Chapter 3: Guns & Chemistry

“That was brilliant. Dudley’s face when you said that, hilarious.” Fred laughs at the memory. Weird, I suddenly feel strange in my stomach. Like, no, that’s impossible. “What’s wrong?” I guess they noticed I wasn’t paying attention. “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking back at what just happened.” I wonder if they’ll believe that. “Shall we go sit at the lake?” George asks while looking mostly at Lotte. She blushes and smiles in a weird way, a way I haven’t seen her smiling in before. Do I see a connection here? Does she feel the same as how I just felt? “Are you still thinking back?” Fred’s voice brings me back out of my thoughts. “Uh, yeah. Yeah.” I lie.
            Anyway, for in October, it’s really good weather. While walking to the lake, (which looks like a small ditch for non-Coornhert people. It has something to do with magical wibbly-wobbly stuff, I don’t really know how it works.)  I feel the warmth of the sun like it’s still summer. “Here?” George asks when we arrive at a spot two meters in front of the lake. “I’m fine with this.” I say, and sit down.  “How I love this kind of weather.” Lotte sits down next to me, while the boys sit down facing us. “The perfect way to start the morning.” George says. “ After a great joke with a teacher.” Fred continues. We all laugh at the memory.
            The next moment we hear rumor coming from the front door of the school, the door only teachers and staff are allowed to use.”Why do you always insinuate my kids, Malfoy? Why would they try to poison Fluffy, for God’s sake?” Fred and George growl, Lotte sighs and I roll with my eyes, Lucius Malfoy, a school governor and Slytherin in blood and veins, has once again ruined someone’s perfect morning. “Molly, why don’t you see that your children are all criminal.” I can see in the boys’ eyes that they didn’t like that comment at all. “Mr. Malfoy, can you please stop accusing people. There’s no evidence in this case, and even if there was, you just cannot go out and loud tell people their kids are criminals. And not at all if they obviously aren’t” Professor McGonagall, saver of the argument. “Fine, but don’t say I haven’t told you. Next to that, it’s obviously that they have something to do with the mess in Umbridge’s office. Locking teachers into cupboards, criminal I say. Good day.” An angry Lucius Malfoy appears in our sight. Apparently he also sees us, because he makes a face in disgust and tries to past us as fast as he can. “We should’ve locked him in a cupboard.” I say. Fred, George and Lotte chuckle. “Hey, maybe we can pull a joke on him.” I like that idea. “Brilliant Tubbs.” “That idea is very attractive. Very attractive.” George makes same gestures like he’s thinking deeply. “Maybe we could use paint or something. I have always wanted to see a rainbow-Malfoy.” I think this comment was actually meant to be serious, looking at Fred’s face, but at the thought of a happy dancing-around rainbow-Malfoy I can’t help it but laugh. “What? That was serious!” Looking at the indignant face of Fred only makes me laugh harder. “Oh, come on. What’s not funny about a rainbow-Malfoy.” “Especially when he’s dancing-around happily.” It’s like Lotte has read my mind. I look at her, and we both start laughing. “Okay, dancing-around rainbow-Malfoy. Maybe we can try to make that happen.” George now laughs at the same thought, but his facial expression changes fast when he hears an obviously angry voice. “Maybe we can try to make what happen?” The boys turn around while Lotte and I look up. There stands Mrs. Weasley, obviously not amused. “Oh, hey mom.” “Good morning, Mrs. Weasley.” “What are you up to?” Mrs. Weasley looks angry. It stays silent for a while. “Well, if no-one says it; pulling a joke on Malfoy is not going to help. You should be ashamed of yourselves. After what you’ve done to professor Umbridge... You may be lucky that you’re not getting detention.” “We’re sorry, mom, but he called us criminals. We just don’t let people say that about us, and more important, our family.” George tries to persuade his mother, and it seems to work. “Oh, dear, you shouldn’t listen to Malfoy. He’s just a horrible person. It’s  more important what the people you love think about you.” She smiles, but seems to remember the event with Umbridge. “But don’t think this is the last you’ve heard about the incident with Umbridge.” She points with her finger, trying to make it more dramatic than it actually is. “We know, mom.” “We’ll keep an eye on them, Mrs. Weasley.” Lotte sounds very convincing. Mrs. Weasley turns around. “Oh, I know, dear. I know.” She sighs. She seems not to know what to say or do now, and walks away.
            “Thanks, Tubbs.” “That’s okay. Is the plan still on?” Lotte asks carefully. George sighs. “Well, I don’t really like to upset our mother, but yeah, the plan’s still on.” “We don’t really let it be said without any revenge, do we?” The boys smirk. “I think I can borrow a paint-gun.” I say. “Jack?” three voices ask. “Jack.” I say, now smirking myself.

