A Little Bit of Love and Laughter

The next morning, I was the first person in the girls' dormitory to wake up, and I made an effort to give the first years detailed directions to their classes. Once they were all on their way, I met up with Roger, and we walked to the dungeon together.

I saw Fred and George sitting at a table, with a chair open for me on Fred's right, just like always. Roger sat at the next table over.

"Why're you hanging around with Davies?" Fred asked. "I thought you were above that."

"Above what? He's nice. There's nothing wrong with him."

"I didn't think you were one of those girls who spends all her free time drooling over that git."

"I'm not!" I didn't spend all of my free time drooling over him; really.

"Sure seems like it to me," he said. "What do you think, George?"

"Don't get me involved in this. I am an innocent third party and would like to remain as such, thank you."

I sighed. "Fred. Just drop it. It's not like I'm snogging the kid or anything so leave it alone."

He took a deep breath and turned away from me, as if that was necessary for him to control himself. Our conversation ended there, but the incessant sound of classroom chatter did not die down until Severus stormed into the room.

"Page one-hundred and seventy-six," he announced. "Now."

The class, somewhat confused by his immediate direction, slowly took out textbooks and began flipping through pages.

"You will read the entirety of Chapter Eight about Veritaserum, and promptly afterwards, there will be a test on the information."

"Is he a bigger git this year, or what?" Fred whispered to me as he opened to the page.

"Just assigning loads of work, is all," I replied.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Prince," Snape sneered, "Why is it that you two must always cause problems on the first day of class?"

This class essentially started the same way each year. First year, Severus gave me a detention. Second year, he split us up. Third year, he deducted twenty points from my house for answering a question out of turn. Fourth year, he assigned an essay about respecting one's professors. And last year, he had told me off in front of the entire class, ending his speech with the deduction of fifteen points "for being an incessant know-it-all". I guess this time Fred had had enough.

"Maybe because you're a greasy slimeball," he grumbled under his breath. But Severus had heard.

"What was that, Weasley?"

"Fred!" I hissed. "Hush up!"

"To the Headmaster's office, now, both of you." He paused. "And I expect two rolls of parchment about Veritaserum on my desk tomorrow morning in addition to making up the exam."

Distractedly, I left the room with Fred and as we headed off to Dumbledore's office, he said, "Dunno why he sent you too. You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, you merely tried to keep me out of trouble."

I knew that this was not the case. Severus had not sent us out of the room because of Fred, though his comment certainly had not helped the situation; he sent us out because of me, and Fred's association with me was the cause of his incessant rotten luck in that class.

"First day again," I said with a sigh. "I still can't do anything right, prefect or not."

"Don't say that, Em. It's my fault, really. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I got you in trouble."

I just shook my head sadly at him and continued ahead to Dumbledore's office.