Note that after they trade places later in the chapter, each twin will be going by their assumed identity...until I notify you other wise. Each name will feature an asterisk after it, signifying they're the opposite twin.
Graham* = Is really Garrett.
Garrett* = Is really Graham.
Garrett*= will still be called "Raven" by his adoptive parents and by his schoolmates in Salem Academy...they don't know he found out he has a twin and is really a Montague!
Graham*= will still be referred to as "Graham" in Hogwarts, so pay close attention...they don't know he found his brother, either.
Enjoy!
Chapter Four-Brotherly Bonding
Those several days passed by quickly, yet hilariously. The first day of hunting, Graham nearly fell out of the boat once Garrett shot his rifle. He had no idea how loud of a noise that muggle invention could make. While helping to set out a trap, Graham fell into the bayou water...which of course, made his brother laugh at his misery.
"Da trick is not to get into da water! Haha!"
He sputtered. "Ew! Disgusting! How do you even-oh fuck! Get me outta here!" The twin screamed, as a couple of gators were swimming right for him.
Garrett and Sander scrambled to pull him to safety, the aristocrat flailed every which way, slinging muddy water all over the men. Once inside the boat, Garrett giggled in a morbid fashion.
Graham growled. "Shut up!" and attempted to strangle his twin, rolling both their bodies around in the boat. Darren threatened to stun the shit of out them if they didn't stop, so like scolded puppies, they ceased their scuffling...for now.
Day two in the early morning, Graham got his first taste of loading and shooting a rifle. The force of the weapon's fire made him clutch his shoulder.
"Don'cha just love recoil?" Garrett snickered, thumping Graham on the back. Graham childishly mocked him before reloading. At least he didn't shoot anyone. Eventually, he got the hang of it. The same for setting traps and lines for the gators. Graham was a fast learner after all.
Of course, when it came time to gut and prepare the gator...there were some issues. Upon slicing open the reptile and removing the organs inside, Graham threw up over the porch siding.
"Hahaha! It's only guts an' blood, man! Don' tell me ya'll don' do dis when yo' house elves make food."
Wiping his mouth, Graham returned. "The animals are already dead, plucked and scraped out before we purchase them, arsehole."
"Well, we don' have any o' dem here, now get wrist deep in dat shit an' get pullin'!" he forced Graham's gloved hands into the gator, making a squelching noise that nearly causes Graham to throw up again.
'Come on, just think of it as getting potion ingredients, Snape has disgusting stuff there as well.' Taking a deep breath, Graham started extracting the various organs.
"There ya go! You can do it!" Garrett clapped the back of his twin's white shirt with a bloody glove. "Whoops."
He stopped abruptly to see Garrett's hand before licking his lips and scoffing. "You did that on purpose."
"Maybe...maybe not."
"There's no 'maybe' about it." Graham removed his equally bloody hands and rubbed them on Garrett's bare, muscled arms.
"All right, two can play at dat game." he wiped gator blood on Graham's cheeks, watching those black eyes glitter with mischief.
"If that's how you want it." he grabbed some blood of out the drip bucket and splashed Garrett's front, leaving Garrett to reciprocate the action; thus sending both into a gator blood-fueled frenzy. For Graham, this little 'fight' was totally juvenile, but quite liberating. If he did this at home, he wouldn't hear the end of it.
Darren and Sander arrived at the draining room only to find the twins splattering each other and wrestling around in the mess.
"Take that, you bastard!"
"Get o'er here, ya lil' shit!"
The grown men shook their heads in mirth.
Darren sighed. "Brothers...what're ya gon' do?"
Sander replied. "Dat's why I'm glad I have sisters." After tiring themselves out, Darren and Sander playfully shooed them out saying they'd take care of dinner, leaving the Montagues to head to the showers. Before stripping off their bloody clothes, they took a long look at each other, and started cracking up with laughter.
'So, this is what mucking about with a twin is like...this was fun.' Graham mused as he peeled off his soaked shirt, tossing it to the side.
'I think I'm gon' like bein' a twin after all.' Garrett smiled as he stepped underneath the hot water in own stall.
The final day at Darren's arrived too quickly in Graham's opinion. This high-class son was actually enjoying his time in the bayou..now he saw why Garrett loved being out here. Every day was a new adventure. He had a newfound taste for Cajun and Creole cuisine..well...the mild kinds, anyway. Graham actually shot and tagged a gator today, receiving a round of applause from his brother and acquaintances. At sunset, the boys packed up to head back to the plantation. They weren't exactly through with Garrett's tutoring yet.
Upon entering Graham's room for a change of pace, they got right to work on his posture and formal conversation.
"Always keep your back straight and chin above your chest. Look people in the eyes when you speak with them, not like that! You're not trying to kill them with a glare... not like that either...that's just plain creepy." Garrett sniggered after giving Graham a lustful gaze. After receiving a frown, the bayou boy straightened up; giving Graham an impassive look.
