Fred and George and the Toilers of Trouble (Year 1) ✔

Chapter 2:2

After waving to their best friend, the twins coasted in silence back to the Burrow, where they hid the broomsticks in a stone outhouse and played separately in the yard. It wasn't until their dad returned home and they were called in for the night that the twins even spoke to one another. Fred and George were fully aware that they would not be getting new magic wands with unicorn hair from a custom wandmaker on Diagon Alley. With luck, they would be able to use one of the nicer lending wands at Hogwarts, which was still embarrassing.

Percy had been using one of Bill's wands from school, and Charlie had their dad's old student wand with gashes along the handle that made every spell come out in a nasty brownish color. From what Bill had told their parents, there were even shoddier wands at Hogwarts for students who couldn't afford to bring one of their own. Thankfully the twins wouldn't need to wait for long, because one of them would get their Dad's wand the following summer when Charlie entered his seventh year and got a new wand. Until then, they would need to get by with lenders. Or, at least, that's what they had been expecting until they opened the warped door to the kitchen to find their dad standing by the smoking stove pipe with a magic wand in each hand.

"Christmas came early, lads," said Arthur Weasley in a chipper tone. His sons surged forward, and he held the wands at bay. "Slow down, now. A magic wand is not to be snatched at with grubby claws."

"I swear, we thought Mum would make us share one," Fred said, beaming.

"Now, these aren't the finest of wands. I know it's better than nothing, but I'm afraid the closest we could get were...well...scrappers," said Mr. Weasley, laying them down on the kitchen table. "Got special permission from the Mysterious Oversight Committee to take two cast-off wands that had been left in the Lost or Discarded Property bin at the Ministry sometime over the last century."

Although the wands were scuffed and worn in more places than any wand the twins had ever seen, they looked stable enough to perform a decent spell. George noticed straight away that one of the wands, with dark wood and a spindled tip, had a curly letter 'G' carved into the handle, which was a smart move by his father. Wands tended to cause turmoil when casting spells from multiple users, and you certainly didn't want to go on giving the Weasley twins an excuse to accidentally misbehave. Fred's wand had a curved handle and came to a narrow point.

"What sort of wood are they?"

"I wonder what the core is made of - maybe Muggle hair!"

Arthur laughed uncomfortably. "I'm afraid it will have to be a mystery, boys. We would need to have them inspected by a wandmaker..."

"Don't bother, Dad," said George hurriedly.

"They're perfect," Fred agreed.

Once the boys were taught how to properly stow a magic wand into the long pocket of their school robes, they were forced to poke their father with an undetectable tickling jinx in case they needed to win the trust and allegiance of their new wands. When finished, their mother swept over to store the magic wands in the cupboard under the sink.

"The fun is over. You'll get these back when we are on the platform and you're leaving for Hogwarts. I don't need you blowing up half the house before then. If I get one more letter from that nasty Dolores Umbridge..."

"Dad will need to tie up your hands and send you straight to the Nutters Wing at Saint Mungo's Hospital!" said Charlie confidently, as he walked into the room at the very moment when Errol, their sluggish family owl, came bounding in through the kitchen window. Errol crash-landed into the sink, sending soap bubbles everywhere. Wedged inside the owl's beak was a letter for Charlie.

"And you, Mister Seeker!" continued Mrs. Weasley, while swatting a soapy feather from her round face. "You tell those girls to stop wearing out the owl. And why must you write to so many of them anyway? You know, I didn't send your father an owl until our seventh year at Hogwarts. It is...unsuitable behavior for a young witch."