To my dearest readers:
I thank you so much for encouraging me to finish this fic. I cannot describe in words how very much it means to me. Also thanks to Kat for helping me along when I was stuck in the hard bits. I am surprised (and delighted) to find that my reviews have doubled what my goal was, bringing my up to a total of 60 reviews. Thank you, thank you, oh so very much. You really don't know how much it means to me to know that people like and read this fanfic, even with its little added characters and quirks. I am going to continue on with this story as if I have not read the Order of the Phoenix (which I have, by the way . . . Umbridge will BURN! And yes, Percy is a jerk in it, but ya know . . . .what can you do?), that way, messy details will not get in the way. And yes, I already have a sequel planned, which changed a bit after I got the idea for a different fanfic, but I have found a way to morph it into a sequel that includes a bit of some of the parts from the Order of the Phoenix. Again, thank you so, so much for your unyielding support. And please, constructive criticism is welcome and recommended, as are plain and simple complimentary reviews.
Much love and thanks,
~ The Adoring Author
Chapter 4.3
Jingle Bells, Part 3
For Mondo, the last week before Christmas break was torture. Tsunami had totally shut him out. She rarely acknowledged him at all, and only spoke to him when it was necessary. She didn't do her homework in their kitchen with him anymore, but instead did it in her common room where he couldn't get to her, for he didn't know the password into the Gryffindor common room. Whenever he'd tried to explain to her what had happened, she'd turn her back on him and walk away, or just ignore him completely, which she did most of the time anyway. It wasn't just Tsunami ignoring him that filled him with remorse; it was the black eye he was now sporting from Lee Jordan punching him in the face. He jaw also throbbed from time to time as well.
Finally, their things they were taking home for break were packed and the people who were going home for break had boarded the train.
Tsunami, Lee, Fred and George were seated in one of the compartments, eating chocolate frogs and talking about what they'd do over break.
"Well, my family and I are going over to New York." Lee was telling them. "My mum's always into plays and musicals and that sort of stuff, so we're going up there to do that sort of stuff and see the sights."
"Wow." Tsunami sighed enviously, biting off one of her chocolate frog's head. "That sounds so fun! Make sure you see a play called "Hairspray". It's the greatest play ever."
"That just gave me an idea!" Fred exclaimed, sitting up in his seat. Everyone in the compartment looked at him.
"What?" George asked. "Something for the Weasley Wizard Wheezes?"
"Ya! Hairspray!" Fred exclaimed, practically bouncing in his seat. "We can make a hairspray that turns people's hair green!" Tsunami's lips lifted in a smile.
"Creative, most definitely," she said. "I have to admit, I never would've thought of that. But then again, this is from the guys that invented dissolving underwear."
"That was my idea!" George said proudly.
"It was not!" Fred protested. "It was my idea!"
"How about we compromise and say that it was both of your ideas?" Lee asked.
"No way! Are you nuts?" the Weasleys Twins exclaimed at the same time, both turning appalled faces on Lee. Tsunami shook her head, rolling her eyes.
The rest of the train ride was generally peaceful. Katie Bell came in and talked to them at one point, Lee slowly turning a boiling shade of red until, when Katie left, he looked like an apple despite his brown skin. When Angelina wandered into their car, looking for Fred, the poor guy stuttered so badly that he was even worse than Ginny had been. They all had a good laugh after he left. Ron and Hermione stopped by with Harry and Ginny a little later, and they all had lunch and talked.
Finally, Fred had returned to the compartment and right after that was when the trouble started. Their jaws had almost dropped at his disheveled appearance. He sat down next to his brother again, smiling almost in a goofy manner.
"Had fun, did you?" Tsunami asked. Fred started, coming out of his reverie.
"Wh-what makes you say that?" he asked. Tsunami sent a side-glance at Lee and George, and they all grinned.
"Well, the fact that your robes are badly ruffled-"
"Your hair is very mused-"
"You have lipstick all over your face- specifically the kind Angelina wears, might I add-"
"And you have a hickey on your shoulder." Tsunami finished, pointing to his right shoulder and grinned. Fred looked startled and quickly pulled his robes into their proper position.
"Boy . . . I sure hope you used protection." Lee told him, giving him a searching look. Fred turned the color of a beet.
"W-we didn't get that far!" he exclaimed so loudly that several people in the car looked at him. His three friends raised an eyebrow at him.
"Uh huh. Sure." George said, elbowing his twin. "You can tell me!" Fred glared at his brother.
"There's nothing to tell!" he snapped. Tsunami grinned.
"Sure. Better wipe all the lipstick your face, Fred." Tsunami said, handing him a towel. Fred furiously grabbed the towel, and practically rubbed his face raw. The three of them laughed at him when he handed the towel back to Tsunami.
"Fred, I think you rubbed all the skin on your face off." Lee chuckled. Indeed, it looked like that. His face was bright red, both from embarrassment and the coarseness of the towel. They had all been laughing when the compartment door slid open and Mondo stormed in. Tsunami had immediately stiffened, and the three boys looked curiously surprised.
"Alright. I've had enough of this." Mondo growled, grabbing Tsunami arm and beginning to drag her out. Lee, Fred and George stood up quickly, almost getting ready to defend their friend, though they immediately sat down, starring at Mondo with wide eyes when he snapped at them, "Stay out of it." Tsunami hooked her fingers on the side of the door to keep him from dragging her out of the compartment.
"Leave me alone!" she protested. Fred, whistling as though he was minding his own business, side swiped his hand across her fingers, prying them from the door. Her death threats finally faded as Mondo dragged her away to the next car.
"I really think she is gonna kill me . . . better go find Angelina!" Fred stood, whistling happily.
"You're just looking for an excuse to go see her." Lee sighed. Fred blinked down at him.
"Of course I am!" Fred told him. "I don't want to just go crawling back to her, do I? I need to have an excuse!" George and Lee nodded their heads in agreement. The male ego was a very fragile thing.
"Good luck." George called after him as Fred walked out, whistling happily.
--- ~* ~*
Mondo finally dragged Tsunami into his compartment, closing the door behind them and locking it.
"Now, you are going to hear me out because I'm sick of you ignoring me!" Mondo told her. Tsunami only glared at him.
"Fine." she said, plopping down on one of the padded seats. Mondo seemed incredulous.
"You'll hear me out? Really?" he asked. Tsunami rolled her eyes.
"What choice to I have?" she asked.
"Good point." Mondo admitted. "First, let me say that I didn't want to kiss Tiffany." Tsunami gave him a skeptical look. "I mean it! I wasn't a willing participant!"
"Sure. You expect me to believe that?" Tsunami asked him. "You looked pretty cozy to me."
"It was out of my control!" Mondo protested. "She was the one who advanced on me!"
"So why didn't you fend her off?" Tsunami asked, her voice rising in octave. "You've been doing it for years!" Mondo rubbed his forehead in an expression of one who is getting a headache.
"Tiffany's been pretty persistent over the years. I guess this time she got fed up with me fending off her every move and did a direct approach I couldn't prevent." Mondo sighed, sitting down across from her.
"Sullivan, you could prevent-" Tsunami's sentence was cut off as a knock sounded at the door. The two looked up to see Tiffany waving cheerily through the glass, a lunch in her hand. She obviously was looking to share her lunch with the boy she called her boyfriend. Mondo groaned, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
"God no . . . not now . . ." he sighed. Tsunami rolled her eyes.
