Chapter 2: Misadventures
Harry, Ron and Hermione were lying sprawled out in front of a roaring fire in the Weasley's cosy sitting room. It was the Christmas holidays, and Ron had invited them both to stay at the Burrow for a few days. The snow was falling thickly outside and the garden gnomes banged on the windows continuously, begging to be let in. Fred and George were having great fun with sneezing charms, poking their wands round Percy's bedroom door and making him sneeze all over his latest report for the Ministry on the Universal Law for Prosecution of Fraudulent Toad Livers. Harry and Ron were in the middle of a strategic game of extra-strength exploding snap when a very excited Mr Weasley suddenly burst into the room, causing Harry to look around at a crucial moment and accidentally set fire to his hair. Luckily Fred chose that point to fire a particularly virulent sneezing charm at Mr Weasley, who sneezed violently all over Harry, putting out the fire as he did so.
'What is it Dad?' Ron managed to splutter when they had recovered from their hysterics.
'You'll never guess what! I've got tickets to the Masked Ball, courtesy of the Ministry. Your mother will be so pleased!'
'What's the 'Masked Ball'?' enquired Harry and Hermione simultaneously when Mr Weasley had gone. Ron had gone pink-cheeked with excitement and his eyes were shining.
'Ooh, it takes place every Christmas in Moonshine Hall, that's right next to the Ministry building, and everyone has to dress up or use magic to turn themselves into something. Anybody who's everybody's there… hang on, I've got that wrong. It's somebody who's everybody… no wait, I mean anybody who's somebody… no, everybody who's anybody's somebody…oh whatever.' Ignoring the Twin's snickering Ron went on.
'Anyway, we can have fun picking our outfits, and they serve amazing food there.'
'Yeah, but we don't want to bump into anyone we don't like, say Malfoy.' Hermione warned, but Ron already had the problem sorted.
'Don't be thick, we'll all be wearing masks. That's why it's called a 'MASKED' ball. Besides, you don't want to miss out on Hagrid's attempt at dressing up, do you?' Hermione shuddered with disgust, remembering a certain very hairy and ugly orange suit.
٭٭٭
It was the day of the ball, and Harry, Hermione and Ron were getting changed in Ron's room. Suddenly a distraught Fred burst into the room, closely followed by a guffawing George. Hermione, who was engrossed in a book called 'the Magical Properties of Various Algae and Lichen', began without bothering to look up:
'What have you two been up to this time? Is it really so important that you have to disturb me from my book?' There was a shocked silence, because to everyone else it was horribly apparent that it was definitely important enough.
'Fascinating as that book looks,' drawled Fred sarcastically, 'we seem to have a crisis on our hands, so if you wouldn't mind…' but Hermione had looked up and cut him off with a squeal. She realised now why everyone else had gone so quiet. George's face was horribly disfigured. His nose was stretched out of all recognition and there were what looked like whiskers sticking out of his left cheek.
'What…what happened to you?' Hermione managed to gasp when she could speak. It was Fred who answered.
'Yes, rather nasty isn't it. Tried to transform himself into a hedgehog for the ball, poor deluded boy, but as you can see it went slightly wrong. Now he just looks like a minger with a huge nose and a hairy ass.' On cue, George turned around to display a plume of hedgehog spines which had sprouted from his rear end. Ron gave a shout of laughter, Hermione snorted, Harry collapsed and Ginny, who had just poked her head around the door, ran off in a fit of giggles. When she had recovered, Hermione summoned a book from her large pile on Ron's desk entitled 'Disastrous Transfigurations and How to Cure them' and began to leaf through the pages. Finally she stopped and pointed her wand at George, who flinched, and shouted:
'Morphus Reducus!'
George collapsed onto the floor as his nose shrank back to its normal size, and the spines fell away and curled on the carpet.
'Thanks Hermione!' he said gratefully as the whiskers shrivelled up out of his cheek. Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. It took a while before the others managed to stop sniggering, and Ginny was still shaking with silent laughter as she and Hermione went downstairs to get ready.
