As a special treat for all of you, I'm trying to update regularly again (please note the word 'trying', I'm not making any promises!). However, this particular chapter is probably going to take me five times the usual as I'm writing in the dark and touch typing isn't my strong point! Well, this can be my punishment for staying away so long! Thank you as always to all my lovely reviewers! (Do you have any idea how long it took me to find that last 'v'?!) R&R! Lol r xxx

After two weeks in St Mungo's, George was getting restless and very bored (as was to be expected or someone as active and prank-dependent as he!).

'All there is to do is to look at that bloody picture of Gordon the Gruesome accidentally disembowelling himself, and that is not the best means of entertainment... especially right after eating,' he had complained to a sympathetic crowd of well-wishers (namely Fred, Bill, Charlie, Ron and Hermione). Fred had been discharged over a week ago which George didn't think was entirely justified, seeing as he shouldn't have been hurt at all. They just hadn't accounted for a last attack staged almost directly above them. Fred had escaped with a couple of broken limbs and a mild concussion (which Ron said he didn't actually notice, earning a large bat bogey hex right in the face from Ginny, who had overheard). George however was lucky to have escaped with his life. It had taken over half an hour to find them and it was Lupin who found them first. Had he not had a thorough grounding in elementary healing (his mother had been a healer herself and had taught him how to cure any damage he may have inflicted upon himself during his transformations), it would have been likely George would have ended up on the terminally ill ward along with Gilderoy Lockhart and Frank and Alice Longbottom, or dead.

'Darling, how are you feeling? Do you need anything? Drink? Food? Would you like a newspaper?' Mrs Weasley bustled into the ward looking much better than she had in the previous weeks. In her wake followed Fred.

'Sweetie pops, can I get you anything? Would you like a cool flannel with which to mop your pale brow?'

Fred, stop that at once. How would you feel if you were still in your bed with nothing to do and no-one to see?' asked Mrs Weasley irritably.

'I'd be sitting and pondering all possible ways I might not be in such a sad situation... therefore examining how much of a stupid prat I am,' but he grinned all the same. 'All right mate?' he asked George, clapping him on the shoulder.

'Yeah, I s'pose,' replied George, wincing slightly. 'Could do with a few more visitors though.'

'Enough with the guilt tripping already, I've been at the shop all bloody weekend.' At the sound of this, Mrs Weasley pursed her lips. She was glad that her sons had decided not to enter into the Ministry but that didn't stop her disapproving of the joke-shop.

'Well,' she sniffed, 'if you don't need anything, I think I'll go and get a cup of tea. Floo powder does make me extremely parched.' And with that, she bustled out of the ward, muttering under her breath.

'So, what's been happening at the shop then?' George asked as Fred sighed and sat down in a large armchair by the bed as though he'd had a very trying day.

'Well, you know that new bloke? Stan Shunpike?'

'Yeah,' said George slowly, feeling that whatever was about to come next wasn't going to be good.

'Well,' Fred said, 'there's good news and bad news.'

'Get the bad out the way first,' George replied, grimacing slightly.

'Well, he accidentally destroyed the wall separating us from that Pet Pals shop next door.'

'HE WHAT?!' At the sound of George's shout, an elderly healer came up to his bed and told them not to disturb the other patients, one of whom had just had her ears fixed back on and was very susceptible to loud noises. As he bustled away, red nodded grimly.

'Dunno how he managed it, you'd need a pretty large cowdozer to pull off something like that. Really complicated spell that one.'

'Bulldozer,' murmured George distractedly. 'Okay, cheer me up. What's the good news?'

'Oh yeah, well we've got a new product. Should be able to be released pretty soon.'

'That's good,' grinned George. 'What is it?'

'They,' said Fred.

'They?'

'Yeah. They are multi-coloured flashing puffskeins.'

'Oh no,' said George.

'Oh yes. It was quite a spectacle after that wall got disapparated or whatever happened to it. But basically the speciality inks fell into the pet shop and the owner told me he didn't want to sell multicoloured animals. So that's how it happened.'

'Oh,' said George. He couldn't really think of anything else to say.

'Yeah, we were going to ask for the invisible salamanders too, but we couldn't find them.'

George laughed. 'So what's been happening at home then? Anything as interesting as that?' he asked. Fred took a deep breath, and tried to pull a serious face (but failing spectacularly).

'Well, Pigwidgeon died.'

'What? How?'

'Well, it was quite amusing really,' said Fred, now grinning widely. 'Well, for me anyway.'

'Did it involve Crookshanks?' asked Geogre, remembering the whole Scabbers incident.

'Funnily enough, no,' said Fred. 'It was actually mainly to do with the new fake wand prototype, a quaffle and Ron's foot.'

'Nice,' George grimaced.

'He didn't feel anything, I promise you. But it definitely it wasn't funny at the time... for Ron anyway. He's not spoken to any of us for almost two days now. Well, apart from Hermione.'

'Hermione?' George asked, a little too quickly.

