Disclaimer-Harry Potter is a franchise owned by J. . I do not, in any way, own the characters, places, movies, books, etc….. The Ocs, however, are my characters. There are families whose surname is Maurya, but I'm not using any of them as a character. So all Oc characters and NAMES would be my own creation. Any character resembling any person living or dead is entirely a coincidence.
***~~WIWATTD~~***
CHAPTER V
It was a largely silent breakfast. The twins kept to themselves, occasionally murmuring to each other. The others weren't faring any better, sneaking glances at the girls occasionally. Only Molly kept herself calm enough and kept offering them more and more till the twins shook their heads.
"Thank you ma'am, but we're full," Anusha said, smiling at her.
"But you've hardly eaten anything!" Molly said worriedly.
"No, we've had our fill. Thank you!" Anya said, nodding.
"Are you sure?" Molly asked, looking at them suspiciously.
"Yes!" The twins said together, nodding.
Molly hummed half-heartedly and turned back to the pancakes she was making.
"Anusha?" Anya called out through their mental connection.
"Yeah?" Anusha replied, glancing at her twin.
"I don't think I'll be able to eat anything for the rest of my life," Anya groaned. Anusha sighed inwardly.
"Yeah, I'm feeling the same, sis," Anusha said, nodding.
"Who are you nodding at?" The boy beside her asked, looking at her weirdly. She turned to him and was a bit startled by the bright, emerald green eyes that looked back at her. She blinked and cleared her throat.
"Nothing at all," Anusha replied, looking at him calmly.
"Oh," was all the boy said, looking away. Anusha turned to her twin to find her speaking to the bushy-haired girl, 'Hermione'. After a few moments, Anusha sighed.
"Hey?" Anusha called out softly, catching his attention. He looked back, his bright green eyes filled with curiosity.
"We've not been introduced properly. I'm Anusha Maurya Snape," She said, holding out her hand to him. He looked at her and her hand for a few moments, before giving her a small smile.
Sirius, meanwhile, snapped his head to Anusha, his eyes wide at hearing her full name. He turned his head to Albus, who met his gaze calmly.
"Maurya?" He hissed at him.
"Yes," Was all Albus said.
"As in, the Royale 15 Maurya?" He confirmed.
"Yes, my boy," Albus said, his eyes twinkling brightly. Sirius turned back to the two teenagers, who were introducing themselves.
"Well, fuck. If my mother were here, she would've had a bloody heart coronary at having the Royale 15 in the 'house of Black'," Sirius said, eyeing the twins contemplatively. Albus chuckled.
"Well, Sirius," He began, "She can't have a heart coronary when she's a portrait, can she?"
"What do you mean?"
"She already met them both. And I suspect your mother wouldn't even dare to peep after that particular meeting, not if she wants to be burned up completely!"
A devilish smirk graced the man's features.
"I'm suddenly starting to like these two."
"We've not been introduced properly. I'm Anusha Maurya Snape," Anusha said, holding out her hand to him. He looked at her and the offered hand for a few moments, before giving her a small smile.
"I'm Harry, Harry Potter," the boy said, shaking her hand. Anusha felt his grip tighten a little before he left her hand.
Oh. Well, this is… weird… he's not as I had suspected him to be…
She maintained her calm composure on the outside.
"Hello," She said, smiling at him.
Anusha didn't notice Albus, who was observing their interaction closely with a small smile on his face.
"That's Hermione sitting beside your twin, and beside her is Ginny," Harry popped in helpfully. Anusha turned to look at the bushy-haired girl and the redhead, both of whom were assessing her carefully. Anusha shook hands with them.
"Hello," Anusha said softly, a small smile on her lips.
"Hi," Ginny said, giving back the smile, her blue eyes shining brightly.
"Hello," Hermione greeted her, shaking her hand vigorously.
Anya shook hands with Harry, nodding at him. They maintained silence for a few moments.
"I'm sorry if it offends you, but does your dad talk about me?" Harry asked suddenly. The room fell silent as everyone but the twins looked at him with wide eyes.
Anusha frowned, looking at him confusedly.
