Percy Jackson and the Department of Mysteries

35) It Sounds Like Fred and George Are Doing Drugs

Harry let out a sigh as Ron bounded up the stairs, and put on a smile that was slightly less fake as he rushed into the room.

"Just caught her!" Ron said cheerfully. "She says she'll get the Cleansweep if she can."

"Cool," Harry said, and I was relieved to hear that it sounded like he meant it. "Listen — Ron — well done, mate."

The smile fell off Ron's face, "I never thought it would be me!" He shook his head. "I thought it would be you!"

"Nah, I've caused too much trouble," Harry said.

"Yeah," Ron said slowly, "yeah, I suppose.... Well, we'd better get our trunks packed, hadn't we?"

***

Mrs. Weasley arrived not long after we finished packing, and Ron took the long package from her with a moan of longing.

"Never mind unwrapping it now, people are arriving for dinner, I want you all downstairs," she said, but as soon as she was gone, Ron tore the paper off and softly touched the broom, looking happier than I had ever seen him.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley had hung a red and yellow banner over the dinner table, which read CONGRATULATIONS RON, HERMIONE, AND PERCY — NEW PREFECTS. She couldn't seem to stop smiling.

"I thought we'd have a little party, not a sit-down dinner," she told us as we walked in the room. "Your father and Bill are on their way, Ron, I've sent them both owls and they're thrilled."

Fred rolled his eyes at that.

Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and Kingsley were already there, and Moody arrived when I had shoved a bunch of Jell-O in my mouth.

"Oh, Alastor, I am glad you're here," Mrs. Weasley said as Moody shrugged off his cloak. "We've been wanting to ask you for ages — could you have a look in the writing desk in the drawing room and tell us what's inside it? We haven't wanted to open it just in case it's something really nasty."

"We fwink faht it's a boggat," I said around the Jell-O."

"Was that even English?" Hermione asked me, looking grossed out at my food. I tried to respond to her, but ended up choking on my Jell-O, and had to spit it out in the trash. Rest In Peace, Jell-O (I got more).

"No problem, Molly," Moody said, turning his electric blue eye at the ceiling.

"Drawing room," Moody muttered. "Desk in the corner? Yeah, I see it.... Yeah, it's a boggart.... Want me to go up and get rid of it, Molly?"

"No, no, I'll do it myself later," Mrs. Weasley said brightly. "You have your drink. We're having a little bit of a celebration, actually..." she gestured at the banner. "Fourth prefect in the family!" She ruffled Ron's hair.

"Prefect, eh?" Moody's normal eye turned to Ron, his magical one swiveling to the side dog his head. "Well, congratulations, authority figures always attract trouble, but I suppose Dumbledore thinks you can withstand most major jinxes or he wouldn't have appointed you..."

Ron blinked at that revelation, but he didn't have to respond because Bill and Mr. Weasley arrived. Mrs. Weasley was so happy that she didn't even complain that they had brought Mundungus with them. He was wearing a large overcoat that was lumpy in a few places, and he turned down the offer to take it off. I figured he had brought stuff for Fred and George, I knew he was their supplier. He always brought them the good stuff.

"Well, I think a toast is in order," Mrs. Weasley said once everyone had grabbed a drink. He raised his goblet. "To Ron, Hermione, and Percy, the new prefects!"

I shuffled awkwardly as everyone applauded us, Ron and Hermione beaming.

"I was never a prefect myself," Tonks said brightly as everyone moved to grab their food. Her hair was tomato red and waist length today. I could almost mistake her for a Weasley. "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."

"Like what?" Ginny asked, reaching for a baked potato.

"Like the ability to behave myself," Tonks said.

"Oh, there's still scratch marks on the wall in the Hufflepuff common room from your adventures with that Grindylow," I nodded at Tonks, and she grinned. "After that, I can't imagine they'd ever consider making you into any sort of authority figure."

"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked, thumping Hermione on the back since she'd choked on her drink. At Tonks' initial comment, she hadn't been able to decide whether to smile or not, and compromised by not breathing correctly.

Sirius let out a laugh, "No one would have made me prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge."

"I think that Dumbledore might have hoped that I would be able to exercise some intros over my best friends," Lupin added. "I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."

The little party was pretty fun, even though Ron was talking about his broom the whole time, and Hermione was talking about elf rights again, and Mrs. Weasley was telling Bill to cut his hair, and Mundungus and the twins were having a discreet drug deal (but the drugs weren't drugs, I think, they were for their joke products).... It reminded me of camp.

There was always some sort of argument going on at camp. The Athena and Ares cabins were always at each other's necks, the Dionysus cabin and the Demeter cabin basically tried to strangle each other with plants, the Aphrodite kids would break a nail just to punch the Apollo campers, and don't even get me started the problems with the Hermes and Hephaestus kids. Those weren't even some of the arguments.

I loved it.

I was given drugs today. Not really, but sort of. We got in the car with my sister and Brianna (oh, he's back permanently, by the way), and Emblem told him to let me try his drink. It was called Rainbow Rush and it was some sort of pre workout thing, but I think it might have just been drugs. Rainbow Rush. I tried it, and it tasted like cough syrup, and then Emblem was like "just wait till your lips go numb" and I'm just like. What. My lips didn't go numb, but they didn't feel chapped anymore, which was nice. We had dinner with my family, cause my grandpa is leaving for a trip tomorrow. Kadee said something about how last time he went on a trip, he said it'd be a month, but it was really just a week. No shit, bro. He hurt his knee and my grandma was weak. Now his knee is fine and my grandma isn't going because she's dead (note to readers, I am happily in the joking phase about that situation, that was not intended to be a sad comment). After that we hung out at my other sister's house, played Among Us (yep), and went home, where I took a shower. I am now sitting on the bathroom floor, typing this out, reminding myself that I forgot to write on Thursday and now need to prepare many chapters because this was the last completed one.

Anyway, I hope you guys have had a glorious Friday, and I'll see you on Sunday CT. Love ya!