Chapter 2
The sunny days the world ended…
Harry and Co are not mine. If they were, I would not be writing fanfics after one in the morning.
There were times; Fred Weasley thought bitterly, that he dearly wished he had not agreed to come back to Hogwarts on an "Educational Apprenticeship." Today was one of those times. He had seen them again. "Them." He scoffed softly. Those two. The two people in the world who knew him better than anyone else. The two people in the world who had hurt him more than he thought possible. Them. Together.
He was sitting on a shimmering armchair in one of Hogwarts many teacher common rooms. The teacher dormitories were much like those of the students, only a bit more equipped and fancier. Basically though, it had a normal common room full of shimmering furniture, and then two staircases curling up to single rooms instead of dorms. Normally, this particular dormitory was an extra one, left empty. This year Dumbledore's three educational apprentices, Fred and George Weasley, and Angelina Johnson were using it.
In the midst of Fred's thoughts, the door to the common room swung open, and Fred nearly jumped up in surprise, fearing what he was going to see. A moment later he breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Ginny. His relief soon turned to dismay however, when he realized she was sobbing uncontrollably.
"Gin!" gasped Fred. "What on earth is the matter?"
Ginny stared deadly at her brother, still crying to hard to talk. After the scene with Draco on the lawn she had run nearly blindly to the Apprentice Dormitory, knowing in her heart that it didn't matter if she found Fred, George of Angelina there, for any of the three would try to comfort her. She was glad it had been Fred though, if she could be glad about anything. He had always been her favorite brother, even though she and Ron were closer in age. Don't misunderstand, she loved all her brothers dearly, but Bill and Charlie were so much older than she was that sometimes they seemed more like uncles. Percy was rather stuffy, and George, who was of course uncannily like Fred, could be a bit more mean spirited than his younger (by 3 min) twin. As for Ron, in this case he wouldn't be any help, because he had despised Draco worse than anyone else.
"Ginny?" Fred asked his little sister again gently. When she still didn't respond he got up from his brooding chair and walked to her. The moment he opened his arms she ran into them, and he rocked her gently, as he had done when she was five and her Jobberknoll died. (It was quite possible that the screaming had scared Ginny more than the demise saddened her.) They stood like that a moment, until finally Ginny became strangely and suddenly calm. When she looked up, her brown eyes, though heavy with sadness, were already beginning to lose their red tinge.
"Better?" Fred asked her, the concern in his voice and sympathetic smile on his face contradicting the unfeeling ice that glazed his blue eyes.
Ginny flopped down in an armchair. "Hmmph." Mummered Ginny.
"Well, would you like to clue your dear, oblivious brother in on what's wrong?"
Ginny looked at him, debating.
"I could hex it for you." Offered Fred. "Or if the problem is a person Geor-I mean I need someone to test my new trick on. This one's a book, that can transfigure itself into whatever you want to read. Then you open it, and SNAP!" he snapped his fingers. "The book jumps out of your hands and closes on your nose."
Ginny cracked the smallest possible smile as she imagined Draco running around Hogwarts with Hogwarts, A History clamped on his nose, with Hermione chasing after him whopping him on the head with her wand.
Fred sat back down in a chair across from Ginny's. "So what is it?" he asked worriedly. "Ron's alright isn't he? And Harry?" Ginny nodded slowly. "Then…Draco?" Ginny's sad face tightened noticeably. "It's over then?" Fred asked softly.
Ginny sighed, and Fred sat in a kind of stupor. He was sure it was his brotherly duty to say something…to do something. Something besides pinching off Draco's nose, or feeding him a Ferret fry and making a crack about how he had always been a rat. But it's hard to save a swimmer when you yourself are drowning, and Fred knew better than to insult Draco. After all, his sister had a mean uppercut. And she hadn't made any smart comments last week when she had found him down by the lake…
~*~*~*Flashback*~*~*~
Fred had just finished his first assignment for Dumbledore, checking the grounds for any dark magic leaks. He had found a small one, but it was so tiny it could not be closed, only monitored closely by nearly every adult in the castle, from Dobby the house elf, to Dumbledore, to The Bloody Baron. Now he walked tiredly back toward his room, where he intended to work on some inventory sheets for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and then maybe take his long term girlfriend Angelina out to the Three Broomsticks for a quick dinner date. As he climbed the loooooooong winding staircase that would lead him to his dormitory, an owl swooped in a small window and landed on his shoulder. The animal was very official looking and wonderfully handsome. It had dark gray feathers, which turned white quite suddenly at the tips. Around its neck was a hand engraved ruby collar. Fred eagerly pulled the parchment from the owls leg and read.
