Right Now Could Last Forever

I stood up from my seat at the table; dinner had just finished and everyone was exiting the Great Hall. I quickly followed the crowds. I lost Harry, Hermione and Ron easily, but I knew that I would find them soon enough. I jumped up the Entrance Hall steps in my usual manner, taking them two at a time. I followed my fellow Gryffindors up to the common room, talking and laughing with some of them as we went.

Someone said the password and we all entered the warmth of the circular room. I fell with a huff onto a soft armchair. Something about today had totally drained me, and I sat, exhausted, staring at the crackling fire.

“Um, excuse me? Corey?”

I shook out of my day-dream, looking up at the first year who had been seeking my attention. He was rather tall, and had light brown hair; I was sure I’d talked to him once or twice, but couldn’t remember his name. I gave him a smile, raising my eyebrows questioningly.
“I was told to give this to you,” he said, holding out an envelope.

“Thanks,” I said, taking the yellowish paper from him.

The first year gave a little nod, and walked away. I slipped the envelope open easily, and pulled out the piece of paper from inside. In some-what messy handwriting the page read:

‘Corey
Meet me in the common room at midnight,
dress warmly’

I looked up confused, but smiling.

-

When it was ten to twelve, I slipped out of bed, getting dressed quickly and quietly. I wore my Weasley jumper and a zip-up hoodie over top of that, since it was quite cold. I tip-toed down the stairs into the common room, listening carefully to the noise my shoes made on the stone steps.

I watched as the embers in the fireplace danced, slightly illuminating the tall figure leaning against its frame. My heart fluttered as I walked over to him. Fred and I hadn’t been alone since the Yule ball, and it was needless to say that neither of us had put very much effort into us, whatever that was. That was, until today.

“Hey,” he said softly, once I was standing next to him. “You ready to go?”

I nodded, a smile appearing upon my lips. He smiled back at me, and grabbed my hand in his; our fingers intertwining. He dragged me over to the portrait hole, and we both crawled through.

“What do you two think you’re – oh it’s you,” the Fat Lady said, sleepily. “Don’t stay out too late; I actually want to get some sleep.”

Fred chuckled, taking me through dark hallways and cobwebbed passage-ways.

“Where are we going?” I asked, gripping tightly to Fred’s hand.

“You’ll see,” Fred said, and I could almost hear the smile in his voice.

I let out a sigh, but followed quickly behind Fred as we came out from behind a tapestry in a hallway on the second floor. We rushed quickly down the stairs, and into the Entrance Hall. It felt oddly airy with no one in it; without any real light bouncing around the huge room. The doors to the Great Hall were closed, which made the room look even more unfamiliar than ever.

Fred tugged on my hand, and I followed him to the front doors of the castle. Apparently Dumbledore didn’t lock the castles’ doors at night, so Fred easily pulled the door open; it was almost as if the old wizard wanted students to sneak out. A knot appeared in my stomach at the thought of Fred taking another girl out of the castle and night, but it quickly disappeared when Fred put an arm around me, walking me into the cold night’s air.

I would be lying if I said that Hogwarts grounds at night were anything but beautiful. Dew was already starting to cling to the grass, and the vast grounds appeared to go on forever. In the sky, the millions of stars twinkled happily, and the moon was a deep orange, reflecting off the lake. A soft breeze rustled the leaves of the Forbidden Forest, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Not scared of a dark forest are we?” Fred mused.

“Not at all,” I responded. “It’s just a bit cold.”

“I did tell you to dress warmly,” Fred said, but held me closer to his side anyway.

We walked through the grass for a couple of minutes, just enjoying each other’s company, until Fred stopped all of a sudden, falling lightly onto the ground and pulling me with him.
“What did you do that for?” I asked, rolling mostly onto him so I wouldn’t get wet.

“Just thought you’d like to get a better view of the stars,” Fred said innocently.

