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

Chapter 16:2

As night fell on Hogwarts castle, the twins stepped past the portrait of the fat lady and left for the grounds. George was sighing wretchedly, as he tied the fabric belt from his Quidditch uniform around the waist of his frayed winter cloak. Their mother had been quick to inform George before they left for school that he needed a creative way to secure his cloak when the weather turned cold, because they couldn't risk scratching the wooden fastenings that she'd painted to look silver, in order to comply with uniform requirements. Fred didn't have the same concerns. His black cloak was in compliance, even if most of the silver fastenings had been sold over the years.

"I dunno if I can do this," George admitted.

"Chin up," said Fred heartily.

"Do you think Sprout will be there?"

"Doubtful. She sent you an owl...what'd it say?"

"We're to meet at Hagrid's hut." He stomped down the corridor, knotting his crimson and gold scarf around his neck like a noose. "I'm not looking forward to this."

"You're not? Hmm...could've fooled me."

When they entered the icy winter air of the moonlit courtyard, George had an idea.

"Why not do the detention in shifts? I mean, that girl and I don't want to work together — clearly — so why make us? Seems pointless."

"I think that's the entire point, George," Fred noted smartly, still a bit confused by their rampant dislike for one another.

Blocking their faces from the biting wind, the Weasley twins gazed at the dark and forbidden wood through the thick swirls of falling snowflakes. There, under the delicate eaves of frozen trees, was a snowcapped, thatched hut. The warm glow of two frost-covered windows and a twisting spire of pale gray chimney smoke beckoned them down the hill.

Fred and George stomped through the silent and wooly, white lawn toward Hagrid's modest cabin until they heard a low growl coming from the shadows of the castle. Shivering behind a dim lantern, Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris were keeping watch. Their response to the twins was visceral, and yet it was hard to know which one of them had growled. It could have easily come from Mrs. Norris, since the effects of the Caninus root had yet to wear off.

George almost knew what his brother was thinking. "Fabulous magic, that. Must remember it for the future."

"We have to make our first fortune somehow," Fred declared, as the snow swept through the space between them. "Has the neighborhood cat turned you barking mad, and you're itching to turn the tables? Why, look no further! The Toilers of Trouble have just the thing!"

George's instantaneous grin quickly withered to a scowl when he spotted Lee and Angelina on the grounds, having come from the Entrance Hall. They had gone unseen in the blizzard, and were moments from converging with the twins.

"Looks like she had the same idea there, brother."

"And what's that?"

"To avoid facing you alone."

"Lee..." George stated, as they met outside the hut. He received a frozen nod in return.

"Angelina..." remarked Fred sweetly.

"Evening, Fred," she replied, once again having no trouble knowing precisely which twin to despise. The long, awkward silence that greeted them was so profound that when a thunderous crash came from within the hut it was a welcomed distraction.

"Did you hear that?" Angelina inquired, turning toward the sound.

"We've all got two ears, haven't we?" said George, eyeing the golden light behind the half-curtained windows.