Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Loosed Upon The World
Part Three: Fallout
By Ebona Nite
"Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,"
William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming
The day after their last NEWT exam, Fred and George Weasley returned to their newly acquired shop in Diagon Ally. Deciding to celebrate before setting to work cleaning up and stocking shelves with their prank items, the twins set off several fireworks and then had a mock duel using prank spells such as color-change charms only.
At the same time, their NEWT Divination proctor was walking past the new shop at 1313 Diagon Ally when a stray filibuster firework shot out the door, triggering several prank items along the way, along with several stray spells, which charmed his robes, hair, and skin bright pink, transfigured his robes into a cocktail dress, made him break out in warts, and drop his wand. He grabbed the wand, tried to cancel the spells, and found himself hlding a rubber chicken instead. Tripping over a charging knight figurine from a nearby child made him stumble into Madam Malkins where her tumbled headlong into a pile of mismatched socks which Madam Malkin had bought and was in the process of boxing up as a birthday present for her old friend Albus Dumbledore.
The poor man eventually found his real wand and apparated to the Ministry where he requested a grade change for the Troublesome Twins' Divination exams.
The day before graduation ceremonies at Hogwarts, a stuffy looking owl swept through the window of an upstairs flat in Diagon Ally. A redhaired young man took the letters from it and bounced downstairs after his brother. "Oi Fred, our NEWTs results are here!"
Ripping open the letters, they read:
Dear Fred/George Weasley,
Congratulations on your completion of your NEWT exams. Your scores are as follows:
Charms: Outstanding, two NEWTs
Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations, one NEWT
Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding, two NEWTs
Arithmancy: Exceeds Expectations, one NEWT
Care of Magical Creatures: Acceptable, pass
Divination: Outstanding, two NEWTs
You have received a total of 8 NEWTs.
Note: Despite lack of skills regarding tea leaf reading, crystal ball reading, and general knowledge of theory, the practical application of palmistry and tarot proved sufficient for the Outstanding grade. We are unsure whether this is a fluke or true Seer talent; however your proctor reported in the very next day to say you should receive full marks for your predictions.
Fred and George looked at each other in amazement. They'd just made stuff up! Trying to imagine what must have happened in order for them to get such a grade, the two broke out in peals of laughter.
Graduation day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is normally a solemn affair. Normally, however, the two biggest pranksters since the Marauders aren't graduating. This particular ceremony found parents, peers, and even professor turning into various animals sporting strange colors as soon as they say down in their chairs.
Severus Snape rolled his eyes from his chair in the teacher's section. Fred and George Weasley never did anything solemnly. At least they had the decency to turn him into an anaconda. There were worse things, such as Minerva's pink hairless cat, or Filch's lime green rabbit. Mrs Norris turning rainbow colored and having her hair frizz out as if full of static electricity was rather funny, though he'd never admit that.
"Order, order please," Albus Dumbledore called, once he'd changed back from a lemon-drop-yellow goat, "Settle down please. Ah yes. Congratulations, class of 1996. Professors will be handing out awards for the students who did best in their classes, then we will have speeches by this year's salutatorian and valedictorians. This year's achievement awards go to…."
A Slytherin boy received the award for potions, no surprise there. Ravenclaw students got the ones for Astronomy, Arithmancy, Divination, and Ancient Runes, Hufflepuff students got the Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures awards, and Griffindors got the Muggle Studies and DADA awards. Fred and George surprised everyone, including their family, by receiving the achievement awards for Charms and Transfiguration, respectively. Most thought the two slacked off so much that hey had only barely graduated, especially after leaving school early and only coming back to take their exams.
Later, when the Ravenclaw girl who was salutatorian had finish her (rather stuffy) speech congratulating her peers and going on about all the opportunities they had, Dumbledor once again took the stage. He smiled benignly and his eyes twinkled brightly, "Ah that was a lovely speech. Yes, one can never stop learning. Even I in my old age… but I'm getting away from myself! Now this year, the spot for valedictorian was tied by two hardworking students. I suppose this only goes to prove a little laughter goes a long way! And now may I present to you, this year's top students, Fred and George Weasley!"
The redheaded twins bounced up to the stage while everyone gasped in shock. The Ravenclaws looked particularly faint. Probably because Fred and George never seemed to study and only work hard on playing pranks.
The two grinned.
"Wotcher everyone!"
"We just want to say how much we'll miss Hogwarts,"
"All the little firsties to test our pranks on,"
"All our good memories."
"That time we charmed the sinks to dye everyone blue,"
"Hiding the toilets under the Fidelis,"
"Escaping Filch!"
"Detentions with Snape!"
"Wait Forge, those aren't good memories."
"Oh that's right Gred, I meant blowing up Snape's potions classrooms and turning the dungeons pink and purple for a week!"
"And haggling Umbridge! Yessiree, best prank victim we've had in a long while!"
"Anyway, it is now time for us to move on,"
"Create bigger and better pranks,"
"And sell them to a new generation of pranksters!"
"Stop by Weazley Wizarding Wheezes at 1313 Diagon Ally, where we solemnly swear that we are up to no good, every day from nine to five!" Waving, the two bounced off the stage.
Severus Snape stood, towering to his full height, and shouted, "FRED AND EORGE WEASLEY! GET BACK UP HERE!" The two ran back up, grinning madly like hyenas.
McGonagall looked shocked, "Severus! What –"
He ignored her and swept up to the two. "I don't know what the two of you were thinking," he began, his voice carrying out over the audience. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked shocked and angry, and most everyone else confused. Dumbldor just sat and watched, eyes twinkling. "With potential like yours you could have taken the potions achievement award if you'd taken the potions NEWT, even if you are dunderheaded Griffindors. Instead you concentrated on tomfoolery and pranks! In light of the test you did take however –" He took two scrolls from his belt and handed them each one, "here are your certificates. Congratulations, you're certified potions masters now, Merlin help us all!"
As the audience sat shellshocked and Dumbldor twinkled, Severus turned away a tiny smile tugging the corner of his mouth. They'd beaten his record by a year and a half. He refused to show the pride he felt. The twins shouted for joy and jumped off the stage, grinning from ear to ear. They'd proved, once again, that the prankster princes where utterly unpredictable!
Watch out world: The Weasley Twins are loose!
Finé