"I'll get it." she stood and unlocked the door. Tiffany practically bounded into the room, pushing past Tsunami without so much as a thank you and walking over to Mondo, her hips swaying in a way that was sure to entice any man to her. Tsunami's blood boiled.
"Mondo, honey! I brought you lunch!" Tiffany cooed. Mondo looked annoyed.
"I already ate." he growled at her. "And don't call me honey." Tiffany looked slightly hurt, though Tsunami could tell it was completely fake.
"Now, darling, is that anyway to talk to your girlfriend?" Tiffany asked, feigning the hurt princess. Mondo's lip lifted in a slight snarl. He was obviously almost at the end of his rope. Then he blinked and looked at Tsunami as if something dawned on him.
"Tiffany, you never were my girlfriend." Mondo told her, standing up and walking past her and over to Tsunami. He stood behind her and put his arms around her waist in an obviously possessive gesture. Tsunami gave him a funny look over her shoulder. "Tsunami's my girlfriend." Both girls' eyebrows shot up at that one.
"What the-" Tsunami began to ask, but Mondo shushed her.
"Play along." he whispered in her ear. Tsunami shot him a 'After this is over, I'm gonna murder you' look, rolled her eyes heavenward, then decided to play along.
"That's right Tiffany." Tsunami said, grinning at the other girl and lacing her fingers through Mondo's, that were still around her waist. "You actually think I'd let you have my boyfriend, you've got to be foolin' yourself. Mondo and I have been going out since the beginning of the year." Okay, so that last part wasn't exactly true . . . at the beginning of the year, they'd hated each other, but then again, this whole thing was a façade . . . right? By now, Tiffany was sputtering indignantly by this point, looking both outraged and shocked. Tsunamis sighed, deciding that if she were going to get rid of this girl, she'd have to take it one step further. She turned her head to the side to give Mondo a peck on the cheek, but as she did, almost as if planned, he turned his head towards her at the same instant, and their lips met.
Tsunami's eyes grew to about the size of dinner plates as Mondo kissed her. His lips were warm and supple, and she resisted the urge to nibble on them. When he pulled back, Tiffany was staring at them as though she'd never seen anything so shocking.
"B-but how-? She's just-! She's so short and temperamental and-" Tiffany's list continued. Mondo, eyes hard, moved towards Tiffany.
"If you insult Tsunami one more time-" His threat went unfinished as Tiffany gave him a frightened look and scurried out, taking her lunch with her. When she was gone, Mondo closed the door after her.
Tsunami was still in shock. Mondo had kissed her . . . he had kissed her! What the hell was he thinking?! She opened her mouth to yell at him but barely got the words out before Mondo crushed her against him. What the hell-? He was nuzzling her ear!
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked him. Mondo immediately dropped his hands and stepped back, as if he had been physically punched.
"Er . . . well . . . I just thought . . ." For once in his life around a girl, Mondo Sullivan was at a loss for words.
"You thought what?" Tsunami asked, folding her arms over her chest.
"I'm sorry . . ." Mondo sighed, looking defeated and depressed, his eyes downcast. "I didn't know that you didn't like it." Tsunami raised an eyebrow at him.
"Who said I didn't like it?" Tsunami asked. Mondo's eyes shot up to hers in surprise.
"Huh? But you said-"
"I'm just making sure we're on the same ground." Tsunami told him. "This thing is more than an act now, right." Mondo looked like a puppy who'd just been giving a treat.
"Only if you want it to be!" he said eagerly. Tsunami could almost see him mentally wagging his tail. Tsunami cocked her finger at him in a 'come hither' gesture. Needless to say, it worked.
--- ~* ~*
By the time Tsunami wandered back to her own car after a snuggle-and-kiss session and sat down, Fred had still not returned. None of them were surprised.
"So . . ." Lee prompted.
"So what?" Tsunami asked, dodging him.
"What was that all about?" Tsunami shrugged at Lee's question.
"Nothing inparticular." she said. Lee looked at her through half- lidded eyes.
"And if you expect me to believe that, I have a bridge to sell you. So went out roaring like a tiger and came back as tame as a kitten." Tsunami narrowed her eyes at Lee's description. He ignored her. "Something must've happened." Tsunami rolled her eyes. Why did he always act like such a big brother?
'Best to get it over with . . .' she thought.
"I have a boyfriend." she sighed. Lee stood, and began to head out the door when George grabbed the back of his robes.
"Lee, you don't have to grill every man Tsunami dates. She is our age." George told Lee, and Tsunami beamed at him, grateful for his help.
"But-!" Lee began to protest.
"Oh do sit down!" Tsunami growled, frustrated. "You're acting like the older brother I never had." Lee winced slightly, but it was so quick Tsunami almost missed it.
"Alright, alright . . . but I get to grill him later." Lee said, plopping down back in his seat. Tsunami rolled her eyes again.
"Fine. Whatever."
"Attention all students. The train will arrive at Platform 9 and ¾ in five minutes. Please get ready to disembark." The magical voice of one of the attendants floated through their compartment. Almost at the same time, Fred wandered into the compartment, looking even more mused then before. Tsunami only raised an eyebrow at him, taking in the very, very messy robes, the mused hair, the fact that his shirt was undone, and he had lipstick not just on his face this time. Tsunami handed him a towel
"I think you'll have to use water this time, Fred." Tsunami told him. Fred only grinned in a goofy manner.
"Okie dokie!" he said, and wandered out again, presumably to find a bathroom.
"He is one lucky bastard." George said. Lee laughed, and Tsunami only rolled her eyes again.
"George, I noticed you're the only one who doesn't have a crush on anyone." Tsunami said. George blinked at Tsunami's statement.
"That's because I'm not so stupid as to tell you guys," he said, grinning.
"Good point." Lee agreed. "Well, I'd better get our stuff down."
"I can't wait! Now I get to meet your guy's family!" Tsunami said, grinning as she watched Lee pull the stuff down from the shelf where it was kept.
"Ya!" Fred agreed. "Mum will love you, I'm sure."
"You're mum loves almost everyone anyway." Lee said, handing Tsunami her bag.
"Exactly!" George told him, and they laughed. Fred wandered back into the compartment just before the train came to a stop, his hair recombed, shirt buttoned, robes readjusted, and face scrubbed clean. They all stood, bags in hand and began to make their way to the front of the train. Tsunami followed the twins and Lee off the train, careful to keep them in site so as not to loose them. As they walked off they walked through the compartments, they spotted Hermione and Ron, who were talking to each other in low voices. Every few minutes, Hermione would giggle and blush a bit. Tsunami rolled her eyes.
"You two having fun?" she asked pleasantly, tapping her two friends on the shoulders. Hermione's head snapped around so fast that Tsunami thought she might break her neck, and Ron's ears turned the color of a tomato. "I think I just answered my own question there." Tsunami grinned.
"Bugger off." Ron growled at her, his ears turning redder. Tsunami grinned at him, ruffled his hair, and then returned to the twins.
"What was that all about?" George asked. Tsunami smiled.
"Just annoying Ron, that's all. It's my new hobby, don't you know?" she told them. Fred grinned.
