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

Chapter 6:3

Astronomy was a surprising success. Their daytime lesson with the mild-mannered Professor Sinistra focused more on the peculiar telescope Mrs. Weasley had constructed for the twins than the star charts that had been distributed for study. Cedric Diggory bragged about his familiarity with the Weasley way of life, but was swiftly silenced by the spurning glares of his fellow Hufflepuffs.

Indeed, the first day at Hogwarts had gone as planned, but now, as they left the courtyard on the second day with a key to the broom closet in hand, the twins were met with the only real weakness they had as students — Enchantments with Professor Quirrell. And, as luck would have it, Tenice Montague and his Slytherin followers were lingering in the dungeon corridor, just outside the classroom door.

It was the one course in which they were unprepared. Intended for students who could not afford the massive spell book for Charms, Enchantments was the class that separated the poor from the privileged. They could see from the hall that there were only six first years in attendance. Fred and George had been secretly dreading that lesson from the moment they opened their Hogwarts letters. They were utterly poor, everyone knew it, and there was simply no way to joke about accepting special favor from the school.

"Well, well...look who finally came tumbling down off their brooms — the lowly, red-haired twins without two Sickles to rub together. Certainly not enough to buy a book that amounts to a Weasley family fortune. What a sad sight! I'm thankful our school helps the lesser kind, really."

Boisterous laughter filled the echoing hall, and the twins felt their faces flush pink.

"Shut it, Montague," sliced a voice through the laughter. From the stairs behind them came their short housemate, Lee Jordan. His shoulders, although small and sloping, were fixed back and he looked ready for a fight.

"How about this?" Montague continued with a leer. "I'll give one of you my Charms book and you can fight over it. My parents can easily buy another. I'm sure your lot are accustomed to quarreling over table scraps and such."

"Just ignore them," said Lee, ushering the twins into the classroom. He sealed the door and remained with the twins until the laughter died away.

"Thanks," said George placidly, his eyes hanging low. Fred couldn't bring himself to speak.

"We are Gryffindor, right? That means we're supposed to be brave." Lee looked at the sorry group of students waiting for class to begin and leaned in close. "If it's the magic you're worried about; I can teach you everything we learn in Charms. I reckon you can use my book whenever you'd like. Don't give any mind to that Slytherin boy. He's a foul little git who needs someone to pick on to make himself feel less inadequate."

When their docile professor entered the lofty dungeon classroom, Lee departed for Charms. Without set books in hand, the twins found their seats next to fellow Gryffindor, Kenneth Towler, and surveyed the room. It was barely candle-lit, windowless, and smelled like the underground lair of some monstrous beast in need of a bath. Their oddly nervous instructor, Quirinus Quirrell, was standing beside a portrait of himself, adjusting his ridiculous purple turban. His painted version was moving silently within the frame, waving generously at the other students, turban-free and in dress robes.

"Good to see everyone f-found my r-r-room," he said, anxiously gulping the air around him. "In this c-class, we teach you h-how to enchant everyday items, both living and n-n-nonliving. There are, of course, slight diff-dif...mmm...differences between what I could go about t-teaching and what you could l-l-learn in Ch-charms. Mine is a m-more restrained experience than Proff-ffessor F-Flitwick's. But w-worry not. You will be t-taking Charms in your th-third y-y-year at Hogwarts."