Decree No.29 (O.C) Fred Weasley/ Draco Malfoy

Bonfire Smoke

"They said we were too young to join the Order," muttered Fred.

"I can't believe they lied to us!" George said to himself.

"We're seventeen!" they both moaned in chorus.

It was dinnertime, and the Order meeting had just finished. Jessica was left alone with the pair whilst the adults had left to either go home or get changed. Mrs Weasley instructed them to set up the table with cutlery after introducing both boys to her, but Jessica hadn't even opened one of the kitchen cupboards yet. Fred and George had spent the last five minutes venting whilst furiously waving their wands, causing plates, cups, knives and forks to fly from every corner of the room and land on the table. They weren't looking at what they were doing or noticing Jessica at all, and George even had to do a last-minute flicking of the wand to make sure a knife didn't dart her in the forehead.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm seventeen in November," Jessica told them, ducking a flying plate as she attempted to smooth out the tablecloth.

"Oh yeah, you're right. That does make us feel better!" said Fred sarcastically, waving his wand to place two large copper cooking pots onto a grubby-looking stove. So you are our age, and they still say we're too young!"

Jessica mumbled where she thought he could stick his wand under her breath as she turned to straighten the cutlery.

"So Dad said you're joining us at Hogwarts. You're going to be in sixth year, right?" asked George, filling the cups around the dining table with water.

"No, fifth, actually," she answered. George and Fred grinned at each other, and they chuckled. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"That's O.W.L year," laughed George, "they're tough - you're done for. How come, though, if you're sixteen?"

"Is it because you failed? We won't judge," said Fred, but Jessica was under every impression that they would.

"It's because I'm a transfer," she said quickly, ignoring Fred and looking straight at George, "they think I might be behind."

George questioned it no further, but she was sure he hadn't believed her.

"Ah, so you'll have our brother and his friends as classmates then. You're bound to get put in danger at least once a term," continued Fred, now enchanting a knife to cut up some carrots.

"Well, I'll be right at home then," huffed Jessica stiffly, placing out napkins she had caught mid-air, "I've already survived one near-death experience, so what's with another."

She could see them share a look out of the corner of her eye. They both dropped their wands and walked towards her, each leaning against a chair with their arms folded.

"What's your story then?" whispered Fred curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, you turn up out of nowhere, and we've never seen you around even though you're our age. You're let in on Order meetings even though you're a kid...so what have you been doing?" asked George, leaning in.

"I-I" Jessica paused. She was unsure whether she was meant to tell them the truth. There had been such an emphasis on the Order being a secret group that she wondered whether she would get in trouble for telling them. Was what happened to her public news? Perhaps Fred and George may not have even been aware of what had happened to her and who had been involved. They may not have even known that she, until very recently, was thought of to be a muggle. She didn't quite understand what wizards' thoughts on muggles were. "Well, I-"

"No, dinner isn't ready yet, but there's someone I wanted you to meet!" said Mrs Weasley, hurrying into the room.

"But I'm hungry. I thought we were having food! Not another bloody person we've got to pretend to like - oh...uh...hi."