Chapter Five
A/N: I'm baaaaaaack! I know I had AF tell you that this would be up earlier than this, but I started working on my first non-HP-related fic and I kinda got sidetracked. That's also part of the reason why this chappy is kinda all over the place. And I couldn't come up with a clever title for this one. (Not that the other four were particularly clever.) To clarify any confusion, this chappy picks up exactly where chapter 3 left off. In other words, this is the same day Fred and Angie got out of Hogwarts (despite the fact that chapter 4 took place over several days). And there's no particular reason why everyone hates their middle names.
Fred looked at the two girls in front of him hoisting their brooms and then turned to Angelina. "You do realise I don't have my broom with me, right?"
Angelina smiled her hundred-Watt grin. "No problem. We have a broomshed out back. The Arrows give Papa a new broom every year, so we get to use his hand-me-downs."
A new broom every year? Next thing I know, she'll be telling me there's a full-scale pitch in the backyard. "Pretty nice hand-me-downs," he said looking enviously at the broomsticks on Audrey and Abby's shoulders.
Angelina followed his gaze. "That's because they're not. Those are the brooms Aunt Toni bought them after Audrey was made Lincournet Captain and Abby made the Aiglon house team." She shot a disapproving look at her sisters. "Which I distinctly remember Maman saying that they were only meant to used at school."
Abby glared right back at her twin. "Oh, like you didn't sneak a broom on the Hogwarts express."
"I didn't. Unlike some people, I follow rules."
"Then explain the Howler you got on the first day of classes."
"So I messed up in Potions; big deal. Sevvie is a git."
Did she just call Snape 'Sevvie'?! I've gotta use that next term. It'll net me a couple of detentions, but it's worth it. I knew there was some reason I liked this girl! Abby's voice snapped Fred back to life. "Papa told you not to call him that. It's disrespectful."
"It's a lot more respectful than some of the things you call him, Abigail."
Abby's eyes narrowed. "Shut your trap, Angel-lina."
Audrey stepped between her younger sisters to stop the argument before it escalated into a full-fledged fight. The last time they got like this, they had started performing wandless magic without concentrating and she was hit with several flying objects. In a split second she changed from the relaxed friend to the stern older sister. "Stop it, both of you! Angelina, despite what your name implies, you are far from an angel and you know it." Abby smirks. Can't have that now, can we? she thought. "And you, Abigail, need to stop egging her on. Unless you want to end up in St. Mungo's again." Looking at the remorseful expressions on her sisters' faces, she attempted to suppress a chuckle.
"We're sorry, Audrey," they said in an innocuous voice.
"Good. Now let's go get Fred a broom and start practising for next year."
The three twelve-year-olds followed her to the backyard. And Fred stopped in his tracks. In front of him lay a full-scale Quidditch pitch, with the Appleby Arrows logo inscribed in the centre. And I was just kidding about it. What exactly do her parents do for a living? he asked himself before pushing the thought out of his mind.
Angelina stifled a giggle as she watched Fred stare in awe at the pitch. It still hasn't hit him who my parents are. I thought for sure he'd figure it out after meeting Aunt Toni. She diverted her attention to her sisters who were heading towards the broomshed. Abby turned and yelled at her. "Oi, Angelina! Quit staring at Fred and help us get the equipment out!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming. Don't get your knickers all in a twist," she called back.
When Fred caught up with them, he was amazed at the number of brooms in the shed. He also felt a bit uncomfortable as the girls sized him up. He looked to Audrey for an appeal, as she seemed to be the sensible one. He knew Angelina well enough to know that she wouldn't stop and he trusted Abby about as far as he could throw her. Audrey shook her head. "It's for your own good. We need to know what broom you need." She squinted at him as she continued to examine him. "You're trying out for Beater next year, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"Dammit," she swore under her breath. "Angie, why didn't you just tell me that? We could've been done a long time ago." She pulled out a Comet 300 and handed it to Fred.
"You didn't ask," Angelina answered with a cheeky grin before picking up her lucky Cleansweep 9.
"You know what? Just for that, you're getting out all the balls."
"Fine. I hope a Bludger knocks you off your broom."
"I'll be sure to send every one in your direction."
While they stood at the shed arguing, Fred caught a glimpse of a tall, striking man walking towards him and his companions. The man looked vaguely familiar. The man cleared his throat and all three raised their heads. "PAPA!!!" three feminine voices shouted. So that's Angie's dad, he thought.
Angelina reached her father first. "Papa, I've missed you," she said, running into his arms.
"I've missed you, too, Sug – er Angelina," he corrected himself after seeing his youngest daughter's rigid look.
