With the month of October drawing to a close and Halloween upon them, Eleanor had noticed that the Weasley twins no longer pursued her with their pranks. Part of her remained relieved, slightly fearful of what they would come up with to get her, and part of her, if she was correct, was actually disappointed. She could not deny that there was a surge of excitement when it came to beating out their pranks, even if it all seemed to be by accident. And there were those little spurts of confidence that seemed to appear, some would classify it as flirting, but Eleanor just liked the excitement of it all.

According to Marnie, there was no more discussion of Eleanor's name at the Gryffindor table and it seemed the moment between them had all passed. Instead of worrying about what lurked around the corner of the corridors, Eleanor was able to put her guard down, and she found it quite boring if she was being honest.

But she hoped that some excitement would return as the first trip to Hogsmeade was set for Halloween day. It was a day for students from third year and on to enjoy themselves, whether it was visiting the sweet shop or enjoying some tea off the grounds. Eleanor, for one, enjoyed walking around the village, always checking out the small home, thinking she would like to live in one after she was done with her schooling. As much as her mother anticipated Eleanor returning home or perhaps living close by, Eleanor had different plans. She planned on living in the wizarding world.

"I'm so ready for Honeydukes, it's not even funny," Marnie said the morning of as they were getting ready, "I need some Chocoballs in my life. Who knew sweets would have this much control over me? Are you almost ready, Ellie? I am in need of a fix and you're getting in the way of it now."

Eleanor finished tying her hair back before grabbing her scarf off her bed. She cast a look over her shoulder at Marnie, who impatiently tapped her foot near the doorway of their dorm room.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to practise just a little bit of patience, Marnie."

"It might, I wouldn't know."

"Alright, alright, we're going!"

Travelling down the small corridor that led into the Common Room, the girls could see Cedric right away, waiting for them by the fireplace. Originally, he had planned to spend the day with his Quidditch teammates at Hogsmeade, but at the last minute, he changed his mind. Claiming he didn't want to break the tradition of attending the first trip of the term together.

Marnie took the lead, walking past him and making her way through the main barrel. Eleanor could only smile as Cedric rolled his eyes at Marnie's impatience, muttering something about enjoying the company of Chocoballs more than the company of her best friends. But it did not stop them from following her out and practically trailing behind her the entire way to the village.

"Marnie, the Chocoballs aren't going anywhere!" Cedric called after her at one point. "You could slow down and walk with us. You know, your best friends. The ones you've been ignoring!"

"Why do I have to slow down?" Marnie yelled back. "Why don't you two just walk faster? That way, we get there quicker and then I won't have to walk so fast."

Cedric looked to Eleanor for some assistance, but Eleanor just shrugged her shoulders in response. It was best not to get in the way of Marnie and her food, if Cedric was willing to risk his life, well, that was on him. And clearly, it did get to him as he told Eleanor to pick up her pace as he hurried after Marnie. Only, Eleanor wasn't looking to power walk through the village, she wanted to go at a nice leisurely pace.

"I'll catch up with you," she called out, but she was sure they didn't hear her as all she could hear in the distance was the sound of them bickering at one another. More than likely, they wouldn't even notice she wasn't there until later on.

It was the perfect opportunity to look around and enjoy some peace and quiet. And during her travels, she ended up at Zonko's Joke Shop, hoping to grab a few sugar quills. She was in desperate need of something to soothe her nerves while she was in Potions class. The class itself was going to end up being the death of her, whether it was attempting to remember a series of ingredients or trying to avoid any sort of trouble with Professor Snape, who thoroughly enjoyed nit-picking the performance of any of his students.

A little bell overhead the door noted her entrance with a small ringing as she walked in. She walked around a bit, looking over the shelves and was just about to make her way around a display of Dungbombs when two familiar faces stepped out from behind it and approached her.

"Hello."

And just like that, the feeling of excitement had returned.

Eleanor looked back and forth between the twins after they greeted her, attempting to bite back the smile that was attempting to form.

"Hello, gentlemen," she said, walking around them, "how are you two today?"

"Well, we no longer have detention," George said as they both quickly turned to follow her.

"For now."

Eleanor went directly to the sugar quills and went to reach out, but Fred jumped in front of her, leaving her to withdraw her hand immediately.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her. "Searching for something in particular, hm?"

