For: The Houses Competition
Seventh Year, Hufflepuff
Category: Drabble
Word Count: 599 (Google docs), 597 (Word)
Prompt(s): [Event] A Surprise Celebration, [Action] Swinging a bat, [Word] Understatement
Despite being an avid prankster, George Weasley hated surprises. Don't get him wrong, he loved planning them and setting them up. He just didn't like it when surprises were directed at him. Convoluted but what can you do? Now his brother, Fred, loved surprises. Surprise birthdays, surprise pranks, surprises of any sort. That's one of the few factors that made them different people.
April 1st, their birthday, was full of surprises every year. It seemed only fitting that a pair of pranksters should be born on April Fools' Day. According to their mum, their dad thought it was a prank when he received word that she had gone into labor.
This year, they were turning sixteen. Being a Thursday they unfortunately had classes and Quidditch practice with walking euphemism, Oliver Wood. This birthday was unusual because no one, not even Lee, mentioned it. Then again, O.W.L.s were fast approaching so they were probably just too focused on those. George and Fred couldn't care less.
As they were heading to their Common Room, George noticed Hermione Granger sitting in a window seat all alone. She looked frazzled, twitchy, and her eyes were puffy like she had been crying. Ron gave her hell because he thought her cat ate mangy, old Scabbers when he more than likely ran off to die somewhere at last. Everyone else gave her hell because she reported Harry's Firebolt to McGonagall.
If he were being honest, George was upset about it, too, until it stretched on too long. He felt bad for Granger.
"You go on ahead to the Common Room," said George. "I'll be a moment."
"Suit yourself," said Fred going on ahead and falling into step beside Angelina Johnson.
George sat down next to Hermione.
"Hi," he said.
She just glared at him then looked back down at her textbook, the title hidden from his view. He awkwardly tapped his beater's bat against his boots.
"Listen," he said. "Ron's just being a prat and everyone else is—are… gits."
"That's an understatement," she scoffed. "Ron acts like I killed Scabbers in front of him and everyone else acts like me looking out for Harry is a personal offense. He's got his broom back hasn't he?"
"They'll forget all about it when we win against Ravenclaw," George assured her.
Hermione slammed her book shut and gripped it tightly. "I don't care about them. I just want an apology from Ron and Harry. They're supposed to be my friends."
"They'll come around," said George. "I know it, and everything will be back to normal."
"Another understatement," she scoffed. "Just… leave me alone. Go enjoy your birthday."
"You remembered," said George, pleasantly surprised.
"April 1st for pranksters," she said. "Easy to remember now buzz off."
"Suit yourself," he said and left her alone deciding he'd try to talk to her again tomorrow. If a Weasley was going to be a prig towards her, it certainly wasn't going to be him.
"Banana fritters," he said to the Fat Lady.
She swung open, and as soon as he walked through the portrait hole, everyone jumped at him.
"SURPRISE!"
George screamed (in a manly way, shut up) and swung his bat, knocking the cake shoved in his face clear in the air. Everyone laughed at the reaction, thinking he was just trying to be funny when, in fact, the living daylights were scared out of him.
"It's just a surprise party, mate," said Lee Jordan.
"You scared me!" said George.
"That's an understatement," said Fred, looking at the wall above his brother's head. "Is that vanilla or lemon?"