One boat
They were in the same boat; and, in hindsight, it was because of that they made friends. When I say same boat, I don't mean literally. They were a couple years apart age-wise, but it was such a small gap that, to them, it was unimportant.
I remember, in family gatherings, that they were always the most quiet, the most reserved. I found it normal – they had always been like that. But, being the eldest by a bit, I understood that those looks our parents exchanged weren't what they should have been.
They should've worried that James and Fred were bullied, or maybe socially awkward, or just... well, anything; but, from whispered conversations, I realised it was the fact that they were nothing like their namesakes that worried them.
I didn't understand it, because, shyness aside they were amazing kids. Fred had this dry sense of humour completely unlike his father's loud and brash one. James was more of a sarcastic boy; not always funny when directed at you, as I found out.
But, growing up, nothing was wrong with them. They were healthy, loved and had friends and family around them. They weren't part of the ever-lasting Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry, and all the better for them.
It would be understandable why, as the years ticked by, my godfather's expectations for James, and my uncle George's for Fred irked me. It had nothing to do with me: I wasn't technically of blood relation to them, but I felt a sense of duty. To protect these boys who were four and six years younger than me.
George would keep sighing as he remembered another prank he and his deceased twin had pulled on the Hogwarts alumni of the time, and the other adults would laugh and join in with the story telling. I assume they thought we'd like to hear about it, but all I heard were indirect messages sent to Fred: You should do that too. You should be funny. You should prank people.
Am I ever so glad he was strong and proud enough not to listen to them?
And Harry would, every so often, comment about how he missed wandering the hallways of Hogwarts with his invisibility cloak after hours. Suddenly, the conversation would turn to yet more storytelling, but this time the adoration in Harry's voice was double that of George's. His anecdotes were built on self-appreciating stories told by Sirius Black, and my father.
Meaning they weren't as amazing as they would like us to believe.
Luckily James, although not oblivious to it all, was uncaring enough to not want to be like his namesakes.
Even with their resistance, I'm sure they kept each other sane. We all helped them; but they helped each other most and some of us; including the ever so Slytherin Lily, saw it for what it was. But we kept silent. It was their discovery to make.
By the time James was fifteen, it was a given – at least to the majority of us children – that he and Fred were involved in a not-so-platonic relationship. They had all but confessed that one Christmas afternoon, under the mistletoe [never had I been so glad to have a Slytherin in the family].
They had taken a miraculously short time to discover our feelings, and with perfect timing. That year, O.W.L. year for James and N.E.W.T. for Fred; that was the year their parents put the most pressure on them.
Fred and I, we set off a large, dragon shaped firework straight at that Umbridge toad. And we set off that swamp on the fourth floor: all in our N.E.W.T. year...
My dad and Sirius did a lot of things in the O.W.L. year; they wanted everyone to be calmer and not stress so much, so they pranked the Slytherins a lot...
And, all too soon, they were done with Hogwarts and flying the coop, so to speak. Within days of summer holidays beginning, they had packed and were ready to move into their new apartment, with a private fireplace with floo that only three of us knew the password to.
Even not having been present, I think that - even at that moment, when the goodbyes were said with the slightest of frost in the atmosphere – George and Angelina, and Harry and Ginny regretted how they raised their children. But, perhaps it was for the best. Perhaps if such expectations weren't pushed untoward the pair, they wouldn't be as happy as they are now.
In their one boat; sailing out to explore the deep blue sea together.
In this, Fred II was born circa 2001 and James Sirius, 2003. I think Teddy was born 1997.
And I made Harry slightly pettier and he likes trivial things like pranking Slytherins with immature pranks.
Words: 763
Posted: 10th April 2013