Reflection Without A Mirror

 

Reflection Without a Mirror

It’s funny to be one person and two people at the same time. Funny to think that there is someone in the world who really is exactly the same as you. Well, that is if you don’t count the birthmarks and not even Angelina or Katie know about that. At least, I hope not.

I suppose being a twin is okay. Actually, it is a lot of fun…especially when it comes to confusing people. You can always tell the ones who aren’t 100% certain if I am Fred or George and it is great fun to play with them. Of course, we don’t really do that to everyone…we have never tried it on Hermione or Harry. For one thing, Hermione might bite our heads off…she has a temper as bad as Ginny’s and we don’t really want to be on the receiving end of that. Harry is just…Harry. You don’t make fun of Harry. Making fun of Harry automatically qualifies you as a test subject for one of our new products.

I still remember seeing Harry for the first time…scrawny kid with way too much hair and eyes far too big for his small face. He took to Ron right away though and they have been best of friends ever since. Brave? Absolutely. I mean, he has had to fight You-Know-Who ever since he was a year old. Every year at Hogwarts has been a battle with the Dark Lord or some demented minion of his and, so far, Harry has won them all.

You could say he's on a winning streak, which is a good thing.

Not that anything has been easy for him at Hogwarts. For one thing, there’s Snape. For another thing, there’s Snape. And, finally, there’s Snape. Harry’s told us all about what happened between Snape and his dad and Remus Lupin (the coolest werewolf we know) and Sirius Black (who, apparently, did not kill anyone) and that whole Death Eater-turned-spy thing. Doesn’t mean I consider Snape a friend or anything like that but it has to be hard to play a role like that. I guess if Dumbledore trusts him, we have to trust him too. Doesn’t mean he can’t "accidentally" ingest a few Canary Creams. They probably wouldn’t work on him anyway…likely turn him into an overgrown bat.

Excuse me while I laugh hysterically over the image of a greasy-haired, hook-nosed and scowling bat.

I suppose it’s a whole lot better than a rat-faced, traitorous Death Eater we would all love to hex…repeatedly.

Our family adores Harry. Well, who wouldn’t? Heck, I’d adore him if I were a girl. Ginny adores him. ‘Course I might have something to say about that but I would like to be able to father children when I get older. Ginny can get…testy…temperamental…downright feisty and we can’t ever forget the time she put Pepperup powder in Charlie’s drawers. I know Charlie’s tried. I reckon the skin did grow back. I haven’t checked and don’t plan to.

Mum just goes all googly moogly for Harry and Hermione. Hermione is loads better than the first time I saw her. Blimey if she wasn’t made of books. I would swear that ink flowed through her veins and not blood. Knows that bloody book "Hogwarts: A History" better than anyone. Always studying and always getting good marks. Reminds me of Percy, only she’s a lot cuter. Ickle Ronniekins thinks she is cute…probably thinks a lot more than that. They argue like Gryffindors and Slytherins but there’s something there. Something between them. They’re just too damn stubborn to admit it.

I heard all about the row after the Yule Ball. I still don’t understand why Ron didn’t ask her. Stupid prat!! Bamboozled by that flashy piece of robe, Delacour. Thought he had a bit more sense than that. Can’t say that I’m surprised that Hermione went with Viktor…I mean…he was the Durmstrang champion and an amazing Seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team. I probably would have gone with him too…think about it…the opportunity to talk Quidditch with one of the premier players in the world! Lousy dancer though…it would never work – hah!!

Hermione did look nice at the Yule Ball. All right, she looked stunning. I could see that Ron was stunned. Not that that is anything unusual. Served him right for ignoring what was under his freckled nose the whole time. Don’t think he takes her for granted anymore…well, I don’t think he ever did…just always thought of her as a friend, not a girl. I mean, when she was petrified a couple of years ago…I have never seen him so upset about anything…not even when we used his Puffskein as a bludger. He wandered the halls like a ghost and went to see her whenever he could. Couldn’t do much for her…just held her hand and talked to her. I wonder what he told her.

And would he have the guts to say it to her now?

Back to Harry and Ginny. If he wants to date her, I suppose I will have to let him. I mean, saving her life does give him a certain right. That was pretty awful when Ginny disappeared into the Chamber of Secrets. Mum and Dad were absolutely frantic and I don’t think I have ever seen Percy so upset…Ginny’s always been his favourite sibling. When Harry showed up with Ginny in his arms, I could have kissed him.

So, if he wants to date her…I solemnly swear not to torture him…

…much!

