Weasley's the Name

Weasley's The Name

Chapter 3- The Name's Weasley

Their first class the next day was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the Weasleys could not contain their excitement. Jacob had actually gotten up bright and early, much to his brother's surprise. All of the first year boys seemed almost giddy at the prospect of having the Harry Potter as their teacher.

And it wasn't just that he was famous, their Uncle Harry has gotten much praise for his teaching methods, and he had the longest run as the Defense teacher in quite some years.

"You know, he's our uncle," Jacob said to Joseph, who was trying to ignore his father (who was waving madly from one of the greenhouses) as they headed out to class.

"But he's my Godfather," Rigel said, sticking his tongue out. "And my middle name is his father's name."

Jacob looked as if he was trying to find a retort, but couldn't, and Anthony had to step in before he got angry with Rigel.

"Let's just get to class, I doubt he's going to play favorites so you might as well stop," he said with a voice that reminded them of his mother.

"Yes, Mr. Perfect," Jacob grumbled, slinging his bag on his shoulder as they entered the class.

The girls were already in place, each of them partnered up with each other. Anthony started towards the front of the room, but Jacob grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back, sitting him down in a seat.

"Where is he?" Jacob whispered, sliding into a seat next to Anthony. The redhead shrugged, annoyed about being in the back, and pulled out The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by: Quentin Trimble.

The class settled in, everyone with a partner, and it was a few minutes before the door swung open and Harry Potter strode in.

Many of the students' eyes widened, and most of the girls giggled. Anthony and Jacob shared a wicked smile, and turned to Brian to see how he was reacting. He too, had the same silly grin as Harry stood in front of the class, one arm to the side and the other holding a goblet of what smelled like steaming coffee.

His robes were a dark green, and his wand was placed behind his ear. His glasses sat on the tip of his nose and his lightening bolt scar was barely visible in his mop of unruly hair.

"Good morning class, my name is Professor Potter, and that is what I expect to be called for the next seven years. Please, do not ask me to show off my scar.

"Today is Wednesday, so your first exam will be Friday. It will be on the summer reading that was assigned, which I'm sure you all read, right?" He smiled brightly and looked over his class.

All of the first years stared in shock, their eyes wide with fear. None of them had expected a test this early, and especially not from Professor Potter.

After a few moments of staring, the Professor burst into laughter, almost knocking his hat off of his head.

"That was classic! You all looked terrified!" he said, wiping his eyes. "Now seriously, who actually did read?" he asked, pushing himself up on his desk. Anthony, Rigel, Taylor, Soledad, and Bridget raised their hands.

Harry raised an eyebrow at his two nephews whose hands were not raised. Jacob and Brian sank into their chair, hoping to slip out of the gaze of their uncle.

"Better than I expected...the test will be Monday then, I'll give you guys the weekend."

Jacob and Brian released a sigh of relief and sat up straight again. Professor Potter took a deep breath and looked around the classroom, seemingly examining this fresh batch of Gryffindors.

"I recognize many of your names, and I'm proud to say that I was lucky enough to know your many of your parents very well. Hagrid, Jordan, Longbottom, Lupin, Weasley...so many Weasleys!"

The classroom laughed as Professor Potter winked at the boys.

"I don't normally do any work the first day of class because I remember hating having to do work the first day. I use it to introduce myself, get to know you guys better, and discuss our goals for the upcoming year. So...let me begin.

"In my time at Hogwarts I had many different Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, so I hope that I can see you guys graduate.

"Before you start asking me questions about all the stories you've heard, I'll answer them all; they're true." His eyes shined as he saw the amazed looks on his students' faces.

"Er--alright, now that we have that settled...I've been married for eleven years now to one of the best Healers in England. I have three children, one girl and two boys.

"This will be my seventh year here, and my first two classes of students all received Outstanding O.W.L.s, so I hope you guys are ready for some work."

He smiled again at his class, looking around. Each of the students seemed very entranced by his speech, and now, he wanted to see how sharp they really were.

"Who can tell me what spell you would use to disarm your enemy?"

