Chapter 53
A Prank That Works, A Prank That Doesn't
Cassie's stomach immediately started doing a complicated tap dance. The tension in the air was
palpable as Molly, Arthur, and Remus stared at each other. "Okay. We've got one problem with
almost any plan we come up with," Remus said and both Arthur and Molly nodded in
understanding. "None of us can actually go to the railroad station to meet the train because if
there are Aurors there, we will certainly all be arrested."
"What about just apparating onto the train after it stops?" Cassie asked. Remus smiled patiently.
"That's a good idea. Unfortunately, it won't work. The train is similar to Hogwarts in that no one
can apparate or disapparate onto or off it. So, that is not an option."
"What about a portkey?" She didn't really know why she was suggesting anything. She knew they
could certainly think of such obvious solutions as well as she could, but she felt she had to say
something. Remus just shook his head.
"Not possible in the short amount of time available, I'm afraid. It would raise all sorts of questions
if we hurried and made one and then used it for such an unusual location."
"I could . . ."
"No." His answer was curt and Cassie blinked in surprise.
"But I went to get you!"
"And I'm grateful, it's just that this is a different situation. The Aurors are looking for you, too,
remember? We'll think of something else." Just then, the answer to their problems arrived in the
form of two identical teenagers, both with rather frantic looks on their faces.
"Mum! Dad! You wouldn't believe what is being passed out to all the stores in the Alley!"
"Does it have anything to do with your mother and I being wanted criminals?" Fred and George
both blinked owlishly at their father.
"How did you ever know?"
"Look, we've got an even bigger problem," Arthur said, waving aside the flyer that Fred was
shoving into his face. "It's Harry."
"They wouldn't really arrest Harry, would they?!"
"I don't really know, but we feel that we must get him off that train before the Aurors ever have a
chance to get their hands on him. We just can't risk them harming him in any way. Anyone have
any ideas?"
"A diversion."
"Maybe even two."
"It shouldn't be that complicated."
"We may need some help."
"But fortunately, we have some friends who love to help get us into trouble."
"Now boys . . . I'm not sure that your jokes are really appropriate at this time. We need a solid
plan."
"Well, unless you have any great ideas of your own, we better go with this one. We can distract
both the Aurors and the Muggle police easily enough, but we've still got to get Harry off the train
without anyone knowing that we are doing it."
"He could wear his invisibility cloak." Everyone turned and stared at Cassie. "Well, he could. He's
pretty good at getting around without anyone even suspecting he's there."
"Harry has an invisibility cloak?" Molly asked. Remus nodded.
"Yes. It was James' once. He, uh, puts it to pretty good use. I admit I had forgotten about it until
she reminded me."
"Will he have it with him, though?" George asked to no one in particular.
"I think so," Remus offered again. "I don't think he likes to leave it at school because he is rather
emotionally attached to it. One time . . . well, I'll tell that story later." Cassie remembered the
frantic expression on Harry's face when he realized that Ron had left the cloak outside on the
stairs at his invisible house and believed that Remus was right. "We'll just need to let Harry know
to put it on before the train stops at the station."
"Can we send him a note by owl or something?" Cassie didn't think that sounded too realistic, but
she had no other ideas.
"Yes. But somehow we'll have to tell him to wear the cloak without coming right out and saying
it in case the owl is intercepted. Maybe we could call it 'James' covering' or something. He would
hopefully understand that."
"If you think that would work. But I know something he would definitely understand." In the end,
Cassie was the one who wrote the note. George read it and looked at her with a puzzled
expression, but he was busy with Fred sending an emergency owl to a friend who could notify the
others and he didn't ask the obvious question in his eyes. Cassie smiled as she re-read the note.
Harry would certainly understand this but no one else would.
Mr. Evans,
At your house in London that I visited this summer, something was left on the stairs that we had
to retrieve before we followed the rest of your plan. When it was accio'd I was quite impressed
with it. I'm sure you know what article of clothing I mean. You "look" so very handsome in it.
You should put it on before the train actually comes into the station so that you make a very good
impression on those who are waiting to meet you. Your three friends can meet them with you and
probably won't be noticed, but they are especially looking forward to seeing you. They would like
to invite you to a special holiday vacation, but we do so desperately want you with us instead. It's
a surprise, so please do as I ask and decline the invitation.
