Magical Mugwort

Sunday had come all too quickly. I was a little nervous, frankly, to be going to the Weasleys' house for dinner. Actually, more like the whole day. Both Fred and George had wanted me to make sure that I left the day free, as time spent at the house seemed to fly all too quickly. It had taken some effort on my part to find something suitable to wear. After all, it wasn't like I wanted to advertise to Mr. And Mrs. Weasley that I had shagged both her sons. Somehow I felt her friendliness towards me would wane somewhat. Imagine that.


I had gone through half my wardrobe before finally deciding on a nice sundress. It was still quite warm, and I wasn't likely to be riding any brooms, so I felt it couldn't hurt to make a nice impression. It was an airy, spaghetti-strapped dress in shades of blue and white, with a nice skirt that swirled when I moved. Capped off with a nice pair of sturdy white heeled sandals, I felt myself ready to go. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, pinned the loose strands up, and made sure that I had everything I needed.

I had spoken with Fred just yesterday, and he had told me that most likely he and George would come by my place, and then they would side-along Apparate me to their home. He had explained it would be several hours by car from London, so this would be much quicker.

As I took a final glimpse in the mirror, I heard two loud cracks in my living room. A moment of quiet voices conversing, then a voice called, “Maggie?”

“In the bedroom. I'll be right out.”

It was odd to have a couple of wizards Apparating into my home, wizards other than my immediate family. But over the past week, I had dropped a whole lot of barriers between myself and these two guys. It was strange, but thus far working well. I was looking forward to second dates with each of them.

Grabbing my purse, I walked out into the living room to find Fred and George waiting for me. They appeared to have just been pointing out things outside my window, when they turned to greet me. I was hoping that I knew which one was which. The only differences between them that I was truly aware of, were all less physical and more in terms of behavior.

“Ah, the lovely young lady appears!” grinned Fred, looking me over from head to toe. “Even lovelier than before. Be still, my heart.”

George nodded, an identical grin on his face as both men stepped forward to greet me. “Couldn't agree more.”

I smiled, and twirled. “Well, thank you boys very much. I do think you're too kind.”

“Don't be silly, woman,” George said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “There's much more to be said for how you look, but if we get started--”

“--Likely we'll never get out of here,” finished Fred, before kissing my cheek as well, then exchanging a look with his brother.

“Though that wouldn't be so bad,” they said together.

They really were too adorable for words. I couldn't help smiling happily as I looked them both over. Each one was wearing jeans and a button-up shirt. Identical, of course. They were bound and determined to make sure that I would have to guess which one was which all day.

“You two,” I began, shaking my head a little. But the smile on my face was too big to ignore.

The twins exchanged wide grins. “Do you think she's starting to regret this now, George?” asked Fred, and I tried to make a mental note that Fred's collar was slightly upturned. Easily fixed, however, and I knew I would be playing this game all day.

George gave me a devilish grin before turning back to his twin. “How could she, when she's got the two of us to escort her through this mess,” he answered.

I raised an eyebrow. “And that should probably be my biggest worry.”

They both laughed as I turned to grab a parcel off the kitchen counter. “That's ridiculous,” said Fred. “With us around, you've absolutely nothing to worry about, luv.”

That made me laugh. “Are you serious? I think I'm at the riskiest having the two of you together. One on one with both of you was dangerous enough.” I gave them each a knowing look, earning a twinkle in their eyes. “Now I have the two of you to contend with. For an entire afternoon, no less. What on earth will your parents say?”

Fred gently took my arm, giving me a smile that I was sure he used on all the girls. “Oh, never fear, luv,” he said. “Our parents already love you. Now they want to get to know you.”

“What's that you got there?” George asked, indicating the parcel I held.

“Oh. I just thought I'd bring a gift for your parents,” I answered. “I know well enough to bring something for hosts, and parents are no exception.”

“Trying to buy your way into their good graces?” teased George with a wink.

I gave him an innocent smile. “But you already said they love me, so why would I have to do that?”

George moved up to my side, fixing me with a heated stare that sent a brief jolt of desire through me. He ran a finger over my shoulder, toying with my dress strap. “Trust me, you have nothing to worry about,” he said. “Fred and me have talked you up enough.”

“Oh, have you now?”

Fred approached my other side, once again placing me in the unique position of being sandwiched between the two twins. As he touched my waist, he leaned in close to my ear and said softly, “You're such a creative, energetic young woman, how could we not?”

A wave of goosebumps ran down my back, and I shivered. It wasn't the words so much as the tone of his voice. Being alone with these two was not a good thing, at least not helpful in the task of actually leaving my flat.