Anthony's hand shot in the air, and out of the corner of his eye he realized that his was the only one; no one else seemed to have a clue.

Professor Potter also looked around the room, looking straight through Anthony as if he was a ghost.

"Anyone?" Still, no hands rose. "Aw come on, even if you're not quite sure, give it a try!"

Anthony was now waving his hand madly, trying to catch Professor Potter's attention. He even went as far as to try and kneel on his chair, but his foot slipped and he toppled to the floor.

The class tried to stifle their giggles, but Jacob let out a snort that scared Jocelyn, who was sitting in front of them.

But, Professor Potter did not take any notice of the fall, and he simply continued to look around the room. Anthony slipped back into his seat, his face burning red.

In the front of the room, Bridget raised her hand slowly (she was being motivated by her partner, Taylor). Professor Potter looked at her brightly and pointed his wand in her direction.

"Bridget?" he said hopefully, gesturing for her to answer.

"Expelliarmus?" she said softly, her eyes darting around wildly. Professor Potter nodded and clapped his hands together, looking very pleased.

"Yes! It's simple, right? See, how many of you were thinking that?" he asked, looking around the room. Anthony rolled his eyes and raised his hand with a few other students.

"That's very good Bridget, ten points to Gryffindor," Professor Potter said with a nod.

"The point of this is to show you that my class is about being ready to be put to the test, and overcoming your fears.

"Don't be scared of me, unless you don't see my goblet on my desk...I tend to get cranky when I don't have my coffee in the morning..." He sent a wink to the class that made all the girls giggle.

~~~

During the entire class (they had each tried to disarm their partners, only Anthony succeeding successfully), all Anthony could do was bore holes into his uncle when he wasn't looking. The embarrassment he had endured wasn't what he had been expecting from what he thought was going to be his favorite class.

When Professor Potter dismissed the class, Anthony swiped his books into his bag and stormed out of the room, not waiting for Jacob or Brian.

"Anthony!" Professor Potter called, following him out after the rest of the class had left.

The redhead stopped abruptly and pinched his cheeks; he really didn't want to talk to his uncle. Anthony turned around just as Professor Potter reached him, and he smiled a very fake smile.

"Good, I'm glad I could catch you," his uncle said.

"I'm all ears, Professor Potter," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Professor Potter raised his eyebrows and tilted his head in an interrogating manner.

"In these halls and classrooms I am not your uncle, I expect you to treat me with the same respect you would give any other teacher; five points from Gryffindor."

The redhead's eyes almost fell out their sockets. Anthony darted his face away as he felt the blood rushing up his cheeks and tears forming in his eyes. He knew that Uncle-er-Professor Potter was going to tell his parents of his behavior...

Professor Potter noticed Anthony's dismay and released a soft sigh. He put his arm around the young boy's shoulders and started to walk down the hallway with him, not caring if Snape glared at him as he passed.

"Look, I won't tell your parents, okay?" he said as if he had read the boy's mind. Anthony's eyes shot up, clearly relieved at this fact. "And about class today, I ignored you for your own good."

"But I made a fool out of myself, it was so embarrassing," Anthony said with a moan. Professor Potter laughed and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Yes, I saw. But Anthony, I don't want you stressing over schoolwork like your mother did. She would've had a much better experience here if she had taken every thing a little less seriously, and I'm absolutely positive she still would've been Head Girl if she did." They stopped walking and Professor Potter smiled, patting the boy on the back. "Just have fun, okay?"

Anthony nodded and then waved goodbye, running off to his next class.

~~~

It was the middle of December at Hogwarts and everything seemed to be going well, although their first flying lesson had revealed Anthony's intense fear of heights.

He barely made it five feet off the ground before Jacob grabbed his hand and pulled him high above the school, causing him to have something like an asthma attack.

Madam Hooch promised him that he didn't have to fly again if he didn't want to (she also promised that Jacob wouldn't be able to play Quidditch if he performed another stunt like that), so during those lessons Anthony studied for Potions.

Professor Snape had actually treated Anthony almost as well as one of his Slytherins (again, he was one of the few that had done the summer reading), and never commented on any of his potions, which his parents told him was a good sign.

