Temporal Flux

Chapter Fourteen: Weasley Wizarding Wheezes

"Today, there's a huge feast that we have every year," explained Ginny. "On the weekend, we're set to go to Hogsmeade. We normally get to go before this weekend, but with all the trouble, we can't."

"Because of You-Know-Who?" asked Jared, using the more commonly used moniker for Voldemort after a stern explanation from Ginny. They were having their current conversation at the Gryffindor Table in the dining hall. "I've never really seen Hogsmeade."

As Jared finished his sentence, the owls began flying in with the mail. Hermione received her copy of the Daily Prophet as Harry got the piece of mail of that he, Ginny, and Jared were waiting for. He didn't even open it. Neither Ron nor Hermione asked about it because they were pouring over the newspaper.

Ginny, however, had a note that made her exclaim in utter delight, "Ron! Guess what?"

"What?" asked Ron.

"Fred and George are going to be in Hogsemeade this weekend. They'll be doing a demonstration of some of their new products," replied Ginny with a huge grin.

Jared perked up at the news. Of course, he had all of the exclusive products from the Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. It was one of the most successful businesses in the wizarding world, and Jared as a child was spoiled by his uncles who babysat him from time to time when he was younger. The rest of the Weasleys really overindulged Jared because he was the child that everyone was expecting.

"Why are you so happy?" demanded Ron as he stared straight at Jared. "You don't know Fred and George. And once you do, may not like them as much."

"They're legendary around here after the way they left," said Harry. "You haven't heard about that yet, have you?"

"No," said Jared. Of course, he had; it was a story he had heard many, many times. His grandmother was always trying to stop the story from being repeated in the hearing of the grandchildren.

"Why did they write?" asked Ron. "Why didn't they write me?"

"I don't know, but Fred said you must be busy with your prefect duties because you didn't write them," answered Ginny. "But they want to see us during the weekend, Ron."

Ron snorted. It wasn't that he wasn't happy with his brothers' success, but he had to deal with it the whole summer. He got more than his fill of it. They were helping out the family and they were partly the reason why Ron had some new things for the school year, even though their parents gave the reason of having less children to put through school.

"Would you like to meet them, Jared?" asked Ginny, knowing full well what the answer was going to be. He nodded. "Good, I'll introduce you."

"Wait!" exclaimed Ron. "You shouldn't be introducing him to anyone. What is going on between you two?" His eyes darted a little bit at Harry who just looked back at him.

"I don't see the harm, Ron," said Hermione as she folded up the newspaper. "If anything, shouldn't you be more worried about Jared than Fred and George."

Jared knew better than to just take anything that his uncles handed him. After so many tears and screams and his father getting angry with them for attempting to traumatize him, the twins always knew better than to antagonize Jared. "It's his funeral," said Ron as he shrugged. Jared had to admit that did make him a little nervous.

"Then, it's settled," said Ginny happily.

"It's not," said Hermione as she looked at Ron. "Professor Dumbledore has asked the prefects have a meeting that day, too. We'll be able to go as soon as the meeting's done, Ron."

Ron sighed and asked, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I just found out this morning and I wanted to put off the news as long as possible."

"Great."

Harry said, "I guess I'll go ahead with you and Jared, Ginny. I'll meet you in Hogsemeade. That is if you don't mind."

Ron was deciding what was worse: letting Jared go off with Ginny alone to meet Fred and George, or forcing Harry to wait for him and Hermione. Ron decided that it was best to have Harry go along with Jared and Ginny as a chaperone. "That's fine. I'm sure that the meeting shouldn't take that long, but why did Dumbledore wait until the weekend to have the meeting, Hermione?"

"It has something to do with what was in the paper this morning," said Hermione as she offered it up for everyone to see. She had folded it to a story. "There were attacks on Muggles in the surrounding areas."

"Why would anyone attack Muggles like that?" asked Ron as he skimmed the article.

"Hate crimes," answered Jared in a soft voice. "That's what." He wasn't even looking at the article. He seemed to stare off into space for a moment.

"Must be the Death Eaters," summarized Ron as he glanced at Hermione who seemed rather tense at the moment. "We're perfectly safe as long as we're in Hogwarts and even Hogsmeade is safe. If it wasn't Dumbledore wouldn't be sending us out there this weekend," he tempted to reassure her.

Malfoy was walking towards class at that moment and choose to say something, "Looks like all the Mudbloods, half-bloods, and Muggle lovers better watch themselves." He glanced at them. "Weasel, what are you going to do when they go after your friends, huh? You should really consider doing the smart thing. The pureblood thing."

Ron was on his feet before Hermione could say anything or stop him. Jared saw the look on his face. Any anger that Jared had immediately paled in comparison. The first time that Jared had ever seen that look on Ron's face was when he was just five years old. It was the first time that Jared had learned that he was different from other members of the Weasley family.

