They cracked into evil, identical grins as the potion turned a sky blue.
“Fred, we’re geniuses!”
“That we are, George. That we are.”
“Smell that?”
“He-he, sorry.”
“Ew! No, not that! That!”
“The potion?”
“No! My dear brother, that! It is the smell of success.”
They stood- bathed in the light blue color of their triumph.
“Shall we then?” Fred asked as he shuffled around the cramped space.
“Yes, we shall.” George said as he took one of the glasses Fred offered him.
“Count of three? One. Two…Three.”
They dipped their glasses full of potion and then drained the contents in one gulp.
“Tastes like peppermint,” George commented thoughtfully.
“Really? I tasted nutmeg.” Fred said curiously.
“Ah, yes nutmeg. I do believe I confused the two.”
“’Tis understandable.”
They stood there waiting expectantly for any sign of an effect.
“Do you feel any different?” George asked after a few minutes of waiting.
“Nah. The potion must take awhile to have an effect.”
“Or it’s a dud.”
“Don’t jinx it!”
“Sorry.”
They bustled around, cleaning up before they slipped out of the bathroom and locked the door. Fred and George had been quick to claim the dormitory bathroom as their lab in their second year. No one really complained as there were only two other boys in their year - their friend Lee Jordan, and a tall, blonde boy named Sven Tabbs. Sven was a rather odd lad in their eyes.
“There you two are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Lee Jordan exclaimed. “Filch has just found this family of spiders living inside one of the suits of armor on the fourth floor. He reckons they have chromatic venom which might come in handy for a prank. They’re in a tank in his office now. You two interested in investigating?”
“I dunno. I feel kind of sleepy all of a sudden,” George said yawning.
Fred held his head with his hands. “I don’t feel too hot either.”
Lee looked alittle disappointed.
“I guess we could always go down in the morning, we have plenty of time as Filch isn’t too keen on getting rid of them. I heard him muttering about using them to torture students or something. I’d wish he would too, maybe then Dumbledore would sack him.”
Fred and George chuckled as they changed into their pajamas and climbed into bed.
Both boys slept soundly that night, visions of pranks and an angry Filch danced in their heads. Lee Jordan slept peacefully two beds down, dreaming of Quidditch and his girlfriend. In the next bed, Sven was dreaming of disco dancing and furry shorts; he was indeed a very odd lad.
The sole window in the room banged open and a strange breeze entered tickling the bed curtains and stirring lose papers around the room. It must have eventually found what it was after though as the wind slowly swirled back out through the open window and dissolved into the night. It left the snoozing pair only aware at some subconscious level that there was a change in them.
George groaned as he blinked sleepiness off his eyes. He opened them only to be blinded by the late morning sunlight streaming in from an open window; his punishment for sleeping in. Honestly, he thought as he stomped over to pull the curtains back. In all his years at Hogwarts he hadn’t had any problems with that bloody window. Maybe it was because he didn’t sleep by the window. Yes, he thought as he lay back down in his bed, he was glad that Fred had the bed beside the window and not him…
George’s jaw dropped as he realized his was not in his bed.
“Fred! FRED! I’m daring to wager something’s gone wrong with the potion.”
“What the bloody hell are you on about?” Fred muttered groggily as he sat up.
“We’ve switched bodies!”
Fred glanced down at his pajamas.
“I knew I had put on the teddy bears last night! So this is what happens when you add one too many porcupine quills.”
“Yes, but how do you go about reversing it?”
“Why are you worried? It’s not like anyone’s going to be able to tell the difference. We’re identical, remember?”
“Except you, or should I say, I, have a scar on my inner thigh and I, er…you don’t.”
“Well we’ll just panic when people go around trying to have a look at our inner thighs.”
“Well it’s more than that. I…er-”
Fred had stopped listening though as he rummaged through his…er George’s trunk.
“Fred!”
“Yes, my darling dearest?”
“Are you two just getting up now?”
Lee Jordan walked in, interrupting George. He was followed by Brittany Kiesel, Lee’s girlfriend. She was a prefect and a rather smart witch but she made up for it with her devious ideas and love for mischief.
“Brittany reckons she knows a way to distract Filch long enough to grab a few of those spiders.”
“Oh?” Fred said turning from his digging.
