Fred's Vacation
Bella Masen Cullen
Disclaimer: All characters (except for Jeremiah Rice) and places belong to JK Rowling!
-DH SPOILERS-
Summary: It's two years after the Deathly Hallows. What happens when the Weasleys find out that Fred's alive?!
Two years after the events of the Deathly Hallows, the Weasleys, including Harry and Hermione, who had both married into the family, were all sitting around the table when Ron suddenly jumped up, holding open the Daily Prophet and pointing to a large picture on the second page.
"FRED LIVES!" Declared he, as the picture revealed Fred's true whereabouts. "HE WAS JUST ON VACATION!" The family crowded around the paper, everybody pushing each other aside in their frantic attempts to see.
"OI! I'M 'IS TWIN! GIMME THE PAPER, YOU!" George attacked Ron, and they were soon kicking and punching on the floor. Hermione whipped out her wand, quickly screaming the incantation for the shield curse, and George and Ron were unable to hurt each other any more.
Ron scowled at George, who had successfully retrieved the paper, and Hermione received the same look. She slapped Ron on the head, rolling her eyes. "Ow!" Came his response, as he rubbed his sore forehead.
"THE WEASEL WASN'T LYING! FRED LIVES!" George began jumping up and down, laughing hysterically. He threw the paper into the jumbling crowd of ecstatic Weasleys (and one Potter), and ran out of the room. Seconds later, he came back, equipped for a trip.
"We're all coming with you, of course," Mrs Weasley stuttered, simply giddy with excitement. She began bustling around the kitchen, getting supplies.
"Molly, why bother?! Let's just go! Our son's alive!" Mr Weasley stated, picking up his wife and twirling her around in the air. Everybody but George and Ron giggled; Ron was still angry about the fight, and George looked rather determined.
"No. I'm going alone." Said he, beginning to walk away. The family stared at him and Ron seemed to come to his senses, for he grabbed George by the shoulder and gave him a stern look.
"He's my brother too, you know." Ron said.
"And my son," Mrs Weasley piped in.
George rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky. After a few tense moments, he rolled his eyes once again and nodded solemnly. "But you've got to give me a chance to really say hi, alright?" The family nodded and Hermione glanced at the small details in the picture.
"He seems to be somewhere with a considerably warm climate... He's on a beach, he has a cold drink in his hand... Is that a coconut he's wearing on his head?" Hermione stared at the picture intently. "Yep. What a kidder. Why hasn't he shown up before?"
"Dunno," said Ron, scooting up behind Hermione and encircling her waist with his arms while glancing at the picture as well. "Does it say exactly where he is in that article?" He paused. " What's it about, anyways?"
Hermione scanned over the article quickly and laughed. "The idiot's gone and got himself hit with a memory loss charm! No wonder he hasn't visited us!" She looked at the puzzled expressions on each family member's face, sighed, and read directly from the article.
"'Approximately one year ago, Ministry worker Jeremiah Rice was vacationing in the Muggle island of Hawaii when he stumbled across one of the brave wizards thought to have been killed in the Last Battle. Fred Weasley, as recognized by Jeremiah, who knew Fred's father, was, in fact, hit with a memory loss charm. Nobody knows who did it, nor when it happened, but Fred is being cured at St. Mungo's at the moment and will be released to his family when the hospital sees fit.'" Hermione closed the paper angrily, and tried to pry Ron's hands off of her waist. The more she had progressed into the article, the tighter and more painful Ron's hold had become. Ron's angry face transformed into a look of apology as he released his grip, but then his expression was masked over with fury once again.
"Well!" Hermione huffed, throwing the paper onto the floor.
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered.
"Why those idiotic bastards!" George growled, whipping out his wand and pointing it towards the paper. Harry dived in front of him and knocked him over before a destroying spell was cast.
"Get off me!" George grumbled, trying to push Harry away.
"Don't destroy the paper, young man! That's the first living proof we've had of your brother in over two years!" Mrs Weasley scowled, picking up the paper and shielding it from her son's wrath.
"Let's just go," George sneered, finally struggling out of Harry's firm grasp.
"God George, I can't wait until you and Fred are reunited, you're so gloomy these days." Ginny said, punching George in the shoulder. George made a strange sound that sounded rather like a cat being run over numerous times, turned on the spot without a word and disappeared with a pop.
"GEORGE YOU DOLT!" Ron yelled at the space where George had just vanished.
"Somebody's going to be in biiiiig trouble when mum catches up to him," Ginny snickered, gesturing to Mrs Weasley, who was turning a disturbing shade of purple.
"Come on everybody, let's go." Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and turned on the spot. With a pop, they both disappeared, just like George. The rest of the family followed suit, and soon they all found themselves in the lobby of St. Mungo's.
George was at the front desk, his face red with anger. "…his brother! I should be allowed to see him!" He yelled at the receptionist.
"I'm sorry sir, I've been given specific orders not to–"
"I DON'T CARE WHAT ORDERS YOU HAVE! HE'S MY BROTHER!"
"Sir, calm down."
"DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, YOU–"
"George Weasley!" Mrs Weasley ran up to the bickering pair, and whacked George on the back of the head. "I'm terribly sorry miss, it won't happen again." She said politely to the receptionist, and then steered the struggling George back to the rest of the group.
"Young man, what exactly were you trying to achieve by arguing with the receptionist?!" Mrs Weasley whispered furiously.
"Mum! How else are we supposed to get in?" George whispered back, just as ferociously.
"Did you actually expect them to just let us in? Now it'll be even harder, since they know we're here…" Mrs Weasley looked around, as if calculating. "Maybe if Harry or Hermione…" Mrs Weasley started talking to herself.
