Author's Notes: Please consider this a selection of letters from the desk of Minerva McGonagall during the years of Fred and George – if I'd tried to write them all, I'd have lost my mind, drained my creative juices entirely, and written a monster that none of you would have wanted to read.
This was a lot of fun to write! Thank you to Selnek on LiveJournal for such a lovely prompt! And thanks as always to Chase, my wonderful beta, who was far more creative at coming up with antics for Fred and George than I would ever have been on my own.
EDITED NOTES: If you are returning to this story, you will see significant changes. After much deliberation, I decided to leave this story in the form in which it was originally written - encompassing merely Minerva's letters about Fred and George, rather than trying to span her letters from Bill to Ginny. Thank you for your understanding.
From the Desk of Minerva McGonagall
The writing of term reports home started as a way for Minerva McGonagall to keep a record of her students' progress. Always fastidious, she found it helped her to sit down and assess each student at regular intervals, and as time went on, she found that the practice helped parents stay in the loop as well.
And so, every parent of a student in Gryffindor House received two letters each year, one halfway through the fall term, one halfway through the spring term, and occasionally, if rule-breaking forced it, another letter or two informing parents of the breach in behaviour.
But two-three letters a year was the average. Particularly troublesome children might have as many as ten sent home, but in all her years as Head of House, Minerva McGongall had never exceeded that number.
Then Fred and George Weasley came to Hogwarts.
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
14 September 1989
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I am sorry to be writing you so early in the year, but last night your sons Fred and George were found out of bed after curfew for the third time in two weeks. They are slated to receive two detentions next week with myself and Mr. Filch.
I am putting this behavior down to start-of-school jitters, and I hope the rule-breaking will cease as the school year progresses and they acclimate.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
25 September 1989
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
Unfortunately, it seems that the behavior of your twins was not start-of-school jitters, as their nighttime wandering has not let up. Twice more this week, I discovered them out of their beds. I am not sure what is prompting this insatiable desire to explore the school after hours, but it will not be tolerated.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
9 October 1989
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
This morning during Potions class, your sons Fred and George saw fit to throw several Dungbombs into the fire under their cauldron. The stink and subsequent explosion resulted in no fewer than three cauldrons being upset, and twelve students were sent to the Hospital Wing as a result. This is a serious breach of school rules, and your sons will be serving two weeks' worth of detention with Professor Snape, as well as making personal apologies to each and every injured student.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
18 October 1989
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
During yesterday's Charms lesson, Professor Flitwick suddenly found himself Levitated on top of a cabinet, courtesy of the combined efforts of your twins. This was deliberately done, as confessed by the boys, and I will admit, I am quite out of my depth when confronted with the things your boys come up with and somehow manage to believe are good ideas. Impressive though the magic was, they will still be serving detention later this week.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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First Term Report: Weasley, Charles - 6th year; Percy - 3rd year; Fred and George - 1st year
1 November 1989
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I promised myself I wouldn't begin this term report with an account of more rule-breaking from your twins, but that was before they set fire to their dormitory this morning. They assure me it was an accident; however, I have learned to take such protestations with a grain of salt. I do not know what they were doing, and I do not want to know.
I would like very much to spend this term report telling you what your sons are like at school when they are not getting into trouble, but as getting in trouble seems to be their default position, I admit that I am struggling with the task. I even went so far as to express my concern to Charlie, in the hopes that he might be able to shed some light on the situation, but he merely echoed what you yourself have told me, Mrs. Weasley – that I have yet to see the full extent of what these two are capable of. I shudder to even think of it.
When they pay attention in class and do their work, both Fred and George prove themselves to be intelligent and fully capable young minds, but their skills are being severely misapplied. I search constantly for some kind of punishment that might actually work as a deterrent for the rule breaking, but perhaps a word or two from you, Mrs. Weasley, might not go amiss. I have noted that Charlie and Percy can occasionally prompt good behavior with the threat of informing you of their doings.
As for Charlie and Percy, they continue to be the exemplary models of good behavior and academic dedication that I have come to expect from them. Percy seems to bear the brunt of Fred and George's tricks and pranks, and a time or two, I have seen his cool demeanor slip, but really, he can hardly be blamed.
Percy has been handling his Time Turner expertly. As I said, I have been keeping a close eye on him this year, to help him manage the stress as bet I can. And while I can say with some confidence that his stress level would be significantly lower if it were not for the antics of his younger brothers, he is, nevertheless, remaining on top of all his classwork, and does not seem to be overwhelmed by the experience.
