Xenith
"No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible, until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought."
~~~John Stuart Mill
Chapter Twenty-one
"So denied, so I lied . . ." Fred sang softly to himself as he and George made there way toward Hogsmeade right after breakfast, Fred scribbling on a small pad of parchment with their newest product. "Are you the now or never kind? In a day and a day---"
"You know, I wouldn't mind a little help with this." George said, his voice slightly muffled by the boxes he was balancing in his arms.
"Umm-huh." Fred replied, not really having heard and he went on singing to himself and scribbling on the pad. "---love. I'm going to be gone for good again . . ."
"Tell me again why we couldn't bring these quills last night?"
"You said they were too heavy." Fred bit his lip and continued to hum to himself. "We're here." Fred pushed open the door for his brother and followed George into the interior of the joke shop.
"Who's there?" A girl shouted from the back.
"It's just us!" George called back, setting the boxes on the front counter.
"Oh!" A girl pretty girl with short, bouncy, blond hair had immerged from the depths of the shoppe. "Fred, right? Or is it George?"
"George." George said, grinning at her.
"You've got more tricks for us?" She opened the top box and peered inside.
"Quills, George?" She raised a perfect golden eyebrow at him.
"Not just quills," Fred said, tucking his own behind his ears and the pad in his back pocket. "Self-inking, invisible, _password_ quills.
"Elaborate."
"The ink only reveals itself to select viewers. Unless you have the password, that is. Self-inking explains itself really."
"Wow."
---
"So, you don't like Ron then?" Lavender asked as the three girls dressed in their dormitory for the Hogsmeade trip that day.
"Why?" Hermione asked, watching Lavender's reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair.
"Because," Lavender giggled uncontrollably. "Because you're going into Hogsmeade with Malcolm Anders today!"
"Yeah, well---" She tossed her brush onto her bed and pulled her hair back onto a curl-filled pony-tail.
"What's Ron's favourite colour?" Parvati interrupted, hands on her hips as she surveyed her wardrobe.
"Why?" She turned to the dark-haired girl.
"Because he's gotten quite cute this year and I want to impress him now that you don't have a claim on him."
Hermione spun away from her and didn't answer.
"So, what's his favourite colour?"
"Maroon."
---
"Come on Ron," Harry said, pulling the jumper Mrs Weasley had made him the previous year over his head. "I need a butterbeer. It's been a long week."
"I don' want to go." Ron said, stamping his foot and looking like a six foot tall two year-old.
"You've got to be jesting me, Ron! You we're just talking to her yesterday in Ginny's dorm!"
"That doesn't mean a thing and you know it."
"Ron I really need that butterbeer and I'll go with or without you. I'd rather go with."
"Hermione's going to be there with _him_."
"And on the next trip she's going to be there with you."
"But that's not till after Christmas."
"And that gives you two months to ask her."
"And two months for her to start dating _him_."
"Ron." Harry said his voice warning. "I really need that butterbeer. I'm going NOW." He strode out of the dorm, knowing Ron would follow.
"Wait up Harry!" Ron called from within. Ron bounded out of the dormitory yanking on a blue, ribbed turtleneck, the same colour of his eyes, which Harry knew Hermione had given him for his last birthday. Harry grinned and shook his head. Ron was truly hopeless. "Should we stop at the kitchens and get some food for Snuffles?" Ron said when he had caught up to Harry and they had left the empty tower, everyone else long gone.
"No," Harry's face was drawn as he spoke of his godfather. "He's out with Professor Lupin. On assignment."
"Oh, sorry Harry." Ron said softly. "I should have remembered."
"S'alright."
"Have you heard from him since he left last year?"
"Once, on my birthday."
"Good." Ron knew not to press any further. "Hey! You know what?" Ron said excitedly, bouncing next to him on the balls of his feet as they made their way down the grand marble staircase to the Entrance Hall.
"What?"
"Don't tell my mum, but Fred and George bought out a quarter of Zonko's!"
"What?!" Harry stopped on the stairs outside the castle and turned on Ron.
"They did! They came into some gold, though I don't think I want to know how, and bought a quarter of the Zonko's on Hogsmeade. They even have some of their stuff in it."
"That's incredible!" Harry smiled again, knowing exactly where the money had come from. "They have their jokes there?"
"Yeah! They snuck a shipment up yesterday afternoon so it would be there for the students today. Zonko's is only taking ten percent of each sale."
"Do you know what any of it is?"
"Most of it's the stuff they gave Ginny yesterday, I think."
"Let's stop there after The Three Broomsticks."
"Right."
---
"Hey, Hermione." Malcolm said as she walked up to him at the foot of the stair in the Entrance Hall.
"Hi."
"You look great."
"Thanks."
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah."
---
¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ ·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- tbc -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*
"No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible, until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought."
