Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Who is Holly Weasley?
In a spurt of multitasking, something that all mothers of large families are capable of, Mum decided that we should have back to school shopping and Charlie's farewell dinner on the same day. That way she would be able to get all the ingredients she'd need for Charlie's favorite meal, Charlie could buy anything that he needed before traveling abroad, and she'd have a second semi-responsible adult with her to try to keep the lot of us in line. Usually, that position fell to Dad. But he's been pulling extra hours at the ministry as of late. Something to do with a cursed teapot praying on unsuspecting muggles. But I am not sure if that is entirely the truth. Dad always seems to pick up extra hours before the start of school. It can't be easy sending five kids to boarding school and providing for one of them still at home. Though with Bill moved out and Charlie moving out, maybe Dad can take a break soon.
The Weasley family convened in front of the fireplace a little afternoon. After a filling lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup, Mum was raring to go. I stand at the very end of the line with Ginny clinging to my school cloak. In a couple of years, this cloak will probably be handed down to her. "It's not fair" She whined in a way only a ten-year-old can.
"What's not fair?" I asked, trying to sound sympathetic. But it is a little hard when I already know the reason.
Ginny leaned into me; her face pressed against my arm. "You all get to go to Hogwarts. But I don't".
Oh, the woes of a ten-year-old girl.
"We all waited until we were eleven to go to school" I reasoned; ignoring Ginny scoffing at my response. "You can too".
Next to Ginny stands George who is also next to Fred. They had made a quick recovery after yesterday's grand reveal. As evident by the return of their favorite hobby; pestering Percy. They throw bits of rolled-up parchment at his back and compliment him on his new position as prefect as they called him things like; prefect Percy, Mummy's lil' prefect, and brown-noser. That last one might be my fault. Charlie stood between the three of them; Fred and George on his left and Percy on his right. He's trying to act as some sort of buffer but is having as much success as a gnome on degnoming day. He tried to tell Fred and George off while brushing the bits of parchment off Percy's cloaked back. Out of all my brothers, Charlie, by far, has the most patience. Merlin, bless him. Percy is taking this as well as can be expected. We all know he is annoyed by how often he adjusts and straightens his glasses. He responded to my triplets' comments by retorting; "You're just jealous", and "Just wait until I put you in detention". Unfortunately for him, it has the complete opposite effect on Fred and George that he was expecting. As each comment had Fred and George bursting into uproarious laughter.
Ron stood on the other side of Percy as the last in line. He is currently Mum's main focus as she tuts about. First, she straightened his home-spun cloak. A light blue one that used to belong to Percy. "Mum, it's fine," Ron complained. But she ignored him in favor of trying to rub the ever-present dirt off his nose. Ron squirmed under her hands. "It's fine mum!" He cried. "Leave it!"
Sighing, Mum backed off. Wiping her hands of it, as if the hygiene of an eleven-year-old boy is a lost cause. And in a way, it kind of is. "Alright," she said, stepping back to eye all seven of us. Imagine what it must have been like for her to have all eight of us at home when we were all too young to go to school. The woman is a saint, I tell you. "We'll go in pairs," Mom said. "Ginny with me, Ron with Charlie, Fred with George, and Holly with Percy".
I felt Ginny clutching at my cloak tightly as she spoke up. "I want to go with Holly." As the only girls of the Weasley offspring, Ginny does tend to gravitate towards me. I don't mind it…. Most of the time In Jessie's life, I hadn't been an older sister. So, I worried that I wasn't good at it. In the books, Ginny grew up to be pretty kick-ass; playing professional quidditch and all. What if having me in her life made her weaker? Softer?
Mum shook her head. What Ginny didn't see is how much strategic planning Mum does when she pairs us off. Ginny and Ron are the youngest so they go with her and the eldest because she doesn't trust the rest of us to watch them for long periods of time. To be fair, I did lose Ron once when the Wizarding Circus came into the nearby wizarding settlement. But he ran away from me!
Anyway, that leaves us four middle children; Percy, Fred, George, and Me. Now, it is risky to allow Fred and George to be together. Everyone knows the chances of something nefarious happening on this shopping trip is highly likely. But the other option would be to place one of them with Percy, which would be more catastrophic. For Percy's mental health, it's better if he is paired with me. I wouldn't describe Percy as the sibling I'm closest to. His prickly pear personality kind of makes that rather hard. Hands down, the siblings I gravitate to are my fellow triplets. However, Percy doesn't get on my nerves either. He's just a type-A personality. Someone to be humored when you must, and to be held at a distance whenever possible.