Enchanted Escapades Inc.
To- Mr. Fredrick S. Weasley
From- Monroe Kneebaggs , CEO
IE- Weasley's Wizard Wheezes
Fred,
Here at EEI we have been reviewing you request to open a formal Joke shop in Hogsmeade. The model pranks you sent in for approval were very creative and humorous, and the whole office particularly enjoyed the Shrieking Sugar Sweet. Given these considerations, I would like to extend a hearty welcome toward you and George. Congratulations on becoming part of the Joke Shop Genre. The JSG will see that a store front is open for your business by the beginning of this fiscal year. (a/n I think that is Oct.) WWW stock will be available to purchase by next week on the Dragon Street Stock Exchange.
-Mo
"All right!" cheered Fred, forgetting for a moment that he was standing in the middle of a stairway in Hogwarts. "I've gotta tell George."
And he ran madly the rest of the way upstairs and threw open the dormitory door. There he stopped dead in his tracks and closed his eyes, praying that what he was seeing was only a dream. But when he opened his eyes it was still true. Sitting on the couch closest to the currently empty fire place, holding hands, were George and Angelina. Right now they were looking at Fred with horrified and guilty expressions, but when the door had opened they had been kissing so desperately they were nearly on top of each other. Fred felt the parchment slip from his limp fingers, but he wasn't worried about that piece of paper. At the moment he felt sure his knees were going to give out on him. He turned quickly from the scene and walked as calmly as he could from the scene.
When he had left George squeezed Angelina's hand and got up and picked up the letter Fred had dropped with trembling hands. He could feel every ounce of shock, anger, and regret his brother was feeling. He knew just how lost he felt. He would have even if they hadn't been twins. It was all evident on his face. He returned to the couch with a torn expression. "We got in." He told the girl quietly.
Fred felt the sun pound around him, causing sweat to pop out on his forehead after only a few moments. The Hogwarts grounds were beautiful, and an unnatural heat haze made the landscaping shimmer...magically. The heat was dizzying however, and Fred could feel the environment pounding around him almost as if he was spinning.
And that was how Ginny had found him, an hour later. Sitting on the lake shore, lost in thought, his whole aura covered with a sort of iciness, as if he was trying to protect himself from everything. She seemed to know what had happened, and sat quietly with him until dusk, when he found his knees would work after all. George had tried to talk to him later, but Fred had ignored his attempts. He didn't want to hear how sorry they were, or how feelings were just things that couldn't be controlled. He knew that, and Merlin be boiled if it mattered!
~*~*~ End Flashback~*~*~
That was a week ago. Fred and George hadn't spoken since. It was a strange and unsettling experience for the both of them, before now, even when they had fought there had been a certain comroadery between the two.
Ginny looked at him knowingly. "You can't avoid them forever you know. You're going to make yourself sick if you keep hiding everything."
"I thought I was supposed to be comforting you." Fred reminded her dryly.
She seemed to ignore him. "Go talk to him Fred."
He looked at her, and she smiled, her smile a bit more real this time. "It makes me feel better to focus on your problems. Helping someone sorta helps me forget my problems."
Fred nodded slightly. "Alright Gin, I'll think about talking to him. –Tomorrow though. This is your night. Get your cloak, we'll go to the Three Broomsticks and you can tell me about what happened between you and Draco.
A few moments later two red haired Weasley's were making their way toward Hogsmeade in the twilight, each feeling comforted by the presence of their sibling.
A\n- Ok, you have chapter two. I like it, but that means nothing. Comment, Compliment, Complain, I don't care, its three in the AM and I am tired.