"If you like annoying Ron, then you'll love annoying Percy." he told her. Tsunami frowned at the mention of a boy named 'Percy'. The name sounded familiar from somewhere, but she just couldn't seem to drag it up.
"Percy?" she asked uncertainly. "Who's he?"
"One of our elder brothers. He follows so close to the rules they're practically his bible." George explained.
"Scary." Tsunami told them, raising her eyebrows.
"No kidding. You should've seen him when he was at Hogwarts. It was like we couldn't put a foot out of line before he was on us." Fred sighed. Tsunami raised her eyebrows.
"I'm kinda scared to meet him now . . ." she muttered. The Twins laughed.
"Oh, don't worry about it, Tsunami! If we've been able to live with him without going insane, then I'm sure you can manage for a week." George assured her.
"It might drive you to the brink of insanity though . . ." Fred added as an afterthought.
"Oh goody." Tsunami muttered. Lee had gotten off the train before them, and was waiting on the platform for them. As they caught up with them, he pointed Mrs. Weasley out to them.
"There's your mum, you guys." he said, pointing to where a slightly plump woman with red hair the same shade as her children's stood. Tsunami frowned, trying to look where Lee was pointing, but found that she was too short to see over all the heads.
"Where?" she asked. "I can't see!"
"That's because of your height, Shorty." Fred grinned. Tsunami glared at him, then stamped down on the instep of his foot.
"Yow!" Fred began hopping around the platform, holding his foot. "Bugger! My foot!" He was so loud that people began to stop and stare.
"George! Stop that this instant!" Mrs. Weasley came bustling over, glaring at her son.
"I'm not doing anything, mum." George, who was standing next to Tsunami, protested. Mrs. Weasley looked over at him.
"Sorry George dear. Fred! Would to stop that?" Mrs. Weasley snapped at him. "You're making a scene!"
"Ouch . . . sorry mum." Fred apologized, sending a glare at Tsunami. Tsunami just innocently avoided his gaze.
"Mum, this is Tsunami." George said, putting his hand on Tsunami shoulder and shoving her forward a bit.
"Er . . . nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley. Fred and George have told me so much about you." Tsunami said, smiling nervously. Mrs. Weasley practically beamed.
"Well, it's wonderful to meet you Tsunami! It's nice to know that someone's keeping my boys in line." Mrs. Weasley smiled. Tsunami smiled back, relaxing.
"That's my job!" she said pleasantly. The twins only rolled their eyes.
"Hey mum! Are Perce and Dad still at work?" Ginny asked, arriving with Ron, Hermione and Harry.
"Yes Ginny dear. They'll be home in a couple hours. Now, do we have everybody?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking around at the many children around her. "Good! Then let's go." They turned to go, but a voice, calling Tsunami, made them turn.
"Tsunami!" Tsunami turned, smiling, as Mondo ran up to her. "Thinkin' of leaving without saying goodbye?" he asked. Tsunami grinned at him.
"Me? Never." she said.
"Just making sure." Mondo said, then kissed her. Fred and George stared, Lee looked infuriated, both Ron and Harry looked shocked, and Ginny and Hermione were smirking in a way that said they knew something no one else did. Tsunami got down off tiptoe as the kiss ended.
"You'd better write to me mister, or I'll have your head." Tsunami told him, hugging him around his midsection.
"Yes ma'am." he said, kissing her on the forehead. "I'll see you when we get back." He disengaged himself from Tsunami, and headed off in the direction of an older woman who was calling his name. Tsunami waved after him until he had disappeared into the crowd. Once he had disappeared she turned back to everyone else. Both Ginny and Hermione opened their mouths, but Tsunami silenced them quickly.
"Don't say anything. Either of you." she said, eyeing the two. The other girls only grinned. "Bye Lee!" Tsunami told her friend, grinning cheerily at him as though nothing had happened. Lee glared at her, gave her a quick hug, and turned and stomped off.
"Are we ready to go now?" Mrs. Weasley asked, then began to walk towards the parking lot, one by one, and each person filed in pairs of three and four behind her. It made the muggles in King's Cross turn and stare for a second, but no one in the party seemed to notice. They finally, with great difficulty, finally all fit into the car, though Hermione had to sit on Ron's lap (though it was not looking as if either of them was about to complain). A blushing Ginny, much to Tsunami and Hermione's amusement (not to mention Ron and the Twin's protesting), was forced to sit on Harry's lap. Both she and Harry seemed extremely embarrassed. Tsunami insisted on taking a picture, but was soon stopped by Harry, who "accidentally" threw her camera out the window.
By the time they reached the Burrow, Tsunami was still grumbling something about a lost opportunity, but Harry and Ginny chose to ignore her. They all climbed out of the car, Tsunami catching her first glimpse of the Burrow. Tsunami's eyes widened at the snow-covered garden filled with unimaginable plants, and the house with it's crooked chimney.
"Sugoi!" she exclaimed breathlessly. Fred and George, not being able to speak Japanese, had no clue what this meant. (A.N.- Sugoi means "wow" in Japanese.)
"Well...it's not much but-" George started.
"It's what we've got." Fred finished, the two twins shrugged. It was so obvious they'd rehearsed it, it took all of Tsunami's control not to laugh.
"It's wonderful!" Tsunami told them. The twins immediately relaxed.
"You'll be sleeping with Hermione and me in my room." Ginny told her, as they headed towards the door. "Fred, George, Harry and Ron will be sharing Ron's room, Bill and Charley, my other brothers, will be using Fred and George's room, and Percy will have his own room." Tsunami frowned.
"Why does Percy get his own room?" Tsunami asked.
"Because he has to work on Ministry Business." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
"He works for the Ministry?" Tsunami asked.
"Yup. He worships his boss so much it's scary." Fred told her. Tsunami grinned.
"Ooo . . . this is gonna be fun!" she said, rubbing her hands together. Fred and George looked at Tsunami, then looked at each other, then shrugged and continued on into the house.
--- ~* ~*
They were setting the table for dinner when they heard the door click open and two male voices arguing about something.
"Dad, you don't understand! That's what Mr. Hogswoble is there for! He's supposed to give orders!" the younger voice insisted.
"Only to the people that work under him, not the ones that are in the same position! You, my son, are being a wimp!" the older, more gruff voice reprimanded the other.
"I am not!" the younger voice sputtered indignantly. "I'm just doing my job!"
"Doing your job? DOING YOUR JOB?!" the older voice roared. "Doing your job, my foot! You shouldn't kissing up to that guy, Percy! There is no need for you to take his crap!" The commotion had drawn the three people who were setting the table, Tsunami, Fred and George, along with Mrs. Weasley, who was working in the kitchen, to the front door. A tall balding man looking in about his late forties, was yelling, red-eared, at the younger man before him. The younger man had obviously not inherited the older man's height, and had to look up to yell back. His neck was as red as the other man's ears, and his black-rimmed glasses were slipping down his nose. Tsunami was afraid they were going to fall off.
"Arthur! Percy! Stop this at once!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. For once, they didn't listen to her. They were to caught up in their own heated argument. Everyone present seemed too enthralled with the argument going on in front of them to notice that Tsunami was staring at Percy intently, frowning.
Finally she seemed to snap out of her reverie, and noticing all the yelling, deciding to end it all. She took a deep breath and shouted "SHUT UP!" loud and long until everyone was looking at her, with either (in Percy, Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley's case) a bewildered or (in the twin's case) an amused look on their faces. Tsunami threw up her hands in disgust.