Mum walked over to Ginny and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Best come with me" She reasoned. "We need to get you fitted for a new dress".
Ginny became more agreeable at the promise of owning something new as she stopped holding on to my school cloak. All of us, except for Bill, are very used to wearing hand-me-downs. But since I am the oldest girl, I get a few more first-hand things than the boys, such as skirts, dresses, and leggings. And Ginny tends to inherit what I outgrow. Which for the most part, is fine. The only problem is that her style is drastically different from my own. Ginny liked vibrant colors. While I prefer darker shades. Ginny liked designs and patterns. While I tried to keep things as simple as possible. It has been my childhood goal to be as unnoticeable as possible. And when you share a birthday with Fred and George, that isn't hard to do.
"We will meet at the Leaky Cauldron. Let's say 3:30" Mum said as she moved back over to Charlie. "That will give me enough time to cook dinner" She mumbled to herself as she pulled out a small coin purse and held it out to Charlie. "Ron has his school list," mum said, nodding to her youngest son. "He already has his cauldron and your old wand. I'm hemming some of Fred and George's old robes for him. So, all you need to buy are potions ingredients and maybe a new copy of the standard book of spells grade one, and A History of Magic" Mum listed off. "Because someone decided to draw in hers," Mum said, shooting me a look. Fred and George sniggered at my expense, while I gave Mum a sheepish look. I mean, wasn't Binns already dead when she was a student? She should know what his class is like. Once the coin purse is in Charlie's hand, Mum added. "And buy whatever you need Charlie, love. We don't know what will be available in Romania".
Charlie smiled at her. "It's okay Mum. The reserve gave me an advance on my wages to help with the move".
"Oh, such a good boy," Mum gushed as she moved on. Percy gets the next coin purse. "There's enough in there for both you and Holly. Buy only what we don't have at home. But Dad and I put in a little extra so you may buy a reward for becoming a prefect".
Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Percy blushed. "Thanks, Mum," he said as he took the coin purse from her and pocketed it.
Mum nods, as proud as can be. "Oh," she said as if she had just remembered. "Holly," she said; turning towards me. "You need at least one new skirt for school, and stockings. I can't keep patching them up. And make sure your skirt is at least knee-length".
I nod; trying not to roll my eyes. I remember a time when Jessie was an adult and no one could tell her what to wear. There were a lot of short skirts and tall boots in those memories. The last sibling to get a coin purse was George, who immediately placed it in his trousers' pocket as Mum listed his and Fred's directions. "Just school supplies," she said very firmly; wagging a finger at them. "Parchment, Quills, and potion ingredients. And don't let me catch hide or hair of either of you near Knockturn alley".
"Yes Mum," said Fred and George as they grinned devilishly at Mum. It's amazing Mum hasn't gone completely gray yet due to dealing with these two.
Percy and I fell into step as we headed in the direction of the used clothing store. Every few steps, Percy threw a cautious look over his shoulder. We flooed into Diagon alley before Fred and George. So, there was a possibility they could sneak up on us. Of course, I know that my fellow triplets wanted to get as many potion ingredients as they could for their experiments. So, they would be spending the majority of their time at the apothecary. It would be the kind thing to let Percy know about Fred and George's plans. But I think I'll keep them to myself. As a prefect it is important to keep Percy on his toes. Besides, if he knew Fred and George wanted loads of potion ingredients, He'd ask why. And I don't want to answer that. "Any idea on what you want to get for your reward?" I asked as we maneuvered around the other shoppers.
Pulling Percy out of his Paranoia, he looked at me and shook his head. "I have an idea," he admitted solemnly. "But I am not sure if we can afford it."
"Well, what is it?" I asked as we paused in our walking to let a pudgy old wizard cross in front of us.
"An owl," Percy said as we started forward again. "It'd be much more efficient if I didn't have to share Errol, and Errol is well…" Percy trailed off. What many don't know is that Percy has a soft spot for animals. Not crazy dangerous animals like Hagrid and Charlie, but house pets. It's hard for any of us Weasleys, except maybe Ron, to bad mouth Errol. Who is probably the oldest owl still working in the world. Errol has been with our family for many years. We all grew up with Errol. Bill taught him how to play fetch. This was before his eyesight started to go. Errol never got to put out if Ron or Ginny got a little rough with him when they were toddlers, and he used to make shrieking noises if Fred and George tried to leave the house in the middle of the night. Errol is as much a Wesley as the rest of us.
