Just Say Yes || Fred Weasley

Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen

"I think we need a second opinion" Lee huffed, "We haven't worked it out yet"
"Do we really need to know though?" George asked, stopping himself at Lee's face, "Fine, ok dear"
Fred snorted, "You're whipped"
"You can't say anything"
"Yeah, Freddie" I grinned, bumping our shoulders together, "You have no foot to stand on there"

Rolling his eyes, he smiled at me before waving the letter around, "Let's go ask the younguns"

"We were just wondering who assigned the Slinkhard book," said Fred conversationally, landing next to Ron.
"Because it means Dumbledore's found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said George.
"And about time too," I huffed.
"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, jumping down beside them.
"Well, we overheard Mum and Dad talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks back," Fred told Harry, "and from what they were saying, Dumbledore was having real trouble finding anyone to do the job this year."
"Not surprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?" Lee laughed.
"One sacked, one dead, one's memory removed, and one locked in a trunk for nine months," said Harry, counting them off on his fingers. "Yeah, I see what you mean."
"What's up with you, Ron?"
Ron did not answer, staring at his letter still, mouth agape.
"What's the matter?" said Fred impatiently, moving around Ron to look over his shoulder at the parchment. Fred's mouth fell open too.
"Prefect?" he said, staring incredulously at the letter. "Prefect?" George leapt forward, seized the envelope in Ron's other hand, and
turned it upside down, something scarlet and gold falling into his palm.
"No way," said George in a hushed voice.
"There's been a mistake," said Fred, snatching the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect. . . ."
The twins' heads turned in unison and both of them stared at Harry.
"We thought you were a cert!" said Fred in a tone that suggested Harry had tricked them in some way.
"We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!" said George indignantly.
"Winning the Triwizard and everything!" said Fred.
"I suppose all the mad stuff must've counted against him,"
"Yeah," said Fred slowly. "Yeah, you've caused too much trouble, mate. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right."
He strode over to Harry and clapped him on the back while giving Ron a scathing look.
"Prefect . . . ickle Ronnie the prefect . . ."
"Oh, Mum's going to be revolting," groaned George, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.
"Let's not be too mean" I smiled, wrapping Ron in a side hug, "We're proud of u Ron"
"Yeah, you could be useful for setting up pranks" Lee added, cheerfully, "Just tell people to look the other way, yeah?"
Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, and then held it out to Harry as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine. Harry took it.
"He's not part of our pranks!" George whined, tugging on Lee's arm, "No outsiders"
"He's your brother Georgie"
"And?"
The door banged open. Hermione came tearing into the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying. There was an envelope in her hand.
"Did you — did you get — ?"
She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek.
"I knew it!" she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too, Harry, me too!"
"No," said Harry quickly, pushing the badge back into Ron's hand.
"It's Ron, not me."
"It — what?"
"Ron's prefect, not me," Harry said.
"Ron?" said Hermione, her jaw dropping. "But . . . are you sure? I mean —"
She turned red as Ron looked around at her with a defiant expression on his face.
"It's my name on the letter," he said.
"I . . ." said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered. "I . . . well . . . wow! Well done, Ron! That's really —"
"Unexpected," said George, nodding.
"No," said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, "no, it's not . . . Ron's done loads of . . . he's really . . ."
I smirked as I watch her fumble over her words, raising my eyebrows at Fred.
"I'm gonna win" I mouthed, earning the middle finger and a scowl.
"Well done Herman" I grinned, saving her from her fumbling by pulling her into a hug. She mumbled her thanks, resting her head on my shoulder as she gathered herself, before stepping away.

The door behind her opened a little wider and Mrs. Weasley backed into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes.
"Ginny said the booklists had come at last," she said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting the robes into two piles. "If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pajamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing . . . what color would you like?"
"Get him red and gold to match his badge," said George, smirking.
"Match his what?" said Mrs. Weasley absently, rolling up a pair of maroon socks and placing them on Ron's pile.
"His badge," said Fred, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. "His lovely shiny new prefect's badge."
Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs. Weasley's preoccupation about pajamas.
"His . . . but . . . Ron, you're not. . . ?"
Ron held up his badge.
Mrs. Weasley let out a shriek just like Hermione's, "I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"
"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.
Lee just patted his shoulder consolingly, Fred moving to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as she watched the scene in front of us with a frown.
"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh Ronnie —"
Fred and George both made retching noises, going unheard by Mrs Weasley; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.
"Mum . . . don't . . . Mum, get a grip. . . ." he muttered, trying to push her away.
She let go of him and said breathlessly, "Well, what will it be? We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."
"W-what do you mean?" said Ron, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.
"You've got to have a reward for this!" said Mrs. Weasley fondly. "How about a nice new set of dress robes?"
"We've already bought him some," said Fred sourly, who looked as though he sincerely regretted this generosity. I nudged him lightly, feeling a huff of air past by my face.
"Or a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers —"
"Mum," said Ron hopefully, "can I have a new broom?"
Mrs. Weasley's face fell slightly.
"Not a really good one!" Ron hastened to add. "Just — just a new one for a change . . ."
Mrs. Weasley hesitated, then smiled.
"Of course you can. . . . Well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later. . . . Little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks. . . . A prefect . . . Oh, I'm all of a dither!" She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled from the room.
Fred and George exchanged looks, moving away from Lee and I.
"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" said Fred in a falsely anxious voice.
"We could curtsy, if you like," said George.
"Oh, shut up," said Ron, scowling at them.
"Or what?" said Fred, an evil grin spreading across his face. "Going to put us in detention?"
"I'd love to see him try," sniggered George.
"He could if you don't watch out!" said Hermione angrily, at which Fred and George burst out laughing and Ron muttered, "Drop it, Hermione."
"We're going to have to watch our step, George," said Fred, pretending to tremble, "with these two on our case. . . ."
"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," said George, shaking his head.
"Alright, enough, both of you" I snorted, grabbing Fred's arm and disapparating back to our room.