Triplets (George Weasley)

Pt. 10

Fred, George, and I have fallen asleep in the common room by the fire, Fred and I beside each other on one sofa and George laying haphazardly on an armchair in the kind of position that makes you sore for days afterward. I wake with a lazy yawn to the sight of Ron and Harry staring at us.
    "Hi?" I ask sleepily, wondering why they're here.
    "You're going to be late for class you know... How late were you even up?" Ron starts.
    "Crap," I mutter under my breath, jumping up. Suddenly, I'm not so tired anymore. We were up very, very late.
    "Fred, George," I hiss, shoving Fred a bit.
    Fred yawns largely.
    "What?" he whines crankily, clearly very sleepy still.
    "We're going to be late," I snap at him, having no time for his lollygagging. "I gotta go get ready. Make sure George gets up, please," I sigh, running up the stairs to my dorm.
    No one's left. They've all gone. I won't even have time for breakfast, and even then I might be late. And on my first day, too.
    Sure enough, a set of Gryffindor ties and badges is waiting on my bed, just the way George had said.
    I rummage through my trunk as fast as I can and manage to pull on a clean white blouse and black sweater with some jeans before pulling my long robes over top. I quickly pin the badge to my lapel and make an attempt at tying my tie, but George had been right. I'm completely puzzled by the complexity of the tie.
    So, I run downstairs, then up to the boys' dorm.
    "BE DECENT! I'M COMING UP!" I shout as I run up the stairs.
    The boys do well to obey and are both dressed (if a bit carelessly) by the time I make it up the stairs.
    "What?" Fred snaps, cranky from having to wake up so abruptly.
    "Please. I need help," I plead with them, worried about being late for class. I hold out the scarlet and gold tie, tears welling up in my eyes,  and George snatches it up immediately.
    "Collar up," he orders gently, sensing my worry.
    I do so quickly, my fingers fumbling. His own larger fingers work quickly and nimbly to tie the garment.
    "There you are. You look great," he smiles, finishing up the tie.
    I can't help but smile when George does.
    "Now, no more tears. I know it's scary. Your first day in a new place, but you're going to do just fine. You'll be a wonderful witch. I know it. So, let's go get some breakfast quick. There's plenty of time," he coos.
    This is why I love George. I mean, I love Fred too, obviously, but George is just so much gentler, particularly when I'm upset.
    I nod at George's suggestion and follow the boys down the stairs and to the Great Hall.
    After a good breakfast, and after I've calmed down a bit, the boys show me to my first class. In fact, the boys walk me to every class. I don't know how they make it to their own in time, but they never fail to meet me for our between-class walk.
    They ask me how things are going, give me pointers on how to handle the teachers, and help me avoid Peeves and Mr. Filch, with his cat Mrs. Norris.
    Every day, I learn something new about the huge and wonderfully odd castle. It's magnificent and beautiful and I'm quickly learning to love it immensely. I can tell from the way the boys talk about it that they feel the same.
    During breakfast on Friday, me sandwiched between the twins and my face stuffed with porridge and bacon, Fred asks, "Hey, you have Friday afternoons off, too, right?".
    I nod a bit. "Yeah, I think everyone does. Why do you ask?" I inquire curiously.
    "We thought maybe you could help us out with our first prank of the school year," George explains, smirking as he sees my face light up at the sound of a prank.
    "I'd love to!" I cry, swallowing the bite of porridge.
    I'm practically bouncing up and down as I ask, "So, what's the prank?"
    "A surprise," Fred rolls his eyes.
    I groan loudly, wanting to help them plan.
    "You shouldn't have to plan your first prank at Hogwarts. Just show up and help us make the magic happen," George winks.
    "Fine," I mutter grumpily.
    "Aw c'mon. Don't get your robes in a twist," Fred jokes.
    "Cut it out. Now, come on. We have to hurry if we want to get to class on time," I urge the twins on.
    They nod and we leave the Great Hall, me walking between the two boys. I'm a bit nervous. It's my first class with Professor Snape, and everyone says he's really strict and kind of mean.
    "Don't worry, Rey. He'll love you. Everyone does," Fred assures me.
    "Then again, I don't think Snape really loves anyone. Not even the Slytherins," George makes a face.
    "You're not helping," I groan.
    "Sorry," George puts one arm around my shoulder, his books tucked under his other arm.
