A/N: We've finally reached Fred and George's birthday! Quite a few of you have asked me whether I was going to write this. And I know that while half of you are excited, the other half of you are dreading this because it's their final birthday together, which I totally understand. But hopefully by the end you'll all be happy with it :) Oh and I only just realised that I started this story a month ago. My, time has flown! Massive thanks as always to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Dimcairien, midnightstar19, Aris1013, MaddyGervais, SlyDevil. COOKIES, Lamb, snitch-bewitch, ncis-lady, and chocolateMnMs.
SlyDevil. COOKIES: It's one of my favourite childhood movies :D Glad you liked the Tonks part; she's an awesome character, so I wanted to add her in somewhere. Took me 15 chapters, but hey, she made it! :D
Lamb: Hehe yes well, Fred doesn't exactly seem the type to filter what he says. Although if Molly had been there, I'm sure he would have gotten a good scolding; she definitely taught him better. :)
Chapter 16
George awoke with a start when Fred sat on him.
"Oof!"
"Morning Georgie!" Fred proclaimed with a dazzling grin. The sun shone brightly behind him, leaving George facing two things apparently intent on blinding him. Groaning under Fred's weight, George somehow managed to jerk his knees up, sending Fred tumbling to the floor. Moments later he reappeared, looking disgruntled.
"Well happy birthday to you too," he said with a pout.
Birthday? George started grinning as he realised the date. How could he have forgotten? He and Fred loved their birthday. Not only did they receive presents, but it was the perfect day to play pranks. If anyone complained, they had a legitimate excuse. George jumped up from his bed and gave Fred a zealous hug.
"Happy birthday Fred!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"Happy Birthday both of you!" Lee called cheerfully from across the room. He thrust a hastily wrapped present at them. "It's not much, but under the circumstances…" Fred and George quickly pulled the wrapping off to reveal a small framed picture of the three of them from their seventh year at Hogwarts. In the picture, Fred and George had both jumped on Lee, sending all three tumbling to the ground. Lee was weakly waving from the bottom of the pile while Fred and George laughed, apparently perfectly comfortable squashing their friend.
"It's perfect Lee, thank you," Fred said sincerely, pulling Lee into a one armed hug. George grinned, placing the frame on the table next to their family photo that Fred still carted around.
"So, the big two-oh. What do you do when you've just turned twenty?" Lee mused, so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the wide grins Fred and George shared.
"Well I have an idea," Fred replied with a smirk.
"Oh yeah?" Lee asked, looking up in time to see two pillows flying towards his face.
Twenty minutes later, all three were completely covered in feathers, their pillows nothing more than strips of fabric.
"Well, that definitely woke me up," George commented as he attempted to brush the feathers off himself. Fred laughed, ruffling his hair and showering himself with feathers in the process. Lee complained loudly as he realised just how many feathers were stuck in his dreadlocks. He received another pillow in the face, one of the spares George had kept hidden 'for emergencies'.
"Very mature guys," Lee said, spitting feathers out of his mouth.
"We do try," Fred replied with a wide grin. The three headed out to the kitchen area, intent on eating breakfast after their workout. Lee led the way, Fred and George following, deciding not to tell Lee that he still had a bunch of feathers stuck to the back of his head.
"So what's on the agenda for today?" George mumbled through a spoonful of cereal.
"I suppose we should go to Muriel's. Mum'll murder us if we don't go back for a visit on our birthday."
"Oh bugger, I hope Muriel's not there."
"It's her house; where else do you think she'll be?" Fred asked, one eyebrow shooting up.
"Shut up, let me hope in peace." George flicked his strawberry at Fred, rolling his eyes when Fred caught it perfectly between his teeth, rising to his feet and bowing to Lee's applause.
"Well, come on then," Fred said, voice muffled by the strawberry. They washed up and changed into their usual attire, Fred wrapping a thin scarf around his neck to hide the still visible finger marks which stubbornly remained despite the copious amounts of cream they applied to it everyday. Before leaving, they charmed a large bucket of refilling water to follow Lee around, constantly soaking him, much to Lee's chagrin.
