Rain on March 11th (Part 1)

Hermione and Joey had been petrified.

Fred and George had just returned from flying a few laps around the castle when they overheard students in the hallway discussing the incident. Fred immediately mounted his broomstick and raced to the hospital wing on the second floor, ignoring Filch's shouts behind him: "No flying in the castle! Come down! I'll report you to the headmaster! You little troublemaker!"

George, trailing behind, smacked Filch on the back of the head with his broomstick. When the caretaker turned around, George punched him square in the face and growled, "Shut up!"

The hospital wing was crowded. Harry and Ron were sitting beside Hermione's bed, their faces pale with disbelief. Ryan stood nearby, holding Joey's hand and murmuring comforting words, though it was unclear whether he was trying to reassure her or himself. Flami leaned against the window, her eyes red and a small potion bottle clutched tightly in her hand.

Joey lay stiffly on the hospital bed, her expression frozen in fear. Fred's heart sank as he stumbled to her side. He gently took her outstretched hand and whispered, "What were you trying to reach for? I'll get it for you."

His voice was strained, as if he were holding back a scream. Flami and Angelina, who had been trying to hold back their tears, broke down at the sound of Fred's anguish. The quiet sobs in the room only made the atmosphere more suffocating.

Fred's mind raced. He had only left the castle for an hour. How could this have happened? He knelt beside Joey's bed, his face pressed against her cold cheek. "This isn't like you," he murmured, his voice cracking. "What happened? What's going on?"

Everyone turned to Flami, who had been the first to arrive at the scene. She wiped her face with her sleeve and began to recount what she had seen.

"Joey wanted a potion for her pimples. We agreed to meet at the stairs between the first floor and the dungeons. But she never showed up. I thought she was playing a prank on me, so I decided to go to Gryffindor Tower to confront her. On the way, I stopped at the girls' bathroom on the second floor. That's when I saw her and Hermione standing in the corner, looking at something. I thought I'd scare them, so I snuck up and tapped Joey on the shoulder. And then... she just... collapsed." Flami's voice trembled as she spoke.

"She's just petrified," Fred said, more to himself than anyone else. "Once Professor Sprout's mandrakes mature, they'll brew a potion to restore her."

Ryan, who had been silent until now, nodded in agreement. "I'll go to the library and research the restoration potion. I can't just sit here and do nothing." He couldn't bear the thought of writing to Joey's parents about what had happened. He knew she wouldn't want them to worry.

"I'll go with you," Angelina said, following him out of the room.

As George entered the hospital wing, he nearly collided with Ryan and Angelina. Before he could apologize, they had already rushed off toward the library.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were reading a note from Sirius. "Why are they arresting Hagrid? He's just the groundskeeper!" Ron exclaimed indignantly.

"Filch claims Hagrid was involved in the Chamber of Secrets incident fifty years ago," George explained. He had overheard Filch ranting about it earlier. "He said Hagrid's monster killed a girl back then, and now he's trying to do it again. Only Dumbledore believes him."

Harry and Ron exchanged a look and bolted out of the room. They were determined to find Hagrid and get the truth.

Fred frowned. "It can't be Hagrid. No matter how big he is, he's not connected to Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets."

George sighed. "If Joey were here, she'd defend Hagrid in a heartbeat."

"You're right," Fred said, standing up. "I'll do it for her. She'd want me to." He kissed Joey's cold cheek and whispered, "I'm going to help that big oaf. Don't worry." With that, he left the room, George close behind.

By the time Harry and Ron reached Hagrid's hut, it was too late. Hagrid was being escorted out by a group of Aurors. Harry grabbed Ron, stopping him from rushing forward. Hagrid spotted them and shouted, "If yeh need ter follow the spiders!"

The Aurors, recognizing Harry, gave him a polite nod before leading Hagrid away. Fred and George arrived moments later, only to find the hut empty. Fred pulled out the Marauder's Map and saw Harry and Ron's names deep in the Forbidden Forest.

"They're brave," George muttered as they followed the path into the forest.

When they found Harry and Ron, the two were surrounded by a swarm of giant spiders. Ron was trembling, his wand shaking in his hand, while Harry stood back-to-back with him, looking equally terrified.

The spiders lunged forward, but Fred and George intervened, setting off a string of fireworks that sent the creatures scuttling back. "Long time no see!" George said cheerfully, holding up another firework.

The spiders retreated, and two of them—former assistants of Sirius—approached the group. After a brief exchange, the lead spider said, "Since you're friends of these two, we'll let you go. But next time, we won't be so lenient."

As they escorted the boys to the edge of the forest, one of the spider assistants asked, "Where's Joey?"

Fred hesitated, then forced a smile. "She's been petrified, but she'll be fine soon."

The spider nodded. "We can't name the monster, but it was in the second-floor bathroom." With that, it disappeared into the shadows.

———

Back in the hospital wing, Flami had stepped out to fetch a glass of water. When she returned, she found Shafiq standing in front of Joey's bed, his expression unreadable. He turned to Flami and asked coldly, "Where's Weasley?"

Flami walked over, placing the glass of water on the bedside table and positioning herself between Shafiq and Joey. "Which Weasley are you referring to?" she asked with a polite smile.

Shafiq's eyes narrowed. "What gives you the courage to stand against me, another Weasley?"

Flami's heart raced, but she kept her composure. "I don't understand what you mean. But I doubt you'd want to cause trouble with a junior, especially after just receiving your appointment letter from the Potions Association."

Shafiq smirked, his voice low and menacing. "I hope the Fawley's appreciate your loyalty. It'd be a shame if they still saw you as nothing more than a pawn in their pure-blood marriage schemes."

Flami's face paled, but she stood her ground. "That's none of your concern."

Shafiq studied her for a moment, then chuckled. "Gryffindor and Slytherin friendship. How quaint." With that, he turned and left the room, his hands in his pockets.