He did, however, pick Anthony to answer almost every question, as if trying to stump him and humiliate him in front of the class. He hadn't, so far.

In Defense, they had already perfected Petrificus Totalus, with a rather amusing story that involved the twin's mother, Joseph's father, and Gryffindor winning the House Cup for the first time in years.

They were now on Locomotor Mortis, which Andrew Jordan was having loads of fun with; his favorite victim was Bridget, because she had a very long fall and he was able to take it off before she smashed to the ground.

In Charms, Jacob was the only student to make his feather float, and he also made it tickle Anthony every time Professor Flitwick turned around. Brian was lucky enough to make the needle he was given in Transfiguration to turn silver, and for the rest of the day everything his wand touched became silver.

Both triumphs infuriated Anthony because he was not able to accomplish them as well as his classmates had. He decided to spend his nights in the library, studying theorems and memorizing each and every spell and potion he would have to learn this year.

Of course, he didn't tell anyone what he was doing, fearing that they would want to kick him out of Gryffindor and send him to Ravenclaw.

After Madam Pince shooed him out at closing (she seemed rather nice, he had no idea what his Aunt Ginny had been talking about), he slowly made his way towards the Gryffindor common room, trying to find his way back without getting lost.

When he began traveling along what he believed was the right corridor, he heard what he thought were footsteps.

Quickly, he hid behind a suit of armor and listened for some voices. If Filch caught him out late again, he would definitely have to go to detention. The mere thought made Anthony turn green.

"You dare run into me?" a deep voice hissed. Anthony knew that it was not the voice of the notorious Filch, so he peeked out and saw two figures, a skinny one clearly towering over the shorter one.

"I didn't run into you...I was just taking a walk..." a voice squeaked. Anthony immediately recognized it as Taylor's, and he wondered whom she could be talking to.

"Oh, so you think because you're a bloody Gryffindor you can give me lip?" the man growled.

The redhead drew around the suit of armor to get a better look, but the two still did not seem to notice him. Anthony heard Taylor whimper and she backed away, into the wall.

"Have you told anyone?" the man asked, reaching for his wand. "I'll have to...dispose of you, if you don't keep your little mouth shut," he hissed. Taylor shook her head furiously, covering her eyes with her hands.

"Not one person, no one, I'm not stupid," Taylor whispered, her voice cracking. The man stood back, looking down at her.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. Taylor, dear," his voice sounded sickeningly sweet and sarcastic. "You know I'm going to have to make sure that you can't, don't you?"

Then, he pulled out his wand and pointed it centimeters from the center of Taylor's forehead. She released a terrified squeak and seemed to freeze, her eyes watching the tip of his wand.

Anthony wasn't sure what came over him, but he didn't think twice as he jumped from the shadow of the armor and flung out his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" he shouted, and immediately the man's wand flew away from him and into Anthony's free hand. Taylor and the man turned towards him, both with astonished eyes.

"Anthony!" she exclaimed. Taylor then covered her mouth quickly, her eyes darting from the redhead to the man who was attacking her.

Anthony ignored her, his attention solely on the other person in the hall, his wand pointed straight at him.

The man took three large steps and then he was inches away from Anthony. The redhead felt his stomach lurch into this throat as he finally realized whom it was.

On the chest of the man was the Head Boy badge; it was Stephen Malfoy.

"Who in the bloody hell are you?" Stephen exclaimed.

He stepped closer to Anthony, pushing the young boy across the hallway and into the light of a window. He was able to see every detail of Malfoy's face, from his crystal blue eyes to his menacing grin. It suddenly occurred to Anthony how much bigger Stephen was.

A snarl grew on Stephen's face as a look of recognition filled his eyes. "Oh, just another Weasel."

"It's Weasley," Anthony corrected quickly. Stephen's face darkened even more and he stood silent, as if daring the first year to speak again. The redhead didn't know what to do, he was sure that he couldn't beat a seventh year in a duel, so he began to speak, trying to hold off the inevitable.

