TWO BLOODY IDIOTS

The Great Hall teems with excitement as the students are joined by students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons among the news of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Bram was mainly excited because pretty much nothing interesting had happened while he was at Hogwarts save for Dementors attacking students during a Quidditch game last year, but that was really it. Bram knew he couldn't compete since he was too young, but it was still going to be interesting to watch.

"Don't tell me those two idiots are already planning something," Skyler's voice broke through his train of thought as she pointed a the Weasley twins already whispering things to each other over at the Gryffindor table, "I just know they're going to do something stupid. I can feel it in my bones."

"Knowing that Fred and George are going to do something isn't exactly a sixth sense, it's mainly just what's expected of them," Bram retorted with a scoff as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher gives me the heebie-jeebies. Something about him is weird."

Skyler shrugged as she looked over at the aforementioned professor, Alastor Moody. Turning back to her best friend, she remarked, "I mean, that eye sure is a wonder. But he's a legendary Auror, you know. Half of the wizards rottin' away in Azkaban are there because of him. Wonder how hard he had to fall in his career to wind up in a cursed teaching position at Hogwarts."

"It didn't use to be cursed," Bram sighed, "I thought Professor Quirrell was rather nice until he got possessed by You-Know-Who or something. I'm still not sure what went down there."

"Oh Merlin I totally forgot about Quirrell," Skyler sighed as she twisted a lock of dark hair with her finger, "He was so skittish even before he was harboring a dark secret, I reckon. Third-year was kinda weird all around, though. Thirteen is an interesting age."

"You say that as if we're so much older than we were then," Bram laughed, "Three years isn't that much of a difference. We're still bloody idiots."

"I blame the twins for our lack of development," Skyler shook her head as she continued to dig into her meal.

Bram chuckled at her as he looked around for the aforementioned twins. He made eye contact with Fred who tapped his wrist from across the room. After all their years of friendship, he knew this meant that he wanted to tell Bram about something before they left for their separate common rooms. They had their own signals for most things as well as a basic understanding of sign language for when they needed to say specifics. Maybe learning a whole second language was a bit dramatic, but when they were two tables away from each other, they needed to make do. Bram nodded at the signal and went back to his meal, trying to pay attention to what the students around him were saying. The only thing he really caught in a conversation was Lizzie Zhang discussing her newfound relationship with Cedric Diggory, a seventh year. Bram raised his eyebrows at Skyler as she heard the same thing. It made sense, those two had been crushing on each other forever.

After the welcome feast, Bram felt an arm grab onto him and pull him away from the group of Ravenclaws heading to the common room. He wasn't too worried about it considering Skyler was friends with the head girl and already knew the answer to the riddle that would let him in.

"All right, all right, what are you gits planning?" Bram asked in mock annoyance as they were away from anyone within earshot.

"Hear me out," George started, "So, we're only a few months away from the age requirement, right?"

"Aging potion," Fred cut to chase as usual.

"Just to boost us the months we need," the other twin continued.

"And bam, we're in," finished Fred, looking awfully satisfied with the plan, "The librarian trusts you, I need you to find the recipe for us pretty please. If one of us gets called, we'll split the winnings with ya."

Bram sighed, knowing he was going to get dragged into this whether he wanted to or not and he knew if Fred was involved, he was going to want to get dragged into this anyway. It was a curse, really. He eyed both boys skeptically, crossing his arms as he waited for one of them to say that they were only kidding.

"So?" Fred asked after a moment of silence, waiting for Bram to inevitably cave and do what they asked. He was a pawn in their game and he knew it. "Come on, I'll love you forever."

"You guys seriously think that'll work?" Bram asked, dragging it out for longer than he should considering he already knew he was going to say yes. The twins were some of his best friends and he knew that if he didn't want to do something, they would never force him. "You think something as simple as an aging potion will get around Dumbledore's defenses? The man is like five hundred years old."

"Oi, he's only around 110!" George corrected, leaning against the stone interior of the castle. "Are you in or not?"

Bram sighed, running a hand through his dark blond hair as he nodded, "Yeah, yeah I suppose I'm in. I'll go searching in the library after classes tomorrow. I've got a bad feeling about this, though."

"Ah, what would we do without you?" Fred mused as he ruffled the boy's hair. Normally Bram hated how much taller the twins were compared to him, but he didn't mind moments like that. "If you find it, let us know and we'll brew it up. You're the best, Bram."

"Yeah, whatever you idiots," the boy teased as the two bid him goodbye and they walked to their separate common rooms. He chuckled to himself as he walked up the tower where his common room was. Those twins owed him so much, but he knew he would do anything for them and he knew they would do the same for him if the time ever came.

When he approached the entrance, he wasn't surprised to find Skyler outside chatting with the portrait that guarded their doorway. As soon as she noticed him, she broke off from her previous conversation to ask, "All right, what did they get you into this time? Lemme guess, they wanna enter the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

"Ding, ding, ding," the boy laughed as they spoke the password and entered their common room. "They're gonna try and aging potion and they need me to find the recipe in the library. I don't think it's gonna work, but it'll be hilarious to watch it backfire."

Skyler laughed at this, "Oh, you're evil. I can't wait."

this is short I'm sorry but i got a headache halfway through writing this so if the quality dropped that's why lmaoooo anyway i hope you guys enjoyed regardless I'm glad you guys are liking this story so far