‘Oh, Mum's going to be revolting,’

‘Oh, Mum's going to be revolting,’ groaned George, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.

Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, then held it out to Harry as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine. Harry took it. A large ‘P’ was superimposed on the Gryffindor lion. He had seen a badge just like this on Percy's chest on his very first day at Hogwarts.

The door banged open. Hermione came tearing into the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying. There was an envelope in her hand.

‘Did you—did you get—?’

She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek.

‘I knew it!’ she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. ‘Me too, Harry, me too!’

‘No,’ said Harry quickly, pushing the badge back into Ron's hand. ‘It's Ron, not me.’

‘It—what?’

‘Ron's prefect, not me,’ Harry said.

‘Ron?’ said Hermione, her jaw dropping. ‘But ... are you sure? I mean—’

She turned red as Ron looked round at her with a defiant expression on his lace.

‘It's my name on the letter,’ he said.

‘I....’ said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered. ‘I ... well ... wow! Well done, Ron! That's really—’

‘Unexpected,’ said George, nodding.

‘No,’ said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, ‘no it's not ... Ron's done loads of ... he's really...’

The door behind her opened a little wider and Mrs. Weasley backed into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes.

‘Ginny said the booklists had come at last,’ she said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting the robes into two piles. ‘If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pyjamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing ... what colour would you like?’

‘Get him red and gold to match his badge,’ said George, smirking.

‘Match his what?’ said Mrs. Weasley absently, rolling up a pair of maroon socks and placing them on Ron's pile.

‘His badge,’ said Fred, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. ‘His lovely shiny new prefect's badge.’

Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs. Weasley's preoccupation with pyjamas.

‘His ... but ... Ron, you're not...?’

Ron held up his badge.

Mrs. Weasley let out a shriek just like Hermione's.

‘I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!’

‘What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?’ said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.

‘Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh, Ronnie—’

Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back but Mrs. Weasley did not notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.

‘Mum ... don't ... Mum, get a grip....’ he muttered, trying to push her away.