To Love a Twin

Chapter 3: Percy's Birthday Party

The next morning, George knocked on Kira's bedroom door. At her 'come in,' he quickly grabbed hold of the breakfast tray he had levitated up the stairs and entered the room.

"Good morning," he said. "I brought you your breakfast. My mum made pancakes this morning. I hope you're hungry."

Kira had been standing on her tiptoes looking into the mirror that hung on the wall over Percy's old dresser. She'd been examining her face. She looked down self-consciously at Ginny's nightgown, which was a bit tight, and scurried back into the bed, pulling the covers over her, her face turning red. "Sorry," she said. "I didn't know it was you...I mean, I'm not really accustomed to boys seeing me in a nightgown."

"You were looking your face. Are you still in any pain?" he asked, coming over to see if there were any lingering bruises.

"Oh, no, it's fine. That's what I was wondering about. I mean, he'd split my lower lip. Yet it's completely healed. And my legs too, from when I fell outside the shop. What was that stuff your mother put on my cuts?"

George set the tray on her lap and said, "It's called Essence of Murtlap. While you're having your breakfast, I have to talk to you about something." He began to pace back and forth in the small room. Then he stopped and began again. "You see, Essence of Murtlap is, actually, a healing potion. A magic potion. Mum knows how to brew it because, you see, she's a witch." With that, George stood there and smiled stupidly at Kira, believing he had just explained everything.

Kira stared at him for a moment, finished chewing the mouthful of pancakes she'd just eaten and swallowed. Then she took a drink of milk from the glass on the tray before speaking. "George," she said, "I have to tell you that I really don't find that at all funny. Your mother has been nothing but kind to me. I'm a total stranger, yet she has taken me in and cared for me. For you to stand there and call her a witch is really not nice. You should be ashamed of yourself."

George was stunned. "But she is a witch--really," he said. "So's my sister, and Hermione. And us guys, well, we're all wizards. We can all do magic."

Kira visibly relaxed and smiled. "Oh yes, the magic tricks. I see; you're just being silly. Fred used to do magic tricks all the time. Once when we met at our spot out in the woods, he even made a fire. He swore he hadn't gotten there earlier and prepared it, but he must have. After all, you can't make a fire just by pointing a stick at the ground."

She calmly continued to eat. She really was starving. "This is really good. It's so nice to be able to eat. I was trying not to eat too much at home so I could hide the pregnancy longer. I knew my father would kill me when he found out. I never thought he'd throw me out though. I'm so sorry about causing your family so much trouble, George."

George stared at her. This wasn't going well. "You are not any trouble, Kira. But I need to explain about the magic. Actually, we can start a fire by pointing a stick, or in our case, our wands, at the ground." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wand and pointed it at her tray. "You've already finished most of your milk. Want some more?" He pointed the wand at the glass and suddenly it had refilled with milk.

Kira stared at the glass, as if she was trying to work out how he'd done it. She dipped her fingers into the glass to see if it was real. She didn't even blink.

"Or, would you prefer orange juice?" asked George. With a loud pop he had vanished. Less than a minute later, he reappeared back in her room holding a glass of orange juice.

Kira moved the tray, threw the covers back, and began looking under the bed, behind the curtains on the window, and in the corners.

"What are you looking for?" George asked.

"The mirrors, of course."

"Mirrors?"

"Yeah, that's how magicians all do their tricks; they use mirrors to create optical illusions."

George sighed. "I'm not a magician, and neither was Fred. We're wizards. All the stuff you saw Fred do were not tricks; it was magic."

At that moment the bedroom door opened and Mrs. Weasley entered. "Good morn--WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF THAT BED?"

Kira looked at George and scurried back into the bed, pulling the covers up to her chin again. "Sorry," she said, "It's just that George here has been being silly. Can you believe he's actually trying to convince me that the little magic tricks he and Fred are able to do is real magic and he's a wizard. He even said that you're a witch. I was looking for the mirrors and stuff he used to disappear and reappear."

Mrs. Weasley looked at Kira and then looked at George. "Well, all right then," she said brightly. "Are you done with your breakfast, dear?"

"Oh, yes, thank you. It was really wonderful," said Kira.

Mrs. Weasley took her wand from her apron pocket and pointed at the tray with its assortment of soiled plates and silverware, saying, "Evanesco."

Suddenly, what looked like a small tornado appeared over the tray, turning the plates and silverware spotless. Then the tray vanished, and Mrs. Weasley sat on the side of the bed, next to the stunned girl.

