Chapter Ten

A/N: Thank you to angelbear94, gracieluvsya and RochiiPotterGrangerWeasley for reviewing the last chapter.

Phoenix sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time that evening, as she tried and failed once again to recall the names of each member of the extensive Weasley family. Crystal had told her over and over that it was imperative she did not make a mistake, as their cover would be blown almost immediately, but even with the pressure of this, or perhaps because of it, she could not manage to remember each name completely, let alone match them to faces. They had spent the past two weeks formulating their plan, teaching each other all that they would need to know in order to be able to pass themselves off as their twin, but so far, their efforts were having little success.

"Try again." the redhead instructed, the exasperation clear in her voice, although she was doing her best to hide it and remain positive. "It's hard to get for anyone the first time, but you have to keep trying. It's important. Try again, Phoenix."

"I don't want to try again!" the girl exclaimed in response, making no such attempt to remain positive as she threw her hands up in a gesture of defeat. "I'm not going to get it right, so let's just forget it! This is never going to work anyway."

"It will!" Crystal cried out in the direction of her sister. "But it will only work if we keep trying. If we give up, then what's the point?"

Immediately, as a matter of instinct, Phoenix opened her mouth to argue, but almost as swiftly, she closed it once again, realising that she could not give an intelligent argument in response, and that anything other than that would merely lower her sister's expectations of her. True, it was a strange experience, to have to make good first impressions on a sibling, particularly after spending all her life as an only child, but it did not make it any less important to the brunette girl, or to the redhead, who was still attempting to get her head around the different types of grapes Phoenix would pick in the holidays.

"Can't I just remember that they're red and white?" Crystal questioned her twin, sighing deeply in frustration, feeling that she was only a few more failed attempts away from breaking down into tears. "It would be so much easier."

"No, because Dad won't believe it." the girl replied, suddenly aware that they seemed to have exchanged places, as she was now encouraging her sister to remember names, only on this occasion, it was the names of grapes instead of family. "We have to make the effort, remember? Otherwise, they'll see right through us, and all of this work would have been for nothing."

"I know." she sighed deeply, nodding her head so slightly that the gesture was almost imperceptable. "I just want to make sure that everything goes right. I want to get to know Dad, just as much as you want to spend some time with Mum. I just sort of wish that he could get to know me as well, not just who he thinks I'm going to be."

"I feel exactly the same." Phoenix replied to her sister, shifting herself slightly on the bed, so that the two were seated side by side. For the first time, she wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders, doing so slowly and tentatively. It was only in situations like this that the pair really recalled how recently they had met, as the awkwardness of the situation had still not quite passed for either of them. "And one day, we'll have to tell them. We can't pretend forever. But for now, we have to. Just for a little while. But in the end..."

"It'll be worth it." Crystal finished, mirroring her twin's action and wrapping her arm around her in turn. They remained in their embrace for a short time, simply thinking about what the future might bring, before a sudden knock came at the door.

Before they had a chance to call a summons, the door opened, and Madame Maxime herself entered the room. Instinctively, the two girls leapt to their feet, each curtseying a little shakily, as was expected of them. The woman inclined her head in response to this, another gesture of courtesy that was now second nature for the girls at Beauxbattons Academy, and waved her hand, an indication that they should sit down on the bed. Once they had done so, the woman began to speak.

"Now, girls, I am sure zat you are aware of ze trouble you 'ave caused since you arrived at zis school." their headmistress began, and both girls hung their heads in embarrassment. "But... I 'ave decided not to inform your parents of these goings-on, and give you both a second chance. If you waste it, 'owever, I will 'ave no choice but to do so. Is zat understood, girls?"

"Oui, Madame." the two children responded, trying to keep the smiles of relief from their faces, as they feared that showing any amusement could prompt the giantess to rethink her decision.

"Well, I 'ope zat you two will learn your lessons over ze 'olidays." said Madame Maxime, a veiled instruction that both of the students picked up on. "And zat you will return to my school in ze new year as ze model girls I know you can be."

Without any further words being spoken, and without even giving the girls a chance to respond, the headmistress swept out of the room. A little shocked by her sudden departure, Crystal and Phoenix did not manage to rise and give their shaky curtseys until the door had shut behind the woman, and her shadow had faded from the floor.

It was only once they seated themselves down again that the twins noticed the pieces of paper strewn across the bed, each containing either an image of one of the Weasley clan or a type of grape native to Vineyard. Sharing a glance, the two wondered whether or not Maxime would have discovered their secret, and would have worked out what they were planning to do. Of course, they knew that there was nothing to do but wait and see, and so the two returned to their separate activities, working late into the night to prepare themselves for the event to come.

As the sun would rise in the morning, the girls would each be packed off to their separate homes, their separate countries. Only it would not be their own homes that they would be travelling to, but the home of their sister, and of the parent that they had never met. Tomorrow was the moment of truth, and as they finally drifted off to sleep in the early hours of the morning, neither girl could find that they could wait.

A/N: Please review this chapter! I really want to know what you think!