Author's Note: I wrote this ages ago as a gift to a friend, before Deathly Hollows came out but I'm moving it over here to keep everything in one place. It isn't awesome, but I still had fun writing it. Enjoy.
Fred was eyeing the specifications that he had jotted down on the scraps of parchment and comparing it to the book on the table in front of him.
"I'm telling you, George, there is no reason why this shouldn't work, we just need a place to test it and..." Fred trailed off. George was staring at his own parchment, where he had been jotting the figures down for their latest sales and tallying up their profits. "What's up, George?"
George looked up with the oddest look on his face. "That lease for that place in Diagon Alley was what, 1500 galleons? "
Fred felt a weird feeling come over him. "Yeah."
"Between the money left over from Harry and the sales from this latest one, well, we could buy that lease with 'bout 200 Galleons to spare."
"Are you serious?"
George stared at his parchment for a moment again, and then looked back up at Fred. "Yeah."
"So we could, hypothetically, set up our business. Now. Without having to graduate."
"That seems to be the case, hypothetically, of course."
"Of course. And our last few months are going to be studying for exams. So, in the hypothetical instance that we leave sooner, we really wouldn't miss much."
George looked thoughtful. "Hypothetically that does seem to be the case. Hypothetically we could leave now."
Fred looked around the Common Room. It was relatively empty. There were a few scragglers hanging about studying or talking, but oddly enough, the Common Room was generally emptier in the middle of the afternoon than in the middle of the night. If they left now, no one would notice.
"If we left now, we could sneak out quietly. Hypothetically. It would almost be the same as leaving at the end of the year. Just leave one day and don't come back." George continued, though he was frowning.
"Umbitch might be a little annoyed. Couldn't have that now, could we?" Fred raised his eyebrow.
"No, definitely not--" just then, the portrait swung open and Ginny came in and spotted them.
"Can I talk to you guys for a second?"
"Why of course, our dear little sister." George said.
"We wouldn't want to think of what sort of bat bogeys she'd throw at us if we denied her that privelage."
"Can it." Ginny said distractedly. "Look, I was talking to Harry a few days ago, and he seemed kind of---he wanted to talk to Sirius badly for some reason. And unless Umbrigde is seriously distracted, that won't happen until summer holidays. I tried to think of something..."
"Say no more," George said.
"A scheme of this magnitude needs professional help."
"We'll create the biggest distraction you've ever seen."
"Huge."
"It will create quite a stir." Fred said, meeting George's glance and nodding.
"Fred just thought up a spell that would be perfect for such a situation."
Ginny rolled her eyes, then stood on her tiptoes, kissing them both on the cheek, rather surprising them.
"Thanks. I think Harry really needs this."
Fred and George exchanged another look over Ginny's head. "Gin, I think the entire school needs something like this."