(Eng) Weasleys, Pranks and other Curses

26

If there was one good thing to be said about George Weasley, it was that he could really stick to agreements. He actually didn't bring up the subject anymore, but he started grinning stupidly every time our eyes met.

For a while the other three teased us about it, but the more evidence we found to support our theory, the more George and I faded into the background.

"What exactly is your plan, anyway," Ginny asked me one morning at breakfast. "I mean, should we really be on to something, then what?"

I swirled the tea in my cup until the tea grounds whirled. "My parents should be available again in January. I'll present what we've found to them and we'll go from there."

"And if they don't take you seriously?"

"Then I'll have to look into how to get to Norway without having to fly."

At that moment, the owls came in through the high windows. Ginny and Maddie each got mail; my place remained empty, as usual.

"Mum's asking if we're coming home for Christmas." Ginny looked up questioningly. "Should we stay here or do you want to come back with us?"

Immediately my eyes went to George, who was already ducking his head guiltily before he even saw my gaze. "I'll take care of it," he called across the table without looking up at me.

"What's he taking care of?" asked Maddie with a grin, wiggling her eyebrows.

"I asked George to ask his parents sometime if I could invite them over for Christmas."

Ginny made a shrill sound and more than just Gryffindors turned in our direction. "Shhh!", I hissed at her. It wasn't like everyone needed to know that I had never had money troubles in my life. "You can come too, if you want," I offered Maddie. "I definitely have room." And then I called across the table as well. "From the 21st through the first week of January."

George stopped in the middle of his scribbling, crossed something out, gave a thumbs up in my direction, and continued writing. Was he just using the back of the letter to reply to his mother?

"That's nice. I'll have to ask what my parents have planned. They've been a little clingy since Katie's injury."

"Aporpos. Where is she anyway?" She'd sat with us another time or two since we'd gotten back from vacation, but I hadn't run into her at dinner since then.

Maddie nodded toward the Ravenclaw table. "She and Jasper bought Love Potion from the Weasleys at the same time. Turns out they were each trying to get the other to notice them." Sighing, she lowered herself onto the table. " Even though they run into each other all the time when they're playing Quidditch against each other."

Again, there was that uncomfortable grumble in the pit of my stomach. I had really caused a hell of a lot of turnover for the twins. "Tell me Ginny. Your brothers. Would they walk over dead bodies for their business?"

Ginny pondered seriously as she chewed slowly. "Depends on whose corpse. Snape's? Absolutely."

The Weasleys' reply came the very next morning. Misses Weasley wasn't sure she could accept such a thing, but Mister Weasley had scribbled in a corner that he would talk his wife into it and that they would be very happy.
Ginny fell around my neck exuberantly. "This is going to be so great!"

I had invited Hermione and Harry, too, of course. We had more guest rooms than I knew people. Our house elves had probably never entertained so many guests at one time. I wrote Mistle a letter to inform her of the planned party.

"Your house elves can read and write?"

Confused, I looked over at Ginny. "Well, of course. How else are they going to handle the correspondence."

"Oh correspondence," Ginny humored me. "Sometimes you seem like a normal person and then this."

"Is letter writing any better? They're running the household too, after all. They have to be able to handle numbers there, too."

"Jo, Bill wants to know if there's a dress code?" Fred came over to us. "Mum is going completely nuts again because we all have nothing to wear that fits in your apartment."

"What fits in the apartment?" I really tried not to laugh. "Your mother worries too much. You can run around in your pajamas all day for all I care."

Ginny took the letter from Bill and heaved an exhausted sigh. "She won't give it a rest."

"I'd get you guys new clothes, too, but that would be a bit of an overreach, wouldn't it?"

Maddie had listened to the entire conversation with a furrowed brow. She was the only one in the group who hadn't been to my house yet. "What did I miss."

"Camy over here is-" Just in time, I managed to shut Ginny up. We'd already drawn more than enough attention to ourselves. I didn't even want to know what the rumor mill had come up with this week.

"Let's put it this way. My parents never spend money on anything, okay? But they make a hell of a lot." I grimaced.

"Are we talking about winning the lottery or more like a dragon hoard?"

My grimace widened. But George beat me to it.
"We're talking half of Gringotts, I'd wager."

Mortified, I let go of Ginny.
"Well, I'm not saying no to a festive robe," she nudged me in the side.

"I think new clothes would be too much of a good thing," George placated me. "We'll find a way to calm Mom down."

But Christmas came and Misses Weasley was anything but reassured. Twice letters arrived telling the Weasleys they'd better cancel on me, only to have an owl also arrive in the same haul of mail, bringing one of the Weasley children a letter from Mister Weasley explaining that they shouldn't take their mother seriously.

It was barely two days until departure when it was finally decided how we would proceed now. We from Hogwarts would travel directly to me, while the rest of the Weasleys would follow later.

"Mum's probably still panicking about the presents," Ron grumbled. Ginny had explained to me that they got sweaters every year, but Ron couldn't see any more sweaters.

If I had been traveling alone, I probably would have asked Dumbledore to let me use his fireplace, but with seven other students in tow, that seemed very brazen. So we took the train, as most did.

The house where our apartment was located was inhabited exclusively by witches and wizards, which made it easier to go completely overboard with the decorations. As we entered, the doorman immediately came to meet us. "Miss Renard. Happy holidays!" he warbled. "It's so good to see you and your friends again." He tapped each of our suitcases, but quickly realized they were already floating. Inconspicuously, just a few milimeters above the ground. "My mother baked you an Applepie." The young man whipped out a pie from behind his counter. "She had no idea there would be so many of you, of course," he apologized immediately.

"Don't tell her, Richard, all right? I don't want her to feel bad. Did she make it through the surgery okay?" I waved the Weasleys on so we wouldn't hog the entryway for so long.

"Ah please, miss." Richard grabbed Maddie's hand just in time for her to touch the glowing wall. "The paint isn't quite dry yet."

A single sound escaped Ginny and me simultaneously. The cake, fresh paint. We looked at each other and marched very stiffly to Maddie. Each of us raked an arm under her and so we dragged her upstairs.

"I'll find out his relationship status," I promised, voice still a little too high, while Ginny giggled softly.