Heirloom
A/N: A gift for alljohns, who has a soft spot for the George Weasley family.
It had started with trying to find his dad's spare pair of glasses. Jamie thought it would be funny to change the lenses an opaque red and Uncle George had just put out a new Wheeze that dyed anything whatever color you wanted. But as Jamie tried to carefully pull his dad's office apart he was becoming surer that the glasses weren't in the office at all. He dug his hand angrily into the back of the bottom drawer of his dad's desk and felt something thicker than the scattered pieces of parchment he'd been uncovering up till now.
Upon inspection, it was an old blank parchment, folded and creased and looking worse for wear. Jamie turned the parchment over several times before a thought occurred to him. Grabbing his brand new wand that he insisted on carrying around, Jamie touched it to the parchment and his eyes grew wide as words scrawled across the page.
Messrs Moony would like to acknowledge that the current possessor would do well to return this item to its rightful owners.
Messrs Padfoot would like to add that nosy snoops get fed to the dogs.
The writing slowly faded away. And then Jamie heard the front door open. He closed the drawer, snatched the parchment to his chest, and darted up the stairs to his room.
It was a few weeks later that Jamie found himself at Grandma Weasley's end of summer party, the last chance for everyone to see each other before Hogwarts. But Jamie's thoughts were consumed with the parchment and the four Messrs that taunted him.
Jamie snuck out to the back garden before looking furtively around and pulling the parchment out of his pocket. Again he touched his wand to it. The ink sprawled across the page as it always did, informing Jamie that nosy gits should mind their own business.
"Whatchya got there?" Freddie dropped down next to him and Jamie completely fell off the bench.
"Geez, Jamie!" Freddie laughed, "Jumpy at all?"
Jamie pushed himself back up onto the bench. "Warn a bloke, Freddie, I thought you were my dad."
Freddie grinned, "Ooo so the parchment is something Uncle Harry wouldn't want you to have."
Jamie groaned, "You know, up until right now I was wishing you were just a few months older and going to Hogwarts with me, but I take it all back."
Fred laughed, "Come on! You know we always have more fun together!"
Jamie chuckled but tipped his head, "Fine, but do not tell my mum or dad I have this because I took it from Dad's office and it was hidden pretty darn deep."
Jamie put the parchment between the two of them and touched his wand to it again.
Messr Prongs would like to acknowledge the persistence of the inquirer and suggest they put that energy someplace other than snooping into other people's business, twat.
Freddie giggled as he read over the parchment. "This is funny; I bet it's one of Dad's new items! Maybe he was letting your dad test it out. Come on; let's go ask Dad how it works."
Understanding seemed to come to Jamie instantly, as though Freddie had turned on a light. Of course, this was a Wheeze! And that would explain why it was buried away, Dad would want to keep it away from Jamie and his siblings since it hadn't been released at the store yet. Jamie nodded excitedly and followed Fred through the crowd of their family to where Uncle George and Aunt Angelina were sitting in the living room with Roxanne and Lily.
"Dad!" Freddie called from the door. "Could Jamie and I have a word?"
George smirked, "Flibbertigibbet."
Jamie laughed and Fred rolled his eyes. "Come on out back, we have something cool to show you."
George sighed and Angelina gave him a shove, "Go before they ask me to go in your stead."
"Nah, they wouldn't ask you, I'm more fun than you are."
Angelina rolled her eyes but smiled as George stood and followed the boys out back.
"So what's the big surprise boys?" George scanned the patio and garden looking confused.
"Jamie found the new Wheeze you're having Uncle Harry look over and we want to know how it works!" Freddie was bouncing on the balls of his feet, but Jamie noticed that Uncle George looked even more confused than he had earlier.
"I haven't given any of my prototypes to Harry. What did you find Jamie?"
Jamie pulled the parchment out and handed it to George, then touched his wand to the page. Jamie went to look at what the parchment had written this time, but his eyes became fixed on the tears that filled Uncle George's eyes.
"Well, hello old friend," George whispered sitting down on the bench. "It's been a long time."
"What's wrong, Dad? What is it?" Fred pulled on his dad's arm until George pulled him into a hug.
"Pull up a seat boys, it's time for a new generation of Marauders."
"What were Freddie and Jamie on about today at your folks?" Angelina asked as they curled up on the sofa after getting the kids to bed.
George pulled her closer to him and sighed happily. "Do you remember the map that Fred and I talked about on occasion? The one we gave Harry when we decided that we wanted to open a joke shop, shift our focus onto that and away from school pranks?"
Angelina furrowed her brow, "I think so. Had an M-name didn't it?"
George nodded a nostalgic smile on his face, "The Marauders Map. I talked with Harry about it once, turned out his dad and his dad's mates are who made the map. But anyway, Jamie found it buried in Harry's office and he and Freddie thought it was a new Wheeze."
Angelina gave him a sly smile, "You told Jamie how to use it didn't you?"
"Well of course I did! Who better to carry on the family traditions than the two namesakes?! And Jamie promised to get things all figured out so that next year when Freddie gets to Hogwarts they'll really be ready to wreak havoc."
Angelina laughed and pulled George down for a kiss. "Poor, poor McGonagall, she's getting hit with three generations of Marauders."
George smirked, "She loves us."
Angelina laughed and laid her head on George's shoulder. He was right. McGonagall still stopped by the shop in the summers, just to see George and ask how he was doing.