Charlie's first N.E.W.T. level class year seems to be going well. Professor Kettleburn has come to say that he quite depends on Charlie, and has begun making noise about retiring once Charlie has left school, as he declares he will never find another assistant so willing and talented. Charlie does have a remarkable hand with animals of all sorts, and he still refuses to allow me to Vanish the Conjured creatures from my classes. It has become routine for him to stop by, pick them up, and take them to the Forest to set them free.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification - Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
29 November 1989
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
This morning, your sons Fred and George were discovered in the Forbidden Forest by our gameskeeper Hagrid instead of in their Transfiguration lesson with me. My initial thought as to punishment was to let them go with Hagrid on his business in the Forest some night next week, but as I considered what I have come to know about your boys, this looked increasingly like a poor choice, so they will be sitting detention with me instead.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification - Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
6 December 1989
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
After chiding Fred and George on their habit of being absent from or late to my class, imagine my surprise when I walked into class this morning and discovered that they were the only students present. It turns out all of their classmates were unable to attend due to being forcibly stuck in their beds by the Sticking Charm they learned in Professor Flitwick's class last week. How the twins got into the girls' dormitory is a topic we will be discussing at some length at their detention this weekend, though if the evidence I have collected is any indication, brooms stolen from the school broomshed were involved.
Please, Mrs. Weasley, if you have any advice on how to go about handling your sons, I would greatly appreciate hearing it.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification - Weasley, Charlie - 6th year; Fred and George - 1st year
10 January 1990
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
If I didn't know any better, I would say that your sons are doing their level best to ensure that they commit a serious enough transgression to warrant a letter home at least once a week, because term is barely three days old, and already, they have managed to turn the entrance corridor into an ice rink, which resulted in no fewer than two dozen minor injuries before the ice could be cleared.
Knowing that this was magic beyond two first year boys (though the idea had Fred and George written all over it), I did some further digging and identified their accomplices – none other than Charlie and his friend Nymphadora Tonks. I have expressed my severe displeasure and disappointment, to Charlie in particular, and informed him that if he is so keen to aid his younger brothers, he can do so in a productive way. To that end, Fred and George will begin serving as Gryffindor House's Quidditch team assistants as soon as practices resume, and they will be Charlie's responsibility entirely. It is my hope that the added responsibility might carry over into their day to day lives, or at least that the extra time that Quidditch practices take up will leave them too exhausted to make mischief. Dim hopes, I realize, but a professor can dream.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification - Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
2 February 1990
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
This morning, your twins were involved in a fistfight with two other boys from their year, both of Slytherin House. When questioned, I was told that they had been defending a Muggleborn student being terrorized by the older boys. While violence is not acceptable behavior here at Hogwarts, it was heartening to me to see that Fred and George can get in trouble for actions that have honorable intentions at their heart.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification - Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
24 February 1990
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
Fred and George have returned to their more childish antics, and I am at my wits' end. This time, they saw fit to follow Mr. Filch around the castle all day, dirtying the areas he had just cleaned. By the time he realized what was going on, he was quite livid, and it was only through no small amount of luck that I succeeded in preventing him from returning to the old punishments, regardless of Ministry consequences. The twins will spend the next two Saturdays cleaning the castle under Mr. Filch's supervision.
As always, well, you know the drill by now.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
18 March 1990
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
It has come to my attention that when your twins are not finding new ways to antagonize Filch – they spent yesterday afternoon throwing Fanged Frisbees down the corridor during class change – they are focusing their attentions on getting a rise out of Percy. It is clear that it is the differences in personality that prompt such action, but it is getting to be quite unfortunate, and I have had to step in three times in the past month. I hesitate to do so, because I know how embarrassing that must be for Percy, but I felt I had no choice.
I find Percy to be an incredibly patience and mature person, but that seems to go out the window when confronted with his younger brothers. While I cannot fault him for that – Godric knows I am significantly less patient and mature in their presence as well – I will say that half the reason Fred and George focus so much of their energy on him is because he reacts so noticeably and predictably. If he were to learn to take them a bit more in stride, his lot might improve. I will see if I cannot manage to point this out to him in an appropriate manner. As well as take some of my own advice to heart, perchance.
Minerva McGonagall
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Second Term Report: Weasley, Charles - 6th year; Percy - 3rd year; Fred and George - 1st year
30 March 1990
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
As I write this term report for your younger sons, I have decided to address academics first, and rule breaking second. In the classroom, George's track record is a little better than Fred's. George manages to stay on topic more easily, have better focus in class, and is marginally quicker to pick up skills. He also has a better record of turning homework in, and seems to put slightly more effort into his work. However, neither boy has a stellar academic record at this point in time. They do well enough on exams to scrape decent marks, but their day-to-day work is far lower than it could be. Personally, I feel that if they applied half the effort to their schoolwork as they do to their antics outside the classroom, they would be much better students.
