- CHAPTER NINE -
Changes
The next day snow was still falling heavily outside. The school was alight with excitement because of the end of term. In celebration of the holidays, Fred and George set off Dungbombs in the corridors, prompting everyone to rush to get themselves packed and out of the castle as quickly as possible. No one wanted to start off the holiday season by watching Filch's reaction to the stench.
My Christmas holidays were going to be spent at the Burrow with the Weasleys. It was rare that students stayed at the castle over the holidays, but there were always a few who did. This year Harry, Ron and Hermione had opted to stay at the castle. Aside from the three of them, Gryffindor would be empty. It had already been decided that my parents would be joining the Weasley clan for Christmas dinner. My parents always got on well with the Weasleys, and have been friendly for almost as long as Fred, George and I. Dad works as a Mediwizard at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and is one of two on-call field Mediwizards working for the Ministry of Magic. He met Mr. Weasley on a call where three Ministry members were severely injured by a particularly angry set of Muggle armchairs. The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office had a tough job with that one, and Dad had to set Mr. Weasley and his co-workers right before they captured the attention of possible on-lookers within the Muggle community. My dad always spoke fondly of Mr. Weasley after that event. Apparently he held himself together very admirably in the face of rogue cushions.
Looking forward to some time away from the pressures of our studies, I bade goodbye to Ron, Harry and Hermione before setting off with the rest of the jabbering students for Hogsmeade station. The winter air was biting, and I was happy to arrive in front of the Hogwarts Express before my fingers went numb. Lee had caught an earlier carriage off of Hogwarts grounds and had promised to save Fred, George and I a compartment on the train.
"Come on now, Juliet," George was grumbling at me as I fumbled with my trunk and tripped on my way to the scarlet steam engine. "You're bloody slow."
"Oh calm down George," I hissed back, annoyed with my lack of coordination. "The train won't leave for another six minutes."
Students from Hogwarts were flooding Hogsmeade station in a rush of giddy anticipation. We were amongst the last to board, and had to squeeze our way through to the last compartment of the train where Lee was waiting.
"What took you lot so long?" Lee asked, sliding over to give George space to flop down next to him.
"This one," George said, indicating me with a nod of his head.
"Yes, I know," I said, "bloody slow."
Fred tucked the three trunks away and the two of us took a seat across from George and Lee.
"Blimey," Fred huffed, "I'm not sad to be leaving the castle this year. It's a relief to be away from those Dementors."
"Agreed," Lee said. "I don't see why your brother and his friends are staying behind."
"Especially Harry," George said. "Remember what those things did to him? I'd be running as soon as I got the chance."
"It is strange that they're not joining us," I mused. "I wonder why that is?"
George shrugged. "Reckon they'll want to give the Marauder's Map a true test-drive."
"The Marauder's Map?" I asked. "How would they know about that?"
Fred shrugged. "We gave it to Harry."
"What?" I asked. The surprise in my voice was evident. "Why?"
"Why not?" George said. "We don't really need it anymore."
"But what about Black?" I questioned. "I thought maybe if we kept an eye on it we could see him if he came back."
"Planning on sacking him single-handedly, are you Juliet?" Lee asked with an amused expression on his face.
"No," I said, distractedly. "I just thought…"
I had to admit, the idea of catching Black had surfaced in my mind, but what I had found really intriguing was the fact that the name Peter Pettigrew had showed up at the start of term. I was more interested in looking out for him than trying to scout the territory for Sirius Black.
"Well who better to catch Sirius Black than Harry Potter anyway?" George cut in. "If Black's out to get him, he may as well be prepared."
"Black never showed up on the Map before," Fred cut in.
"That we saw," I said. "We could have missed him."
"He's probably using Dark Magic that prevents that sort of trace," Fred reasoned. "I bet he's more powerful than the writers of that Map, unfortunately."
"Yeah," Lee agreed. "Anyway, Harry'll have more use for it than you lot do. You've already memorized the entire castle."
"Yeah," I muttered, "I suppose you're right."
"Of course we are," Fred stated.
"Plus, it wouldn't really be right if we didn't pass on our knowledge to someone worthy," George reasoned.
"I bet Ron was miffed when he found out," Fred said. "I bet he reckons we should've passed it on to him."
"Why didn't you?" I asked.
"Ron? Please," Fred said airily. "Like Ron could really handle that kind of power."
"He'd get it confiscated first time he used it," George agreed. "He hasn't got the discipline to control himself."
I smirked at him, but said nothing. There was some logic in what the twins were saying. Fred and George were able to get away with the trouble they caused because they were well disciplined on the subject. Everyone mistook the Weasley twins for maniacal havoc-wreakers, but there certainly was a method to their madness. No ordinary witch or wizard could pull off the stunts that those two were so good at creating.
The ride to the train station passed quickly. The train came to a halt at platform nine and three quarters, and the Weasley family was waiting for us upon our arrival. We filed off of the train with the rest of the rushing students, and gave a quick goodbye to Lee.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing with their youngest and only daughter Ginny. As soon as we were within arms-reach of them, Mrs. Weasley pulled each of the twins into a hug and immediately started badgering them about school.
