forum: the houses competition
house: ravenclaw
year: four
category: standard
prompt: [Time Period] Pre-Hogwarts (Golden Era)
a/n: thank you SO much to 2D, Elaine, Tsu, Viola and AJ for their lightning speed beta work! what would i do without you?
all that glitters
words: 992
When Charlie saw the two redheads bent over a strange little contraption by the fireplace, he was instantly suspicious.
"What are you doing?" he asked, eyeing the guilty looks on the twins' faces as they scrambled to hide their project. They had barely begun their first year at Hogwarts and they were already wreaking havoc in the castle hallways, much to Charlie's reluctant amusement and Percy's chagrin. It was brilliant really, how they managed to turn the most boring, mundane day into a fun one with a simple prank.
"Nothing!" they chorused, eyes wide with false innocence. Charlie raised one eyebrow, then narrowed his eyes, reminiscent of his own mother's expression when the twins got into trouble—which was quite often.
"Oh, really? What do you have there, then?"
The last time he had asked that question, two summers ago, it had been Acid Pops that were smuggled into the Burrow when their mother wasn't looking. Charlie hadn't paid them much mind back then—until the caustic sweets had burned a hole right through Ron's tongue, that is.
Fred shifted a little closer to his twin as if to hide their possession a little better from their older brother's probing glare. It appeared to be an inconspicuous little box, with brown wrapping paper strewn around it. A glint of a silver label caught Charlie's eye but he couldn't make out the words emblazoned across the box. He'd have mistaken it for a normal owl order if Fred and George Weasley weren't its owners.
"Just something we picked up from Dad's shed—nothing too big, really. We were just curious. Don't worry about it, Charlie," George reassured, ever the charming one.
Charlie did not believe them. Not one bit. There was something shifty in each pair of brown eyes that told Charlie he really shouldn't believe them, but, instead of saying anything, he just nodded at his brothers before walking away.
He pretended not to notice the way Fred slumped down in his chair as he sighed, "That was a close one, Gred."
Knowing the twins, they could strike at any moment, but Charlie had a feeling that they would pull their prank on Halloween—their first big one if the constant hushed whispers and occasional giggles from their corner of the common room was any indication. Percy was being driven crazy by their secrecy, convinced that they could destroy the whole school with their conniving.
Charlie chose to let them be—after all, they were quite brilliant when it came to wreaking havoc, and he was looking forward to whatever they had up their sleeve. He would probably be a hapless victim of the prank, but he didn't mind—he had been there far too many times.
And so, when the Halloween feast swooped down upon them—on a stormy autumn night with far too much pumpkin juice and sugar—Charlie watched as Fred and George fingered their wands nervously, pure elation lighting up their faces. They were sneaking furtive glances at the teachers' table as if they were waiting for the perfect opening.
Nothing happened for a half hour, as everyone feasted on the first few courses. Charlie had almost forgotten about his brothers, too caught up in discussing Quidditch with a few of his teammates. It was only when a hush fell over the entire Great Hall that Charlie looked up.
Fred and George had scrambled up to stand on the Gryffindor table, hands spread out wide as they announced, in perfect unison, "Happy Halloween, folks!"
With a flourish, George raised his wand and sent a spell towards a hidden corner behind the teachers' table, sending Professor Sprout and Snape ducking behind their food. With a piercing whistle, fireworks rose up into the air, leaving blazing trails in their wake.
Charlie watched, entranced as the fireworks burst in a shower of sparks and immediately formed images out of the light. Wizards duelling amongst fiery spectres as fairies flitted in and out of the hall; leprechauns dancing around Dumbledore, who looked more amused than annoyed. Then there was Filch, who screamed bloody murder as he was chased by a pack of chattering pixies, swarming around him in hoards.
The Great Hall was in absolute chaos—the teachers were torn between awe and horror, while the students were caught between laughter and admiration for the twins (who looked far too smug for their own good). Meanwhile, the culprits were enthusiastically encouraging the fireworks to wreak more havoc. Percy looked beyond insane—his face reddened with anger and embarrassment as he ducked to avoid a few rowdy firework-ghosts.
Fred caught Charlie's eye and grinned, waving vigorously. "So that's what Dad sent you from the shed, is it?" he yelled over the din.
"Yeah, it's just Filibuster's, but he helped with the Charm work to make it more… Halloween-y, I suppose. Isn't it brilliant?" Fred asked, beaming as he looked up lovingly at the blazing spectacle.
"It certainly is." Charlie chuckled, before saying solemnly, "You do know that Mum will have all your heads when she finds about this, don't you?"
George sighed. "We know—Percy will write first thing in the morning. Or hell, who knows, he'll do it right away. Poor Dad. Poor us. We won't hear the end of it." Then, he brightened up. "Still, it's worth it."
Charlie could see Professor McGonagall marching over to where they stood; the twins must have noticed her too. With a final, rousing cheer, the pair extinguished the display with a simple Finite, and the clamouring crowd of students surrounding them drowned out their words of thanks 'for being such a wonderful audience'.
"WEASLEYS!" McGonagall bellowed as Fred and George scampered off the table in the direction of the stairs. "Detention for a month, and fifty points from Gryffindor. How dare you…" Her enraged voice faded away with the twins' delighted cackles. Charlie grinned.
He only wondered if the pair would still be quite so gleeful in the morning when Errol delivered their mother's Howlers.