A/N: Sorry this has taken so long - the semester started, you know how it goes. Grad school comes before fanfic, sadly. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed or favorited! I'm so glad people are enjoying this story! I'm hoping to have an update to A Muggleborn's Story in the next week as well. My Nanowrimo goal is to finish both of these.

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December 20, 1997

The door to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes opened and two girls stepped in - one with flaming red hair and a box under her arm and the other wearing a dark blue cloak with the hood still up.

Anna looked hopefully around the somewhat crowded store while Ginny wandered off to play with the pygmy puffs. She finally caught sight of Fred at the other end, and felt her stomach drop out from under her. A petite, attractive blonde witch was with him, and they were talking enthusiastically. On his face was the lopsided smile he wore when he was at his most charming. He put his arm around her shoulders as he pulled a box off of the shelf. Anna swallowed. She couldn't take her eyes off of them. You talked about this weeks ago, she told herself, there's no commitment. He can do whatever he wants when he's not with you. It was silly to think that just because you don't have anyone else to be with, that he would -

Her thoughts were broken when a hand suddenly took hers. George led her over to a counter and pulled out a small bottle. As he did so, he looked at her in a way... Well, in a way that she was not accustomed to being looked at by George. Her eyes flicked to the missing ear, disconfirming her momentary suspicion that she may have mixed the twins up for the first time ever.

"I'd like you to try this lovely new cream we've just got in," he told her, never breaking eye contact, "It warms a pretty girl's hands right up on a cold winter day like this - or buy it in the toothpaste tube and give an unsuspecting friend a toasty warm tongue." He winked at her. She opened her mouth but found herself speechless as he rubbed a drop of the cream into her hand. Had she stepped into Bizarro Diagon Alley?

"You see," George continued, still with a grin that made her blush, "a little flirtation goes a long way in the sales game." Understanding began to dawn on Anna, though the entire experience had caught her so off guard that she felt she was trying to think through a thick haze. "Whether a lovely young thing like yourself or a withered old hag - make her feel beautiful, and even if she doesn't buy something today, she'll remember you and come back." She blinked a few times and again tried unsuccessfully to say something.

George leaned close to her and lowered his voice. "He doesn't look at anyone the way he looks at you."

Suddenly, her hand was pulled out of his. "Ah, I know exactly what this young lady is looking for," Fred said to his brother with a wink, "I think we've got some more in the back."

"Merci," Anna said to George with a smile, and let Fred lead her to the back of the store.

Instead of the store room, he led her through the door that led to the stairs to the twin's upstairs flat. As soon as the door was closed behind them, he pushed her hood down and kissed her.

"What are you doing here?" he gasped when they finally came up for air.

"Ginny heard you mention you were running low on Ton-Tongue Toffees, and she'd seen a spare box of them in your room," Anna explained, "So she came to deliver them. Your mum thought it wouldn't be too unsafe for me to tag along just this once - since it's been six months since anyone from Hogwarts has seen me, if I keep my head down and my hood up they probably won't recognize me immediately. And I've got my French papers if there's a problem. I shouldn't stay too long, though."

"Well, you certainly shouldn't stay out there too long," Fred agreed, "but nobody's going to notice you back here, are they?" He gave her a devilish grin and squeezed her close.

"But you've got work to do," she replied with a slight pout, "It's bustling out there, I don't want to keep you too long."

On cue, the door opened a crack and George's head poked into the stairwell, "Take it you're heading out to lunch, then?" he asked his brother, "See you in a half hour." And he was gone. Anna stared after him.

"It's a bit creepy when he does that, you know," she said, turning to Fred.

"What can I say, I've got him well-trained. I'll have to give him a biscuit when we're done," And with that, he began pulling her up the stairs.

Seconds later, they collapsed onto Fred's bed, laughing and gasping for air. As Anna arranged herself comfortably on her back, Fred propped himself up on one arm above her and began to stroke her hair. He kissed her forehead, cheek, ear, neck, then pulled back and looked down at her.

"This is so sad," he said softly, "This is the first half hour we've had alone in three weeks, and I'd almost rather spend it talking to you than snogging you."

She laughed, "Sad? That sounds great! I mean, not that I don't think we should spend it snogging."

"Well, of course you think it's great, you're a girl. Girls like that sort of thing. Now, I realize you don't have direct proof of this fact - yet, mind you; I readily admit that I hope to change that someday - but believe it or not I actually do have a penis and I am accustomed to thinking with it like any red-blooded male. I find it highly disturbing - " Anna pulled him down into a kiss, cutting him off.

"Maybe you should stop wasting our half hour, then," she breathed between two long kisses.

---

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? GET YOUR BLOODY HANDS OFF ME!"

Fred and Anna sat up with a start. They'd been upstairs for all of ten minutes when they heard Ginny's shrieks from the store below. Fred's brotherly instincts propelled him out of the bed and through the bedroom door before he could shoot Anna an apologetic look. The sight of her half-unbuttoned shirt made him twinge a little inside, but didn't slow his progress to the stairs.

