Fred and George Weasley: Pottermore’s celebration of mischief managed

The Weasley twins are our favorite mischief makers and Pottermore did a special celebration series of the fan art of the twins we love!

If you need a gulp of euphoria elixir, Pottermore has provided their “Index of Mischief”, a  celebratory compilation of the chaos perpetrated by that twin team of happy mayhem, Fred and George Weasley.

Mischief managed

This lovely piece of artwork captures the mischief managed aspect of the twins that we love so much!

Sometimes helpful (trying to calm a distressed Ginny by leaping out at her while covered in fur) and sometimes harmful (trying to calm a distressed Ginny by leaping out at her while covered in fur – seriously, guys?), the jokes of Fred and George were always inspired by high spirits. They also showed talent and genius, from turning Ron’s knife into a paper airplane mid-throw, to creating the corridor swamp that Professor Flitwick called “a good bit of magic”.  They knew how to turn outrage into comedy. Having a very sad day because of awful people? Remind yourself of the endlessly reproducing fireworks set off to torment Umbridge.

Brotherly love

This beautiful artwork captures the love these two twins have for each other that made us love them even more!

After you’ve finished reliving the twins’ pranks, go to the bonus picture at the end of the page, where you’ll see “The Inventions of Fred and George”. In the books, we got to witness the testing of several inventions on hapless victims, intentionally or otherwise. Dudley’s tongue becoming the size of a Beluga whale from a Ton-Tongue Toffee. Katie Bell almost bleeding to death from a Nosebleed Nougat, the twins’ mother inflating with rage when the twins swapped her wand for a trick wand, which turned into a rubber mouse.

Tricksters

We know that both the Weasley boys loved a good prank and this artworks shows us just how much they would have loved to torment Professor Snape!

The finished products sold in the joke shop were fine-tuned on a spectrum from adorable to battlefield equipment. The pink and purple Pygmy Puffs that Ginny fell in love with were just plain cute. While the seemingly innocent love potions almost did Ron in (along with gulping poisoned mead). And both sides in the war against Voldemort used Weasley Wizard Wheezes products. Shield hats and cloaks that the Ministry bought to protect their Aurors, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder which Draco used to hide his nefarious activities, and Decoy Detonators, used by Harry to help hide his own activities in the Voldemort-controlled Ministry.

Arnold the Pygmy Puff

Arnold took over a lot of our hearts and this art shows us the treat Ginny got from her brothers and their store!

The illustrations in Pottermore’s mayhem index have the strong style of Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, the artists behind the iconic wizarding world graphic design team, MinaLima. Pottermore doesn’t mention who made these pictures, but go to the MinaLima site to compare. While you’re there, watch the short video tour of their studio in London! It’s open to the public and has become one of the sacred stops for geeks on a Harry Potter U.K. pilgrimage.

MinaLima must have felt like they were dealing with kindred spirits while creating this ode to Fred and George. On their website, they describe their own creative twin team:

"“MinaLima is simply our happy personalities combined. … We are a studio built on humour, inspired by positivity and good common sense”."

It’s probable that Molly Weasley didn’t think that Fred and George had “good common sense”. In fact she’d been known to yell this at them. But Freorge themselves said that they knew when to not go too far, and Pottermore agrees. They managed their mischief, in other words.

Journey through the designs

To see the designs more clearly, and to read the writing, go to Pottermore’s “Troublemaker’s-in’chief”, click on the main picture and it will open in an overleaf. You’ll see all 41 mischief events listed at the end. You may want to read the index first so you know what each illustration means, but it’s also super fun to just guess! Guessing brings up so many memories of Fred and George. Your imagination can relive what Fred and George means to you.

Next: The Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore’s Army Teach Us Age is Just a Number

We all need regular doses of Fred and George.