WILD ➞ Fred Weasley

xxi. midnight memories

TWENTY ONE

AURORA ARCHER NEEDED A WIN. She needed to feel accomplished. Although life at Grimmauld Place wasn't half bad, and she was growing closer with the man she now called her father, her life still seemed like an endless loop of nothing. Hang out with the Weasley's, clean, cry over Cedric, have tea with her father, have a nightmare... wake up and do it all over again. It was becoming agonizing. The most interesting part of her days were meeting new members of the Order before being kicked out of their meetings before they even started. Also being harassed by a painting of Walburga Black... goodness gracious, she needed to go back to Hogwarts immediately.

Grimmauld Place was usually quiet. That was, until the arrival of Harry Potter. His entrance was loud. Rory, Fred, and George were sitting in the twins' room, just hanging around when they heard yelling from the landing. Fred and George decided to apparate to the scene of action, while Rory took the extra seconds to use her legs.

"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out," Rory heard Fred say as she caught up with the others. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."

"You two passed your Apparation tests, then?" asked Harry with a grumpy attitude.

"With distinction," said Fred.

"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs," Ron muttered. "Rory did it just fine."

"Time is Galleons, little brother," said Fred, pulling a string out of his pocket. "Anyway, Harry, you're interfering with reception. Extendable Ears."

Rory shrugged and explained to Harry, "We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs."

"You want to be careful," said Ron, staring at the ear. "If Mum sees one of them again..."

"It's worth the risk, that's a major meeting they're having," said Fred with a smirk.

Ginny walked out of the girls' room, grinning, happy to see Harry (Rory knew she still had a major crush on the boy).

The red haired girl turned to Fred and George and said, "It's no go with the Extendable Ears, she's gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door."

"How d'you know?" said George, looking heartbroken.

"Tonks told me how to find out," said Ginny. "You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the door's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it, so there's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap."

Fred sighed. "Shame. I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

"Snape?" said Harry quickly. "Is he here?"