If Revenge Is a Cold Dish, Then… Is It an Ice Cream? pt. 1
In the Gryffindor common room, the students were spending their time chatting among themselves or sitting down to study. Well, in reality, only Hermione and Percy Weasley were actually studying, surrounded by large stacks of books; the rest were simply minding their own business.
Hermione kept shooting disapproving looks at Percy and Harry, since both of them were standing right in front of the Weasley twins. Fred and George were sitting together on a sofa, legs crossed, wearing absolutely identical merchant smiles; so identical, in fact, that it was genuinely hard to tell who was who. In front of them rested a barely open bag, inside which all kinds of objects could be seen; objects that would surely drive Filch completely mad if he ever managed to confiscate them.
Standing in front of the twins were Harry and Percy, both upright, with serious expressions. For a moment, the only thing that could be heard was the background noise of students talking. Which, incidentally, seemed to indicate that they were completely ignoring whatever was going on there, as if this were something perfectly normal to see when it came to the Weasley twins.
"So then, what do you want? We've got everything from really foul swamp bombs. If you put one in someone's trousers, it'll be like they're wearing one," Fred Weasley said, wearing that characteristic con artist smile.
"We also have chocolate chips," George added.
"Chocolate chips?" Percy asked, frowning in clear confusion.
"Chips," George repeated, showing a distinctly malicious smile.
"Yeah, that already sounds dangerous enough not to ask any further questions," Harry said immediately, adapting to the plan without hesitation as he handed a list to the nearest twin.
That was George, who took the paper and read it quickly. "Mmm… a truly ambitious revenge," he commented, giving his approval just by looking over the materials, as if he already knew exactly what they were planning.
"Need any help? We can act as mercenaries for a modest fee," Fred said, leaning in to glance at the list while rubbing his fingers together with obvious interest.
"No, we're fine. It's not the first time we've taken revenge; although it is the first time using these kinds of things," Harry replied with a serious expression.
Percy nodded confidently.
"Alright. That'll be fifteen sickles and twenty-eight knuts. We'll have everything ready by the afternoon," George said with a smile.
"I'll give you two galleons if you have everything ready within an hour," Percy replied instantly.
"Deal," George said immediately, without hesitating for even a second.
"Alright, Harry, pay," Percy added, turning toward his brother.
Harry shot him a look, shook his head in resignation, and reached into his bag. He pulled out two gold galleons and handed them to the twins, who immediately grinned from ear to ear at the sight of the money, almost looking like they were about to start dancing.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you. Also, we'll throw in a little gift with your purchase; we're sure you'll like it," Fred said, before both of them ran off to prepare the order Harry and Percy had made.
After finishing their deal with the twins, Harry and Percy returned to the table where their friends were waiting.
"Well?" Ron asked immediately.
"They'll get everything," Harry replied calmly.
"Of course. That stuff is completely their style," Ron added, letting out a snort, as if he had suffered through something similar in the past.
"I still disagree," Hermione said at once, wearing a serious expression as she looked at Harry and Percy. "It would be better to tell the professors. Using these things will only get us into serious trouble if we're discovered."
"Exactly; if we're discovered," Percy replied with a shameless grin.
"This is going to end badly. Very badly," Hermione muttered, still rejecting the idea. But there was little she could do or say now; the stone had already been thrown.
…
After classes, Draco and his two inseparable companions were walking through the corridors toward the dungeons. After all, the Slytherin common room was located there; a damp, dark place, very fitting for snakes.
"This is really annoying. Those idiots, Potter and Jackson, are always glued to Longbottom. They won't let us take it out on him, and I was really looking forward to trying some new jinxes," Draco said, his expression dark and full of arrogance.
"Why don't we just attack Jackson and Potter too, then?" Crabbe asked suddenly, as if it were the most obvious solution in the world.
That earned him a sharp glare from Draco, who curled his upper lip in irritation.
"Don't be stupid," he said in an authoritative tone. He added nothing else and didn't bother explaining.
After all, explaining it would mean admitting something he truly despised. He was no match for Jackson. And while Potter didn't seem particularly special to him, his brother was genuinely dangerous.
And the imaginary pain in his cheeks appeared faintly just from remembering it.
The three of them walked in silence for a while through the slightly dark corridors, illuminated only by the surrounding candles. The air was damp and cold, as it always was in that part of the castle. Then, as they turned a corner and were already close to their destination, before they could take another step, they heard a creak beside them. A section of the wall suddenly gave way and collapsed.
All three reacted in time, jumping backward as the stones crashed down onto the exact spot where they might have been standing.
"What the hell?" Draco shouted, staring at the rubble that had almost hit him. "This castle is falling apart," he added, giving the debris a light kick. "I'll have to tell my father that—"
He cut himself off abruptly when he noticed something eye-catching among the stones. Embedded in the collapsed wall, something golden had been left exposed.
"What's that?" Goyle asked, noticing it as well.
"I'm seeing the same thing you are, idiot. How am I supposed to know?" Draco snapped immediately, shooting him a look of disdain before stepping closer to the damaged section of the wall. There, he could see what looked like a Slytherin seal engraved into a golden rod.
"Alright, Goyle, take it out," Draco ordered, delegating the task. If it was dangerous, he had no intention of touching it himself.
Goyle nodded without hesitation, as if the idea that it might be cursed or dangerous had never even crossed his mind.
He grabbed the golden end and pulled hard, though it didn't take much effort, as the object came free quite easily. Even so, Goyle fell onto his back as he managed to pull it out completely.
Draco stepped forward at once to inspect it more closely. It was one of those ancient parchment scrolls, and the golden parts were the rods holding it together. On both ends, the serpent seal of Slytherin was clearly visible, along with an even larger wax seal in the center of the parchment.
Malfoy's eyes gleamed for a brief moment. He had the distinct feeling that they had found something truly valuable, especially given how the Slytherin seal seemed to be everywhere on the scroll. Slytherin itself, and the place where it had been hidden, only increased the likelihood that this was something real.
He glanced around quickly, making sure no one else had noticed what had happened, and without wasting any time, gathered his lackeys. Immediately afterward, he took off running with them at full speed toward the Slytherin common room.
Meanwhile, Harry and Percy slowly stepped out from the corner where they had been hiding, covered by the invisibility cloak. Both of them were wearing clearly amused smiles.
"Looks like this is going to be easier than we thought," Harry said, amused.
"And it'll keep him pretty busy while we have our fun," Percy added.
"Come on, we've got a lot of tasks to prepare for the heir of Slytherin," Harry said in a mocking, sarcastic tone.
"Oh, maybe we're witnessing the birth of the new owner of the castle," Percy added with the same tone, as both of them pulled the invisibility cloak back over themselves.