Love, the Star Queen
She rolled it into a tight cylinder and attached it to Fred's owl, rumored to be the fastest one
owned by the family. "Fly fast and hard. You've got to get to Harry before the train stops at the
station. Please!" She opened the window and the owl flew into the air, disappearing in just a few
seconds from her avid gaze. She wasn't sure the owl actually understood her or if it was just her
tone of voice, but she could have sworn that he had listened to every word she said.
"It should get to him without too many problems. We've got almost three hours before the train is
due." George looked at her and smiled faintly. "I would take you with us, but it's just too
dangerous."
"She is not to leave this house - and especially not to go into the midst of a group of Aurors.
They are all certainly still looking for her. I'm sure that Sootspinner is aware of her existence."
Arthur was lecturing George in a tone of voice Cassie had never heard him use before. She
thought that if Arthur was her dad, she would never cross him in that frame of mind. Definitely
not. George looked at his father with a bit of exasperation in his gaze.
"That's what I just said, Dad! Come on, Fred. We'd better get going. This will take quite a bit of
work." They were gone a second later and Cassie had a small pang in her heart because he hadn't
even kissed her goodbye. Of course, neither of them had kissed their parents either. So, she wasn't
going to take it personally. Nor was she going to allow herself to dwell on the possibility that this
may turn out to be much more complicated than they thought. They had gotten out of tight jams
before. This would be no different.
The plan they had shared with them was simple with a few safeguards built into some of the
important steps. It basically consisted of one very noisy distraction out in the main part of the
train station to cause panic among Muggle passengers, the Muggle police who could not pass
through the barrier, and consternation among and Aurors who happened to be lurking outside the
barrier in case somehow Harry got through in the confusion. Then, when things were totally
chaotic outside the barrier, another distraction would be set off inside the barrier just as the train
was pulling in and starting to discharge children to anxious parents. This one was more
complicated, designed to put extreme fear into the hearts of practically everyone on the platform -
a dark mark, they had called it. (Not a real one, the twins had explained to their appalled parents.
One close enough to it to be frightening although it was just a simple joke shop item that was very
popular amongst the angsty young wizarding crowd.) Hopefully everyone would panic and start
pulling their children off the train in crowds too numerous to be closely examined. Somewhere in
there, then, the two visible Weasley children and Hermione would exit the train with invisible
Harry walking amongst them.
One of the friends, Cassie couldn't remember any of the names at the moment, would be standing
at one end of the platform and would start raising a ruckus at any black-haired student of the
approximate right size he saw, calling him Harry Potter in a very loud voice and asking for his
autograph. The other friends were to crowd around so that it genuinely looked like Harry was
being accosted by adoring fans. Fred had laughingly suggested Blaise Zabini - "a little taller than
Harry but not much, pale, dark black hair that he wears a little too long. He's in Slytherin and
being mistaken for Harry will drive him insane." George thought the idea was hilarious. Cassie
prayed that this person was on the train this year. The three friends and the real Harry would exit
the train at the other end of the platform and quickly walk toward the barrier. Harry would be able
to apparate off the platform quite easily and in all the noise and confusion, no one would even be
able to tell he had gone.
It was a good plan. Cassie was almost positive it would never work.
Since there were three hours before the train was to arrive, she knew she would just have to wait,
and like Arthur, Molly, and Remus, she could do nothing but hope and pray that the plan would at
least have the desired effect and Harry could apparate directly into the welcoming kitchen of the
Burrow. George and Fred would escort the other three back to the Burrow by taking them to
Diagon Alley and then they could floo home from their store. And as much as Cassie knew the
Weasleys loved Harry, they would not truly be able to relax until Ron and Ginny arrived safely
home, so Cassie thought it would probably be somewhere around four hours from now that they
could all finally declare the task completed.
The four of them tried to find things to keep them busy, but they all seemed to end up in the living
room again staring at each other. Time seemed to pass in agonizingly slow bits. When Cassie was
sure that at least 30 minutes had passed since she last checked the time, it would have actually
only been 10. She also kept staring at the Weasley family clock. Ginny's, Ron's, Harry's, and
Hermione's hands kept pointing at "Traveling" which Mrs. Weasley informed her was normal for
when they were on the train. George's and Fred's hands were pointing at "Up to No Good" but
she imagined that was all right, since that was the intention at the moment. Two owls arrived for
Cassie bearing Christmas presents and she had the vague notion that maybe she should get some
of these wrapped, but she couldn't seem to focus on the task and after staring at the paper for a
very long time without doing anything, she abandoned the idea and returned (again) to the living
room where Arthur and Molly were trying to remain calm. The three hour mark finally arrived and
the entire room seemed to hold it's breath as the seconds ticked by without any reassuring pop.
