V

DISCOUNT WEASLEYS

No, I did not say Weasley. It's Beasley! Oh, for Merlin's sake, give me a break. I'll have to tell that story, won't I?

Meh, at least it'll get my wordcount high.

But don't fret, dear reader. In a section or two, Harry will make his debut.

Introductions and context are necessary though, lest we make this Katie a wee Mary Sue.

Katie is her own person, independent and vivacious, audacious, ambitious, with fierce little claws and a great deal of flaws that were not very small; she was a dear, but of course, with her warts and all.

This is a collection of short stories (each one in their own section); this a collection of odds and ends, of our dear Katie.

"And of her friends!" Said the henchmen.

Oh well, there you have it, then.

Now, about Leanne Beasley:

Once upon a time, there was a timid Weasley with a very nasal voice—so when it came the choice to name his firstborn, he could've sworn that he told the registration officer the name would be William Weasley.

And so the first Beasley was borne. Billian thought his was a very weird name and changed it later in life … to Billius—yes, I know what you're thinking, it's mysterious to me, too.

Billius was the founder of the Beasleys. Even though he was quite liked by the Weasleys, he liked this surname change, even if it was a bit strange. His wife, Jane Lestrange, approved of it, too. So there you have it: this little overview.

The Weasleys and Beasleys lived for many years together in harmony. Then everything changed when Lothario Beasley aged a hundred years in one, and died leaving his great fortune to his only son, that would later adopt his mother's surname—a Weasley.

Then, a few months later, popping from all around the world, suddenly came a gigantic flow of tiny Beasleys. It seemed Lothario got his hands on a powerful time-turner, and blessed the lands with many a descendant—and left many women despondent! Poor girls—it was very good that that Weasley had a heart of gold and helped them. But his half-siblings soon came to grow old—and, o my, they grew bold!

There suddenly came a time when … well, that Weasley just gave that gold away to them—for while he had it, he just felt like prey. They always wanted to lead him their way.

Over the years, many fights and intermarrying came to settle the rights to that jarring gold. The Weasleys lived quite happily and numerously far from them. The Beasleys, however, gradually became a family of less than ten men—all squibs, with no more girls to keep that horrid tradition.

They were all squibs, because they only married between them; their magic was already too thin—because of that stupid mission: to keep the money in.

So it was a great surprise when, at age ten, there came a letter to Leanne. Her accountant father was very happy with it all—though they were quite settled with the Muggles, they had not forgotten their magic downfall.

Perhaps marrying a Muggle for the first time in ten generations or so had done the trick—their family was truly a special kind of thick.

Leanne, though, was a breath of fresh air—all shy and prim and proper and dainty and clean—with beautiful red hair and a kind stare—almost like a queen. To Katie, she was a small precious bean, that she kept as a good luck charm. Oh, but she had a good arm, to keep the Cod at bay, before he went absolute cray-cray on the Slytherins.

The Lowelands were a bunch of posh upstarts, but—oh my—they did have good hearts.

"I know a spell to make those thugs vomit a bunch of slugs," the Cod once timely provided.

Leanne, which was always the better-tempered of them, replied:

"Teach me then, I want to get that git Rosier again."

Even the princess could only withstand too much—perhaps that was what would make them stop that awful name-drop: a little of her careful touch. And Leanne didn't even mind them calling her that, but she couldn't stand them calling poor Eloise Midgen fat. Katie shuddered as she saw the glint at the Cod's squint.

Between Leanne and the Cod, Katie felt very odd at times, but they both were quite a treat: Leanne was very sweet, the Cod was just a tad mad—but they were both bold and unwilling to fold to the bullies.

At times, the conversation between them was so formal that she felt like a clown dragging it down—but it felt so normal, that the time with them around just passed very fast.

And it was with those two crackpots that Katie finally learned lots about friendships that were built to last.

Notes:

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