Chapter Five:

Home Again

Fred and George landed on Harry's bed with a loud thump.

"What the heck?" Harry cried, then saw two red-heads on his lap, "What are you doing on me? And, where have you been? Nobody's seen you for 3 days! Your mom was worried sick!"

"Awww! She cares about us! I'm touched!" George said.

"Shut up!"

"Yeah, what he said," Fred said, "Anyway, Harry, we were just visiting some friends of yours. But, I daresay, it's quite rude that you haven't visited them since October! They weren't the happiest."

"Wha—?" Harry started, but then noticed the gold chain connecting the twins. "You didn't."

"We aren't called troublemakers for nothing," George said, grinning mischievously.

"They were quite pleased to see us, messengers of your well-being, especially a red-head and a messy black-head," Fred said.

"They thought we were Ron! And everything about us had to do with Ron at the beginning," George said, sounding truly insulted.

"Black-head? Okay— then. So, you found your long lost idols. I'm so happy for you," Harry said sarcastically, "But I'm glad I won't be dealing with your mother. Now that you're living at home, she knows EVERYTHING! It's really creepy. I wouldn't be surprised if you get a howl—" An owl carrying a blood red envelope landing on his bed cut him off. "I spoke too soon. That clock is amazing. I've said it once, I'll say it again and again."

Fred and George looked at the letter, the fear apparent in their eyes. "This'll be embarrassing," Fred muttered.

The envelope opened and Mrs. Weasley's screams echoed throughout the entire Gryffendor Tower. "FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY! WHERE IN MERLIN'S NAME HAVE YOU BEEN? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN? IF I HAD BEEN ABLE TO FIND YOU, YOU WOULD HAVE WISHED YOU WERE DEAD! AND, WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH REMUS AND ALBUS KNOWING WHERE YOU WERE, BUT THEY COULDN'T TELL ME? GET HOME THIS INSTANT!"

"Wow. Fred, George, wherever you went, I hope it was worth it. You are dead meat," Ron said stupidly.

"Thanks Ron. It's nice to know you care," George said sarcastically.

"But, it was worth it, wasn't it, George?" Fred said.

"Yeah. Let's go," George said, and they headed downstairs to the common room with Harry and Ron, meeting many people on the stairs and in the common room.

But Hermione's reaction was their biggest surprise. They thought she'd be fuming, but instead she gave them a huge hug, and it sounded like she was muttering something like, "Thank God you're safe. We all were so worried."

George just stared at her, while Fred jokingly said, "No worries Hermione! We were in the safe hands of Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs." She stared at him, with mixed emotions of disbelief, horror, and relief.

Before she could respond, the entrance to the common room burst open, and a furious McGonagall was standing at the door in her tartan nightgown and usual bun. "Mr. Potter! Mr. Weasley! I can't believe it! When I say 'it's over', it's over. I am happy Gryffendor won the match, but this party has to stop now. It's half past two! And Miss Granger! I expected better of you, as a prefect!" She turned to Hermione, but her jaw dropped when she saw the twins. "Thank God the two of you are back! Your mother has been worried sick!"

"We know, that's the reason everyone's down here. She sent us a howler," Fred muttered angrily.

"I see."

"Well, we'd better get going. Mom's already going to kill us, and she'll do it again if we don't get home soon!" George said, "It was nice to see you, fellow Gryffendorites!"

"Keep up with your studies, and don't do anything we would!" Fred said, and McGonagall almost looked proud, until he continued and said, "Just joking! We can't be that nice to the lovely professor in our presence. Only on Christmas and her birthday, which happens to be April 1st!"

If looks could kill, they would already be dead by the glare thrown at them. In unison, they stepped into a green-flamed fire and yelled, "The Burrow!"

In the same common room, twenty years earlier, Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus were all huddled around the piece of parchment the twins had given them.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"Do you suppose it's safe?" Lily wondered.

"Well, yeah…I think…I hope," James said, now having his doubts.

"Come on! This is Fred and George Weasley we are talking about!" Sirius cried, "We are their IDOLS! They wouldn't do anything to hurt us! Plus, they know that we have to live for a while longer, to have Harry, attend Azkaban, and wallow in self-pity. It won't hurt us!" He unfolded the parchment and read the script on it. "I LOVE YOU!"

"Er, Padfoot, what does it say?" James asked.

"Read it! I'll be back!" Sirius said and ran up to his dormitory.

The rest huddled around it, and read.

Dear Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs (Flower too, but she is a 'good' prefect),

We really enjoyed our time with you, and would like to show our appreciation in a very unique way…just don't tell our mother Moony! Upstairs, under Padfoot's bed is a box of pranks from our joke shop. Please use them well, but don't tell ANYONE where you got them, as we only invent them in twenty years. Also in the box is a booklet full of ideas we have used for pranks we played. Maybe you can get some ideas for Snivellus. Speaking of the greasy git, there is something we have recently found out and thought you might like to know…his birthday is April 15. Don't let the word get out, someone might actually be nice to him…yeah right. Anyway, enjoy your life (As little as some people's may be), and we'll see the rest of you later(Except Prongs and Flower)!