"Honestly! I thought I'd never live to see the day I'd see two grown men fighting indecently! You two either finish this up in a civil manner, or go somewhere else!" Tsunami told them, sounding strangely like Mrs. Weasley. With that, she turned around and stomped back to the kitchen. Everyone, even the twins, looked stunned.
"Well." Mr. Weasley said, breaking the silence. "I have to admit, that's the first time I've been reprimanded by a fourteen year old . . ."
"I heard that!" Tsunami shouted from the kitchen, and Mr. Weasley winced. "I am seventeen, thank you very much!" The twins broke into identical grins.
"I say . . ." one started.
"I've seen her mad, but never this mad." the other finished.
"Well, what about that time Mondo-" the first twin was quickly shut up by his brother kicking him in the shins. "Ow! Alright! I get the picture."
"C'mon, let's go finish setting the table." the second twin told the first. The first nodded, and they headed off towards the kitchen, leaving the three adults with stunned looks on their faces.
--- ~* ~*
"Hey Tsunami? You okay?" Fred asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Tsunami had been furiously setting the very large table for a large number of people, lost in her own worried thoughts. When Fred said this to her, she gave a start, and looked back at him.
"Oh, hi Fred. I was just . . . thinking." Tsunami finished lamely. Both of the twins frowned.
"Thinking?" George asked. "About what?" Tsunami sat down in the chair right next to her, and ran her hands through her hair.
"I'm thinking that I shouldn't have yelled at them the way I did . . ." Tsunami sighed. Both the twins frowned.
"Well, why did you yell at them?" Fred asked, pulling out a chair from the table and sitting in front of her.
"Because I guess I was just panicking . . . I should've thought first."
"Panicking?" George asked, who was leaning against the table to the right of her. "About what?" Tsunami opened her mouth to answer, but, to the twin's despair, Percy strolled furiously into the room, trailing papers in his wake. The twins looked maliciously at the papers on the floor, and considered spilling disappearing ink on them. They never had the chance to, though, because Tsunami got up and began picking them up, trailing behind Percy. Finally, Percy turned just as Tsunami was standing, and they bumped into each other. Since Tsunami was smaller and had less momentum, she fell back onto her butt with a hard 'thump'. Percy blinked, bewildered.
"Oh dear. Terribly sorry!" Percy exclaimed, helping her to her feet.
"S'alright." Tsunami said, dusting herself off. Tsunami motioned to the stack of papers in her hand. "You dropped these. I didn't think you noticed, so I picked them up."
"Thank you so much." Percy made a move to grab the papers out of her hand, but Tsunami stepped back.
"I'm afraid you haven't introduced yourself yet." she told him, almost in a reprimanding voice. Percy blinked.
"Well then . . . I'm Percy Weasley." He made another grab for the papers, but again, Tsunami stepped out of his reach.
"That wasn't a proper introduction, and you know it. In your haste to get work done have you forgotten your manners?" Tsunami asked him. Percy stiffened, as if he'd been mortally insulted. He drew himself up, and looked her in the eye, sticking out his hand.
"I'm Percy Einstein Weasley. It is a pleasure to meet you Miss . . ." Percy trailed off, remembering he had no idea what this girl's name was.
"Tsunami. Tsunami Nudelman." Tsunami beamed at him, shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Percy. I'm Fred and George's friend." Percy raised an eyebrow at this, and stole a look at his younger twin brothers.
"Are you now? Keeping them in line a hope." he said. Tsunami blinked curiously at him.
"Why on earth would I want to do that?" Tsunami asked. Percy looked horrified and quickly dropped her hand.
"Because it's breaking the rules, what they do!" Percy exclaimed.
"So?" Tsunami asked confused. Then she looked as though something dawned on her. "Oh! You must be the brother who acts like a stuffed shirt!" Percy's eyes widened, as Fred choked on his laughter, and had to be pounded on the back by George, who was laughing as well.
"S-s-s-stuffed shirt?!" Percy exclaimed. It looked almost as if steam would come out of his ears.
"Well sure! Always following all the rules . . . never putting one foot out of line . . . sucking up to those superior. You know, a stuffed shirt!" Tsunami told him. Percy's lip was lifted in a vicious snarl, but Tsunami ignored this and continued to smile up at him. He angrily grabbed his papers from Tsunami, then turned and stomped out of the kitchen. Fred and George could on stare.
"Why, on earth, did you do that?" Fred asked incredulously. "You purposely made him hate you!" Tsunami ran a hand through her hair again, looking worried.
"I'm not making him hate me deliberately, Fred. I'm just seeing if I could get at least a reaction out of him." she told him. Both Fred and George frowned.
"Why?" George asked. "What for?"
"Sit down. This will take a bit to explain." Tsunami said, sitting down herself. The twins shrugged, seating themselves as well. When they were settled, Tsunami began. "Back in my 3rd year, I took a class on Seeing. Not the Seeing like Divination, but a different type of Seeing. The kind of Seeing that you use to read people. There was this one boy, David Whitman was his name, and he always seemed strange to me because of his aura. It always seemed dimmer than the other peoples' auras around him. I didn't know that what was happening to him could eventually kill him, because I knew nothing about the extent of seeing auras. By the time we got around to the dimming of auras in class, and I recognized the signs and that his soul was fading, it was too late. He was too far-gone to be rescued. All I could do was watch the last few weeks as he wasted away into nothingness . . . it was the worst experience of my life, and I'd rather not go through it again." A long silence followed Tsunami's story.
"But . . . what does that have to do with Percy?" Fred asked, breaking the silence.
"He's in the same position David was all those years ago." Tsunami told them dully. Fred and George stared.
"T-t-that's ridiculous!" George sputtered. "How is that possible?"
"You guys said your brother never stops working, correct?" Tsunami asked.
"Well, sure." Fred said. "According to Mum, he rarely comes down for meals anymore."
"That's the proof in and of itself." Tsunami told them. "When a person keeps all their emotions and all their needs in check so that it seems as if they don't have any, that is when a person's soul starts to fade. He's ignoring all of his needs to go work."
"So in other words . . . he's working himself to death." George tried. Tsunami nodded.
"Ya, you can put it that way." Tsunami sat up in her chair and put her chin on her hands. "Now, what I have to figure out, is how to get him out of it . . . "
******** Preview of the Next Chapter (The Percy Problem):
"Oh, go snog somewhere with your boyfriend." Harry grumbled. Hermione laughed.
"Thanks for the suggestion Harry. I think I'll do that," she said over her shoulder, walking off to find Ron. Harry grimaced.
"Okay. Too much unwanted information." he sighed. Ginny laughed.
"You'll have to get used to it Harry. They'll be doing it a lot, I'm sure." she said, grinning at him. The corners of Harry's mouth lifted into a smile as well.
"Oh, and are you the expert?" he challenged, leaning on the counter towards her.
"Yes I am." Ginny said, grinning.
"Care to prove it?" Harry asked.
(Author's Note- This, dear readers, was probably one of my favorite chapters to write. Probably because of all the Fred/Angelina humor and the cute little Tsunami/Mondo scene of comparing Mondo to a puppy dog. I really had to do something with Percy and his work-o-holic self, so that'll be the next chapter! The Percy Problem will be up soon!)