He smiled. "That's exactly what I'm looking for. It is ok to smile, depending the subject but don't grin like a fool. You're doing great so far."
"I do have some sense o' decorum, ya know.''
"I know, and I'm fixing it. Also, don't curse in formal gatherings or yell. You will attract unwanted attention. You'll seem gawky and unrefined. Do that in your own time, in private."
"I would say 'Fuck you' right 'bout now...but dat'll defeat da purpose."
That week faded into next and they moved onto routines, family histories and the like. Each displayed a diagram of their dwellings, noting the exact place of every room, and how to get inside if sealed by spell or password; also the place of certain objects...remembering to include the Montague vault at Gringotts, in Graham's case. They did the same with their outside hangouts. Following that, they gave their family trees, birthdays and other details of their elders and relatives. Next, their friends, their lives and the embarrassing stories that come with them. Although they swore to be quiet, they had no choice if they wanted to pull this off...each gained several hearty laughs hearing the incriminating anecdotes.
They gave information on their schools, the secret passageways, classes and their current standing within them. Luckily, he and Graham both excelled in their courses, so there was no problem with that. Lastly, extra Muggle and Wizarding trivia. Graham found out who Leroy Jethro Gibbs was and became fond of the show the character was in-NCIS. Garrett was right, their haircuts were similar; except Graham's bangs were shorter and not parted in the middle; they watched several shows on a television in Garrett's room which was available upon request to due to receiving muggleborn and halfblood clientele.
Sunday morning flew in with the cool breeze rustling the oak trees and it was time to leave. After waking, eating and packing, the twins faced each other.
"Time for the switch." Graham raised his wand and cast the appearance-switching spells whilst Garrett charmed their voices. Graham's hair grew closer to his shoulders and his accent faded into Cajun. Garrett's equally-raven hair took the look of Graham's former style, his Cajun drawl turned that aristocratic British. Their skin tone remained the same ivory, due to the fact they cannot tan to save their lives.
Their body frames were identical so there was no extra spell to cast for that. To make sure their memories of each other's lives would stay intact, they cast a memory-enhancing charm. Garrett now stood in an all-black ensemble-slacks, button-up top, jacket and dress shoes to match. Graham; in a Metallica t-shirt, blue jeans and tennis-shoes. Both tucked away their lockets under their collars and kept their own wands, which interestingly came from the same tree.
"Well...I guess this is goodbye." Graham* sighed, gazing at his brother sadly.
Garrett* smiled. "Fo now. If anythin' goes wrong, tell me an' I'll come o'er."
"Quickly, just to check, why don't we hang around Uncle Bobby when he gets a hold of brown liquor?"
" 'Cause he ain't one to be reasoned with an' he's a rowdy drunk.' "
"And when it comes to Missy Tannenbaum?"
"Don' take anythin' she gives ya 'cause she's a crazy bitch who'll drug ya."
"Excellent. Well, I guess your, I mean, 'our' parents are waiting on me."
The Montague twins pulled each other in for one last hug before separating, this time...on their own terms.
Garrett* walked down the stairs and out of the plantation to a waiting pick-up truck at the end of the road. A tanned, brown-haired man wearing a camouflage hat, shirt and jeans welcomed him in a bear hug.
"Hey Raven, you ready to go?"
"Yeah, Dad. Where's Mom at?"
"Oh, she's at home, preparin' food. She's makin some o' yo' favorites." they continued their banter as the red vehicle drove away.
Graham* walked to the grand fireplace of the Beaumont Plantation. Throwing a handful of Floo powder, he shouted "Montague Manor, England!" and vanished instantly. A few seconds later, this twin stepped out of another exquisite hearth and gazed about the ornately decorated sitting room.
There were classical paintings on the walls, priceless antiques on some shelves and in corners. Above the mantel was a woven tapestry of the Montague crest with their family motto-Capio oportunitatis*.
' Seize opportunity. fittin', I must say. An' dis is my home, too? Damn, Graham wasn't kiddin' 'bout da décor. It's swanky...I mean, uh..posh.'
"Graham, darling! Welcome home!"
Startled, Graham* turned to see a familiar black-haired woman in a silk, amethyst purple dress sauntering over to him, arms wide open.
'Mom...' He felt his heart clench as she embraced him, he did the same. He smelled the gardenia-scented perfume Graham told him about. Garrett couldn't believe this was really happening, that this was his birth mother hugging him.
"What's wrong, dear?" she gave him a curious look, those cerulean orbs glinting in the light from the window.
"Nothing, Mum. Just glad to be home."
*Capio oportunitatis* -"Seize opportunity"...kinda fitting of their choice to switch, don't you think? Anyway, the next will feature Garrett* and how he adjusts to his twin's home near the bayou, and they begin school. :) See ya then!
And ''Leroy Jethro Gibbs", "NCIS" belongs to their rightful owners. :)