Fred was still reluctant to let George apparate alone unless it was absolutely necessary, and although George valued his independence, he didn't want to start a fight with Fred on their birthday. He therefore didn't complain when Fred suggested he apparate them both to Muriel's, instead extending his hand to Fred. He was rewarded with a thankful smile before Fred apparated the pair of them, and George once again felt as though he were being squashed into a small tube. Seconds later, they appeared in Muriel's yard, the house looming above them. George immediately staggered to one side, head reeling.
"George?" Fred asked worriedly as he moved to George's side. George raised a hand, breathing heavily. He swallowed before looking up with a reassuring smile.
"I'm okay," he said, slightly breathily. He paused for a few more seconds, focusing on his breathing before straightening up.
"You sure?" Fred probed, still looking worried. George nodded. Fred didn't look particularly convinced, but perhaps he too didn't want to start an argument on their birthday, because he didn't press the matter any further. The twins walked across the lawn until they reached the front door. George was tempted to place a Decoy Detonator in front of the door to surprise whoever answered, but decided not to after realising his parents might think it was an attack and attempt to jinx him. Instead he knocked politely, taking a step back beside Fred to avoid any sudden hugs or smothering.
The door creaked open, and Molly peered out at them.
"Oh, thank goodness you two are here," She said, face stressed as she opened the door to let them in. Frowning slightly, Fred and George entered. That definitely wasn't the greeting they had expected.
"Mum, what-" Fred tried to ask, but she shushed them as she closed the door before turning and ushering them through the hallway.
"What's going-" George tried, but he too was rewarded with a sharp 'shush'. Feeling slightly indignant, George shut his mouth and followed her, Fred half a step behind him. They both felt a slight sense of unease, compounded when they realised the house was deserted. Molly paused at the kitchen door, looking tense.
"Mum, is everyone alright?" Fred croaked, his hand unconsciously gripping tightly onto George's arm. Molly sighed, before pushing the door open and stepping aside to let them enter, her eyes downcast. Fred and George cautiously took a step into the darkened room, their eyes scanning to see who had been hurt.
"SURPRISE!" Several loud voices yelled out loudly, causing both twins to jump about a foot in the air.
"What-" George was completely flabbergasted. Fred was gaping at the bright decorations hanging off the walls, his eyes wide.
"Happy Birthday!" Ginny proclaimed loudly, standing closest to them, clutching several balloons. Behind her was Arthur, who was grinning at his sons, and, unexpectedly, Bill and Charlie standing side by side, both beaming. Lupin stood next to them, with Tonks seated on a chair beside him, her stomach huge. Lee stood a little away from everyone on a pile of wet towels, still being drenched by the bucket of water. Mouth twitching slightly, George removed the spell, and the bucket crashed to the ground as Lee heaved a sigh of relief.
"Did we surprise you?" Molly asked from behind then, smiling.
"We thought someone had been hurt!" Fred exclaimed, still looking incredulously at the decorations and their friends and family standing around. "You… you… mum, you're a really good actress!" He finished, looking shocked.
"Yes well, you learn some things from having seven children," Molly reminded him, before pulling them both in for a hug. "Happy Birthday boys."
"I can't believe you're all here," George said, gazing around.
"It's not every day your twins turn twenty," Arthur replied, embracing George, then Fred.
"But there's a war going on," Fred said, looking around as though expecting everyone to leave once they remembered the war.
"We know, Fred," Bill said with an amused grin.
"Then why are you here?" Fred asked, looking bemused. "It's dangerous!"
"Because it's your birthday." Bill said slowly.
"But... but why are you all here? I mean Tonks, you're pregnant." Tonks laughed, patting her stomach.
"Why should that stop me from partying?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"And Charlie, we thought you were off somewhere in Romania," Fred stated, still dazed.
"I couldn't miss your birthday, could I?" He replied, with a wide grin.
"Oi, just because I'm here all the time doesn't make me less important," a resentful voice called out. George laughed, pulling Ginny into his arms.
"Course not. I suppose you had something to do with this?" He asked with a knowing look. Ginny raised her eyebrows.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said airily, but couldn't stop herself from grinning. Lupin pressed bottles of Butterbeer into Fred and George's hands before wishing them a happy birthday as well.
"Fleur couldn't come unfortunately, but she asked me to wish you both as well," Bill told the twins.