I thank you so much for encouraging me to finish this fic. I cannot describe in words how very much it means to me. Also thanks to Kat for helping me along when I was stuck in the hard bits. I am surprised (and delighted) to find that my reviews have doubled what my goal was, bringing my up to a total of 60 reviews. Thank you, thank you, oh so very much. You really don't know how much it means to me to know that people like and read this fanfic, even with its little added characters and quirks. I am going to continue on with this story as if I have not read the Order of the Phoenix (which I have, by the way . . . Umbridge will BURN! And yes, Percy is a jerk in it, but ya know . . . .what can you do?), that way, messy details will not get in the way. And yes, I already have a sequel planned, which changed a bit after I got the idea for a different fanfic, but I have found a way to morph it into a sequel that includes a bit of some of the parts from the Order of the Phoenix. Again, thank you so, so much for your unyielding support. And please, constructive criticism is welcome and recommended, as are plain and simple complimentary reviews.
Much love and thanks,
~ The Adoring Author
Chapter 4.3
Jingle Bells, Part 3
For Mondo, the last week before Christmas break was torture. Tsunami had totally shut him out. She rarely acknowledged him at all, and only spoke to him when it was necessary. She didn't do her homework in their kitchen with him anymore, but instead did it in her common room where he couldn't get to her, for he didn't know the password into the Gryffindor common room. Whenever he'd tried to explain to her what had happened, she'd turn her back on him and walk away, or just ignore him completely, which she did most of the time anyway. It wasn't just Tsunami ignoring him that filled him with remorse; it was the black eye he was now sporting from Lee Jordan punching him in the face. He jaw also throbbed from time to time as well.
Finally, their things they were taking home for break were packed and the people who were going home for break had boarded the train.
Tsunami, Lee, Fred and George were seated in one of the compartments, eating chocolate frogs and talking about what they'd do over break.
"Well, my family and I are going over to New York." Lee was telling them. "My mum's always into plays and musicals and that sort of stuff, so we're going up there to do that sort of stuff and see the sights."
"Wow." Tsunami sighed enviously, biting off one of her chocolate frog's head. "That sounds so fun! Make sure you see a play called "Hairspray". It's the greatest play ever."
"That just gave me an idea!" Fred exclaimed, sitting up in his seat. Everyone in the compartment looked at him.
"What?" George asked. "Something for the Weasley Wizard Wheezes?"
"Ya! Hairspray!" Fred exclaimed, practically bouncing in his seat. "We can make a hairspray that turns people's hair green!" Tsunami's lips lifted in a smile.
"Creative, most definitely," she said. "I have to admit, I never would've thought of that. But then again, this is from the guys that invented dissolving underwear."
"That was my idea!" George said proudly.
"It was not!" Fred protested. "It was my idea!"
"How about we compromise and say that it was both of your ideas?" Lee asked.
"No way! Are you nuts?" the Weasleys Twins exclaimed at the same time, both turning appalled faces on Lee. Tsunami shook her head, rolling her eyes.
The rest of the train ride was generally peaceful. Katie Bell came in and talked to them at one point, Lee slowly turning a boiling shade of red until, when Katie left, he looked like an apple despite his brown skin. When Angelina wandered into their car, looking for Fred, the poor guy stuttered so badly that he was even worse than Ginny had been. They all had a good laugh after he left. Ron and Hermione stopped by with Harry and Ginny a little later, and they all had lunch and talked.
Finally, Fred had returned to the compartment and right after that was when the trouble started. Their jaws had almost dropped at his disheveled appearance. He sat down next to his brother again, smiling almost in a goofy manner.
"Had fun, did you?" Tsunami asked. Fred started, coming out of his reverie.
"Wh-what makes you say that?" he asked. Tsunami sent a side-glance at Lee and George, and they all grinned.
"Well, the fact that your robes are badly ruffled-"
"Your hair is very mused-"
"You have lipstick all over your face- specifically the kind Angelina wears, might I add-"
"And you have a hickey on your shoulder." Tsunami finished, pointing to his right shoulder and grinned. Fred looked startled and quickly pulled his robes into their proper position.
"Boy . . . I sure hope you used protection." Lee told him, giving him a searching look. Fred turned the color of a beet.
"W-we didn't get that far!" he exclaimed so loudly that several people in the car looked at him. His three friends raised an eyebrow at him.
"Uh huh. Sure." George said, elbowing his twin. "You can tell me!" Fred glared at his brother.
"There's nothing to tell!" he snapped. Tsunami grinned.
"Sure. Better wipe all the lipstick your face, Fred." Tsunami said, handing him a towel. Fred furiously grabbed the towel, and practically rubbed his face raw. The three of them laughed at him when he handed the towel back to Tsunami.
"Fred, I think you rubbed all the skin on your face off." Lee chuckled. Indeed, it looked like that. His face was bright red, both from embarrassment and the coarseness of the towel. They had all been laughing when the compartment door slid open and Mondo stormed in. Tsunami had immediately stiffened, and the three boys looked curiously surprised.
"Alright. I've had enough of this." Mondo growled, grabbing Tsunami arm and beginning to drag her out. Lee, Fred and George stood up quickly, almost getting ready to defend their friend, though they immediately sat down, starring at Mondo with wide eyes when he snapped at them, "Stay out of it." Tsunami hooked her fingers on the side of the door to keep him from dragging her out of the compartment.
"Leave me alone!" she protested. Fred, whistling as though he was minding his own business, side swiped his hand across her fingers, prying them from the door. Her death threats finally faded as Mondo dragged her away to the next car.
"I really think she is gonna kill me . . . better go find Angelina!" Fred stood, whistling happily.
"You're just looking for an excuse to go see her." Lee sighed. Fred blinked down at him.
"Of course I am!" Fred told him. "I don't want to just go crawling back to her, do I? I need to have an excuse!" George and Lee nodded their heads in agreement. The male ego was a very fragile thing.
"Good luck." George called after him as Fred walked out, whistling happily.
--- ~* ~*
Mondo finally dragged Tsunami into his compartment, closing the door behind them and locking it.
"Now, you are going to hear me out because I'm sick of you ignoring me!" Mondo told her. Tsunami only glared at him.
"Fine." she said, plopping down on one of the padded seats. Mondo seemed incredulous.
"You'll hear me out? Really?" he asked. Tsunami rolled her eyes.
"What choice to I have?" she asked.
"Good point." Mondo admitted. "First, let me say that I didn't want to kiss Tiffany." Tsunami gave him a skeptical look. "I mean it! I wasn't a willing participant!"
"Sure. You expect me to believe that?" Tsunami asked him. "You looked pretty cozy to me."
"It was out of my control!" Mondo protested. "She was the one who advanced on me!"
"So why didn't you fend her off?" Tsunami asked, her voice rising in octave. "You've been doing it for years!" Mondo rubbed his forehead in an expression of one who is getting a headache.
"Tiffany's been pretty persistent over the years. I guess this time she got fed up with me fending off her every move and did a direct approach I couldn't prevent." Mondo sighed, sitting down across from her.
"Sullivan, you could prevent-" Tsunami's sentence was cut off as a knock sounded at the door. The two looked up to see Tiffany waving cheerily through the glass, a lunch in her hand. She obviously was looking to share her lunch with the boy she called her boyfriend. Mondo groaned, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
"God no . . . not now . . ." he sighed. Tsunami rolled her eyes.
