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Louis Weasley hated Christmas. Well, he didn't actually hate the holiday; he hated the family dinner. Every Christmas, the entire Weasley clan gathered at the Burrow. A lot of people thought he was so lucky to have so many aunts and uncles. Louis didn't agree. With the number of kids running around, the Burrow was chaotic and messy.
But Louis was okay with all of that. He could always manage to find a quiet corner for himself amidst all the chaos. No, the thing Louis really hated about Christmas was that he would have to meet Fred Weasley.
Fred was the bane of Louis' existence. Every opportunity Fred had, he pranked him. From tricks as simple as a Puking Pastille slipped in his food to the elaborate jumping books prank, Louis has been the victim of them all.
It wasn't that Fred hated him or had any spiteful feelings towards him. No, that, Louis could handle. Fred just pranked him because he was an easy target. He pranked him because he didn't consider Louis to be Weasley enough. He thought Louis was the Weasley oddball.
Well, to be fair, he was right.
Louis was the only Weasley with blonde hair. He was the only Weasley who preferred to play chess rather than Quidditch. He liked reading quietly while everyone else chatted. He studied more than Molly did and she was Percy's daughter! He was the only Weasley to be sorted into Ravenclaw and not Gryffindor. He was the only left-handed Weasley. Yet, his cousins did not see him as unique; they just found him weird.
Most of his cousins left him alone. They didn't talk to him much during family reunions or even at Hogwarts. They didn't include him in their games and plans unless it was a family thing or he asked to join in. No one except his sisters really treated him like he was part of the family. Even Teddy was more like family to the others and he wasn't even related to them!
But Fred never left him alone. He never lost a chance to make fun of him and it didn't help that Louis reacted angrily every time. Far from feeling guilty, Louis' anger only seemed to encourage Fred.
So it was with a heavy heart that fourteen-year-old Louis picked up his chessboard that Christmas at the Burrow and stepped out of the room that he was sharing with James and Fred. He smiled when he saw Roxanne waiting for him at the foot of the stairs.
Of all his cousins, Roxanne was the only one who didn't treat him as an outcast. Ironic, really, considering she was Fred's sister. She found Louis to be rather sweet and since she had also grown up being subjected to her brother's pranks (until she started pranking him back) she sympathized with Louis.
Soon, Roxanne and Louis were tucked away in a quiet corner, leaning over the chessboard.
"Has Fred pranked you yet today?" Roxanne asked, mulling over her next move.
"Twice already," Louis grumbled.
"And I suppose he just pranked you on the spur of the moment?"
"As usual."
"You know, he doesn't mean any harm. He told me actually likes you. He's just trying to get you to join in the fun instead of spending your time with your nose in a book."
"But I like reading! I'm not like the rest of you. I like being by myself," protested Louis. "Besides, everyone thinks I'm boring anyway."
"That's because you never let anyone see the Weasley in you. You don't show them how stubborn you are or that you actually have a great sense of humour. You never let them see you fly and you're so good at flying too! You never let them see you the way I do," Roxanne said exasperatedly.
"I wish I could just prank Fred. Then he'd leave me alone and everyone else will see I'm capable of having fun too," Louis admitted.
"Well, why don't you?" Roxanne asked.
Louis stared at her. "Are you kidding? I'm not the least bit as impulsive as him. I can't just drop a dozen Dungbombs on him or fill his sleeping bag with Chocolate Frogs and get away with it!"
Roxanne looked at the chessboard thoughtfully. "You should play to your strengths. You have to use something your good at to make your prank effective."
"My only strengths are reading and chess."
Roxanne frowned at him. "My dad always says that a good prankster is one plans well, not one who just acts. See, pranking is a lot like chess. While your opponent blunders around obviously with their queen, you move your pieces to get him right where you want him and then -"
"Checkmate," smiled Louis, cornering Roxanne's king with his knight.