"Pulling your wand on another student is against Hogwarts rules. I don't think the Head Boy should be pulling stunts like that."

"Oh really?" Stephen drawled, tapping his foot impatiently. "Well, since you are just a lowly first year, no one is going to take your word over mine." A wicked smile grew across his face.

Anthony's throat seemed to close at the closeness of Malfoy, but he amazingly spit out his next comment,

"I was able to get your wand away from you, I don't see that as lowly."

Before he could take his next breath, Stephen pushed him roughly against the wall, causing Anthony's head to bounce off of it. His eyes rolled as he slipped down the wall, barely standing.

"Stephen, don't!" Taylor screamed, clasping her hands together. Stephen turned to the girl and sent her a smile. Then he turned around and punched Anthony in the ribs with such force that the boy's entire body shook with pain.

Stephen grabbed Anthony by the back of his neck, lifting him up slightly so Taylor could see, and then slammed the boy down to the floor.

The redhead lied still, groaning, and feeling as if one of his brother's toy Bludgers was smacking him repeatedly in the forehead. Stephen twirled his wand, laughing softly, and aimed it at Anthony.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Taylor shrieked, her wand sending a silver streak towards Stephen. His entire body stiffened, and he fell back into the hallway, frozen.

Anthony stirred on the floor, not really sure where he was. He noticed a body lying beside him, and for a second he feared that someone had died.

Taylor was by his side in moments, and she rolled him onto his back while his eyes fluttered shut.

"Anthony, open your eyes!" she cried, shaking his shoulders softly and her mind racing for some charms that would wake him. The redhead's eyes snapped open and he looked up at her; he looked concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked weakly, sitting up as she grabbed his shoulders to help him. His head throbbed as he attempted to stand, and as they stood up, he grabbed onto her arm to help regain his balance.

"I'm fine," Taylor choked out, looking ready to cry. "Oh Anthony, I'm so sorry, we need to get you to the Hospital Wing!"

She was now trying to lead him in that direction with very little success. Anthony shook his head slightly and then grimaced because of the pain it caused him.

"No...Madam Pomfrey'll ask what happened, and if we tell on Stephen then we'll get in even more trouble." He smiled softly at her, trying to make her feel better.

Taylor's eyes were wide and fearful as she nodded slowly; it looked like she wasn't fully convinced.

"Okay...come on, Mrs. Norris might be around..." she said softly.

~~~

The Fat Lady did not ask the two any questions, she had witnessed the entire incident and was cooing softly at the injured boy. She opened the door as soon as the password ("Mistletoe!") was said.

The common room was empty, the fire still burning softly. Taylor led Anthony to the couch, where he plopped down and looked rather relieved. She sat beside him, staring into the fire with the same terrified eyes she had looked at Stephen with.

The redhead watched her silhouette flicker in the glow of the fire, and he opened his mouth to ask her something, but she turned to him. He shut his mouth quickly.

"What's wrong?" Taylor asked, looking ready to call St. Mungo's.

Anthony wanted to tell her that he could hear his heart throbbing very loudly in his ears and all he wanted to do was have his mother make it all feel better. He wanted to wrap his arms tightly around his upper body to try and stop the stinging he felt in his chest. He wanted to lie down.

"Nothing," he lied. "I just...can I ask what Stephen was talking about?" He blushed, he wasn't sure if she trusted him enough.

Even though the two did talk more than any of the other first years (besides Jacob), this was a very serious manner, and if she didn't want him involved...

Taylor looked at the ground, biting her lip.

"I can't say...you saw how mad he got..." Her voice cracked again and she wiped at her eyes. Anthony leaned forward slowly to look her straight in the face.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me...I just don't want you getting hurt." As he said it, he felt the blush creeping up his neck.

Taylor's cheeks also reddened and she turned to look into Anthony's blue eyes.

"You're so sweet," she whispered, and Anthony looked away, knowing that his ears were a telltale-red. He felt her move slightly next to him, and when he turned his lips were surprisingly on hers.

Squeaking, the two jumped apart.

"Wha-wha-what?" he whispered nervously. Taylor's blush grew even deeper; she looked just as shocked as he felt.

"I was gonna kiss you on the cheek!" she squealed, covering her mouth, her blue eyes sparkling behind her fingertips.

The two stared at each other with very wide eyes for a few minutes, before a rather loud snore echoed down from the stairwell to the dorms. They stood up quickly, Anthony wobbling slightly, and headed towards the steps.

Before they separated, Taylor grabbed his hand, her small fingers lacing between his long ones. He turned to her, noticing the tears shining in her eyes.

"Thank you, Anthony," she said simply, and pushing herself up on her tiptoes, she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

With a small wave, she disappeared behind the door to the girls' dorm.

Once out of the trance she had put him in, Anthony released a deep breath and headed towards his dorm room, head heavy with pain and confusion.