"I'll get it." she stood and unlocked the door. Tiffany practically bounded into the room, pushing past Tsunami without so much as a thank you and walking over to Mondo, her hips swaying in a way that was sure to entice any man to her. Tsunami's blood boiled.
"Mondo, honey! I brought you lunch!" Tiffany cooed. Mondo looked annoyed.
"I already ate." he growled at her. "And don't call me honey." Tiffany looked slightly hurt, though Tsunami could tell it was completely fake.
"Now, darling, is that anyway to talk to your girlfriend?" Tiffany asked, feigning the hurt princess. Mondo's lip lifted in a slight snarl. He was obviously almost at the end of his rope. Then he blinked and looked at Tsunami as if something dawned on him.
"Tiffany, you never were my girlfriend." Mondo told her, standing up and walking past her and over to Tsunami. He stood behind her and put his arms around her waist in an obviously possessive gesture. Tsunami gave him a funny look over her shoulder. "Tsunami's my girlfriend." Both girls' eyebrows shot up at that one.
"What the-" Tsunami began to ask, but Mondo shushed her.
"Play along." he whispered in her ear. Tsunami shot him a 'After this is over, I'm gonna murder you' look, rolled her eyes heavenward, then decided to play along.
"That's right Tiffany." Tsunami said, grinning at the other girl and lacing her fingers through Mondo's, that were still around her waist. "You actually think I'd let you have my boyfriend, you've got to be foolin' yourself. Mondo and I have been going out since the beginning of the year." Okay, so that last part wasn't exactly true . . . at the beginning of the year, they'd hated each other, but then again, this whole thing was a façade . . . right? By now, Tiffany was sputtering indignantly by this point, looking both outraged and shocked. Tsunamis sighed, deciding that if she were going to get rid of this girl, she'd have to take it one step further. She turned her head to the side to give Mondo a peck on the cheek, but as she did, almost as if planned, he turned his head towards her at the same instant, and their lips met.
Tsunami's eyes grew to about the size of dinner plates as Mondo kissed her. His lips were warm and supple, and she resisted the urge to nibble on them. When he pulled back, Tiffany was staring at them as though she'd never seen anything so shocking.
"B-but how-? She's just-! She's so short and temperamental and-" Tiffany's list continued. Mondo, eyes hard, moved towards Tiffany.
"If you insult Tsunami one more time-" His threat went unfinished as Tiffany gave him a frightened look and scurried out, taking her lunch with her. When she was gone, Mondo closed the door after her.
Tsunami was still in shock. Mondo had kissed her . . . he had kissed her! What the hell was he thinking?! She opened her mouth to yell at him but barely got the words out before Mondo crushed her against him. What the hell-? He was nuzzling her ear!
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked him. Mondo immediately dropped his hands and stepped back, as if he had been physically punched.
"Er . . . well . . . I just thought . . ." For once in his life around a girl, Mondo Sullivan was at a loss for words.
"You thought what?" Tsunami asked, folding her arms over her chest.
"I'm sorry . . ." Mondo sighed, looking defeated and depressed, his eyes downcast. "I didn't know that you didn't like it." Tsunami raised an eyebrow at him.
"Who said I didn't like it?" Tsunami asked. Mondo's eyes shot up to hers in surprise.
"Huh? But you said-"
"I'm just making sure we're on the same ground." Tsunami told him. "This thing is more than an act now, right." Mondo looked like a puppy who'd just been giving a treat.
"Only if you want it to be!" he said eagerly. Tsunami could almost see him mentally wagging his tail. Tsunami cocked her finger at him in a 'come hither' gesture. Needless to say, it worked.
--- ~* ~*
By the time Tsunami wandered back to her own car after a snuggle-and-kiss session and sat down, Fred had still not returned. None of them were surprised.
"So . . ." Lee prompted.
"So what?" Tsunami asked, dodging him.
"What was that all about?" Tsunami shrugged at Lee's question.
"Nothing inparticular." she said. Lee looked at her through half- lidded eyes.
"And if you expect me to believe that, I have a bridge to sell you. So went out roaring like a tiger and came back as tame as a kitten." Tsunami narrowed her eyes at Lee's description. He ignored her. "Something must've happened." Tsunami rolled her eyes. Why did he always act like such a big brother?
'Best to get it over with . . .' she thought.
"I have a boyfriend." she sighed. Lee stood, and began to head out the door when George grabbed the back of his robes.
"Lee, you don't have to grill every man Tsunami dates. She is our age." George told Lee, and Tsunami beamed at him, grateful for his help.
"But-!" Lee began to protest.
"Oh do sit down!" Tsunami growled, frustrated. "You're acting like the older brother I never had." Lee winced slightly, but it was so quick Tsunami almost missed it.
"Alright, alright . . . but I get to grill him later." Lee said, plopping down back in his seat. Tsunami rolled her eyes again.
"Fine. Whatever."
"Attention all students. The train will arrive at Platform 9 and ¾ in five minutes. Please get ready to disembark." The magical voice of one of the attendants floated through their compartment. Almost at the same time, Fred wandered into the compartment, looking even more mused then before. Tsunami only raised an eyebrow at him, taking in the very, very messy robes, the mused hair, the fact that his shirt was undone, and he had lipstick not just on his face this time. Tsunami handed him a towel
"I think you'll have to use water this time, Fred." Tsunami told him. Fred only grinned in a goofy manner.
"Okie dokie!" he said, and wandered out again, presumably to find a bathroom.
"He is one lucky bastard." George said. Lee laughed, and Tsunami only rolled her eyes again.
"George, I noticed you're the only one who doesn't have a crush on anyone." Tsunami said. George blinked at Tsunami's statement.
"That's because I'm not so stupid as to tell you guys," he said, grinning.
"Good point." Lee agreed. "Well, I'd better get our stuff down."
"I can't wait! Now I get to meet your guy's family!" Tsunami said, grinning as she watched Lee pull the stuff down from the shelf where it was kept.
"Ya!" Fred agreed. "Mum will love you, I'm sure."
"You're mum loves almost everyone anyway." Lee said, handing Tsunami her bag.
"Exactly!" George told him, and they laughed. Fred wandered back into the compartment just before the train came to a stop, his hair recombed, shirt buttoned, robes readjusted, and face scrubbed clean. They all stood, bags in hand and began to make their way to the front of the train. Tsunami followed the twins and Lee off the train, careful to keep them in site so as not to loose them. As they walked off they walked through the compartments, they spotted Hermione and Ron, who were talking to each other in low voices. Every few minutes, Hermione would giggle and blush a bit. Tsunami rolled her eyes.
"You two having fun?" she asked pleasantly, tapping her two friends on the shoulders. Hermione's head snapped around so fast that Tsunami thought she might break her neck, and Ron's ears turned the color of a tomato. "I think I just answered my own question there." Tsunami grinned.
"Bugger off." Ron growled at her, his ears turning redder. Tsunami grinned at him, ruffled his hair, and then returned to the twins.
"What was that all about?" George asked. Tsunami smiled.
"Just annoying Ron, that's all. It's my new hobby, don't you know?" she told them. Fred grinned.
"If you like annoying Ron, then you'll love annoying Percy." he told her. Tsunami frowned at the mention of a boy named 'Percy'. The name sounded familiar from somewhere, but she just couldn't seem to drag it up.
