A/N: Hello! I'm back from nerd-heaven. Thank you so much, those of you who kept reading. I'm proud to say I finally broke the hundred mark! Thank you so much!


Chapter Eleven: Interviews

"I think we should ask a Ravenclaw," Lily said. After putting the twins to bed (and lifting the color charm on her husband), she and James were grading papers – well, Lily was; James was trying to make tea – and talking about asking a student to babysit the twins while they were in class. The squirrel incident was the latest on a long list involving the twins and the hospital wing.

"A Ravenclaw?"

James looked at the teabags the house elves had left in the small kitchen in their quarters, shrugged, and dropped four into the medium-sized teapot. "The Fawnies would drive them insane!"

Lily thought about it for a second. James had a point. The twins were too active to be controlled by logic and books. A Hufflepuff was out; they needed firm decisions and punishment when it was required, not just love and cuddles. That left Slytherin and Gryffindor. "Slytherin?"

James spit his hot (and much too strong) tea all over Lily's Hufflepuff/Slytherin first-year papers. "No Slytherin is watching my babies!"

Lily glared at him, but decided not to comment. "Do you know any responsible Gryffindors?"

OOOOO

"Ronald," Hermione gasped.

"Wha'?" The lanky redhead swallowed the last of his humongous mouthful of pancake. "We are talking about Malfoy!"

"Shh!" Harry ordered, glancing surreptitiously around the Great Hall. Luckily no one was really paying much attention to the trio for once. The boy in question was talking to Theodore Nott at his table. He turned back to his best friends. "Professor Deere made a good point. We need him."

"Need him! He's a Slytherin."

"Really, Ronald, if you can't think of a better reason, you shouldn't be saying it," Hermione shot back.

"What does that even mean?" Ron replied just as quickly.

Harry cut in before it could get any worse. "Look, I've already made my decision. We need him, Slytherin or not. For all we know, he doesn't agree with his father or Voldemort."

Ron flinched at the name. "But how can we trust him?"

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, no doubt with a sharp reprimand, but Harry beat her to it. Ignoring the question, he said, "I have to go. I'll see you in Charms."

Ron and Hermione watched their best friend walk out of the hall in silence before Hermione turned to Ron. "See, he just wanted our advice!"

"And I gave it!" Ron replied.

"He wanted you to agree with him!"

"Mr. Weasley?"

Both sixth years jumped guiltily. "Yes, Professor?" Ron answered, timidly.

James ran his fingers through his hair and then rubbed his eyes. No matter how many cushioning charms he cast on the couch, it always hurt in the morning. If only Lily would let him transfigure it into a bed. Or even better, let him into their bed. "Professor Deere," he stumbled over his wife's title, it was just so strange thinking of his book-loving wife teaching, "and I were wondering if you could meet us after your last class tonight in our quarters. Around six?"

Hermione noticed Ron's ears were flushing. She didn't blame him. She would hate to be called out like that, but Ron seemed to be keeping his composure.

"Of course, sir. I mean, yes," Ron stumbled. Okay, so not all of it.

James grinned as much as he could given the time and the really bad muscle cramp from being bent like a taco on the couch. He seemed to notice Ron's nerves because he added, "Don't worry. You aren't in trouble."

He left Ron and Hermione to question his family's motives in favor of the large pot of coffee the house elves had the wonderful foresight to put right next to his plate at the head table.

Meanwhile, outside of the Hall, Harry was waiting for a certain blonde wizard. He didn't have to wait long. Around the time James was talking to Ron, Draco Malfoy strode out of the Great Hall, flanked, as usual, by Crabbe and Goyle, the human stones.

"Well, look who it is: Pothead!" Draco said as soon as he noticed Harry leaning against the wall. "Waiting for your pack, Potter?"

Harry was surprised (and a little relieved) to see that while the words were the same, the expression behind them had changed. Oh, Malfoy was still sporting the mask of pride Harry knew all too well, but something was different.

It was the first time Harry had really been able to get a good look at the blond all year and it wasn't the same face he remembered.

This Malfoy looked thinner and more like Sirius had when he'd first appeared in the Shrieking Shack. He had dark circles under his eyes that were barely hidden from the passing glance. His hair wasn't slicked back as neatly and there was a distinct lack of confidence in his stride. Malfoy had changed.