When Percy mentioned that he wanted an owl, something clicked into place. Percy does get an owl. An owl he'll name Hermes. And then he'll give Scabbers to Ron. Scabbers who is actually a traitorous Wizard... My heart rate sped up. When I told Fred and George everything yesterday, we thought we would have more time to plan things out. And I don't think I told them that we've been living with a strange wizard in our house for the past ten years. Oops. "What about Scabbers?" I asked as I tried to act normal.
"I was thinking of giving him to Ron''. Percy said. Merlin's beard! Do I stop Percy from getting his owl so he can't give the coward to our younger brother? Do I let things take its course because I know that it'll work out in the end? "He's never had a pet," Percy went on to say. "I mean, you triplets haven't either. But I think Fred and George would only use him to test their inventions".
Slowly, I nodded my head. Yeah, they would totally do that. Though on the other side, that might be a way to smoke out Peter Pettigrew and prove Sirius Black innocent. But would unleashing Fred and George on Pettigrew be considered torture? "I could give him to you," Percy said, looking at me carefully as we stepped into the used clothes shop. We come to a halt just over the threshold. "I don't think you'd abuse him".
For the most part, Percy is right. I wouldn't abuse a rat. Especially one that is a pet. But an evil person disguised as a rat…. Well, the jury is still out on that one. What to do? What to do? If I take Scabbers I can prevent Prisoner of Azkaban from ever happening. And then the golden trio can have at least one quiet year at Hogwarts. But what will happen to the rest of the events if I completely change an entire year? Would Harry somehow be ill-prepared to face you-know-who if he doesn't fight off dementors in his third year? Wait, Harry won't learn the Patronus his third year if I rescue Sirius Black now. There wouldn't be a need. And then he wouldn't be able to ward the dementors off the summer before his fifth year when they attack him and his fat cousin. What's the right answer to this dilemma!
"Holly?" Percy asked, as he nervously looked me over. Reaching out, he grabbed me by my shoulders to pull us both out of the shop entranceway so that other people may enter and exit. "Are you okay?" He asked once he saw that my brown eyes have focused once more and that I had snapped back to reality.
"Yeah, sorry," I said, looking at everything but Percy. "Girl problems." I used my favorite excuse. When you live in a house that is predominantly male, any mention of girl problems tends to make your family members back off. Percy withdrew his hands from my shoulders as if he'd been burned. Apparently, girl problems are contagious. "You should give Scabbers to Ron," I said before Percy had the chance to run away from me and my problems. I don't have a plan about what to do about Pettigrew at the moment. So, I think the best thing to do is to keep things as close to canon as possible until I do have a plan. I'll talk to Fred and George about it at the first opportunity. "After all," I go on to explain. "I think it will mean more to Ron if you choose him. And everything I own ends up belonging to Fred and George anyway". In this second life, I have learned that nothing is private from triplets. Especially since I just let them in on my biggest secret. Percy nodded as if he found my answer acceptable and agreeable. But I have to end this conversation somehow. "Except for my bras" I threw out. "I don't share those with Fred and George".
As soon as Percy registered my words his face turned beet red. "Don't say things like that in public!" Percy scolded.
I just shrug at him. Maybe I don't get under Percy's skin like Fred and George do. But we were still a set of three. If I could push buttons, I would.
Percy cleared his throat in an attempt to compose himself. "I'm going to look at the sweaters," he said, nodding in the direction of the men's section. "Find me when you're done" Percy ordered before stalking away; his shoulders raised to hide his blushing ears.
One pair of black stockings and two slightly used school skirts later, Percy and I made our way to the bookstore. "I've counted the money," Percy said as we traveled. "I think there is enough to get an owl". I nodded. It isn't a surprise to me. As long as I don't intervene, Percy is meant to get an owl.
"Do you want to go to the pet store after this?" I asked as we approached the Flourish and Blotts. This is my favorite store in all of Diagon Alley. There's just something thrilling about being surrounded by walls and walls of books. It also reminded me of Belle's library from Beauty and the Beast. Which had been Jessie's favorite movie. Maybe that's why I liked it so much. I took the steps up to the store two at a time, as Percy followed at a much more composed gait.
Percy hummed to himself as he thought. "Let's go there last," he said, as he followed me through the shelves. I only have to get one book this year, since I have second-hand copies for all my other classes from older siblings. "It's warm out today. And I don't want to keep it in a cage longer than I have to" Percy said. I nod at him to show that I was listening as I search the shelves for the specific book. "What book do you need that we don't already have?" Percy asked.
