The Girl Who Saw Tomorrow II » Harry Potter

2.43 | The Hating Game

Margaret's eyes caught Fred's, mirroring the surprise in them.

Fred blinked first, his gaze travelling to her hair then down to her outdoorsy winter outfit and lastly to the bags she was carrying before settling on her face again. The corner of his lip twitched upward, and Margaret was suddenly aware of how hot her face felt.

"Margie!" says Harry, finally breaking the painful silence. "I thought you were staying at Hermione's?"

Clearing her throat, she looked toward Harry and Ron who both had mountains of sprouts in front of them. She held out the bag from the bakery.

"I was, but I did want to see everyone. So I came," she shrugs, pretending that she wasn't bothered by anything that had happened in the past 30 seconds. Smiling, she adds, "Surprise! I come bearing cake!"

"Wicked!" says Ron, going to take it but the bag levitated out of Margaret's hand. They turned to George, who had his wand aloft.

"It's for all of us, yes?" he asks Margaret, the familiar mischief in his eyes.

"Naturally," she says, putting her duffle bag on one of the chairs and sat down on another.

"Then we'll all have it. Go on, lil bro, keep cutting those sprouts," he tells Ron, who had a fair share of colourful words to say at this.

"Would you look at that, George?" says Fred, smirking at Ron and Harry. "They're using knives and everything. Bless them."

"I'll be seventeen in two and a bit months' time," says Ron grumpily, "and then I'll be able to do it by magic!"

"But meanwhile," says George, coming to sit down next to Margaret at the kitchen table and putting his feet up on it, "we can enjoy watching you demonstrate the correct use of a-whoops-a-daisy!"

"You made me do that!" says Ron angrily, sucking his cut thumb. "You wait, when I'm seventeen-"

"I'm sure you'll dazzle us all with hitherto unsuspected magical skills," yawns Fred, sitting on George's other side.

"And speaking of hitherto unsuspected skills, Ronald," says George, "what is this we hear from Ginny about you and a young lady called - unless our information is faulty - Lavender Brown?"

Ron turned a little pink, but did not look displeased as he turned back to the sprouts. "Mind your own business."

"What a snappy retort," says Fred. "I really don't know how you think of them."

Margaret snorted. "I thought it was starting to bother you, Ron, with all her wanting to do being snog you." Her eyes widened; mildly horrified, she mutters, "I can't believe I just used the word 'snog'..."

"You're turning into one of us," says George, patting her shoulder proudly.

"Really? How ever could poor Lavender have sustained such extensive brain damage?" adds Fred. "Careful, now!"

Mrs. Weasley entered the room just in time to see Ron throw the sprout knife at Fred, who had turned it into a paper airplane with one lazy flick of his wand.

"Ron!" she exclaims furiously. "Don't you ever let me see you throwing knives again! "

"I won't," says Ron, "let you see," he adds under his breath as he turned back to the sprout mountain.

"Margaret! I didn't think you were coming, dear!" says Mrs Weasley, surprised. Margaret quickly got up Mrs Weasley came to embrace her in the most motherly hug possible. Then the woman held her at arm's length, assessing her appearance, "You look different, dear."