Harry swallowed. "No actually. For you."

An expression of something that greatly resembled shock (and was that fear?) flashed through Draco's face. "Why?" he asked, the sarcasm noticeably absent.

Harry took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you," he glanced at the hulking gargoyles behind the wizard and added, "alone."

Draco couldn't suppress his curiosity. He turned to his bodyguards. "Go get some more food," he ordered.

Crabbe looked curious, but Goyle seemed pleased. They ducked back into the Great Hall.

Draco waited until they were safely on their way back to stuffing their faces before saying, "So what did you want, Potter?"

"Can we go somewhere more private?"

Draco thought about it. Did he trust Potter not to curse him without others around? It seemed like the Slytherin thing to do. But surely Potter was too Gryffindor for that. Did he just call Potter Slytherin? "Fine."

Harry led the other wizard into an empty classroom down the corridor. As soon as Draco was in, he cast the strongest anti-spying charms he knew – glad once again for the books on advanced defense his godfather and Remus had bought him for Christmas last year.

Draco reached for his wand when he saw Harry pull out his, but relaxed slightly when he realized what he was doing. He kept his hand on it, though.

Harry spoke first. "What do you believe, Malfoy?"

Draco was taken aback. He didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth, and then to his disgust, closed it again. Harry noticed.

"How about an easier question, then? Do you think you could disobey your father?"

Draco's eyes flicked involuntarily to his left forearm. He wasn't sure the new question was any easier than the old.

OOOOO

Ron suddenly wished he'd asked Professor Paxton if Harry or Hermione could come along. It was taking all his Gryffindor courage not to run like a garden gnome after sunset back to the tower.

The portrait guarding the Deere's rooms was a shrewd griffin that didn't seem to like people. "I'm, um, here to see, um," Ron stuttered.

The griffin rolled his eyes. "They told me to expect a pipsqueak. I must say, I was expecting more of a—" He was interrupted by Professor Deere swinging him into the wall.

"Come in, Mr. Weasley. Forgive Garnish, he's had a bad couple of centuries." Lily waved Ron through the portrait hole in a much lighter tone than she usually addressed her students.

Ron was surprised and pleased by the décor. The sitting room the portrait opened to was decorated in a bright, cheerful red accented with gold and silver, leaving very little question in Ron's mind which house one or both of the Deeres had been in. He was a little surprised by how Gryffindor it really was. If anyone had asked him before, he would have said Professor Deere made sure Professor Paxton wasn't associated with any house. He supposed she didn't mind as much when they were alone.

Lily gestured for him to sit on the lumpy, but Ron assumed, comfortable couch and sat down on the armchair opposite. "Would you like some tea? Paxton should be back in a minute or two. The twins somehow managed to escape Albus's office again," she explained.

"Um, yeah, sure," Ron replied, still nervous despite the welcoming atmosphere.

"Milk? Sugar?" Lily asked, seemingly content to serve the tea in the semi-awkward silence.

"Um, sugar. Two, please, Professor."

Lily's smile was much warmer than the one she used in class as she handed Ron his tea. Ron nodded his thanks and took a louder gulp than he'd meant to. Contrary to what Hermione always said and thought, Ron had manners, he just never saw the need to use them around friends. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure where the Deeres fell and consequently his brain couldn't decided if it wanted his actions to be loud or quiet.

Thankfully, the abrupt appearance of the rest of the Deere clan saved Ron from further embarrassment.

"Mummy, Daddy says we can't go to the bathroom!" one of the twins called as she climbed through the hole. Ron wasn't sure which it was.

"Paxton!" Lily reprimanded. "Why would you say such a thing?"

James looked affronted. "I didn't. What I said was they couldn't go running into the boys' bathroom and climbing on the window sills," he explained, catching Mary before she could steal his wand out of the holster inside his robe.

Ron wasn't sure how he was supposed to act, but he had a feeling snorting loudly wasn't right as soon as both professors spun around to look at him. His ears went Gryffindor red. Again.

Then James laughed too. Until his wife shot him a death-glare.

Lily turned her back on both wizards in the room to address her twins. "You can go into the girls' bathroom whenever you need, as long as you tell Mummy or Daddy or an adult, okay?" she said.

