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The Burrow
Village of Ottery St Catchpole
- Devon, England
( July, 1995. )

𝑭red and George were rudely yanked from their sleep when the door to their room flew open with a bang. Olympia and Cassie stood there, hands on their hips, looking like they were ready to haul the twins out of bed by their ears.

"Bloody hell, you two," Olympia exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "It's two o'clock!"

Fred groaned, burying his face into his pillow. "In the morning?"

"No, in the afternoon, you slug," Cassie snapped, crossing her arms.

"What do you even want at this ungodly hour?" George huffed, his voice muffled as he pulled the comforter up over his head.

Olympia arched an eyebrow. "You mean the afternoon?" she corrected.

"Yeah, that," George mumbled, rolling over in bed. He peeked out from beneath the comforter, a goofy smile spreading across his face as his eyes landed on Olympia. Despite herself, she felt her irritation soften, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Fred, less charmed, groaned dramatically. "Is this some kind of intervention? Because if it is, let me sleep first."

"No intervention," Olympia said firmly. "But you two are going to help us."

Fred cracked an eye open and scowled. "Help you do what, exactly?"

"Bake a cake," Cassie announced, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Fred and George exchanged a look, their faces a mix of confusion and disbelief. "Bake a cake?" George repeated, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Yes, a cake," Olympia said. "Achilles is coming home for the weekend, and as you both know, it's his birthday today. So you're going to help us bake him a cake."

Fred flopped back down onto his pillow, groaning again. "Why can't you just buy a cake like normal people?"

"Because homemade is better," Cassie retorted, nudging him in the side with her foot. "And because we want it to be special."

George sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "Fine. But if this ends in a kitchen disaster, I'm blaming both of you."

Fred sat up, pointing a finger for emphasis. "As long as it's not carrot cake, I'll help."

Olympia rolled her eyes, her hands on her hips. "Hey, that carrot cake was amazing!" she protested.

Fred snorted. "Amazing? It tasted like someone put vegetables where dessert should go."

"That's literally what carrot cake is, Fred," Cassie said, exasperated.

"And that's why it's a crime," Fred shot back, grinning.

George swung his legs over the side of the bed, stretching as he smirked at Olympia. "You're lucky I like you," he teased. "Otherwise, there's no way I'd willingly get out of bed for this."

"Oh, I'm honored," Olympia replied dryly, though she couldn't hide the small smile that crept onto her face.

Cassie clapped her hands, already halfway to the door. "Great! Let's go. The kitchen isn't going to destroy itself."

Fred muttered something about regretting all his life choices as he dragged himself out of bed, while George leaned closer to Olympia, his voice low. "You're in charge of the icing. If it's good enough, I might forgive you for waking me up."

Olympia rolled her eyes but laughed, grabbing his hand and tugging him toward the door. "Come on, Weasley. Let's see if you're as good in the kitchen as you are at Quidditch."

"I'm better," George shot back confidently, earning a groan from Fred and a laugh from Cassie as the four of them made their way to the kitchen to begin the chaos.

The group burst into the Burrow's already chaotic kitchen, arms full of ingredients and supplies they had gathered. Jars of flour and sugar were lined up on the counters, bowls and measuring cups scattered across the wooden surfaces. The magical egg whisk was spinning in circles on its own, clearly enchanted for Molly's latest project.

Fred leaned against the counter, surveying the mess. "Alright, so what's the plan? Because this looks like Mum started a potion and forgot halfway through."

Cassie rolled her eyes, grabbing an apron from the back of a chair. "The plan is simple: we're making Achilles a cake for his birthday."

"Brilliant," George said, grabbing his wand and waving it lazily. A stack of bowls floated neatly into place on the counter. "And what kind of cake are we making?"

"A strawberry cake," Cassie said confidently, pulling out fresh strawberries and setting them on the counter. "It's his favorite."

Fred groaned, already reaching for the cocoa powder. "Strawberry? That's boring. Chocolate is the way to go. Everyone loves chocolate."

Olympia raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Not everyone. And Achilles likes strawberries. So, strawberry it is."

George smirked, picking up the cocoa powder and tossing it from hand to hand. "I'm with Fred. Chocolate is the obvious winner."

Cassie huffed, pointing her wand at the strawberries to start slicing them neatly. "This isn't about you, George. It's about Achilles."

Fred leaned in with a cheeky grin. "Then let's settle this like adults."