They had now moved their base camp to the kitchen as that is where the apparating and flooing
would occur and they were all exhibiting nervous tics as they waited. All six hands of the various
natural and adopted Weasleys suddenly swung to the "In Mortal Peril" space on the clock. Cassie
had thought it would not be possible for things to get more tense, but they did. Arthur tried to
reassure his wife that this was to be expected, that even if the plan was going as anticipated, they
would be danger and for quite a few minutes. However, that did nothing to make anyone in the
room feel any better.
Ron and Hermione's hands suddenly left that position and swept into the traveling mode again.
Ginny's and Harry's as well as George's and Fred's all stayed put. "They've had to split up."
Finally, Ginny's joined them while Harry's didn't budge. It seemed like an hour before Harry's
suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, swung in one grand arc to "Traveling" and then "Home"
accompanied by a rather noisy pop. At first Cassie was afraid something had gone wrong as
Harry's body did not accompany the pop, until a weary hand swept the cloak off a mussed head,
and his bright green eyes took in the scene of anxious anticipation. He wasted no time on
preliminary chit-chat. "It's complete chaos. They're being searched again and again for evidence of
me. But since there is none, I'm pretty sure that they'll be allowed to pass through the barrier
soon." No one asked who the "they" were.
"What happened?"
"I'm not really sure. If I understood the note correctly, I was supposed to exit the train when it
got to Platform 9 3/4. But it didn't get there, well, it's there now. But it stopped about 300 meters
down the track and Aurors started walking over to it, obviously intending to board. I was already
in my cloak and felt fairly confident that I could avoid them in a loo or something. But then the
screaming started. I looked out the window and saw some sort of Dark Mark. I decided I'd better
get off the train immediately so I climbed through the compartment window onto the ground.
Which meant I had to get onto the platform to see what was going on while I was still under the
cloak. That wasn't easy, but I managed. I saw Fred and George right away - although the parents
were still screaming and streaming down onto the tracks to go to the train themselves, they
looked very calm, so I realized that it was probably their doing." Everyone nodded.
"So I said something quietly to Fred and he told me to apparate here. But I didn't leave. I had to
see what was happening with the others."
"That was foolish, Harry. Fred and George -"
"Maybe. But I don't want to debate it now. After quite a long while, the train finally pulled up to
the platform. By then it was full of parents who were reassuring themselves of their kids' safety.
Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were being manhandled and all their luggage was being searched.
They kept insisting that I had stayed at school but then someone at the other end of the track
screamed that there I was and they started clambering around one of the students. I think that
must have been part of the ploy as well, but unfortunately, it made the three of them look like
liars, so then they were questioned even harder. After they realized it was not me, but Zabini, they
took them back on the train and I don't know what happened then. I tried to go but then Fred and
George went on to get them so I decided not to interfere. Then I disapparated."
"How many Aurors had them?"
"Six. Two each. And they were not being nice, I tell you. If one of them comes home with so
much as a bruise, Woodburn is going to hear about it personally from me. Now, will someone
please tell me what's going on!"
"Yes, of course. But let's just tell the story once, after everyone gets here." Wordlessly, Arthur
handed the flyer that Fred had been holding earlier in the day to Harry, who blinked several times
before he let a rather foul curse word slip out. Molly didn't correct him. It was 30 minutes before
the fire flared green and Ginny stepped out of it into the kitchen. Hermione and then Ron
followed immediately. Hugs were exchanged all around between the parents and their "children."
Even Harry, who Cassie could tell was not too comfortable with the idea, was hugged warmly by
Hermione and Molly. Ron shook his hand. Ginny hugged him but didn't let go. Cassie noticed that
Harry didn't protest at her touch.
"What happened?"
"Forced Hermione to take Veritaserum." Ron scowled through the answer, biting out the words
like arrows shot from a bow.
"You must be kidding!" Arthur looked genuinely shocked.
"No. The, er, slimeballs questioned her. When she said under its influence that Harry was not on
the train they had to believe her. They were too stupid to ask if he had started out on the train
earlier today."
"I wouldn't have said it. I wouldn't have." Her chin was set in defiance and both Cassie and Ginny
patted her shoulders in sympathy."