And on the subject of their continued and determined rule-breaking, Mrs. Weasley, I have to inform you in all frankness that I have not had to deal with such a pair of troublemakers since James Potter and Sirius Black were students here. Your boys seem to go out of their way to cause as much trouble as humanly possible, and I am at a loss as to how to convince them to stop. I realize it is likely that I preach to the choir on this subject, as you have made it clear in your letters to me that you have spent eleven years trying to accomplish the task I have been working on for the past nine months. There is no professor they haven't served at least one detention with, and when I ask them if they know how many detentions they've served, they seem to take the question as a challenge.
As you may already be aware, Percy was in the Hospital Wing for a week earlier this month with a bad bout of walking pneumonia. I believe that his being overstressed and exhausted contributed to the illness. He and I had a conversation on how better to balance his workload, and all his professors have been very understanding about the situation. His grades did slip a little, but I am confident that he will be able to pull them back up. Even if he cannot, they were high enough before that some slippage won't injure his standing noticeably.
And finally, Charlie. He informed me last week that this will be the final report I send home for him, for he has been accepted by the International Study Internship at a dragon reserve in Romania. As you no doubt know, he is thrilled and cannot stop talking about it. And so next year, it is I who will be receiving academic updates as he takes his equivalency courses to pass his N.E.W.T.s. I am very proud of him and his achievement, and I know he will thrive there, though Professor Kettleburn and Oliver Wood are both quite dismayed at this turn of events – for vastly different reasons, understand. You should both be very proud.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
3 April 1990
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
Fred and George decided to celebrate Charlie's good news by setting off congratulatory fireworks in the Great Hall this evening. They will be serving a week's detentions for endangering the student population, and another two days' worth for arguing that they were merely hoping to give Charlie an opportunity to practice his fire-extinguishing spells before the dragons, "try to roast him alive."
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 1st year
7 June 1990
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I have come to the following determination: by my count, which is entirely accurate, I have sent you no fewer than 36 letters over the past year on the chaos caused by your twins. This number is to say nothing of the number of letters you and I, Mrs. Weasley, have then exchanged. This is unprecedented, Mrs. Weasley, and my owl has taken to pretending he has an injured wing whenever the name 'Weasley' is so much as mentioned in his presence!
Since it seems clear to me that this number is likely to be, at best, a low average as their schooling continues, I have decided to enact a different standard when it comes to informing you of bad behavior. Writing so many letters is a waste of my time and supplies, as it seems to have very little effect in the end. Therefore, unless Fred and George's actions escalate to an alarming degree, I will content myself with monthly summaries of their behavior in the coming year. Perhaps treating their antics with the same casual behavior that they seem to treat their schoolwork will have an effect.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 2nd year
30 September 1990
Mrs. Weasley,
Fred and George have seemed subdued since the start of the year. There isn't too much to report, but as I promised monthly updates, I thought I should deliver. They served a detention with Mr. Filch for tracking mud through the entry hall, and there was some sort of altercation with Percy in the Common Room, and they've been letting off Dungbombs with alarming frequency, but I think they are missing Charlie more than they thought they would, as their hearts don't seem to be in the trouble-making.
Do let me know how Charlie does in Romania. I'll get reports on his academic progress, but I would love to hear details. Also, I heard Bill was offered a job as a curse-breaker for Gringotts? How very exciting for him, if he chooses to take it. The goblins only hire the best, after all.
Minerva McGonagall
PS - Adding this on at the end, do Fred and George have brooms at home, by any chance? Oliver Wood, newly appointed Captain of the Gryffindor team, wants to put them on as Beaters. He says when they worked for Charlie last year, they often ran drills with the team, and they've got talent Wood wants to use. It would really be a shame if they had to play on school brooms. Let me know if you can send anything up here; otherwise, I'll see what I can work out with the Headmaster.
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 2nd year
25 November 1991
Mrs. Weasley,
This month your twins were caught after curfew twice, hauled out of the Forbidden Forest by Hagrid three times, led fellow students into wrong-doing no fewer than four times, and got caught up in one massive fistfight. They lost a total of 83 points for Gryffindor House, and served eight detentions with five different professors.
All in all, a light month as these things go.
Minerva McGonagall
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Second Term Report: Weasley, Percy - 4th year; Fred and George 2nd year
30 March 1991
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I never thought I'd meet the student who could convince Bathsheda Babbling to offer Alchemy again, not after what happened last time, but it seems your sons will never fail to surprise me. Percy came to my office yesterday to discuss a way to add an Alchemy independent study to his class schedule next year. He wants to be able to sit the O.W.L. in a year's time, which is an incredibly ambitious goal, and if anyone else had suggested it, I would have said no straight off. But I have a feeling that Percy can accomplish anything he puts his mind to. If he's already convinced Bathsheda to offer the course, he's fought half the battle already. I shouldn't speak to such things yet, of course, but I feel certain your family will be gaining a third Prefect come next year. Percy will be dropping Divination to make room in his schedule, and he confided to me that it is his personal goal to earn 12 Outstanding scores on the O.W.L.s. It is a lofty goal, to be sure, but I am, of course, committed to helping him obtain it.