"Arithmancy" I replied. "Bill took his copy with him to Egypt". He also took his ancient runes books with him too. But Charlie also took that class, so we have a book that we can use.
Percy shook his head. I can see him doing it out of the corner of my eye. This is one of the things I like about being Holly. Jessie had terrible vision and had to wear glasses everywhere. She could never see out of the corner of her eyes. But as far as I can tell, my eyes are fine. "I can't believe the three of you are taking Arithmancy. Why do Fred and George want to take it?"
That's a very good question. I think, as I find the right book and pull it off the shelf. Automatically I notice that it is the heaviest textbook I have ever owned. People tend to lump Fred, George, and I together. It doesn't bother me. We are usually glued at the hips. But when elective sign-ups were passed around last year, I saw an opportunity to explore my new identity in terms that don't include my fellow triplets, and I decided to take it. "They're not taking arithmancy," I said, as I started to lead the way to the check-out line.
"Oh," Percy said, surprised. "I just assumed you three would stick together. What electives are they taking?" Percy asked, sounding genuinely interested about the other middle brothers. That is the first time that's happened in a while.
"Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient runes" I answered, coming to a halt at the end of the check-out line. "Though we are taking Ancient runes together". I was on the fence about what I should choose for my electives. I knew that I couldn't stomach Trelawney for three years, so divination was quickly off the table. I really wanted to take Care of Magical Creatures. It always sounded like so much fun in the books, and I really want to meet Buckbeak. But then I remembered the Monster Book of Monsters, and ultimately decided that I didn't want to deal with that. Muggle studies was also a possibility. I played around with the idea of taking it for weeks. Jessie was a muggle. Actually, I doubt if there was any magic in Jessie's world at all considering that to her, Harry Potter was a popular franchise. I thought taking muggle studies would make me feel nostalgic, and remind me of my last life. But it could also have been very boring learning about things that I already know about. So, when Fred and George came up to me and begged me to take Ancient Runes with them, it didn't take too much convincing. And the only other subject after that was Arithmancy.
"I'm still surprised that those two want to take a serious subject like ancient runes". Percy said with another shake of his head. We moved up in line. "But I'm proud of you Holly," he said, causing me to turn around so that my back was facing the front of the line. I quirked my eyebrow at him. I don't think Percy has ever been proud of me before. "For branching out" Percy went on to explain once seeing my inquisitive look. "Seeing you think for yourself".
Is that a backhanded comment? Fred and George are a lot more vocal than I am. But it's not like I let them talk for me. I decided to take it as a compliment anyway. This is Percy after all. He is trying. "Thanks, Perce". I said as I faced forward again to move up. Looks like there are only about three more shoppers ahead of us.
"Um," Percy said, trying for my attention. I look at him from over my shoulder. "Are you, by any chance, taking Arithmancy because Pucey is taking it too?"
Groaning, I allowed my shoulders to slump. "Not you too!" I complained as I turned around again. Percy awkwardly cleaned his glasses with the bottom of his shirt so he didn't have to look at me. If he doesn't want to discuss boys with his sister then he shouldn't have brought it up! "Pucey and I are partners in potions class. That is it". I affirmed as adamantly as I could. "I don't even know what electives he is taking this year".
"It's still odd for a Slytherin and a Gryffindor to be together, even in class" Percy argued.
"Snape paired us up" I retorted. Of course, he only paired me with Pucey our first year of school, because Snape absolutely refused to allow three Weasleys to sit together in his classroom. He said he didn't want to be putting out fires every single class. Pucey and I chose to be partners last year. What can I say, we work well together. But that's probably why my brothers are all of a sudden so concerned about my love life. Even if my love life only exists in their heads. Because there is no way I am going to flirt with a thirteen-year-old boy. Jessie died at the age of 25. With all of her memories, it just feels wrong to woo younger men. Like there wouldn't be an even playing field. Even if my body and maturity matched my current age.
"And then there was that time you two were caught exchanging love letters in the hallway". Percy continued to present his case.
Damn the Hogwarts rumor miller. "They were notes from class" I corrected.
"I just think you should focus on school instead of boys," Percy said. And then as an afterthought, "Charlie agrees".
I clutched my new arithmancy book to my chest; the urge to throw it at my glasses-wearing brother. "For the last time!" I said, probably a little louder than I should be talking inside a store. "I am not, and nor will I ever date Adrian Pucey!". During my little declaration, Percy started to cough and make abort motions with his hands. But I failed to notice until after I was done talking. "What?" I asked, suddenly concerned that my brother might be choking.