So, do I miss the Marauder’s Map? Well, yes and no. It was a lot of fun to have and we certainly learned a lot from Messrs Moony, Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail but it was the right thing, giving it to Harry. His father was one of the authors so it really does belong to him. Shame about Lupin leaving. He was a cool teacher…really knew his stuff. So, he’s a werewolf…big deal. I feel safer around him than I do around that slimy git, Lucius Malfoy. Now there’s someone who’s overdue for a stay at Hotel Azkaban. Just being near him makes me feel like I’ve eaten ten too many pumpkin pasties. His spawn is a spineless whelp who wouldn’t get very far without his troll-like bodyguards. He really is a waste.

Looking around the parlour, I have to grin at this rag tag group of redheaded Weasleys and Weasley wannabes. We’re all here together for a few weeks and we have succeeded in driving Mum absolutely batty.

Charlie and Bill are talking about the Order of the Phoenix and what might happen next. They are the oldest in the family and sometimes it’s hard to think of them as brothers at all. More like uncles…really cool uncles with cool jobs and, in Bill’s case, funky hair and dragon’s tooth earring…in Charlie’s case, dragon-hide pants, which really make the ladies pay attention.

The Weasley charm…yes, it is a curse. Allow me a moment to pose dramatically. Right.

Percy is sitting by the window, looking out over the yard. I know he still feels awful about having been taken in by that Crouch fellow. Blow to his ego? Nope, goes a lot deeper than that. He looks…disillusioned. He’s asked Dumbledore how he can help…finally seen Fudge for what he is…a bloody fool. I know he feels partly responsible for what happened. Feels he should have known something was wrong. I’ve tried talking to him but he’s retreated into himself again. I’m worried about him.

Ron and Harry are playing a game of Wizard’s Chess and, of course, Ron is winning. Ginny is perched on the floor by Harry’s knees and watching anxiously as another of Harry’s pawns gets shmucked rather violently. Hermione is sitting beside Ron, biting her lip nervously. She is close to him…very close…their arms are touching. He doesn’t seem to be complaining.

I allow myself a knowing smirk at the foursome that I believe will transfigure into two twosomes. McGonagall would be so proud.

And there’s my twin, sitting on the chesterfield, reading the latest issue of "The Daily Prophet." Snuggled in next to him is Katie Bell who has been his girlfriend, officially, for a little while and, unofficially, forever. They’ll probably get married and start a Quidditch team of their own.

"Hey, Fred," Angelina whispers to me. She has her head in my lap and was in the process of doing one of those silly quizzes from one of the wizarding magazines. The ones that talk about your significant other and what sort of relationship you have and all that sort of rubbish.

Okay, I freely admit it. Those quizzes scare the Wheezes out of me.

"Yes, Angelina?" I ask, in as noncommittal a voice I can muster.

"I’ve been doing this test and it looks like you really are the man for me," she smiled.

She really does have a beautiful smile.

"I’m the man for every woman," I reply with a dramatic smirk, tapping her gently on the chin.

She proceeds to smack me in the forehead with the magazine while laughing. I hope that doesn’t leave a mark.

"Hah, you laugh, woman, but I say to you that I am the man for every woman because I am twice the man of anyone here," I say in a truly pompous tone.

Angelina’s giggling hysterically. The others are looking at me in amusement.

"He’s right, Angelina." George is grinning while Katie is rolling her eyes in mock exasperation, "He is twice the man because of me. And I am twice the man because of him."

"I don’t even want to think about where that might be heading." Katie is blushing profusely while Angelina has proceeded to laugh herself onto the floor. Thank goodness for thick carpeting.

"There’s a mental image I could have done without," Ginny groaned, leaning her head against Harry’s knee and feigning undue distress.

Conniving little vixen. Right proud of her, I am.

"You two are just mirror images of each other," Ron commented, an arm snaking suspiciously around Hermione’s waist. Hmmm…wonder if she is going to push him off the chair or not?

I guess not. Interesting turn of events.

I help Angelina back onto the large wingchair we had been sharing.

"Do you really think we are mirror images of each other?" I ask her quietly enough so that no one else can hear me.

She smiles at me, "You are but there is one major difference."

"What’s that?"

"I love you, Fred Weasley," she whispers shyly.

I grin at her.

"Right answer. Love you too," I say softly, caressing her cheek.

She smiles and gets back to her magazine, snuggling a little closer. Looks like George and Katie are as comfortable as Angelina and I. Funny how things work out sometimes. All of us on the same team…the Gryffindor quidditch team and, in the future, the Weasley team. At least I hope so.

Yup, I suppose Ron is right, though I hate to admit it. My twin brother is like a reflection…a reflection of me, only without a mirror.

Like looking at myself in a weird sort of way.

And I have to say…I like what I see.