Harry Potter: Chosen's Angel

Chapter 10: Black Forest Neighbors

"Fred, what are we going to do…?" George groaned as he rubbed his ear, looking at his twin trickster.

"FREEEED! GEOOORGE!" A familiar feminine voice shrieked in fury.

"Book it, man!! Book it!!" Fred yelled, holding a hand to his own ear as the two rushed off into the woods.

The two swiftly disappeared into the brush and foliage. Granted they made a ruckus going in there, crashing through like elephants. George even tripped over a log and tumbled down an incline. Fred stood over him as he lay in the leaves.

"So graceful. I give it a five." Fred said with a smirk.

"Are you kidding? That was an eight at least." George replied as he got up and brushed himself off.

"Keep pushing like that and I'll give you a four." Fred said with a hint of sass, which got George's jimmies rustled.

"Okay, you know what…? What was that…?" George replied as they heard rustling nearby in the bushes.

"Probably a rabbit or a hedgehog, why?" Fred asked with a roll of his eyes.

The rustling became louder as something much bigger than a rodent was heard. However, this rustling was followed by a large explosion. The twin tornadoes were blown back by the force of the blast, sent tumbling across the forest floor.

"What was that about a rabbit or a hedgehog…?" George asked, looking at his twin in disbelief.

"Maybe they farted?" Fred said, trying to play it off.

The two then made their way over to the bushes to check out the cause of the boom. Trudging through the shrubbery, they eventually stumbled upon what appeared to be a camp. A fire ring with ash and burnt wood, some supplies, and a decent sized tent lay in a small clearing. It was further confirmed that this was the source of what they were looking for when they were swept off their feet by another blast, only now they could sense that it was magical in nature.

"What's a witch or wizard doing out here in the woods near our home?" George asked, confused.

"Well, I mean, it is a good place for a picnic." Fred said to answer his question.

George shrugged. "Fair point. Let's check it out." He replied, heading closer.

The two walked over, looking for anything further out of place. To their astoundment when they opened the tent, they saw a boy. A boy roughly Ron's age, he had light skin, dark hair, and hazel brown eyes. His hair was shoulder length, unkempt and magic whipped, not unlike a professor or two at Hogwarts. He wore simple, though dark clothes, with the only thing standing out of his attire were outdoor boots. And staring back at them in fright with a notebook and quill in one hand, the other hand gripping a staff.

"Well, who do we have here?" George asked, trying to give a friendly smile in an attempt to put the kid at ease.

"A new neighbor, perhaps?" Fred added, adopting the same smile as his twin.

"Who are you, what are you, and what are you doing here?" The boy asked in a somewhat rapid pace, they picked out a German accent in his voice.

"In order? I'm George Weasley…" George began.

"And I'm Fred Weasley…" Fred continued.

"We're wizards, too. Well, in training, at least…" George added.

"And we live nearby and are trying to hide from our mum after an unfortunate mishap with some Dragon Breath Tomatoes." Fred finished.

The boy blinked once, blinked twice, and blinked thrice. As if he was completely unprepared for, and unable to process what was happening. This further confuses the twins. Yes, they had caused trouble, yes, they got people mad, and maybe a few unconfirmed reports of actual injuries. But they never left someone so… gob smacked before.

"Can I help you?" The boy asked, a stunned tone still in his voice.

"You can help us by telling our mum that we were never here if she finds you here…" Fred began.

"Since she's likely still pretty peeved at us for blowing up part of the property. Again." George finished.

"Your property is near here?" The boy asked, raising his eyebrow a bit at the… absurdity of the tale.

"Yeah, just down the hill there. You can't miss it." The twins said together, pointing in the direction they came from.

"I see… I wasn't aware there was a property near here. The map showed this wood as being in the middle of nowhere." The boy said, trying to put his feelings into English as best as possible.

The boy pulled it out to inspect it, scratching his head in confusion as the twins looked over his shoulders. "Here's your problem, mate. That maps out of date, by a few hundred years." Fred said, pointing at the map to show the outdated landmarks.

"Was zur Hölle!? I spent a pound for that!?" The boy snapped in annoyance.

"We know a bloke in town who can give you a more up to date one. Just put it on our tab." George offered, trying to be friendly.

The boy sighed and shook his head. "Nein. It's all right. I'm far enough out. Enough to get away from that city air and Muggle distractions. It stops me from doing my real work, my real passion." The boy said, looking back down at his notebook.

"And what might that be?" The twins asked, each raising an eyebrow.

The boy froze up a bit, as if he were not ready to trust them on that. Which the two easily picked up.

"We understand if you don't feel comfortable with telling us yet…" Fred began.

"So why don't we start by asking you your name?" George finished.

"Right. Apologies. I am Garrett Becker, Herr Fred and George." The boy politely responded, bowing his head a bit.

"Nice to meet you, Garrett. You know, we have a brother and sister about your age." Fred told the boy.

