"Here, here!" Lee Jordan waved frantically across the Great Hall to the twins, who had just shuffled in. "You finally showed up! We thought Filch might have chained you to the wall!"
"Why are you all here?" George asked, collapsing onto the bench beside Lee and greeting the rest of the group.
"Isn't that a nonsense?" Lee Jordan rolled his eyes with dramatic flair. "It's dinner time. If we don't eat here, where else are we going to go?"
"Right. Pass the jam, please, thank you." Fred spread a ridiculously thick layer of jam onto his toast and took a large, compensatory bite. "So, what pearls of wisdom did you absorb in Defense Against the Dark Arts this morning?"
"We spent half the class on dark creatures, and the rest practicing how to emit red and green sparks," Angelina answered from across the table. The future Quidditch captain gave the twins a critical look. "I heard Gryffindor deducted thirty points from you this morning, effectively wiping out all the points Albert earned."
Fred stabbed a potato with his fork and muttered defensively, "We only took twenty points."
"And another ten points were deducted from History of Magic for a spectacularly awful essay," Albert supplied, looking up from his plate. "Where exactly did you two vanish to this afternoon?"
"Secret!" Fred and George exchanged a quick, knowing glance, their faces splitting into identical, mysterious smiles. The exhaustion from mopping was overshadowed by their recent triumph.
"Oh, by the way, there's one more thing," Lee Jordan said, seemingly remembering something important. "Filch asked me to tell you that your detention will be tomorrow night in the Trophy Room."
"Looks like you won't be scrubbing chamber pots after all. This time, you'll be polishing silver," Albert noted, finishing his meal and taking out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. He added, as if an afterthought, "I ran into that William earlier, by the way. He just finished cleaning the hospital wing's chamber pots. He didn't look thrilled."
"Please don't talk about those things during mealtime, Albert," Shanna complained, shooting him an unhappy glance. "It affects everyone's appetite."
"I remember there's an Astronomy class tonight," Alicia interjected, struggling to change the subject to something less stomach-churning. "Has anyone actually been up to the Astronomy Tower yet?"
"Don't look at me, I haven't been there," Lee Jordan shook his head. "What time does Astronomy start tonight?"
"Starts at 9:30," Albert said, consulting his internal timetable.
"That late?" Angelina pulled out her own schedule and checked the time, confirming it with a frown. At Hogwarts, the curfew was 11 o'clock, meaning they'd be rushing back to the common room cutting it close.
"Don't worry," Fred said, unable to resist showing off their superior castle knowledge. "We went to the top of the Astronomy Tower at noon."
"Excellent!" Albert nodded to the twins. "You two will be responsible for leading the way for everyone. Don't forget to bring your telescopes. Oh, and you'll need the notes from Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic."
As he spoke, Albert took out two well-organized notebooks from his bag and placed them on the table.
"Let me go first!" Lee Jordan immediately lunged for the notes.
"We can each copy one subject and take turns copying later," the twins declared in unison, faster than Lee Jordan, snatching up the two books. Compared to borrowing notes from other students, Albert's meticulously compiled notes were far more reliable and detailed.
"You two..." Lee Jordan huffed, already knowing the battle was lost.
Alicia quickly steered the conversation away from the notes and detentions. "Ahem, how's your Lumos Charm going? I think we have Transfiguration and Charms tomorrow. My matches haven't changed at all yet."
"Shanna, how are your two spells going? Oh, and I almost forgot the two sparks from DADA," Angelina asked, looking worried. She hadn't dedicated much time to practice and was making zero progress on turning a match into a needle.
"I only just managed to master the Lumos Charm," Shanna admitted, relieved that she wasn't the only one struggling.
"Don't stress," Albert comforted them. "Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick both leave time for us to practice in class. You can always catch up during the weekend."
"Albert doesn't even have to worry about homework. How enviable!" Fred said with an exaggerated sigh, drawing a glare from Albert.
"What about you, Lee?" George asked their roommate.
"Well, I've almost mastered the Glow Charm, but Transfiguration is truly agonizingly difficult," Lee Jordan admitted, sighing heavily at the thought of the stubborn matches.
"Lee, when did you master the Lumos Charm?" Fred and George looked at their roommate in genuine surprise. They thought they were all on the same level, and Lee had apparently moved ahead.
"Last night," Lee Jordan mumbled, slightly embarrassed by his sudden competence. "I stayed up practicing the Lumos Charm."
"So Transfiguration is the most difficult, then?" Alicia asked, looking up at Albert, followed by the rest of the group.
Albert simply blinked at them. Why are you all looking at me?
"We need you to teach everyone, Albert," Fred said, throwing an arm around Albert's neck. "Do you have any secret tricks?"
"There's no secret. It just requires practice," Albert said helplessly. "Professor McGonagall has already covered the points: you need to concentrate fiercely, wave your wand quickly and correctly, and ensure the incantation is perfect."
And you need to have a magical experience panel, Albert thought but did not say. The truth was, effort was the main variable. He just had a shortcut.
At seven o'clock that evening, everyone gathered in a corner of the common room, preparing to practice spells together. They realized they needed a constant supply of matches, as most of theirs had been ruined in previous attempts. George solved the problem by snapping a small, dry twig off a houseplant near the window.
"Ahem, you know, you can just transform the branch into matches," Alicia reminded them dryly.
"That's a good idea," others immediately echoed.
"Vera Verto," Albert sighed lightly, picking up the twig and tapping it precisely with his wand. The small branch instantly twisted, shrunk, and transformed into a perfect, dry wooden match.
"Duplicate it!"
Albert copied a few more matches and distributed them. They spent two solid hours practicing. Professor McGonagall was entirely correct: Transfiguration was an immensely difficult subject. By the time it was time to leave for the Astronomy lesson, not a single match had been successfully transformed by any of the first-years.
"This is unscientific! Why is it so difficult!" Shanna couldn't help but complain, rubbing her tired arm.
"Of course it's unscientific, Shanna, it's magic!" Albert wanted to snap, but a girl passing by paused, overhearing their frustration.
"Transfiguration is inherently difficult," the girl said, stopping briefly by Albert's side. "It takes focused dedication. Without spending a few solid days practicing, it's nearly impossible to succeed in one go, especially for first-years new to all magic."
"Good evening, Katrina," Albert greeted her politely. Katrina, a Ravenclaw known for her icy focus, gave a slight nod and continued on her way up the stairs.
"I wish we didn't have Astronomy class with Ravenclaw," Angelina muttered, scowling slightly at the spot Katrina had just vacated.
"We have Astronomy with Hufflepuff, not Ravenclaw," Albert corrected, taking out his pocket watch to check the time. "Ravenclaw takes the class on Wednesdays. Anyway, enough complaining. It's 9:20. The Astronomy Tower is a long climb. We should go. Be careful not to be late."
As Fred and George, now experts on the tower's ascent, took the lead, the group began the long, winding trek up the highest turret of Hogwarts Castle, ready to face the cold air and the distant stars.
----------------------------------------------------
I think the Marauders were most certainly Gryffindors. Their personalities—bold, reckless, loyal, and masters of elaborate, rule-breaking schemes—align perfectly with Gryffindor traits. Plus, they needed the confidence and audacity to go after the map, which was locked away by Filch!