The sunny days the world ended…
Harry and Co are not mine. If they were, I would not be writing fanfics after one in the morning.
There were times; Fred Weasley thought bitterly, that he dearly wished he had not agreed to come back to Hogwarts on an "Educational Apprenticeship." Today was one of those times. He had seen them again. "Them." He scoffed softly. Those two. The two people in the world who knew him better than anyone else. The two people in the world who had hurt him more than he thought possible. Them. Together.
He was sitting on a shimmering armchair in one of Hogwarts many teacher common rooms. The teacher dormitories were much like those of the students, only a bit more equipped and fancier. Basically though, it had a normal common room full of shimmering furniture, and then two staircases curling up to single rooms instead of dorms. Normally, this particular dormitory was an extra one, left empty. This year Dumbledore's three educational apprentices, Fred and George Weasley, and Angelina Johnson were using it.
In the midst of Fred's thoughts, the door to the common room swung open, and Fred nearly jumped up in surprise, fearing what he was going to see. A moment later he breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Ginny. His relief soon turned to dismay however, when he realized she was sobbing uncontrollably.
"Gin!" gasped Fred. "What on earth is the matter?"
Ginny stared deadly at her brother, still crying to hard to talk. After the scene with Draco on the lawn she had run nearly blindly to the Apprentice Dormitory, knowing in her heart that it didn't matter if she found Fred, George of Angelina there, for any of the three would try to comfort her. She was glad it had been Fred though, if she could be glad about anything. He had always been her favorite brother, even though she and Ron were closer in age. Don't misunderstand, she loved all her brothers dearly, but Bill and Charlie were so much older than she was that sometimes they seemed more like uncles. Percy was rather stuffy, and George, who was of course uncannily like Fred, could be a bit more mean spirited than his younger (by 3 min) twin. As for Ron, in this case he wouldn't be any help, because he had despised Draco worse than anyone else.
"Ginny?" Fred asked his little sister again gently. When she still didn't respond he got up from his brooding chair and walked to her. The moment he opened his arms she ran into them, and he rocked her gently, as he had done when she was five and her Jobberknoll died. (It was quite possible that the screaming had scared Ginny more than the demise saddened her.) They stood like that a moment, until finally Ginny became strangely and suddenly calm. When she looked up, her brown eyes, though heavy with sadness, were already beginning to lose their red tinge.
"Better?" Fred asked her, the concern in his voice and sympathetic smile on his face contradicting the unfeeling ice that glazed his blue eyes.
Ginny flopped down in an armchair. "Hmmph." Mummered Ginny.
"Well, would you like to clue your dear, oblivious brother in on what's wrong?"
Ginny looked at him, debating.
"I could hex it for you." Offered Fred. "Or if the problem is a person Geor-I mean I need someone to test my new trick on. This one's a book, that can transfigure itself into whatever you want to read. Then you open it, and SNAP!" he snapped his fingers. "The book jumps out of your hands and closes on your nose."
Ginny cracked the smallest possible smile as she imagined Draco running around Hogwarts with Hogwarts, A History clamped on his nose, with Hermione chasing after him whopping him on the head with her wand.
Fred sat back down in a chair across from Ginny's. "So what is it?" he asked worriedly. "Ron's alright isn't he? And Harry?" Ginny nodded slowly. "Then…Draco?" Ginny's sad face tightened noticeably. "It's over then?" Fred asked softly.
Ginny sighed, and Fred sat in a kind of stupor. He was sure it was his brotherly duty to say something…to do something. Something besides pinching off Draco's nose, or feeding him a Ferret fry and making a crack about how he had always been a rat. But it's hard to save a swimmer when you yourself are drowning, and Fred knew better than to insult Draco. After all, his sister had a mean uppercut. And she hadn't made any smart comments last week when she had found him down by the lake…
~*~*~*Flashback*~*~*~
Fred had just finished his first assignment for Dumbledore, checking the grounds for any dark magic leaks. He had found a small one, but it was so tiny it could not be closed, only monitored closely by nearly every adult in the castle, from Dobby the house elf, to Dumbledore, to The Bloody Baron. Now he walked tiredly back toward his room, where he intended to work on some inventory sheets for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and then maybe take his long term girlfriend Angelina out to the Three Broomsticks for a quick dinner date. As he climbed the loooooooong winding staircase that would lead him to his dormitory, an owl swooped in a small window and landed on his shoulder. The animal was very official looking and wonderfully handsome. It had dark gray feathers, which turned white quite suddenly at the tips. Around its neck was a hand engraved ruby collar. Fred eagerly pulled the parchment from the owls leg and read.