The twins looked at each other and in a perfect expression of angelic innocence Ron recognized from the many times he'd seen it on Fred and George, said, "We're sorry we didn't tell Grandpa Albus we were going."

Ron had to be impressed. They had their parents in the palm of their hands. They could give Fred and George a run for their money in that department, hands down.

Then the adult Deeres remembered Ron. "Now that we are all here, we have some things to discuss. Will you please get the twins settled so that we may begin?" Lily commanded.

James looked at his daughters. "Come on, Fawnies, Mummy and Daddy need to have private time." He started steering the twins toward their room.

"Are you going to have to close the door?" Ron heard one of them ask. Both he and Lily blushed slightly and from the forced laughter that followed the girl's statement, so had James.

It was a few more minutes before James re-appeared. "Finally got them down!" he exclaimed, leaning into his wife's cheek for a kiss.

"What did you say to them?" Lily inquired as he sat down on the couch next to a very confused and now downright terrified Ron.

James pretended that he hadn't heard her question, instead turning to Ron. "So, Mr. Weasley, has my beautiful wife told you why you're here?"

Ron coughed and put down his cup of cold tea. "Not yet."

"We were waiting for you, love," Lily answered.

"'Course. Sorry it took so long," James apologized. "Do you want to tell him, Pan, or should I?"

"You can."

Ron was getting very tired of the preamble. His mind kept flashing through everything he'd done in the last few weeks and nothing was coming up. How badly had he screwed up? He should have listened to Hermione when she said his essay on nonverbal offense was too scrambled.

"Um, right. So Ron – may we call you Ron? – do you like kids?" James began.

Ron was even more confused. Had he written something bad in the essay about transfiguring eyebrows? "I've got nothing against them."

"Excellent. What about pranks?"

Ron shrugged. "When you've grown up with a pair of pranksters like my older brothers, you have to or die."

James couldn't help but let out a little snort of laughter that he tried to cover up as a cough. Lily swatted him on the arm and he quickly sobered. "Of course. And what are you taking this year besides transfiguration and defense?"

Ron thought for a moment. "Charms and herbology."

"That's not too bad, right?"

Ron shrugged again. "It's easier than Harry's. He's got potions too. I'm glad I could finally drop the-" he broke off before he could finish the sentence. "Yeah, it's okay."

Lily, tired of her husband's delay, took over. "We were wondering if you would be able to watch the twins while we're teaching. When you're not in class, of course. Poppy or one of the other teachers can watch them while you are in class, but we can't ask them to give up their private time."

Ron was stunned. Of all the reasons his brain and best friends had been making up for the invitation, a job interview had not been one of them. He didn't know what to say.

"We'll pay you fifteen sickles an hour and the right to turn in essays and the like,"

"From just our classes, mind," Lily spoke over her husband.

"—a day later than the due date," James continued. They'd decided it was only fair considering how time-consuming their daughters were.

"You could drop them off after either my or Paxton's last class of the day."

Ron thought about it. Homework extensions AND pocket money? "Sure," he smiled. Then something struck him. "But why me? Why not Harry or Hermione or one of the other sixth years?"

Lily laughed. "We thought you could handle them the best. You said it yourself, you grew up with two of Hogwarts' most notorious pranksters, you won't be surprised or intimidated by two five year-olds."

"And you are smart enough to not be consumed by so much homework," James interjected, earning himself another swat and glare from his wife.

"I must admit, Ms. Granger was a possibility, but she has so much on her plate already and Mr. Potter has the DA to run. You are by far the most capable person for the job."

Ron was very flattered. He'd always felt like he was the lesser of the trio and the useless brother, but to hear that he was chosen over Harry and Hermione was a much needed ego boost. Sure, they might be smarter or better leaders, but he, Ronald Weasley, was the person the teachers went to in a jam like this. Take that Percy! He couldn't keep his smile in.

"When do I start?"


A/N: Now that you've read the chapter, I can say this: The person who submits the 125 review gets to say what the twins will do under Ron's watch at some point down the line. It doesn't have to be a prank (they're only five, remember) but it does have to be mischievous. If for some reason, the 125 doesn't want to participate, the 124 will have the chance, and so forth. Oh and Lupin won by a far margin. I've written the scene already, but for those brave few who wanted Snape, I've written his revelation as well. No telling though!