Fred stared at the man in wonder. Angelina's father looked vaguely familiar, but he just couldn't place him.
Angelina spoke again. "Papa, this is Fred Weasley. Fred, this is my father, Jake Johnson."
"So this the young man you have a crush on," Jake teasingly said to her. Fred turned as red as a tomato and Angelina punched her father in the arm, while Audrey and Abby burst into giggles at the comment. Fred squinted at Jake trying to place him, when Angelina's earlier words came back to him. "The Arrows give Papa a new broom every year, so we get to use his hand-me-downs."
"I don't believe this. I've met two Quidditch legends in one day!" he shouted, before shaking Jake's hand even more enthusiastically than he shook Toni's. "First, Toni Toussaint, Hollyhead Harpies Beater. Now, Jake Johnson, Captain, Keeper, and owner of the Appleby Arrows. George definitely missed out." Well I guess this explains why Angie was the best flyer in the class.
Jake gave his daughters an amused expression. "Boy knows his Quidditch, doesn't he?" he whispered.
Angelina laughed. "He should; he's Charlie Weasley's younger brother."
"Don't know why that surprises me; he's the spitting image of Charlie, if not a little shorter." Looking at Fred, he said "Nice to meet you, too."
Fred finally let go of Jake's hand. Staring at Angelina, he furrowed his brow. "Angel?" He vaguely noticed his friend's father raise an eyebrow at the diminutive. "Why did you say you're dad was a terrible Keeper?"
"In our family the kids are much better at Quidditch than the adults."
"So they claim," Jake chuckled.
"So we know!" all three girls exclaimed with indignant looks on their faces. "But you'll see that in France," Angelina added to Fred.
"Why? What's happening in France?"
Abby and Audrey turned to their sister with shocked expressions. "You mean you didn't tell him about the Tournament?"
"What tournament?" Fred asked, confused.
"The Tournament, with a capital 'T'. The Toussaint Family Tournament," Angelina explained. "Two weeks at our grandfather's place in Bordeaux. Four teams competing for the trophy and a year's worth of bragging rights. And our team is the reigning champion."
"Two years in a row!" Abby and Audrey chimed in.
"So it's a two-week-long Quidditch tourney?" Fred asked.
Abby shook her head, ignoring the glare from Angelina. "Not just. We also play football, rugby, and hockey. You're the first guy that Angie's invited." She smirked with satisfaction at the blush appearing on her sister's cheeks. Hmm. Might as well get Audrey, too. "Which reminds me," she said and turned to her other sister. "Is the handsome Mr. Shealey joining us as well?" she asked, making a blatant reference to Audrey's boyfriend Matthew.
"If you're referring to the self-centered git that captains Aiglon, then no, he isn't."
Angelina snickered. "Forgot your birthday again, did he?"
She ignored her sister and turned to Jake. "Papa, why are men idiots?"
"It's a phase. Matthew will grow out of it by the time you graduate."
"Don't be so sure about that, Jake. After all, you never did." Everyone turned to see a woman in her early thirties walking with Toni. This new woman looked similar to Toni, except she was of average height and was fair-haired, but they shared the same lilting French accent. Her clothes were also considerably fancier than those of the woman standing beside her. While Toni was dressed in the T-shirt and jeans that she was wearing earlier, this woman was wearing outlandish blue and yellow couture robes that had to have come from Gladrags and matching spike heels. Normally a woman like that wouldn't be seen anywhere a Quidditch pitch.
Fred recognised her immediately. Or, rather, her voice, as he had heard it on his mother's favourite soap opera everyday before he had started school. Now that he thought about it, he remembered seeing her picture in one of his mother's Witch Weeklys.
"Bonjour Maman," the three girls chorused unenthusiastically. Jake stuck his tongue out at his wife.
Gabrielle Toussaint. Of course, Fred thought, I should've figured it out. She is married to Jake Johnson, after all. But, nonetheless, he still found it hard to believe that laid-back, carefree Angelina was the daughter of the 'Ice Queen,' as Witch Weekly dubbed her after refusing them an interview years ago.
Gabrielle turned to her daughters. "Annabelle, Isabelle," she said, looking directly at Audrey and Abby, who cringed at hearing their middle names, "what did I say about those broomsticks?"
"Not to play…" Audrey started.
"With them…" Abby continued.
"At home," they finished together, looking chastised. Angelina smirked and flicked her tongue out at Abby.
"Antoinette, leave your tongue in your mouth. It's not lady-like."
"But Papa stuck his tongue out and you didn't say anything," Angelina protested.