"On what context?" She asked curiously, as everyone listened in. Harry shrugged.
"As in, you know, about how terrible I am in Potions and I'm so arrogant and strut around in Hogwarts and everything like that," He said, rolling his eyes. Anusha shared a look with Anya, who shook her head in negative.
"Oh, no. We've not seen him much for two years actually because he was too busy and hardly ever came around for a weekend, and then too, it was just to see how we were. And before those two years, I don't think he ever mentioned you. He just doesn't like talking about his work much. He just loves to spend time with us," Anusha said, shrugging a little.
"As a father should," Molly commented, nodding in approval.
"What do you do in your free time? Make new Potions?" One of the redhead twins asked, smiling cheekily.
"Collect ingredients for him?" The other shot up, a similar grin on his face.
"Or chop slugs and flobberworms for him?" The first one said.
"Or participate in dark rituals with daddy?" A redhead across from them taunted, his mouth full of pancakes. Molly smacked him upside the head.
"Ron, behave!"
"Mum!" The redhead groaned, rubbing his head.
The twins shook their heads, replying in negative.
"No, nothing of the sort. We are allowed to do whatever we want to in our free time," Anya said, smiling confusedly, wondering what they were on about.
"Do you play Quidditch?" Harry asked. The twins smiled at him as Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"Yeah!"
"Snape lets you?" the Redhead asked, shocked.
"Yeah," The twins replied, shrugging as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Got your own brooms?" The redhead twins asked, brightening up.
"Yup," the girls replied, smiling.
"Could you show us?" they asked, finally putting down their cutlery eagerly.
"Alright!" The twins answered, smiling.
Molly sighed good-naturedly, while Albus' eyes twinkled. Remus and Sirius chuckled.
"By the way, we're the handsome guys of the family!" The redhead twins exclaimed.
"This is Fred-" The one on the right gestured to the boy on his left.
"-And this is George!" the left guy said.
"And this is our baby brother, Ron!" They slapped their hands on his shoulders. The tall, gangly boy immediately shrugged them off.
"Hello," The girls greeted him, waving at them a bit uneasily. The boys waved back, but the third one, 'Ron' supposedly, made a rude face at them. They blinked at him slowly.
"What the hell is that guy's problem?" Anya said through their mental connection.
"I don't know yaar. Maybe he's having his first menses or something," Anusha said dryly. Anya could barely control her snort.
"I don't know why we're making friends with a pair of slimy snakes anyway!" He said loudly. The twins' eyes widened as everyone snapped their heads at him. He stood up and stomped out of the dining room.
"Ron!" Molly exclaimed, shocked as he went out of the room. The twins looked on in surprise. Anusha turned to Harry.
"Is 'slimy snake' a slang word here? Like a bad name?" Anusha asked as both girls looked at him curiously. Harry looked at her incredulously.
"You mean you both don't know?" He asked, looking at them both.
"No."
"Umm, well, Hogwarts has four houses- Gryffindor Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. They have their own animals as their house symbol, to represent their personalities and how they think."
"Yeah, our father is the Head of House of Slytherin, the one with the snake symbol. What does that have to do with the slang that he threw on us?" Anya asked, growing impatient.
"Well, Slytherin has never had the best of reputation, because Voldemort came from that house," Harry explained, ignoring the gasp from Molly.
"Not that the reputation was good enough before him anyway," Sirius muttered.
"He usually recruits his followers from that house, but there are other followers from other houses too, like Peter Pettigrew, umm Barty Crouch Jr. and Augustus Rookwood; he's from Ravenclaw."
The twins looked on at everyone with shock.
"So you're telling us," Anusha started, keeping her voice in level, "That people point fingers at a whole house because of one man who's lost his head a long time back and is now a genocidal maniac and recruits certain amount of people from one house as his followers. Surprisingly, even though Voldemort has recruited people from other houses, the other houses don't get any fingers pointed at them."
Harry nodded awkwardly.
"Okay, that is a fucked up mentality," Anya said, in a matter-of-fact way.