Olympia raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"A bake-off," George announced, flicking his wand dramatically. A stack of measuring cups floated into the air, spinning like a juggler's act. "You two make your strawberry cake, and we'll make the chocolate one. Best cake wins."

Cassie shot him a glare, though a spark of competitiveness gleamed in her eyes. "Fine. But don't cry when we win."

Fred clapped his hands together, grinning. "Oh, it's on, Harrington."

The kitchen immediately descended into magical chaos as the bake-off began. Fred and George claimed one half of the counter, while Olympia and Cassie took the other. Bowls floated in the air, spells flew left and right, and the sound of clinking utensils filled the room.

Olympia waved her wand, summoning the eggs from the fridge. With a flick of her wrist, they cracked perfectly into a mixing bowl, their shells vanishing mid-air. "Precision and elegance," she said, smirking as she caught George watching. "Take notes, Weasley."

George snorted, pointing his wand at a bar of chocolate to chop it into perfect chunks. "Oh, don't worry. We're doing just fine over here."

Fred, meanwhile, had enchanted the butter and sugar to mix themselves in their bowl. "Cassie, you might as well give up now. Chocolate is unbeatable."

Cassie rolled her eyes, flicking her wand to whisk the batter in her bowl. "We'll see about that. Strawberries are classic, elegant, and Achilles' favorite. You're just relying on brute force."

"Brute force works," George said, grinning as he levitated a pot of melted chocolate over to their station. "Especially when it tastes better."

As the cakes began to take shape, the competitive spirit only grew stronger. Fred enchanted his spoon to stir the batter faster, while Olympia waved her wand to fold the strawberries into her mix with perfect precision. The strawberry cake batter swirled with a faint pink hue, while the chocolate batter gleamed dark and rich.

"Bet yours will sink in the middle," Fred teased, nodding toward Cassie and Olympia's cake tin.

"Bet yours will burn," Cassie shot back, smirking as she slid her cake into the oven with a quick flick of her wand.

George summoned the frosting ingredients with a dramatic wave. "You're forgetting the most important part: the decoration."

Olympia raised an eyebrow, pointing her wand to whip cream and sugar into a smooth, fluffy frosting. "Don't even try to out-decorate us. You'll lose."

Fred and George exchanged a look before Fred turned to Olympia with a grin. "Challenge accepted."

By the time both cakes were baked and cooled, the kitchen looked like a war zone. Flour dusted every surface, chocolate smears covered the counter, and the air smelled like sugar and butter. The four of them worked furiously on their decorations, magical piping bags swirling frosting over the cakes in intricate designs.

Cassie and Olympia topped their strawberry cake with fresh slices of strawberries, arranged in a perfect spiral. George and Fred, meanwhile, added generous drizzles of melted chocolate and even a handful of chocolate shavings for dramatic effect.

When they finally stepped back to admire their work, both cakes looked stunning. Fred wiped a smear of chocolate from his cheek, grinning. "Alright, ladies. Let's see you top this."

Cassie crossed her arms, her expression smug. "You're looking at the winner."

Olympia turned to George, smirking. "What do you think? Ready to admit defeat?"

George grinned, leaning closer. "Not a chance. But if you want to bribe me with a taste, I won't say no."

"Not until the judging," Olympia shot back, though her eyes sparkled with laughter.

The group stood back, both proud and exhausted as they waited for Achilles to return and decide which cake would reign supreme. One thing was for certain: the Burrow had never seen a bake-off quite like this.

As the teens admired their finished cakes, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the Burrow. Molly Weasley's voice rang out before she even stepped into the kitchen. "WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME HAPPENED TO MY KITCHEN?!"

Fred and George froze, their grins faltering as they exchanged a guilty look. Flour was everywhere, batter had somehow ended up on the walls, and the counters were cluttered with bowls, utensils, and magical tools.

"Uh-oh," Fred muttered.

Molly marched into the room, her hands on her hips as she surveyed the disaster. "Flour on the ceiling? Chocolate on the windows? How?" Her eyes fell on the teens, who stood frozen like guilty first years caught sneaking into the kitchens after curfew.

"Mum, before you say anything-" George began, but Molly held up a hand.

"Don't even try it," she said sternly, pulling out her wand. With a swift flick, the entire kitchen seemed to sigh in relief as it cleaned itself. Bowls stacked neatly, flour and chocolate vanished, and the counters gleamed as if nothing had happened.