"Kira, dear. George is telling you the truth. I am a witch and our entire family is part of the Wizard community. Haven't you noticed that we have no electricity? Non-magical people, or Muggles, as we endearingly call them, depend upon their little inventions to solve their daily living problems and meet their needs. We depend upon our magic. Witches, wizards, and magic do exist, and you need to accept that. Now, George, Ron, & Harry retrieved your belongings from your parents' home last night. I'm sure you'd like to get dressed in some of your own things." She reached out and covered Kira's hand with her own.

Kira looked down at Mrs. Weasley's hand and then into her eyes, remembering Mr. Weasley's visits to the shop, his amazement at commonplace appliances and machinery, Fred and George's odd clothes. She thought of the night that Fred had walked her home and kissed her goodnight. As she sneaked into the back of the butcher shop, she had heard an odd noise, like a car backfiring. When she had turned back to take a last look at him, he'd vanished. She'd looked up and down the street, but he wasn't there. Also, she knew that George might try to prank her, but she knew that Mrs. Weasley was well beyond such nonsense. Kira accepted it, all of it, as fact. She had but one question. "I want to know how Fred died," she said simply.

Mrs. Weasley hesitated and her eyes grew moist. "A long time ago, a wizard turned bad. Then, suddenly, he disappeared after trying to kill a small child he considered a threat. It had been foretold that this child would destroy him. The young man you met last night, Harry, was that child. About four years ago, the dark wizard returned and the good wizards had to stop him. It all came to a head this past May. We met in a battle at Hogwarts, the school we send our children to. Fred was killed in an explosion set off by some of the dark wizard's followers. The dark wizard, in the end, was killed by Harry."

"Fred told me that terrible things were happening and that he might have to go away for a while," said Kira. "He seemed so worried last May. I thought it was a family situation. He had told me that he had to explain something to me before he could introduce me to you." Kira gave a bitter laugh. "I'd thought he'd wanted to warn me that his family had issues like mine. I guess he'd wanted to tell me about the magic. Muggle. He used to call me his little muggly-buggly, you know."

"Bloody hell, he didn't really call you that, did he?" asked George, looking slightly revolted. "And you still fell for him?" He was looking at her as if he thought her mentally deficient.

Mrs. Weasley gave George a look of warning. She hurriedly said, "I'll help you to the bathroom. Then, I'll send Ginny in to help you put your things in the drawers and closet. Later, if you're feeling up to it, I'll let you go out to sit in the garden with George after lunch. We're having a light lunch because tonight, we're celebrating my son, Percy's, birthday. But wait for one of us to help you. I don't want you going up and down stairs on your own yet." Mrs. Weasley smiled brightly at Kira and lightly squeezed her hand on the bedspread. "Wouldn't you like to sit in the garden and enjoy the fresh air?"

"I can stay up here for the party if you want," said Kira. "I'm sure you don't really want a stranger at a family celebration."

Mrs. Weasley quickly said, "I know that yesterday we were all stunned when your father brought you here, but you must know that we are thrilled that a part of Fred will live on through this baby. It is very important to us that you and the baby are offered every protection we can provide. Of course we want you at the party."

"I promise, I'll try to get a job somewhere as soon as possible, and get out of your hair. Of course, once the baby is born you and your family can see him whenever you want. God knows, I can't offer him an extended family." Kira stopped talking as a thought burst in her mind. "The baby...will he, I mean, will he be able to do magic too?"

"Most likely," said George. "A witch or wizard can have a squib, but it is really rare."

"What's a squib?" she asked.

"Oh, it's someone born to a wizard family who has no powers," George said.

"That's a horrible thing to call someone," she said. "It's such a nasty sounding word." She put her hand on her stomach and continued. "I would hate to think my baby would be called that if..."

"You're absolutely right," said Mrs. Weasley. "It is a horrible word and you will never hear it in this house again, regardless of whatever abilities this baby is born with. Isn't that right, George?"

George, who was still caught between amazement and disgust at the thought of his brother calling anyone muggly-buggly, suddenly realized his mother was expecting a response. "Oh, absolutely. Of course," he said, with no idea what it was he was agreeing to.

"Well, George, why don't you go downstairs so I can help Kira get cleaned up and dressed," said Mrs. Weasley. "Find your sister and have her come up here to help get Kira's things put away."

"But, really, I'm feeling fine," said Kira. "I really don't need to be treated like an invalid or cause any more bother than I already have."