"Since they don't know about the invisibility cloak and since they knew they had not seen him
getting off the train at any point, I think they thought he was just hiding on the train in one form
or another. So they didn't ask at all about his getting off. I think they were going to ask if Harry
had used anything to change his appearance but then Fred and George showed up and insisted
that we go with them, that they had no right to hold us for anything. The Aurors looked very
unhappy, but realized that now it was six to five and that there was a chance someone could get
hurt. I keep saying Aurors, but they're not, really, are they? I mean, they must be Death Eaters
posing as them or something. I tried to figure out which ones were holding us, but I never could
tell. When I find out, they're going to pay for what they did to Hermione!"
Before anyone could answer him, two familiar pops sounded through the room and both George
and Fred looked around the crowded kitchen. "Decided to go ahead and keep the shop closed.
We thought it would look less suspicious. We had to just count up the day's receipts." Fred kept
looking around counting noises. "You've all made it safely. Good. That was a mess. I never want
to do that again. I think I've aged 15 years in the last two hours." He sat down in a kitchen chair.
George laughed as a reply.
"Liar! You loved it! Even when it went bad!" Fred grinned.
"You could let me have a few secrets! It was good, though. They were completely flummoxed.
Completely! I almost wanted to tell them how it had happened but I didn't of course." Molly hit
Fred on the back of the head. "Hey! What was that for?"
"For enjoying it."
"Honestly, mother!"
"I think they actually love getting into trouble like that. Otherwise they wouldn't sell all that
troublemaking equipment in their shop." Everyone looked at Hermione, who herself looked
shocked that she had actually said that out loud about their rescuers. "Oh! I'm sorry! I think that
Veritaserum is still in my system! I'm so, so sorry!"
"It'll wear off, love," said Ron. "Why don't we go up and get you settled in Ginny's room?" All
four of them started up the steps a few moments later, only waiting for Harry to enlarge his trunk
from the tiny size he had carried with him under the cloak. He explained that he had decided not
to leave the luggage as proof of his presence, which had turned out to be a very wise move.
Cassie, of course, didn't need to get settled in, but she was almost positive that Ginny would want
her bed back, so she wanted to move some of her things to wherever she was going to be now.
She remained with them as all five squished into the too-small bedroom.
"UGH!! We'll definitely need an enlargement charm on this room - we need space for two more
beds and for our trunks. Can you do that, Harry?"
Harry did something with his wand that Cassie didn't see. Afterward, the room looked absolutely
no different to her, but everyone was fitting comfortably now. Cassie wondered if she had
somehow shrunk, but her clothes were still fitting her right and when she put her hand against the
bookcase, it was still proportional with the books. "I could make the beds for you, Ginny." Ron
volunteered, winking at Hermione.
"Uh, no. No offense, Ron, but the last time you made me a bed it dissolved in the middle of the
night and I wound up sleeping in the corner. Mum can do it later." Ginny opened Hermione's
trunk and pulled out a sweater. "As that wears off, you'll be cold. This'll help."
Hermione looked blandly at the sweater. "I'd rather snuggle up with Ron and let him keep me
warm. That would be more comfortable." Her eyes widened and she blushed as everyone looked
at her in surprise. "Oh, I can't believe I actually said that in front of all of you." They started to
laugh and Cassie helped Hermione lie down to rest. She looked wan and exhausted, and closed
her eyes when her head hit Ginny's pillow. As she rested, Harry and Ron helped move the trunks
and get things settled as best they could. Ron again volunteered to conjure up the two extra beds
as no one had anywhere to sit, but Ginny again turned him down. Cassie sat on her trunk, while
Harry and Ron made themselves as comfortable as possible on the floor. Everyone looked at
Hermione who was starting to shiver. Ron got up from the floor and sat down next to her and
gently rubbed her shoulders. Ginny also went over to her.
"Do you need anything, Hermione?"
"Yeah. I really need to pee. If I don't go soon, I'll wet myself." Her eyes flew open and she looked
frantically at Ginny. "Oh, please tell me I didn't just say that out loud." Ginny grinned and nodded.
Hermione mumbled something under her breath and covered her eyes with her hand. "This is
humiliating." Ron, who was fighting to hold back laughter, stood up and helped Hermione up,
commenting that she better go down the hall to the loo. She blushed brightly, glared at him, and
then quickly exited the room. A few minutes later she came back in, picked up her sweater and
wrapped it around her shoulders. "Well, we might as well go downstairs because laying here really
isn't helping anything. Maybe I could have something hot to drink."
