Troublemakers • Weasley & Jordan

The Party

"Oh, the boy's a slag, the best you ever had." — Fluorescent Adolescent by Arctic Monkeys

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The train platform was alive with energy, even after a long journey.

As soon as the boys stepped off the stairs and onto the steady ground, their ears were flooded with the sound of bustling students, rolling carts, giddily laughing first-years and Hagrid shouting directions above all the noise. Lee smiled a bit at all of it.

George noticed. "What?"

Lee glanced at him. "Oh, nothing. Just... it's funny. This is the last time we'll see it."

George looked around the platform where Lee's eyes had been tracing. It was true– but he still didn't know how to take it.

Instead, he slapped the boy's shoulder and jutted his head forward. "C'mon. The carriages are here."

He, Lee and Fred clambered onto one of the carriages, Fred darting his eyes around in a clear attempt to catch the Patil twins (or, more-so, one in particular) but then turned back with a sigh when the targets had run off with a few other girls for their own ride.

"You could just ask her out, you know." George poked his brother.

"Easy for you to say," Fred scoffed. "You sneeze and get a date."

Lee laughed. George crossed his arms, frowning, and caught Lee's eye because of it; usually, he would laugh at something like that. This time, his expression was different.

Ignoring it, Lee brought up the conversation of the upcoming Great Hall feast, one of their favorite traditions at the school. George's smile returned.

On the way into the school, just past the entrance where they had piled their bags with the others, Lee felt a hand push his arm and looked down to meet a grinning Elijah Jordan.

"Ah," Lee returned the expression, grabbing his brother and scuffing the top of his head, "there's Mr. Popular. Already forgotten about me, yeah?"

"I can't help my charm," Elijah replied.

"No way!" George held out a hand, blocking Lee and Fred from continuing forward. His eyes were wide as they flicked to Elijah– "is that... the Elijah Jordan? The famed name, the best in the game?"

Elijah giggled. George grinned and held out his fist for the kid to bump.

"I've been waiting for you to come around these parts, little dude," he told Eli. "You ready for the best years of your life? Or the worst? Which one do you want?"

"Whichever means more trouble," Elijah beamed.

George, who was crouched in front of the kid, looked up at Lee with a proud grin. "He's a keeper."

"Yeah, a real cocky one at that," Lee scoffed.

"How are you feeling about the sorting ceremony, Eli?" Fred asked the boy as they started toward the Great Hall. "Big hopes? Predictions?"

Elijah shrugged. "Well, at first, I wanted to be Gryffindor. Like you guys!"

"Good taste," George mumbled.