Right Now Could Last Forever

Harry suddenly came falling head first out of the kitchen fire.

“Did he eat it?” said Fred excitedly, holding out a hand to pull Harry to his feet.

“Yeah,” said Harry, straightening up. “What was it?”

“Ton-Tongue Toffee,” said Fred brightly. “George, Corey and I invented them, we’ve been looking for someone to test them on all summer...”

The tiny kitchen exploded with laughter. Ron and George sat at the scrubbed wooden table, which I was sitting on, along with Charlie and Bill; the two eldest Weasley brothers.

“How’re you doing, Harry?” said Charlie, holding out a large hand, which Harry shook.

Charlie worked with dragons in Romania. He was built like the twins, stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky. Fred and George, however, were the tallest of the family. Charlie had a broad, good-natured face, which was weather-beaten and so freckly that he looked almost tanned; his arms were muscly, and one of them had a large, shiny burn on it.

Bill got to his feet, smiling, and also shook Harry’s hand. Bill worked for the wizarding bank, Gringotts, he had been Head Boy of Hogwarts in his time, but he wasn’t what you would imagine him. You’d expect him to be like an older version of Percy; fussy about rule-breaking and fond of bossing everyone around. However, Bill was – there was no other way to describe him – cool. He was tall, with long hair that he had tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing an earring with what looked like a fang dangling from it. His clothes would not have looked out of place at a rock concert, except that I recognised his boots to be made, not of leather but of dragon hide.

Before any of us could say anything else, there was a faint popping noise, and Mr Weasley appeared out of thin air at George’s shoulder. He was looking angrier than I had ever seen him.

“That wasn’t funny, Fred!” he shouted. “What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?”

“I didn’t give him anything,” said Fred, with another evil grin. “I just dropped it... it was his fault he went and ate it, I never told him to.”

“You dropped it on purpose!” roared Mr Weasley. “You knew he’d eat it, you knew he was on a diet –“

“How big did his tongue get?” George and I asked eagerly.

“It was four foot long before his parents would let me shrink it!”

We all roared with laughter again, and I had to stop myself from falling off the table.

“It isn’t funny!” Mr Weasley shouted. “That sort of behaviour seriously undermines wizard-Muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons and daughter –“

Mr and Mrs Weasley had grown to call me their daughter in times like this. I would also call them Mum or Dad sometimes, but that was only if I was feeling particularly sentimental or was worming myself out of trouble.

“We didn’t give it to him because he was a Muggle!” said Fred indignantly.

“No, we gave it to him because he’s a great bullying git,” I said. “Isn’t he, Harry?”
“Yeah, he is, Mr Weasley,” said Harry earnestly.

“That’s not the point!” raged Mr Weasley. “You wait until I tell your mother –“

“Tell me what?” said a voice behind us.

Mrs Weasley had just entered the kitchen. She was a short, plump woman with a very kind face, though her eyes were presently narrowed with suspicion.

“Oh, hello, Harry dear,” she said, spotting him and smiling. Then her eyes snapped back to her husband. “Tell me what, Arthur?”

Mr Weasley hesitated. I could tell that, however angry he was with us, he hadn’t really intended to tell Mrs Weasley what had happened. There was a silence, while Mr Weasley eyed his wife nervously. Then two girls appeared in the kitchen doorway behind Mrs Weasley. One, with very bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth, was mine, Harry and Ron’s friend, Hermione Granger. The other, who was small and red-haired, was the only Weasley girl, Ginny. Both of them smiled at Harry, who grinned back, which made Ginny go scarlet – she had been very taken with Harry ever since his first visit to The Burrow.

“Tell me what, Arthur?” Mrs Weasley repeated, in a dangerous sort of voice.

“It’s nothing, Molly,” mumbled Mr Weasley, “Fred, George and Corey just – but I’ve had words with them –“

As he was talking, I quickly slid off the table and stood between the twins, where I was half hidden.

“What have they done this time?” said Mrs Weasley. “If it’s got anything to do with Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes –“

“Why don’t you show Harry where he’s sleeping, Ron?” said Hermione from the doorway.
“He knows where he’s sleeping,” said Ron. “In my room, he slept there last –“

“We can all go,” said Hermione pointedly.

“Oh,” said Ron, cottoning on. “Right.”

“Yeah, we’ll come, too,” said George –

“You stay where you are!” snarled Mrs Weasley.

I watched enviously as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all edged slowly out of the room. I watched as Mrs Weasley turned on the three of us.

“Have I told you that you look beautiful today, Mummy?” I said sweetly, knowing it wasn’t really going to work.

“Don’t try that with me young lady,” she snapped. “Anyway, it’s not you how I’m angry with. Fred and George; look at the example you are setting for her!”

My eyes widened, and I looked at the two of them, who looked just as surprised.

“Mum, we didn’t make her do –“ Fred started.

“You’re setting a bad example for her!” Mrs Weasley hissed. “What is it that you did this time anyway; was it another one of your trick wands? Or some other silly little thing?”

“Some sort of lollies that make your tongue grow,” muttered Mr Weasley.

“They worked brilliantly,” said George happily.

“Who – did – you – feed – them – to?” Mrs Weasley said, obviously trying to keep her cool.

“The Muggle boy; Harry’s cousin,” muttered Mr Weasley again.

“YOU TWO ARE IN -!”

“Wait, two?” I interrupted her.

“Yes! Fred and George; not you dear. You, Bill and Charlie can go set up the tables outside; all twelve of us can’t eat in here.”

With an apologetic look at the twins, I hurried out of the door with Bill and Charlie.