“You know, if you two stay this close, we may never get to your parents' house,” I said softly, all of my self-control in effect to keep me from responding to their warm bodies. “It's a dangerous thing to leave me alone with two such attractive young men.”

I looked up in time to see the twins exchange a look that changed into matching mischievous smiles. “Not seeing the problem, luv, we really don't,” said Fred, his breath teasing my ear.

“However, you are right,” George said. “Mum's pulling out all the stops today, and it's the last family meal before Ron and Ginny go back to Hogwarts. She'll likely wring our necks if we don't arrive soon.”

A bit of the tension leaked out of me, and I took a quick refreshing breath. “So what do I do?” I asked. “I've never side-along Apparated before.”

Fred quickly stepped in. “Oh, nothing to it, luv,” he said, wrapping an arm around my waist. “You just hold on nice and tight to me, and we'll spirit away to the Burrow.”

“All right.”

George winked at me. “Not to worry, Maggie. Just feels a bit strange at first, but you'll get used to it.”

“Though it did take me a few tries to pass my test,” Fred said.

I looked up at him in alarm. “What?”

He grinned a shit-eating smile, and turned. Before I realized what was happening, the room faded out, and I felt as if a large hook had gripped me. I was spinning through time and space, a sickening wave of nausea ransacking my body. I had an ironclad grip on Fred's wrist and he on my waist. I wanted to scream, but it felt as if my lungs were about to explode.

Almost as suddenly as it started, it ended. I had shut my eyes tight, and felt a second sickening jolt as my feet met hard ground. “Oof!”

I stumbled and damn near fell to my knees, but Fred grabbed me and kept me upright at the last moment. “Woah, there, Maggie, steady on. It's all over,” he said.

“Oooh,” I moaned, daring to relinquish my grip on him to touch my head. “My head's still spinning.”

“Let me take those.” I heard George say, and a moment later he had relieved me of my purse and parcel.

Fred's hands kept me upright, which was great because my knees were terribly wobbly. I was aware of sunlight warming me where I stood, but first I had to get a grip on my body's whereabouts.

“Just take a few deep breaths, yeah?” Fred said. “It should all pass in a moment.”

I took his advice and focused on breathing in and out several times, willing the nausea to pass as well. At last the disorientation began to dissipate, and I finally opened my eyes. I found myself standing on a small hill overlooking the most oddly put together house I'd ever seen. It was bizarre, a sort of mish-mash of molds that made it impossible to tell how many levels there were. There was an orchard nearby, and several gardens surrounding the house. The hill we stood on was a very short distance from the house. A dirt road stretched into the distance, and as far as I could see there was only farmland around. It was positively idyllic.

My eyes widened, and I gasped. “It's beautiful!” I exclaimed. “This is where you live?”

I could practically hear the smiles in the twins' voices. “All our lives.”

George pointed to the orchards. “That's where we staged a great many pranks in our younger days,” he said.

Fred pointed out over the field. “That's where we usually fly our brooms around. We've had many a game out here that usually ended in disaster,” he added. “Positively brilliant to play in the winter.”

“Down there in the gardens live a whole family of gnomes,” George continued. “Mum and Dad have been trying to get rid of them for ages, especially once the little buggers started swearing at them. Don't know how they ever learned such bawdy language.” He grinned.

I shook my head, still taking it all in. “This is amazing,” I murmured.

After a few moments, Fred took my arm. “Come on, luv,” he said. “Let's see if we can make steam come out of Hermione's ears before lunch.”

“Shouldn't be too hard,” George smirked. “Just bring up the topic of house-elves and tell her you think they should stick to what they're best at.”

I had a feeling the day was going to be quite interesting, and for a moment I wondered if I had bit off more than I could chew. Regardless, I bravely followed Fred and George down the hill, listening as they pointed out more of the intricacies of the property, from their dad's shed where he fiddled about with Muggle objects to the ghoul in the attic who would most likely rattle my nerves. It stunned me to think that there were homes like this, and for a brief second I wished that I had grown up in a place like this. Back home, my parents had tried to meld a magical world and a Muggle world in our household. They didn't like the idea that I would feel uncomfortable anywhere, so everyone had learned the Muggle devices, like the TV and computer. That had thrilled Andrew; there was more mischief to cause.

As we came up to the house, I noticed that there were a couple of owls hanging out there, one of them looking very disoriented and perhaps molting.

“Ah, that's Errol,” said Fred, seeing my gaze. “Poor thing's been with the family for years. He's a bit mental now, can't fly straight and runs into absolutely everything, but he's dedicated.”

George opened the door, and led us inside. I gaped in amazement at the house. It should have been tiny, what with all the clutter and various objects lying about, but at the same time there was a sense of order. Seven kids had been raised in that house, there was bound to be ages of memorabilia lying about.

