Disclaimer: I do not own! Belongs to J.K. Rowling. Only Holly is mine.
A/N: NO FLAMES! Not accepted!
2nd A/N: Ok, so I've made Holly the same age as Fred & George Weasley. Two years older than Harry and Ron. I know that blows canon of Harry being an only child but many people have done the 'Potter sister' thing before, nothing new here. It's now 7th year. The Twins leave, so they leave Holly behind?
Chapter Six – Wizard Wheezes and I Love Yous
"What on earth is that?" Holly asked as she plopped down next to Fred in the common room the first Friday after the start of school. Fred and George had been secretive all summer about what they were planning to do after Hogwarts, but Holly had an idea.
"Nothing," Fred mumbled. He'd never really gotten over Angelina's rejection after the Yule Ball. Holly knew better.
"Is this more of your joke shop stuff?" Holly asked, grabbing the box that Fred tried to hide, she peered inside it. There were heaps of things in the box.
"Yeah – at the moment, we're untangling all the extendable ears." George saw no point in hiding the products from her. She'd find out anyway. She'd known them long enough. Longer than Lee did and probably better than Lee did too. They'd just had Quidditch practice and Angelina, the new captain, was fuming that their new keeper – Ron – wasn't quite up to the standard that the others had been. Angelina knew they'd need a whole lot of luck if they were going to beat Slytherin.
Holly watched from the stands, her and Hermione raced down to congratulate them and make sure Harry was okay after being winded by a bludger, after he'd caught the snitch. But it was Malfoy's taunts that got to them first.
"We wanted to write a few more verses! But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly – we wanted to sing about his mother, see-"
"I'm gonna kill him," Holly muttered in Hermione's ear.
"We couldn't fit in useless loser either. For his father, you know-"
"Leave it!" Holly heard Angelina say as she gripped Fred's arm, he and George had heard Malfoy and were most likely ready to beat him to a pulp.
"But you like the Weasley's don't you Potter? Spend the holidays there and everything. Same with your sister." Eyes turned now to Holly, she stood, bold as brass beside Harry and George, "Can't see how you both stand the stink, but I guess when you've been raised by Muggles and a Werewolf, even the Weasley's Hovel smells ok." Harry grabbed hold of George and Hermione joined Angelina, Alicia and Katie in restraining Fred.
"Of perhaps," Malfoy began again, "you can remember what your mother's house smelt like Potter and the Weasley pigsty reminds you of it," Harry gripped George tighter, he decided to ignore it, he gritted his teeth ignoring the insatiable urge to let go of George so they could both hurt Malfoy as much as possible.
"Draco…" Holly began walking slowly towards him, "I can't help noticing just how dashing you look in your Quidditch robes." Malfoy's cheeks turned a pale shade of pink, Fred slowed his struggles, puzzled. George even relaxed a bit in Harry's grip to. Holly's close proximity to Malfoy was uncomfortable for the fifth year.
"Really?" He asked, she nodded.
"Oh yes. I've always liked strong," Her hand dipped inside her robes for her wand, "intelligent," Her wand rested beside her now, "handsome," She drew out handsome to make it sound like she really thought he was, "young," She paused and Malfoy took one long calculated step backwards, "Ferrets." With a flick of her wand Malfoy disappeared in his robes and a pure white ferret appeared. Harry let go of George and the girls let go of Fred for the laughter that took over the team and the others. The whole Gryffindor house that had come out to see the game burst into fits of laughter. But Madam Hooch was not impressed.
"Miss Potter! Up to the castle! And straight to your Head of House's office! Now!" Holly turned smartly as Malfoy returned and started up towards the castle, as she reached the edge of the pitch she glanced back over her shoulder and blew Malfoy a kiss. George and Fred smiled at her and shook their heads slightly as they went back to the rooms to change back into their school robes.
"But Professor–!" Fred and George were outside McGonagall's office listening to the conversation between McGonagall, Holly and apparently Umbridge.
