Amending the Rules

You would think by now that the rest of the world would realise that when one is a twin, one does not necessarily want to date another pair of twins. Nevertheless, I have lost count of the number of times people have suggested inviting George and Fred and Parvati and I to make up the numbers at a party.

For this reason, I was not favourably disposed towards George and Fred Weasley, even before the rules were invented by friends of Penelope Clearwater that regretted her disappearance up her --- in response to dating Percy Weasley.

I didn't know Penny particularly well - she was just another prefect, but she seemed nice enough when I arrived.

For the first week everyone was really nice to me - until I realised it was because everyone thought I didn't want to be separated from my twin. I soon disabused them of that notion. For all I love Parvati, she drives me up the wall. If she had her way, School Robes would be layers of chiffon, and there would be compulsory divination four mornings a week. (The other three would be beauty charms)

As George had asked me to go to the ball six weeks beforehand, I naturally decided to spend a little more time with him, between revising for OWLs, and studying some advanced transfiguration.

The first time we tried to study together, it was a disaster. He always has a ready supply of trick wands, trick quills, trick ink and trick books - all of which he decided to try out on me. He seemed to think the point of the library was either to provide resources for his next line of jokes, or an R&D station with ready-prepared test subjects.

When I asked him to leave me out of it, he had the nerve to tell me to lighten up. My response was to ask him whether partaking in his trickery would get me any further in my magical education. I didn't have a job waiting for me after Hogwarts, and if I wanted to get into Gringotts, then I would have to have top grade OWLs and NEWTs. He left me alone after that, only enquiring coolly whether I wanted to join him for supper, as we'd missed the evening meal in the Great Hall.

I looked up, and saw he seemed contrite. When I nodded, a mischievous grin lit his face, and I stood up. He motioned me to sit down, and raced off, calling over his shoulder that he'd be back in a minute.

Ten minutes later and I was starting to feel hungry, and wondering where he was. Fred was nowhere to be seen, and my friends had abandoned me when they saw I planned to spend the early evening in the company of the less studiously minded Gryffindors.

Hermione came over to talk to me, putting down her quill for a break after what seemed to have been several hours unbroken studying. She likes the Weasleys - her best friend is Ron - and told me not to worry, that George would be back. As he rounded the corner of the library, she told me to take care.

George lifted my books into my bag with a spell, reducing them all to fit, and then carried them in his own bag, leaving me with nothing to occupy my hands, except to fiddle with my wand.

He took my hand, and led me to a corridor near the Ravenclaw wing, turning left before we got to my own house common room. There was a door to the left that I'd never seen before ("Only here on second Tuesdays" was his casual explanation) and we entered into a formal room, with a couple of chairs, a table, and a fireplace.

"I found it by accident. Didn't tell Fred - he'd have been here with Angelina the whole time otherwise. It's up by Gryffindor on Fridays, when it just looks like an abandoned classroom, and it visits Hufflepuff on Sundays, where it's just an empty room. Not sure if it goes anywhere near Slytherin. Anyway. Your Supper."

On the table are three or four dishes. He explained apologetically that the House Elves brought them here for him - he had had to find Dobby, which had taken longer than he expected.

There were samosas and curried bananas - two of my favourites, and I told him so. He blushed, and said that he asked Dobby to find out what I liked.

"You asked me how my tricks are going to help my magical education? Well, if you look at each of the tricks today, you'll see they use different skills, notably spell-building..." What followed was a practical revision session, explaining how they'd combined spells, and going over the OWLs material that each covered. He admitted they hadn't seen the point of the OWLs studying till later - they were better at practical magic.

After finishing eating, we gravitated to the floor, and I found myself sitting in a pool of slime. He grinned, and explained that it was a thermodynamic charm, designed to set off when the heat of the rug reached a specific capacity. Unfortunately it stuck to my clothing.

He apologised profusely, and cleaned me down a little more vigorously than perhaps was needed. He paused for a second when I said so, and realised where his hand was actually resting. Without apologising, he drew me closer, and kissed the tip of my nose, ignoring his own blushes.

He smelled sweet - like rosemary and thyme - and I said so. His taste was of the caramels that we'd eaten, and chocolate souffle, with just a hint of the spices. His lips were rough in texture - like he hadn't found a moisturiser that he liked, and the kisses themselves were slightly awkward.

He stepped back, and waved his wand, conjuring a cloud of butterflies and flowers. More my sister's style, but I appreciated the gesture, and watched the pretty shapes turn into bubbles, and then disperse into the room.

"Thank you."

"You'll still come to the ball with me? I haven't put you off?"

"Not yet." He came back to me, and took my hand. "My dear, let us now depart for busier climes." He walked me back to my own gateway, bowing to kiss my hand, and leaving me at the door with a grin he returned to Gryffindor Tower.

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