Slightly Overdue Fic for Fred and/or George Month at Helmetfest 2008
Title: Left Hanging
Prompt: Accidental magic
Rating: PG
Pairing: Gen; George/Luna (implied)
Summary: George finds himself in a bit of a pickle, and has to rely on Ron to help him out.
Warnings: None
Notes: Written for helmet_fest2008 's Fred and/or George month. Sorry I'm late again...but this time it was only a few days!! Hope you all enjoy!!
George heaved a deep, frustrated sigh and closed his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest and absently began drumming the fingers of his right hand on his left arm.
Okay…deep breath…and let’s hope that when I open my eyes this will all be back to normal…
He snorted slightly as he realized that he had just thought of his flat and “normal” in the same sentence.
Clearly, all the blood is rushing to my head. Which means that…
“I’m still upside down Fred.”
George opened his eyes and looked around. Sure enough, he was surveying their flat above the shop from the exact reverse of the usual perspective as he hovered arse-over-head somewhere near the ceiling.
He gazed below where his head was dangling to the spot where a few coins and a couple of trick sweets lay on the floor. They had tumbled out of the pockets of his trousers when he had been upturned and hoisted into the air over the flat’s open living room.
“Nice Levicorpus, Fred. And very clever of you to cast it so quickly too,” George muttered under his breath.
Fred merely laughed in response, and George grimaced as he felt his face grow warmer and his head started to feel light and floaty.
If only I hadn’t left my wand on the nightstand I could’ve Finite’d my way out of this by now…
As his vision started to go slightly blurry at the edges, George tried to leverage himself away from the ceiling, pushing first with one foot and then the other. But, as expected, he had no luck at turning himself right-side up. And in fact, after his feet pushed against the plaster of the ceiling George found it was impossible to pick them back up again.
“A sticking charm too, mate? Oh, that better not be a permanent one.”
More laughter was all that greeted his grumbled threats, as Fred - who was rapidly growing hysterical with mirth over George’s predicament - rolled over onto his back and proceeded to laugh himself silly.
“I’m glad you find it all so funny…when I do get down from here…”
But George was suddenly struck with a wave of dizziness so strong he couldn’t even complete his thought.
Damn…I really need to get down from here, but I hate to let anyone see that he got the best of me…ah, heck, I’m gonna pass out…I don’t care if it is embarrassing to be seen like this…I’d even be happy if…
“Oi! George? You there?” came a muffled voice from the shop below. There was a brief pause, then the voice called again louder and more clearly, “George?!”
…Ron found me.
“Up here, Ron,” George called to his brother.
“What are you still doing in the flat, George?” Ron asked as he emerged from the stairwell while shrugging on his magenta work robes. “The shop should’ve been open fifteen minutes ago….oh.”
Ron had finally looked up and seen where George was. George waved at him and then clutched his head briefly as it started to throb.
“Yes, Ronniekins. Oh, indeed.”
Ron looked at the floor directly below George, to where Fred - his mirth finally spent - lay in a relaxed heap with a goofy grin on his face and his limbs flung away from his body at crazy angles. Stepping closer to the pair, Ron ignored George and spoke directly to Fred as he knelt next to him.
“So, you did this to him, did you?”
George rolled his eyes, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Before Fred could speak, George answered for him.
“Yes he did, and I couldn’t get down. My wand’s on the nightstand and Luna’s at that conference on magical creatures legislation with Hermione, so I couldn’t-”
“Harry used this spell on me once…right when he first learned it,” Ron mused, cutting George off. “Right dangerous, that. He didn’t even know what it did…you must be awfully dizzy George.”
George thought he detected a slight smirk at the corner of Ron’s mouth. But he couldn’t be sure…it was awfully hard to tell since he was still hanging upside down, and the throbbing in his head was starting to turn into more of a hammering sensation.
“Oh you don’t say. Now will you please get me dow- Ow! Git!”
In the middle of George’s ranting, Ron had quietly performed the counter-jinx and a quick spell to rotate George slightly. That was thoughtful, George thought, didn’t fall on my head…but he could’ve done a cushioning charm too, the prat…
“Alright there, George?”
“Fine…no thanks to you.”
“Hey, I could’ve left you up there you know,” Ron said, rising to his feet.
“Yeah, yeah…I know. Thanks. My head feels like I’ve been hit with a Jelly-Brain Jinx, I was up there for so long,” George moved his head gingerly from side to side, and, finding that he felt a little better, finally pushed himself to standing. Vision clearing, he looked around for the culprit - who was trying to crawl off behind the sofa.
