By the time I wake up the next day, my entire dorm room is cleared out of everything that doesn't belong to me. I pick up my robe that's hanging on one of my bed posters and wrap it around me, put my new hat in my trunk, and walk barefoot out of my dorm and into the common room. Walter and Draco are having a heated conversation in the middle of the room as Crabbe and Goyle sit by watching the whole thing go down.
"Its far too early to be talking about quidditch this aggressively." I yawn into my hand and sit down on a big chair nearby. I bring my knees up to my chin and look over at Draco. My cat Fergus comes over beside me and I unfold my legs so he can sit in my lap.
"It's nearly noon Vi. We didn't know if we should wake you or not. Emma said not to when she left but that was a long time ago." Draco says to me.
I yawn again and pull the hood of my robe up. "I'm going to go for a walk. Wally, care to join me?"
Draco rolls his eyes, "Violet I'm nearly thirteen, I know what taking a walk means." Draco says matter of factly.
"Draco your birthday is in June, you've just turned twelve." I stand up, holding Fergus to my chest. Walter follows suit. "Stay out of trouble you three. I'd rather you not completely ruin my Christmas holiday." I look from Draco to his friends Crabbe and Goyle before I pad my way over to the door and walk out of the common room with Walter.
"Where are we even going? Why are you bringing your cat?" Walter says to me. "Violet you're not even wearing shoes!"
"That's because we aren't going outside. I don't see a point in wearing shoes if you're not outside."
I walk out of the dungeons and towards the grand staircase, my robe wrapped tightly around my waist, Fergus pressed tightly to my chest "You really have to start trusting me, Wally. Have I ever lead you in the wrong direction?"
"There was that one time in first year when you swore up, down, and sideways that you knew how to get to transfiguration class. We got stuck on the staircase for at least an hour." Walter says. We start walking up the stairs.
"Okay, but recently. Have I ever gotten you in trouble?" I look at Walter as we wait for the second-floor staircase to come back around. He doesn't say anything, "What I thought." We manage to climb up all the way to the seventh floor and reach the Fat Lady portrait that conceals the Gryffindor common room.
The Fat Lady looks Walter and I up and down, finally she says. "Password?"
"Where are you taking me?" Walter whispers.
"Wattlebird," I say to the Fat Lady. Her portrait swings off the wall to expose a rounded hole in the wall. Instantly the smell of cinnamon and burning wood fills my nose. "Come on Wally hurry up." I grab his hand and pull him into the room. A firework zips past my ear and explodes behind me when Walter and I fully get into the room.
"The Gryffindor common room? You've got to be barking mad." Walter says looking around the circular room.
George and Fred come racing down the stairs that lead to the boy's dorms. The same dorms I stayed in last Christmas. "Did it work? Did the firework go out or did it explode and keep going?" Fred says out of breath.
"It died as soon as it exploded," Walter says kicking the firework shell on the ground.
"Bloody hell!" Fred cries out angrily. He storms over and grabs the shell off the ground. "Nice to see you both. Walter welcome to our common room." Fred says, he blows a stay hair off his forehead.
I put Fergus down on the floor, and watch him go curl up in front of the roaring fire pit. I make my way over to George and wrap myself around his torso. He wraps his arms around my neck and I can hear his heartbeat quicken a little.
"Get used to that. They'll be snogging constantly for the next two weeks. Happened last year." Fred says to Walter.
"That isn't true at all, don't listen to him," George says, his voice vibrating through his chest.
I let go of George and go sit cross-legged on the overstuffed red couch. "Do we have any plans for today?" I ask, looking at all the boys standing around the room awkwardly.
We decide to have a lazy day. Well as much of a lazy day you can have with the Weasleys. As soon as we start up a game of Exploding Snap, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Harry all come out of their dorms and join us in the common room. Ginny sits on the ground and uses a string off of her sweater to play with Fergus. About halfway through our game, however, Percy throws open the door to his dorm and looks over the balcony on his floor. "Will you please shut up!" He shouts down at us.
George and Fred look at each other, and in one swift movement, they both get up to their feet and scramble up the stairs. Percy shrieks and slams his door closed again but anyone could tell you that a door won't stop the twins.
"Your cousin is here over the holidays right Violet?" Hermione asks me. There's a loud bang from above and a lot of yelling.
"Yeah, Crabbe and Goyle are here too. Just in case Draco needs them during 'this trying time in his life' whatever that means."
Hermione nods slowly, clearly thinking of something. There's another loud bang and Percy screams. He comes flying down the stairs with his hands covering his behind. "I'll write to mother! She'll have you kicked out of Hogwarts for good!" Percy yells at Fred and George.
"You'll write to mother!? Who even are you?" Fred says as he walks out of the staircase.
George comes down the stairs with Percy's prefect badge in his hands. "You know I think I might just keep it this year. I'll consider it my Christmas present."
Percy stomped his foot like a toddler having a tantrum, "You will not George Weasley! Give it back right this instant!"
"Merlin's beard, its like mother is in the room!" Ron says, joining in on the teasing of his brother.
George tosses Percy's prefects badge into the air, forcing Percy to stop covering his butt with his hands so he can catch his badge.
There's a massive hole in the back of Percy's trousers, most likely from one of Fred and George's fireworks. "Did mother send you those bright pink boxers?" Ron says. The whole room bursts into laughter.
Percy roars with anger and storms back up to his room. "Oh come on ickle Percy-kins! We are just having a little bit of fun." George calls after him. In response, Percy just slams the door.
