Title: Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

Prompt: Middles

Word Count: 1,917

Rating: K+

Summary: Salamandra enlists the help of the biggest little brats she knows to pick out a Christmas gift for her little brother.

Chronology: 1993, November; fifth year

Author's Notes: The second challenge! Things pick up a little bit more here. Yes, Salamandra has a little brother that I unfortunately couldn't fit into the first chapter well! I really enjoyed writing one of the later scenes in this one and I think you'll see which one it is without any trouble. Here there are merely hints of something between Fred and Sally, but still not even close to a romance. They're kids! Give 'em time, they'll come around—whoops, spoiler alert! As you can see, I am definitely writing these prompts in "Tarantino order" as I like to call it – even I'm not quite sure what (or rather when) I'll be writing next until I really sit down and start writing the prompt. Anywho, thanks to my wonderful critters (yes, that's what I'm calling you folks now) I'm progressing a bit. Enjoy!

The weekend trips to Hogsmeade always kept a smile on Salamandra's face. The weather, however, quickly caused her enthusiasm to falter. Even with her arms wrapped so tightly around her pea coat and scarf nearly strangling her, Salamandra was freezing her knickers off. Not quite literally, but she wouldn't be surprised.

The winter of 1993 had been good to her, for the most part. Her parents hadn't minded that she stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays; it was always much more extravagant than any celebration they could offer. Her little brother, Murphy, wasn't quite so pleased to hear she wouldn't be joining them.

"But Saaallyyy!" she could imagine him pleading even through the written letter she'd received. Salamandra was fifteen and Murphy was at an age that he still adored his sister. He was too young to practice envy until he grew older and jaded; his bright-eyed bushy-tailed outlook on life was refreshing, to say the least. It figured that the sibling with the ordinary name would wind up with no magical ability of his own, but every summer when Salamandra came home, he would eagerly sit down at her feet with a twinkle in his eye and an open ear for all of her adventures to be shared. It was a shame there was a rule about underaged witches and wizards using magic at home; Sally really would have loved to show him a thing or two she learned at Hogwarts. Murphy was always practicing muggle magic tricks, so her mother told her – a fact among many that made Sally carry a cheery face more often than not.

As to not sully that wonderful relationship with her little brother before the angsty teenage stage settled in, she had already written him a letter she intended to attach to a very special gift:

Dear Murphy,

You wouldn't believe the things I've been learning at Hogwarts this year! Divination is so cool; we look into crystal balls and predict the future and everything. I'm still learning how to do it, but as I get better, I keep seeing more glimpses of clear images – it's amazing! Pretty soon I'll be able to see the girl you marry, oooh! (This is where you're going to say "ewww!" See? Predicted the future!)

I'm in a class called Care of Magical Creatures now too. The teacher, Hagrid, is the coolest bloke ever. You'd love him. He's jolly and huge – half-giant, I think – and the class is all about magical creatures, obviously! We got to meet a hippogriff, which is like a griffin (look it up if you don't know!) to you human folks, (ha-ha, just kidding) but more like a cross between an eagle and a horse. It was so cool! I really want to meet a dragon someday. Just hope I don't get burned alive! (Just kidding again, don't worry!)

I'm staying at Hogwarts for the holiday because Professor Trelawney said I have great potential in Divination and she'd like to give me some special tutoring. Isn't that great? But just so you know I'm thinking of you, I thought I'd send you something wicked for your Christmas present! Hope you like it!

Tell mum and dad I said hi and I love them! Keep your nose clean!

With love,

Salamandra

…now the trouble was finding the promised "something wicked" to send the kid. Nothing too conspicuous would do, of course, but Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans just wouldn't cut it. If Murphy wanted to eat something that tasted disgusting, after all, their mother's "organic" cooking usually settled that craving. This was family she was talking about! It had to be something special, something a little boy would never forget. If she were a lovably obnoxious brat of ten years, what would be the first place she would go?

And so she found her way out of cold indecision and into Zonko's Joke Shop. Just a brief glance told Salamandra that there were far less bodies in this shop than Honeydukes, drawing an exhale out of her. But of course, it was inevitable that the few occupying the store included two familiar shaggy orange heads topped with matching beanies and matching grins. Instinct told her to turn around.

"Oi, Sally!" Fred was the first to greet her, …or so she guessed.

"Looks like we've created a monster, Freddie," George joked while nudging his double with an elbow, conveniently identifying himself and the other in the process.

"But she does realize that this means war, Georgie," Fred teased and mirrored the elbow, waggling auburn brows to Salamandra. "Right?"

"Oh, how quaint!" Sally retorted, arms crossing. "Y'think I'd make a special trip for you two brats, eh?"

The twins exchanged cheeky smiles, boasting their confidence in the theory. Both shrugged.

"Of course," George said.