Yours (In pranking),

Fred and George Weasley – the notorious Weasley twins!

P.S. We made a copy of your book full of previously used prank ideas. Hopefully they will give us ideas for inventions in our shop.

"I LOVE YOU, TOO!" James yelled, and went up to see his friend and their newly found treasure.

"How immature," Lily scoffed, and Remus rolled his eyes to agree.

"I'd better get up there too, so they don't destroy the place. I do want a place to sleep," He said, but Lily couldn't help but notice the mischief in his eyes, just like James and Sirius had.

"Oh my god! I can't believe she is still making us work! I mean, it was two months ago!" Fred cried. Indeed, it was two months after their adventure into the past, and Mrs. Weasley was still making her twin sons do household chores, as punishment for running away.

"I reckon we should have told her," George said, "Then we wouldn't be out here chucking stupid little gnomes, who will just come back. And, my back aches! Should we?"

"Naw! She'll go ballistic anyway! But, I think we should visit our old friend, Moony! We haven't seen him since last week, and I want to finish the 'Snivellus Prank' for his birthday!"

"Okay. Me too. MOM! WE'RE GOING TO VISIT MOO – REMUS!" George hollered, then, without waiting for their mother's response, the twins apparated away.

"Why, hello boys! Haven't seen you two in…what has it been? Two days?" Remus greeted them.

"Three days," George said.

"Ah, I see that even professors can be wrong. Marauders too. But, it's always a pleasure to see you. The same thing, I believe?"

"Of course! We want to finish it! We'll give him a present!" Fred said.

"It would be rude not to, and that is not us," George said.

"Of course. I forgot to tell you, James and Sirius were so grateful for giving them his birthday. He never forgave them. Obviously. They played some big pranks on him all day. And got two months worth of detentions. Cleaning. That wasn't too entertaining," Remus said laughing.

"Well, let's get started! Time's a wasting!" Fred said.

"We have to get some work done before Mom comes!" George cried.

"Ah, April 15th. My new favorite day of the year," George said, jumping out of bed at six a.m.

"It's the most! Wonderful! Day of the Year!" Fred said, copying the Christmas carol.

"MOM! WE'RE HEADING OFF TO HOGWARTS! VISIT THE OLD CREW, YOU KNOW!" George yelled over Fred's terrible singing.

"FINE! GO!" Mrs. Weasley called back from downstairs.

"-When we and dear Moony go prank Snivellus-"

"OKAY! SHUT UP FRED!"

"Fine!" Fred grumbled, "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

They got dressed and left to Remus' house, to wake him up and then they'd all leave to the school together.

"God! You take forever to get ready, Moony!" Fred complained, as they walked up the stone steps to the school.

"It didn't matter how long it took me, because I wouldn't have let you come until now anyway. Let's go in, give the gift, and hide in a place behind one of the statues we found after Filch confiscated our map," Remus said, and they entered the Great Hall unnoticed, placed the spells on Snape's seat, and hid, waiting to see the results.

When he sat down, sparks flew all around him, and his robes turned pink, hair green, and was floating around the Hall, singing 'Happy Birthday' to himself. Students entering the Great Hall saw him, and all exploded with laughter. Even Dumbledore couldn't hide his laughter.

Once he landed (Care of McGonagall, who had a small smile on her face), he yelled, losing his normal cool tone. "WHO DID THAT? WHEN I FIND OUT, YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN! I THINK IT WAS YOU POTTER! YOU AND YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS!"

Harry, who put on a face of true innocence, said, "But Professor, it wasn't me. Why would you even suspect me? Personally, I think it was whoever wants to take the Weasley twins' spot."

"NO! IT WAS YOU POTTER! HOW DO I KNOW? WELL, YOUR GOOD-FOR-NOTHING FATHER, AND HIS EQUALLY USELESS FRIENDS DID THIS TO ME TWENTY YEARS AGO!"

"Stop Severus. It was not Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It was me, and these two," Remus said, coming out of his hiding place, pulling a reluctant Fred and George behind him.

Snape took up his cool manner and said, "Well, Mr. Weasley. Mr. Weasley. I believe that's fifty points from Gryffendor and a weeks worth of detentions each."

Fred began snickering, while George said between laughs, "Well, Pro – fessor! You can't – can't do that! Seeing – as we don't – go to – school any – more!" This brought the hall into even louder hysterics.

Snape looked ready to kill, as he whipped around and left the Hall. Fred called after him, "Happy Birthday!"

As they left, they heard the students muttering to themselves, "Snape's birthday is today!? No wonder he's always extremely sour on this day." The twins gained identical grins.