“Yeah. Peeves owes me a favor and since when has he ever turned down a chance to mess with Filch?” Brittany said casually.
“Right you are. So what’s the plan?” George asked, his earlier problem forgotten.
“Well…”
“Brilliant.” The twins said in unison as they watched Filch chase Peeves with a broom only to have it catch fire. None of the spectating students bothered to help him.
“Isn’t it just?”
“That’s my girl.”
“Well, folks. We haven’t got all day. They’re bound to realize we’ve mixed flammable potions with Filch’s cleaning fluids sooner or later.” Fred said as he straightened up from behind a suit of armor. They quietly left a cackling Peeves and a fuming Filch, who continued with his attempts to beat the poltergeist with a broom.
“You’d think they’d put something as potentially harmful as these spiders in a safer place,” Lee Jordan said as they lifted one of the spiders into a jar with a hover charm.
“Especially with us running around.” Fred grinned evilly.
“So, where are we going to keep these beauties?” George asked as they sealed the jar and placed an Unbreakable Charm on it.
“We’ll keep them in my trunk,” Fred said. And so that matter was settled.
“Well as fun as this escapade was, Brittany and I have other things to do,” he winked slyly at them, “therefore it is here we must leave you.” Lee said as they exited Filch’s office.
“Have fun, kids!”
“Do stay out of trouble now!”
“Ah,” Fred said to their disappearing backs, “they grow up so fast.”
“Next they’ll be moving out, getting married, and having kids,” George said sadly.
“Time just seems to fly doesn’t it?”
“What are you two hooligans doing around here?”
Fred tucked the jar away and not a moment too soon as the devil herself…otherwise known as Umbridge, came round the corner.
“Causing trouble that’s what you’re doing no doubt. You Weasleys are nothing but- siding with liars and old fools. Your older brother, Percy, seems the only one with any sense about himself.”
The twins’ fists clenched in their robes. Fred managed a grimace as George replied, “We wouldn’t even think of it ma’am.”
“Humph!” She snorted.
“Well as intellectually stimulating and spiritually enlightening this conversation is-” Fred started.
“-We really must be going.” George finished as they darted around the corner.
Back in the safety of their dormitories George once again started to ask Fred about switching back.
“Well, the book mentioned there might be some complications; I guess this is one of them.”
“Yes, but how do we switch back?”
“It said to just let it wear off.”
“And how long’s that going to take, exactly?”
“Probably a week at longest. Look why are you so worried about it?”
George mumbled something.
“Oh! Well what are you talking about? We are i-dent-i-cal. We look the same. Katie isn’t going to be able to tell the difference between us.”
“Um…well check your neck…”
“Check my neck?” Fred went into the bathroom. “HOLY CRAP! What the hell is she? Part vampire?!”
George reddened around the forehead, his signature Weasley red spot.
“You see. She’d notice.”
“So what do you want me to do exactly?”
“Well since switching back doesn’t seem to be an option I was hoping…that maybe you’d go on the date for me?”
“Oh no! I’m not getting another love bite from Vampira. You’re going to have to cancel on her. Tell her an unseen problem has come up and reschedule it when the potion’s worn off.”
“But Fred-”
“Nope. Sorry, no way.”
George sighed and walked out of the room leaving Fred feeling dirty and rotten.
Katie was standing by the lake…exactly where he had asked her to meet him. Damn. He wished she had stood him up.
“Oh hey, Fred! What are you doing out here?”
It took George a second to realize that he was Fred on the outside.
“Um, I’ve got some-”
“Where’s George at?” She said completely unaware of his quiet, unfinished remark.
“Well about that. You see he is-”
“Right here my dear brother!”
George turned to see Fred walking towards them, a slight grin on his face.
“I sent Fred here to tell you I might be alittle late tonight but never fear. I managed to make it here on time.”
“Shall we then?” Katie asked.
“Sure. You go on ahead. I just need a quick word with Freddie here first.”
When she was out of earshot Fred forced something into George’s hand. It was an Extendable Ear.
“Look, I want you to follow us and talk to me, tell me what to say. I have another Ear with me so you just gotta whisper and vice versa and as long as she doesn’t see you it’s all peachy.”
George smiled.
“Thanks, Fred.”
“What are twins for? Oh! You also might want to be careful when rummaging in your trunk. The spiders have made a nest in your knickers.”