Friend to foe

14: You are You

Fred's POV

George and I watched Harry leave with a sense of apprehension. It was clear to both of us that a big change was just around the corner. We could only hope that the change, whatever it was, wouldn't hurt Harry.

The moment he was gone George and I excused ourselves, not wanting to spend time with Malfoy. He might be a decent bloke but we had better things to do. The two of us began wandering around the large manor, taking in every detail and doing our best to commit it to memory. It's always best to explore your new surroundings, you never know when you might need an escape plan, or to prank someone.

We had just passed an unused office and another sitting room when we came across a large hall that seemed to come to a dead end. George silently looked at me, asking if I wanted to check it out. I shrugged in answer 'cause why not? Whatever was in the hallway would either be really interesting, or really boring. Either way, it was worth five minutes of our time.

George led the way into the hall and we were both pleased to see the hall was filled with portraits. More often than not wizarding portraits know everything that goes in the home where they're hung. Most portraits love to gossip so their excellent sources of information, just look at the Fat Lady and her friend Violet in Hogwarts, I wouldn't trust them with anything I wanted kept secret.

George and I were wondering what portrait we should talk to first when one began shouting at us, "You there! You tall, meandering, red-headed, beanstalks!"

"You reckon he's talking to us?" George asked jokingly when he spotted the yelling portrait.

"Of course, I'm speaking to you," the portrait scoffed. "Does being so tall affect your brains?"

"I didn't mean to offend you," George said glancing at the portrait's nameplate. "I apologize Mr. Brutus Malfoy."

"That's Lord Malfoy to you, you floundering toads," Mr. Brutus said. The woman in the portrait next to Mr. Brutus found this funny and laughed.

"You've been dead for over a hundred years you pompous braggart!" Brutus glared at his neighbor but didn't comment. She was an older woman that was quite pretty but she didn't look as though she had been born into the Malfoy family. "My grandson is Lord Malfoy now and Lucius is doing an excellent job. Don't you agree, Brutus?"

"Yes Morwen," Brutus said despairingly.

The woman, Morwen, turned to George and I with a smirk. "Hello, boys. I'm Morwen Malfoy née Fawley, wife of the late Septimus Malfy. Who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious Morwen?" Yet another portrait from across the hall called, this time a male with obvious Malfoy blood, "Their obviously twins with the Prewett gift."

"How could you possibly know that?" I asked in surprise. Our own mother didn't know we'd inherited the Prewett gift.

The new portrait laughed. "It's quite obvious, gentlemen. For starters, your red hair implies Weasley or Prewett ancestry. Then you're clearly twins which are rare in pureblood families except for the Prewetts. And because your twins and because you're of age you've obviously come into the Prewett gift."

George and I stared at the portrait in shock. And Morwen laughed. "Tell them the truth, Kendrick."

Kendrick rolled his eyes, "You're no fun Morwen. I know your twins with the Prewett gift because I knew your ancestors Jupiter and Jove. We were good friends and I was the first person they told after they came into their inheritance. You're a lot like them"

"Really?" George asked in interest. The two of us had been doing a lot of research lately concerning the Prewett gift. But most people considered it a legend, even our mum, so there wasn't much information available.