Title: Mum Knows Best. . . Sometimes
Author: mindfunk
Rating: PG
Category: One-shot; AWDT prompt was "Don't touch that!"
Pairing: Nope. More silly genfic.
Disclaimer: Everything Harry Potter related belongs to JK Rowling and those to whom she's licensed them. I don't own anything, and I'm not making any money off nicking HP people, places or things and writing a story about them.
Molly Weasley paused on the street in front of her sons' shop, proudly reading the sign that spelled out 'Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes' in garish red paint on a sparkling gold background. Smiling to herself and shaking her head slightly, she thought back to when the twins showed up at the Burrow in the middle of the school term to tell her they'd left school and rented space to begin a joke shop. Good thing they'd had their brooms in hand, because she'd chased them all the way down the lane, wielding a potholder transfigured into a switch and threatening to turn them each over her knee despite their status as alleged adults. She had to admit that she'd been wrong, and her sons had done quite well for themselves. Tearing herself away from her thoughts, she ascended the steps and entered the shop.
Hearing the bells on the door jingle, Fred popped up from behind the counter to greet what he thought was a customer.
"Welcome to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, Gred Weasley at your . . . " He trailed off when he realized it was his mother that had entered.
"Oh, it's you, Mum," he said, leaning on the counter. "What are you doing here?"
"Is that any way to greet your mother?" Molly said as she walked up to him, offering her cheek for a kiss.
"Oy, Fred," George said, wiping his hands on a rag as he appeared from the back of the store. "We're going to need some more sneezewort if we're going to finish those sweets in time to try them out on . . . "
"Look, dear brother," Fred interrupted hastily, before their mother could catch onto the plans they had for Ron at Sunday dinner that week. "Mum's come to visit us."
Molly was currently browsing around the store, looking curiously at some of the items.
"Hello, George, dear," she said distractedly, reaching out toward a basket full of bouquets of what looked like daisies.
"Don't touch that!" the twins yelled in unison.
Startled, their mother jumped back, almost falling over the boxes of Skiving Snackboxes stacked in the aisle.
"What on earth are you yelling for?" she cried, righting herself and straightening her cloak.
Her sons lapsed into twinspeak as they hurried to explain.
"Er, we're sorry mum . . . "
"Those are a new item . . . "
"We created them especially for blokes with shy girlfriends . . . "
"They're called Frisky Flowers, and they . . . "
"Make you want to snog when you touch or smell them," they finished together.
They looked nervously at each other, waiting for her to scold them. They knew she didn't appreciate their tricks and pranks.
"They're lovely," she said with a smile.
The twins looked at each other again, this time in shock.
"Oh, for heaven's sake! Don't look so surprised," she said chidingly, walking over and taking an arm of each twin. "You boys have very clever minds, even if you've used them for mischief instead of something more serious. I know I wasn't very supportive of your plans for this business, but you've done very well for yourselves. You've worked very hard and I'm proud of you." She beamed at each of them in turn as they stood speechless and wide eyed at her admission.
"Now," she said, steering them toward the door, "How about closing up for an hour or so and taking your dear old mum to the pub for lunch? I only see you at Sunday dinners now that you have that flat above the store, and although I enjoy the peace and quiet, I miss the two of you."
Grinning at each other, the twins disentangled themselves from their mother. George grabbed their cloaks from the pegs by the door, while Fred fumbled in his pocket for the keys to the store. He opened the door and ushered his mother and brother out. George offered his arm to Molly as they started down the steps, and Fred caught up to them after locking the door.
"So, " Molly asked as they walked down the street toward the Leaky Cauldron. "Do you think you could wrap some of those Frisky Flowers for me to take home and put on the table for tonight's dinner with your father?"
"Mum!" the twins cried, scandalized. Molly just laughed. Where did they think they'd inherited their love of tricks and pranks from anyway?