I gave him a sceptical look, but put my head on his chest anyway. His arm wrapped around my waist and together we looked up at the beautifully decorated sky.

“This is nice,” I said after a while.

“Mmm?”

“It’s nice; I mean, being together with any pranks and jokes all the time,” I said, propping myself up on my elbow so I could see his face clearly.

“I suppose it is,” Fred said, and I swear I melted a bit as he held my gaze.

There was a loud bang, and both Fred and I jumped slightly. For a moment I thought that George had followed us down here, and I was about to give Fred a very disappointed look, before I realised he looked just as shocked as I did. Fred sat up, holding me tightly to his side; as if protecting me. I turned my head so that I could look in the direction of the bang; the Durmstrang ship.

On the deck of the foreign ship stood one of the older students and from this distance his face appeared contorted with rage. In his hand was his wand; still smoking from the spell he’d cast. He yelled something inaudible, while someone else clambered into view.

Fred chuckled, relaxing his tight hold on me slightly, while we watched the student be dragged back inside. I joined in and rested my forehead on his shoulder in slight relief.

“What did I tell you; the people from Durmstrang are crazy,” Fred said, referring to a conversation me, him and George had, had when the two schools had first arrived.

“Okay, maybe just a bit,” I admitted with a smile.

“We should get back inside,” Fred said, watching me. “We’ve been out here for nearly an hour and a half.”

“Really?” I said, shocked; to which Fred simply nodded his head. “I suppose we should then.”

Fred stood up and held out his hand for me, offering to help me up. I took it without a second thought. When I was standing, I was about to let go of his hand, but he stopped me.

“What, don’t you want to hold my hand?” Fred said, mock hurt on his face.

“For the sake of your pride, I will say that I do and carry on holding your hand,” I said, with a smirk on my face.

“Nope, I don’t want to hold your hand now,” Fred said, dropping my hand and crossing his arms, a stubborn expression on his face.

“Don’t be like that, Freddie,” I whined, pouting up at him.

“You’re a meany,” Fred said, sticking out his tongue and starting to walk back to the castle, his arms still crossed tightly.

“I’m sorry, Freddie,” I said, dragging out his name. “I want to hold your hand, I do!”

“Nope, it’s too late now.”

I pouted, struggling to keep up with his long strides. I pulled at his arms, trying to get them to loosen up, but it was no use. I stood in front of him, forcing him to stop in his tracks. He looked down at me with his big brown eyes. I reached up and pulled on his arms again, my eyes pleading him now.

“Please, Fred,” I said, stepping closer to him.

He sighed, but loosed his arms.

“Fine,” he said, dragging out the ‘I’ like a child.

I smiled, stepping closer to him and wrapping his arms around me in a hug. Once his arms held me by themselves, I wrapped my arms around his middle, placing my head on his chest.
“Sorry for bruising your ego,” I mumbled, and I felt the soft rumble of his laugh echo inside his chest.

“Will you hold my hand now, though?” Fred said. I pulled away and nodded, taking his hand in my own.

We managed to make our way back up to the Fat Lady without anyone spotting us.

“You two are finally back, I see,” the portrait snapped at us when we approached. She was far grumpier at night than I had ever seen her during the day.

“At least it’s before day break this time,” Fred said to her.

“That’s true. Password?”

I said the password, and we entered the common room again. Fred walked me politely to the stairs which led to the Girls’ rooms, holding my hand the whole time.

“Thank you for meet me,” Fred said, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Anytime,” I responded.

“Well, sweet dreams,” Fred said, before leaning in and kissing the top of my head.

“See you in the morning,” I responded, trying to make sure I didn’t say anything stupid.

We gave each other both a smile, before I turned and walked up the stairs. I managed to find my bed in the dark and in a daze stripped off my clothes and got into bed. I stared into the darkness of the room, my blanket pulled up to my chin. I could hear the even breathing of Hermione and Lavender on either side of me.

One thing I knew for sure; I would most definitely be having sweet dreams tonight.