He had learned the word Mudblood for the first time when he was attending a very exclusive preschool for magically children. The Weasleys couldn't afford it before, but Jared was sent there because Ron and Hermione could. They wanted him to meet other magical children outside of the Weasley family and to also learn about wizarding society. He had proven to be the brightest child in his class, but during playtime none of the other children would play with him.

"Mummy says you're a Mudblood. That means you're dirty."

"Your daddy's a blood traitor."

"Daddy says that people like you shouldn't exist. It's not right."

"Mudblood."

Jared was unconsciously clutching his hands into fists. He had thrown the worst tantrum that his mother had ever seen when she asked him how his first day was. He kicked, screamed, and said he wouldn't go back. He refused to tell her what was wrong. It wasn't until his father came home that Jared asked him what a blood traitor was. Jared clutched his jaw as his whole body went rigid.

Harry was sitting next to him and noticed how stiff Jared was. Harry told to Malfoy in a bored tone, "You know if purebloods were so superior, you'd be doing better than Hermione in class." Almost right away, Harry had a reaction from Malfoy.

"Potter, people like you shouldn't really be talking much. You may have the name of a pureblood, but everyone knows that you've got Muggle blood in you," retorted Malfoy.

"It's been than being inbreed that your eyes are so close together," quipped Jared. "Who bloody cares what someone like you thinks anyway?" He got to his feet, rising to his full height. He seemed more impressive at the moment. "I can break your arms off this time, Malfoy. It wouldn't be that hard. They'll just pop right off."

"Come on, Crabbe. Goyle," said Malfoy as he stalked off. His eyes did flicker for a moment. It wasn't like before when he could make the threat that he'd tell his father. Things were slowly going to change for Malfoy. It was going to take ten years to do it.

Jared sat back down. This was the first time since the incident in the hall did he mention anything about twisiting Malfoy's wrist. Hermione sucked in a breath through her teeth, which made Jared feel some guilt. She always did that when she was disappointed in him. So, he cast his eyes downward, his cheeks felt hot.

"That's some temper you've got there," pointed out Ginny as she gave Jared a meaningful look.

"I have my father's temper," he admitted without looking at anyone else. "I've been dealing with people like Malfoy for years. Look, I'm going to the library today. I've got to catch up on some work. I'll talk to you later."

Ron was the first one to break the silence when he left, "He's got some issues, doesn't he?"

Ginny rolled her eyes at him and said, "Imagine being a small kid and having other kids tell you that you don't deserve to exist because your father's a blood traitor."

"That's horrible!" exclaimed Hermione, horrified. "No wonder he's so sensitive about it."

"His father comes from one of the best known pureblood families around," said Harry. "His father isn't just any law enforcement officer. He's an Auror, so Jared's made of pretty stuff. His mother's a healer like he said before, but she just started working again when he started at magical school."

"His dad's an Auror?" repeated Ron as his eyes lit up a bit. He was really considering being one, but he didn't really know anyone whose father was one. He had talked a lot to Kingsley and Tonks over the summer about the training.

However, in two years time, he didn't know that he would have to choose between being an Auror or a Quidditch player. Ultimately, Ron choose to be an Auror because two years in Snape's advance N.E.W.T. classes would have been wasted, but that wasn't his real reason. He found out that he would have to travel extensively, and by that time, he was pretty much in love with Hermione. Although, there were days that Hermione would have preferred Ron as a Quidditch player than as an Auror. Between the two, Auror was the more dangerous occupation.

"Yeah, Ron," confirmed Ginny. "And from what he said, a good one, too." She gave brother a slight smile.

"I wonder why he didn't just come right out and say it," said Hermione. "Don't you think that's rather strange?"

"Maybe, he just didn't want to," said Harry.

Hermione wasn't letting it drop as she said, "You know it's interesting because he's so much of a free spirit most of them, but he must have grown up with some strict parents."

"Or maybe not," argued Ron. "He can't be that disciplined if he goes off from time to time. I've never seen anyone with that kind of temper before."

Ginny almost snickered, but managed to stop herself. Harry shook his head. It seemed that Hermione, still not knowing Jared's true identity, agreed with them as she quipped, "You are one to talk. Your temperament isn't exactly what I would always call pleasant."

Ron gave her a confused look, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Hermione. I happen to have a very pleasant disposition."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him and got to her feet. "Enough. Let's go and do some of our prefect duties. I'm tired of you not doing your share of the work. I'm not always going to cover for you."

"Aw, come on, Hermione. Isn't it bad enough we have to go out at night and have meetings with Malfoy?" whined Ron as he followed after her.

"You know it's no wonder why Jared is so weird," muttered Ginny as she glanced at Harry. "He's so much like Ron it's scary."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I've noticed. I'll go and check up on him and make sure he's fine. I'll talk to you later."

By the weekend, everything had settled down. The feast was planned for the evening, and Jared went off with Harry and Ginny after breakfast to go meet with Fred and George. Neither of the twins knew that they were about to meet their future nephew. In fact, Ginny didn't say that Harry and Jared were coming.

