Morning After

Part 2: Nobody Likes Pumpkin Mush

Waking up the twins was no easy task.

Percy was easy: Charlie only needed to shake his little brother lightly on the shoulder. A soft, "Time to get up, Perce," was enough to jar the younger boy out of his slumber. Percy rubbed his eyes and blinked owlishly, automatically reaching for the thick spectacles that rested on his nightstand.

"Shall I wake up Fred and George?" Percy asked in his important little boy way. His thin chest was puffed up so much that Charlie had to grin and poke it with his finger. The chest quickly deflated.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think Mum wants me to handle this," Charlie answered, ruffling Percy's hair as he made his way to the twins' bed.

Charlie didn't quite miss Percy's puckered pout, but he was too caught up in the task ahead to comment.

With a deep breath, he bent over the two slumbering boys. They slept peacefully on a single bed, legs entwined, red hair floating about their small freckled faces. Fecking devil children, they were. Even though they looked all innocent-like at the moment, Charlie knew the terror of babysitting them, so he didn't feel too bad when he bellowed, "GET UP!"

In the corner of his eyes, he saw that Percy has been pulling a pair of trousers on. The trousers dropped at the yell in favor of cupping his hands around his ears.

The twins rolled over.

"Don't—"

"—Wanna,"

Came the two muffled replies.

Charlie very much wanted to know how they did that. It was downright creepy. He thought it would be pretty brilliant if he and Bill could learn to do it. Of course, besides the twins he only knew of couples that could finish each other's sentences. And they certainly weren't that. A couple, that is. Well, they were a couple of people, but not a couple-couple, what with holding hands and kissing—

With a shake of his head to clear it, Charlie leaned over the twins once more and told them in a low, menacing voice, "Mum says if you don't get up right now you have to go on with your morning lessons with no breakfast."

The twins jumped up with a start, dashing out their room and down the stairs still wearing their matching blue pyjamas. Charlie smiled in satisfaction, and gave a shove to encourage the primly-dressed Percy to follow the twins.

It was good to be the older brother.

If there's one way to stop thinking about a kiss, it's watching a toddler spit up on itself. Ginny laughed gleefully, clapping her hands. The pumpkin mush that was once on her hands splattered to her face and clothing. It made goopy noises. Charlie made a face of disgust.

Being an older brother was sodding awful.

He glanced over at Bill, who was masterfully avoiding the splattering of the twins' meal; half the food on their plates was donated to a food fight artillery. Bill easily sidestepped the bits of toast and egg that flew about his head, and surreptitiously flicked Fred and George's ears when Molly left to set up the boys' morning lessons.

When Molly returned, Bill's hands retreated to his pockets and he smiled nice and big. "All right, Mum?"

Their mum smoothed out her already frazzled hair that was coming unbound, red hair sticking at odd angles. Patting her oldest son's shoulder, she replied kindly, "Of course, dear,"

Bill gave the twins a significant look. "Are their lessons going to be in the kitchen today? Fred and George said they'd be happy to clean up their mess," he said. There was a wicked glint in his eye that meant mischief; it was a glint that Molly never seemed to notice.

The glint had been there when Bill slung his arm over Charlie's shoulder the night before. They sat together on Charlie's bed for most of the night, the sides of their bodies pressed close.

Charlie hand must have trembled from sleep deprivation. Pumpkin mush slid off the spoon in his hand and landed on Ginny's head with a plop. Ginny tilted her face up, as if trying to see the orange mush that was nearly the same color as her fuzzy hair. She patted that bit of hair with one hand, smearing the mush all over her little round head. Charlie glanced around and sighed in relief when he realized that Molly's attention was completely on Fred (at least Charlie thought it was Fred), who had a wicked glint of his own.

It didn't have quite the same effect as Bill's, as Fred had crumbs clinging to his mouth and cheeks, but Charlie gave it and E for Effort. "Not us…" he said in a low, secret tone. "Ginny!"

"Ginny said that she would clean up her mess?" Molly asked, both eyebrows raised at Fred, who was pointing to their little sister who was currently covered in orange mush. Ginny ignored the attention in favor of trying to touch her toes, the only part of her body that was clean.

Fred nodded eagerly, and George joined in with a chant of "Ginny! Ginny! Ginny!"

Molly shook her head and sighed long-sufferingly. "You know what I told you about fibbing, you two. Now, we're going to have lessons in the family room today, so go on," she said, waving the boys to out.

The twins raced out and Molly handed Ginny to Percy—"Put her down for a nap, will you, dear?"

Percy carried the toddler at arms length while Molly turned to Bill and Charlie. "Now boys," she began.

"Mum," Percy interrupted.

"I know it's the holidays,"

"Mum," Percy said again, clearing his throat. Charlie wondered where the younger boy learned that.

"But I've already talk to—"

"Mother!" Percy finally shouted, face red.

"There's no need to shout, Percy," Molly admonished. "Now what is it that can't wait?"

Percy looked quite put out as he held out the sticky little girl out to their mother. Molly flushed. "Oh dear," she said, then cast a quick cleaning spell.

"Thank you," Percy said in his formal way. Charlie almost expected a little bow to follow the words. Instead, Percy followed the twins route out of the kitchen, struggling to hold Ginny in his two thin arms.

As Charlie and Bill tried to sneak up the stairs, Molly caught them by their collars.

"Now, what was I saying?"

Bill and Charlie lined up next to each other, like Aurors lined up and waiting for their arduous assignment. Or like two Azkaban prisoners preparing for the Dementor's Kiss.

"You boys know the lovely new couple who just moved nearby don't you? The Lovegoods?" Molly asked, flitting around the kitchen. She flicked several spells in rapid fire: a cleaning spell on the messy remains of the twins' breakfast, a boiling spell on a pot of tea, and a watering spell for the wilting snapdragon that was potted on the windowsill.

Charlie and Bill's answer came in a muttered chorus of "Yes, Mum,"

"Well, Mrs. Lovegood has a little girl about Ginny's age who's been sick with some exotic fever. Really, can you imagine taking a child that age to Sweden? Anyhow, they could really use some help with their garden gnome problem, and I told Mrs. Lovegood that you would be happy to help."

If it were any other morning, Charlie knew that this would be the appropriate moment to exchange an exasperated glance with Bill. They were in their Hogwarts years already and their mum was still volunteering them without asking. Really, didn't she know anything?

"She's expecting you in…ten minutes! Oh, that should be enough time for you boys to walk there, shouldn't it?"

"Walk?" Charlie groaned. This was just getting unreasonable. "Can't we just Floo there?"

"The Lovegoods just bought a Muggle house. They haven't yet connected to the Floo Network," Molly explained. "Now shoo, or you two will be late!" she said, ushering them out the door and shoving their coats in their hands.

With a grumble, Charlie let himself be pushed out. His shoulder brushed Bill's for a split second as they simultaneously crowded the doorframe. Bill's shoulder was warm underneath a thin shirt, worn away from too many cleaning spells.

Charlie almost swallowed his grumble.

"Oh, and don't talk to any strange Muggles!" Molly called after them as they made their way down the road.

This time, the exchange of an amused look was unavoidable. Charlie held back a laugh, and Bill's lips were quirked into a half-smile. When Charlie found his gaze lingering on the slight upturn of Bill's lips, he quickly looked down to the gravel road. Sweat prickled at his neck and armpits. When the sweat met the cool winter air, Charlie shivered and shrugged on his coat.

It was going to be a long walk.

Author's Notes: I was debating on whether or not to continue this, but inspiration struck. I'm on a bit of an HP kick right now.