"Your father isn't a lady. In fact, he's hardly a gentleman. He's already had a bad influence on you three, what with teaching you how to play that ridiculous sport." Toni stuck her tongue out at her sister behind her back. "I saw that. And you, Antoinette Juliana Toussaint, are even more immature than the children."
"Are you sure I'm the oldest? You pull la piqûre têtue et arrogante lookoff so much better than I do."
Fred just stood there listening to the exchange. He found it hard to believe that anyone could hate Quidditch, aside from Percy, that is. Especially if that person came from a family known for their Quidditch skills.
He heard Jake, Angelina, Abby and Audrey snickering. Now Fred had no desire to learn how to speak French, but there was obviously something funny in what Toni had said to her younger sister. And it was becoming more and more painfully obvious that he was going to need to learn the language, and quickly, too. He elbowed Angelina. "Psst, Angel. What did Toni say to your mum?"
"She called Maman a stubborn, arrogant prick."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. Aunt Toni is the only person sarcastic enough to put the Ice Queen in her place." Fred's jaw dropped. Even he'd never consider talking about his mother like that. "What? You didn't honestly think Witch Weekly had the brains to come up with that name, didja?"
"You guys came up with that?"
"No; a disowned branch of the family did. It's the only good contribution they've made to society. Anyway, the name stuck and Aunt Toni has called her that ever since."
Fred hears Gabrielle shout something in broken French and everyone laughs. "I'm going to have to learn to speak French, aren't I?
"Oui." Finally something I can understand, Fred thought.
"Will you teach me?"
"Non."
"Huh?"
"No."
"Well, why didn't you just say that?"
"I did."
"No, you didn't. You said…" He changed his statement when he saw the unamused look on Angelina' s face. "Why won't you teach me?"
"Takes too long. It'd be easier just to cast the spell on you and move on from there."
"But we can't do magic outside of Hogwarts."
"No, we can't do magic with our wands outside of Hogwarts."
"The Ministry could still catch us even if we did wandless magic."
"Only if we were Muggle-born. I only see purebloods around here."
"What do you mean they could only track us if we were Muggle-born?"
"The ministry keeps a wand registry of every wand sold in the UK. Each wand produces a different mark or signature…" She trailed off, hoping Fred could figure it out himself.
"So they only track the wand signature. And if wandless magic goes on in an pureblood household, it's impossible to know who did it," Fred finished. Ha, Mum and Percy! I am smart!
"Exactly." I knew there was a reason I liked this guy! It took Lee a week of untraceable pranks to figure it out! How he managed to be third in our year is beyond me.
Around that time, Gabrielle and Toni had stopped screaming at each other and Gabrielle noticed for the first time that there was someone standing on the pitch that wasn't a relative. "Bonjour. You must be Fred. Antoinette mentioned that you'd be spending the summer with us. I'm Gabrielle Johnson." Fred tried to hold it in, but he had to let out a chuckle. He honestly hadn't been expecting her to use her married name. He really didn't know why; it was, after all, her last name. "I do not understand. What is so funny?"
"Oh relax for once. He's just amazed that you introduced yourself as a Johnson instead of a Toussaint," Toni said to her sister.
"Why would he be surprised about that? Johnson is my last name."
"But you rarely use it. And when you do, it's always 'Toussaint-Johnson'. You're so damn uptight and formal, sometimes it shocks me that we're even related, much less sisters. Ice Queen." Toni made sure to emphasise Gabrielle's nickname, which she obviously hated. And with a quick wave of her right hand, the older Toussaint sister was pelted with a snowball from out of nowhere.
"Uptight and formal, indeed. Who has the last laugh, now, Juliana?"
"Me, Maríe," Toni answered, as the feathers on Gabrielle's gown briefly turned into a peacock. (A/N: And now you know where Gred and Forge got their inspiration for Canary Creams.)
Fred watched as Angelina, Abby, and Audrey abandoned the broomsticks they were still carrying. He followed suit. Angelina turned to look at him. "You wouldn't fancy a tour of the house right now, would you?"
Well, yeah, he did. But he really wanted to see the end of the fight. "Why are you guys leaving?" he asked as he caught a glimpse of Jake hightailing back to the mansion.
Audrey answered. "Because when those two get going, it's worse than Angie and Abby. And when the twins fight, someone always ends up in St. Mungo's. So I think you can imagine what's going to happen here."
A vase smashed into the tree directly above Gabrielle's head. "Uh, Angel? I think I'll take you up on your offer after all." Then they dashed off in the direction of the house, narrowly ducking a shower of coconuts. And I thought my family was weird, Fred thought as Abby slammed the door.