"Those Death Eaters are basically that section of society which favors purebloods above everything else. They are bigots, targeting those who are not like them - rich, with a high standing in the society and having generations of history in the wizarding world," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.
"Sirius, we know that. Even we have this problem with certain members of the Indian wizarding society. Even they are as bigoted as the purebloods here," Anusha said.
"But what I don't understand is blaming a certain population of Hogwarts just because one of the greatest megalomaniacs of the century was in that house," Anya said, frowning at them.
"Since Slytherin has most amounts of Purebloods with a similar ideology, HE recruits his followers from that house. HE just wants purebloods in his camp, people who have a similar way of thinking as HIM," Harry explained.
"Okay, I can understand a bit about that-"
"But to be scared of the whole House? That's a bit too much. What is it about them that scares everyone?" Anusha asked to no one in particular.
"Well," Hermione began hesitatingly, "Slytherins favor ambitious and cunning people. The students of that house are sly, sneaky and determined to achieve their goals."
"So?" Anusha said.
"Well, that is good, having an ambition, but its how they achieve it makes everyone wary of them," Ginny piped in, shrugging. The twins nodded dryly.
"There's nothing wrong with ambition. I mean, it's just a drive that makes you fulfill your goals in life and makes you move forward," Anusha said, shrugging.
"Well, everyone is wary, so we can't say anything about it. Well, I can't, not if I want to be known as a 'snake-in-disguise' on top of everything else," Harry said, looking at his plate bitterly.
The girls looked at him confusedly as silence swept in the room.
"Well," Fred started after a few moments, "I suppose we can see the brooms?"
The girls chuckled.
"Sure!" the twins said.
"Ah well, Sirius can show you both your room!" Molly said suddenly, as all the teens stood up at once.
"What?!" Sirius exclaimed, looking at Molly with wide eyes.
Go on with the girls, Sirius," Molly said, waving her hands, "Show them their rooms!"
The twins looked at Sirius, who kept his hands in front of him to placate the woman.
"Yeah, Alright! I'm going, I'm going!" Sirius said, in a high voice, as he went behind the teens. The twins shrugged at him, chuckling nervously.
"Well," Sirius started, as they climbed up the rickety old stairs of the house, "That lady means well. Don't be scared of her."
The twins chuckled.
"Oh, no! We are used to that! Our Grandmother is exactly like her," Anusha said, as they reached the first floor. Sirius nodded slowly.
"Your Grandmother, as in your father's mother?"
"No, our maternal Grandmother. Our paternal Grandmother died long back before we were even born," Anya explained.
Sirius hummed.
"So, which school do you guys go to?" Harry asked as they reached the first floor.
"We are home-schooled. We do have a magical school. It has been there since Nana was born, but he prefers home-schooling," Anusha said.
"What subjects have you two taken?" Hermione asked, her interest piquing up. Everyone around them rolled their eyes amusedly.
"Umm, let's see- Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, History of Magic, Sanskrit and Latin," Anya counted out.
Everyone looked at them in shock and horror.
"Ten subjects, huh?" Harry commented. The girls blinked at him confusedly.
"Yeah. Sanskrit and Latin are the language subjects. And of course, we are given homework on Hindi too sometimes."
"Hindi!" Hermione exclaimed. The girls looked at her weirdly.
"Erm, it's our mother tongue Hermione; it would literally be an act of treason for us to not learn our mother tongue," Anusha said, frowning at Hermione.
"B-But that's eleven subjects! Eleven subjects at once!"
"Just like you, Hermione!"
"Merlin did fifteen subjects in his formative years. Maybe the system you all have is different from the system we have, so we have our own problems with it. I'm sure you must be having difficulty in some of the subjects here," Anusha said, shrugging.
"You can say that again," Harry said, shaking his head and chuckling.
"What's your weak point, Harry?" Anya asked curiously.
"Potions. Even though I understand the theory of it, I just can't seem to brew because your father is literally breathing down my neck," Harry said, then clamped his mouth shut. He glanced at the twins sheepishly.
To everyone's surprise, the twins chuckled.
"That's Papa all right! He is twice as strict as Nana when it comes to Potions," Anusha said, shaking her head.