I wish Fred and George showed the same amount of drive and ambition when it came to their education. They have plenty of drive and ambition, to be sure, but it takes an altogether unfortunate form. And yet, when not driving me straight up the nearest wall, I have to admit that I find myself, on occasion, greatly amused by them. Objectively speaking, it is rare that their antics have any sort of malicious intent; indeed, their goal seems to be laughter more often than not. And I will admit here what I will admit very seldom elsewhere – Fred and George have been known to make me laugh on occasion. Certainly, they come up with the most creative excuses for not completing their work that I have heard in all my years of teaching. I wish dearly that they'd apply themselves to their schoolwork every once in a while, and yet, for all that, I cannot deny their charm or their charisma, and if I didn't have to continuously dole out punishments and dock points from my own House, there is every possibility that we would get on famously. At least, I believe this until the next time their destructive tendencies get the better of them.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 2nd year
1 April 1991
Mrs. Weasley,
I was going to wish your boys a happy birthday today. Then they decided to celebrate themselves by setting off a crate of firecrackers in the Great Hall. Their propensity for pyrotechnics indoors is quite alarming to me, Mrs. Weasley. Twenty-seven people had to report to the Hospital Wing as a result of their inflammatory actions, myself included. Fred and George will spend every night of the next month with Madame Pomfrey, and I now retract every good thing I wrote about them four days ago.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 3rd year
7 September 1991
Mrs. Weasley,
This is not a notice of rule-breaking; it is merely a story I have to share with you.
I had to hold Fred and George back after class yesterday because they spent the period shirking off and were completely unable to manage a simple pigment transfiguration by the end of class, so I told them they'd be spending all of today in detention with me until they could both manage it. Knowing Quidditch trials were today, I thought the punishment might, for once, do some good. They complained, of course, but I told them that unless they could prove mastery of the spell before 11am this morning, it was all day detention, regardless of what Oliver Wood had to say about it.
This morning, owl post was delivered by twenty-four school owls every color of the rainbow. I know I should be furious, but the truth is, it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
Minerva
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 3rd year
28 September 1991
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
One month into their third year, I have received two letters of complaint, as I predicted, from Professor Kettleburn and Professor Burbage as they have learned firsthand what it means to have the Weasley twins in their class. I expect the letters will only continue.
Five detentions, three breaches of curfew, and somehow they managed to trap Mrs. Norris in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom for four hours. Neither party was particularly pleased, and now the entire corridor is flooded. They'll be cleaning that up.
Until next month,
Minerva McGonagall
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First Term Report: Weasley, Percy - 5th year; Fred and George - 3rd year, Ronald - 1st year
1 November 1991
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I must start this letter by informing you of a minor breach of security experienced at the castle last evening. Somehow, a mountain troll was let into the school dungeons; however, the situation was dealt with swiftly, and no students suffered any injuries from the creature. The safeguards we have in place for events like this worked nearly perfectly, and all students were escorted to the safety of their dormitories, with the exception of one student who went in search of the troll, thinking she could handle such a creature on her own, and two students who went after the first. Your son Ron was one of those students. And though his actions were undeniably reckless, he was acting in the interest of protecting another. All three were unharmed, and we are working to put the incident behind us.
I will start this progress report, then, with your youngest son, Ron. Ron, it seems to me, has a lot of untapped potential. At present, he is a mediocre student, though he does all right and is not the worst I've ever seen by any means. But I get the feeling from him that he doesn't feel as if he'll live up to the legacy left by his elder brothers, so it isn't as important for him to try. I will do my best to dispel him of this notion. He has made friends with Harry Potter, who you may know started at Hogwarts this year as well, and is also in Gryffindor House. It is my opinion that Ron has been a good friend for Mr. Potter, knowing as he does the Wizarding world. I have overheard your son many times explaining some aspect or another to Mr. Potter, and last night, it was Ron and Harry who went to the aid of the young girl with the troll. This encourages me as to Ron's character, even if I could wish his schoolwork was a little better.
Fred and George are as prolific with their mischief as ever. We recently had a rash of students standing in front of an ordinary wall on the second floor, shouting some nonsense word at it, as if trying to open a secret passage. I have no proof, but I have the unshakeable feeling that your sons are behind this somehow. They have also been chased away from the recently forbidden third floor corridor no fewer than five times since the start of term. As for their academics, they have taken to their new classes with all the half-hearted focus of their original five. Professor Burbage is endlessly patient, but Professor Kettleburn is constantly comparing them to Charlie, which I know for a fact is not helping.
