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

Chapter 18:1

THE PERILS OF FREE CANDY

The Christmas season was the most magical time at Hogwarts. Every corridor and classroom was festooned with wreaths, colored candles, and enchanted garlands of fruit that could be freely picked and eaten on the way to class. Now that the term had ended, and the Hogwarts Express was leaving for London within the hour, students from each of the four houses gathered to say their goodbyes before the much needed three-week break.

In the days since their last lessons, the sixth and seventh years took it upon themselves to assess the water damage, venturing beyond the ropes that Mr. Filch had added to fence off the ground floor. It took little more than a glance to accept that they were not being told the truth. So much water could only come from a complex charm, and was not the result of a leaky pipe. And while the growing assumption had been that Fred and George were to blame, since it was common knowledge that they had caused the crater in the floor above, the Weasley twins were incapable of performing such magic.

The blame went to the Toilers of Trouble, and the boys were removed from the top of the list of likely perpetrators, which frustrated Mr. Filch and was marvelous news for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They could keep their Beaters, at least for the time being. The staff agreed that the twins were innocent, but for different reasons. Those who had been quick to pass judgment on Fred and George, changed their view when they learned about the unfortunate love potion from Professor Snape. It was a surprise that George had functioned at all under the arresting effects of dormant Amortentia. And since the Toilers of Trouble would need all of their faculties in order to accomplish such feats, it was determined that the Weasley twins could not be responsible for the havoc that had been wrought on the school. Although one individual remained a skeptic.

Percy made his suspicions known that morning when he found his younger brothers admiring the glittering glass ornaments on the immense Christmas tree in the Gryffindor common room.

"I think we'd all feel better if you kept your distance," he said arrogantly. "You've done enough damage to the school."

"Hello, Percy," Fred remarked, using his most insincere voice. "For the hundredth time —"

"Hundred-and-third," George corrected.

"Quite right. Thank you, brother. For the hundred-and-third time, we had nothing to do with the damage on the ground floor."

"That's not true, is it?" said Percy smartly. "You blew up the ceiling!"

"Fair point," said Fred, raising an eyebrow. "Although some would note...that was not the ground floor."

"It was the first floor," his twin clarified.

"And you might also want to consider that I did so to save George from certain death. Would you rather have him drown?"

Percy closed his eyes and expelled a lungful of hot air. "Of course not. But in the grander scheme of things, his life is worth far less than this castle."

"Do you know," George began, "I was going to say we would do the same for you? Now I'm not so sure."

Percy was walking away when he swiveled back, shaking his finger at them. "So, let me understand this fully. You're not skilled enough to magic the flooding, but you're somehow able to perform an advanced detonation charm that is NEWT level difficulty?"

"Newt level?" asked George.

"Well, if a newt can do it..." said Fred cheekily.

Percy huffed. "N-E-W-T." He looked expectantly at them, yet nothing registered. "Testing for seventh year students! Have you never paid attention to me at home?"

"Home?"

"Wait a second...you live with us?"

"At the Burrow?"

"I can see that I have to walk you through this," Percy lamented. "The fifth year students have OWLs — Ordinary Wizarding Levels. The seventh year students have NEWTs — Newly Exiting Wizard Trials."

"Oh, those!" said Fred. "Charlie calls them Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests."

"He would, wouldn't he?" said Percy miserably. "I have the feeling that none of you are taking your education seriously. I must have been born to the wrong family."

As Percy promenaded away to join Oliver Wood on the armchairs in front of the fireplace, Fred was leaning on one leg, grinning madly. "We're going to have so much fun with him at home, aren't we, George?"

"Indeed we are, Fred."

The house-elves were carrying down the last of the trunks for the students who needed to bring their school supplies home. Beyond a few Dungbombs, the twins were leaving it all behind. Lee, however, couldn't step a foot onto the Hogwarts Express without taking everything. The Gryffindor students turned to admire his sparkling silver trunk, with the Jordan family crest on the lid in raised bronze, as the house-elves lowered it to the rug.

"Gently..." their short friend urged, as he stood watch. Nervous sweat was beading on the bridge of his dark brown nose. "My father will have my head if it comes back with a scratch."

"That trunk has been in the family for six generations!" Fred mocked.

"You're not far off," Lee said distantly. "You forgot to stomp your foot."