Summer after Fourth Year:
Ginny stopped reading her book about Serena the Sorceress when she heard a crash against the door beside her. Percy occupied the room next to hers, of course. Sighing, she set down her book (and it was just getting to the good part!) and walked over to lean on Percy's door. "What's wrong now?" she asked, sighing.
"Reparo," Percy muttered, fixing the paperweight he had just thrown across the room. "It's Fred and George! When will they learn to grow up?"
"What'd they do this time?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Percy sighed and put on a suffering expression. "They put a bucket of paint over my door. It was supposed to fall on me, but it fell on my boss, Mr. Weatherby, instead."
"And you got yelled at," Ginny finished.
Percy growled in frustration. "Don't they realize the kind of danger the world is in? If they could only get serious-"
"Then they wouldn't be Fred and George," Ginny finished. "And they'd have lost their Weasley spirit. Which I think someone else around here has."
Percy sputtered. "Just because I choose not to participate in such silly pranks-"
"Get serious," Ginny retorted. "You haven't played a prank since Third Year. You've lost your Weasley spirit."
Percy's voice was cold. "And do you remember what happened during that last prank?"
Ginny sighed. "It was one prank. Mum's long since forgiven you for it. She's even worried now. You used to play the best pranks."
"I almost killed her, Ginny," Percy said. "If it had come tumbling down a second later, she wouldn't have been able to stop it."
"Stop being melodramatic," Ginny said sharply. "Mum wouldn't have died. At best, she would have broken bones, but she could have had them mended."
"You don't know what it was like," Percy said in an anguished voice, "seeing the prank go wrong and seeing it falling on her like that. She looked like she was going to die!"
"All I know is that everyone in this family is worried about you," Ginny said. "You know perfectly well that Fred and George are only trying to get you to play a prank again. Even Mum and Dad are worried."
"But-"
"No buts," Ginny said. "Remember the Weasley Quote: 'Don't get mad, get even.' Are you going to forsake your Weasley roots?"
Percy smiled lopsidedly, in a way he hadn't for a long time. "It'd be kind of hard not to with this hair and these freckles."
"That's my favorite brother," Ginny said broadly. "Now, what are you going to do to them?"
Percy glanced at his sister. "You don't honestly think I'm going to tell you beforehand, do you?" he asked.
Ginny sighed. "Never mind." She turned back to her room, unsure of whether she had done the right thing. Percy playing pranks? Oh, dear.
A week later.
Percy calmly ate dinner. He kept a Sneakoscope with him at all times now, so Fred and George had not successfully pranked him in a long time. All of a sudden, it began whirring. "Aparecio." Originally a spell to reveal invisible ink, he had modified it until it would reveal whatever Fred and George's latest prank was him was. His steak immediately glowed green. A simple wave of his wand, and the steak was no longer there. Fred and George scowled.
As they sullenly drank their porridge, neither of them noticed the extraordinary transformation occurring.
Molly Weasley was the first to notice, and then Ginny. Ron followed closely, and then Bill and Charlie. Arthur Weasley was the last to notice. He cleared his throat. "Umm . boys. I understand your need to rebel. After all, I went through the same phase. But dying your hair is still against Burrow rules."
Fred blinked. George blinked. "Dying our hair?" they exclaimed at the same time. Both turned to look at the other, and began gaping.
George had magenta hair, streaked with electric purple. His eyes were a fetching red-and-black polka dots. His ears had grown out and now resembled those of an elephant. His face had grown a long elephant's nose.
Fred had hot pink hair streaked with black. His eyes were red and blue polka-dotted. He wore a girly pink dress with pink bows and frilly lace. His hair had grown, and was pulled back with pink bows that clashed with his hot-pink-and-black hair. His face had grown weaselly, with whiskers poking out of a rat's nose.
Both gaped for a while more. Mr. Weasley was trying to choke back his laughter. Bill and Charlie were eying each other, trying to decide who had done it. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were both looking at the smug Percy.
"This is bloody brilliant," Fred exclaimed.
"Who pranked us?" George asked eagerly. "We'll pay you if you tell us what you exactly you did to us."
"Bill?" Bill shook his head.
"Charlie?" Charlie shook his head.
"Ron?" Ron shook his head.
"Ginny?" Ginny shook her head, while smirking.
"Is this another of your punishments, Dad?" Fred asked suspiciously. "Like when you made Charlie belt out bawdy songs every time he checked out a girl?"
Mr. Weasley coughed uncomfortably at the shrewd gaze of his wife. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said as blandly as he could.
"Mum?" George asked. "This isn't like when he turned Dad's hair green because you thought he was cheating on you, is it?"
Molly blinked. "That happened way before you were born. How did you know about that?"
All eyes turned to Percy. "A simple combination, really," he smirked. "A little Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and voila." He leaned forward. "Who did you say was an insufferable sprat?"
The End
I just felt very sorry for Percy. That's all.