"Wait a second… Mum, are you saying we're going to sneak in? Break the rules, defy the law?!" Ron gasped, flabbergasted. Mrs Weasley raised her eyebrows, grinning maliciously. Everybody's mouths dropped wide open in surprise. Mr Weasley shook his head and chuckled.
"Molly, even after years and years of marriage, you still amaze me," he grabbed hold of her shoulders and leaned in to kiss her. Ginny and Ron both jumped in between them, terrified looks on their faces.
"MUM!" Yelled Ginny.
"DAD!" Yelled Ron at the same time. "God, what happened to trying not to draw attention to ourselves?" Mrs Weasley grunted unhappily as Mr Weasley rolled his eyes at his children.
"Anyways," Hermione said, sighing. "How are we supposed to get in in the first place?" George hung his head and shuffled his feet, then looked up.
"Actually…" He began, then bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut.
"What?" Harry pressed. George hesitated, and then spoke.
"Well, have you ever wondered how Fred and I always pulled the best pranks, and always did it without getting caught?" George asked. There were scattered nods throughout the family, though Mrs Weasley scowled. George grinned sheepishly. "We're animagus."
This remark left everyone stunned. George coughed awkwardly. Mr Weasley's face turned purple and his eyes grew as wide as dinner plates.
"WHAT?!" He yelled, receiving puzzled looks from many of the witches and wizards in the waiting room. He lowered his voice. "What?!"
"Well, see, we thought it would be easier, to, er… Well, you know how Filch is, and, er, well…" George looked down at his hands.
"Well, what's your animagus?" Hermione asked, impatient.
"Flies," George answered, still looking down.
"Flies?" Asked Ginny. "Ew. Why flies?"
"Well, if we set off a dung bomb or something, it would attract attention quickly, so we had to be able to get away from the scene of the crime quickly and undiscovered, see? And flies were perfect. It's quite handy, really." George looked up, his face pink.
"Blimey…" Ron whispered, amazed.
"Wow." Harry said.
"How immature!" Hermione scoffed.
"Wait– I see how this can help us!" Mrs Weasley clapped her hands together happily. She glanced at George, who was grinning uncertainly, and her expression became scolding yet again. "Don't think you won't be punished for this later." George scowled as Mrs Weasley pressed on.
"All we need in order to get to Fred's room is to know which room he's in. George can see the file on which Fred's information is held by changing into a fly, and then he can tell us where Fred is." Mrs Weasley took a deep breath, and looked at George expectantly.
"Wow mum, I never knew you were smart!" George grinned, and ran to the washroom for some privacy to change before Mrs Weasley could give him a good whack. A minute later, there was a buzzing sound, which soon faded in the direction of the receptionist's desk. The family stared at the desk for what seemed like hours, and then a tap on her shoulder made Mrs Weasley scream.
"Room three-fifteen," a mocking voice spoke in her ear. Mrs Weasley scowled and gestured for the rest of the family to follow her as she headed towards the elevator. They swiftly moved through the maze-like halls of the hospital before finally pausing before the door of room three-fifteen.
"This is it." George muttered. "Perhaps I should check if he's alone or not." Everybody nodded and George disappeared. Once again, the family waited impatiently for George's return. A few seconds later, George materialised in front of the door and grinned.
"He's all alone in there. Reading the Quibbler, as a matter of fact." George snickered, turned the knob and opened the door. Mrs Weasley squealed and ran to her son's bedside, scooping him up in a bone-crushing hug.
"Augh! Blimey, miss! Who the hell–?" Fred began, before noticing his other family members through the small gap his mother's arms had left for him to breathe. "MUM!" He screamed, hugging her closer, and then letting go quickly, to say hello to everyone else.
"FRED!" George yelled happily, running towards his brother, who had jumped out of bed.
"GEORGE!" They collided with each other and hugged ferociously, tears escaping the corners their eyes. They laughed along with their tears and slapped each other's backs. They stood there, hugging, for an extremely long time, and then broke away, each unable to take their eyes off of the other.
"George…" Fred whispered, as if saying the word for the first time. He turned towards his other family members. "Mum, dad… Ron, Ginny… Harry, Hermione, what are you two doing here?" He paused, and then moved on. "No, never mind that, I have a hunch." He grinned and glanced at Ron and Ginny again. Hermione giggled and blushed and Harry put an arm around Ginny's shoulder. Fred looked at the group, puzzled, and then grinned again.
"Well? What're you all waiting for? I WANT A HUG!" He opened his arms wide and the entire family ran into his warm embrace. Mrs Weasley, Ginny and Hermione all started to bawl.
"I'm so glad they've finally let you in! The last year or so has been pure hell!" Fred couldn't stop grinning, even at the mention of such a dreary subject.
"No, they didn't let us in," George said, truly cheerful for the first time in two years. "Mum was really brilliant, she hatched a plan to get us in." George put his arm around his mother, who blushed profusely.
"Oh, I couldn't have done it without your brother, dear." She said to Fred. "Which reminds me!" Her eyes narrowed and she poked a finger into Fred's chest. Fred looked astounded.
"WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME YOU WERE AN ANIMAGUS?!" She screamed at him. Fred looked at George, a mixture of question and anger in his expression. George looked back at him guiltily.
"Well, it's the only way we could've gotten in…" George admitted. Fred surprised him by beaming widely.
"Brilliant!" He exclaimed, weaselling away from his mother and clapping his brother on the back. Mr Weasley held onto Mrs Weasley's shoulders as she tried to get back to Fred.
"Come on Molly, let them be." He whispered to her, and she calmed down. Fred and George high-fived each other, the infamous duo reunited at last.
A/N: So, should I write another chapter? To see if Fred and George start Weasley's Wizard Wheezes back up, perhaps? Or maybe what kind of trouble they get into back at the burrow? They're officially... 20-ish now, I think! Please comment! FRED LIVES!