❝ magical beasts and pranks❞

Carina pulls the cloak of her uniform tighter around her body, not appreciating the chilly air on this mid-September morning. She stands in a clearing behind Hagrid's hut with her fellow fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins, waiting for their professor to arrive.

Several feet away from where they stand huddled together is an enclosure containing a herd of hippogriffs. Despite what the name implies, the magical creatures have the head, front legs, and wings of a majestic eagle and the body of a horse, making them both dangerous and mesmerizing to watch. With each minute that passes and class isn't officially begun, many students grow braver and slowly migrate closer to the wild animals.

"I heard one of those beasts attacked Malfoy," Lee gossips, having heard the rumor from Seamus Finnigan as the younger boy was leaving this class.

"You're lying," Alicia gasps, glancing between the creatures behaving calmly and his smirking face.

"It's true," Angelina backs him up. "His father is already on school grounds."

"Now that's the type of weird crush you should have!" Alicia says, immediately growing distracted from the original topic.

"Piss off," Angelina huffs, directing the attention back to Lee. "Do you know which one it was?"

"My sources say the animal's name was Bucky."

"Buckbeak, you idiot," Fred corrects.

The runt of the herd let's out an odd screech at the mention of the name, startling several students away from the meager fence holding them back.

"Clearly, Malfoy must've deserved it," Angelina reasons as they study the still large, yet smallest, hippogriff.

"Or maybe he just wanted Mr. Malfoy to come around so you can get over-"

Angelina clamps a hand over Alicia's mouth, muffling her giggles.

"What was that all about?" George asks, looking to Carina for answers. "The weird crushes?"

"Don't worry about it," she reassures him as she rubs her arms to get rid of the goosebumps forming.

Without saying a word, George pulls a scarf out of his cloak pocket and adjusts it around Carina's neck, receiving a muffled thanks as she sinks into the warm material. After years of being friends with her, he's learned to start carrying extra fabric with him the moment summer ends because no matter how mild the weather, she will somehow be cold.

"I'll give this one back," she says, though they both know the odds are slim. "Pinky promise."

"Don't worry about it," he brushes her concern away with a smile. If there's one thing the Weasleys never have a shortage of, it's knitted fabrics. Besides, though he would never admit it to her, Carina bundled up in his clothes is one of his favorite sights in the winter months. "I can't have my favorite girl catching a cold."

Carina's face heats up and she hopes her blush is hidden by the scarf. The moment ends abruptly, though, when Lee squeezes himself between the two for warmth as the breeze picks up considerably.

"Hey, Carina, I'll give you a Galleon if you jump over that fence!"

Eventually, Fred and Lee grow bored of watching the creatures as Hagrid continues to remain missing and wander over to a couple of fallen logs meant to act as makeshift seats, dragging George and Carina with them. In sync, Fred and George pull out parchments and ink and look to Lee and Carina expectantly. To any outsiders, it would appear as though the boys are attending to any number of the essays that have been assigned to them for homework. But their best friends know better.

Ever since the great debate of their second year, it's been tradition for Carina and Lee to plan the first major prank of the school year, with Fred and George pitching ideas and suggestions as well. Throughout the year, the four would corroborate and share equal responsibility for all of the prank planning. When the final semester is coming to an end, it's Fred and George's turn to plan the final shenanigan while Lee and Carina dutifully take notes and pitch suggestions.

"What have you got for me, Jordan?" Carina questions, sounding like a news reporter asking for the latest updates.

"I'm glad you asked, Potter," Lee plays along, putting on his best sales pitch voice. "But first, let me raise you this; what's the one beverage no witch, wizard, or muggle can live without?"

"Firewhiskey!"

"Spiked pumpkin juice!"

"Adult butterbeer!"

"No, you alcoholics!" Lee isn't sure whether to be worried or proud of the group. "Merlin's beard, the answer is water!"

Though his answer would have been along the same lines, he clucks his tongue and shakes his head in disappointment before carrying on with his idea. Carina helps to refine and add more dramatic details to it, causing the twins to have to constantly rewrite or scribble out details as the two go back and forth.

Eventually, the prank idea is agreed upon and all that's left to argue out is the final details of how they're going to go about setting it off.

"With Lee as lookout-"

"Objection!" Lee cries out. "I'm always lookout!"

"Your objection has been denied." Carina dismisses his rebuttal with a mere wave of her hand. "Anyways, like I was saying-"

"Your denial of my objection is being overruled."

"Your overruling of my denial of your objection has been eaten by the Giant Squid!"

"That's heresy!"

"Fine! I'll be lookout with you," she caves, sticking her tongue out childishly as he cheers about his victory. George's face falls, obviously displeased with the new arrangement.

"But you know the spell better than I do," Fred argues, not oblivious like the others are to the way his twin feels. "I'll help with lookout."

Lee whoops, high-fiving Fred as Carina rolls her eyes.

"Cheer up, love," George teases, nudging her shoulder. "We're clearly the superior duo."

"That's not what's bothering me. I just know we're going to get caught with those two on watch."

"Hey!"