When they were in Ginny's room, she and Hermione collapsed on the bed and started to debate over what to wear to the Ball.
'We could go as animals, although on second thoughts maybe not. We don't want to end up like George!' giggled Ginny. Hermione paused, deep in thought for a moment.
'I know! We could go as Fred and George!!' she joked.
'So long as you don't mind being avoided all evening!' replied Ginny, 'Besides, I was planning on being able to dance.'
In the boy's room, much the same discussion was taking place. Harry sat on the bed, scuffing his shoes on the carpet, whilst Ron, Fred and George fought over two beanbags in the corner of the room. Ron was eventually pushed onto the floor and looking rather offended, he joined Harry on the bed. They were silent for a few minutes, apart from the occasional grunt from George who was still suffering from the side-effects of his unfortunate hedgehog encounter.
'George and I could always go as each other!' Fred remarked stupidly.
'Yeah!' exclaimed George enthusiastically, 'I've always wanted to look like you, Fred, such a handsome profile!'
'Oh stop! I'm blushing!' Fred batted his eyelashes and feigned embarrassment.
'Oh give over you too!' Ron had had enough, 'We seriously need to think of what to wear.' Harry sighed.
'I just can't think of anything. And girls think they have a hard time! All they need to do is pull on a dress…' he was interrupted by a sarcastic Fred,
'yeah, so simple, pull on a dress, put on some tights, hobble around in high heals, apply mascara, lipgloss, face powder, eye-liner, eye-shadow, do their hair, I mean girls just have such an easy time of it!'
'You obviously have a lot of experience in these matters Fred,' countered Harry, causing the others to guffaw loudly.
Just then Ginny caused a diversion by running smack into the door- frame. She had attempted to charm her eye-makeup on and had succeeded in cursing her eyes shut.
'As I was saying,' continued Fred nonchalantly, 'Girls have it easy!'
Harry, Ron and Hermione were lying sprawled out in front of a roaring fire in the Weasley's cosy sitting room. It was the Christmas holidays, and Ron had invited them both to stay at the Burrow for a few days. The snow was falling thickly outside and the garden gnomes banged on the windows continuously, begging to be let in. Fred and George were having great fun with sneezing charms, poking their wands round Percy's bedroom door and making him sneeze all over his latest report for the Ministry on the Universal Law for Prosecution of Fraudulent Toad Livers. Harry and Ron were in the middle of a strategic game of extra-strength exploding snap when a very excited Mr Weasley suddenly burst into the room, causing Harry to look around at a crucial moment and accidentally set fire to his hair. Luckily Fred chose that point to fire a particularly virulent sneezing charm at Mr Weasley, who sneezed violently all over Harry, putting out the fire as he did so.
'What is it Dad?' Ron managed to splutter when they had recovered from their hysterics.
'You'll never guess what! I've got tickets to the Masked Ball, courtesy of the Ministry. Your mother will be so pleased!'
'What's the 'Masked Ball'?' enquired Harry and Hermione simultaneously when Mr Weasley had gone. Ron had gone pink-cheeked with excitement and his eyes were shining.
'Ooh, it takes place every Christmas in Moonshine Hall, that's right next to the Ministry building, and everyone has to dress up or use magic to turn themselves into something. Anybody who's everybody's there… hang on, I've got that wrong. It's somebody who's everybody… no wait, I mean anybody who's somebody… no, everybody who's anybody's somebody…oh whatever.' Ignoring the Twin's snickering Ron went on.
'Anyway, we can have fun picking our outfits, and they serve amazing food there.'
'Yeah, but we don't want to bump into anyone we don't like, say Malfoy.' Hermione warned, but Ron already had the problem sorted.
'Don't be thick, we'll all be wearing masks. That's why it's called a 'MASKED' ball. Besides, you don't want to miss out on Hagrid's attempt at dressing up, do you?' Hermione shuddered with disgust, remembering a certain very hairy and ugly orange suit.