"Fred. George," said Ginny as she walked into the already busy shop. The twins decided to open the new shop on Hollow's Eve, and they were banking on making a tidy profit in Hogsmeade. It hadn't been decided yet which twin would be in charge of the store, and Ginny had a feeling that they were going to flip a coin to figure it out.

"Ginny!" greeted Fred exuberantly. "Are you here to buy something? 'Cause you know we could use the business." He was mildly gesturing at the amount of people in the store. "Otherwise, you could help out your big brothers by waiting on customers."

"I am not here to work for you. I did that during the summer," said Ginny with little humor. "Anyway, I brought Harry and Jared here."

George greeted them first, "Hey Harry. I'm George Weasley and this is my brother Fred. So, you're Jared?"

"Jared Blake," responded Jared with a slightly smile. "Nice shop you've got here. What do you have?"

"An American," observed Fred. "This is the first time we've ever had a foreigner in this shop."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "You've only been open for two hours for crying out loud. And you leave him alone." She sounded very defensive, which the twins caught on to quickly.

The twins eyed Jared with deep interest as he looked around the store. It wasn't his first time in the store. When he was younger, he used to go to the one in Diagon Alley often. When he was going to Hogwarts, he went to the one he was currently standing in. The layout of the store wasn't much different than what he remembered. Some things weren't in the same place and there were products that he didn't remember.

"So, what are you looking for?" asked Fred as he followed Jared.

George told Harry, "You're free to get whatever you want, Harry." Neither Ginny nor Jared knew that Harry was the silent partner of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Harry made Hermione and Ron promise not to say anything to anyone and that promise still held even in the future. "I'll let you know if I need anything," Harry said to George as he browsed.

Fred was right behind Jared who turned suddenly and almost fell back in the process. "You break it, you buy it," said Fred with a smile.

"I'll remember that," muttered Jared with a smirk. There were times that he hated being so tall. He was still growing and at times he was clumsy and tripping over his feet. When he was little, he would just fall and be horribly embarrassed. His father would reassure him it was because he was going to be a big boy and that the same thing used to happen to him, too. However, Jared had yet to see Ron really clumsy, which led Jared to believe that he was really clumsy. "I can look around here by myself, if you don't mind."

Fred studied him for a moment before he concluded, "There's something familiar about you. I don't know why, but I can't seem to place you."

"Yeah, I get that," said Jared as he looked above Fred's head to Ginny. His eyes were pleading for a rescue. Ginny wasn't coming. "Stop looking at me like that," he told Fred with some annoyance. His cheeks were red along with his ears. This didn't help him.

"Yes, you definitely look like someone I know," insisted Fred as he walked around Jared. "But, where…I don't know."

Fred sort of got his answer when Hermione and Ron walked right in. They were doing what they did best: arguing. "All I'm saying Ron is that I want you to take more responsibility. You're suppose to. What's wrong with you?"

"I don't see the point, Hermione," countered Ron loudly. "You're there to take care of it anyway."

Hermione fumed as she went toe to toe with him with her hands on her hips. "I'm tired of taking up all the slack. You've got to do some of it, too, Ron."

"You're always making a big deal out of everything," retorted Ron.

Fred and George went up to them and said in unison, "You're driving customers away." Ron and Hermione faced them and pointedly ignore them as they turned to each other and continued with the squabbling.

"I just want you to do more. That's all."

"Like what?"

"Like some of the things that Professor Dumbledore said during the meeting. Just for once, could you just do the schedule for our rounds? I'm always the one who gets stuck with that."

Jared had heard arguments similar to the one that they were having. As a baby, he had slept through most of it and everyone was amazed at that. Of course, he could be just as loud if he wanted to. After all, he had inherited a good set of lungs, judging by the sound of them arguing in the store.

"Will you two just stop?" pleaded George as he looked around at all the people who were starting to stare. "You sound like an old married couple."

Jared snickered as he made his way to Harry. He and Ginny were trying to hold back their laughter as Jared got to them. "Did you find anything you like?" asked Harry to him quietly. "I'll just say I'm getting it."

"Or me," offered Ginny. "I'm sure you're used to not paying for this stuff."

"I am, but I don't need anything right now," said Jared. "Usually, my mother tries to keep me out of the stores. She always says that they're a bad influence on me."

"She's not wrong," muttered Ginny as the twins and Jared's parents continued to talk. "Why don't we wait at the Three Broomsticks?"

"Yeah," agreed Jared.

"Hey, we'll be waiting at the Three Broomsticks. See all of you there," said Harry as they walked out.

That stopped them from talking pretty fast. When Harry, Ginny, and Jared were out the door, Fred said once again, "Isn't there something familiar about him?"


AN: Jared is the Weasley golden child. By this time, Molly has it set that she wants Ron and Hermione together, too, and so everyone pretty much waits for Jared to come along. Jared does have his own issues. His parents are a tough act to follow and he's not even a prefect in the future. He doesn't realize how cool he is nor does he realize that he has a lot of stuff going for

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.