"You better have brought a good present to make up for it," George informed him seriously. Bill laughed.
"This is brilliant, thanks guys," Fred said to the whole room once he had finished hugging everyone.
"Speech!" Bill cheered, soon joined by Charlie, Tonks, Ginny and Lee, who was finally dry. Fred glanced at George, who shrugged.
"Well, we're obviously really grateful that you all took the time to celebrate our birthday with us," Fred started off.
"We know that going anywhere nowadays is a safety risk, so we really do appreciate it," George added.
"Yeah," Fred agreed. There was a pause.
"That's it?" Bill asked, disappointed. "Come on, there must be something else."
"Aren't you supposed to be telling embarrassing stories about us?" George shot back. Both Bill and Charlie brightened up.
"George," Fred whined. George had the decency to look rather regretful at his comment.
"Well, where do we begin?" Bill asked.
"Oh, how about their fifth birthday, when George was sick and Fred insisted we had the party upstairs in their bedroom?" Charlie said, eyes gleaming.
"Oh yes, you had quite an impressive tantrum Fred," Bill replied, smirking. "You threw yourself onto the floor and-"
"Okay okay, we're not done yet," Fred interrupted hastily, not wanting to hear any more about his five year old self.
"Right yes. We also want to thank mum," George said, nodding at their mother. "For preparing the best meal ever."
"You guys haven't eaten yet," Ginny objected.
"Yes, but we know it's going to be the best meal ever," Fred responded, rolling his eyes. Ginny glared at him, and he gave her a wide grin in return.
"And dad," George continued. "For no doubt putting up with mum's frantic cleaning, and her worrying ways."
"You know us too well," Arthur replied, before cowering under Molly's glare.
"And of course Ginny," Fred added. "For the decorations and more than likely for doing a lot of the planning." Ginny beamed in response, raising her bottle of Butterbeer in their direction.
"And Lee. Wait, how did you even get here?" George asked, interrupting his own speech.
"I apparated as soon as you guys left. Came in through the back door," Lee replied, grinning.
"Oh right. Well thank you Lee, for being here. And Remus and Tonks too, it can't have been easy for you to travel," Fred said, once again eyeing Tonks' stomach as though afraid the baby was planning on making an appearance at any moment.
"It wasn't," Lupin agreed. "The baby doesn't fancy apparating. Made its dear mother feel rather sick." George was well aware of the glance both Fred and Bill shot him at that moment, the only two in the room who knew about his own problem with apparating.
"But it was worth it to come here," Tonks reassured them.
"Well thank you."
"Hey, where's Muriel?" George asked, finally realising their Aunt was nowhere to be seen.
"She's upstairs. We invited her, but she said parties aren't her thing," Ginny told them with a grin, knowing how much they disliked Muriel.
"Well that's one of the best birthday presents we could ask for!" Fred mumbled into George's ear. George chuckled, nodding.
"And what about us?" Charlie demanded, gesturing to himself and Bill. Fred and George exchanged a glance.
"Well, I suppose we're grateful you're here," Fred said, sighing slightly.
"You don't add much to the décor, but I suppose you try," George said dismissively. Charlie and Bill both leapt forward, grabbing the twins in their arms and squeezing them tight, laughing.
"Uncle! UNCLE!" George yelped, his voice muffled by Bill's shirt.
"No, I'm Bill," Bill told him with a wide grin. Fred groaned into Charlie's shoulder.
"So bad. That was so bad Bill," he said disappointedly. "How are we even related?"
"I don't think anyone will ever question your family ties," Lee commented, eyeing the fiery red hair every Weasley in the room possessed. Lupin and Tonks both stifled their laughter. Bill and Charlie eventually released Fred and George from their grip, leaving the twins looking rather dishevelled.
"Well, after that unnecessary display of affection," George said, glaring slightly at his older brothers who looked extremely pleased with themselves.
"To Fred and George," Arthur declared, raising his bottle of Butterbeer in a toast.
"To Fred and George," Everyone repeated, raising their own bottles.
"Here's to another twenty years," Bill called out over the clinking bottles.
"'Ear 'ear!" Fred and George exclaimed loudly together, laughing when everyone else groaned loudly.
