"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air the moment Harry came strolling into the kitchen. "You always get away with stuff!"

''They were bound to clear you," Hermione said, who had looked positively faint with anxiety when Harry had entered the kitchen and was now holding a shaking hand over her eyes, "There was no case against you, none at all."

''Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering you all knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling.

Molly was wiping her face on her apron, and Fred, George, Tori, and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went: ''He got off, he got off, he got off—"

''That's enough! Settle down!" Arthur shouted, though he too was smiling. They didn't, no shock there. Tori grabbed Fred's hands, spinning around the kitchen.

''He got off, he got off, he got off —"

''Be quiet, you four!" Arthur sighed.

Again, they didn't. Tori and Fred continued to spin around the kitchen, collapsing into each other arms once they had gotten too dizzy.

''He got off, he got off, he got off   —   '

''That's enough— Fred—  George— Tori— Ginny!" Molly shouted, as Arthur left the kitchen. "Harry, dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast..."

"A free man! That Harry Potter!" Tori cried dramatically, standing on a chair as Sirius chuckled with amusement. "A man that can not be chained to a cage!" George shouted, helping Tori down.

''HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF. HE GOT OFF—"

''SHUT UP!" roared Molly.

✧    ✦    ✧

On the very last day of the holidays, Tori had broken the news to Fred.

"Mum knows?! When did you find out?" He asked with a nervous expression upon his face. He was shocked to learn how long she had known this news.

"And... you didn't tell me?" He demanded. Tori couldn't help but laugh. "It's not the big of a deal! She's okay with it! Did you really think either of us would have told her?"

The original deal was for Tori to tell George, and Fred to tell Molly. However, because of some certain events, Fred had cracked and spilled to George about their relationship. Tori absolutely refused to tell Molly in fear of... death.

"I suppose you're right..." Fred was then hit flat in the face with an envelope. "George!"

"Oh, heads up. Hogwart's letter." He handed Tori's hers while she was making sure Fred hadn't gotten a paper cut on his face.

The three of them opened their letters. There wasn't a long list, only a few new books were needed. Their N.E.W.T.S. were this year, and Tori knew she was going to be pushed back into the studying black hole.

Seventh Years will need:
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Seven by Miranda Goshawk
Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard

"I wonder who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is." Fred pondered, running his fingers through his hair.

"Maybe they're a good one, like Professor Lupin," Tori mumbled, tapping her finger against her lip.

"Let's go see Harry and Ron, maybe they'll know," George suggested, snapping away.

Crack.

Fred and George apparated right beside Harry. He was so used to them doing this by now that he didn't even fall off his chair. Tori appeared next to Ron, still reading over her letter.

''We were just wondering who assigned the Slinkhard book," said Fred conversationally.

''Because it means Dumbledore's found a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," George sighed.

''And about time too," Tori replied, glancing up at the other boys.

''What d'you mean?" Harry asked, jumping down beside the twins.

"Well, we overheard Mum and Dad talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks back," Fred told Harry, ''And from what they were saying, Dumbledore was having real trouble finding anyone to do the job this year."

''Not surprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?" George chuckled weakly.

''One sacked, one dead, one's memory removed, and one locked in a trunk for nine months," Harry said counting them off on his fingers. "Yeah, I see what you mean."

''What's up with you, Ron?" Tori asked the boy, who hadn't said a word.

Ron did not answer. Ron was standing very still with his mouth slightly open, gaping at his letter from Hogwarts.

''What's the matter?" Fred asked impatiently, moving around Ron to look over his shoulder at the parchment.

Fred's mouth fell open, too.

''Prefect?" He said, staring incredulously at the letter. ''Prefect?"

George leapt forward, seized the envelope in Ron's other hand, and turned it upside-down. Tori saw something scarlet and gold fall into George's palm.

''No way," George whispers in a hushed voice.

"There's been a mistake," Fred said, snatching the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect."

The twins' heads turned in unison and both of them stared at Harry as Tori got up and snatched the letter away from George.