"Don't be silly," said Mrs. Weasley. "You are no bother at all. My goodness. This house once held seven children. Now it seems so empty with just Ginny and Ron left, and Ron will be moving in with George soon."

Kira looked at George. "Thank you for getting my things. Was my father horrible about it?"

"No, he didn't even know we were there. He was...sleeping."

"Passed out drunk, more likely," said Kira ruefully. "My mother, was she all right? I hope he didn't go back and hurt her."

George did not see any use in upsetting Kira, so he quickly changed the subject. "Oh, she gave me something for you." He began to root in his pocket. "Here," he said, handing her the rings that Mrs. Benning had given him last night.

Kira took them and smiled. "They were my grandparents'. Mum always kept them hidden because she knew my father would pawn them in a heartbeat. He always kept control of the money because he wanted to make sure my mum would have nothing if she ever left him. She did try to take me away once when I was young. But he found us and he hurt her real bad. After that, she just sort of lost her courage."

Later, after Kira had gotten dressed, she spent some time in her room getting to know Ginny and her friend Hermione. Kira was amazed to learn that both girls had also fought in the battle that Fred had been killed in. While she had spent her days trying to keep a low profile so as to not get her father angry, they had faced evil and saved their world. Next to them, she felt immature and useless and she was not much older than them.

"I remember once," Kira said to Ginny, "you came into the butcher shop to get your father. I always looked forward to your dad coming in. He wanted to use the meat grinder, but I couldn't let him because if he'd gotten hurt, my father would have killed me. But your father was always so friendly. I always noticed your family heading down the street with packages but you never shopped in any of the shops in the village."

"Ottery St. Catchpole has several dozen wizard families. You know that old building on the corner of Center and Pellinor? The one that's been condemned for years?"

Kira nodded. "Wasn't it a box factory once?" she asked.

"Yes," Ginny continued. "That place is actually a market for witches and wizards. Witches and wizards live separately from the Muggles. We have our own government, the Ministry of Magic, and money. My mom grows most of the fruits and vegetables we eat in the garden, and we raise our own chickens. We try to limit our contact with Muggles as much as possible. In fact, if the Ministry knew you were here, we'd probably be in hot water for letting you know about us. Dad told me that Charlie and Bill are coming to Percy's birthday party tonight. They want to meet you. Bill's bringing his wife. She's having a baby too, about a month after you. Of course, Percy is coming again tonight too. Mom is going to set up tables outside."

From the expression on Ginny's face when she mentioned both her sister-in-law and her brother Percy, Kira got the idea that she was less than enamored of the two of them. "What do you mean that you'll get in trouble with your Ministry?" she asked.

"Oh, there are laws about doing magic in front of Muggles," said Hermione. "But Muggle family members don't really count, except for the time Harry got in trouble for doing it in front of his cousin. That was really stupid because his cousin, aunt, and uncle all knew he was a wizard. But the Ministry was out to get him so they used it as an excuse."

The conversation was halted by the arrival of George. "Mom said that she wants you two downstairs to help get lunch on the table," he said to the girls. "Kira, she also said that if you're sure you're feeling up to it, that she will let you out of this room too. She's so thrilled that the entire family is going to be here, she's going all out for dinner tonight. Lunch is only going to be sandwiches and a salad."

After lunch, they were all sitting around the kitchen table. Ron and George got into an argument about George's decision to open a new store in some place called Hogsmeade. Ron thought that they should wait until the political situation stabilized more. George said that the location was available at a good price and that if they waited they might lose out on the chance to acquire it.

From there, the discussion went on to the trials of those witches and wizards who were guilty of collusion with the Ministry after it had been taken over by Voldemort. Harry was looking forward, in particular, to the trial of someone named Umbridge. It seemed that the new minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, had called Harry, Ron, and Hermione to testify against her.

The discussion grew quite heated when they debated what should be done with the former Minister of Magic, a man called Thicknesse. He was claiming that he had been placed under some curse that forced him to cooperate with the forces of evil, but many were making that same claim and punishment was difficult to mete out under the circumstances. As their voices grew louder, Kira became quieter and quieter. She was long accustomed to trying to make herself invisible when people began arguing. Harry was seated across from her, and he noticed.

"Come on, let's save this for another time," he said. Harry had seen the bruises inflicted on both Kira and her mother the day before. Having been raised in a less than perfect home himself, he recognized the wariness that Kira had retreated to as everyone's voices got louder, the way she almost seemed to shrink in an attempt to make herself invisible. Living with the Dursley's, he had long gotten used to trying to keep his head down too.