“Oh no you don’t. Come back here you,” George reached down and scooped up his four and a half year old son. He looked at the child with as much sternness as he could muster…which, admittedly, wasn’t much. After all, the boy was looking at him with a contrite pout on his lips and a glint in his slate blue eyes that George recognized all too well.
“Now Freddy…do you remember the talk Mummy and I had with you about trying to be more careful with your accidental magic?”
The boy looked up at him and nodded with the solemnity of a fair-skinned, red-haired cherub, but George could see the little hint of deviltry that still lurked in Freddy’s eyes.
Who am I kidding? How can I punish him when I’m proud of him?
“Okay then…now try not to hang Daddy from the ceiling anymore, alright?” Freddy nodded again and leaned in to George to give him a hug with his small arms. George squeezed his son’s tiny frame, and then set him on his feet. “Go on then, run and get your cloak and toys and I’ll take you to your gran’s.”
George and Ron watched Freddy scamper down the hall of the flat towards his room. They stood in companionable silence for a moment before Ron spoke.
“Well you must be glad.”
“Hm?”
“The accidental magic and all…you know, he’ll definitely be getting his letter then.”
“Yeah. I’d just rather he didn’t seem to have quite so many incidents. The other day, he levitated all of Luna’s specimens from her most recent research trip and made them dance in mid-air.”
“Wow. He really seems to have a knack for making things float then, eh?”
“Mm. You’ve not lived until you’ve seen two dozen Streelers doing a levitating ballet.”
Ron laughed hard at that. “No, I suppose I haven’t…so, I’m glad I got you down before he had you doing a tap routine or something, but I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything about your other problem.”
“Other problem?” George asked, cocking his eyebrow quizzically at Ron.
“Yeah…I don’t know any counter-jinx for that.”
“For what, Ron?! For Merlin’s sake, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” George exclaimed, just as Freddy came running back down the hall, cloak on and carrying a large stuffed toy that had an elongated snout, flipper-like feet, and a long spiral-shaped horn.
“Me n’Snorky are ready, Daddy!” Freddy proudly proclaimed, waving the plush creature about.
“Sorry, George,” Ron said, drawing George’s attention back to the conversation they’d been having before Freddy had returned, “but I thought you knew…he also turned all your freckles green.”
“Bloody hell!”
Prompt: Accidental magic
Rating: PG
Pairing: Gen; George/Luna (implied)
Summary: George finds himself in a bit of a pickle, and has to rely on Ron to help him out.
Warnings: None
Notes: Written for helmet_fest2008 's Fred and/or George month. Sorry I'm late again...but this time it was only a few days!! Hope you all enjoy!!
George heaved a deep, frustrated sigh and closed his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest and absently began drumming the fingers of his right hand on his left arm.
Okay…deep breath…and let’s hope that when I open my eyes this will all be back to normal…
He snorted slightly as he realized that he had just thought of his flat and “normal” in the same sentence.
Clearly, all the blood is rushing to my head. Which means that…
“I’m still upside down Fred.”
George opened his eyes and looked around. Sure enough, he was surveying their flat above the shop from the exact reverse of the usual perspective as he hovered arse-over-head somewhere near the ceiling.
He gazed below where his head was dangling to the spot where a few coins and a couple of trick sweets lay on the floor. They had tumbled out of the pockets of his trousers when he had been upturned and hoisted into the air over the flat’s open living room.
“Nice Levicorpus, Fred. And very clever of you to cast it so quickly too,” George muttered under his breath.
Fred merely laughed in response, and George grimaced as he felt his face grow warmer and his head started to feel light and floaty.
If only I hadn’t left my wand on the nightstand I could’ve Finite’d my way out of this by now…
As his vision started to go slightly blurry at the edges, George tried to leverage himself away from the ceiling, pushing first with one foot and then the other. But, as expected, he had no luck at turning himself right-side up. And in fact, after his feet pushed against the plaster of the ceiling George found it was impossible to pick them back up again.
“A sticking charm too, mate? Oh, that better not be a permanent one.”
More laughter was all that greeted his grumbled threats, as Fred - who was rapidly growing hysterical with mirth over George’s predicament - rolled over onto his back and proceeded to laugh himself silly.
“I’m glad you find it all so funny…when I do get down from here…”
But George was suddenly struck with a wave of dizziness so strong he couldn’t even complete his thought.