I’m walking downstairs to the -6^th floor, the floor that’s better known as the dungeon because it’s the floor furthest down. It’s the second period, another free period for me, but it means English class for Lotte and Biology class for the twins (what’s quite odd, because even though most teachers don’t like their pranks, they always have their classes together.). I walk to the training center. Once a month we get fighting classes here. Well, the kids who want to get fighting classes, which are, weird enough, not a lot. I think that’s mostly because of parents arguing with their kids it’s too dangerous. Not like it’s that dangerous. Anyway, I can hear gunfire in the shooting area, so I guess Jack is busy with his guns right now. I push the door from the shooting hall and walk towards him. “You better stay there or you get the chance to get shot.” I chuckle and stop walking. Jack shoots some more bullets to the dummy at the end, turns around to me and removes the ear protectors. “Hey Becky, how are you?”  He gives me one of the ear protectors and a gun. “Ah, you know, the usual.” I walk to the shooting range next to him and shoot five bullets to the dummy; three end in the heart and two end right above it. “Ha. You’re getting better every time.” Jack smiles. “So, what did you come for?” I smirk. He is, as always, straight to the point. “I was wondering if I could borrow a paint-gun.” I shoot some more bullets to the dummy next to mine; this time four end in the heart and only one end a bit above it. Jack laughs and shakes his head with satisfaction. “A paint-gun? Who are you planning to shoot?” “Lucius Malfoy.” I say before shooting some more bullets to my own dummy; now all of the bullets end in the heart. “Okay, then.” He walks away. A few seconds later he comes back with a large paint-gun in his hands. “Here, take this one.” He nods his head to the dummy. I shoot; all paintballs end in the chest of the dummy. “Don’t be too harsh, okay?” Now it’s my time to laugh. “You know I won’t be too harsh.” “Yep, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need saying. And don’t get busted, eh?” I salute as an answer.  When I walk away, I hear him saying. “You know, maybe in a few years I need to salute you instead of the other way around.” And the next moment he shoots his dummy in shreds.

Between the third and the fourth period I walk to the –1^st floor. Lucky for me, Fluffy is nowhere near. I walk to one end of the floor. There’s a secret passage way which leads to the other building. Only few people know about it, and I think you can guess who a few of those persons are. Anyway, I always have the first three periods off on Thursday, and I’m now on my way to my first class; Chemistry. Simone is already waiting for me, what’s not really odd; I had to come from the top floor (I had spent an hour in the library working out a plan) and she came from the 2^nd floor. I knock at the wall and a small piece in the form of a port disappears. We walk through the hole and into the passage. I hear the wall getting back to its normal form. “Have you finished your homework? I didn’t really understand some things.” “Well, I finished it, but I might have used the book with the answers for some questions. “ Because the passage is not that long, we’re already at the end of it. Here I also knock on the wall, but it doesn’t open immediately. Probably some students standing on the other side. After half a minute or so the wall finally opens and we walk into the gloaming lights of the -1^st floor of the beta-building. We walk to the other side of the floor. Not like it’s as big as the main building.
            The door of the classroom is already open, but Snape is not around. Luckily.  Simone and I walk in and take our seats next to Laura, at the back of the room. “I’m so happy he’s not here yet. Laura  says. The lights of the room flicker, like they use to do now and then.  I never really liked this classroom. It’s always dark, lighted with floating candles. There’s enough light to see everyone and everything, though, but it’s still… dark. There are almost no windows, because we’re beneath the surface of the earth, but high upon the walls there are a few small, rectangular windows. Suddenly the door closes and another door, the door that leads to the classroom next to us, opens. Every student stops his chatter and a few students look frightened at the door. Snape walks through it and to the other side of the room, where he stops behind his desk. “Turn to page 394.”