Mrs. Weasley got up to begin preparing the family's evening feast. "Boys, you can go outside and get the yard cleaned and the tables set up. Hermione, would you take care of the potatoes? And Ginny, you cut up the chicken. I was going to bake it, but I decided to make fried chicken instead," she said, handing Ginny a knife. You know how much Percy loves fried chicken. And it is his birthday, after all."

"Mum," whined Ginny. "Why me? I hate cutting up raw meat. It's so gross."

"Oh, I'll cut up the chicken," Kira offered. "I don't mind."

Ginny happily handed Kira the knife and held her hand out toward Harry. As Harry got up, he leaned toward Kira and said, "It's all right, you know. They may be noisy, but nobody is going to hurt anyone else, no matter how mad they get. You don't have to be afraid of anyone here. You couldn't be in a safer place."

Kira felt her eyes filling with tears. She tried to blink them away. She wanted to believe it. She really did. She did not trust her voice to speak, so she merely nodded.

Ginny placed her hand on Kira's shoulder and said, "We take care of our own. Thanks for getting me out of cutting up the chicken." Then, Ginny and Harry ran outside, hand in hand.

Before George got up, he leaned over the table toward her and added, "What my sister said is true. You belong to us now."

Kira and Hermione sat at the table, talking. While Kira cut up the chicken, Hermione used her wand to guide the knife as it peeled the potatoes and cut them up.

By the time Mrs. Weasley turned back to the kitchen table, Kira had the chicken neatly cut into pieces. "My goodness," she said, "You certainly did that quickly."

"Well, I did start helping my father in the butcher shop when I was eight," said Kira. "Are you saving the bits to make gravy?" she asked.

"Of course," said Mrs. Weasley.

Kira walked over to the sink to wash her hands and watched, fascinated, as Mrs. Weasley waved her wand at the pieces of chicken and they floated over to where she had prepared the coating and began to dredge themselves in it.

When I make fried chicken, I let them sit in buttermilk overnight and then coat it in instant potatoes," she said.

Mrs. Weasley stared at her and blinked. "Instant potatoes? What are instant potatoes?"

"Oh, it's a manufactured product," Kira explained. You buy it in a box. They sort of turn potatoes into tiny little flakes and dry them all out. Then you add them to boiling water and butter and a little milk and they turn into mashed potatoes. They don't really taste that great, though. Real mashed potatoes are so much better, but they are good used as a coating for fried chicken."

Mrs. Weasley looked around as if she feared someone may be listening. "The next time I go into the village, come with me. I want to try those instant potatoes. I want to see what else Muggles can buy, and you can explain it all to me and help me with the Muggle money. And to think, all this time Arthur has been wasting his time on plugs when there were instant potatoes to be had."

"Plugs?" Kira asked Hermione when she rejoined her at the table.

"Don't ask," said Hermione in a whisper. "Come on, let's help them get set up outside."

Outside, it looked like a free-for-all. Ron, George, and Harry were capturing what looked like small, potatoes with arms and legs, spinning them, and tossing them over the garden hedge. When George saw Kira and Hermione outside, he stopped and summoned a comfortable lounge chair for Kira. "You just sit," he said. "Mum will have my head on a platter if you do anything. We have to finish de-gnoming the garden."

After explaining about the garden gnomes, George returned to the de-gnoming. Kira watched, feeling rather sorry for the poor gnomes, who looked to be doing nothing other than existing, especially when she saw what turned out to be Hermione's cat walking by with one in his mouth.

After the de-gnoming, the Ginny and the boys got out their broomsticks and began some odd game where they enchanted a ball they batted around to try to knock each other off as they flew. Hermione summoned a chair for herself and sat with Kira, explaining that she didn't really like broomstick flying. Both girls winced as George batted the ball straight into Ron's head.

"This is passing strange," said Kira.

"I know, I thought so myself when I first found out I was a witch," said Hermione. "But then it made so much sense. I'd felt so alone until then. My parents didn't know what was happening when I made strange things happen so we all just tried to stifle it. They were so happy for me when I got my letter."

"Your letter?" asked Kira.

"When a witch or wizard turns eleven, they get a letter accepting them into Hogwarts. Because I was Muggle-born, one of the professors came to deliver my letter and explain everything. She's dead now. She was killed by you-know-who. She was a Muggle-born herself and used to teach Muggle Studies at Hogwarts."

"Why doesn't anyone ever say the dark wizard's name?" asked Kira.

