I promised they'd get their wings (or at least enter the first stage of getting their wings) this chapter and I ALWAYS keep my promises. So . . . here goes!
-Indy
Untouchable
A Harry Potter Fan-fiction
By: Indigo March
Chapter Six
Wings
Fred's P.O.V.
"Please, Fred! Pretty please!"
On normal circumstances I would've refused point blank, but Hermione was adorable and I was madly in love with her and she was a drug I was addicted to and she had the sexiest tan legs I had ever laid eyes on and she was the most attractive witch I had the pleasure to lay eyes on and she ---
"Fine. If you must," I sighed, acting reluctant, even though I wanted it very much.
She laughed in delight and climbed onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist.
"March on!" she exclaimed in delight. I caught Ron's eye and smirked at him. I startled Hermione as I took off at a run down the hill towards where everyone stood ready to leave for the Ministry by port-key.
"Stop dilly-dallying, Ronald!" Mum called. I stopped before them, beaming, not tired or out of breath at all from my run. Ron lugged behind us, his face red and sweaty from trying to keep up with my furious pace. Hermione climbed from my back, looking jarred from my piggy-back ride.
Ron seized her hand firmly, dragging her over to Harry with him. I glared at the back of his head, my face relaxing into a smile when Hermione looked at me over her shoulder with an annoyed and disgusted expression.
George came over to stand next to me, now (thankfully) out of his ridiculous tights.
"That's the happiest I've ever seen you, Gred," said Forge, his face sincere.
"What do you mean?" I asked nonchalantly.
"I don't know how to explain it," he said slowly. "You just looked happier than I've ever seen you before. You looked . . . alive."
I looked over at Hermione who was giggling with Ginny. She did make me feel alive. She made me want to do things I normally would never do. She made me think before acting. The list of what Hermione did to me was endless. It was steadily becoming longer and longer and longer.
"Fred!" Dad said in warning. I realized the port-key -an old tennis shoe- had begun to glow. I grasped onto it, and felt the familiar jerk of the navel as we were hurtled into the air and to the Ministry of Magic.
. . .
Hermione's P.O.V.
I winced in pain as my feet roughly hit the marble floor of the room the port-key brought us to.
"Kingsley!" Mr. Weasley called, raising his hand in greeting as the Minister walked over to us, face beaming. Mrs. Weasley handed the tennis shoe to the guard with Kingsley.
"Arthur. Right on time."
"Where are we?" Harry asked. "I've never been to this part of the Ministry."
"Nor have I," Percy sniffed, looking disapprovingly around the room.
"Oh, Percy sniffed, because he was miffed!" George sang. Fred grinned and added, "Gred and Forge snickers, 'cause they pulled down his knickers!"
"No, you haven't!" said Percy, eyes flashing.
"Not yet we haven't," said Fred, winking at me.
I giggled, ignoring the annoyed look Ron shot me. Draco and Harry were laughing quietly along with Ginny, Bill, and Charlie.
"Where is everyone?" Mr. Weasley asked, glancing disapprovingly at Fred and George.
"There gathered in the other room," said Kingsley, waving in the direction where two doors stood. "Now, if you're taking the potion, come with me, the others go with Cory to the waiting room."
The guard led Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Draco (he already had his wings, obviously), Audrey, Fleur (who couldn't take the potion because she was pregnant), Andromeda and Teddy, and Percy, who thought the whole idea was ridiculous, through one door. The rest of us -Bill, Charlie, Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny and myself- followed Kinglsey through the other.
We exited the room into a large, empty hall with a menacing door at the opposite end.
"One at a time, please," said Kingsley. "The rest wait out here. Who wants to go first?"
When no one moved, Bill rolled his eyes. "I will, I guess."
"Good man, Bill, good man!" said Fred, clapping him on the shoulder. Bill rolled his eyes again and followed Kingsley through the other door.
"It's just a potion," Ron muttered over and over again, rolling his shoulders. "Just a potion. You drink it and it's all over. Just a potion."
I rolled my eyes.
"Let's hope it doesn't taste like Polyjuice Potion," said Charlie. Harry pulled a face, shuddering.
"It doesn't," I said. They all looked at me and I blushed. "I did some research. The description said it tastes like whatever the drinker likes most." I shrugged. "That's all."
George snorted. "How 'bout it, Ron? Chocolate and Frog guts?"
Ron's ears turned red as Fred, George, and Ginny roared with laughter. I frowned at them, wondering why it seemed so funny to them. Fred caught me frowning and cleared his throat, wiping the grin off his face.
"Shut up, George. It's not funny," he said with a serious expression on his face as he looked away from my frowning face.
Before I could say anything, the door opened and Bill strolled out with a huge smile on his face. We fell silent expectantly.
"Next!" came Kingsley's voice from inside the room.