"Your Grandfather is a Potions Master?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah. Papa had his apprenticeship under him," Anya said, nodding.
"His name is Vikram Maurya, right?" Sirius asked suddenly. The twins smirked at him.
"Yeah," Anusha answered.
"So, you really are the Royale 15, huh?" Sirius muttered. The twins nodded, while everyone else looked confused.
"What's Royale 15?" Hermione asked confusedly.
"Well, you know how you have the sacred 28 here, the oldest wizarding families of Britain?" Anusha began. The teens nodded.
"Well, the Royale 15 is a group of 15 families around the world. They are the oldest of all the Wizarding families. The families like Potters, Blacks, and Malfoys have been living since the beginning of Hogwarts or maybe before Hogwarts, but the Royale 15 families have lived for more time than these families have," Anya explained.
"Okay, how much more time?"
"Umm, let's just say that they were the first wielders of magic. They harnessed the powers, used them in the best way they could and made sure that no one used this power for their selfish needs."
"There actually used to be Royale 20 back before the ministries were formed. But, five of the families had actually sought to control the whole world. There was a huge war and these five families lost. They were outnumbered, obviously, but both sides had lost people, "
"And after this war, even though people were reassured repeatedly by the now Royale 15 members that there was no threat, the people were wary of them. So These Royale 15 members decided to retreat and instead let the common people build ministries. They even helped in the construction and formation of ministries. So, to honor these families, they allotted a seat to every Royale 15 family in every Wizangamot hall of every ministry."
"We have the right to vote in every ministry in the world. Our members vote, sometimes, just once in a while sort of thing. These families just like to stay in their quiet life mostly," Anya finished.
"Wow," Ginny uttered, looking at the girls in awe.
"Well, we have royalty surrounding us, folks," one of the twins, George said, smiling cheekily.
"Alright then, kids, here's you two," Sirius said, as he stood in front of the door. He opened the door and led the girls in. They all looked around curiously.
It was a large enough room with blue walls and draperies of an eagle soaring in. There was a huge window in front of them. The bed was large enough for them to sleep. The room was bordering on luxurious, but it was charming enough for them.
"Well, this was one of those rooms where I used to hide out when I was little. This was my great-great-great-great Grandmother's room. She used to love this room, so she charmed it to be magically self-automating. It will revert back to how it was when she had left," Sirius explained, looking around the room. He snapped out of his daze and looked at the girls. They seemed to notice the dull, depressed gleam in his eyes but said nothing to him.
"Well, I must leave you all to it then. I have buckbeak to feed," Sirius said, winking at them, before walking out of the room, ruffling Harry's hair as he went past him.
"Well, where are the brooms?" One of the twins asked excitedly. The twins chuckled at him.
And so, the twins settled at 12 Grimmauld Place. They were introduced to all the residents living in the dusty old house. There were even some who used to stay for some time and then leave.
Remus was one of the most charming people they had ever encountered and was also very sensible, if not a little mischievous. Also, to their delight, and much to their father's chagrin, he got them chocolates. Chocolates which were from god-may-know which part of the world, but his choice of chocolates were absolutely divine. It was the one thing they never compromised with. While Sirius was more confident about himself, Remus was shy, sweet and doubted himself. He also had a kind of an aura about him, a really weird one. They even saw his eyes turn golden once before they came back to his honey-colored state. They were curious, but they didn't question him. It would seem intrusive to him. Their father had said something about him being a werewolf, but they shrugged it off.
Sirius, on the other hand, was charismatic, flirtatious man who had a great, albeit dirty, sense of humor. He was a rebel, always badmouthing most members of his family. He was a little depressed, as he had been falsely accused of murdering his best friends, James and Lily Potter and had been locked up in the Azkaban for almost thirteen years. James had been Sirius' brother in everything but blood. He still had a hard time dealing with the death of his best friends.
They had met Tonks after one of those 'secret meetings' that the adults have every now and then. She was a clumsy but bubbly, beautiful and humorous witch. She was a great listener and a formidable witch, but also a caring and kind person. They had a lot of fun with her. She would tell them of her adventures in the DMLE, how she was caught in embarrassing, tough, funny, and sad situations.