Damn…I really need to get down from here, but I hate to let anyone see that he got the best of me…ah, heck, I’m gonna pass out…I don’t care if it is embarrassing to be seen like this…I’d even be happy if…
“Oi! George? You there?” came a muffled voice from the shop below. There was a brief pause, then the voice called again louder and more clearly, “George?!”
…Ron found me.
“Up here, Ron,” George called to his brother.
“What are you still doing in the flat, George?” Ron asked as he emerged from the stairwell while shrugging on his magenta work robes. “The shop should’ve been open fifteen minutes ago….oh.”
Ron had finally looked up and seen where George was. George waved at him and then clutched his head briefly as it started to throb.
“Yes, Ronniekins. Oh, indeed.”
Ron looked at the floor directly below George, to where Fred - his mirth finally spent - lay in a relaxed heap with a goofy grin on his face and his limbs flung away from his body at crazy angles. Stepping closer to the pair, Ron ignored George and spoke directly to Fred as he knelt next to him.
“So, you did this to him, did you?”
George rolled his eyes, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Before Fred could speak, George answered for him.
“Yes he did, and I couldn’t get down. My wand’s on the nightstand and Luna’s at that conference on magical creatures legislation with Hermione, so I couldn’t-”
“Harry used this spell on me once…right when he first learned it,” Ron mused, cutting George off. “Right dangerous, that. He didn’t even know what it did…you must be awfully dizzy George.”
George thought he detected a slight smirk at the corner of Ron’s mouth. But he couldn’t be sure…it was awfully hard to tell since he was still hanging upside down, and the throbbing in his head was starting to turn into more of a hammering sensation.
“Oh you don’t say. Now will you please get me dow- Ow! Git!”
In the middle of George’s ranting, Ron had quietly performed the counter-jinx and a quick spell to rotate George slightly. That was thoughtful, George thought, didn’t fall on my head…but he could’ve done a cushioning charm too, the prat…
“Alright there, George?”
“Fine…no thanks to you.”
“Hey, I could’ve left you up there you know,” Ron said, rising to his feet.
“Yeah, yeah…I know. Thanks. My head feels like I’ve been hit with a Jelly-Brain Jinx, I was up there for so long,” George moved his head gingerly from side to side, and, finding that he felt a little better, finally pushed himself to standing. Vision clearing, he looked around for the culprit - who was trying to crawl off behind the sofa.
“Oh no you don’t. Come back here you,” George reached down and scooped up his four and a half year old son. He looked at the child with as much sternness as he could muster…which, admittedly, wasn’t much. After all, the boy was looking at him with a contrite pout on his lips and a glint in his slate blue eyes that George recognized all too well.
“Now Freddy…do you remember the talk Mummy and I had with you about trying to be more careful with your accidental magic?”
The boy looked up at him and nodded with the solemnity of a fair-skinned, red-haired cherub, but George could see the little hint of deviltry that still lurked in Freddy’s eyes.
Who am I kidding? How can I punish him when I’m proud of him?
“Okay then…now try not to hang Daddy from the ceiling anymore, alright?” Freddy nodded again and leaned in to George to give him a hug with his small arms. George squeezed his son’s tiny frame, and then set him on his feet. “Go on then, run and get your cloak and toys and I’ll take you to your gran’s.”
George and Ron watched Freddy scamper down the hall of the flat towards his room. They stood in companionable silence for a moment before Ron spoke.
“Well you must be glad.”
“Hm?”
“The accidental magic and all…you know, he’ll definitely be getting his letter then.”
“Yeah. I’d just rather he didn’t seem to have quite so many incidents. The other day, he levitated all of Luna’s specimens from her most recent research trip and made them dance in mid-air.”
“Wow. He really seems to have a knack for making things float then, eh?”
“Mm. You’ve not lived until you’ve seen two dozen Streelers doing a levitating ballet.”
Ron laughed hard at that. “No, I suppose I haven’t…so, I’m glad I got you down before he had you doing a tap routine or something, but I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything about your other problem.”
“Other problem?” George asked, cocking his eyebrow quizzically at Ron.
“Yeah…I don’t know any counter-jinx for that.”
“For what, Ron?! For Merlin’s sake, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” George exclaimed, just as Freddy came running back down the hall, cloak on and carrying a large stuffed toy that had an elongated snout, flipper-like feet, and a long spiral-shaped horn.
“Me n’Snorky are ready, Daddy!” Freddy proudly proclaimed, waving the plush creature about.
“Sorry, George,” Ron said, drawing George’s attention back to the conversation they’d been having before Freddy had returned, “but I thought you knew…he also turned all your freckles green.”
“Bloody hell!”