"Exactly! Pranksters aren't all loud and obvious like Fred and James. They can also be subtle and sneaky. Only the actual prank itself is attention-grabbing. The victim won't know what hit them. That kind of prank takes quite some planning - something you happen to be good at."
Louis smiled. "A carefully planned prank..."
X-X-X
Two hours later, the noise level in the house had decreased somewhat. The adults had all gone out and the cousins were all lazing around in their rooms after a rather heavy Christmas lunch.
"Fred!" Louis called from the foot of the stairs.
Several teenagers poked their heads out of their rooms including Fred. "What do you want?" he asked.
"You've pranked me too many times. Since you won't stop if I just ask you to, I want to make a deal." Louis replied.
Fred raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"
"A game. If you lose, you stop pranking me forever."
"I can win any game. Why don't you choose? It'll at least give you a tiny chance of winning if you choose something you're good at," Fred announced.
Louis fought to keep the smile off his face. Fred had behaved so predictably. The first move in this metaphorical chess game had been perfect. He couldn't ruin it. "Keep a poker face at all times," Roxanne had told him. "A prank is a success only when the victim has no idea he's falling into a trap." "I pick chess," he said confidently.
"Wrong choice, Louis. I've been taught chess by Uncle Ron," Fred boasted.
"Let's play in the living room," Louis suggested.
Fred shrugged. "Everyone can watch you lose." he strode down and into the living room. All the other cousins followed curiously. What was Louis thinking? Why was he condemning himself to a lifetime of being pranked?
Louis maintained his poker face as Fred faced Roxanne whose fists were closed. Fred pointed to her right fist. She uncurled her fingers to reveal a black king. "Good luck," she told her brother, handing him the black piece.
At the same time, she discreetly slipped the spare black king in her other hand into her pocket and pulled out the white king from the same pocket. She threw it to Louis casually. "Good luck."
Louis smiled mentally. Pranking really was like chess. He had wanted Fred to get the black piece so that he would be in position for the prank. The little trick with the pieces had worked perfectly. "Check," he thought smugly as Fred took his seat behind the black pieces. His poker face didn't waver for a moment.
The game started. The Burrow was completely silent as the two boys moved their pieces around the board. Louis' expression remained neutral through the game. Fred's, on the other hand, grew increasingly worried.
Suddenly, Fred looked triumphant. "Check!" he declared, moving his queen quickly.
For the first time that evening, Louis smiled broadly. He kicked the makeshift lever Roxanne had helped him set up under the table. Immediately, the trapdoor they'd rigged up in the ceiling with a little magical help from Victoire snapped open. A huge mound of snow fell right on Fred, covering him completely. Louis pulled a carrot from his pocket and stuck it where Fred's nose had been before t disappeared under the snow.
"Checkmate." Louis smugly knocked over Fred's queen with his bishop. All his cousins stared for a moment and then burst into laughter at the sight of Fred who now resembled a snowman complete with carrot nose.
Fred managed to drag his hands out of the snow and wipe his face. He stood up, shaking off the snow and joined in the laughter once he caught sight of his face in the mirror one of the girls produced.
He suddenly looked grim as he walked around to Louis. "I suppose you planned all this?"
"With a little help," Louis admitted, glancing at a grinning Roxanne.
Fred broke into a smile. "Seems like you're more of a Weasley than I thought!" He held out his hand. "Sorry about all the pranks. Maybe we can pull one together soon?"
Louis grinned and shook hands. "Sure."
"Let's get planning once I change. I'm freezing!" Fred said, hurrying out of the room.
"Nice one, Louis." James patted him on the back.
"That was perfect," grinned Roxanne.
"Well done!"
"That was fun."
Louis beamed as all his cousins crowded around him, talking and laughing. For the first time, Louis felt like he was one of them, like he was part of the family.
He finally felt like he was a Weasley.
This was for Macbeth Mouse's "Welcome to the Next-Generation" Competition.
Again, it's not really a story I was very happy with, it felt a little rushed. I might come back and rewrite it someday when I have the time...
Please review! It would really make my day! I barely got any reviews last time!