"How rude," Fred says looking at us all.
The rest of the day was a lot calmer. We didn't see Percy again till it was time to head into the great hall for dinner.
"Draco! Why don't you and your friends come sit with us at the Gryffindor table so you aren't all alone." I say when I see my young cousin sitting with his two friends at the very large, very empty Slytherin table.
"I'd rather die than sit with a Weasley." Draco spits. "But I know you don't have any taste Violet so go sit with your... friends."
I put my palms on the top of the Slytherin table and lean into them. "Hows about we embrace some of the holiday cheer that's in the air right now and not bully anyone yeah?" I say quietly to him. He just huffs and does anything but look at me again.
I go over and sit with Walter and the Gryffindors for dinner. There's almost no other students sitting around the great hall. About three Hufflepuff and five Ravenclaw students are the only other ones still here.
"Hey, Violet. You've got something on your robe." George says to me after a while.
"Huh? What is it?" I pull my robe out and look down at it.
"Potatoes." George flicks his spoon full of mashed potatoes straight at me. They land in a heap on my robe and slowly fall off into my lap.
The whole Weasley group goes silent. Everyone watching in a different state of shock as I scoop the potatoes out of my lap and put them on the table. "Oh, so you want to play like that hmm?" I say to George, my head tilted to the side.
"Yeah. I want to play like... that." He flings corn kernels at me. A wicked smirk spread across his face.
"Grow up!" Percy hisses.
I pick up a gravy boat and pour some gravy onto the potatoes that are actually on my plate. "Listen to your brother Georgie. How about you grow..." I launch the contents of the gravy boat across the table at George. "...up."
George looks at me in shock, Ron and Harry snicker. "What's so funny boys?" George says. He grabs two handfuls of potatoes and throws them at Harry and Ron.
We all stop, look at each other for a beat...
WHAM! Ginny uses the big-serving spoon to launch peas at Fred. That does it for us all. We break out into a massive food fight. The Hufflepuff students clue into what's happening and run over to join us. Food is flying everywhere, but the more food we throw at each other the more food reappears on the serving plates. It's not long before the Ravenclaw students join in.
I turn around and look at Draco and his friends who are sitting horrified at the Slytherin table. "Violet no, don't you dare!" Draco squeals. But it's too late. I use the big-serving spoon to catapult a massive scoop of mashed potatoes right at him. Which hits him square in the chest. I burst into laughter. Crabbe and Goyle stand up in an act to defend Draco.
Surprisingly Draco comes over and joins in on the fight, laughing and screaming with the rest of us. Fred and George pour a whole bowl of roasted carrots over Percy's head, and like a Christmas miracle, Percy throws some food at them in retaliation.
Fred bewitches a spoon to constantly shovel out potatoes at people and the fight gets more intense. Until of course. The bewitched spoon gets knocked off course and a heap of potatoes lands right on
Dumbledores face.
We all stop what we are doing immediately, dripping in all sorts of different things. We watch in silent horror as Dumbledore wipes the potatoes off his face with a napkin. He sets the napkin down, picks up his spoon, carefully places peas onto his spoon, turns to McGonagall sitting on his left.
And in one swift motion, flicks the peas at her.
Now we really don't know what to do. Dumbledore stays looking at McGonagall, McGonagall stays looking straight ahead, a stray pea falls off the brim of her witch hat.
"Headmaster I..." McGonagall starts but she's interrupted by yet another spoonful of peas from Dumbledore.
What we weren't expecting was to see McGonagall launch her own spoon full of peas back at Dumbledore. But when this happened there was no stopping Fred and George.
"FOOD FIGHT!" Fred screams and we all start throwing things at each other again. Even the teachers (well all besides Snape of course) join in on the utter foolishness that George and I started.
It goes on for about an hour before Dumbledore waves his wand and the food disappears from around us. "Everyone go clean up now, please! I'll have the house elves bring you tea and desserts to your common rooms." Dumbledore announces.
Professor Sprout is wiping gravy off her face and laughing at something Madam Pomfrey has said as we all leave the dining hall and make our way to our respective common rooms.
"Our Headmaster! Dumbledore himself joined in a food fight!" Ron says completely mind blown.
"Bun that, Professor McGonagall joined in on a food fight!" Walter points out. We all start laughing.
The group of Hufflepuff students thank us for the most exciting dinner they've had, and without giving us their names they head off to wherever their common room is.
"Bloody fantastic you guys. I needed that." One of the Ravenclaw students says to us before ushering their friends away.
"Alright lads, let's go get changed into clothes that don't stick to us. Vi, Wally, meet us back..." Fred looks at Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle who aren't too far away from us, "back at our meeting spot when you're ready?"
The Slytherins and the Gryffindors set off to their rightful common rooms. "Did you see Potters face when I got him with that pitcher of pumpkin juice!" Draco says on our way into the dungeons.
"No, I was to busy peeling a slice of ham off of my face," Crabbe says back to him.
Draco opens the door for us all and him and his friends scamper off to get changed and do whatever it is that twelve-year-old boys do. Walter goes into his room and I go into mine. Not wanting to get properly dressed, I put on a different pair of black silk pyjama pants and the jumper Molly made me. I take out the bottle of fire whiskey I stole from my aunt and uncles liquor cabinet in my waistband and leave my dorm, closing the door behind me. Walter meets me by the door and we make our way back up the long staircase to the Gryffindor room.