"Picture time," Molly exclaimed, clapping her hands together proudly. Arthur produced an old camera, wiping the dust off the lens as he walked forward to take the picture. Fred slung an arm around George, pulling them together. George wrapped his own arm around Fred's shoulder, and the two beamed at the camera. At that moment Lee turned his back to the twins, intending to talk to Tonks, and they spotted a lone feather still sticking out of his hair. They both burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching each other to stop themselves from toppling over. Arthur was grinning as he took the picture, managing to capture the moment perfectly.
"Alright, everyone gather around now," he ordered, and the group obliged, surrounding the twins. Arthur joined them, waving his wand to take the picture. The camera went off with a bright flash, temporarily blinding everyone in the room.
"Okay everyone, it's time for food," Molly said loudly, drawing everyone's attention immediately. Charlie let out a whoop as everyone hurriedly set the table, forcing Fred and George into two seats which had been squashed together at the head of the table. Bill placed two party hats atop their heads; a blue one on Fred, and a green one on George. They stared at each other for a second before swapping hats, grinning.
The meal was delicious; Molly had really outdone herself. Fred and George managed to entertain their guests with several pranks and jokes throughout lunch, although they toned it down after Ginny nearly choked on her piece of chicken from laughing so hard.
"Cake time," Molly announced once they were finished, and everyone at the table cheered. She carried in a large cake in the shape of three interwoven magenta W's, a tribute to their shop (and their robes). The cake would occasionally produce small fireworks, a handy charm Arthur had come across.
"Mum, it's brilliant!" Fred exclaimed, gazing rather adoringly at the cake. George was busy counting the candles, making sure there were twenty.
"Alright everyone, on the count of three," Lupin coached. "One… Two…. Three!"
The entire group began an extremely rousing version of Happy Birthday, ending it by letting off several long lasting sparklers which would surely remain for several days. Beaming, Fred and George blew out the candles together before grabbing the knife and making the first cut. Molly took over after that, slicing the cake up quickly and efficiently.
Once she was done, she began serving it to everyone. Fred and George each took a piece, and turned to feed each other, something they'd done every birthday, a family tradition. They both slowly lifted their piece of cake up, eyeing each other, before simultaneously shoving the cake into each other's faces, laughing.
Another tradition that took place every year.
Arthur snapped a photo while Lee roared with laughter in the background at the sight of Fred and George with magenta icing spread over their mouths, chins, hair and eyebrows. Molly scolded them, but her smile wasn't helpful in convincing them that she was angry.
"This cake is delicious Molly!" Tonks exclaimed, munching away on her slice. "The baby likes it too."
"The baby seems to have developed a sweet tooth," Lupin commented as he devoured his own slice of cake.
"He's not the only one," Tonks said pointedly, and Lupin flashed his rather pink teeth in her direction. Meanwhile Fred and George were each grabbing a second slice of cake, this time with the intention of actually eating it. Once everyone had finished eating, Molly began clearing up, with the help of Arthur and Lupin. Tonks offered, but between her clumsiness and pregnancy, Molly flatly denied her offer.
"No dear, you just stay right there."
"Fred, why are you still wearing a scarf? It's getting warm," Ginny noted, reaching over to tug on Fred's scarf. Fred ducked out of reach with wide eyes, frantically checking to make sure his scarf was still covering his neck.
"Ginny, leave it." George muttered out of the side of his mouth. Ginny opened her mouth to retaliate, but he shot her a look.
"We'll tell you all later," Fred said softly, nodding towards Bill and Charlie who were both listening. All three looked dissatisfied, but didn't press the matter.
They managed to sneak off after a while, leaving Lee to distract Molly and Arthur. The five Weasley's crammed themselves into one of the many side rooms Muriel's house had.
"Ok, what's going on?" Bill asked once the door was closed. Fred slowly removed his scarf, bracing himself for the reaction. He wasn't disappointed.
Ginny let out a gasp as her hands flew to cover her mouth in shock. Charlie's fists had clenched, and Bill drew himself up to his full height, his face grave.
"What happened?" He asked quietly, and they could all hear the anger underlying his voice. George quickly explained how they had been surprised by the Death Eaters, and what had transpired after. By the time he had finished, Charlie was seated on an old trunk, his head in his hands, while Ginny had wrapped her arms around Fred's torso, holding on tightly. Bill had remained standing, his face emotionless.