"Percy?" she asked uncertainly. "Who's he?"
"One of our elder brothers. He follows so close to the rules they're practically his bible." George explained.
"Scary." Tsunami told them, raising her eyebrows.
"No kidding. You should've seen him when he was at Hogwarts. It was like we couldn't put a foot out of line before he was on us." Fred sighed. Tsunami raised her eyebrows.
"I'm kinda scared to meet him now . . ." she muttered. The Twins laughed.
"Oh, don't worry about it, Tsunami! If we've been able to live with him without going insane, then I'm sure you can manage for a week." George assured her.
"It might drive you to the brink of insanity though . . ." Fred added as an afterthought.
"Oh goody." Tsunami muttered. Lee had gotten off the train before them, and was waiting on the platform for them. As they caught up with them, he pointed Mrs. Weasley out to them.
"There's your mum, you guys." he said, pointing to where a slightly plump woman with red hair the same shade as her children's stood. Tsunami frowned, trying to look where Lee was pointing, but found that she was too short to see over all the heads.
"Where?" she asked. "I can't see!"
"That's because of your height, Shorty." Fred grinned. Tsunami glared at him, then stamped down on the instep of his foot.
"Yow!" Fred began hopping around the platform, holding his foot. "Bugger! My foot!" He was so loud that people began to stop and stare.
"George! Stop that this instant!" Mrs. Weasley came bustling over, glaring at her son.
"I'm not doing anything, mum." George, who was standing next to Tsunami, protested. Mrs. Weasley looked over at him.
"Sorry George dear. Fred! Would to stop that?" Mrs. Weasley snapped at him. "You're making a scene!"
"Ouch . . . sorry mum." Fred apologized, sending a glare at Tsunami. Tsunami just innocently avoided his gaze.
"Mum, this is Tsunami." George said, putting his hand on Tsunami shoulder and shoving her forward a bit.
"Er . . . nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley. Fred and George have told me so much about you." Tsunami said, smiling nervously. Mrs. Weasley practically beamed.
"Well, it's wonderful to meet you Tsunami! It's nice to know that someone's keeping my boys in line." Mrs. Weasley smiled. Tsunami smiled back, relaxing.
"That's my job!" she said pleasantly. The twins only rolled their eyes.
"Hey mum! Are Perce and Dad still at work?" Ginny asked, arriving with Ron, Hermione and Harry.
"Yes Ginny dear. They'll be home in a couple hours. Now, do we have everybody?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking around at the many children around her. "Good! Then let's go." They turned to go, but a voice, calling Tsunami, made them turn.
"Tsunami!" Tsunami turned, smiling, as Mondo ran up to her. "Thinkin' of leaving without saying goodbye?" he asked. Tsunami grinned at him.
"Me? Never." she said.
"Just making sure." Mondo said, then kissed her. Fred and George stared, Lee looked infuriated, both Ron and Harry looked shocked, and Ginny and Hermione were smirking in a way that said they knew something no one else did. Tsunami got down off tiptoe as the kiss ended.
"You'd better write to me mister, or I'll have your head." Tsunami told him, hugging him around his midsection.
"Yes ma'am." he said, kissing her on the forehead. "I'll see you when we get back." He disengaged himself from Tsunami, and headed off in the direction of an older woman who was calling his name. Tsunami waved after him until he had disappeared into the crowd. Once he had disappeared she turned back to everyone else. Both Ginny and Hermione opened their mouths, but Tsunami silenced them quickly.
"Don't say anything. Either of you." she said, eyeing the two. The other girls only grinned. "Bye Lee!" Tsunami told her friend, grinning cheerily at him as though nothing had happened. Lee glared at her, gave her a quick hug, and turned and stomped off.
"Are we ready to go now?" Mrs. Weasley asked, then began to walk towards the parking lot, one by one, and each person filed in pairs of three and four behind her. It made the muggles in King's Cross turn and stare for a second, but no one in the party seemed to notice. They finally, with great difficulty, finally all fit into the car, though Hermione had to sit on Ron's lap (though it was not looking as if either of them was about to complain). A blushing Ginny, much to Tsunami and Hermione's amusement (not to mention Ron and the Twin's protesting), was forced to sit on Harry's lap. Both she and Harry seemed extremely embarrassed. Tsunami insisted on taking a picture, but was soon stopped by Harry, who "accidentally" threw her camera out the window.
By the time they reached the Burrow, Tsunami was still grumbling something about a lost opportunity, but Harry and Ginny chose to ignore her. They all climbed out of the car, Tsunami catching her first glimpse of the Burrow. Tsunami's eyes widened at the snow-covered garden filled with unimaginable plants, and the house with it's crooked chimney.
"Sugoi!" she exclaimed breathlessly. Fred and George, not being able to speak Japanese, had no clue what this meant. (A.N.- Sugoi means "wow" in Japanese.)
"Well...it's not much but-" George started.
"It's what we've got." Fred finished, the two twins shrugged. It was so obvious they'd rehearsed it, it took all of Tsunami's control not to laugh.
"It's wonderful!" Tsunami told them. The twins immediately relaxed.
"You'll be sleeping with Hermione and me in my room." Ginny told her, as they headed towards the door. "Fred, George, Harry and Ron will be sharing Ron's room, Bill and Charley, my other brothers, will be using Fred and George's room, and Percy will have his own room." Tsunami frowned.
"Why does Percy get his own room?" Tsunami asked.
"Because he has to work on Ministry Business." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
"He works for the Ministry?" Tsunami asked.
"Yup. He worships his boss so much it's scary." Fred told her. Tsunami grinned.
"Ooo . . . this is gonna be fun!" she said, rubbing her hands together. Fred and George looked at Tsunami, then looked at each other, then shrugged and continued on into the house.
--- ~* ~*
They were setting the table for dinner when they heard the door click open and two male voices arguing about something.
"Dad, you don't understand! That's what Mr. Hogswoble is there for! He's supposed to give orders!" the younger voice insisted.
"Only to the people that work under him, not the ones that are in the same position! You, my son, are being a wimp!" the older, more gruff voice reprimanded the other.
"I am not!" the younger voice sputtered indignantly. "I'm just doing my job!"
"Doing your job? DOING YOUR JOB?!" the older voice roared. "Doing your job, my foot! You shouldn't kissing up to that guy, Percy! There is no need for you to take his crap!" The commotion had drawn the three people who were setting the table, Tsunami, Fred and George, along with Mrs. Weasley, who was working in the kitchen, to the front door. A tall balding man looking in about his late forties, was yelling, red-eared, at the younger man before him. The younger man had obviously not inherited the older man's height, and had to look up to yell back. His neck was as red as the other man's ears, and his black-rimmed glasses were slipping down his nose. Tsunami was afraid they were going to fall off.
"Arthur! Percy! Stop this at once!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. For once, they didn't listen to her. They were to caught up in their own heated argument. Everyone present seemed too enthralled with the argument going on in front of them to notice that Tsunami was staring at Percy intently, frowning.
Finally she seemed to snap out of her reverie, and noticing all the yelling, deciding to end it all. She took a deep breath and shouted "SHUT UP!" loud and long until everyone was looking at her, with either (in Percy, Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley's case) a bewildered or (in the twin's case) an amused look on their faces. Tsunami threw up her hands in disgust.