"I do hope you've managed to stay out of trouble since the last time we heard from you," she was saying sternly.
"Now Molly, give them time to say hello before you start on them," Mr. Weasley said good-naturedly.
Mrs. Weasley looked like she was going to object, but she seemed to think better of it for now.
"Juliet, dear," she said with a warm smile. "We're so pleased you could join us."
"Thanks for the invite," I said. "I hope I won't be intruding."
"No dear its fine, the more the merrier," she said.
"Well let's get a move on shall we?" said Fred, clapping his hands together as George loaded the trunks into the Ministry car Mr. Weasley had borrowed (the Weasley's family vehicle hadn't been seen since Harry and Ron had crashed it into the Whomping Willow the previous year).
"Percy hasn't arrived yet—ah here he is now," Mrs. Weasley said as Percy came into view.
"We were so close," George muttered. Mrs. Weasley missed the remark, as Percy was greeting her as though she were an old friend rather than his mother.
The seven of us piled ourselves into the car—me between Fred and George—and set off immediately for the Burrow. The ride consisted mainly of a thorough re-telling of the night Sirius Black entered the castle. Percy made certain to explain just how invaluable he was to Dumbledore in those frightening moments. "If it weren't for me, mother, there's no telling how many students could have been harmed that night."
"Oh yeah," Fred said with extreme sarcasm. "I reckon none of us would have made it out alive if Percy hadn't been standing guard by the Great Hall door."
"Yeah Perce," George said. "The way you shushed everyone up before bedtime was real heroic."
Percy gave his brothers a rather foul look while Ginny and I tried hard not to laugh under Mrs. Weasley's heavy stare.
When we reached the Burrow Fred and George were sent to put away our school trunks. Inside the kitchen sat Bill and Charlie, both drinking a cup of tea.
"Bill!" Ginny greeted enthusiastically, "Charlie!"
Ginny, as the only girl in a family of seven children, was both severely picked on as well as fiercely protected. Bill and Charlie were scarcely seen around the Burrow, and it was quite clear that they missed being around their baby sister.
"How are you, Juliet?" Bill asked with a wide grin. He was first to come and hug me after Ginny had released him.
The two eldest Weasley brothers were my favourite of Fred and George's siblings. Being an only child, I always looked up to Bill and Charlie as brothers. They seemed to accept this role and had treated me as a sort of adopted sister almost as soon as I had befriended the twins. This of course included relentless teasing, and unparalleled cruelty at times, but I loved them all the more for it.
Just as I had begun catching up with Bill and Charlie I heard a loud thump upstairs followed by a yell from Mrs. Weasley. There wasn't any mystery as to who was causing a disturbance so soon after our arrival.
"Those two," Charlie said with a shake of his head. "I wonder what they've done now."
"I'll go take a look," I said, excusing myself.
"I'm not sure that will do any good," Bill said with a laugh. "You'll probably only make things worse."
I shook my head good-naturedly and hurried up the creaky staircase to Fred and George's bedroom. I could hear Mrs. Weasley's irritated yells getting louder as I got closer, and almost changed my mind. Despite her kind face and even kinder heart, Molly Weasley was a force to be reckoned with.
"You've been here ten minutes and you've already managed to make a mess!"
"Mum, it wasn't our fault—"
"I don't want to hear excuses, Fred, just clean this up now!"
Cautiously I entered the room just as Mrs. Weasley was exiting. She didn't even seem to notice me as she walked by muttering something under her breath. I slipped into the bedroom and was met by Fred and George's sour faces.
"What happened?" I asked, although the question wasn't really necessary. The floor of the bedroom was covered in a thick purple goo that seemed to be hardening right before my eyes. It didn't take long for me to recognize what the substance was.
"It's another batch of that modeling clay," Fred explained. "We didn't do this one properly."
"We were unloading it from our trunks and something set it off," George said with a frown. "Reckon we weren't precise enough with our measurements."
"Yeah," Fred agreed, "and it didn't work, either. We've been trying to get the colours to change based on the formation the clay takes, but it still comes out purple."
"Oh," I said, crinkling up my nose. It smelled a bit like burning rubber in the room. "How are you going to clean it up?"
"Shouldn't be a problem, really," George said. "Once it hardens we should be able to peal it right off. No harm done."
"Mum just overreacts," Fred agreed.
"It doesn't look the same as the stuff you gave me," I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the small ball of purple clay. It indeed had more fluidity than the stuff coating the floor.
"Yeah, we've been trying to find the variable that will help us change the colour properly," George said, taking the ball from me and studying it as it changed immediately into the shape of a bubbling cauldron. "We'll give it another shot."
The mess that the twins had made was indeed easy to clear up as soon as the stuff had hardened. I watched as George rolled it all up and stuck it back into his cauldron.