"Well, there's nothing we can do," he finally said, sighing.
"We could hunt him down and make him regret it," Charlie said with an ugly look on his face.
"As much as I would love to, we don't even know who he is. No, the only thing you guys can do is be careful. You were lucky there were two of you," Bill commented, and both Fred and George nodded.
"Don't worry; we don't have any intention of splitting up." Fred reassured them.
"You guys can't tell mum or dad though," George said, and although Bill, Charlie and Ginny looked reluctant, they agreed, knowing too well what their parent's reactions would be if they found out. After a pause, Ginny hugged the twins before opening the door and leaving. Charlie followedher, pausing to adjust Fred's scarf gently before he left. Bill remained, regarding the twins, who gazed uneasily back.
"Bill, you're not going to tell us to stay at home or anything are you?" George asked cautiously after a moment. Bill shook his head.
"No, I just- why are you two so attracted to trouble?" He asked, sighing heavily.
"We're not attracted to trouble; trouble's attracted to us," Fred replied indignantly.
"I can see that!" Bill shot back immediately. And then he smiled, ruffling their hair. "You two take care of each other, okay?"
"Of course," Fred and George responded immediately together, without even exchanging a glance first. Bill smiled again, before ushering them out of the room.
"And where have you three been?" Molly demanded as they wandered back to the dining room. Charlie and Ginny had already made themselves comfortable, their disappearance having gone unnoticed.
"Just showing Bill a prank we intend to pull," Fred replied with a cheeky grin. Molly rolled her eyes but accepted his explanation, and Bill gave Fred a nod of approval for his quick thinking.
"Well, hold off your pranks for a while," Tonks said with a grin. "Because it's time for presents!"
They spent the next several hours opening and examining the gifts everyone had brought. Between the numerous prank items given to them by Tonks, Lupin, and Bill, and the unique ingredients Charlie had brought from Romania, Fred and George were brimming with new ideas for their shop. Ginny's large supply of sweets was also gladly accepted, as their stash was running low.
"We were meant to give you both something special but in our rush to leave home we left it behind," Molly said, wringing her hands.
"Oh mum, the party is enough," George protested, but she shook her head.
"We know how much you boys love presents," Arthur explained with a grin, and everyone laughed. Fred and George had been rather enthusiastic with their present opening.
"But as soon as we can return home, we'll give them to you," Molly promised.
After a light dinner (everyone was still stuffed from lunch), Molly ushered everyone into the sitting room and lit a fire, as the house was growing chilly. Everyone crowded around, lounging on the various couches and armchairs in the room, chatting loudly. George, who had gone to the kitchen to get a glass of water, re-entered the room to find Fred perched on the armrest of a couch furthest from the fire, watching everyone else talking.
"Feeling antisocial?" George teased as he stood next to Fred. Fred looked up, a light smile on his lips.
"No, just… thinking of how lucky we are," he said softly. George nodded, and the two fell into a comfortable silence as they observed their family and friends, pleased to see that everyone looked relaxed and happy. The light from the fire was burning bright, casting dancing shadows around the room.
"I can't believe we're twenty," George voiced.
"Do you feel any different?" Fred asked. George shook his head. "Oh good, so it's not just me then," Fred said with a relieved grin. George laughed.
"Happy birthday Fred," he said softly, nudging Fred lightly with his elbow. He leant against the armrest beside Fred.
"You know, I'm glad it's you I've spent twenty years with," Fred said quietly after a pause, turning to face George. "I can't imagine anyone else putting up with me for so long." He smiled faintly, but George recognised how hard it had been for Fred to tell him that, because Fred wasn't the type to bare his soul unless he felt it was important. He wrapped an arm around Fred's shoulder and pulled him close so that Fred's head was nestled under George's chin.
"And I'm glad it's you I've spent twenty years with," he replied back. They both turned to face the rest of their family with a content smile, George's hand still resting on Fred's shoulder.
Next chapter: An enjoyable day is interrupted when Fred, George and Lee are spotted by several Snatchers.
Thanks for reading and please review! :)