The Next Marauders (A Weasley Twin Fanfic)

Chapter 10 - The Biscuits

song for the chapter - Money by Pink Floyd.

"For Godric's sake just give it to me!" Fred shouted at me from the other side of the table.

I had been fiddling with what was a reel of ribbon but now a tangled mess. Fred had challenged me to see who could wrap the most presents in five minutes and it's safe to say that I had not only lost the challenge but also the five sickles that I had bet on myself to win. I guess competitiveness wasn't always a great skill to have. Woops. 

He grabbed the knotted ball out of my hands and within seconds he had untangled it and wrapped it back up neatly. Sometimes I forgot that behind the chaotic, mischief that the twins displayed to everyone else, they actually had a calm and methodical way of thinking. Whereas I was pretty much just a mess with a short fuse and an attitude problem. George was sat on the sofa next to me making notes from a charms book and listening to the records that were playing from the machine in the corner of the room.  

I noticed the way that the bright blue sky reflected off of the snow that lined the window panes highlighted the scar George had on his left eyebrow from when he had fallen out of one of the apple trees in the orchard playing Quidditch years ago.  He was wearing the same face he always wore when he was concentrating; he tensed his jaw and his brows sat furrowed above his eyes. He was also rather annoyingly tapping his foot out of beat with the music. I had probably been looking at him for a little bit too long so I turned back to wrapping my mum's present.

I had made a little magical photo album using some charms Percy had taught me, it had pictures of the two of us from every Christmas since I had been born, I got Uncle Mooney to send them over to me. I ended the album with my favourite photo of us. 

It was taken when my mum was pregnant with me and before... before my dad was sent to Azkaban. He had his arms wrapped around her so tightly and he was looking at her so lovingly. She had long auburn hair back then but she generally kept it shorter nowadays. He was dressed so smartly yet somehow he still managed to look like a scruffy old dog, at least that's how my mum liked to describe him. My Uncle Mooney was leaning down on the right side of the frame, trying to get a 14-year-old Adrian to brush his hair down but he was insisting that it was the 'fashion' to wear it all messy and unkempt. It was the most beautiful picture, you know one of those things that when you see it you get the most indescribable feeling that never quite goes away.

"Hey, can you pass me the Spell-O-Tape please?" I asked Fred.

"No, get it yourself." He joked, paused for a second and then handed the rollover.

I packed the present away and ran it up to my bedroom.

Whilst I was up there I decided to go and find my hidden room and do some experimenting of my own. I went every so often, finding it way more effective to get work done without anyone else around. I grabbed a few vials, my wand and personal spellbook/notebook and slipped them into my satchel, using a disguising spell (which if I do say so myself, I had become quite proficient at) in case any teachers *cough*SNAPE*cough* decided to question where I was going and what I was doing with all of these items. I wrapped my Gryffindor scarf around my neck as it tended to get chilly in my hidden room and I liked my comfort.

Hopping down the steps I simply told the twins I'd be back later and they waved me out of the portrait hole. Meandering down the corridor, I said hello to a few portraits and decided to stop off at the kitchens on my way.

I giggled to myself, always finding it funny that I had to tickle a pear to get in. I would love to meet the person who thought of it, what an absolute genius.

Doing so, the door swung open and I walked in to be greeted by my (secret) favourite house elf, Lindy. "Good afternoon Mistress Sophia! How are you today?" she squeaked, shaking my hand.