"Honestly! I thought I'd never live to see the day I'd see two grown men fighting indecently! You two either finish this up in a civil manner, or go somewhere else!" Tsunami told them, sounding strangely like Mrs. Weasley. With that, she turned around and stomped back to the kitchen. Everyone, even the twins, looked stunned.
"Well." Mr. Weasley said, breaking the silence. "I have to admit, that's the first time I've been reprimanded by a fourteen year old . . ."
"I heard that!" Tsunami shouted from the kitchen, and Mr. Weasley winced. "I am seventeen, thank you very much!" The twins broke into identical grins.
"I say . . ." one started.
"I've seen her mad, but never this mad." the other finished.
"Well, what about that time Mondo-" the first twin was quickly shut up by his brother kicking him in the shins. "Ow! Alright! I get the picture."
"C'mon, let's go finish setting the table." the second twin told the first. The first nodded, and they headed off towards the kitchen, leaving the three adults with stunned looks on their faces.
--- ~* ~*
"Hey Tsunami? You okay?" Fred asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Tsunami had been furiously setting the very large table for a large number of people, lost in her own worried thoughts. When Fred said this to her, she gave a start, and looked back at him.
"Oh, hi Fred. I was just . . . thinking." Tsunami finished lamely. Both of the twins frowned.
"Thinking?" George asked. "About what?" Tsunami sat down in the chair right next to her, and ran her hands through her hair.
"I'm thinking that I shouldn't have yelled at them the way I did . . ." Tsunami sighed. Both the twins frowned.
"Well, why did you yell at them?" Fred asked, pulling out a chair from the table and sitting in front of her.
"Because I guess I was just panicking . . . I should've thought first."
"Panicking?" George asked, who was leaning against the table to the right of her. "About what?" Tsunami opened her mouth to answer, but, to the twin's despair, Percy strolled furiously into the room, trailing papers in his wake. The twins looked maliciously at the papers on the floor, and considered spilling disappearing ink on them. They never had the chance to, though, because Tsunami got up and began picking them up, trailing behind Percy. Finally, Percy turned just as Tsunami was standing, and they bumped into each other. Since Tsunami was smaller and had less momentum, she fell back onto her butt with a hard 'thump'. Percy blinked, bewildered.
"Oh dear. Terribly sorry!" Percy exclaimed, helping her to her feet.
"S'alright." Tsunami said, dusting herself off. Tsunami motioned to the stack of papers in her hand. "You dropped these. I didn't think you noticed, so I picked them up."
"Thank you so much." Percy made a move to grab the papers out of her hand, but Tsunami stepped back.
"I'm afraid you haven't introduced yourself yet." she told him, almost in a reprimanding voice. Percy blinked.
"Well then . . . I'm Percy Weasley." He made another grab for the papers, but again, Tsunami stepped out of his reach.
"That wasn't a proper introduction, and you know it. In your haste to get work done have you forgotten your manners?" Tsunami asked him. Percy stiffened, as if he'd been mortally insulted. He drew himself up, and looked her in the eye, sticking out his hand.
"I'm Percy Einstein Weasley. It is a pleasure to meet you Miss . . ." Percy trailed off, remembering he had no idea what this girl's name was.
"Tsunami. Tsunami Nudelman." Tsunami beamed at him, shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Percy. I'm Fred and George's friend." Percy raised an eyebrow at this, and stole a look at his younger twin brothers.
"Are you now? Keeping them in line a hope." he said. Tsunami blinked curiously at him.
"Why on earth would I want to do that?" Tsunami asked. Percy looked horrified and quickly dropped her hand.
"Because it's breaking the rules, what they do!" Percy exclaimed.
"So?" Tsunami asked confused. Then she looked as though something dawned on her. "Oh! You must be the brother who acts like a stuffed shirt!" Percy's eyes widened, as Fred choked on his laughter, and had to be pounded on the back by George, who was laughing as well.
"S-s-s-stuffed shirt?!" Percy exclaimed. It looked almost as if steam would come out of his ears.
"Well sure! Always following all the rules . . . never putting one foot out of line . . . sucking up to those superior. You know, a stuffed shirt!" Tsunami told him. Percy's lip was lifted in a vicious snarl, but Tsunami ignored this and continued to smile up at him. He angrily grabbed his papers from Tsunami, then turned and stomped out of the kitchen. Fred and George could on stare.
"Why, on earth, did you do that?" Fred asked incredulously. "You purposely made him hate you!" Tsunami ran a hand through her hair again, looking worried.
"I'm not making him hate me deliberately, Fred. I'm just seeing if I could get at least a reaction out of him." she told him. Both Fred and George frowned.
"Why?" George asked. "What for?"
"Sit down. This will take a bit to explain." Tsunami said, sitting down herself. The twins shrugged, seating themselves as well. When they were settled, Tsunami began. "Back in my 3rd year, I took a class on Seeing. Not the Seeing like Divination, but a different type of Seeing. The kind of Seeing that you use to read people. There was this one boy, David Whitman was his name, and he always seemed strange to me because of his aura. It always seemed dimmer than the other peoples' auras around him. I didn't know that what was happening to him could eventually kill him, because I knew nothing about the extent of seeing auras. By the time we got around to the dimming of auras in class, and I recognized the signs and that his soul was fading, it was too late. He was too far-gone to be rescued. All I could do was watch the last few weeks as he wasted away into nothingness . . . it was the worst experience of my life, and I'd rather not go through it again." A long silence followed Tsunami's story.
"But . . . what does that have to do with Percy?" Fred asked, breaking the silence.
"He's in the same position David was all those years ago." Tsunami told them dully. Fred and George stared.
"T-t-that's ridiculous!" George sputtered. "How is that possible?"
"You guys said your brother never stops working, correct?" Tsunami asked.
"Well, sure." Fred said. "According to Mum, he rarely comes down for meals anymore."
"That's the proof in and of itself." Tsunami told them. "When a person keeps all their emotions and all their needs in check so that it seems as if they don't have any, that is when a person's soul starts to fade. He's ignoring all of his needs to go work."
"So in other words . . . he's working himself to death." George tried. Tsunami nodded.
"Ya, you can put it that way." Tsunami sat up in her chair and put her chin on her hands. "Now, what I have to figure out, is how to get him out of it . . . "
******** Preview of the Next Chapter (The Percy Problem):
"Oh, go snog somewhere with your boyfriend." Harry grumbled. Hermione laughed.
"Thanks for the suggestion Harry. I think I'll do that," she said over her shoulder, walking off to find Ron. Harry grimaced.
"Okay. Too much unwanted information." he sighed. Ginny laughed.
"You'll have to get used to it Harry. They'll be doing it a lot, I'm sure." she said, grinning at him. The corners of Harry's mouth lifted into a smile as well.
"Oh, and are you the expert?" he challenged, leaning on the counter towards her.
"Yes I am." Ginny said, grinning.
"Care to prove it?" Harry asked.
(Author's Note- This, dear readers, was probably one of my favorite chapters to write. Probably because of all the Fred/Angelina humor and the cute little Tsunami/Mondo scene of comparing Mondo to a puppy dog. I really had to do something with Percy and his work-o-holic self, so that'll be the next chapter! The Percy Problem will be up soon!)
