Fred and George and the Elixir of Life (Year 2) (WAITING...)

Chapter 3:5

Angelina and the twins were led outside through a vine-wrapped portico. For an hour, they walked the thin paths that crossed the castle grounds, had a go at the impossibly winding hedge maze, and peeked into the foggy root cellar where Rupert kept his magical herbs, before they reentered the colonnade to sneak down a narrow corridor. The further they went, the blander it was in comparison to the rest of the house. But Lee insisted. He preferred to use the servant's staircase.

When he opened the door at the end of a modest hallway, Fred and George expected to be shown a massive bedroom stuffed to the gills with every toy known to wizardkind. They were pleasantly surprised to discover that it was spectacularly normal. In fact, Lee's bedroom wasn't that dissimilar to their room at the Burrow. The only difference being that his walls weren't crumbling like the crust on one of their mother's meat pies.

"Caught you off guard, didn't I?" Lee said proudly, as he nodded to the brightly colored walls. They were plastered haphazardly with enchanted posters of every Quidditch team in action. A few team robes were scattered about from famous players, all of them signed.

"This is glorious," Fred declared.

"It's the smallest room in the house. Used to be a closet dedicated to Mum's hobby. Prophecies, and that. Figments to materialize, she calls them."

"You should not insult your mother, Master Lee," Rupert protested as he rushed to the windows. He pulled back the drapes and gave them a good shake. Lee ignored him with a laugh.

"Truth is, she doesn't understand her prophecies," he continued while rolling a battered Quaffle back and forth in his hands. "They're more like daydreams, to be honest. Real prophecies put you in a trance or something. Only time I've seen Mum in a trance is when Dad finds her in the shops trying to buy some decorative kit for her crystal ball collection. She's got one in nearly every room. Don't believe me? Start looking."

"Why one in every room?" Angelina inquired.

"In case she has... a revelation," he said in a misty voice.

Rupert sent Lee a blistering glare and left the room muttering about escaping through the dumbwaiter. In no time at all, they were sitting on the floor, arms deep in Famous Witches and Wizards cards. The rarest of the bunch were kept in spello-phane sleeves — the most valuable being the card for Vindictus Viridian that had changed after the events of their first year.

"And he's the best dueling champion in existence," Lee read, as he turned the card over. "I'd be surprised if that's correct."

"I'm surprised your parents let you eat this many Chocolate Frogs," said Fred.

"They didn't, sadly. I was ordered to release them into the wild. Pathetic little things never got more than a few feet out in the forest. Didn't have the heart to explain the charm to Mum and Dad after they'd melted."

Fred sat up a little straighter. "Your parents melted? But... but we just saw them downstairs!"

Angelina was quiet as the boys laughed. "That's awful. What suffering..."

"Come off it," George sighed. "The frogs are made of chocolate."

"I know that. I'm not stupid."

"Are you sure?"

She lifted her chin. "I don't think you want to go comparing IQ's with that brain of yours."

George looked to his brother. "What's an IQ?"

"And there we have it. Miss Johnson catches the Golden Snitch," Angelina replied smartly.

"That's my brain, I'll have you know," Fred countered, resetting the mood considerably. He turned to Lee. "Speaking of Quidditch, where's this collection you're always raving about?"