The five of them walked down the stairs into the kitchen where they found Fred and George
sitting at the table drinking coffee. "Where're Mum and Dad? I thought they were going to tell us
what's up with the Aurors and everything."
"Yeah. I have to admit I'm curious why my name and picture are on a flyer." Harry indicated the
paper the twins had brought back from Diagon Alley earlier.
"They're out in the living room working with Remus at notifying all the other people the Aurors
want to arrest. It's causing a great deal of trouble for the Order. Most of these people are on
assignments at the moment and are hard to reach. But if they're exposed and arrested, the
problems are just going to get worse."
"I don't understand any of this," Ginny complained, scowling at the flier as though she held it
personally responsible for daring to have Harry's picture on it.
"I don't know that you're going to get many answers from the parents. They don't know much,
either. But I think they'll tell you the whole story at dinner, which should be in an hour or two.
You can wait that long, can't you?" Everyone grumbled but no one was brave enough to go out
into the living room and interrupt the adults either, so they settled themselves down to wait.
Hermione did not want coffee, so Ginny started making hot chocolate for her and anyone else that
wanted it. Cassie sat next to George, who quietly put his hand on her knee. Harry sat on her other
side and left a chair for Ginny, while Hermione groggily sat down and rested her head on Ron's
shoulder.
"You know, this table cloth really doesn't go with the decor of the kitchen." Ron gently patted her
shoulder as he rolled his eyes.
Fred gave her an appraising look, shot a grin at George and then spoke. "Oh, Hermione, why
don't you tell us about the most embarrassing experience you've had snogging with Ron?"
Everyone but Ron smiled and looked at Hermione with interest. She scowled in frustration and
Cassie could tell she didn't really want to answer, but then she straightened up and started to
speak. "Well, it was probably the time Ron and I sneaked into Firenze's classroom because we
thought it would be romantic to . . ."
Ron, who was turning crimson, covered her mouth with his hand. "You two, knock it off. That's
evil of you to ask her questions when you know she can't help answering."
The twins chuckled as Ginny served the others the hot chocolate. "Well, yeah. Your point is?"
Ron's scowl deepened, but Hermione didn't answer the question and after a few moments, even
Ron relaxed.
Harry took a deep breath and stared down into the depths of his mug. "Thanks for coming to get
me today, guys. And the note, Cassie, was brilliant."
"I'm glad the owl found you."
George sighed. "Things didn't work out quite like they were supposed to. But I guess in the end,
it turned out all right." Everyone nodded as they thought back over the events of the afternoon.
"Was everyone impressed with our fake Dark Mark?"
"It was scary."
"That was the point - to cause confusion and everything."
"Well, it definitely did that." Ginny grinned at Cassie. "Yelling, screaming, panicking. Reminds me
of Malfoy this week when you got your revenge on him. That was terrific, by the way." Harry and
Ron both laughed, obviously remembering the event with pleasure.
Cassie gave Ginny a puzzled look. "Well, thanks. But Malfoy couldn't yell or scream. Remember?
We'd put that silencing charm on him."
"That was on Sunday. I'm talking about what happened on Wednesday when he opened that other
package you sent."
"What are you talking about? I didn't send anything to that slimy git." She looked over at the
twins immediately, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. They looked so absolutely innocent that
Cassie knew with certainty who had sent the package. "What was in this package that someone or
someones as yet identified sent to Draco Malfoy?"
"I don't know, really. Some sort of bomb or firecracker or something. It exploded when he
touched it and spilled a sort of bright yellow liquid all over him."
"Did it spray all over or just kind of glump?" Fred asked, looking even more innocent than before.
Cassie shook her head, trying not to smile. It would not do to look like she approved of this
although she was dying to know what had happened.
"Don't know. I would guess that it sprayed because it was all over him - well, over his clothes at
least."
"And what did this potion that I did not send do to him?"
Ron was grinning broadly. Cassie knew that he really hated Malfoy and had enjoyed the results.
Obviously this potion had done something nasty to the boy. "Nothing to him. It was his clothes. It
dissolved them."
