Just Like Magic (George Weasley)

Fourteen.

Molly was ecstatic and oh so excited when George told her the news, my dad tried to play it off like he wasn't, but I knew he was. Remus assured him George was a nice boy, that he was actually not too far different from him when he was at Hogwarts. This didn't sit too well with my dad, but he eventually got over it.
   
When Mrs. Weasley didn't have chores for us kids to do, I tried to spend my time in equal amounts with my dad and my boyfriend. I wanted to spend as much time with my dad as I could, because I didn't know when we would get this much time together again. We watched TV together, and sometimes I watched him do work for the Order. He couldn't tell me what he was doing, but he let me watch as he did research and wrote letters to the other members.
   
Since my dad can't leave the house, he was the only member of the Order that didn't leave Headquarters. Remus went to retrieve Hermione two weeks after we arrived here. I asked if Harry was going to join us too, and he said that my dad said that he would be eventually but not just yet. The Order was waiting for the perfect moment to get him.
   
George and I actually moved pretty quickly in our relationship. Since there were a lot of Order meetings that us kids weren't allowed to sit in on, it was easy for us to sneak off to an empty room and be alone together, taking advantage of the fact that our parents were preoccupied downstairs. We wanted each other, so we gave into that fast. It was amazing to be so close to him like that. I loved it. And of course he was a perfect gentleman every single time.
   
It was almost August when Harry arrived. It wasn't under the best circumstances either. He had used the Patronus Charm in front of his cousin Dudley. Apparently he had been attacked by Dementors, so Harry did what he had to do to protect them both. They were both okay thanks to Harry but he got expelled from Hogwarts for this.
   
Dumbledore was able to get him a hearing instead to decide if he should be expelled or not. Lupin, Tonks, and a few others were sent to go get Harry. Since there was a meeting tonight, us kids were upstairs. Since Harry was arriving tonight, George and I decided to stay with the others, so we could greet him. I was in Fred and George’s room with them and Ginny. Fred and George were really interested in what Professor Snape had to say at the meeting tonight so they were testing out their newest invention, Extendable Ears.
   
We let Hermione and Ron say hello to Harry first. The conversation didn’t go very well, because we could hear Harry yelling at the two of them. He wasn’t holding back, shouting loudly from the floor below us.
   
“SO YOU HAVEN’T BEEN IN THE MEETINGs, BIG DEAL! YOU’VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN’T YOU? YOU’VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME, I’VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS FOR A MONTH! AND I’VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU TWO’VE EVER MANAGED AN DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT - WHO SAVED THE SORCERER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED BOTH YOUR SKINS FROM DEMENTORS?”
   
It was quiet again, and I assume that he is allowing Ron and Hermione to speak again, he begins to shout again a few moments later yelling about how all of the other things he’s had to get through, and then there’s another pause, and then more yelling again.
   
“He’s messing with the reception,” says Fred, “Poor kid. He’s losing it.”
   
Harry shouts a few more times, this time about how angry he was at his friends for not writing to him and how he’s been alone and they’ve been together and after a few more minutes that’s when twins apparated down to Ron’s room to say hi to Harry, and Ginny and I decided to take the stairs.
   
When we reached the bedroom, I heard Fred talking, “Time is galleons, little brother. Anyway, Harry, you’re interfering with the reception. Extendable ears.”
   
“Harry!” I exclaim, entering the room and then I hug him tightly.
   
“Penelope, you’re here, too,” he says, sounding surprised. “Of course you are. I went to your grandparents house to see you but they said you were with your dad this summer."
   
“Yeah,” I say, stepping back, “I'm sorry they didn't take you with us when we left."
   
“Right, me too,” he says.
   
Ron told Fred and George to be careful with the extendable ears because if their mum caught them they would be in big trouble, and Ginny says that Tonks told her that their mum had put a Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door after they had gotten caught last time trying to listen in on the meetings.
   