"I'm sure that Ron and Ginny would like to get to meet you some time." George added.

"Ron and Ginny… you English have a truly bizarre naming convention." Garrett said, a hint… put off by the candid nature of the two. Though he did not find it unpleasant at least.

"We mostly call them that because they don't like being called 'Ronald' and 'Ginevra'." Fred began explaining.

"Especially Ginny. You call her 'Ginevra,' you'd best be prepared to get a broken nose and a Bat Bogey spell to the face." George finished.

"She can use the Bat Bogey? That is a reasonably advanced spell. Mein gott, it's like Auntie Brun all over again." Garrett said in shock, as if getting a flashback to his own family event.

"Ginny's a really talented witch for her age. She's never actually used the Bat Bogey because she doesn't have her wand yet, but she can do the motions perfectly." Fred explained.

"Our little sister is gonna be quite the hellcat someday. I'm so proud…" George replied, wiping away a proud tear.

"I'd advise her not to be too… 'cavalier,' I believe it is in your language? If you don't do it right, the consequences can be severe." Garrett said, his tone turning more somber.

"Oh, we know. Ron tried to use the Bat Bogey once and accidentally hit himself with it…" Fred began, snickering.

"Took him an hour to get to mum and get her to dispel it." George snickered as well, trying to not laugh at their brother's expense too much.

The brothers' cheerful mood on the subject was not shared by Garrett. His face turned to that of a glower. Not at them though. He slowly looked down at his right leg, as if opining for a day long since passed. The twins saw the faintest beginning of scars from a gap in his legging. From what little they could tell; the scars were quite severe down his leg. Putting two and two together, the twins immediately stopped laughing.

"Sorry, mate…" Fred began, trying to be more sensitive for once.

"Did we hit a touchy subject?" George finished, hoping they didn't offend their new neighbor.

"You two did not know…" Garrett said mournfully, pulling his legging up fully.

"Still, we shouldn't have said something so…?" Fred began.

"Insensitive?" George finished, asking his brother.

"Yes, that. Is there any way we can make it up to you?" Fred added.

"Nein, it is not your fault. Why I have these scars is my own fault. I've… I have always had a passion for making my own spells… sometimes maybe too eagerly." Garrett said with regret and sorrow pouring from his voice.

"You like making your own spells?" Fred asked with surprised glee.

"That's bloody brilliant!" George added, matching his brother's excitement.

"It is not that amazing. I mostly do elemental spells in my free time. I tried curse breaking… well until my parents decided it was time for me to attend a school and they absolutely refused to let me attend Durmstrang." Garrett explained.

"You could always try Hogwarts…" Fred offered with a smile.

"It's the best wizard school in England, currently headed by the greatest sorcerer in the world." George added.

"Yah, Yah I know. I am heading there this year on transfer from Durmstrang." He explained.

"Brilliant. Maybe you'll make some new friends there…" Fred began with a big smile.

"Hell, you already have two." George added with a smile of his own.

"Garrett? Are you all right?"  A decidedly feminine, Germanic voice asked from behind the twins.

The two looked behind them to see a woman of nearly their own height, with black hair cascading down her back, and similar eyes and skin tone to that of the boy. Her hazel eyes looked at the two red-headed Englishmen yet could see nothing that could indicate ill intent or malice. Though she also did not see much in the way of outward intelligence either.

"Garrett, sweety. I did not know you invited guests." The woman said curiously.

"I did not, mother. They sort of… wandered by." Garrett explained a hint nervously.

"Greetings, ma'am. We're Fred and George Weasley, at your service." The twins said, bowing respectfully.

"Christine Beckett. It is a pleasure to meet you two, Herr Englishmen." Christine replied politely. "Would you like to join us for lunch?"

Fred smiled. "We'd be honored…" He began.

"After all, who could turn down an offer from Christine the Pristine?" George replied playfully.

Garrett pulled the two close. "It's best not to play jokes with a curse-breaker." Garrett whispered to them, as if they knew something they did not.

"Good to know…" The twins replied nervously.

"Garrett, mein süßer enge. I'm not that ill-tempered. Only under a full moon." she said teasingly before heading over to the campfire. "Do you Englishmen like Sauerkraut un-Brats over a campfire?"

"Why so…?" Fred began only for his twin to cover his mouth.

"Don't go there, Fred. We'd love some, miss." George replied with a smile.

Meanwhile: Back At the Burrow

"Fred!! George!! Where did you muppets run off to!?" Ginny crowed into the wind.

"They're probably steering clear of your mum for a while to let her cool down." Harry noted.

"That doesn't help find them Potter." Ginny said, turning to look at him.

"Well, what's the closest place nearby where they can let her cool off and out of sight?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me they went into the woods again… I swear by the Muggle Queen, if I get a bunch of ticks and leeches again on me going after them, they will really get it." Ginny said in frustration.

