Chapter 213: The Start of Term (2)

"Ah, I almost forgot about this," Mrs. Weasley said with a warm smile.

"Arthur decided not to change the appearance of The Burrow to avoid any unnecessary trouble, but we've expanded the interior a bit. Go ahead and have fun, but don't forget to pack your things—term starts tomorrow. Especially you two, Fred, George, don't let me catch you packing anything you shouldn't, and... your hair..."

Her voice faded away as Orli was already being ushered up the stairs by Ron and Fred.

She glanced around at the group, noticing an odd trend—over the summer, all the boys had grown their hair long, nearly reaching their shoulders. The Weasleys' red hair looked smooth and shiny, while Harry's black hair stuck out wildly in all directions.

They climbed the now-spacious staircase, exploring the rooms of The Burrow one by one. Ginny's room had expanded to the size of the old living room, with a wide double bed that could easily fit three people. Percy's door had been replaced with an iron-reinforced one, complete with a "Do Not Enter" sign.

"That's because Fred and George once blew his door open—they found out he was hiding a photo of his girlfriend under his pillow!" Ron explained, pulling a face of mock disgust.

"And he's still working on that report about imported cauldrons, even though his department head is already..." Ron made a throat-slitting gesture.

Fred and George's room now featured a bunk bed they liked, allowing them to play catch between the top and bottom bunks. A long gray tube extended from their ceiling straight down into a large hole in the floor, through which you could faintly see the grassy yard outside—it seemed you could slide straight down to the yard through it. Although the room was spacious, it was cluttered with random items. Two half-packed trunks lay open, and Orli caught a glimpse of stacks of order forms inside.

"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes—what do you think of the name?" Fred asked, handing Orli a few sheets of paper. They were printed with a long price list featuring a variety of products: fake wands, Skiving Snackboxes, Canary Creams, Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs...

"Of course, we originally thought of calling it Weasley & Waters' Wizard Wheezes, since you're a shareholder too, but the name was too long to remember," George added, leaning in closer.

"Maybe the current name is just right, you know, since girls' last names might change in the future..."

George didn't get to finish his sentence, as Fred punched him in the stomach and clamped a hand over his mouth, muffling his words into a series of "mmmphs."

"For ages, we've been hearing explosions from their room, but we never thought they'd actually made so much stuff," Ginny said. "We just thought they liked causing trouble."

"Mum was furious when she found out!" Ron said, looking slightly shaken. "But then they dragged you into it, saying you were a part of it too, and Mum calmed down a bit. Of course, she was mostly angry because their O.W.L. results were so terrible..."

"That was quite the shouting match," Ginny added. "Mum wanted them to work at the Ministry of Magic like Dad, but they told her they just wanted to open a joke shop."

They climbed up to Ron's room, which was plastered with posters of his favorite Quidditch team—the Chudley Cannons. The room was bathed in orange and red hues, with the players zooming around the walls and slanted ceiling, waving enthusiastically. Two single beds were placed side by side, giving the room the feel of a boys' dormitory.

"Harry already has his own bed in my room—Mum says it's more convenient for him to stay over," Ron said with a shrug, as if resigning himself to his ever-decreasing status in the family.

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