    I shake him off, sticking my tongue out.
    Finally, we reach the stairs down to the Dungeons. It's dark and damp down here, lit by torches, which gives it a kind of ominous look. Our footsteps echo as we walk. The boys seem unfazed, but it sends a shiver down my spine.
    "This is where we leave you," Fred sighs as we reach the door to the Potion's classroom.
    "Alright," I breathe shakily, giving the two a last, meaningful glance before stepping through the door.
    I'm the first to class, and I sit down awkwardly in the very back when I see that Professor Snape is at the front already, sitting at his desk. He glances up when he hears me come in. The man has long, greasy black hair and a crooked nose.
    "You don't have to sit back there you know. You're more than welcome to take a seat at the front of the class," he keeps his eyes focused on his papers.
    Shakily, I pick up my books and move to a desk in the very front.
    "Name?" he asks.
    "Tyler. Audrey Tyler," I stutter.
    "Tyler? Where do I know that name?" he finally looks up from what he's doing.
    Quickly, his eyes scan my face.
    "Lorelai Tyler's daughter," he observes. It's not a question.
    "You look like her, you know. Except your hair. Your mother... she was blonde," he tells me in a soft voice.
    "My father's hair," I murmur.
    "She was good. Profoundly good."
    He doesn't say anything else for the next several minutes, until the rest of the class arrives. I can't place why, but I like this man the other students hate. I don't know for what reason I feel the way I do, but I sense that he's truly a good man beneath this hateful facade he puts up around others.
    Throughout the entirety of the class, the students stay silent. I watch the professor's every move, as though mesmerized. It's the way he speaks that fascinates me, barely louder than a whisper but still everyone hears, because his voice itself commands attention.
     Unfortunately, we get two points taken away from Gryffindor, and, worse yet, Neville, an odd Gryffindor boy, spills his potion on the floor, ending up with boils covering his body. For some reason, I don't think the class was a good one. Gee, I wonder why. However, I know Snape isn't exactly full of restraint when it comes to taking points. Apparently he's taken loads from the twins.
    As soon as we're dismissed from class, I head up out of the dungeon and outside of the castle, onto the grounds. The grounds, by the way, are beautiful. It's fall, so the grass is green and the trees are a multitude of colors. The Great Lake is clear, and the boys sit on the shore. Coming up behind them, I try to scare them. "Boo!" I shout.
    Both boys jump, and I giggle happily as I take a seat between them. That's when I notice, sprawled out in front of them are about a dozen boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans. Gesturing to the boxes, I have to ask, "What's the deal, guys?".
    "Our first prank," Fred smirks.
    "An easy one to start you off," George adds.
    "What makes you think I can't handle a hard prank?" I scowl.
    "Aw, you know I didn't mean it like that, Rey," George nudges me when he sees my frown.
    "Whatever. Just... What is it?" I inquire.
    "Well, George and I stumbled upon a spell that lets you sort the 'good' beans from the 'bad' beans. So, we're gonna sort all the 'good' beans out of the boxes and give the remainder to our friends and Professor Snape. Watch 'em squirm," Fred grins.
    "No, not Snape," I shake my head.
    "Why? He scare ya, sweetheart?" George asks.
    "No, I just like him," I shrug.
    The boys look at me like I must be high or something.
    "No one likes Snape," Fred sputters.
    "I do, and we're not pranking him today. He's not in a good mood," I shake my head, remembering the potion-spilling incident.
    "But-," Fred starts.
    "It's fine, Fred. Let it go. If she doesn't want to prank him, we don't have to," George reasons.
    "And I dunno why you think Snape would take a box of jelly beans from you, anyway," I chuckle.
    "Fine, whatever," Fred snaps. "Let's just get to work."
    Opening the first box, George pulls out his wand and, with careful enunciation, says, "Genus vulgaris", swishing his wand. Fred grabs another box and does the same.
    Because I don't know how to do spells yet, the boys set me to work opening the boxes, and, when the beans are sorted, have me put the 'bad' ones back into their boxes, resealing them.
    When we're done, we have nine full boxes of nasty beans, and we head back inside, the boxes shoved into Fred's robe pockets. The other three boxes have been refilled with the  'good' beans. It was my idea. That way, the boys and I can eat them, so it doesn't seem like we're pranking. I'm so excited to see our friends' reactions, I'm practically bouncing as we make our way back to the castle.