Percy has taken to his Prefect duties with gusto – perhaps too much gusto on occasion. He can get a little supercilious in his manner with the younger students, but he is entirely on top of his responsibilities so I cannot complain too loudly. His schoolwork continues to be excellent. Professor Babbling absolutely raves about him, and that, Mrs. Weasley, is unprecedented.
Minerva McGonagall
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Update: All students, 1991-1992 School Year
10 June 1992
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
By now you have been informed by Professor Dumbledore of the events of the past few days. Shocking to us all, and so very unsettling to have had proven what we have all long feared with regards to He Who Must Not Be Named, but the purpose of this letter is not to dwell on these events. The purpose of this letter is to stress something I fear Professor Dumbledore may have only hinted at in his letter to you.
Your son Ron showed exceptional brain power in the midst of all this. He and Mr. Potter and Miss Granger had to fight their way through any number of obstacles designed to test, challenge, and keep out fully grown wizards, and they proved a match for each and every one, a fact which is somewhat startling and disconcerting to me.
From the first day in my class, Ron has struck me as a boy with great but untapped potential, a boy who currently relies on the quickest and easiest path in any given situation, a boy who is sadly under motivated and who holds himself back from reaching his true potential through indifference and a fear of being noticeably less than his brothers.
And yet that boy, Molly, beat a chess set infused with the essence of a master chess player – myself. Your son Ron won a match against my chess set. I do not know who taught him to play, but this one fact has forced me to reevaluate everything I thought I knew about him, for if this talent lies somewhere beneath the surface, I will not rest until I have done all in my power to bring it forward into evidence. Your son is not one to be underestimated, and I wanted to make sure that I communicated this to you. You should be very proud of him. Not of his propensity for sniffing out trouble, which I fear is going nowhere, but for this inherent truth of his person. He has an unprecedented amount of potential. More than ever, I look forward to seeing what he becomes.
On more practical matters, he was treated by Madame Pomfrey for a concussion and gash to the head, but he is sufficiently on the mend and anxiously waiting (as are we all) for Harry Potter to regain consciousness.
Oh, and Fred and George wanted me to be sure I mentioned that it was they who tried to send Mr. Potter a get-well toilet seat. I won't ask, but I have a feeling you know why.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Ron - 2nd year
1 September 1992
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I write this letter before term has even officially begun to inform you of a breach of conduct so grievous I honestly cannot recall its like in all my years of teaching, and I must tell you that if I ever thought I would write this letter to you, I would have sworn I was writing it concerning one of your twins, but shockingly, I am not.
Your youngest son Ron arrived at school this evening not by train, but by means of a flying Ford Anglia that he and Mr. Potter stole from Kings' Cross Station and then flew all the way to Hogwarts. The car in question, which I am told belongs to you, crashed into the Whomping Willow upon entry. While the boys are more or less unharmed, the seriousness of this situation cannot be overstated.
The car was seen by at least two Muggles, and was written about in their press, which constitutes a breach of the Statute of Secrecy. Given that the boys involved are minors and students, the Ministry has allowed Hogwarts to deal with their punishment, but I fear that, as the car in question belongs to you, the Ministry will be making inquiries.
There are those at the school who feel that the appropriate punishment is expulsion for both boys. Personally, I do not feel such action is necessary, as it appears to me that this act was the result of careless thinking rather than any malicious intent, but both boys will serve detention, and both boys may face expulsion if any further rule breaking occurs this year.
I am heartily sorry to have to inform you of this, Molly. I would never have expected such behavior from Ron.
Minerva McGonagall
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Second Term Report: Weasley, Percy - 6th year; Fred and George - 4th year; Ron - 2nd year; Ginny - 1st year
30 March 1993
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
As you well know, this has not been an easy year so far. Hogwarts has never faced so much danger and worry as we have this year, and I know that parents have been concerned, but I assure you now as I have all year, Hogwarts is as safe as we can make it, every precaution is being taken to ensure the childrens' safety, and we are doing our best to give them as normal a school year as possible.
That being said, the strain of this year is evident in all our students. Percy is as withdrawn and secretive as I've ever seen him. He still completes all his classwork admirably, and his duties have never once suffered, but I hadn't realized how social he'd become until suddenly he wasn't anymore.
Fred and George seem to be the only ones immune to the tension in the halls. You have, perhaps, heard the ridiculous rumors circulating that Harry Potter might be the so-called Heir of Slytherin? Half the school walks in fear of him, but there your boys go, poking fun at that fear, showing how ridiculous it is. I never thought I'd say it, but there are days I am truly glad of Fred and George's ridiculousness, for it helps to diffuse the cloud hanging over all our heads.