"Well, how was it?" Charlie asked.
Bill grinned. "Brilliant. I feel ten times stronger. I'm starting to itch though."
"I'll go next," said Charlie, heading for the door as Bill exited the corridor.
When Charlie came out, Harry went in, and each time someone left the room they had a huge grin on their face, repeating each other's words. Apparently you did feel stronger immediatetly after drinking the potion. As George entered the room to take his potion, only Fred and I were left in the corridor, Ron having gone in after Harry and then leaving with a new jump in his step.
"So . . . " said Fred, nodding in the silence.
"Yup," I said, always the social butterfly.
"Mmm hmm."
Silence.
"Were you seriously going to pants Percy?" I asked, breaking the horrible silence.
Fred turned and grinned at me. "Do you want me to?"
"Gross, Fred!" I said, laughing. He suddenly leaned closer and I blushed as he whispered, looking around cautiously like he was about to tell a secret, "Do you want to know what's even grosser? Slughorn . . . in a speedo!"
He roared with laughter, just as the door opened and George 'flew in' shouting, "SUPER GEORGE!" and flapping his arms like he already had his wings. He leapt through the air, twirling like a ballerina before dancing out the door.
Kingsley poked his head out the other door.
"Just you two? Both of you come on in, no need in making one of you wait when we can do it at the same time."
Fred smiled at me and offered me his arm. "May I escort you down the corridor, beautiful lady?"
I accepted his arm and smiled sweetly. "You may, kind sir."
We then marched down the hall towards Kingsley, who held the door open for us. When we walked in, he closed it behind us, casting us into semi darkness.
"Are you ready for this?"
I honestly didn't know.
. . .
Fred's P.O.V.
"It looks like troll bogies!" I said, swishing the glass Kingsley handed to me. Hermione wrinkled up her nose adorably.
"Trust me, it doesn't taste like it," said Kingsley.
I shrugged. "Bottoms up!" then gugged down the --- delicious potion! The gunk tasted just like Hermione said it would! I was drinking my most favoritest thing in the world! I was drinking . . . eh, nothing special really. Just chocolate chip cookies in a glass, but still, I loved it.
"Got anymore?" I asked after I drained it, holding my glass out to Kingsley expectantly.
"I don't think you want a set of wings growing out of someplace other than your back, Fred. One glass will do just fine," said Kingsley.
"You're right. I guess I wouldn't want wings growing out of my --- "
"Spare us the mental image, Fred," Hermione said giggling. "Oh! Merlin, my back itches!"
"Hehe . . . you look funny --- Oi! Mine does too!"
"Draco wasn't kidding when he said it itches like hell!" Hermione complained.
"Let's see how the others are holding up, shall we?" said Kingsley, opening the door and holding it open for Hermione and I. We followed, trying to scratch our backs, but not quite reaching the space between our shoulder blades.
When we reached the room the others were in, our eyes landed on George, who was rolling around in the center of the room, screaming, "Itchy, itchy, itchy, ITCHY!"
The others were much more contained, seeking relief in the form of each other. Harry was scratching Ginny's back for her, while Fleur was comfortingly massaging Bill's. Ron, (ha!) was rubbing his back against the wall, trying to relieve the itching. Percy gazed at them all in disapproval, the Terd.
I saw now that the others from the Order and Dumbledore's Army were here as well, having already taken their potions. Luna, surprisingly, was the only one not having a problem with the itching, as she sat down on a sofa, looking cool and collected as she read the Quibbler upside down.
"Is there some anti-itching spell or cream or something?" Ron demanded, rubbing his backside against the wall more vigourously.
"Not with this kind of itch, I'm afraid," said Kingsley, a small smile on his face. He clapped his hands together. "All right everyone. We will meet again in three days time. By then, your wings should have come in. Let me warn you, they may be sore and they will undoubtedly feel odd, so once they come in, don't do anything . . . stupid." He coughed something that oddly sounded like, "George."
"So we can go?" Percy demanded, looking at George in disgust as he continued to roll around and look suspiciously like a fish out of water.
"Itchy . . . " he moaned.
I was still frantically trying to reach my 'itchy-spot' myself. Hermione -bless her- was desperately rubbing her back against the door frame. Some boyfriend Ron was!
"Come here, Hermione. I'll scratch your back!" I shouted, yanking her from the door and scratching her on the back as if it were the belly of a dog. She moaned. "Who's a good, Hermione? Who's a good, Hermione?"
"Thanks, Fred, but you can't stop using your pet voice."
"Yes, my love!" I proclaimed to the room. Ron turned to glare at me as everyone burst out laughing.
"Your love?" Hermione repeated, raising an amused eyebrow. I only grinned.
"Come on, my lot!" said Dad, gathering us around the port-key once more. "See you all in three days!"
And we were off with George shouting, "ITCHY, ITCHY!"