Molly Weasley was an overbearing, protective, caring, mother who had a strict hold on all her children. She was also a formidable, powerful witch whose magical powers rivaled with those of McGonagall's. She was quick to help anyone in need and loved cooking. She wasn't afraid to put anyone in line and loved all the children living in the house as if they were all her own. She gave them all sets of chores to do around the house, which kept them busy, most of the time. The twins took an instant liking to her, as she reminded them of their Nani.
Professor McGonagall was fierce, intimidating, sarcastic, and sassy with an odd sense of humor. Anyone would probably describe her best as 'Scottish'. Whenever she would get all angry, her inner Scott would become more pronounced. She refused to be treated as a wallflower by anyone, especially by Dumbledore. Since almost every Order member had been her student, they feared her even more. Anya loved Professor McGonagall. She was one of those who could put anyone in line.
Alastor or 'Mad-eye' Moody had made an impact on the twins. They had met him when they were fighting the Death Eaters, but it was in the Grimmauld Place that they came to know who he was. They had been joking around with their father, who had stayed behind after the Order meeting when Mad-eye had come along. He walked along the corridor towards the room when they had intercepted him. He nodded at them and to their father, who was instantly on guard.
"Practice hard ya two. Ya have potential ta be greater than any of those little sacks of yer age… and remember, don't ever give those bloody morons a chance ta attack ya like tha' again!" He said, gruffly, looking at them both sternly. The girls looked at him for a second in shock, before their father cleared his throat a little.
"Girls," He called out softly. They snapped out of their daze, blinking.
"Y-Yes sir," They said together, standing straighter.
"Hmm… And one more thing," Moody said, smirking at them evilly. He reached for his wand quickly and pointed at them. To his surprise, they had their wands pointed at him too. They looked at him coolly, maintaining their stance, ready to fire spells at him if it was needed.
Moody put his wand down, smirking widely; the scars on his face looked more gruesome than they already were.
"Well, at least they are vigilant enough," He muttered, putting his wand back. The girls had their wands out for a few more moments before they kept them back too. Moody simply walked past them to the dining room. The girls looked on as he went off, eyes a bit wide.
"Uh, Anya?" Anusha called out.
"Yup?" Anya replied.
"I think we've finally seen the equivalent of Master Vikrant," Anusha stated, relaxing.
"Oh no, your Master may be a bit similar to Moody, but he is not paranoid. He knows when to relax," their father said, putting his hands on their shoulders.
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" they heard him barking loudly, as he entered the room. They heard Molly sigh in exasperation as someone coughed loudly.
"Alastor, it's eight' o clock in the evening! They're having dinner! Please stop that!"
"Ya never know when ya need ta fight!"
"Alastor!"
The girls chuckled, as their father led them back to their room.
Kingsley was a great strategist. That was one of the reasons he went ahead in the DMLE. There were talks of him going for the position of Minister of Magic. He had lots of conversations with the twins about the law, ministry, strategies, and anguish. He was easily the most sensible people of the order, as he thought of every single little thing that could and would happen. He was really calm, cool and witty at times. Dumbledore trusted him a lot. He came in the group of people who Dumbledore would go to first for Order work which included him, their father, Moody, McGonagall and Moony.
The teens were a bit hesitant at first to include the girls, but soon enough they warmed up to them.
Hermione Granger, the brains of the 'Golden Trio' as father called the close-knit group of two boys and a girl, was truly worthy to be called the brains of the trio. She was intelligent, clever, witty, and a perfect analyst at her best. She was always ready for a challenge and was a fierce competitor when it came to studies, as was evident when they spoke to her about their studies. It was really easy to make her worry. But she was really reliable. They liked her instantly.
Ginevra Weasley, or Ginny, was a tall, beautiful redhead, who was as dangerous as any female in Order was. She was also good enough in her studies. At first, they thought of her as a shy quiet girl who kept to herself. But she was as good as her elder brothers in mischief. She was especially known and feared for her 'bat- bogey' hex and was quite proud to be the member of a family who did not have a girl in about three generations.