Ginny stopped reading her book about Serena the Sorceress when she heard a crash against the door beside her. Percy occupied the room next to hers, of course. Sighing, she set down her book (and it was just getting to the good part!) and walked over to lean on Percy's door. "What's wrong now?" she asked, sighing.
"Reparo," Percy muttered, fixing the paperweight he had just thrown across the room. "It's Fred and George! When will they learn to grow up?"
"What'd they do this time?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Percy sighed and put on a suffering expression. "They put a bucket of paint over my door. It was supposed to fall on me, but it fell on my boss, Mr. Weatherby, instead."
"And you got yelled at," Ginny finished.
Percy growled in frustration. "Don't they realize the kind of danger the world is in? If they could only get serious-"
"Then they wouldn't be Fred and George," Ginny finished. "And they'd have lost their Weasley spirit. Which I think someone else around here has."
Percy sputtered. "Just because I choose not to participate in such silly pranks-"
"Get serious," Ginny retorted. "You haven't played a prank since Third Year. You've lost your Weasley spirit."
Percy's voice was cold. "And do you remember what happened during that last prank?"
Ginny sighed. "It was one prank. Mum's long since forgiven you for it. She's even worried now. You used to play the best pranks."
"I almost killed her, Ginny," Percy said. "If it had come tumbling down a second later, she wouldn't have been able to stop it."
"Stop being melodramatic," Ginny said sharply. "Mum wouldn't have died. At best, she would have broken bones, but she could have had them mended."
"You don't know what it was like," Percy said in an anguished voice, "seeing the prank go wrong and seeing it falling on her like that. She looked like she was going to die!"
"All I know is that everyone in this family is worried about you," Ginny said. "You know perfectly well that Fred and George are only trying to get you to play a prank again. Even Mum and Dad are worried."
"But-"
"No buts," Ginny said. "Remember the Weasley Quote: 'Don't get mad, get even.' Are you going to forsake your Weasley roots?"
Percy smiled lopsidedly, in a way he hadn't for a long time. "It'd be kind of hard not to with this hair and these freckles."
"That's my favorite brother," Ginny said broadly. "Now, what are you going to do to them?"
Percy glanced at his sister. "You don't honestly think I'm going to tell you beforehand, do you?" he asked.
Ginny sighed. "Never mind." She turned back to her room, unsure of whether she had done the right thing. Percy playing pranks? Oh, dear.
A week later.
Percy calmly ate dinner. He kept a Sneakoscope with him at all times now, so Fred and George had not successfully pranked him in a long time. All of a sudden, it began whirring. "Aparecio." Originally a spell to reveal invisible ink, he had modified it until it would reveal whatever Fred and George's latest prank was him was. His steak immediately glowed green. A simple wave of his wand, and the steak was no longer there. Fred and George scowled.
As they sullenly drank their porridge, neither of them noticed the extraordinary transformation occurring.
Molly Weasley was the first to notice, and then Ginny. Ron followed closely, and then Bill and Charlie. Arthur Weasley was the last to notice. He cleared his throat. "Umm . boys. I understand your need to rebel. After all, I went through the same phase. But dying your hair is still against Burrow rules."
Fred blinked. George blinked. "Dying our hair?" they exclaimed at the same time. Both turned to look at the other, and began gaping.
George had magenta hair, streaked with electric purple. His eyes were a fetching red-and-black polka dots. His ears had grown out and now resembled those of an elephant. His face had grown a long elephant's nose.
Fred had hot pink hair streaked with black. His eyes were red and blue polka-dotted. He wore a girly pink dress with pink bows and frilly lace. His hair had grown, and was pulled back with pink bows that clashed with his hot-pink-and-black hair. His face had grown weaselly, with whiskers poking out of a rat's nose.
Both gaped for a while more. Mr. Weasley was trying to choke back his laughter. Bill and Charlie were eying each other, trying to decide who had done it. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were both looking at the smug Percy.
"This is bloody brilliant," Fred exclaimed.
"Who pranked us?" George asked eagerly. "We'll pay you if you tell us what you exactly you did to us."
"Bill?" Bill shook his head.
"Charlie?" Charlie shook his head.
"Ron?" Ron shook his head.
"Ginny?" Ginny shook her head, while smirking.
"Is this another of your punishments, Dad?" Fred asked suspiciously. "Like when you made Charlie belt out bawdy songs every time he checked out a girl?"
Mr. Weasley coughed uncomfortably at the shrewd gaze of his wife. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said as blandly as he could.
"Mum?" George asked. "This isn't like when he turned Dad's hair green because you thought he was cheating on you, is it?"
Molly blinked. "That happened way before you were born. How did you know about that?"
All eyes turned to Percy. "A simple combination, really," he smirked. "A little Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and voila." He leaned forward. "Who did you say was an insufferable sprat?"
The End
I just felt very sorry for Percy. That's all.