Enchanted Escapades Inc.
To- Mr. Fredrick S. Weasley
From- Monroe Kneebaggs , CEO
IE- Weasley's Wizard Wheezes
Fred,
Here at EEI we have been reviewing you request to open a formal Joke shop in Hogsmeade. The model pranks you sent in for approval were very creative and humorous, and the whole office particularly enjoyed the Shrieking Sugar Sweet. Given these considerations, I would like to extend a hearty welcome toward you and George. Congratulations on becoming part of the Joke Shop Genre. The JSG will see that a store front is open for your business by the beginning of this fiscal year. (a/n I think that is Oct.) WWW stock will be available to purchase by next week on the Dragon Street Stock Exchange.
-Mo
"All right!" cheered Fred, forgetting for a moment that he was standing in the middle of a stairway in Hogwarts. "I've gotta tell George."
And he ran madly the rest of the way upstairs and threw open the dormitory door. There he stopped dead in his tracks and closed his eyes, praying that what he was seeing was only a dream. But when he opened his eyes it was still true. Sitting on the couch closest to the currently empty fire place, holding hands, were George and Angelina. Right now they were looking at Fred with horrified and guilty expressions, but when the door had opened they had been kissing so desperately they were nearly on top of each other. Fred felt the parchment slip from his limp fingers, but he wasn't worried about that piece of paper. At the moment he felt sure his knees were going to give out on him. He turned quickly from the scene and walked as calmly as he could from the scene.
When he had left George squeezed Angelina's hand and got up and picked up the letter Fred had dropped with trembling hands. He could feel every ounce of shock, anger, and regret his brother was feeling. He knew just how lost he felt. He would have even if they hadn't been twins. It was all evident on his face. He returned to the couch with a torn expression. "We got in." He told the girl quietly.
Fred felt the sun pound around him, causing sweat to pop out on his forehead after only a few moments. The Hogwarts grounds were beautiful, and an unnatural heat haze made the landscaping shimmer...magically. The heat was dizzying however, and Fred could feel the environment pounding around him almost as if he was spinning.
And that was how Ginny had found him, an hour later. Sitting on the lake shore, lost in thought, his whole aura covered with a sort of iciness, as if he was trying to protect himself from everything. She seemed to know what had happened, and sat quietly with him until dusk, when he found his knees would work after all. George had tried to talk to him later, but Fred had ignored his attempts. He didn't want to hear how sorry they were, or how feelings were just things that couldn't be controlled. He knew that, and Merlin be boiled if it mattered!
~*~*~ End Flashback~*~*~
That was a week ago. Fred and George hadn't spoken since. It was a strange and unsettling experience for the both of them, before now, even when they had fought there had been a certain comroadery between the two.
Ginny looked at him knowingly. "You can't avoid them forever you know. You're going to make yourself sick if you keep hiding everything."
"I thought I was supposed to be comforting you." Fred reminded her dryly.
She seemed to ignore him. "Go talk to him Fred."
He looked at her, and she smiled, her smile a bit more real this time. "It makes me feel better to focus on your problems. Helping someone sorta helps me forget my problems."
Fred nodded slightly. "Alright Gin, I'll think about talking to him. –Tomorrow though. This is your night. Get your cloak, we'll go to the Three Broomsticks and you can tell me about what happened between you and Draco.
A few moments later two red haired Weasley's were making their way toward Hogsmeade in the twilight, each feeling comforted by the presence of their sibling.
A\n- Ok, you have chapter two. I like it, but that means nothing. Comment, Compliment, Complain, I don't care, its three in the AM and I am tired.