Ronald Weasley, or Ron, the second in the golden trio, was a tall, gangly boy who had found his best mate in Harry. He was not so good with studies but was an excellent strategist. He played chess like a pro. He, like all his siblings, except Ginny, had the tendency to eat a lot during meals. He was a good enough Quidditch player, like his elder brothers and was aspiring to join his house Quidditch team at Hogwarts. He acted like a moody, sulky brat all the time around the girls.
Fred and George Weasley, the Weasley twins, were the most mischievous of the family. They created their own jokes and played them on others, after they had it tested on each other, of course. Their father had admitted, quite reluctantly, that they were brilliant potioneers, but they lacked interest in the world of academia. They were really clever, flirtatious, charming and very trustworthy.
Harry Potter, the 'head' of the Golden Trio, or the 'Boy-who-lived' was an average height, awkward, witty, sarcastic boy, who seemed to be brooding all the time. He was an average enough student but was said to be excellent on a broom. He held the title 'Youngest seeker in a century'. Ginny had a crush on him since his first year, but it was slowly waning off.
But he had his problems. He acted like a teenage girl who had a hormonal overdose. He would grow angry, sad just after, then depressed, then frustrated and then would try to isolate himself. The twins were just on guard around him whenever he was having 'the rush of emotions' again. It was growing tiring for them. But he was very sweet and awkward whenever he wasn't a hormonal mess.
It was a group of weird people, but the twins really loved the fact that the group was so close knitted and that that they stood with each other at all times. And they were slowly included in the group in a short while. With the exception of Ron Weasley, everyone was friendly enough.
A few days later, while the teens and the others were having lunch, Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall came in. She was shouting at him, "It is totally unacceptable, Albus! She has the brains of a cockroach! She won't be able to teach the students in any way! Gilderoy Lockhart is a better choice than that toad!"
"I know Minerva, but my hands are tied! I am not in a position where I can reject the ministry's offer! My relations with Cornelius are strained enough as it is! This would totally ruin my chances of convincing him about Voldemort's return!" Albus said, exasperatedly.
"I take it that the 'competent ministry worker' has arrived, right?" Anusha asked.
"No offense to you people." She gestured to the Ministry workers who sat at the table.
"It is a really grave situation. The ministry has interfered at Hogwarts and chose a new DADA teacher, Dolores Umbridge," Minerva said to all the Order members.
There was a mixed reaction from the people sitting in the room. The ministry workers stood in protest and started shouting. The teens were confused as to why the adults were acting like this.
The Headmaster took out his wand, pointed it at his neck and said loudly, "QUIET!"
That made them silent. Minerva continued, "She is a pompous, toad-faced moron who doesn't even have the ability to teach a worm! I doubt if she knows how to cast Expelliarmus, let alone pronounce it!"
"Don't underestimate her ma'am. She may look like a toad in a tutu, but she has an aura about her that doesn't…feel right. Best if you kept an eye on her, Headmaster," Tonks said.
"A toad in a tutu?" Anusha asked amusedly, as Sirius chuckled.
"She is completely covered in pink," Tonks said in a way of explanation.
"I'll think about it, Dora. Thank you for the suggestion," Albus said. Tonks nodded.
"But, Albus, the point is, if we don't do something soon, the ministry will slowly get a hold of the school, and they may even remove you from the post."
"I know Minerva, but right now, we are not in a position to do anything. We have to wait for the right time."
"Well," Molly began, "Since you both are here, how about you both sit down and have lunch? Come on, sit down!"
The girls chuckled as the Headmaster and his deputy were bullied into sitting beside them.
"Hello!" Anya greeted Minerva, smirking cheekily. The Gryffindor Head huffed, before smirking at the girl.
"Good afternoon, my dear," Albus said, smiling at the girls.
"Oh, before I forget! Your father told me to inform you both about your Grandparents. They are safe for now. Those people trailing after them have been dealt with," Minerva said, looking at them curiously, trying to look for any reaction.