٭٭٭
It was the day of the ball, and Harry, Hermione and Ron were getting changed in Ron's room. Suddenly a distraught Fred burst into the room, closely followed by a guffawing George. Hermione, who was engrossed in a book called 'the Magical Properties of Various Algae and Lichen', began without bothering to look up:
'What have you two been up to this time? Is it really so important that you have to disturb me from my book?' There was a shocked silence, because to everyone else it was horribly apparent that it was definitely important enough.
'Fascinating as that book looks,' drawled Fred sarcastically, 'we seem to have a crisis on our hands, so if you wouldn't mind…' but Hermione had looked up and cut him off with a squeal. She realised now why everyone else had gone so quiet. George's face was horribly disfigured. His nose was stretched out of all recognition and there were what looked like whiskers sticking out of his left cheek.
'What…what happened to you?' Hermione managed to gasp when she could speak. It was Fred who answered.
'Yes, rather nasty isn't it. Tried to transform himself into a hedgehog for the ball, poor deluded boy, but as you can see it went slightly wrong. Now he just looks like a minger with a huge nose and a hairy ass.' On cue, George turned around to display a plume of hedgehog spines which had sprouted from his rear end. Ron gave a shout of laughter, Hermione snorted, Harry collapsed and Ginny, who had just poked her head around the door, ran off in a fit of giggles. When she had recovered, Hermione summoned a book from her large pile on Ron's desk entitled 'Disastrous Transfigurations and How to Cure them' and began to leaf through the pages. Finally she stopped and pointed her wand at George, who flinched, and shouted:
'Morphus Reducus!'
George collapsed onto the floor as his nose shrank back to its normal size, and the spines fell away and curled on the carpet.
'Thanks Hermione!' he said gratefully as the whiskers shrivelled up out of his cheek. Hermione rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. It took a while before the others managed to stop sniggering, and Ginny was still shaking with silent laughter as she and Hermione went downstairs to get ready.
When they were in Ginny's room, she and Hermione collapsed on the bed and started to debate over what to wear to the Ball.
'We could go as animals, although on second thoughts maybe not. We don't want to end up like George!' giggled Ginny. Hermione paused, deep in thought for a moment.
'I know! We could go as Fred and George!!' she joked.
'So long as you don't mind being avoided all evening!' replied Ginny, 'Besides, I was planning on being able to dance.'
In the boy's room, much the same discussion was taking place. Harry sat on the bed, scuffing his shoes on the carpet, whilst Ron, Fred and George fought over two beanbags in the corner of the room. Ron was eventually pushed onto the floor and looking rather offended, he joined Harry on the bed. They were silent for a few minutes, apart from the occasional grunt from George who was still suffering from the side-effects of his unfortunate hedgehog encounter.
'George and I could always go as each other!' Fred remarked stupidly.
'Yeah!' exclaimed George enthusiastically, 'I've always wanted to look like you, Fred, such a handsome profile!'
'Oh stop! I'm blushing!' Fred batted his eyelashes and feigned embarrassment.
'Oh give over you too!' Ron had had enough, 'We seriously need to think of what to wear.' Harry sighed.
'I just can't think of anything. And girls think they have a hard time! All they need to do is pull on a dress…' he was interrupted by a sarcastic Fred,
'yeah, so simple, pull on a dress, put on some tights, hobble around in high heals, apply mascara, lipgloss, face powder, eye-liner, eye-shadow, do their hair, I mean girls just have such an easy time of it!'
'You obviously have a lot of experience in these matters Fred,' countered Harry, causing the others to guffaw loudly.
Just then Ginny caused a diversion by running smack into the door- frame. She had attempted to charm her eye-makeup on and had succeeded in cursing her eyes shut.
'As I was saying,' continued Fred nonchalantly, 'Girls have it easy!'