~~~John Stuart Mill
Chapter Twenty-one
"So denied, so I lied . . ." Fred sang softly to himself as he and George made there way toward Hogsmeade right after breakfast, Fred scribbling on a small pad of parchment with their newest product. "Are you the now or never kind? In a day and a day---"
"You know, I wouldn't mind a little help with this." George said, his voice slightly muffled by the boxes he was balancing in his arms.
"Umm-huh." Fred replied, not really having heard and he went on singing to himself and scribbling on the pad. "---love. I'm going to be gone for good again . . ."
"Tell me again why we couldn't bring these quills last night?"
"You said they were too heavy." Fred bit his lip and continued to hum to himself. "We're here." Fred pushed open the door for his brother and followed George into the interior of the joke shop.
"Who's there?" A girl shouted from the back.
"It's just us!" George called back, setting the boxes on the front counter.
"Oh!" A girl pretty girl with short, bouncy, blond hair had immerged from the depths of the shoppe. "Fred, right? Or is it George?"
"George." George said, grinning at her.
"You've got more tricks for us?" She opened the top box and peered inside.
"Quills, George?" She raised a perfect golden eyebrow at him.
"Not just quills," Fred said, tucking his own behind his ears and the pad in his back pocket. "Self-inking, invisible, _password_ quills.
"Elaborate."
"The ink only reveals itself to select viewers. Unless you have the password, that is. Self-inking explains itself really."
"Wow."
---
"So, you don't like Ron then?" Lavender asked as the three girls dressed in their dormitory for the Hogsmeade trip that day.
"Why?" Hermione asked, watching Lavender's reflection in the mirror as she brushed her hair.
"Because," Lavender giggled uncontrollably. "Because you're going into Hogsmeade with Malcolm Anders today!"
"Yeah, well---" She tossed her brush onto her bed and pulled her hair back onto a curl-filled pony-tail.
"What's Ron's favourite colour?" Parvati interrupted, hands on her hips as she surveyed her wardrobe.
"Why?" She turned to the dark-haired girl.
"Because he's gotten quite cute this year and I want to impress him now that you don't have a claim on him."
Hermione spun away from her and didn't answer.
"So, what's his favourite colour?"
"Maroon."
---
"Come on Ron," Harry said, pulling the jumper Mrs Weasley had made him the previous year over his head. "I need a butterbeer. It's been a long week."
"I don' want to go." Ron said, stamping his foot and looking like a six foot tall two year-old.
"You've got to be jesting me, Ron! You we're just talking to her yesterday in Ginny's dorm!"
"That doesn't mean a thing and you know it."
"Ron I really need that butterbeer and I'll go with or without you. I'd rather go with."
"Hermione's going to be there with _him_."
"And on the next trip she's going to be there with you."
"But that's not till after Christmas."
"And that gives you two months to ask her."
"And two months for her to start dating _him_."
"Ron." Harry said his voice warning. "I really need that butterbeer. I'm going NOW." He strode out of the dorm, knowing Ron would follow.
"Wait up Harry!" Ron called from within. Ron bounded out of the dormitory yanking on a blue, ribbed turtleneck, the same colour of his eyes, which Harry knew Hermione had given him for his last birthday. Harry grinned and shook his head. Ron was truly hopeless. "Should we stop at the kitchens and get some food for Snuffles?" Ron said when he had caught up to Harry and they had left the empty tower, everyone else long gone.
"No," Harry's face was drawn as he spoke of his godfather. "He's out with Professor Lupin. On assignment."
"Oh, sorry Harry." Ron said softly. "I should have remembered."
"S'alright."
"Have you heard from him since he left last year?"
"Once, on my birthday."
"Good." Ron knew not to press any further. "Hey! You know what?" Ron said excitedly, bouncing next to him on the balls of his feet as they made their way down the grand marble staircase to the Entrance Hall.
"What?"
"Don't tell my mum, but Fred and George bought out a quarter of Zonko's!"
"What?!" Harry stopped on the stairs outside the castle and turned on Ron.
"They did! They came into some gold, though I don't think I want to know how, and bought a quarter of the Zonko's on Hogsmeade. They even have some of their stuff in it."
"That's incredible!" Harry smiled again, knowing exactly where the money had come from. "They have their jokes there?"
"Yeah! They snuck a shipment up yesterday afternoon so it would be there for the students today. Zonko's is only taking ten percent of each sale."
"Do you know what any of it is?"
"Most of it's the stuff they gave Ginny yesterday, I think."
"Let's stop there after The Three Broomsticks."
"Right."
---
"Hey, Hermione." Malcolm said as she walked up to him at the foot of the stair in the Entrance Hall.
"Hi."
"You look great."
"Thanks."
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah."
---
¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ ·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- tbc -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*