"Not dissolved. Just made them temporarily transparent," Fred corrected and George elbowed
him in the ribs. "They knew it was us, George. I don't think anyone was really wondering who had
sent the potion by now." He turned his attention to the younger people at the table. "It's from that
Sweet Revenge section of the shop. Designed to humiliate someone. But we did take a chance
with the packaging because we weren't sure how it would travel."
"Well, it was brill. It took him a few minutes to even realize what was happening. That's when he
started screaming. And then he wiped his hands on his robes because I think he thought he was
going to disappear, too. But that just made more of his robe disappear. He got up and ran at a full
sprint out of the Great Hall. But it was too late. Enough of the robes were gone in front that you
could see his underwear!"
"Oh, really?" Cassie tried not to laugh, but she couldn't help it. Ron was telling the story with such
glee that it was hard to be angry.
"Now, I do not spend any time thinking about Malfoy's underwear, but I had always pictured him
wearing green silk boxers or something like that." Everyone nodded. "We couldn't see because we
were too far away, but some of the Hufflepuffs got a good look as he stood up at the Slytherin
table. His boxers had hearts and presents all over them and said 'Santa's little helper' or something
to that effect."
It took about five minutes for Cassie, George, and Fred to stop laughing. And then Hermione
said, "He's too skinny for my taste, but he does have a nice chest" which sent everybody into
renewed gales of laughter - well, everyone but Ron who scowled again. But he continued the
story when people had calmed down enough to hear the rest.
"And what we heard is that by the time he got to the common room, even parts of his boxers were
starting to become transparent and -
"No more! Please! I do not want to hear more." Cassie covered her ears with her hands.
"But we do" said the twins.
"Well, for the sake of Cassie's delicate sensibilities," Ron joked. "I will only say that the laughter
of the Slytherin girls echoed through the entire common room and was rumored to be heard as far
away as Snape's classroom!" After a few more minutes of laughter, Ron concluded his story with
the triumphant line. "The best part is that Draco didn't come out of his dorm room the entire day!"
It took everyone a while to recover from their bouts of hysterical laughing, but when they had,
Cassie looked at Ginny.
"What made you think I could have done that complicated of a trick?"
"Well, of course I knew you had had help. But I thought you had written the note and come up
with the idea."
"There was a note?" Cassie looked pointedly at George and then turned back to Ginny. "Was it
signed by me?" Ginny nodded. "And what did this note say, exactly?"
"Uh . . . let's see. It said . . ." Ginny was working hard trying to remember the exact wording.
Fortunately, George remembered.
"It said, 'This should teach you to keep your mind on your own underwear and off other people's
knickers.' And you signed it." Cassie grinned at him.
"You are incorrigible. You know that, don't you?"
"Completely incorrigible" Hermione piped up. "It's a wonder you didn't get kicked out of school
years before you left." She closed her eyes again as if she hadn't said anything and leaned even
heavier against Ron's shoulder.
"How long will this last?" Cassie looked at Hermione with sympathy. She obviously was just
saying the first thing that came to her mind, completely uncensored.
"It depends how much they gave her." Harry finally spoke up. He had been laughing at the story
about Malfoy, too, but he was obviously quite shaken by the events of this afternoon and was
now staring moodily down at the tabletop as he traced the patterns of the not-quite-matching
tablecloth.
"They gave her quite a lot." Ron growled, obviously frustrated at his inability to help her on the
train when the Aurors were forcing it down her throat.
"Which means it should last long enough"
"For us to get some good information out of her," Fred finished George's sentence. "Now,
Hermione. How would you like to go on a walk? We'd love to talk to you about ickle Ronniekins.
We promise that anything you say will be kept in the strictest confidence."
"You aren't taking her anywhere!" Ron nearly yelled, tightening his grip on Hermione's hand.
"She's staying here with me."
"Fine, fine. We don't mind talking here in front of everyone. So, Hermione, how is Ron, really, as
a snogging partner?" Hermione's eyes opened wearily and she started to talk, but Ron again
covered her mouth and although she was muttering something, Cassie couldn't understand what
she said.
"I think that's enough, George, Fred. You're embarrassing your brother." Cassie grinned but she
squeezed George's hand in warning.
"All right, all right. We'll stop asking Hermione questions." His eyes fixed on her face, though,
and Cassie knew who was next in the interrogations. "I believe you mentioned something about
putting a silencing charm on Malfoy on Sunday morning. I would really like to hear the details of
this entire incident."