“Shame,” says Fred, “I really fancied finding out what old Snape’s been up to.”
   
“Snape?” Asks Harry, sounding confused. “Is he here?”
   
“Yeah,” said George, “Giving a report. Top Secret.”
   
We fill Harry in on what’s happened that we know of. How Bill and Fleur have started dating since she got a job at Gringotts where Bill has worked since he left Hogwarts. How Charlie Weasley was in the Order but he wasn’t here because Dumbledore wanted him to stay in Romania. How Percy Weasley has decided to listen to the Minister over his family and insist that the Dark Lord isn’t back and Harry and Dumbledore are lying.
   
Sadly, that’s all we could tell him, because even though the twins are of age, they’re still in school, therefore not allowed to join the Order just yet, but you can bet that they will join our siblings and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in the Order as soon as they finish school in a year. If they still need to, that is. We don’t know what will happen in a year’s time.
   
Then it was time for dinner, where Harry got to see his Godfather and old Professor and they greeted him warmly as they could. I sat by Fred and George, like I always do at dinner, and Harry sat at the other end of the table with his Godfather.
   
Harry started asking questions, which made Mrs. Weasley angry, telling my dad that he wasn’t to tell Harry anything, which made Harry angry. He thought he had a right to know, since You-Know-Who was after Harry. My dad told Mrs. Weasley that she wasn’t the only one who cared about Harry. She tried to get Mr. Weasley to back her up, but even he agreed that Harry should be able to ask just a few questions.
   
I stared at my food as they spoke. It wasn’t an argument per say, but I still felt like I shouldn't be listening in. She agreed to let Harry ask some questions, but that us other kids had to go upstairs.
   
“But we’re of age!” The twins bellowed together.
   
“If Harry’s allowed, why can’t I?” Asked Ron.
   
“But Mum, I want to!” Wailed Ginny.
   
“Molly,” says Mr. Weasley, “You can’t stop Fred and George.”
   
After some more consideration, Mrs. Weasley says, “Fine, You two can stay, Ron - ” She didn’t get to finish that thought because Ron reminded her that Harry was going to tell him and Hermione whatever they told him anyways. So she allowed them to stay as well, but Ginny had to go to bed.
   
We then had a long conversation about what Voldemort has been up to. Harry kept asking questions. They explained that they're doing their best to stay ahead of Voldemort, but as much as they were trying to grow their numbers, so was Voldemort. He was trying to get a weapon, something he didn't have last time.   
   
“That’s enough.” Mrs. Weasley spoke from the shadows beside the door after Sirius mentioned the weapon. No one had even noticed that she had returned from taking Ginny upstairs. Her arms were crossed and she looked furious. “I want you in bed, now. All of you,” she added looking at all of us kids at the end of the table.
   
“You can’t boss us –” Fred began, talking about him and his of age identical twin sitting next to me.
   
“Watch me,” his mother snarled. She was trembling slightly as she looked at Sirius now, “You’ve given Harry plenty of information. Any more and you might as well induct him into the Order straightaway.”
   
“Why not?” Said Harry quickly. “I’ll join, I want to join, I want to fight.”   
   
“No.” It was not Mrs. Weasley that spoke, but Lupin. “The Order is only composed of overage wizards. Wizards that have left school,” he added that last bit when Fred and George opened their mouths about to protest. “There are dangers involved of which you have no idea, any of you. I think Molly is right, Sirius. We’ve said enough.”
   
Sirius half shrugged, but did not argue. Mrs. Weasley beckoned imperiously to her sons, Hermione, Harry, and I. One by one they all stood up. I followed with the twins behind everyone. Ginny was still awake when we got upstairs, and we told her everything we knew. Mrs. Weasley stood outside of our door for a moment to make sure we weren't talking, but we kept quiet and she walked away.

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Here's part 14!

We're officially getting into Book 5!

I've got a cool plan for the next chapter. I'm excited.

-Emily Winchester.