FINITE | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [4]

𝗶𝘃 | 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆𝘀' 𝘄𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗲𝘀

Gwen was still laughing when she stepped back into the kitchen at the Burrow. Eagerly, Fred rushed forward.

'Did he eat it?'

Grinning, Gwen nodded. Harry then appeared in the fireplace in Gwen's wake. He, too, was chuckling.

'What was that?' he asked, taking Fred's outstretched hand to right himself.

'Ton-Tongue Toffee,' said Fred brightly. 'George and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer...'

The tiny kitchen exploded with laughter. Harry greeted Bill and Charlie, who were both sitting at the kitchen table with Ron and George. Gwen moved to join them, but at that moment, Mr Weasley Apparated into the kitchen, looking extremely angry.

'That wasn't funny, Fred!' he shouted, rounding on his son. 'What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?'

'I didn't give him anything,' said Fred, grinning broadly. 'I just dropped it... it was his fault he went and ate it, I never told him to.'

'You dropped it on purpose!' roared Mr Weasley. 'You knew he'd eat it, you knew he was on a diet--'

'How big did his tongue get?' George said eagerly.

'It was four feet long before his parents would let me shrink it!'

Gwen, Harry and the Weasleys laughed again.

'It isn't funny!' Mr Weasley shouted. 'That sort of behaviour seriously undermines Muggle-Wizard relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons--'

'We didn't give it to him because he's a Muggle!' said Fred defensively.

'No, we gave it to him because he's a great bullying git,' said George. 'Isn't he, Harry?'

'Yeah, he is, Mr Weasley,' said Harry earnestly.

'That's not the point!' raged Mr Weasley. 'You wait until I tell your mother--'

'Tell me what?'

Mrs Weasley had walked into the kitchen. Her usually kind face was pulled into an expression of suspicion.

'Oh, hello, Harry, dear,' she said, spotting him and smiling. Then her eyes snapped back to her husband. 'Tell me what, Arthur?'

Mr Weasley hesitated. Gwen could tell that, however angry he was with Fred and George, he hadn't really intended to tell Mrs Weasley what had happened. There was silence while Mr Weasley eyed his wife nervously. Then, Ginny and Hermione appeared in the kitchen doorway behind Mrs Weasley. Gwen grinned at them, and Ginny, spotting Harry smiling at her and Hermione, went scarlet.

'Tell me what, Arthur?' Mrs Weasley repeated, her voice dangerous.

'It's nothing, Molly,' mumbled Mr Weasley. 'Fred and George just-- but I've had words with them--'