No. I don't think so. It's, uh, not important now." Cassie really hoped that the whole thing could
be forgotten. It wasn't that she was ashamed. Not at all. In fact, she considered it one of her
crowning glories at Hogwarts. But it wasn't something she was sure she would feel comfortable
discussing in front of George. It had been a little vicious, after all.
"Ooooh, Fred! George! I can't believe she hasn't told you this! It was so terrific!" Ginny hopped
up with enthusiasm, and Cassie shook her head, trying to get her to sit back down. She was
ignored. "Did you hear what happened Saturday night after dinner?" The entire insulting
conversation was retold with relish, Ginny throwing herself into the role of a dramatic actress with
a gusto that amazed Cassie. She rarely saw Ginny this animated. "So, of course, we had to do
something to get him back. We were coming down to breakfast Sunday morning and the idea just
came to me. I'm glad we went ahead and did it, since Cassie left only a little later."
The twins were very familiar with the little niche where Ginny had hidden herself and when Ginny
actually suggested acting out the Sunday morning event, both boys eagerly agreed, conjuring up a
curtain that hung in mid air to its exact dimensions. "Come on, Cassie. Don't be embarrassed. We
want to see what you did!"
"All right! All right! I need someone to be Draco." She looked at George. "Do you want to volunteer?"
"No, I want to watch! Harry'll do it."
"No, Harry won't!" Harry said. "Because he knows what happens to poor Draco at the end of this
story." But some quick talking convinced Harry that he was the only one for the job.
"Ron's too tall for this. You're the right size and everything."
"Okay, but don't get carried away. We're just pretending, remember." Ginny handed Cassie a
spoon to be her wand and Cassie got into position by the curtain.
The entire scene was narrated by Ginny, who kept poking her wand and also her head through the
curtain to make comments as the story progressed. George and Fred laughed the entire time so
hard that Cassie wondered why none of the adults in the house had some to see how they were
being tortured.
When they got to the part in the action where Cassie actually hurt Draco, Harry gulped and stood
there with the expression of a condemned man. Ginny continued with her narration, unconcerned.
"So with Malfoy silenced and leg-locked, Cassie grabbed his shoulders and told him never to mess
with her like that again. Then she kneed him in the groin really hard. You should have seen his
face as he fell to the ground!" The boys all had expressions on their faces as if they were feeling
Malfoy's pain and their laughter sounded rather forced. "Then, I did a full body bind on him before
we did the Bat Bogey hex with that wand you made for her. And, of course, he couldn't do one
thing about it. He just had to lay there and take it." Harry looked relieved that he actually hadn't
been harmed, and he stiffened, fell to the floor, and acted out a silent scream as both Ginny's wand
and Cassie's spoon pointed down at him in triumph.
"Then we rolled him behind the curtain and went into the Great Hall for a very tasty breakfast!"
The two girls bowed and Cassie jokingly put her foot on Harry's chest and raised her arms over
her head in the universal indication of victory.
George wiped his streaming eyes and Fred played with the collar of his robes. "Uh, remind me
never to get Cassie mad at me."
Hermione had roused a little and had been chuckling along with the others as she sipped her hot
chocolate. She spoke up again. "Kneeing that disgusting slime ball wasn't enough. She should
have just gra . . ."
Ron, who was staring at her wide-eyed, quickly put his hand over her mouth. "You don't want to
say that out loud, Hermione. You'll be embarrassed later."
Ginny finished the story with the end that Cassie did not know. "Anyway, they didn't find him
until after lunch so he was there for hours. Once they got the silencing charm off of him, I heard
he spoke soprano for the rest of the day! But there was nothing he could do for revenge. She was
already gone!"
George and Fred shook their heads in amazement as Harry stood up from behind the curtain
where he had been rolled and sat down gratefully in his chair, trying ineffectually to smooth his
messy hair. Hermione again started to make a comment, and Ron immediately put his hand over
her mouth. She glared at him and mumbled through the hand that she wasn't going to say anything
embarrassing. Ron just grinned at her. Cassie had the feeling he was enjoying Hermione being in
the foot-in-mouth position instead of himself for once. She was usually the one in control of her
emotions while he just spouted out whatever popped into his mind. They were all still recovering
from their near-hysterical laughter when Molly came into the kitchen. The lines on her face were
deeper than they had been this morning and Cassie thought she looked like she had aged 10 years.
"I'll have dinner ready in a few minutes, kids. Then we need to have a discussion. You all certainly
deserve to know the entire story of what is going on."