"Not buts Miss Potter." McGonagall's voice said harshly, the loud clearing of throat made both Fred and George roll their eyes.
"May I help Professor?" Umbridge's voice asked.
"Help?" McGonagall sounded like she was being strangled. Umbridge must have nodded. McGonagall made a sound somewhere between a groan and a growl and silence fell over the room.
"I think banning Miss Potter here from spending any spare time at all with the two Mr Weasley's should do the trick. They are obviously a bad influence."
"How are you planning to stop me Professor?" Holly sneered; it was true it would be mighty hard to stop her when the common room was not patrolled by teachers at all.
"Oh I think that whenever free time arrives you could spend it with Miss Adams patrolling the corridors. Which is what prefects should do isn't it?" Umbridge said. So she hadn't gone as far to revoke the Prefect appointment but she was going to made patrol the corridors with Ravenclaw's most stuck up and prim Prefect who had been made Head Girl. This was going to be torture. Fred and George knew it, Holly knew it. This was going to be just horrible. The twins ducked behind the suit of armour as Umbridge exited McGonagall's office before jumping into the office to find a heavily sobbing Holly. She was sitting opposite an equally shocked McGonagall, Fred and George had never seen their Professor look so defeated. She merely glanced at them and waved her hand at them indicating that they could escort Holly back up to Gryffindor Tower.
They sat her down by the fire. The team weren't all back yet and Harry and Hermione knew better than to ask what had happened especially if it meant that Holly was upset.
"Holly…it's going to be ok. She can't stop you sitting with us at lunch can she? Breakfast or dinner?" Fred said, Holly sobbed harder.
"What about if we actually break with tradition and go to the library?" The sobbing just got louder. The twins were running out of options.
"I've got it. The only way!" Fred said suddenly standing up. He ran upstairs and came back down carrying a box marked with the words "Weasley's Wildfire Whiz-bangs!" He crowed, only loud enough for Holly and George to hear though. Holly looked up still sniffling and her eyes red from crying.
"Weasley's Wildfire Whiz-bangs?" She repeated, a little confused. Fred nodded excitedly, "Fireworks?" He nodded again. Holly's mouth twitched as though she wanted to smile but had forgotten how to. She looked at George and then at Fred. They were planning something and she wanted in on it.
Holly sat in the common room silently, running her fingers over a letter she had penned for Harry. It didn't make much sense but that didn't matter to her right now. Right now she was debating if this was truly a good idea. She'd already written to Remus, and although he didn't approve, he'd said that if she truly wasn't happy at school she should do what she felt was right.
"Holly?" She looked up and smiled at Fred as he sat down opposite her.
"What can I do for you Fred?" She asked.
"Well, I wanted to tell you something actually." He said smiling softly.
"Sure, go ahead I'm all ears." She smiled. Her smile had a way of disarming Fred and making him, since he was 14, lose all ability to string a perfectly coherent sentence together.
"Well, I…erm…well, it's kind of hard to say…Um…" Holly put a finger to his lips.
"I know. I love you too Fred." His smile vanished.
"You know?" She nodded slowly. His smiled returned and he leant forward softly kissing her. Tenderly. Like it should be. Holly loved every second of it. Fred pressed something into her palm. Looking down at it, it was silver bracelet.
"Turn it over." She did so; on the back of the single silver band it read For Holly, my sparkle in every day, with love Fred. That was all he ever had to do for her. He never had to do anything else as long as he loved her and put a sparkle in her every day. It was just how they were going to work.
Holly wrinkled her nose when the boys landed after their spectacular exit from Hogwarts with Holly, in Diagon Alley in front of what was going to be Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
"You have got to be joking." Holly said. Fred held out his hand and in it was a single gold key.
"Yours," He said simply. George had no objections to Holly coming with them and being a partner with them for the shop, because she knew them inside out. It was just the way it was going to be.
"Operation, Wizard Wheezes is a go." She sighed and followed Fred and George inside the shop to start work on it.