George Weasley (inoneearnout) wrote in disorderic, @ 2017-09-29 12:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | fred weasley, george weasley |
WHO: Fred & George Weasley
WHAT: Having a chat about George's run-in with Percy
WHEN: Backdated; Tuesday, Sept. 26th
WHERE: WWW flat in Diagon
WARNINGS: Brothers being stubborn.
“Alright, time for food,” Fred declared after a string of expletives, as the project he was working on exploded for the fourth time in as many minutes. His burned fingers tentatively held his wand, summoning over the leftover take out they had in the apartment, and then some cutlery that he took less care with, knives and forks flying dangerously towards them before falling to the table with a clutter. Unfazed, Fred picked up his cutlery and dug into one of the containers of food. “Good that Katie can help us out,” he commented as he chewed. “Give us more time to work on things again.” “Yeah!” came George’s reply as he turned in his chair to face Fred, a wry grin on his face watching his brother give up for the moment. Balancing the books while explosions happened at the desk opposite his own was something you got used to, but he laughed almost every time he heard the string of curses. Grabbing some salve they kept on hand and making his way to join Fred, sliding it across the table at him before grabbing a fork of his own and jabbing at his own portion of the leftovers. “That patronus idea of yours is going to mean some long nights if we’re ever going to get it to work.” He stuffed a mouthful between lips and chewed thoughtfully as he took a seat, knee bouncing like it only did when he had something on his mind. “Maybe we first need to invent a potion that stops you from ever needing to sleep,” Fred half-joked in response. “Gotta say I’m glad Harry taught us those though, Dementors are everywhere these days. First attacking Wood, now the fair.” Eyebrows lifting, the words ‘speaking of Wood’ almost slipping out, George cleared his throat instead and decided now was as good a time as any to talk. “Yeah…” he started, distractedly. “Hey actually, before the whole Dementors on parade thing happened Friday, I meant to tell you -” George stuffed another bite in his cheek and continued, as if talking with his mouth full would make it seem more nonchalant, gesturing idly with his fork. “Remember that lunch Percy invited us to?” “You mean that lunch Percy invited us to after inviting every single one of our friends to lunches because he doesn’t have any friends of his own and then inviting us as an afterthought?” Fred replied, stabbing at his food with vigour. “Good thing we said no.” George scrunched up his face, leg bouncing a little harder. “Mmmm you said no, I was so angry I never even saw the invite,” he corrected, his gaze locking on the ceiling then back to his food. “Until later he threw the fact that ‘we’ said no back in my face and I was like okay fine, let’s get lunch then.” A swallow. “So we did.” “You had lunch with him?!” Fred repeated a little louder than intended, hands curling into tight fists around his cutlery. “After he didn’t even care to check in with you when you almost died he threw me saying no to him back at you and you had lunch with him?” George cringed as he spoke, one eye squinting shut as if the accusations were hurting his ear - which they technically weren’t. “I was annoyed that he kept assuming we didn’t want him around!” He protested. “That’s been the problem, right? That he hasn’t been. So yeah.” Leaning back in his seat, George sighed, fork still in hand. “I half didn’t think he’d even show up. But he did.” “That’s a first,” Fred muttered, bitter. “Can’t show up to Mungo’s or Christmas, but lunch he can make.” He put down his cutlery and pushed his own food away from him, suddenly not hungry. “I only want him around if he wants to be around. Which he doesn’t. So fuck him and his lunch invitations.” “That’s what I thought too but…” George chewed his lip briefly. “So, I get there and he’s there and he buys me a drink…” His mouth felt unusually dry now. “We had this weird… conversation about my hearing aid and he mentioned Extendible Ears might help him keep an eye on things at the office and I said ‘okay Mr. Don’t-Be-A-Vigilante’” his voice went deep as he did a mocking impression that conveyed a much more put-together person than he’d been in the conversation. “And then we started arguing. Obviously.” He swiped a hand over his face. “But then he apologized. Like… a lot. For… everything.” Fred’s frown softened slightly but he still wasn’t ready to accept George’s words. “Is his hair still blonde? Is he still sucking up to Umbridge at work? Is he planning on joining us for Christmas this year?” he asked, folding his arms. “Because until he starts acting like family again his apology doesn’t mean shit.” “I know.” George tapped the fork against his thigh for a second before moving to get up, antsy. “That’s what I told him. I told him that he could come back any bloody time and he hasn’t and he kept saying it was more complicated than that and that Dad needed to apologize too -” He gesticulated with the utensil in frustration. “Which like yeah, have you met us, Percy, Weasleys are a stubborn bunch, but if he actually came back...” Another breath. “He called himself a coward for not coming by after my ear and things.” A frown. “I didn’t try to correct him. I started blowing up and he apparated me to his place so I could yell freely, I guess?” Finally, George crossed his arms. “He said a lot. Said we he was always the butt of our jokes, like he felt like he didn’t belong or was the odd man out and wasn’t able to find a way back in and that it looked like we were quote -” He did air quotes. “‘Doing fine without him.’” With a shake of his head, cheeks getting red at the memory of it all. “I snapped and pointed out that obviously wasn’t true. And that him being the butt of the joke never meant we didn’t want him around or whatever idiot idea he had and…” Ears pink now, George looked up at the ceiling. “The wanker hugged me.” As George talked, Fred found himself unable to look at him any longer, anger replaced with the pain of missing his brother. But being angry was easier, so he tried to focus on that instead. “He’s an idiot, of course we want him around,” he snapped, but his tone lack venom. “He’s the one treating us like we’re so much of a joke that he can’t be seen near us lest it affect his precious career.” He let out a deep sigh, looking back up at George now. “I want him back, George. But he’s still made it clear where he stands, no matter what he said to you.” Now George perked up a bit, holding the fork out in an ‘ah-ha!’ “But that’s the thing! He said that he’s leaking things from the Ministry! He’s changing our mates’ addresses. He’s trying to do something. And it could bloody well get him killed because he’s trying to do it by himself.” His eyes were wide now. “Percy is ‘Rogue MoM Staffer’ on Hooter.” “What?” Fred’s eyes widened to match George’s, sitting up straighter now, anger completely replaced by surprise. He’d known about the leaking documents from George, and the changing addresses from Angelina, but this he hadn’t expected. “We’re talking about the same Percy, right? Head boy, rules are everything, following what the ministry says Percy?” A slight smile tried to eek its way over George’s lips as he replied, relieved to see something besides bitterness in Fred. Maybe there was a chance? “Yeah!” He laughed slightly. “I could hardly believe it - but like, that’s why he mentioned the Extendible Ears being useful, and he has this whole idiotic 4 step plan about changing the system from the inside and getting Thickneese - thrown out or referendummed or whatever that means - and it’s never going to work, but I really think he wants it to, Fred.” “He’s going to get himself killed,” Fred grumbled, but someone who knew him as well as George would be able to recognise the almost-hidden awe in his voice. “He’s the biggest idiot of the lot of us. No wonder he’s the butt of all our jokes.” “Exactly!” George insisted. “He said he wants to help us whenever he can, but that we can’t tell the Order. In case there’s a mole. Or in case… I don’t know, he said Weasleys only for that bit, but if we want an ‘in’ he’s there. Which… could be good.” He didn’t sound convinced though, his concern for Percy outweighing his optimism for once. Rubbing the back of his neck, George’s gaze fell to the side. “I think I believe him, Fred.” “Weasley’s only?” Fred repeated, annoyance creeping back in. “So he gets to pick and choose when being a Weasley matters after refusing to be part of our family?” Sighing, George had to concede the point on that one. “I know, I know - he’s still got his head up his arse about a lot. But it sounds like he knows that.” He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not saying we forgive everything, I’m not saying he doesn’t still have a lot to make up for. But…” His brows raised helplessly. “... what’s the point of being mad at him for giving us the cold shoulder for two years if we don’t at least… listen a little bit when he finally admits he’s wrong and tries to do the opposite? Isn’t that what we’ve wanted this whole time?” “Fine,” Fred conceded reluctantly. Agreeing with George was a lot less fun when they didn’t have the same opinion to start with. “If he asks me to lunch or whatever I’ll let him buy me a drink. But I’m not reaching out to him first.” Nodding and moving to sit back down next to his brother, George nudged Fred’s arm with an elbow. “I’m not really asking you to do or not do anything, but I wanted to let you know what all he told me - and he’d explain it better than me retelling it.” He dug into his food again. “Sorry I didn’t say something sooner. I’m still not sure how I bloody feel about it all, I don’t expect you to have an epiphany about it - as genius as we both are.” He chanced a grin. “I blame your girlfriend for talking sense into him.” “She’s the worst,” Fred agreed, unable to stop a small smile. “But I’ll have to get her to talk sense into you next. Agreeing to have lunch with Percy after everything.” He shook his head, still smiling slightly as he reached for his own food again. “And you didn’t even prank him!” George recoiled as if utterly offended by Fred’s accusation, placing a hand on his chest. “Ouch!” It was hard to resist a bit of a grin though. “I’ll have you know he had a small dog protecting him from such things at every turn. I’m a trouble-maker, not a monster! I consider collateral damage to all creatures great and small.” “A dog?” Fred faked a gasp. “Doesn’t he know that pygmy puffs bought directly from us are the only Weasley approved pets?” He returned to his food for a moment, before asking as casually as possible: “So you saw his place then? He’s doing okay?” Face stuffed once more, George nodded as he chewed. “Yeah, seems like. Physically, at least,” he replied, staring at the food in front of him, willing himself to stay quiet about Oliver. Not his news to tell, not his news to tell…. “On edge doing stuff at the Ministry and whatever but, his dog’s cute. Always thought he was more of a cat person. But turns out, he likes dogs.” And dudes. Secrecy from Fred was hard. “Guess there’s lots about Percy we didn’t know,” Fred replied with a shrug, done with checking in with Percy News now that he knew he was physically okay. Percy didn’t get the honour of more conversation time until he was ready to rejoin the family. “So, did you find anything useful in those books?” Getting the hint, George cocked his head in an undecided fashion, relieved to return to the normalcy of talking shop without too much of a hit to either of their egos. “Maybe? There’s a containment spell to try. I’ll show you when we’re done stuffing our faces.” |