Contraband
October
It had taken a while for the process to become smooth, but by the week of Halloween the secret was out.
Students knew that if you could get a Prefect to drop your money and an order form into one of the two boxes, your could get almost anything you wanted from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Within 24 hours. It was amazing!
Teachers knew that somehow the contraband was sneaking past them, but unaware of the boxes, they began focusing on the owls. Breakfast was a nightmare; Professors standing over the tables, checking packages. Owls weren't allowed to enter Hogwarts except at mealtime, and as was expected, Ginny and Ron felt most of the scrutiny.
"Just tell me how you're doing it," whispered Ron to his sister.
"Stop acting! I know it's you!" she replied, her voice as low as his.
"Harry, make her tell me," Ron complained.
"We're dating, Ron, he doesn't own me," retorted a rather annoyed Ginny.
Only Hermione remained in a blissful state, ignoring both the Professors and her friends.
"Hey, Mione, who ya getting letters from?" questioned Harry, as a large owl dropped a letter in her outstretched hand.
"A friend I met over the summer," she said, a slight blush creeping up her face.
"Hey!" shouted an indignant Ron, "How come no one checks your letters?"
"Please, Ronald, she's HERMIONE – Head Girl and much smarter than the rest of us put together. She's about as outspoken as the professors about this childishness! Of course they aren't checking her mail," said Ginny. "Now, what I want to know is how are you and Fred and George pulling this off?"
"It's NOT me!"
Hermione forgotten, the two red-heads continued yelling all the way out of the hall and to the Quidditch pitch, Harry following behind.