Fred leaned down and said in a low voice, “Be prepared to answer a lot of questions. Mum won't admit it, but she's been looking forward to seeing you.”

“Oh, if there's one thing I'm good at, is answering questions,” I replied, my eyes drawn to a strange clock. It had the faces of everyone on the family, and instead of time, it seemed to show where each person was at the moment. Absolutely amazing.

“Mum! We're here!” called George, leading us towards the kitchen.

The red-haired witch that was Mrs. Weasley came scurrying in, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “Well, for heaven's sake, it's about time,” she scolded mildly. “I was beginning to think you two had decided to kidnap our guest.” She turned to me with a smile and took my hands. “Lovely to see you again, Maggie.”

“Same here, Mrs. Weasley,” I smiled.

“Did the boys get you here all right?” she asked. “I warned them that it might have been a bit strange for you to travel by Apparation, and I hope they made sure you understood.” She fixed a look on her sons.

“They were just fine,” I replied. “It was by far the strangest sensation I've ever had in my life, but I'm still in one piece.”

“Well, thank goodness for that. Neither one of them's ever splinched themselves, and I hoped that they weren't about to start now.”

George put a hand on his mother's shoulder. “We were extra careful, just as you said, Mum,” he said. “Wouldn't dream of putting a hair out of place on her lovely head.”

She gave her son a look. “And here you are, starting this talk again. If I didn't know better, I would think that... well, never mind.” To me, she said, “Can I get you anything right now, dear? I'm afraid it's still a little while before lunch will be ready, but I was about to make some tea.”

“Tea would be lovely, Mrs. Weasley. Oh. And before I forget.” I handed her the parcel I had been carrying. “I just wanted to say thank you for having me over. It's very kind of you.”

Mrs. Weasley gave me a surprised smile. “Oh, dear, you didn't need to bring anything.”

“I wanted to. It was very nice of you to have me over.”

She opened the box, and she smiled again as she pulled out the apple pies I had baked earlier. “Maggie, dear, this looks lovely!” She pulled me into an embrace, and I caught the grins on the twins' faces. “I'm sure this will go beautifully with the roast I'm making.” She turned and handed the pie off to Fred. “Be a dear and go set this in the kitchen, Fred. George, will you get the tea prepared? I'm just going to bring Maggie into the living room for a chat.”

“Yes, mum,” the twins said dutifully.

Fred smarted off, “Be careful, Maggie, our mum is likely to ask you your entire history. If there's anything embarrassing in there, wait till we come in.”

I grinned as Mrs. Weasley swatted her sons away, and led me towards their living room. I was liking this woman more with every second.

After having a long chat with Mrs. Weasley about, well, nearly everything, I found myself standing outside once more, soaking in the sunshine. Mrs. Weasley had questioned me about my upbringing, about whether I was comfortable being around witches and wizards and telling me all about her Squib cousin who was an accountant. She seemed thoroughly interested in learning how I had grown up in both worlds, and commended my parents for working to keep me in both.

Once Fred and George had come back in with the tea, it had become difficult to keep a serious conversation going on. One or the other would ask an irreverent question and usually earned a reproachful glare from their mother. Fortunately, after a few rebukes I gave back as good as I got, that seemed to quell the twins a little bit, and thereby impressed their mother.

Mrs. Weasley had finally stood up, telling us that Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione were upstairs and would be down shortly. She had gone to finish the preparations for lunch, and when I had offered to help, she told me, “Don't be silly, dear. I have a feeling you're better suited to keep an eye on these boys here. If you can keep them out of my hair for just a short while, then you will have me in your debt.”

I had come outside because the view was amazing. Fred and George had both disappeared, presumably to torture their brother and urge him out so they could show me what Quidditch was like in their orchard. I had to admit, I felt a little sorry for Ron. With so many older brothers, it had to be hard to be the youngest. And Ginny being the only girl, well, that was a whole other story.

As I walked towards the orchard, my sandals threatening to sink into the ground, I thought I heard a small crash coming from the direction of the shed. With an amused smile I figured Mr. Weasley was getting himself into trouble. Mrs. Weasley had mentioned with no small amount of irritation how her husband was quite fond of tinkering.

A hand grabbed my elbow and I gasped in surprise. “What the--”

A very male laugh met my ears. I turned to look up at one of the twins. I was fairly sure it was George, although I couldn't be sure. Last I'd seen, both of them had looked exactly the same. Dammit, I needed to convince one of them to get a tattoo, that way I'd be able to tell them apart.

“Just came to check up on you, luv,” George said. “Make sure you didn't get lost.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How thoughtful. I'm just fine. I really like it out here. You have a beautiful home, George, you really do.”