"Well, that is Raman Mama after all," Anusha said, smirking and shaking her head.
"Your grandparents were attacked?" Hermione asked, worry evident in her voice.
"Yeah. As of now, besides Harry, we are being targeted by Voldemort since we fought with the Death Eaters. HE got the information that we are from the Royale 15 and decided that having our family under HIS thumb would be a great strategy!" Anya said, smiling sarcastically.
"Your family must be very influential to be targeted by HIM," Kingsley commented.
"Ah, of course, they are the Granddaughters of Vikram Maurya!" Albus added helpfully.
"Ah, quite famous then," Tonks said, looking at them both with surprise.
"Is there anything you don't have?" Ron sneered, looking at them with disdain and a bit of jealousy. The girls sighed, feeling the sting of pain as they thought of their totally out-of-normal life and the circumstances. They had quite enough of the boy's attitude.
"Our Ma," The twins shot back, looking at him coldly. Ron's expression faltered as everyone looked at the girls. Molly and the other Weasleys looked at the youngest Weasley son angrily. The atmosphere of the room dropped.
"A simple life, to be clear. Be glad Ron. You have a family that's intact. You have your mother who's alive and there for you for the rest of your life, and a father who doesn't have the obligation of spying against a megalomaniac for the entirety of the year," Anusha continued, standing up from her seat, dropping her cutlery. Her appetite was ruined completely and she felt a bit disgusted.
"You have no idea what it's like to go through that pain of losing your mother. And I really hope and pray that you never do," Anya said, standing with her sister.
"You don't know the endless worries and fears that we went through when we came to know what our father actually does here. Be glad you don't have your father spying against a group of bigots, murderers, and rapists and then reporting back to the other side who basically looks at him as though he has committed genocide," Anusha said, looking at each and every one in the room. All of the adults, plus Harry and Ron looked away from her, unable to meet her eyes at all.
"Just be glad that even after that thankless behavior and attitude you show towards him, he still saves your ass and expects nothing but the defeat of Voldemort," Anya said cuttingly, looked at him with piercing eyes. Ron looked away, his face a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
"And please, do drop the attitude and grow up. You look like a petulant five-year-old with the emotional maturity of a spoiled two-year-old when you're like that," Anusha finished, turning back and going out of the dining room to their room. Everyone was absolutely silent as they looked at Ron with anger. Ron gulped, feeling guilty all of a sudden.
"Fantastic, Ron. Absolutely fantastic," Harry said after a while, standing up and going out of the room in anger.
Arthur stood up slowly after a while and looked at Ron.
"Ron, is this the kind of behavior you show towards young ladies who came to visit their father for the first time in two years? Have we taught you nothing about controlling your thoughts and tongue, huh? I didn't expect you to act like a sulking, grumpy brat! And you show your attitude towards the two girls who have nothing to do with being a Slytherin or being a pureblood or any of those biting comments you made during all this time! You have disappointed me immensely, young man," Arthur began quietly, looking at his youngest son.
The redhead looked down, unable to meet his father's gaze. He just can't believe that his dad was scolding him. He had hardly ever got a lecture from the usually jovial, curious, and patient man. He was more used to his mother's shouting, but his dad's scolding was another thing altogether. His quiet, firm words had always made a huge impact on him.
"As of now, you're grounded, till your mother and I discuss your punishment. You are going to stand up, march to your room, sit there quietly, think about what you've done and then go and apologize to the girls," Arthur said firmly, not raising his voice, even a little bit. Ron looked up to see his father looking down at him with furrowed eyebrows. The disappointment in his eyes brought back his childhood fear for just a moment. The fear of disappointing his father, his idol.
"Is that clear?" his Dad asked, looking into his eyes. Ron just nodded and went out of the room. He somehow felt that his worst fears had come true today.
The apology went to the twins after nearly four days. Ron was too stubborn, too proud to admit that he had been rude and disrespectful to them. But he thought long and hard about what he had done. He rarely ever thought about anything for this long. But this wasn't only about offending and hurting the twins; this was also about his beliefs, his opinions about Slytherins.