~~~

Luckily the next morning was Saturday, so Anthony and Taylor did not need to worry about homework or getting up early. It was also the day before the twins' twelfth birthday and the first Hogsmeade trip of the year, which all of the first years had decided to go to.

Jacob rose from his bed at around eight thirty, when some beams of sun had trickled into the room. He shivered and pulled his blanket over himself again, though he knew that he had to get up.

The young troublemaker wanted to be at Hogsmeade all day, his cousin Annie (George's sixth year daughter) had told him about a wicked roller coaster they had set up and he was dying to ride it.

Rubbing his eyes, he rolled over to look at his brother's bed. Normally, Anthony was up early on Saturdays, but to Jacob's surprise, his twin was still asleep. His curtains had never been closed, and what startled him even more was that Anthony was fully dressed in his school uniform.

"Ant," he croaked, still a bit sleep. "One more day, come on, we have to talk about what we're doing," Jacob said, sliding off of his bed with his blanket still wrapped around him.

Since they were five, the day before their birthday was spent discussing the events of the next day. Usually Jacob came up with wild ideas and Anthony simmered them down so they could actually happen.

He shuffled to the edge of his brother's bed and peered down at his identical twin.

Anthony was sleeping on his stomach, but his head was turned and Jacob could tell that he had a greenish bruise on his forehead. Concerned, Jacob shook him roughly in the shoulder.

"Ant, wake up."

His brother did not respond, and now worry began to fill Jacob's eyes. He pushed Anthony roughly again, this time rolling his brother onto his back. Still, Anthony did not stir. His eyes were closed peacefully, as if in a deep sleep.

"Anthony!" he shouted, his voice cracking.

"What's going on?" a sleepy voice mumbled. Jacob looked across the room to see that Rigel had gotten up as well.

"Anthony's not waking up," the redhead said frantically, looking down at his brother again.

Brian had appeared, looking very sleepy and very concerned at the same time, his hair sticking up at all angles. Joseph burst out of his curtains on the other side of Anthony's bed, his Chudley Cannons shirt on backwards.

"You want me to get a prefect?" he asked, looking terrified. Andrew popped his head in, peering down at the sleeping boy,

"Check for a pulse you dolt!" the bald boy shouted at Jacob.

Rigel rushed over and checked Anthony's pulse, seeing that Jacob was in too much of a shock to do so.

"He's alive. Merlin that's a nasty bump!" Rigel exclaimed.

Jacob, his mind racing with ideas on how to wake his brother up from this terrifying calm sleep, jumped onto the bed and stood over his brother. He began to bounce, trying desperately to wake Anthony up.

"ANTHONY REMUS WEASLEY! YOU WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!" he demanded in a loud, commanding voice.

Slowly, with a struggle, Anthony's eyes opened. Jacob stopped bouncing and smiled brightly at his brother while their roommates sighed with relief.

Anthony rubbed his eyes and looked up at his brother, a single eyebrow raised.

"What're you doing?" he whispered. Jacob rolled his eyes and jumped off the bed.

"You wouldn't wake up," Rigel explained, sitting on the bed. He pushed his brown hair away from his face and stared at Anthony's bruise, looking just as worried as Jacob did.

The redhead moaned and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. All of the events from the night before were slowing coming back to him. Anthony blushed as he recalled the things he had experienced.