George smirked a little, and pulled me closer as we approached the treeline. “Yeah, it's not a bad place,” he admitted. “There's all sorts of great spots out here... like here.” He motioned to the treeline that was out of direct view of the house. As he pulled me under the shade of the trees, a sly smile touched his face. “Very nice spots for a little bit of privacy.”

Taking his hands, I stepped closer towards him. “And what would you need privacy out here for?” I teased, leaning back against a tree.

George pinned me with a stare, that unmistakable look in his eyes. He leaned in close, fingers wrapped around mine. “Just a harmless bit of snogging,” he said. “If you don't mind.”

I glanced behind him, checking to see if anyone was approaching. “Somebody might see us,” I pointed out.

He shrugged slightly, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of mischief. “Let them look,” he replied. “They can be jealous of me later.”

I couldn't help but giggle. “You're very brash.”

George leaned in until his lips were barely apart from mine. “Thought that was part of what you fancy about me,” he whispered, raising a hand to squeeze my hip.

Surrendering to the slight inappropriateness of the situation, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “It is.”

As he kissed me, I sighed happily. It had been a few days; I hadn't gotten to see George since our first date. All the feelings from that night flooded back over me, and all the memories as well. I could well remember the way his lips felt on other parts of me, and judging from the slightly urgent way his fingers dug into my hips I could tell he remembered as well.

He made to deepen the kiss, but I heard the sound of leaves crackling under foot a short ways away. Reluctantly disentangling myself from his arms, I traded a slightly disappointed look with him.

“Told you so,” I whispered.

George seemed about to reply, when his twin came approaching. “Oh. So this is where you two disappeared to,” he said. “Fred, the others are getting their brooms. We should get ours, show Maggie what we can do.”

I froze, staring from one face to the other. “Wait...” I fumbled for words, looking between them. “Fred?” I exclaimed.

The twin I had just been snogging had the grace to blush a little bit and exchange a look with his brother. “Sorry, luv,” he said. “We couldn't resist.”

George, apparently, took a couple of steps forward. He also looked simultaneously amused and slightly apologetic. “We just wanted to see if you could really tell the difference between us,” he explained.

I stared between them, at once mortified and a little angry about the switch. Flustered, I exclaimed, “Not cool! Not at all!”

Fred touched my arm, his expression softening into an uncharacteristically contrite one. “Maggie, don't be upset,” he urged. “We both know you fancy both of us. Just thought it would be a bit of fun to see if you could really tell which of us was which.”

“And what better way to tell than through a little snogging?” George grinned. “Though I think to be fair you should snog me now as well.”

I frowned, still staring at them in mortification. For crying out loud, I had been kissing Fred while thinking of his brother! Even with whatever arrangement was going on, that was so not on, them letting me think I was with one of them when I was with the other.

“You two have no shame whatsoever. None!”

The twins exchanged yet another infuriating look between themselves. “You're not the first person to accuse us of that,” smirked Fred.

“And you certainly won't be the last.”

I stared at both of them, bewildered. “And neither of you finds it strange that I'm sleeping with both of you?” I demanded, a little less tactfully than it sounded in my head.

Fred and George looked at one another for a moment, obviously sharing some sort of damned twin psychic connection. Then they both turned back to me and said at once, “Not at all.”

As I looked at them both, I suddenly saw the humor of it all. I laughed out loud, shaking my head and no doubt surprising both of the boys. “You two are insane,” I giggled. “Not many men would be secure enough to know that I was sleeping with both twins.”

Both shrugged, but it was Fred who spoke first. “What's to complain about? We both get to spend time with you, Maggie,” he said. “That's the best thing and all I care about.”

George nodded. “Hard to complain when you're willing to see both of us. I'd rather that, then try to make you choose.”

I smirked and shook my head again. I knew then, however, that I would have to get them back for that little prank. It would be tough, though. The Weasley twins ran their own joke shop. I would have to consult with someone else who might be able to beat them at their own game. An evil plan formed in my mind.

“Maggie?” George waved a hand in front of my face.

I started, then smiled innocently at them. “I'm here.”

George groaned and looked at his brother. “Oh, bollocks. I know that look. She's plotting, mate.”

Fred just laughed. “Plotting, eh? Thinking about trying to get us back, luv?”

“I would never do such a thing,” I replied with the same pseudo-innocence. “Try to pull a prank on the original pranksters? However would I go about that?”

“Merlin's beard,” Fred grinned and clapped his hands. “If she's really thinking about getting us back, then this should be fun.”

“I don't know, mate,” George replied. “Anytime a woman looks like she's plotting something, it's usually something that will come back to bite you in the arse.”