"Oh, you caught me," Eleanor told him, "I'm here to pick up sugar quills. Now if you would excu-"

She hoped once she took a step towards him that he would move aside, however, Fred stood his ground with a grin and now the two were face to face. It seemed to be a challenging moment of who was going to look away first. Eleanor had not anticipated such a confrontation and her initial reaction was to look away and take a step back. However, she didn't want that fluttering feeling to end.

Leaning in, Eleanor met his gaze, noting the slight of uneasiness that developed on his features. The moment of triumph turned into a smile on her lips as she took advantage of the situation, reaching around him and grabbing a few sugar quills. She held them up to his face and waved them a bit before walking towards the counter.

They were not going to let her get away so easily as they easily fell in step with her, walking with Eleanor all the way to the counter. She greeted the employee and paid without paying any mind to Fred and George.

"So, you want us to believe that you're only here to pick up sugar quills?" George questioned as the three of them exited the shop.

"Seeing as that was the only thing I bought," Eleanor replied, "I would be so boldly to respond with yes."

"Well, we don't believe you," Fred told her.

"Frankly, that sounds like your problem, not mine."

George placed his hand to his chest as they all came to a stop outside. "Do I detect some fire?"

"I heard it too," Fred said, " I didn't think Hufflepuffs had this much sass to them."

"The more you know," Eleanor shrugged, " now if you two would just-"

It seemed the two were dead set on keeping her in their company because every time she attempted to walk around them or leave in another direction, they would block her. She continued to look away, knowing damn well she wanted to smile at their antics. And seeing as Cedric and Marnie were nowhere to be seen, she didn't feel the need to escape the twins just yet.

"Do you two plan on keeping me here all day?"

"Do you have somewhere else to be?" Fred countered with a raised brow. She shook her head and suddenly found both of them linking arms with her, guiding Eleanor along through the village.

"Then you wouldn't mind taking a casual stroll with my brother and me, would you?"

"I honestly don't think you two are giving me a choice in the matter."

It was wrong to assume that the Weasley twins would be an entertaining form of company because as they walked along, they hardly said anything, leaving Eleanor to feel completely awkward. She wasn't even sure if they had a destination in mind as they continued to pass the same shops over and over. Eventually, she decided to stop, firmly planting her feet on the ground and pulling back on both of the burly brothers.

"Alright, I think I played along long enough," she began, "I'm fairly certain that the two of you didn't wish to take me on a casual stroll. So, either tell me what it is that you want or I'm leaving."

"Forward girl, I see," Fred said, "well then, Ross, we'll cut straight to the chase, shall we? We want to know how you're dodging our pranks."

There was a moment of silence as Eleanor took a step back from them and looked back and forth between them. However, neither Fred or George would have guessed that the next thing she would do is laugh.

"Really? That is what you're after. You two are actually asking me. Wow," she paused for a second, "I never thought I would see the day."

"In our defence," George said, "We never thought we'd see the day where our pranks are literally bouncing off of someone."

Eleanor leaned towards them. "Wild, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes," Fred replied rather impatiently with an added eye roll, " it's all very impressive. Now, will you tell us?"

"No."

"No?" The two repeated in shock.

"Yes."

"Yes?!"

"No."

Fred threw his head back with an exasperated sigh while George scratched his head in confusion. "So, you're not going to tell us?"

"Of course I'm not!" Eleanor laughed. "Why in the world would I tell two pranksters how I avoid their pranks?"

"But...but..." George offered a pitiful look. "If you tell us, we won't prank you."

"I don't believe you. Why would I? You two have been trying since the start of term to get me with your pranks."

"Well, technically, we've been aiming to get everyone," Fred reminded her, " if it makes you feel any better."

"It doesn't," she replied, "so on that note, I think I'm going to keep my little secret to myself."

"But sharing is caring!" George called after her as she started to walk away.

"I'm sure you two will survive. Good day, boys!"

Eleanor was practically on cloud nine when Marnie and Cedric finally found her again. The grin that had formed earlier had yet to leave her face as she walked along, unaware of her best friends approaching her.

"Where in the hell did you disappear off to earlier?" Marnie asked as they finally caught up to Eleanor. "We turned around and you were gone!"