"We're your favorite brats," Fred stated shamelessly. Just as always, they enjoyed terrorizing Salamandra, though it wasn't always vocally. Just the other day the duo were sitting behind her in Charms class, Fred spitting small paper wads at her through a straw while George loaded up the ammo. The discreet waggle of her wand would begin to deflect them back and they left her be after that. For a while, Salamandra considered her mother's wise words of 'if a boy teases you, he probably likes you' before coming to the conclusion that Fred and George Weasley must really get around if that was the truth. Now she just found returning fire too entertaining to resist.

"Fellas, fellas – not in front of a lady!" she cried, covering her eyes with a grin. "Yer egos are showing."

Glancing down to check their zippers, Salamandra was exposed only to Fred and George Weasley's best attempts at sheepish grins.

Salamandra chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm lookin' for a gift for my little brother. The muggle," she specified.

"You've come to the right place, then!" said Fred.

"Though when we use Zonko's products on our brothers, it ain't usually a gift…" George added, a broad smile spreading.

"Don't be silly, George. Seeing their faces when their teacups bite them is a gift – it's just for us!"

"Touché."

"Are you two gonna help me out here or what?" Sally interrupted their exchange, despite having to fight through a snicker to speak clearly. They were the experts, after all; she was willing to bet they'd be more helpful than any of the store's scarce employees. Each twin then folded his arms simultaneously, their precise unison only making it more of a challenge for Sally not to smile.

"Do you always ask a fellow for help by taking a shot at his ego or is that just a special ritual you save for us?" Fred leaned forward to ask as innocently as he could muster, mouth in a sly curve of a smile.

"Just for you," Sally answered, saccharine in her reply. She had been completely oblivious to the finger that wandered up to curl a brown lock of silk, the flirtatious action purely unconscious. Even the little girl who whined about having to wear a skirt grew into a young woman using her natural feminine charms to her advantage.

"At least she's honest," George guffawed, slapping hands together. "Well then, the grand tour!"

The Weasley twins showed her dungbombs and hiccough sweets and frog spawn soap and sugar quills and nose-biting teacups and many, many more products, each one coming with a story of how they had used them on their classmates and rivals and faculty alike.

"Filch's afternoon tea, you know—," George started.

"—he always accompanies it with sweets, so these delicious little treats gave him a breakout of hives," Fred boasted, hand flourishing toward the Hive Honey-drops. It was the ultimate testimonial!

Their originality was certainly inspiring, in the least, but every time they skipped telling a story for a certain product, Salamandra realized they were the ones that were used on her. Sally still considered her mother's words every now and then. She wasn't special, not from what she'd seen, but she had changed quite a bit over the summer. Skinny little Salamandra Brooks – she grew up, she filled out. It was certainly a step or two up visually from the stump of a tomboy she was. All she really had to do was flutter the lashes of those big brown eyes and she could have a fellow wrapped around her finger just like the hair she was toying with.

But of course, if Fred or George Weasley noticed any difference in her at all, Salamandra couldn't tell. Sure, they were friends – or something close to it – but they were just nice guys, even considering how hard of a time they gave her. The cute, popular, funny Quidditch players – it wasn't the most original thought to have a bit of a crush on them. Before she realized it, those aforementioned doe eyes locked with Fred's and she swore her heart skipped a beat.

This was new. Salamandra's gaze averted, hastily reaching for a rubber ball filled with …eyeballs? Once her actions were off of auto-pilot, she had to snort that the label read 'Eye-balls.'

"So..." Sally muttered. "Yer quite sure this doesn't contain real eyeballs?"

"We've never really asked," Fred admitted, and winked as a signal to note he was jesting. "We just assume this is what happens to the students who get expelled."

"You never hear about them again!" George chimed in with a grin.

"I suppose y'have a point there…" she conceded, giving the rubber ball a toss in the air before catching it again. Breaking out in a grin, she tossed it at the two of them. "I do think I see what you mean!"

Fred was the one to catch it. They both had the reflexes of seasoned quidditch players, but he was simply the faster one in this case. There was a proud quality in the smile that sprouted on him.

"You gotta trust us on this, Sally. We have a real eye for these things!" Fred followed, tossing the ball to his twin.

"These puns are getting cornea and cornea…" George chuckled as he caught the ball, then tossed it back to Salamandra.

The figurative pun ball back in her hands, Sally gave it a squeeze, the eyeballs bulging from within threatening to pop right out. "Yeah, I think I'll get this. It really caught me eye."

There was a pause before they all broke out in a snicker, only split seconds apart. It was truly a golden moment. An eye-ball really was a cheesy gift, but its sentimental value won her over after the memory they had just made out of it. Salamandra would have to throw in some eye-related puns as a P.S. in that letter before she owled it off to Murphy.

While she was making the purchase, Salamandra overheard Lee Jordan coming in and the twins were off before she could thank them for their help. Gathering up the gift and tightening her scarf, she was off to face the November cold again. She wouldn't lose sleep over not being able to thank them properly, but—

"Oi, Sally!" Fred called, head poked in through the store's entrance. She responded as a deer in the headlights, briefly staring at the lone twin before he spoke again.

"We'll see you later." Saluting her smugly with two fingers, he was off again.

—but she would certainly keep it in mind to pay them back for it later.