(Eng) Weasleys, Pranks and other Curses

21

I couldn't use my arm again yet, but at least the pain was decreasing day by day. Misses Weasley had even bewitched the shower especially for me, so that I could finally get rid of the dirt of the last days.

"You look really smart, Renard," Fred joked after I asked him to magically clean my glasses for me. "But you're pretty blind," he remarked as he put on my glasses.

"Harry? Is that you?" laughed George as he spotted his brother with the glasses.

"Very funny," I grumbled, but laughed myself as I pulled the glasses off Fred's nose. "I can't be that blind if I still manage to tell you guys apart." I stuck my tongue out at them and sat back down with Hermione, who had agreed to help me with an inhuman amount of enthusiasm.

"Now that you mention it." One twin sat down to my right and one to my left. "You've never told us your secret."

"Nor will I, because it gives me pleasure to see you suffer."

"Madame Renard." Fred put as much feigned dismay into his voice as he could. "That's a whole new set of pages!"

Hermione cleared her throat. "We want to learn."

" You do?", Fred twisted his mouth into a challenging grin. "Is that what you want?"
I noticed something about the dynamic that I had never noticed before. Involuntarily, I glanced over at George, who was watching his brother and Hermione as much as I was. Oh!

But the moment quickly disappeared as Hermione excitedly shooed the two twins away from their things. As much as I would have liked to inquire about what I had just seen, I was far enough behind in care of magical creatures that I needed the help of a younger student. My curiosity would have to wait.

The vacations were drawing to a close and my newfound resolve was faltering. Would the other students know that the vulture was stalking me? What if they blamed me for Katie's injury at the beginning of the school year?

"Are you okay?" Bill set aside his notes. He had gotten into the habit of working on something whenever Hermione and I were studying, too.

I glanced around the room. Misses Weasley had gone shopping for dinner and the rest of the Weasleys, including Harry, were outside playing a game of Quidditch. Hermione had once again proven herself to be a reliable person, in that she had very successfully threatened to turn the twins into toads when the two of them had started teasing me about my fear of heights. She and Ginny were a pretty strong front in the Weasley house. Even though I knew Hermione would never just do magic outside of school, the threat alone seemed to be enough to drive the others away. So I decided to let them in on it.

"I've been thinking about it. About the curse. I need something from our apartment." Cheers and curses alike drifted in from outside. I winced at the memory of how I had mistaken the screams for cheers.

"You want me to get it for you?" offered Bill immediately, without asking what it was all about.

Quickly, I shook my head. "You won't get into the house even if I gave you the key."

Protection spell. Bill nodded. "We can go to London tomorrow morning."

"Who's going to London?" exclaimed Ginny excitedly. Her cheeks were flushed from the exertion and the cold air, and her red hair had come out of its ponytail and was twirling around her head. "I want to go to London, too!"

"Yes! What's in London?" Harry and Ron walked in with their heads hanging. It was obvious who had lost.

"Nothing," I tried to dodge, but to no avail.
The twins came in with brooms shouldered, both grinning proudly.
"How did you form teams when there are five of you?", I quickly changed the subject.