"Sorry," Eleanor said, "I went off to Zonko's shop to pick up some sugar quills and then I was stopped."

"By whom?" Cedric and Marnie questioned in unison.

"Fred and George Weasley."

While Marnie's face lit up, Cedric looked oddly concerned. "What did they want?" Marnie asked with a smirk.

"They didn't try anything, did they?" Cedric added.

"It was nothing," Eleanor waved both of them off, "really. We met up in Zonko's and then we went for a walk. Completely harmless. I swear. Don't forget, Cedric, I can handle myself quite well."

The conversation seemed to end there as Eleanor asked Marnie what she got from Honeydukes and what Cedric got from Spintwitches. However, Marnie gave her a look that the two were definitely going to talk more about the "casual stroll" before showing off all the sweets she had purchased. And while they walked back to the castle, Eleanor figured there wasn't much to say on the topic. The twins wanted to know her secret to avoiding their pranks, but if Eleanor was being honest with herself, even she didn't understand how she was doing it.

Even though Marnie had filled up on Chocoballs at Hogsmeade, she still managed to make plenty of room for the Halloween Feast that evening. Eleanor and Cedric could only watch, mostly in shock, with how much food she was able to pile on her plate. Knowing damn well, she was going to eat it all.

"Uh, Marnie, are you going to save anything for us?" Cedric asked her jokingly, but Marnie hardly ever joked when it came to food.

"Not if you don't start fixing your plate now."

Eleanor hadn't bothered with the food just yet, enjoying the decorations of the Great Hall from the candle-filled pumpkins to flaming orange streamers that decorated the ceiling. She finally looked down again, only to look across the way and spot the twins staring at her. The smiles on their faces seemed genuine, but that made her nervous.

"Hey, Ellie, pass the mashed potatoes in front of you, will you?" Heidi's voice distracted her right away. Eleanor quickly pushed the bowl towards her, only to have the mashed potatoes explode in Heidi's face.

Silence fell over the table as everyone in the Great Hall looked over to see what had happened and only seconds later did the sound of laughter echo.

"Ellie!" Heidi screeched as she wiped the mashed potatoes from her face with her hands. "What the hell?!"

"Heidi, I swear on my life, it wasn't me. I had nothing to do with it!"

She attempted to lean over the table and help Heidi clean up, but Heidi pushed her hands away before grabbing her wand and leaving the table. Eleanor sat down, while others around her congratulated her on a prank well done. And knowingly, Eleanor looked across away at the Gryffindor table.

Only to see Fred wink at her.

Later on, that evening, Eleanor was still slightly mortified from the earlier events. Heidi had forgiven her but probably still believed that Eleanor had been behind the entire thing. But no matter how many times she denied it, people just seemed to see the humour in the situation and didn't really care who was behind it.

"You believe me, don't you?" she asked Marnie as they reached the Common Room. "I really didn't- "

"Honestly, Ellie, you're blowing this out of proportion," Marnie said, " no one cares who did it. Yeah, I believe you when you said it was the Weasley twins. I think most people would expect it from those two gits. But if people believe that you decided to have a little fun tonight, is that really a bad thing?"

"Are you trying to imply that other people think I'm boring?"

"No, well, a little. You're not boring, Ellie, but more like, predictable."

"Predictable? I'm not...how am I predictable?"

Marnie stopped and offered a slightly sympathetic look. "Alright, I bet I can guess what you were about to do when we get back to the dorms. You were going to knit, right?"

Eleanor bit the inside of her cheek. "No, for your information, I was going to shower, brush my teeth, and then knit. So, jokes on you."

"Ellie-"

With a groan, Eleanor covered her face with her hands. "Oh, I really am predictable!"

"Well, not entirely!" Marnie interjected. "I mean, come on, we need to talk about you going on a walk with the Weasley twins. Not just one of them, but both! Now, that's not predictable in the slightest!"

"Yeah, well-"

Suddenly, their conversation was cut short by the appearance of Professor Sprout entering the Common Room, along with a couple of prefects flanking her sides. Everyone grew silent, curious as to what the Head of the House was doing there, and Professor Sprout wasted no time.

"All of you are to report to the Great Hall immediately. You will receive further instruction there."