"Do I even want to-" Harry began only to be interrupted by the redheaded girl.

"Know what happened last time? No. No, you do not." Ginny replied, shaking her head.

"Did you get a leech on your butt or something?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ginny blushed. "No. It was somewhere… less comfortable…" She explained.

"And Ron laughed?" Harry asked.

"He found it hilarious, so I broke his nose. He still swears it wasn't fixed quite right." Ginny replied.

"Have you ever considered going to anger management?" Harry asked as he followed her along a dirt path.

"What's anger management?" Ginny asked, confused.

"You go to a psychologist, and they help you work out your problems causing your anger." Harry explained.

"Right, next question. What's a psychologist?" Ginny replied, further confused.

"They're a medical doctor that treats people with mental conditions." Harry said, trying to hold back a groan.

"Like at St. Mungo's?" Ginny asked, seeming to get it.

"Like what?" Harry asked, now being confused.

"It's a hospital here in the wizarding world." Ginny explained.

"Do they have specialists for those kinds of things?" Harry asked, curious about this new tidbit of wizarding knowledge from Ginny.

"They might? I've never been to the Mental Health Ward there, so I can't say." Ginny replied with a shrug.

"... Oh…" Harry said, the words Mental Health Ward conjuring some thoughts from his past. "Anyway. You know your way around this wood?"

"Of course. I have lived here my whole life, after all." Ginny replied with a hint of pride.

"Are there any magical creatures?" Harry asked her as they reached the edge of the wood.

"Outside of a few gnomes, not as far as I know. Pesky things are always sneaking into mum's garden…" Ginny replied and muttered.

"Why do they do that? I never got a good answer from Ron or Hermione." Harry asked as if the two were now enclosed in the canopy of the woods.

"They like to eat the vegetables and fruits mum grows. For some reason, they really like hers." Ginny replied with a shrug as they kept making their way further in.

"I guess that means that your mom grows really good vegetables and fruits then. Why else would they go through the trouble?" Harry explained, which perked Ginny up a bit hearing that.

"That's a good point. I'll have to ask her what her secret is." Ginny replied as they kept making their way deeper and deeper into the wood.

"Back on the topic of your brothers, why did you want to find those two specifically? You have lots of brothers." Harry asked her curiously.

"Because, other than Ron who you already know well, they're the two I'm closest with. Not to mention that they're the next closest in age." Ginny explained. 'That and I don't wanna deal with Ron's jealousy or Percy trying to scare you off…'

"Maybe if we tell a joke that will lure them out?" Harry suggested, trying to find some way to find them that didn't involve searching an entire wood.

"Knowing them, that might actually work…" Ginny groaned in frustration.

"Don't you mean 'knowing them, that actually woodwork'?" Harry replied with a smile.

As if on cue, they heard loud snickers coming from up a nearby hill. At that, Ginny rushed it up like a bat out of hell, forcing Harry to follow. To her shock, she saw that Fred and George were sat by a campfire with a woman and a boy about her age. When the twins saw them, they waved to them vigorously.

"Harry, Ginny! Come join us! Mrs. Becker made Sauerkraut and Brats!" Fred told the two.

"By the way, excellent wordplay Harry! 'Woodwork,' that's a good one!" George added it with a snicker.

"What are you two doing out here!?" Ginny exclaimed.

"Having lunch with our new neighbors while avoiding mum long enough for her to cool down." Fred replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Which one of you is Ginevra and which one of you is Harry?" Garrett asked, looking between the two of them in confusion.

A vein throbbed in Ginny's forehead as she glared at her twin brothers. "You told him…!?" She asked her idiot brothers.

"Don't be too mad at them, Frauline Ginny. My own sister hates being called by her full name Brunhilde." Christine said with a soft smile.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny looked at her two brothers seriously. "You two had better be back right after lunch or I'm telling mum." She told them seriously.

"She's going to pinch our ears again, Ginny…" Fred pleaded.

"I know." Ginny replied with still a hint of anger.

"Alright… We'll come back after lunch… Can we at least have dessert?" George said, before looking at Ginny with a pleading look.

"That depends on Mrs. Becker." Ginny replied.

"Why don't you two join? I made pineapple-coconut cake with Streusel topping." Christine said with a warm smile.

"That actually sounds really good." Harry replied, looking to Ginny to see if she was okay with it.

"It's fluffier than any pillow on the planet." Garrett said with a small smile.

Thinking for a moment, Ginny smiled before giving a shrug. "Why not? Pass us a plate of Sauerkraut and Brats please, Mrs. Becker." She replied, walking over with Harry to join in lunch.

With that, Christine got two more plates out of a fanny pack and began to serve the food up for the two new visitors. It was simple, but everyone there from that day on seldom had anything better. And best of all, at least for the twins, it hopefully would save their hides from the storm of wrath awaiting them back home.