Luciscura / Fred Weasley

The torches flickered dimly in Helga Hufflepuff's secret dueling chamber, casting elongated shadows against the stone walls. The room smelled faintly of aged parchment and polished wood, its golden insignia barely catching the light.

Around a conjured round table, Lettie, Fred, George, Harry, and Theo sat in tense anticipation, their focus locked on the only outsider among them—Rita Skeeter.

The journalist tapped her green, jewel-encrusted quill against her lips. "You certainly don't lack ambition," she said, eyeing them all with an air of amusement. "But I need to know—are you actually capable of delivering proof, or is this just a group of teenagers playing spies?"

Theo, leaning back in his chair, smirked lazily. "Oh, you'll get your proof, Skeeter. Just don't pass out from the shock."

Fred grinned. "She looks like the dramatic type. Maybe we should have a fainting couch ready?"

George sighed. "We don't have time for dramatics. Let's just get to the fun part."

Lettie placed a shimmering vial of Veritaserum on the table, the glass catching the torchlight. "We have Pettigrew," she said smoothly. "Locked away, Animagus form contained. We're going to dose him with this, summon Amelia Bones, and let him confess in front of the right people."

Rita's eyes widened, intrigue sparking. "You're bluffing."

Harry crossed his arms. "Try us."

Theo smirked. "Better yet, be here when it happens."

Rita leaned forward, placing both hands on the table. "And if I run with this story, what do I get in return?"

Fred gave her a wicked grin. "The biggest exclusive of your career."

George added, "Imagine the headline: 'The Ministry's Greatest Cover-Up: The Truth About Sirius Black!'"

Skeeter's quick-quotes quill twitched in anticipation. "Hmm. Juicy."

Lettie watched her carefully. "You'll be there to witness it, but if you twist the truth—"

Theo finished for her, "—we'll twist it back. And trust me, we're better at it."

Skeeter grinned, delighted. "Oh, I like you lot. Alright, I'm in." She stood, tucking her parchment away. "Give me twenty-four hours. By tomorrow, the world will know that the Boy Who Lived isn't just some reckless teenager—they'll know he's right."

As she slipped out of the room, Harry still looked skeptical. "Can we really trust her?"

Lettie smirked. "Of course not. But she loves power, and right now, we're the ones giving it to her."

Lettie and Fred lingered outside the Room of Requirement, the hum of magic crackling faintly behind the hidden door. Theo had already left for the Slytherin dorms, but Fred had insisted on walking her back.

Fred leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You know, you never stop impressing me."

Lettie arched a brow. "Is that so?"

He tilted his head. "Oh yeah. It's irritating, actually."

She smirked. "Poor you."

Fred chuckled, but his gaze softened. "I mean it. You didn't have to do any of this—for Harry, for Sirius, for anyone. But you did."

Lettie hesitated for only a second before answering. "Because it's the right thing to do."

Fred studied her. "See? That's why I—"

He cut himself off, exhaling sharply.

Lettie raised an eyebrow. "Why you... what?"

Fred let out a laugh, almost self-deprecating. "Why I love you."

Lettie blinked. It was so casual, so matter-of-fact, as if he'd always known.

Fred, on the other hand, suddenly looked like he wanted to curse himself. "Right. That wasn't how I planned to say it—"

Lettie kissed him before he could ramble. A deep, lingering kiss that left no room for doubt.

When they finally broke apart, Fred grinned. "So, you do like me."

Lettie rolled her eyes. "You're unbearable."

He kissed her again.

Breakfast in the Great Hall was pure chaos.

The moment the Daily Prophet hit the tables, gasps and shouts erupted throughout the room.

"THE MINISTRY'S GREATEST LIE: SIRIUS BLACK WAS INNOCENT!"

At the Slytherin table, Lettie buttered her toast, utterly unbothered as students whispered around her. Theo, seated beside her, smirked.

"Subtle as ever, I see."

Lettie sipped her tea. "I don't believe in subtlety when dealing with corruption."

Across the hall, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were staring at the newspaper in shock. The Gryffindor table erupted into chatter, while at the teacher's table, Dumbledore looked far too pleased.

At the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy scowled, flipping through the paper with a sneer. "You had something to do with this."

Lettie didn't even look up. "Draco, I'm starting to think you have an obsession with me."

Theo laughed. "Merlin, you're on fire today."

Over at the Gryffindor table, Fred and George were grinning like lunatics.

George held up the paper. "Lettie, darling, you're a menace."

Fred, however, wasn't looking at the newspaper. He was looking at Lettie.

She met his gaze across the hall, smirking just slightly.
Fred mouthed, "Brilliant."

And just like that, the war had truly begun.