"Well, when he was alive, people were afraid to say his name, but now, it's been decided that he does not deserve to be remembered. So, the wizarding world has decided to let it be forgotten. Harry was never afraid to say it, but now he calls him by the name he was born with, Riddle. I know it's all really overwhelming for you right now, but you'll get to know how to navigate the wizard world. Really, you'll have to because you'll want your child to be aware of everything he needs to know. In a way, your child will have an easier time of it. He or she will be raised knowing about both worlds."

Later, the other Weasley family members began to arrive. Bill and Fleur arrived first, Bill carrying a huge cake that Fleur had made. He set it on the table and touched the box with his wand to make it vanish. It was huge, with chocolate whipped cream frosting, encrusted around the sides with sliced strawberries, and had Happy Birthday Percy written on it. Mrs. Weasley was just floating out her own white frosted, blue trimmed cake when she saw Fleur's over-the-top concoction. You could tell from the tightening of her lips that she was peeved. Regardless of how much Kira was craving that chocolate one, she made a mental note to make sure to ask for a big piece of Mrs. Weasley's cake.

Bill and Fleur greeted Kira warmly when George introduced her to them. Charlie arrived a bit later on, by broomstick. He, too, was friendly, but a lot quieter than the rest of the family. Mr. Weasley arrived home from work and sat in the chair next to Kira that Hermione had been sitting in. He began questioning Kira about plugs. Kira had to explain that she really did not quite know how electricity worked herself.

"Ottery St. Catchpole has a wonderful library," she said. "They have all sorts of books you can borrow, if you want to read up on electricity. The librarian there, his name is Mr. Lockslip, is very helpful. I've spent a lot of time in there. I started going there when I was little, after school. I'd just sit and read. By the time it closed, my father was usually passed out from drinking, so I didn't have to worry about doing something that would make him mad. Fred began meeting me in the library last winter, but Mr. Lockslip got kind of mad and threw us out. I never understood why because we were only sitting holding hands and reading. Ever since I've been going alone, the librarian has been a lot nicer. I think that maybe he doesn't like people using the library as a place to meet or hang out."

Then Percy arrived, Apparating into the yard. Mr. Weasley got up to greet him. Kira recognized Percy from seeing him in town with his siblings over the years. He looked at her and rolled his eyes in dismay. She heard him say, "But this is a family celebration."

Mr. Weasley must have asked him to quiet down, because he then said, "I don't care if she does hear it," before going into the house.

Well, Kira thought, it looks like not everyone is thrilled with having her there. But, she reasoned, it was his birthday celebration. Maybe it would be best if she said she was tired and kept to her room.

When Mrs. Weasley impressed Hermione and Ginny into helping bring the food out, Kira decided to take advantage of everyone's attention being diverted to sneak back into the house and upstairs. When she opened the door to her room, she was surprised to see Percy in it. He had opened a couple drawers and the closet and was standing there, in an obvious state of agitation.

"I can't believe they gave you my bloody room," he said. "I don't believe for one second that you're having my dead brother's baby. You're just trying to pin it on someone who isn't around to denounce you for the Muggle tramp you are. Now, I'm spending the night, so get your stuff out of my room." Then, he stormed out of the room and down the stairs, nearly knocking her over as he did.

Kira felt humiliated. Sure, he was a jerk, but Percy was also right. It was wrong for her to be insinuating herself into his family like this. She hurriedly began shoving her things back into her bags. She wished she had someone, somewhere to go, but she didn't. Even if she did, she had little money to get there anyway. She knew that her purse held only about five pounds.

She hoisted them back downstairs to the kitchen, sat at the table and just cried. She foraged through her purse for a tissue and found her grandparents' rings. They really were spectacular. She remembered her mum telling her that Kira's grandmother had refused to part with them after Grandfather had died, no matter how much they'd needed the money. The diamonds were heart-shaped, and the bands were etched in a pretty scroll pattern that curled around the diamonds

A thought struck her. If she could get to London or some other big city, she could pawn them and have enough to get a room somewhere until she got a job. So, she hurriedly transferred a few changes of clothes into her old high school backpack and stowed the rest in the cupboard under the stairs.

She dug in her purse for her pen and a scrap of paper. She looked at her pen. It was purple. Back in school, her teachers used to tease her about always having pens with purple ink in them. She quickly wrote her note and left it on the table, explaining that she appreciated their help, but she couldn't impose on them any longer and was going to London. She would send for the rest of her things when she got settled and let them know when the baby was born.

Then, knowing the family was gathered in the back yard, she sneaked out the front door and ran up to the main road, planning on hitchhiking her way to London.