He knew if he told his roommates what had happened, they would tell someone else, and soon the whole school would know what had occurred.

"Oh...I guess I was having a good dream," he lied softly.

Jacob, who was standing by his brother's side with his arms crossed, huffed impatiently.

"You've never been a deep sleeper," he said angrily.

"Where'd you get that bruise?" Joseph asked, yawning.

"A book fell on my head, from this high shelf in the library," Anthony answered quickly, sliding off the bed and shuffling towards the bathroom.

Jacob raced past him and stood in front of the bathroom door, blocking his twin's entrance. He could always tell when his brother was lying, but he couldn't figure out what else could have given him the bruise.

"Why are you still in your school clothes?" he asked, staring daggers into his twin's eyes. Anthony's blue irises darted away from Jacob's, and he continued to rub the back of his head, thinking up a suitable excuse.

"The knock took the wind out of me. I fell asleep once I hit the pillow."

Which was true...except for the whole book thing. Jacob still seemed skeptical, but he moved out of the bathroom's entrance. With a soft nod to his brother, Anthony entered the bathroom, feeling slightly relieved that the tension was gone.

He quickly closed the door, and as soon as he did, he fell to his knees. To go so long with out grimacing or lying back down had taken so much energy out of him that he could barely stand.

His head was throbbing and pounding and he felt a stinging in his forehead that hadn't been there last night. Anthony's chest also hurt and when he touched it, it felt like someone was poking him with a knife.

He reached up to grab the sink and pulled him self up with shaking arms. The room spun as he tried to stand by himself.

"Oh..." he moaned, leaning on the sink for support. Anthony's eyes rolled into his head and he slipped to the floor again.

~~~

Anthony was out cold for a few minutes, and after he showered and got dressed, he waited for the others and then the first years headed down to the Great Hall.

The boy made himself go because he needed to buy a birthday present for Jacob and Christmas presents for him and the rest of his family. This would be his only time he had without having to go with his parents. That Monday they were going home, and then Christmas was Wednesday.

As they ate breakfast (quickly, because they wanted to get out as soon as possible) the other students began to file in. Anthony looked up from his pancakes to see Taylor rush by Richard Malfoy, a fifth year, who had been standing by the door.

He tripped her and she stumbled away, acting as if she hadn't seen him. The few sitting at the Slytherin table howled with laughter and she sat across from Anthony, who just meekly smiled at her. Her face was a bright red, and she tried to ignore the comments coming from the opposing table.

"It does ten loops!" a red headed girl exclaimed further down the table. Annie Weasley was explaining the roller coaster at the fair to the first year boys and others who would listen.

"How d'you know?" a third year Ravenclaw asked, looking suspicious. Annie just shrugged delicately and took a sip of her orange juice. Anthony watched Jacob and Brian share sneaky grins.

"What are you going to do there?" Taylor asked Anthony, picking at her eggs. He watched as she swirled them around the plate, pushing them through her maple syrup and taking some pieces of bacon along. She looked up at him, her light blue eyes shining. Anthony immediately felt his face flush.

"Oh, I was thinking about going Christmas shopping...I saved up for this year. Er--my first year at Hogwarts, that is. I wanted to show I was responsible." He shrugged and put a piece of bacon in his mouth. The way his head pounded when he chewed was agonizing, but the last thing he wanted to do was worry Taylor.

"That's awfully nice of you," she said simply, finally putting something in her mouth. She smiled, and Anthony smiled back.

"Taylor!" a high-pitched voice called. The blonde girl turned to see Bridget Hagrid waving her over to the other end of the Gryffindor table, where the first year girls were sitting.

Taylor sent Anthony one last smile, and then she hurried over to the girls, who bent their heads together. He watched them for a few moments and noticed Jocelyn pointing at him and Taylor blushing madly. Giggles erupted from the group. Anthony looked away, blushing madly and staring down into his pumpkin juice.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Jacob whined, rapping the table furiously.

Anthony sighed and ate the last piece of his pancake. He joined his roommates, and the first years got ready to leave for Hogsmeade.