(Eng) Weasleys, Pranks and other Curses

28

Laughing, both parents surrendered and Arthur even twirled Molly around, only to bend her over his arm and give her a mighty smack.

Ron jumped out of the way, half shrieking, while Harry laughed out loud at his friend's reaction.

I was about to comment when mistletoe slapped me right in the face.

"Don't be shy," came from Fred higher up.

George seemed as surprised as I was, so the twins hadn't made this plan together.

I felt too many eyes on me to escape the situation, so I grabbed a heart. "Close your eyes," I instructed George, and after a moment's hesitation, he obeyed. I stood on my tiptoes, one hand on his shoulder, pressing my lips to his cheek.

Fred blew a whistle while Mistle applauded with her pat hands.

With my head held high, I put distance between George and me. But Ginny and Hermione did not bring the calm I had hoped for. Instead, Ginny waved a photo from her camera at me. "How many prints do you want? Ten? Twenty?" The picture showed George and me. But it wasn't one of the moving pictures. It was an old-fashioned photo, of the exact moment George had opened his eyes, caught off guard. And then Ginny pressed another and another into my hand until I could relive the scene like a flip book.

"Ginny!", I squeaked, stuffing the photos into a tall vase next to me, hoping no one had seen what had happened.

"What?" she was still giggling. "I wouldn't mind you being my sister-in-law. Then all I have to do is set Hermione up with one of my brothers. How about Bill?"

Hermione choked on her eggnog and just coughed an indignant, "Excuse me?!"

"And you'll take Harry then, or should he marry one of your brothers too?"

I had had no idea, but the way Ginny suddenly went completely speechless said it all. She actually had a thing for Harry Potter.

"You're getting really quick-witted," Bill suddenly chortled from behind me. "Spending too much time with my brothers?"

"Bill. Have you met Hermione yet?", I joked, only to get a shrill "Camille!", from Hermione.

The evening passed and one by one we all disappeared into our rooms. I hadn't seen George after our kiss, but it was quiet as a mouse in his room. We had been dancing around each other for a while, but when I thought about it, George had never admitted anything. It had only been me who had confessed that she liked him. Had the kiss made him uncomfortable? Had I crossed a line and spoiled everything?

I tossed restlessly from side to side, unable to find sleep after all. Hot milk with honey! That always worked.

On quiet soles, I crept out of my room and down the hall when I heard voices from downstairs. Molly was sitting at the dining room table with George last in the dim light. "You've got to stop that, my boy." Her tone was warm but insistent.

"What do you mean, Mom?"

"The thing with her. I know you think I'll never catch on, but just because I usually turn a blind eye doesn't mean I can here."

"I still don't know what you're talking about."

"I heard the story about the love potion." Molly grew more indignant. "First that, then you were buzzing around her at our house like a moth to a flame, and now all of a sudden Fred and you have these fancy new things? You can tell your Aunt Olga the story about your friend who didn't need his old clothes. Lee Jordan is a garden gnome. I'm sure you couldn't even make matching capes for you out of his bedsheets. Did she pay you for those, too?"

"You really think that of us?" George let out an incredulous laugh.

"I think you and your brother have big plans. As you may know, our house isn't exactly the place for big secrets. I heard your talk about down payments and loans. You want to open your own store?! You two have always been ambitious. But I never expected you to go that far."

"Are you serious mom?" I didn't have to see his face to feel the frustration all the way here.

"I'm sure Camille would have given you the money out of guilt alone if you had asked her to."

George heaved a deep sigh. "What do you want to hear now?"

"That you're not giving the girl false hope, son."

"I'm not, Mom. I really don't."

"All right, then." And after a pause. "We should go to sleep now, too."

"Yeah, we should."

Only the sound of the chairs moving back reminded me that I wasn't supposed to be here. I had overheard a more than private conversation. I turned on my heel, but my room was at the very end. I might not reach it in time even if I ran, and that would give me away all the more!

Without thinking about it, I sprinted toward the next door. Luckily, Maddie had taken the first room right away.