As I wrote in November, Ron has toed the line all year, keeping up with his work and staying out of trouble. I have even been proud of him, the way he has stuck fast to Harry's side through all the nonsense that seems to be cropping up around him.
However, I am increasingly concerned about Ginny. I wrote in November that she seemed anxious and withdrawn, and that has only become more pronounced. I do not think she is getting adequate sleep, and I know for certain she is eating very little. Luckily, she has four older brothers all trying to watch out for her, but I fear something is wrong beyond the worry that infects the rest of us. I will keep my own eyes out, when I have them to spare, but I fear that the only respite will come when the bastard behind all this is caught.
Minerva McGonagall
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Update: All students, 1993-1994 School Year
August 20, 1993
To All Parents:
As you may or may not be aware, high security prisoner Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban Prison, and there is some concern that he may be headed for Hogwarts School. I and the administration of the school wish to reassure you that the highest safety precautions are being put in place around the school to ensure the safety of the students this year. There is no cause for alarm; however, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Minerva McGonagall
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Update: Weasley, Ginny - 2nd year/Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 5th year
8 September 1993
Molly and Arthur,
I wanted to write early in the year just to keep you apprised of Ginny and how she is doing back in this environment. I was thrilled to hear about the Daily Prophet Galleon Draw – I think a big trip like that was just what your family needed.
You have a very resilient girl. No one in the school is holding anything against her; indeed, more people seem to be going out of their way to befriend her. And she is open and engaged and smiling and seems to be moving on past last year's events most admirably. She doesn't talk about what happened at all, which has the potential to be worrying, but I think she has enough friends around her to keep her moving forward.
Also, Fred and George have been making up for lost time. Expect a full report at the end of the month, but so far in the past eight days, they have turned Professor Binns bright purple, organized a broom racing tournament in the Northwest corridor, time-delayed destructive charms to go off at specific times all about the castle, and basically done everything in their power to ensure that Percy has three times as much to deal with as any Head Boy before him. I would attempt to call them to task, but I fear that would only exacerbate the situation. Professor Lupin has said he will try to take them in hand, and a part of me flashes back twenty years and shudders to think what might come out of this. But who knows – maybe it will take a trickster to tame the tricksters. We'll see.
Minerva McGonagall
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Second Term Report: Weasley, Percy - 7th year; Fred and George - 5th year; Ron - 3rd year; Ginny - 2nd year
30 March 1994
Molly and Arthur,
The end of another year in which I say goodbye to one of your boys is approaching. Percy has been a wonderful student to teach over the last seven years, easily among the most dedicated and studious. Though he claims to be less certain, I am sure that he will pass his N.E.W.T.s with flying colors, and easily earn his Ministry internship. I see no end to the things he has the potential to achieve. He has been a strict but efficient Head Boy, and with all the issues with Dementors and Sirius Black that we have had to face this year, he has been invaluable. You should be very proud.
My only concern is that, having seen what he is like without someone to counter his intense focus on work, he will slip back into some of those tendencies without Oliver Wood around to pull him out of his shell. I do very much hope that the two boys remain in contact with one another – I feel a little pull of pride whenever I think of that friendship. I am glad we trusted our instincts six years ago, Molly. But please, let me know how Percy gets on.
Fred and George have been up to their usual antics this month. To be perfectly honest with you, Molly, I sometimes shudder to think of the amount of mischief they're getting into that I'm not catching. Because they're more than clever enough to be getting away with at least some things. No, I am not ashamed to admit that. You have two very clever and very intelligent boys in your twins – though, please do not tell them I said that, of course. I merely wish that their intelligence wasn't being so very misapplied. I do continue to worry about their schoolwork; their grades are passable in most areas, but I worry about what their futures will look like when they leave school, since I can't see that they take anything here as seriously as their desire to make mischief. I suppose that is a question that will have to wait for their Career Advice meeting, though.
Ron has been in a severe argument with Hermione for much of the semester, and to be frank, it's been showing in his classwork. I don't listen to student gossip enough to know what the argument is about this time, but I do wish they'd make up. Ron is a much better student when he has Hermione to check over his homework and prompt him to study occasionally. He does well enough, but as I've mentioned before, he seems almost afraid to try harder. I am still trying to pull that out of him. But he remains a bright boy and a steadfast friend.
And then there's Ginny, and oh, have a seen her grow by leaps and bounds this year! The more I get to know her, the harder it is for me to believe that I ever thought her shy. She has made a great many friends – she reminds me of Bill in that way – and is very well liked within her class. She is a good student, as well, with a great instinct for magic and how it works. The only trouble I have with her is that she tends to rely a little too heavily on that instinct and neglect to study the theory behind the magic, which is just as important. So long as something does work for her, she is remarkably unconcerned with how it works. But she is a powerful spell caster, even at only twelve.
