says, pointing at the scene before them.

"Five sickles on Ron," George says causing the other three to snort.

"You're on,"

"Prepare to lose fifteen sickles," Maggie says.

Before Ron can even draw his wand, Hermione's spell slams into his chest sending him flying back. George curses under his breath before turning to face the three who were all holding out their hands expectantly.

"You two are swimming in money!" The wizard points at Maggie and Draco.

"Principle," Maggie shrugs. "Now cough up"

"Alright, let's keep practising," Maggie says, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "Draco, why don't you give it another go? This time, maybe try to aim for a moving target. George, be our brave volunteer."

Draco, feeling a bit more confident, readies his wand. George, looking determined, starts moving around, trying to dodge the incoming spell. After a few attempts, Draco manages to land a successful Stunning spell on George, who collapses onto the mat.

"Good one, Draco!" Fred cheers and even George can't help but chuckle.

"You know-" Maggie turns to face an unfamiliar Hufflepuff. "You don't look insane"

"What?" Maggie frowns at the boy's words.

"Well, we all read the front page prophet article," The boy says with a shrug.

"And?" Maggie asks.

With one look at Maggie's face, everyone who knew her takes two steps back and the rest of the students follow suit.

"And," The boy continues. "It makes me wonder, seventeen years and no one knew?"

"Are you calling me a liar?" Maggie asks, arching her eyebrow.

"It's just suspicious,"

Fred leans down and the witch turns so Fred can whisper in her ear. Maggie grins, glancing at the Hufflepuff before nodding her head.

Fred walks over to the boy, grabbing his collar before dragging him towards the door. Maggie watches as George joins him. Draco appears next to Maggie, his eyes watching as the boy is dragged away.

"What will they do to him?"

"How would I know?"

"Hey Mags," Angelina calls and the witch turns. "Hermione has a free period at the same time as us and wants to chill in the library, you down?"

"Absolutely,"