Equable: not easily disturbed; not variable or changing
September 11, 2013
Snores echoed throughout the Burrow's family room. The two mischievous boys weren't put off by the noise though. They knew the routine. Molly would serve afternoon tea just as Arthur got off of work. He would eat, tell her (and whatever company was around) about his day and then retire to the plush couch in the family room where he would 'just rest his eyes for a moment'. The eye resting would extend to an hour-long nap where he would wake the dead with his snore. And it was near impossible to wake him up.
Yes, the boys knew the routine well. They were ready when he laid his head onto the armrest of the couch. His mouth was gaped open and emitting whale calls about three minutes into the siesta.
"You got it?" James asked his cousin.
Fred nodded his bushy head and tapped his pocket.
"Let's do it," Fred said, with a sly smile.
The two nine-year-olds belly-crawled over to the couch. They knew their grandmother was outside, probably weeding the garden, but they took extra precautions.
As they reached their destination, the two boys slowly rose to crouching position, careful not to wake the slumbering man. Fred reached into his pocket and extracted a packet of something that looked very much like sugar you would put in your tea. He handed it to James who tore it open and dumped its contents into Arthur's mouth.
The boys hightailed it for cover as Arthur, still asleep, smacked his mouth and swallowed. Fred and James ended up in the stairwell, where they could see Arthur but he couldn't see them. Then they waited.
The boys had forgotten all about the prank and were taunting a gnome in the garden when they heard the scream.
"BOYS!" came a unison cry from both of their grandparents. The boys looked at each other with amusement.
It was really hard to take their grandfather seriously as he yelled at them until he was blue in the face. Literally. He was blue everywhere thanks to Weasley's Sapphire-Skin Sugar.
But the prank got its intended effect. Arthur Weasley now took his afternoon naps in his room. With the door shut.
