Chaotic Siblings

Dear Ronald Weasley,

How can I stop myself from getting into fights with siblings?? I feel like everyday we get into arguments about nothing serious and we drive each other mad! What do I do?

Chaotic Siblings

Dear Chaotic Siblings,

You’ve come to the right place, Chaotic. Take it from me, mate, you are never going to stop getting on your siblings’ nerves. Nobody knows how to push your buttons than a sibling. Growing up at the Burrow, there were days – sometimes weeks at a time – when I thought I would hex the nose off of Percy, and Fred and George got on everybody’s nerves at least twice a month. There’s nothing like a blazing row going on to wake you up on a Saturday morning…

But unlike my sister, I’ve found that arguing and jinxing does not actually help, except as impromptu target practise. If you know that your brother has a particular tea-brewing ritual, for example, making sure you’re finished in the kitchen ten minutes before he prances in to prepare instead of being square in the middle of breakfast saves a lot of stress. But that’s just one example I can think of. It might feel like you’re giving in to a prat, but you’ll thank yourself when you make it to lunchtime in peace.

If you can’t avoid an argument, I highly recommend Muffliato. It’s a handy little spell that not many people know about. It will muffle your sibling’s voice to anyone but them, and you can enjoy a few moments of peace. And don’t underestimate bribery – it’s gotten me out of a lot of trouble, especially if you have more than one sibling.

Wishing you a peaceful day (or at least a couple of hours),
Ron