"We'll re-use it and see if we can't salvage what's left," Fred explained.
"Might as well give it a shot now," George said. "Mum's mad at us anyhow."
The two of them set to work immediately coming up with a new ratio that might allow them to fix their creation. I took a seat on Fred's bed and watched in curiosity as they hunched over George's now bubbling cauldron. I hadn't the faintest idea how they knew what to add to make it work, but they seemed to be making progress. I was a fair student when I set my mind to it, but potions was something I always struggled with. It was amazing to me that Fred and George could have such a knack for it. They didn't even have to pay attention to Snape in class (which is a good thing, because Snape threw them out of class so often that I couldn't remember a time they'd ever sat through a whole lesson) and yet they had top marks. I wished I had that sort of talent.
The potion was brewing quietly when Mrs. Weasley called us down for dinner. Fred stirred counter-clockwise six times, then clockwise twice before announcing it complete. I noticed that this batch was not the same colour as the ball of clay I had. This one was an off-white shade that looked promising.
"We'll check back in a few hours," George said in a satisfied voice as the three of us made our way into the kitchen.
The others were already seated around the rectangular table that took up most of the room. There was an empty seat next to Percy, which I hurried to avoid. George sat down next to me quickly, leaving Fred to claim his spot across from us next to his prat of an older brother. The food was already on the table, and no one wasted any time in piling their plates high with Mrs. Weasley's excellent cooking.
"As I was saying," Percy said, looking at his father. "Dumbledore told me himself that he was impressed with the initiative I have been taking around the school."
"That's very good, son," Mr. Weasley said politely.
"I can't make judgements from before I was a student, but I'd go so far as to say I'm the best Head Boy to have reigned since I started at Hogwarts."
"Reigned?" I said with a scathing look at George. "Who does he think he is?"
"Watch this," George whispered to me.
He picked up his spoon and filled it with several green peas from his plate. Taking aim, he launched a well-placed attack on Percy. I laughed as one hit him right in between the eyes.
"George! Where are your manners?" Mrs. Weasley yelled. Aside from her and Percy, everyone at the table was laughing.
"I was doing everyone a favour," George said as Percy rubbed his head in agony.
"Keep your peas on your plate son," Mr. Weasley said sternly, trying to regain his composure. Mrs. Weasley was glaring at him as he failed to suppress another laugh.
"Yes sir," George saluted.
Percy groaned.
"Oh for heaven's sake Percy it was only a pea!" Mrs. Weasley said, causing everyone to break into laughter once again.
Percy looked entirely un-amused.
After dinner everyone was instructed to go straight to bed. I headed up to Ginny's bedroom to change into my things. I had just pulled on my pyjamas when I realized my wand was missing. I had left it in Fred and George's bedroom. It wasn't a big deal to leave it, but I was so used to having my wand with me everywhere I went that I felt uncomfortable when it wasn't within reach. Passing Ginny on my way out, I hurried down the hall and up the stairs to Fred and George's room.
The door was open a few inches when I reached it, and there was still light inside from lanterns next to Fred and George's beds. I peered inside, but only Fred was there, his back turned away from me. I don't think he saw me, because if he did he surely would have been embarrassed at what I saw next.
Fred was stooped over the cauldron we had left before dinner. It looked like they twins had been successful in creating a batch that showed realistic colours, because the ball that Fred was holding was colourless as he pulled it out of the cauldron.
I don't know what possessed me to stand quietly by the door, peering through into the dim light, but I didn't announce myself. The ball of clay in Fred's hand at first remained fluid and viscous, but soon after it took another shape—one quite shocking. Despite the fact that the room was only lit by a few lanterns, there was no mistaking what the object in Fred's hand had formed into.
Fred was peering down at a replica of me. I knew immediately the new recipe had worked, as the colours of the clothes I had been wearing that day were reflected accurately in the miniature in Fred's hand. The dark auburn shade of the model's hair was the exact same as mine. It was remarkable how accurate it could be. What made me uneasy was that I knew it was Fred's memory of me that was so precise.
I was thrown off most when the small model changed yet again. This time, there were two figures in Fred's palm. I was still there, but so was a miniature Fred—and we were snogging.
"Bloody hell," I whispered to myself, feeling shock fill my stomach.
My eyes were wide in a mixture of surprise and horror, and I immediately backed away from the doorway. The last thing I wanted was for Fred to turn around and see me standing there.
Tripping over my own feet, I hurried back down the hallway. I rushed down the stairs, finding sanctuary in Ginny's bedroom. The shock in my eyes must have still been evident, because Ginny looked up from her bed with a questioning look.
"Juliet, are you alright?" she asked, eyeing me curiously.
I shook the image I had just seen out of my head and tried to appear calm.
"Yeah," I answered, "I'm fine."
Without waiting for her to question me further, I climbed into the small cot Mr. Weasley had set up for me and turned away from her.
"Goodnight Ginny," I said, turning off the lantern on the bedside table.
With my brain on overdrive, I forced myself to sleep.