You have a good group of children, Molly, and I do enjoy them.
Minerva McGonagall
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Update: Weasley, Fred and George - 5th year
30 April 1994
Molly and Arthur,
I have just come from a most interesting Career Advice meeting with your boys. They asked to meet with me jointly, which is not usually done, but in this case I made an exception.
It is my policy not to share the details of these meetings even with parents, to give the students a sense of security and safety in what they tell me, but I will say this: I have never heard your boys talk so definitively and conscientiously about their future, and what they had to share with me was quite enlightening. I have more hope for them than I previously did.
I still have no idea what Professor Lupin said to Fred and George at the beginning of the year, and I don't want to know. But I have seen a marked change in them. They have really buckled down this year, spending less time making trouble and more time studying. They've even been spotted in the library, poring over books and taking many, many notes. I find it slightly unsettling that this rise in study has not, as of yet, made a corresponding rise in marks in most of their classes, but maybe the focus is on the upcoming O.W.L.s. We can only hope.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 6th year
25 October 1994
Molly,
So far this year, Fred and George have served zero detentions, lost no points for Gryffindor, and gotten into no trouble that I can discern. On top of that, they have been attending class, studying regularly, and turning all their assignments in on time. They have become model students, both in and out of the classroom.
I am really quite concerned.
Minerva
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 6th year
31 October 1994
Molly,
Fred and George brewed an illicit Aging Potion to try and slip past Professor Dumbledore's Age Line and register for the Tournament. They were also caught laying Zephyr Charms around the Beauxbatons carriage. They've been docked points and given detention, and I am now less concerned.
Minerva
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 6th year
30 January 1995
Molly,
The older your boys get, the more involved their antics become. Truly, I have seen some remarkable magic out of the two of them – if only I saw it exercised in class! We had a rash of students randomly turning into canaries recently, and I was informed that Fred and George were responsible! A full body transformative spell contained within foodstuff and deliberately keyed to ingestion to be set off is very advanced Transfiguration work. I'd ask for a sample to analyze if I didn't fear it would only encourage them.
Minerva
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8 October 1995
Molly,
Umbridge has just gone and gotten herself declared "High Inquisitor" by the Minister – rubbish excuse to poke her nose into all our business, if you ask me. I consider myself more than a match for her, but for Dumbledore's sake, I will do my best to keep my head down, as it were, so if you hear from me less frequently and more formally this year, you will understand the reason why. I do not believe Umbridge would dare try to read and censor my letters, but then I am not always able to predict the actions of fools.
Minerva
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First Term Report: Weasley, Fred and George - 7th year; Ron - 5th year; Ginny - 4th year
1 November 1995
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I have received permission from Hogwarts' High Inquisitor, to continue sending out term reports as normal, though my comments and my notes will be shared with the Inquisitor, so that she may better do her job and get to know the students of Gryffindor House.
Fred and George have been serious disappointments to us so far this year. They flout authority at every turn and have hot tempers not at all in keeping with the values Hogwarts' students should be promoting. If they are not careful, they will find themselves on the wrong side of the Inquisitor. She has already had to assign them several detentions, and their classwork is not up to the standards expected of seventh year students. They have serious work ahead of them if they expect to achieve adequate scores on their N.E.W.T.s.
Ron does not put in the effort that he should on his work, and it is seriously sub-par. He does not seem to be treating his O.W.L. year with the focus that it deserves, and he insists on continued association with known troublemakers and rabble-rousers.
Ginny has a hot temper that is going to get her into trouble if she does not learn to sit quietly and obey directions. She has a tendency to speak out of turn and question professors inappropriately, particularly in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She has the potential to be a good student, but only if she learns to reign in her temper and keep her nose clean.
It pains me to have to say it, Mrs. Weasley, but all four of your children show something of the rebel in their day-to-day behavior. If they continue on in this vein, they will be branded as rabble-rousers who stand against the Ministry. If I were you, I would strongly caution them against such attitudes in the future.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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2 November 1995
Molly,
I'm sending this letter with Archimedes via Rosmerta, so that Umbridge cannot get her hands on it, but I am so furious right now I could burst. You'll be getting an official letter from me in a moment, but know this: your boys were provoked at that match, deliberately, and they were defending their honor and yours, and while they absolutely should not have risen to the bait, and while I'm furious with them both for not seeing that, I am more furious with that woman and what she is turning this school into! She won't be content until she has taken every scrap of authority out of our hands and Dumbledore's, and the punishment that she handed to Harry and Fred and George was entirely disproportionate and out of line, and it was as much to get back at me for going over her head as it was to punish them. And for that, I am sorry, though I cannot admit as much to the boys.