By the time he reached the store, he could hear George as well. "Look you, this is my store and my sister, and you'd better give me some good reasons why I shouldn't Crucio the lot of you this instant."

As Fred entered, he saw that most of the customers had frozen in their tracks. Some were trying to sneak out the far door. A group of four rough-looking men were standing near the main door, and the largest of them had Ginny by her elbows. She was thrashing around, and it looked like she was trying to bite him if she could have reached. George had his wand pointed at the man, but Fred knew that he hadn't used it yet because it would be nearly impossible to miss Ginny.

"We been hearin' reports that some mudbloods what been kicked outta Hogwarts been seen on Diagon Alley this week," the man holding Ginny said, "This one looks like she's school-age, why ain't she up at the school? You got any proof she ain't a mudblood?"

"What, you didn't stay at Hogwarts yourself long enough to learn to read a calendar?" Fred called as he made his way to the front of the store, covering the man's friends with his own wand, "Christmas is next week, they're on holiday. Or were you planning on also taking in the other thirty Hogwarts students in the store?" As he said this, several of the younger customers went pale and dashed for the door.

"I guess you can't read signs either," George said, "Because you somehow missed the enormous one out front that says Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. We," he motioned to himself and Fred, speaking slowly, as if to a child, "are George and Fred Weasley, we own the store.That is our sister, Ginevra Weasley. If you don't believe us, you can always ask our father. You'll find him at the Ministry. Where he works."

The lead snatcher glanced around at his fellow gangmembers. One opened his eyes wide and said quietly to the leader, "I think they're right, Murphy, there's a guy named Weasley what works in the Ministry somewhere. Got red hair like these three. Met 'im once when I went to talk to Rookwood. Shit, we don't wanna piss 'im off if 'e knows Rookwood."

The leader let go of Ginny, who immediately spun around and hit him with a stinging hex. As the welts sprung up on his face, the gang turned tail and ran, dodging Fred and George's curses as they went.

"Bloody hell," George growled, "Look at this place. We were packed five minutes ago. It's going to take at least an hour for people to calm down and start coming back in. Damn it, we need these Christmas sales if we want to survive through the January slump! Between the snatchers and the dementors, this is the third time this week the store's gone empty during a rush."

"Fuck the snatchers," Ginny said savagely, still staring after the man who'd grabbed her. "Gimme some Whiz-Bangs and a sign, I'll go drum you up some business. And if Murphy doesn't steer clear, he's likely to find a sparkler up his arse."

"Aw, she's growing up so fast," Fred said, his arm around his sister's shoulder. He gave her a squeeze and felt a little of the tension in her body ease.

---

Fred found Anna sitting on the stairs a minute later, her face pale. He sat down next to her and took her hand.

"Damn pygmy puffs," he said, "They look harmless, but when they go bad..."

Anna smiled weakly. "I guess it was pretty stupid of me to come here, huh? I'm just so tired of hiding."

"Hush," he said gently, "It wasn't stupid, you know you're not on their lists."

"And Ginny is?"

"Touche. I guess when the people doing the arresting are either too stupid or too power-hungry to check the lists, it doesn't matter much, does it?" He sighed. "Well, Ginny's bound and determined to go advertise for a bit, so no sense in you running back to the Burrow right now. How's your family doing? Any news?"

Anna brightened. "Actually, I just got a letter from them! By owl! My brother arranged to finish his requirements early and graduated this month, and they've moved to France with our grandmother! My brother's been hanging out with some Beauxbatons graduates, the only people we really know in France, and they're letting him use their owl. I'm going to visit them for Christmas Eve and Christmas. This will all make my cover story much more convincing."

Fred looked a little disappointed, but only for a second. "I was kind of looking forward to spending the holiday with you, but that's great. I know you've been worried for them. I'm really glad you'll get to see your brother. I hope I get to meet him someday."

"Meeting my family already?" Anna grinned, "This is getting serious, Mr. Weasley."

"May I remind you that you live with my parents? If meeting your brother makes this serious, that must make us married," He saw her grin falter, and hurriedly added, "I mean - that came out wrong. I'm sorry, you know I joke first and think later. I didn't mean - it's not that it's not serious. Because it is. At least, my feelings are serious, and I know we agreed that it can't be official, but I'm serious about it being... whatever it is, even if it's not official."

Anna held back her laughter with some difficulty. "You're adorable when you're flustered. You're right, though. It is what it is, whatever that is. And I'm serious about it being... it." She pressed her lips together again to keep from giggling at her own inanity.

"Well. I'm certainly glad we've sorted that out. It's a shame mum won't be letting you visit here again, not after Ginny blabs about what happened today, which Ginny won't be able to stop herself from doing." He stopped and looked thoughtful, then snapped his fingers. "You know, you could always apparate directly to our flat. Why didn't we think of that before?"

"Oh gosh, second-floor apparition has always made me nervous, I knew a girl who got her foot stuck in the floor once," Anna said. Then Fred caught her eye and she smiled, "But I suppose I could practice."