Just Say Yes || Fred Weasley

Chapter One Hundred and Two

"Can you hear that?"
Dulled shouting interrupted our concentration, all of us gathered around an extendable ear at the top of the staircase, my brow furrowing as I tried to figure out why someone would be shouting this late.
"You don't think Ginny woke Ron up again so you?" Lee asked, George shaking his head in response.
"No, I recognise that voice" Fred said, a small smile pulling at his lips, "HP's arrived!"
"Well, we can't let him arrive without his welcome wagon" George grinned, both him and Fred disapparating at the same time.
Sharing an exasperated look with Lee, we followed them, appearing in the middle of the room right beside the twins.
I grinned, saluting Harry with a smile, "Oi oi"
"Stop doing that!" Hermione said weakly, running her hand through her hair.
"Hello, Harry," George beamed, "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."
"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out," said Fred, also beaming. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."
"Bit rude of you not to announce your arrival" Lee added, "then again, your shouting did the trick just fine"
"You all passed your apparation tests, then?" asked Harry grumpily.
"With distinction,"
"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs," said Ron.
"Time is Galleons, little brother," Fred grinned, scruffing his hair up "anyway, Harry, you're interfering with reception. extendable ears. We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs."
"You want to be careful," said Ron, staring at the ear. "If Mum sees one of them again . . ."
"It's worth the risk, that's a major meeting they're having," Fred replied, nudging my side lightly, "Emily and I have a bet going as well"
"Oh yeah? What bet?"
"That's for us to know and you to find out" I smiled.
The door swung open, Ginny walking in.
"Oh hello, Harry!" she said brightly. "I thought I heard your voice."
Turning to us she said, "It's no go with the extend- able ears, she's gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door."
"How d'you know?" said George, looking crestfallen.
"Tonks told me how to find out," said Ginny. "You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the door's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it, so there's no way the extendable ears will be able to get under the gap."
Fred heaved a deep sigh. "Shame. I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."
"Snape?" said Harry quickly. "Is he here?"
"Yeah," said George, carefully closing the door and sitting down on one of the beds; Fred and Ginny followed. "Giving a report. Top secret."
"Git," said Fred idly.
"He's on our side now," said Hermione reprovingly.
Ron snorted. "Doesn't stop him being a git. The way he looks at us
when he sees us. . . ."
"Bill doesn't like him either," said Ginny, "I heard him complaining to Tonks earlier"
"Bill's here?" Harry asked, "I thought he was working in Egypt"
"He applied for a desk job so that he could come home and work for the order. Says he misses the tombs but" Fred broke off with a smirk, "there are compensations..."
Harry frowned as Ginny snorted, "What d'you mean?"
"Remember old Fleur Delacour?" George replied, "She's got a job at Gringotts to eemprove 'er eeenglish"

I elbowed him in the side, "Hey! She's doing her best"
"And Bills been helping" Fred sniggered, "giving her a lot of private lessons"
"Charlie's in the order too" Lee said, "but he's still in Romania cos Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought in as possible"
"Couldn't Percy do that?"

The rest of us exchanged dark looks, Harry gaining a confused expression.
"Whatever you do, don't mention Percy in front of mum and dad" Ron said tensely.
"Why not?"
"Because every time Percy's names mention Dad breaks whatever he's holding and mum starts crying"
Ginny looked uncomfortably at her feet, "it's been awful"
"I think we're well shut of him" George added, an ugly look on his face. Out of view of the others, Lee placed an encouraging hand on his lower back as I took Fred's hand into my own, both of us exchanging glances as we comforted our boys.
"What's happened?" Harry pressed.
"Percy and dad had a row. I've never seen him row with anyone like that. It's usually mum who shouts..." Fred answered, voice trailing off. I squeezed his hand tighter, stepping closer to his side.
"It was the first week back after term ended" Ron continued, "We were about to come here - to the Order. Percy came home and told us he'd been promoted"
"You're kidding?"
"We were all surprised" George frowned, "he got in a load of trouble about Crouch - there was an enquiry and everything. They said Percy ought to have realised Crouch was off his rocker and informed a superior"
"But you know Percy" Fred interrupted, voice bitter, "Crouch had left him in charge. He wasn't going to complain"
"How come they promoted him then?"
"That's what we wondered" Ron said, somewhat eagerly, "He came home really pleased with himself - even more than usual if you can imagine that - and told dad he'd been offered a position in Fudge's own office. A really good one for someone just a year out of Hogwarts - junior assistant to the minister. He expected dad to be all impressed"
"Only he wasn't" Ginny said grimly.
"Why not?"
"Well, apparently Fudge has been storming around the ministry making sure nobody's having any contact with Dumbledore"
"His names mud with the ministry these days, see. They all think he's just making trouble saying You-Know-Who's back"
"Dad said Fudge's made it clear that anyone who's in league with Dumbledore can clear out their desks.
Harry looked at the twins, the injustice of the situation dawning on him once again.
"Trouble is, Fudge suspects Dad, he knows he's friendly with Dumbledore, and he's always thought Dad's a bit of a weirdo because of his Muggle obsession —"
"But what's this got to do with Percy?" asked Harry, confused.
"I'm coming to that. Dad reckons Fudge only wants Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family — and Dumbledore."
Harry let out a low whistle, "Bet Percy loved that."
Ron laughed in a hollow sort of way.
"He went completely berserk. He said — well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he's been having to struggle against Dad's lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad's got no ambition and that's why we've always been — you know — not had a lot of money, I mean —"
"What?" said Harry in disbelief, as Ginny made a noise like an angry cat.
"I know," said Ron in a low voice. "and it got worse. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he — Percy — knew where his loyalty lay and it was with the Ministry and if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn't belong to our family anymore. He packed his bags the same night and left. He's living in London now."
Harry swore under his breath.
"Mum's been in a right state," said Ron. "You know - crying and stuff when she thinks we don't see - but she's mostly just been angry. She came up to London to try and talk to Percy but he slammed the door in her face. I dunno what he does if he meets Dad at work — ignores him, I s'pose."
"But Percy must know Voldemort's back," said Harry slowly. "He's not stupid, he must know your mum and dad wouldn't risk everything without proof —"
"Yeah, well, your name got dragged into the row," said Ron, shooting Harry a furtive look. "Percy said the only evidence was your word and . . . I dunno . . . he didn't think it was good enough."
"Percy takes the Daily Prophet seriously," said Hermione tartly, everyone nodding.
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.
I hissed lowly, spotting the wary looks the others started giving Harry.
"Haven't — haven't you been getting the Daily Prophet?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Yeah, I have!" said Harry.
"Have you — er — been reading it thoroughly?" Hermione asked still more anxiously.
"Not cover to cover," said Harry defensively. "If they were going to report anything about Voldemort it would be headline news, wouldn't it!"
The Weasley's winced at the name. Hermione hurried on, "Well, you'd need to read it cover to cover to pick it up, but they — um — they mention you a couple of times a week."
"But I'd have seen —"
"Not if you've only been reading the front page, you wouldn't," said Hermione, shaking her head. "I'm not talking about big articles. They just slip you in, like you're a standing joke."
"What d'you — ?"
"It's quite nasty, actually," said Hermione in a voice of forced calm. "They're just building on Rita's stuff."
"But she's not writing for them anymore, is she?"
"Oh no, she's kept her promise — not that she's got any choice," Hermione added with satisfaction. "But she laid the foundation for what they're trying to do now."
"Which is what?"