'Yeah, he's been confiding in her quite a lot recently. I think he's still a bit miffed that Harry's spending more time with Ginny.' Fred's face turned quite stony at this point. They didn't really mind about Harry and Ginny being together but they had taken him to one side at the beginning of the holiday and warned that if he did anything to hurt, maim, injure or otherwise cause pain to their little sister, he would answer to them, a large mallet and a super-size bag of highly concentrated Acid Pops.

'Hmm...' said George. He was still musing about the fact that Hermione was spending most of her time with Ron. To be quite honest with himself, he was really a bit pissed off about this. What was it that was making him feel like this? Hermione had visited him the day before yesterday and stayed for almost the whole day. Why should he begrudge his little brother the chance to bemoan the fate of his stupid owl?

'...so basically mum tried to ground me, and I mean, come on, she can't do that to me any more so I told her. So then she..'

George wasn't really listening to his brother, grateful though he was for some company.

'...and then I won the muggle Lottery.'

'Really?' George said vaguely.

'Of course it bloody well didn't. Hello? Earth to George! You're not listening to me.'

'Yes I am.'

'Look, you should just tell her.'

'Tell who? Tell what?'

'Hermione.'

'Tell her what?'

'You know what I mean.'

Nope.'

'Well that makes you ugly and stupid.'

'Shut up.'

'No. I know you like her George, so stop being an arse and admit it.'

'She's just a friend.'

'Bullshit.'

'Why?'

'Because I saw your face when I told you she'd been spending time with Ron and it was no pretty picture, I can tell you. Actually looked quite similar to the face you're pulling now.' George scowled even more.

'So?'

'So my dear little lovesick llama, I lied. She hasn't en spending any time with Ron at all.' Fred grinned at the furious face his twin was currently displaying.

'I swear by Merlin, Fred, if I had the use of my arm-'

'You'd make mincemeat out of my face. I know, I know. But you can't, so there.' George scowled again, knowing full well he couldn't cause pain to his infuriating brother. 'So get over yourself, George, 'cause she likes you too and it's now getting painful to watch.'

'She-?'

'Likes you too, yeah. Can't see the attraction myself, but, you know, whatever floats her boat.' George looked at his brother, not knowing whether to hit him or hug him (of course, without the use of many parts of his body he was thinking metaphorically).

'And so,' Fred continued, 'on that happy note, I am going to join my darling mother for a spot of tea.' He put on an uncanny Molly-like voice and said, 'Floo-powder makes me quite parched.' George grinned and Fred turned to go. He was just about at the door when he turned and with a worried expression on his face called, 'Are you sure you'll be okay poppet? Would you like me to bring your teddy next time?' And with an evil grin, he left the ward with George beetroot red at all the faces on the ward turned to look at him with laughter all over their faces.

Six days later, George returned to the Burrow, fully cured, to a large party. Remembering the last time the house had held a party, George felt his face go slightly pink.

'Penny for your thoughts?' said a voice behind him. George turned to see Hermione standing right behind him, smiling.

'Hey,' said George grinning.

'Welcome home,' she said, and hugged him, planting a small kiss on his cheek. 'Feeling better?'

'Much,' he said.

'So, what were you thinking about that made you go that beautiful shade of magenta?'

'Oh, nothing. It's... nothing.'

'Okay,' she said, clearly not believing but letting it pass all the same.

'Where's Ron?' George asked, noting his little brother was absent from the party of his family.

'Sulking,' said Hermione, rolling her eyes. 'Where else?'

'Where else indeed? Still not got over Pig?'

'Nope,' said Hermione, now looking quite angry. 'In fact, the stupid git has now found it in his heart to blame Crookshanks for the incident, which means he's in a mood with me.'

'But Crookshanks wasn't anywhere near-'

'I know, I know. But any excuse to be-'

'In a mood,' George finished her sentence for her. Hermione nodded, smiling slightly. 'Well, looks like things are finally getting back to normal then. Ron's in a piss with you for no reason, I'm out of hospital, mum's...' he paused to listen for his mother's shrieking which rose out of the kitchen.

'AND IF YOU EVER, EVER-'

'Mum's shouting at Fred for...'

'...NEVER WANT TO STEP IN ONE OF THEM...'

'Putting a bog in the kitchen,' he finished, grinning evilly at Hermione.

'George, you didn't-'

'What? Oh come on, I haven't done anything for weeks. Do you have any idea how bored I've been?'

'Really?' said Hermione, slightly coolly.

'Not when you were there obviously, my darling entertainer.' Hermione smiled.

Yes, everything was getting back to normal, hopefully for the best. Which was a relief and...

CLUNK, THUD, CLUNK, THUD, SPLAT

'Ow!' yelled Ron as he landed at the bottom of te stairs in a very ungraceful heap. 'Who the bloody hell put that bloody step back in there again?!'

'Ronald Weasley! Watch your language!' came Mrs Weasley's voice from the kitchen. Hermione turned back to George, a grin spreading across her face now.

'What?' he said innocently. 'I didn't do-'

'I know,' she said sweetly. 'I did.'

Only a couple more chapters to go! Keep R&R! Love y'all, r xxx