"Do you think this is enough?" George asked, placing another box of cauldron cakes in his bag. Tori scanned inside of hers, nodding. "We should be good..."

"Miss Silvers?" A squeaky voice called. Tori flipped around to see a familiar small elf.

"Luman! Is it really you?" She rushed over to the scrawny house self, kneeling. He jumped up in down, causing his ears to flop around. "It is Miss Silvers! It is!" He said looking happier than ever before.

"I didn't know you worked down here!" Tori smiled, happily pulling the creature into a hug. "Ever since you freed Luman. Luman has worked here!"

"Fred, George. Come over here!" Tori called the two boys. "This is, er— was, my house elf. Luman."

"Nice to meet you." Fred waved, his mouth already full of food. George shook his hand gently, picking up another box of Every Flavor Beans. "It is nice to meet you!"

"Does Mother and Father know you're here?" Tori asked the elf, who winced. "No, no. Luman didn't tell them. Luman likes it here, they're..."

"Much kinder?" Tori finished. She knew Luman wouldn't dare say anything bad about the Silvers family. Especially after being loyal to them for generations. Tori didn't feel an ounce of regret for freeing him though. Her father was awful to him, and Luman was always a sweet elf.

"In certain ways... is there anything I can do for you, Miss Silvers?"

"Could we get a few sausage links?" Fred asked him over Tori's shoulder. Luman nodded gleefully and rushed off.

✧ ✦ ✧

The Gryffindor common room went into yet, another full-blown party. The twins had Harry hoisted onto their shoulder the moment he entered the room.

"Knew you wouldn't die, Harry!" Fred was shouting. "Lose a leg."

George joined in. "Or an arm."

"Pack it in altogether?"

"Never!"

"Shush!" Tori told the twins, handing Harry the golden egg she had just taken from Lee. "Go on, Harry. What's the clue?"

"Who wants me to open it?" He asked, watching the crowd jump and cheer. "Do you want me to open it?"

"Yes!"

He grinned. He tapped the golden egg's top and an ear screeching noise filled the room. Tori immediately covered her ears, which stun with pain. The twins dropped him, covering their ears like the others.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron said next to Harry. Tori had noticed the two had seemed to made up.

"It was someone being tortured!" Neville Longbottom said, who had gone very white and spilled sausage rolls all over the floor. "You're going to have to fight the Cruciatus Curse!"

"Don't be a prat, Neville, that's illegal," George shook his head. "They wouldn't use the Cruciatus Curse on the champions. I thought it sounded a bit like Percy singing... maybe you've got to attack him while he's in the shower, Harry."

Tori nearly choked on her pumpkin juice, and was now coughing. "Want a jam tart, Hermione?" Fred asked the girl, who was standing next to Harry.

Hermione looked doubtfully at the plate he was offering her. Fred grinned.

"It's all right," He began. "I haven't done anything to them. It's the custard creams you've got to watch—"

Neville, who had just bitten into a custard cream, choked and spat it out.

Fred laughed. "Just my little joke, Neville..."

Hermione took a jam tart. Then she said, "Did you get all this from the kitchens, Fred?"

"Yep," He replied, grinning at her. He put on a high-pitched squeak and imitated a house-elf. "'Anything we can get you, sir, anything at all!' They're dead helpful. Get me a roast ox if I said I was peckish."

"How do you get in there?" Hermione said in an innocently casual sort of voice. Tori narrowed her eyes at the girl, already knowing what she was implying.

"Easy," Fred began. "concealed door behind a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and —" He stopped and looked suspiciously at her. "Why?"

"Nothing," Hermione said quickly.

"Going to try and lead the house-elves out on strike now, are you?" George asked. "Going to give up all the leaflet stuff and try and stir them up into rebellion?"

Several people chortled but Hermione didn't answer.

"Don't you go upsetting them and telling them they've got to take clothes and salaries!" Fred told her warningly "You'll put them off their cooking!"

"They don't like it, Hermione. You're already upsetting them by leaving clothes out everywhere." Tori told the girl but was cut off. Just then, Neville caused a slight diversion by turning into a large canary.

"Oh — sorry, Neville!" Fred shouted over all the laughter. "I forgot — it was the custard creams we hexed —"

Within a minute, however, Neville had molted, and once his feathers had fallen off, he reappeared looking entirely normal. He even joined in laughing.

"Canary Creams!" Fred shouted to the excitable crowd. "George and I invented them — seven Sickles each, a bargain!"

Tori grinned, watching Lee turn up the radio. The rest of the night was filled with celebration, and everyone seemed to be enjoying it this time. Tori was glad Ron and Harry decided to sort out whatever they were arguing about.

Fred and George even made a few sales on their Canary Creams and talked up some of their other inventions. It was a good night overall.

✧ ✦ ✧

Tori glanced at the large clock in the library for the second time in the past minute. Lee was late. No surprise there.

They were paired together for a Transfiguration assignment and decided to meet up in the library to do to. Tori impatiently tapped her quill against the table, deciding to skim the contents of her book.

"You're not even a champion, and yet you're still are the center of attention." Tori glanced up, sighing. "What do you want, Dove?

Dove Silvers, Tori's little sister, stood in front with her arms crossed and a smirk. She was a fourth-year, like Harry, and seemed to spent a lot of time with Draco Malfoy and his group.

According to Hermione, she was actually one of the better group members. She didn't tease them as much and even bought a S.P.E.W. badge from Hermione. But Tori wouldn't put it past her sister to find a way to make fun of the girl because of it.

"What? I can't say hello to my older sister?"

"I just find it surprising. Are you bored? Since Avalon's graduated." Tori mumbled as she continued to tap her quill. "No. I quite like it. Now there's no one in my business. Speaking of, not that I care or anything, but you do get the Daily Prophet, correct?"

"Yes. Why?" Tori looked up this time, eyeing Dove, who shrugged. "Just thought you'd want to know about this week's issue. You're on the front page anyway."

She placed the paper down in front of Tori, who's eyes widened. There were two hearts on the page, one of them was Hermione and Harry, and the other was... her hugging Cedric.

Tori grabbed the paper, a million things running through her mind. It was the one Rita Skeeter had gotten in the champions' tent. Tori glanced up to speak with her sister but Dove was gone.

She snatched the paper up, shoving her books into her bag. She stormed out of the library, nearly knocking over Lee. "I know I'm late... I didn't think you'd be this mad..."

"Did you see this yet?" Tori shoved the paper towards him. Lee read over the headline, his eyes widening. "That's not good..."

"No, I have to go—" She rushed off, turning the corridor and bumping into Cedric. He too was holding the same newspaper article.

The stared at each other for a moment before simultaneously heading to Professor Dumbledore's office.

this is for rita skeeter, you big fat white nasty smelling fat-

also...

100K READS?! IM LITERALLY SPEECHLESS

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH,
FOR BEING HERE WITH ME AND TORI

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH