Chapter 11:
"We really haven't got too long," Mrs. Weasley said. "So we'll just have a quick look around and then back to the car. We must be close, that's number ninety-two… ninety-four…"
"Whoa," said Ron, stopping in his tracks.
Alicia grinned as the firework like display of the boys' shop stood out amongst the gloom of the Alley.
"Cool huh." and she lead the way towards the doors as Mrs Weasley read the U-No-Poo sign.
"They'll be murdered in their beds!" she whispered.
"No they won't!" said Ron, who, like Harry, was laughing. "This is brilliant!"
As with the last time Alicia had visited the shop, it was full of customers. The Skiving Snackbox towers were less, the Nosebleed's Nougat of which were the most famous.
Harry and Hermione pushed their way towards the counter, catching sign of the Patented Daydream Charms.
Alicia moved through the shop, looking around before she noticed Fred. He was wearing magenta robes that clashed magnificently with his flaming hair.
"Excuse me sir," she tapped his shoulder and Fred held a hand up without turning to her and she crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. He was talking to a customer so Alicia waited before he finally turned to her.
"Yes Ma'am." he paused
"Usually it's polite to say, just one moment, instead of just silencing a person. What terrible service." Alicia turned on her heel to stalk away but Fred wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back, hugging her.
"There's my Outstanding girl!" she remained stubborn and Fred kissed her cheek. She turned her nose away.
"Awe come on."
"Was so rude. And you missed my birthday."
"I got some presents for you if that makes up for it."
"You can't buy me with things."
"You haven't even seen them."
"So?"
"You can't stay mad forever."
"You'd be surprised." Alicia argued but he began to suddenly tickle her and Alicia jumped away with a giggling gasp. He grinned at her and she scowled before he raised her chin and kissed her pleasantly.
"Everyone else with you then?"
"Yeah Harry's by the counter at the front." she pointed and he noticed Hermione reading his daydream stand.
Fred pulled Alicia along with him towards them beaming.
"…undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteens.' You know," said Hermione, looking up at Harry, "that really is extraordinary magic!"
"For that, Hermione," said Fred as he moved to stand behind the counter, "you can have one for free." he beamed at them.
"How are you, Harry?" They shook hands. "And what's happened to your eye, Hermione?"
"Your punching telescope," she said ruefully.
"Oh blimey, I forgot about those," said Fred. "Here —"
He pulled a tub out of his pocket and handed it to her; she unscrewed it gingerly to reveal a thick yellow paste.
"Just dab it on, that bruise'll be gone within the hour," said Fred. "We had to find a decent bruise remover. We're testing most of our products on ourselves."
Hermione looked nervous. "It is safe, isn't it?" she asked.
" 'Course it is," said Fred bracingly.
"Why did you have that in your pocket?" Alicia asked raising an eyebrow.
"Never know when you'll need it. Come on, Harry, I'll give you a tour." and Alicia was dragged along as Fred still had her hand.
"We've gotten some more stuff since you were here Alicia."
"Oh yeah, like what?" Alicia asked as they left Hermione dabbing her black eye with the paste, for the back of the shop.
"Muggle magic tricks!" said Fred happily, pointing them out. "For freaks like Dad, you know, who love Muggle stuff. It's not a big earner, but we do fairly steady business, they're great novelties… Oh, here's George…"
Fred's twin shook Harry's hand energetically.
"Giving him the tour? Come through the back, Harry, that's where we're making the real money — pocket anything, you, and you'll pay in more than Galleons!" he added warningly to a small boy who hastily whipped his hand out of the tub labeled EDIBLE DARK MARKS — THEY'LL MAKE ANYONE SICK!
George pushed back a curtain beside the Muggle tricks and Harry saw a darker, less crowded room. The packaging on the products lining these shelves was more subdued.
"We've just developed this more serious line," said Fred. "Funny how it happened…"
"You wouldn't believe how many people, even people who work at the Ministry, can't do a decent Shield Charm," said George. " 'Course, they didn't have you two teaching them."
"That's right.… Well, we thought Shield Hats were a bit of a laugh, you know, challenge your mate to jinx you while wearing it and watch his face when the jinx just bounces off. But the Ministry bought five hundred for all its support staff! And we're still getting massive orders!"
"Really?" Alicia beamed and they nodded.
"So we've expanded into a range of Shield Cloaks, Shield Gloves…"
"Gloves?" Alicia asked raising an eyebrow.
"Well your suggestion of Cloaks was inspiring that we just continued." Fred shrugged
"…I mean, they wouldn't help much against the Unforgivable Curses, but for minor to moderate hexes or jinxes…"
"And then since they were such big sellers we believed your suggestion Alicia for getting into the whole area of Defence Against the Dark Arts would be great, because it's such a money spinner,"
"What did I say?" Alicia asked modestly and Fred chuckled.
"This is cool. Look, Instant Darkness Powder, we're importing it from Peru. Handy if you want to make a quick escape." George pointed.
"That sounds awesome." Alicia mumbled
"Here you go." Fred gave her some and she moved to her pocket. "Don't you dare." he warned her
"Come on." she groaned.
Last time she'd been here neither twin had let her pay for anything she'd wanted, so she left without instead.
They didn't budge as Fred continued to point things out to Harry.
"And our Decoy Detonators are just walking off the shelves, look," said Fred, pointing at a number of weird-looking black horn-type objects that were indeed attempting to scurry out of sight. "You just drop one surreptitiously and it'll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight, giving you a diversion if you need one.
"Handy," said Harry, impressed.
"Here," said George, catching a couple and throwing them to Harry.
Verity suddenly poked her head around the curtain. She too was wearing the Magenta robes.
"There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley," she said.
Alicia giggled at the titles. It was a little strange.
"Right you are, Verity, I'm coming," said George promptly. "Harry, you help yourself to anything you want, all right? No charge."
"I can't do that!" said Harry, who had already pulled out his money bag to pay for the Decoy Detonators. Alicia pointed at him.
"See!"
"You two don't pay here," said Fred firmly, waving away Harry's gold.
"But —"
"You gave us our start-up loan, we haven't forgotten," said George sternly. "Take whatever you like, and just remember to tell people where you got it, if they ask." George swept off through the curtain to help with the customers.
"They wont let me pay either." Alicia grumbled as Fred led her and Harry back into the main part of the shop to find Hermione and Ginny still poring over the Patented Daydream Charms.
"Haven't you girls found our special WonderWitch products yet?" asked Fred. "Follow me, ladies…" and they moved to the pink product at the window. This time however there was a cluster of excited girls giggling enthusiastically around it. Alicia didn't bother to get close and Ginny and Hermione hung back with her as well, looking wary.
"There you go," said Fred proudly. "Best range of love potions you'll find anywhere."
Ginny raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do they work?" she asked.
"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question —"
"— and the attractiveness of the girl," said George, reappearing suddenly at their side. "But we're not selling them to our sister," he added, becoming suddenly stern, "not when she's already got about five boys on the go from what we've —"
"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie," said Ginny calmly,
"Who said anything about five boys?" Alicia asked as Ginny was leaning forward to take a small pink pot off the shelf.
"What's this?"
"Guaranteed ten-second pimple vanisher," said Fred. "Excellent on everything from boils to blackheads, but don't change the subject. Are you or are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas?"
"Yes, I am," said Ginny. "And last time I looked, he was definitely one boy, not five. What are those?"
She was pointing at a number of round balls of fluff in shades of pink and purple, all rolling around the bottom of a cage and emitting high-pitched squeaks.
"Pygmy Puffs," said George. "Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?"
"I dumped him, he was a bad loser," said Ginny, putting a finger through the bars of the cage and watching the Pygmy Puffs crowd around it. "They're really cute!"
"They're fairly cuddly, yes," conceded Fred. "But you're moving through boyfriends a bit fast, aren't you?"
"If you don't like a guy, you can't help it." Alicia said and George snickered ad Fred rose an eyebrow.
Ginny however had turned to look at him, her hands on her hips. There was such a Mrs. Weasley-ish glare on her face that Harry was surprised Fred didn't recoil.
"It's none of your business. And I'll thank you," she added angrily to Ron, who had just appeared at George's elbow, laden with merchandise, "not to tell tales about me to these two!"
"What?" he questioned
"Actually I told them." Alicia said "But I didn't tell any tales." she said shooting them a look. George shrugged while Fred was examining the many boxes in Ron's arms. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'm not allowed to buy them either." Ginny and Hermione chuckled "No idea why I can't have a love potion."
"That's three Galleons, nine Sickles, and a Knut," said Fred "Cough up. And you said you don't need love potions." he said to Alicia.
"Yeah what happened to being attractive enough?" George smiled
"I don't, and I am. But that's besides the point."
"I'm your brother!" Ron complained
"And that's our stuff you're nicking. Three Galleons, nine Sickles. I'll knock off the Knut."
"But I haven't got three Galleons, nine Sickles!"
"You'd better put it back then, and mind you put it on the right shelves."
Ron dropped several boxes, swore, and made a rude hand gesture at Fred that was unfortunately spotted by Mrs. Weasley, who had chosen that moment to appear.
"If I see you do that again I'll jinx your fingers together," she said sharply.
"Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" said Ginny at once.
"A what?" said Mrs. Weasley warily.
"Look, they're so sweet…"
Mrs. Weasley moved aside to look at the Pygmy Puffs, and Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione momentarily had an unimpeded view out of the window. Draco Malfoy was hurrying up the street alone. As he passed Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, he glanced over his shoulder. Seconds later, he moved beyond the scope of the window and they lost sight of him.
"Wonder where his mummy is?" said Harry, frowning.
"Given her the slip by the looks of it," said Ron.
"Why, though?" said Hermione.
Harry said nothing; he was thinking too hard.
"Oh come on…" Alicia moaned as she turned to him but Harry was already glancing at Mrs Weasley and Ginny while Fred and George were helping customers and Mr Weasley was examining the muggle marked playing cards.
"Get under here, quick," said Harry, pulling his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag.
"Oh — I don't know, Harry," said Hermione, looking uncertainly toward Mrs. Weasley.
"Come on!" said Ron. She hesitated for a second longer, then ducked under the cloak with Harry and Ron as Harry yanked Alicia under.
"I hate you." she grumbled.