He had always hated the rich purebloods like the Malfoys, Notts, and Parkinsons, because they always reminded him of what he didn't have, couldn't have, even though he was a pureblood too. He would always remember the taunts, the humiliation and mockery he and his family had suffered at the hands of those families. He just couldn't let go of those feelings of hate and anger, he knew that. But somewhere at the back of his mind, he knew that he had been exaggerating a little about the Slytherins and other purebloods. He had his examples, and he had been lectured about a million times by everyone about his attitude. But it was the first time his father had actually scolded him on this topic.
He could never change his views, never start trusting Slytherins, but he knew that the twins had done nothing but be polite and friendly to everyone ever since they had come to stay in the Grimmauld place. So, he just decided to put his opinions to rest and just apologize to them.
But it wasn't easy for him to apologize. He had avoided the girls like plague for four full days. He finally braved himself to approach the girls in the living room. One of the twins was reading a Potions manual, while the other was resting her head on her sister's lap, her eyes closed. They looked peaceful. Ron took in a deep breath and steeled himself.
Alright then Ron, you can do this… You are a Gryffindor and a Weasley after all…
Feeling a little bit more confident than before, he cleared his throat loudly. Both the girls snapped their heads to look at him with an unreadable expression. Ron felt a bit unnerved; after all, his Potions Professor gave him the same expression every day at Hogwarts.
"Yes?" The one sitting with the book asked politely, which made Ron guiltier about being rude to them.
"I-I-I just…" Ron started, taking a deep breath when he wasn't able to say anything, "I just wanted to…" he trailed off, his face coloring a little.
"Mmhmm, go on," The one lying down on the sofa prompted gently.
"I'm sorry," Ron blurted it out. The twins blinked in surprise.
"I'm sorry for the attitude that I showed towards you. I was wrong about you two and I was wrong to discriminate you both when I didn't even know you. And for that, I'm sorry," Ron said, hoping he was sincere enough.
The twins looked on with the same unreadable expression for a while. Ron couldn't take it anymore and turned to walk out of the room.
"Oi, Ron!" A voice called out from behind him. He turned back to see the first one summoning a chess set from the shelves.
"I've heard you're a good player. What do you say? Up for a challenge?" She asked, raising her eyebrows challengingly and smirking at him.
Ron released a breath he didn't know he had been holding.
They had forgiven him for the things he had said to them. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest.
He smirked back cockily, a touch of relief in his expression.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I am the best at chess here! No one, not even Sirius can beat me!"
"Oh, we'll be testing the theory here and I'm sure there will be a slight change in that sentence," the girl shot back.
"You wish!" He shot back, as he sat down from across her, helping her with the chess pieces. He looked up at her suddenly.
"By the way, which one are you? Anusha or Anya?" Ron asked sheepishly, his face coloring a bit, hoping he hadn't offended the twins by not being able to tell them apart.
"I'm Anusha. This lump sleeping here is Anya," the girl, Anusha answered promptly, earning a punch from the other girl.
"Oww! Damn it, it hurts," Anusha gushed, rubbing her ribs and glaring at her sister.
"It's supposed to hurt, you dope!" Anya retorted.
"Shut up!" Anusha said, but with hardly any malice in his voice.
Ron watched their interaction with an amused expression. Somehow, they were just like Fred and George, always bickering, but always standing for each other. He sighed, feeling calmer than he had felt all the holidays.
"Well then, Weasley," Anusha started, rubbing her hands and smirking at him, "ready to lose?"
"I should be asking that to you! No one has ever beaten me in chess!"
"Well, I would be honored to be the first! You would wish you hadn't accepted this challenge by the time this ends!"
"You wish you hadn't issued this challenge, Snape!"
"We'll see about that!"
Anusha and Ron began their game of chess in earnest, both determined to win. Both had smirks on their faces as they began the game, Anya watching the game with interest. One by one, teens came down as they heard both Anusha and Ron trading quips. As soon as they saw them both playing a game of chess, they immediately gathered around the two of them, cheering them on.
They didn't see Arthur and Molly standing in the doorway, looking at the scene with smiles on their face.