This is a small one-shot about Fred and George when they were little kids. They may be OOC, but I hope you'll enjoy it!
ElieNP
This year is their year
Midnight. Silence reigned in the house as all its inhabitants had finally gone to bed. All? Not really. The exhaustion of the day had allowed two little boys to deceive their parents' and elders' attention.
They'd been waiting silently in their bed until they were certain everyone was in bed. Then they'd waited for more time to fly to be sure that not only everyone was in bed but asleep too.
When they'd deemed it safe enough, they'd finally got out of their bedroom. They were now standing at the top of the stairs, wondering how they were going to walk downstairs without ruining all their efforts by waking up the whole house. They hadn't spent three hours motionlessly laying under their covers to be sent back there without having fulfilled their goal!
Adults couldn't understand how difficult it was to keep quiet at such a time of the year!
"The third step always cracks."
"And the fifth too."
"We have to jump the first one."
"But is the second safe?"
"How long has Mum been asleep? Can we take the risk now?"
One of the little boys forcefully shook his head. "It's the right time, but we can't make any sound."
"Of course but he'll be in the living-room! How do you want us to be totally silent? We can't fail Fred! We can't miss him!" the other whined as low as he could.
Fred frowned. Of course they'd succeed in going near the Christmas tree, yet they had to be very careful not to wake up anybody, not to make any sound in fact for they wouldn't want to warm him of their presence either. This year they'd finally succeed in meeting him. Yeah, they'd definitely get to see him, to talk to him. They had so many questions to ask him!
As he turned his head around, Fred's attention was caught by the bannister and his eyes immediately sparkled.
"I know!" he whispered. "We'll slide on that! No risk to make the wood crack!"
"All right, but how do you plan to land?"
Fred twisted his mouth to the side. "We could... we could..."
"Can't we try to jump on the armchair?" George asked. "I don't see another way to do it."
Fred's eyes only shined more. "Let's do that!." He walked to the bannister, stopped, looked at his brother, back at the bannister, before finally asking: "Alone or together?"
"Together," George decided.
"If we fall-"
"We'll fall together, not one after the other," his brother cut him off while climbing.
"We should have taken a broom," Fred sighed, putting his arms around his twin's waist. "It'd have been much easier."
"Next time!" George winked before letting go of the wall.
They started to slide slowly, then, as they were speeding up, George wondered if the armchair would really be able to muffle their landing. He bit his lower lip not to cry out when he didn't feel the bannister under him any more. There wasn't a long distance to fly before reaching the armchair, yet it still remained long enough to scare him. Fred was biting his lips to restrain himself from laughing out loud. To hell the broom! This was feeling so good!
They didn't land smoothly, but no noise was made - it was the essential.
"We did it!" Fred beamed.
His brother smiled back. They had overcome an obstacle, but others were still on their path. They had to get to the living-room before him, to hide themselves and, once he'd have appeared, to be quick enough to successfully catch him before he had the smallest chance to escape.
The previous year they'd have succeeded if Fred hadn't suddenly coughed, warming him of their presence and making him disappear on the spot. This time however no cough would betray them. No noise, no mistake, they'd definitely catch him!
"Don't you think we're late?"
"No," Fred replied with certainty. "There is no way we've missed him. He wouldn't come as long as everyone isn't asleep."
"But we are not-"
"It doesn't work the same for us!" Fred exclaimed. "He can't know we aren't asleep, can he? Parents wouldn't let their children out of bed at such an hour, would they?"
"Yes, but ours don't-"
"We'll see him!"
George closed his mouth, convinced by his brother's determination. Fred was certainly the most determined about this mission of theirs. They'd been waiting for so long!
"Do you think Mum could suspect something?"
Fred frowned. "Don't know. Hope not. We've been nice all day, haven't we? There is no reason for her to be suspicious."
George hoped his twin was right or else he couldn't imagine what would become of them. Their mother had been so angry the previous year to find them awake in the middle of the night. She'd even threatened them to keep their presents for herself – fortunately she'd given up that idea after two hours of their whining around her feet.
"Do you think the potion is strong enough to stick him to the floor?"
It was Fred's turn to voice his worries. He feared they weren't prepared enough to face him. They'd had a whole year to think about their past mistakes and to find solutions to them, but was it enough? Fred wouldn't forgive himself if they failed again. They were big now – they were eight! - it was time their questions got some answers.
"It'll work Fred, I'm sure of it, it'll work."
It'd always been thus between the twins, for a time Fred would be more determined than George, then it'd be the other way around. A duo more complementary than them seemed quite impossible to exist.
They stealthily moved to hide behind the couch.
He hadn't appeared yet! Great! They'd have the time to set their trap. George quickly and precisely spread the potion where they'd seen him standing the three previous years. Three years of failure... it was over now. They'd success this time!
"Everything is ready," George murmured. "Do you think he'll come soon?"
"Doesn't matter how long it takes, we'll definitely see him," Fred answered in a yawn.
George held back one of his own. It was becoming harder and harder not to close their eyes. To be awake in the middle of the night had always been difficult, and even if they were older than the year before, they were still too young to last a whole day without sleeping.
"Perhaps we should have taken a nap."
Fred was about to answer when a sound came from the corridor.
He was finally there!
They moved closer to each other, trying to be as small as possible not to be seen. At last they were going to meet him! They were so excited they could cry out if they weren't careful.
"What the-"
As soon as his protest reached their ears the twins jumped out of their hiding-place.
"Got you!" they screamed while grabbing his coat.
"What are you doing here?"
"We ask the questions," Fred retorted.
"Yes, we ask, you answer," George agreed.
"But what do-"
"Say, how do you do every year? How do you do to enter the houses?"
"Say, say, how do you always know what we want?"
"How do you make the toys?"
"How do you carry them?"
"How can you visit all the houses in one night?"
"Are the elves helping you?"
"What about your sleigh?"
Now that they were speaking to him, the twins couldn't care less about waking up the rest of the Burrow's inhabitants.
"Say, Father Christmas, can we come with you next year?"