Lottie (Charlotte Lupin x Fred Weasley) [Book 2] -> remastered @cherrywine_x

15.| The Three Lupins

Tom woke Charlotte next morning with his usual toothless grin and cup of tea. Charlotte got dressed and was just persuading a a gruntled Tony to get back into his cage when Fred and George banged their way into the room, Fred pulling a sweatshirt over his head and looking irritable.

"The get on the train, the better," George said. "At least we can get away from Percy at Hogwarts. Now he's accusing Ron of dripping tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater. We need to congratulated him. Come on."

"Boys, I need to -"

Before Charlotte could protest, she was being frog-marched out of her room and into Harry's where Ron was explaining what had happened to the photo of Percy's girlfriend.

"She's hidden her face under the frame because her nose has gone all blotchy ..."

"I've got something to tell you -"

"Splendid job, Ronald," Fred grinned.

"Absolutely spiffing," George added.

"It wasn't me," Ron hissed.

"What ever you say," Charlotte said, giving a wink.

They headed down to breakfast, where Mr Weasley was read the front page of the Daily Prophet with a furrowed brow and Mrs Weasley was telling Hermione and Ginny about a Love Potion she'd made as a young girl. All three of them were rather giggly.

"Love Potion?" Fred repeated. "Any pranks we could pull with that?"

"Don't you dare," Charlotte warned. "It's practically a date rape drug. Please don't."

Percy stormed in and glared angrily at Ron who spluttered in protest with his hands in the air before returning to his food.

The ensued the chaos as everyone heaved all their trunks down the Leaky Cauldron's narrow staircase and piling them up near the door, with Tony, Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched in their cages. A small wickerwork basket stood beside the heap of trunks, spitting loudly.

"It's all right, Crookshanks," Hermione cooed through the wickerwork, "I'll let you out on the train.

"You won't snapped Ron. "What about poor Scabbers, eh?"

He pointed at his chest, where a large lump indicated that Scabbers was curled up in his pocket.

"Ron, that thing's twelve years old now; it should be dead anyway," George said.

Mr Weasley, who had been outside waiting for the Ministry cars, stuck his head inside.

"They're here," he said. "Harry, come on."

Ron, Hermione and Percy joined Harry and Mr Weasley in one car whilst Charlotte, Fred, George, Ginny and Mrs Weasley piled into the second. The Ministry cars seemed almost ordinary, though Charlotte noticed that they could slide through gaps that the cars in those Muggle films her dad had introduced her to over the summer after they got a Muggle TV couldn't have managed. They reached King's Cross Station with Twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys

, unloaded their trunks, touched their hats to Mr Weasley and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of un unmoving queue for the traffic lights.