"Weasley" A voice greeted me from behind me.
Twirling around, causing my school cloak to swish against my calves; I was confronted with a person I wasn't planning to see for a while longer. Standing out of the line, with a book wrapped in parchment (the type of parchment shop owners use after something has just been purchased), I see one Mr. Adrian Pucey standing in all his glory. "Pucey" I returned his greeting; gulping nervously My eyes darted to the line, and to see that there is now only one shopper ahead of Percy and me. Does that mean Adrian had been ahead of us this whole time? Did he hear our whole conversation? Oh, Merlin! I just exclaimed I'd never date him very loudly... He's not going to want to be potions partners after this.
"Good summer?" He asked with a smug little smile on his face. Oh, he definitely heard everything.
"Very pleasant" I offered as I prayed to wizard god that my face doesn't currently match the color of my hair. "And yours?" I asked; trying my hand at politeness.
"Enjoyable" Adrian said as he cast a sideways glance at Percy. He's probably wondering if Percy will attack him for daring to talk to his sister. Adrian's lucky that I am here with Percy. If it was any of my other brothers, then this would be a different conversation. "I must be off. My mother is waiting for me across the street". Adrian said in a very posed fashion. His disposition matched his nicely groomed hair and pristinely kept clothes. Ever the model Slytherin this one. "Weasley," Adrian said once more, this time nodding goodbye to Percy. Percy hesitantly nodded back. "And Weasley," Adrian turned back to me. "I'll see you in Arithmancy". Percy and I watched his back as he exited the book shop.
That prat! He had heard every word Percy and I had said. "Now," Percy spoke very slowly. "When you said you didn't know what electives Pucey was taking…" Percy trailed off, unsure if he wants to finish that thought. I sigh and shake my head in annoyance. The next time I see Mr. Pucey I am going to throttle him.
With our arms full with rolls of parchment, bottles of ink, bundles of potion ingredients, and me with my book and clothes, Percy and I headed over to the last stop of the day; Eeylops Owl Emporium. This time Percy leads the way with a certain amount of pep in his step that is usually absent. "A barn owl perhaps. Or maybe an eagle owl" Percy muttered to himself as he held up the store's front door for me. I don't pay him any mind. It's nice to see him so happy for a change.
Taking his due diligence, Percy peered into every cage and studied every owl on every perch. The eagle owl is ruled out as being too domineering-looking. "I will be using my owl to submit resumes after all", Percy tells me. There's no room for another great grey owl in Percy's heart as that spot is solely for Errol. The snowy owl is not even considered as it is "simply too showy". Those were Percy's exact words. Before I continued to follow my brother around the shop, I took a closer look at the snowy owl; wondering if I was looking at the soon-to-be Hedwig. What a weird feeling this is.
When I caught up with Percy, he had moved on to a fake wooden tree that has numerous limbs for owls to perch on. All the limbs are taken by scops owls. "Oh, they're cute," I said as I stood next to Percy and watched as the little owls hooted at us and hopped around.
"Cute," Percy agreed, probably just to humor me. "But not efficient. They're too small to carry a package and I doubt they'd fare well in foul weather". Percy spared me a look before moving on to the next species of owl. "You must be practical about these types of things, Holly".
I followed a step behind to look at what looks like a display of screech owls. "I don't need to be practical," I said evenly. "You're practical enough for the both of us".
But Percy isn't listening to me. All of his attention is on a grey screech owl, grooming his feathers on
a singular perch. I looked at the owl then at Percy, and then back at the owl. Is this Hermes? "He looks like a strong flyer," Percy said. As if he understood us. Hermes stopped grooming and fluttered down from his perch. Without being asked, he lands on Percy's shoulder and starts tugging at Percy's curls with his beak. Percy smiled; taking two fingers, he stroked the bird's back. "I think he likes me," Percy said with a soft smile. The same one he had the first time he got to hold Ginny when he was five.
Actually, Percy, I think he's looking for bugs. Is what I wanted to say, but I settled for, "I'm happy for you Perce". It's important to let Percy have his moments when he can.
Percy nodded once; having made a decision. As he walked over to the witch sitting behind the front counter to pay, he said, "looks like Ron is going to get a pet rat". Suddenly I am feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders again. Oh, joy. Ron is going to start having a rat living in his robes' pockets. My baby brother is going to have a death eater living in his clothes. And I don't have the foggiest idea about what I should do about it. World-class big sister I am.