''We thought you were a cert!"  Fred said, in a tone that suggested Harry had tricked them in some way.

''We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!" George shook his head indignantly.

''Winning the Triwizard and everything!" Tori mumbled, reading over it. It had Ronald Weasley's name on it.

''I suppose all the mad stuff must've counted against him," George whispered to Fred.

''Yeah," Fred said slowly. "Yeah, you've caused too much trouble, mate. Like... Like Tori, you'd think she'd be a shoo-in, but hey. Look, she's friends with us. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right."

"Shut up." Tori snapped, handing Ron his letter back. She patted him on the back, "Congratulations, Ron."

''Prefect... ickle Ronnie the prefect..." Fred teased.
''Oh, Mum's going to be revolting," groaned George, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.

Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, then held it out to Harry as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine. Harry took it. A large ''P" was superimposed on the Gryffindor lion.

The door banged open. Hermione came tearing into the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying. There was an envelope in her hand too.

''Did you— did you get— ?"

She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek.

''I knew it!" She yelled excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too, Harry, me too!"

''No" Harry said quickly, pushing the badge back into Ron's hand.''It's Ron, not me."

''It  —  what?"

''Ron's prefect, not me," Harry said.

''Ron?" Hermione asked, her jaw-dropping. "But... are you sure? I mean—"

She turned red as Ron looked round at her with a defiant expression on his face.

''It's my name on the letter," He said.

''I..." said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered. "I... well... wow! Well done, Ron! That's really—"

''Unexpected," George mumbled, nodding.

''No," said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, ''No it's not... Ron's done loads of... he's really..."

The door behind her opened a little wider and Molly backed into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes.

''Ginny said the booklists had come at last," She said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting the robes into two piles. ''If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pajamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing... what color would you like?"

''Get him red and gold to match his badge," George said, smirking.

''Match his what?" Molly asked absently, rolling up a pair of maroon socks and placing them on Ron's pile.

''His badge," Fred replied, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. "His lovely shiny new prefect's badge."

Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Molly's preoccupation with pajamas.

''His... but... Ron, you're not..."

Ron held up his badge.

Molly let out a shriek just like Hermione's.

''I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"

"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" George demanded indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son. Tori chuckled, patting him on the back.

''Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh, Ronnie— "

Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back but Molly did not notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.

''Mum... don't ... Mum, get a grip..." He muttered, trying to push her away.

She let go of him and said breathlessly, ''Well, what will it be? We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."

''W-what do you mean?" Ron asked, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.

''You've got to have a reward for this!" said Molly fondly. ''How about a nice new set of dress robes?"

''We've already bought him some,"' Fred mumbled sourly, who looked as though he sincerely regretted this generosity.

''Or anew cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers —"

''Mum," said Ron hopefully, ''Can I have a new broom?"

Molly's face fell slightly; broomsticks were expensive.

''Not a really good one!" Ron hastened to add. "Just— just a new one for a change..."

Molly hesitated, then smiled.

''Of course, you can... Well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later... Little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks... A prefect... Oh, I'm all of a dither!"

She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled from the room.

Fred and George exchanged looks.

''You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" Fred asked in a falsely anxious voice.

''We could curtsey, if you like, " said George.

"King Prefect Weasley!" Tori cried.

''Oh, shut up," said Ron, scowling at them.

''Or what?" Fred asked as an evil grin spreading across his face. ''Going to put us in detention?"

''I'd love to see him try," George sniggered.

''He could if you don't watch out!" Hermione snapped angrily.

Fred, George, and Tori burst out laughing, and Ron muttered, ''Drop it, Hermione."

''We're going to have to watch our step, George," said Fred, pretending to tremble, ''With these two on our case..."

''Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over, " George confessed, shaking his head.

"So young..." Tori sighed. "And so many more pranks to pull..."

"I'm about surprised you weren't ever made Prefect Tori," Hermione said, crossing her arms. "You seem to be the most responsible out of the three of you."

The trio all looked at each once more and burst out laughing before they disapparated.

ron deserves better. i don't take criticism