. . .
Hermione's P.O.V.
After I took a looong shower, I was in Ginny's room getting dressed, my back still itching like crazy. The door opened and I froze, my shirt half on and my back to whoever opened the door. I had a feeling it wasn't Ginny.
"MERLIN, HERMIONE! SORRY!"
I quickly pulled my shirt all the way on and turned to stare at Fred's blushing face.
"I was . . . uh . . . uh . . . to . . . um . . . . DINNER'S READY!"
And he bolted from the room looking terribly embarrassed. I was just glad it wasn't RON!
I brushed my hair and then went downstairs, my own face flaming even more when I was forced to sit across from Fred at the table, because everywhere else seemed to be suddenly 'occupied.'
No one failed to notice our blushing faces and awkward silence.
"What's wrong with you two?" George said, nudging Fred hard enough that he doubled over in pain.
"Noth - ing," he wheezed, clutching his ribs.
George shrugged. "Super George!"
"Not at the table, George!" Mr. Weasley said sternly.
"Super George?"
Silence began to smother us, Ron was glaring suspiciously at Fred, and my back was itching like CRAZY! My good buddy Draco noticed my discomfort and began to scratch my back for me. I smiled appreciatively at him. It would've been awkward, him doing that, if I didn't know he had the BIGGEST crush on Astoria Greengrass. It was border-lining obsession, I tell you.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ron shouted at Draco, misinterpreting back-scratching.
Not pausing for the fraction of a second, Draco replied smoothly, "Scratching Hermione's back."
"Why?"
"Because my back itches, you dolt!" I snapped irritably. Ron looked taken aback but I didn't care. "And he's allowed to, Ronald. I hereby give Draco Malfoy permission to scratch my back!"
Everyone laughed and Ron fell silent, muttering curses on Draco under his breath.
"When do we stop itching?" Ginny asked Draco, reaching over to scratch Harry's back, while he did the same for her.
Draco grinned. "About three days."
We all groaned and let our heads fall to the table with a loud thunk. What a long, itchy, three days it would be.
. . .
Fred's P.O.V.
What a long, itchy, three days it was indeed, even if we were immensely sore afterwards.
We were all playing Quidditch out back on the third day, a little wearily, mind you. Malfoy told us our wings could flap out at anytime. George and I thought the mental image was very funny.
"And you're sure they'll come out of our back?" George asked him. Malfoy (the dork) looked confused as he said, "Of course. Where else would they come in at?"
"Bother!" I said to George. "I was hoping they'd sprout out of Ron's buttocks!"
"What an odd image indeed, dear brother."
"I say, ole chum! Odd is an understatement! I'd call it . . . "
But just what I was going to call it, I never got to say, because just as I opened my mouth to say it, a set of great inky black wings snapped out from my body, ripping through my Quidditch Jersey.
"Whoa!"
"OI! SUPER FRED!" said George, running circles around me, checking my wingspan. Everyone crowded around me with wide eyes and gaping mouths.
"Whoa," said Harry, his broomstick falling out of his loose grasp.
"They go great with your hair, Fred!" said Ginny, admiring my wings.
"Uh . . . thanks. I think."
Hermione, who had been reading under the shade of some trees (she doesn't care much for Quidditch obviously) came to see what everyone was staring at.
"Oh my," she said, pushing her way to the front of my army of brothers and sister.
"You like?" I asked, wagging my eyebrows. I winced. "Ouch, that hurt."
"Told you you'd be sore," said Draco with a grin. "Interesting. Your wingspan is longer than mine." He unfurled his own snow-white wings and compared them.
"Oh!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, stumbling forward. I caught her before she fell flat on her face. I was completely knocked off my feet as a set of wings even brighter than Draco's erupted from her back, the tip of one smacking Ron in the face.
"Eeep!"
And no, it wasn't Hermione who shrieked like a little girl.
Ron jumped back, clutching his face. "Feather in my eye! Feather in my eye!"
"SUPER HERMIONE!" said George, dancing with glee. "We can be, like, the Winged Force Four! Once I get my wings, of course."
"What about the rest of us?" Ginny said, indicating herself, Harry, and Ron.
George looked deep in thought. "Ron's an oaf, so he's out. You and Harry . . . well . . . I figure Harry's had any off drama as it is --- "
"Who cares?" Hermione said, admiring her wings. "We're in the W.A.F. We won't have time for some Winged Force Four or whatever it is you were going on about. Check out my wings!"
"Hey, Hermione," I said with a sly smile, "we go good together! Black and white, huh?"
"Hmmm," she said, watching the tips of our wings brush together and blend. "Yeah. I guess so."
"WOOHOO! SUPER GEORGE TO THE RESCUE!"
We all groaned. George had gotten his wings.
. . .
That wasn't too cheesy was it?
-Indy.
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