I know it is foolhardy to ask it of them, but they have got to keep their heads down this year, and maybe you can convince them of that. I understand their frustration; believe me, I live with it constantly, but they will make matters worse for themselves if they continue like this. I can't prove it, but I am almost certain there is something subversive going on centered around Harry, and if there is, you know as well as I that Ron and Fred and George and Ginny will all be right at the heart of it as well, and that strikes fear into my heart, Molly, it really does.
But with all their role models in the Order, I suppose we can't really expect any less from them, can we?
Minerva
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 7th year
2 November 1995
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I must unfortunately inform you that your sons, Fred and George, have been handed a lifelong Quidditch ban by Hogwarts' High Inquisitor Professor Umbridge following a shocking display of violence after today's Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. George, along with Harry Potter, physically attacked Draco Malfoy, and Fred would have joined in the violence as well, had he not been restrained, so all three have been punished accordingly. They will serve a week's detention, and their brooms have been taken away.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 7th year; Ron - 5th year; Ginny - 4th year
4 April 1996
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
I write at the behest of our newly instated Headmistress to inform you that Mr. Harry Potter was caught holding a meeting of a group calling themselves Dumbledore's Army. Among the supposed attendees were your four children, who names were found on a list of the members, though we have no physical proof that they were in attendance.
Albus Dumbledore has been removed from his position of Headmaster by the Ministry, and Dolores Umbridge has been instated in his place. She is graciously granting amnesty to the students on the list of members, but would like to stress that any whisper of being involved in such activities in the future will result in immediate expulsion from the school, as sanctioned by Educational Decree 24.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions you might have.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 7th year
5 April 1996
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
Your sons Fred and George are responsible for setting off a large number of fireworks inside the school today. They have completely taken over the classrooms, halls, and grounds, and our illustrious Headmistress has been at her wits' end trying to dispel them, as none of the teachers seem able to do anything about them. Your sons have quite disrupted the entire school day, and show no regrets about doing so. The Headmistress has asked me to convey to you that such behavior will not be tolerated within her school.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 7th year
7 April 1996
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
A Slytherin student by the name of Graham Montague was found this afternoon in a school toilet. The student in question has been missing for a few days. Upon his reappearance, he told his Head of House and the Headmistress that he had been forced into a Vanishing Cabinet by your sons, Fred and George. Madame Pomfrey has declared that the boy is magic-addled from whatever happened to him, and so your sons cannot be firmly implicated in this, but if they are, it is a serious offense, and the Headmistress will be forced to take drastic action if she can prove the twins were behind this.
As always, do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions.
Minerva McGonagall
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Behavior Notification: Weasley, Fred and George - 7th year
9 April 1996
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,
It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that your sons Fred and George have been expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reasons for the expulsion, outlined by Headmistress Dolores Umbridge, are as follows:
-Willful endangerment of fellow students
-Deliberate obstruction of school property
-Deliberate destruction of school property
-Theft
-Likely participation in an illicit and illegal subversive group of students
-Leaving school grounds without proper authorization
-Collaboration with malicious intent with the poltergeist known as Peeves
-Deliberate and continual flouting of the authority of Hogwarts' Headmistress
-Blatant disrespect toward Hogwarts' Headmistress
As the boys have already left Hogwarts' premises of their own volition, they will not be sent home on the train, and their belongings will be sent directly to their new address in London.
Minerva McGonagall
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9 April 1996
Molly,
I have never been more proud of them.
Minerva
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19 June 1996
Fred and George,
You two have been a thorn in my side since the day you entered Hogwarts. Never in all my teaching career have I sent so many letters home. I don't think my owl Archimedes will ever forgive the pair of you. You have been the cause of more headaches, more frustration, and more punishments than any other students I have taught. You flouted authority, disregarded convention, and treated the idea of schooling with a casual disrespect that was borderline insulting on more than one occasion. I despaired often of the pair of you, and whether or not I would ever be able to teach you anything.
And yet, Fred and George, for all the trouble you have caused me, and all the lamentations I have made against your name, there were many moments when you made me laugh, when I had to excuse myself from a room for fear of breaking character. You brought laughter into unbearable tension, and that is a quality that we will need all too much of all too soon. The truth is, boys, you are both Gryffindors through and through, and hard as it is for me to believe I am saying the words aloud, I am proud of you, and I am glad to have known you, and to have taught you.
Good luck with your shop, boys. I have no doubt that you will do well. I may even stop by sometime to see how you are getting on.
Minerva McGongall
PS - Yes, in case you were wondering, Archimedes is the owl delivering this letter. I am slightly sorry for any injuries you might have already sustained from him. But only slightly. Good day to you both.
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