A/N Thanks for sticking with me. This chapter will be a little more lighthearted. I had fun creating the little quirks, but much of this will be outside of cannon. Enjoy!

"Knockturn Alley!" George said, still grinning. The fireplace roared and green flames rose as he threw the floo powder in.

Before she knew it, Hermione was spinning her way through the floo, George still pulling her along.

She came out the other side into a dusty abandoned shop front. The windows were caked with grime, impossible to see out of. Empty shelves lined the walls, filled with nothing but cobwebs. She and George dusted the soot from their clothes and hair before walking towards the exit.

Hermione stopped short, looking apprehensive.

"It's okay, I know it's a tad strange, but it's the only place to get reasonable prices on hard to find goods. We're perfectly safe." George said reassuringly.

He opened the door and held it for her, motioning for her to follow. She took a deep breath, wrapped her sweater a little tighter around her while tucking her handbag away, and stepped out into the dim street.

Though it was close to noon at this point, there wasn't a soul to be seen from their spot. George made confident strides towards a nearby shopfront and Hermione hurried to keep up with him. They arrived at the shop and she looked around to find a name.

The Spiny Serpent read the sign above with a large black snake twirling through the lettering. The door was small and plain except for a large knocker. George grabbed it and gave three sharp knocks.

After a moment the door swung inward and they stepped through.

The first thing that struck Hermione was how bright it was inside. The walls were lined with cages and shelves and in the center were various urns, pots, and vases with all manners of plants.

The ceiling seemed impossibly tall, coming to a twisted point somewhere far in the distance. It also seemed to be the source of the light within.

The cages lining the walls were filled with all sorts of unconventional and magical creatures and more than a few insects. She was particularly fascinated by the Billiwigs as she'd never seen one in person.

While Hermione was looking around George had made his way to the counter. He rang the tiny bell sitting there and waited patiently.

After a few moments a rattling was heard and a door behind the counter opened and a small wizard stepped into view.

He was very short with gray hair and a wrinkled and weathered appearance. His nose was large and took up the majority of his face with small beady eyes on either side of it.

"Hullo Flit!" George said cheerily, waving at the small man.

His entire demeanor seemed to change upon seeing George.

"Fred!" He cried, scrambling over to him and grabbing his hands, shaking them firmly.

"So good to see you! How's your brother? Is the lady with you? Is she with you?" he asked, flicking his eyes towards where Hermione stood, looking over a row of mandrakes.

"It's George actually. Fred is uh, he.. uh.. well. "

Flit seemed to understand as he nodded his head slowly patted George's hands he still held.

"I see, I hadn't heard. That's too bad. You two were always my favorite customers." he trailed off.

"No worries." George said with a smile.

Hermione watched the exchange between what seemed like two old friends. She winced at Fred's name and was surprised at the smaller wizard's compassion. She walked over to the pair, putting on a warm smile.

"This is Hermione, she's going to helping around the shop and may be coming in to get the supplies every now and then." George explained.

Flit extended his hands and vigorously shook her hand.

"Any friend of yours is good in my books" he said with a wink.

"I suppose you'll be wanting your order? And your little ones?" he asked George as he shuffled back behind the counter.

"Yes please, can you throw in some extra of the stingers please? I think I might have an idea." George said, rubbing his hands together.

Flit waved his hand in acknowledgement then disappeared through the same door he had entered through.

"He's a bit odd, isn't he" Hermione asked once he was out of the room.

"Maybe, he's part goblin they say. Might be something to do with it. He's the best herbologist around though. And he can get ahold of just about any animal you can think of. " George explained.

"Part Goblin? You said his name is Flit? Like Flitwick?" Hermione asked him, her brain suddenly connecting the dots.

"Yes, like Flitwick. I think he and the professor are cousins." was the simple reply.

"What did he mean by little ones?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"What? No, nothing like that. I had him take care of the pygmy puffs while we were closed. Aunt Muriel would have had our heads if we'd have brought them all to her place during the war." He laughed at her expression of surprise when the puffs were mentioned.

"Pygmy Puffs? We're in Knockturn Alley for Pygmy Puffs?" She hissed at him.

"To be fair, they're pretty much our best selling product!" George dodged a light smack on the arm as Hermione shot him a dark look.

Just before Hermione thought to strike again the door reopened and a teetering pile of boxes and cages levitated out of the door in front of Flit.

"Here you are, should I send them on to the shop?"

George nodded to him, thanking him with a handshake before quickly making his way towards the exit. Hermione rolled her eyes and waved to Flit while making her own way out.

Back out into the street George didn't waste any time going to his next destination. A small bell clanged as he opened the door, letting Hermione step in first. The writing on the shop window announced that this was Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary.

It looked like what she imagined a fairy tale witches hovel would be like with a large bubbling cauldron near the center of the room. Herbs and other items hung from the ceiling while potions of all colors and sizes lined the walls. A bitter smell lingered in the smokey room, probably from whatever potion was brewing.

At the sound of their entrance a remarkably pretty witch looked up at them from her seat at the counter. Her gaze landed on the pair and seemed to recognize George. Her long straight hair was a golden yellow and she had bright green eyes. Her skin was pale but not sickly looking. She looked to be close in age to Hermione but she didn't recognize her.

"Gramps is out at the moment." She called, eyeing Hermione. Her voice was melodic, with a hint of danger.

"Ah that's okay Grida, I just need to pick up some ingredients. How is the old man?"

Hermione didn't like the feel of the girl's eyes upon her as she pulled out her prepared list. She took advantage of a row of shelving and quickly got out of sight looking for the things on her list. She could still hear them talking as she shopped.

"He's been enjoying the slower business lately actually. I've been telling him to retire for years, maybe since the war has thinned our clientele he will finally listen."

Hermione shuddered at her emotionless reply. Thinned? Does she mean all the dead or imprisoned Death Eaters?

"I'd be sorry to see him go, but tell him I send my regards will you?" George's tone was smooth and calculated.

"I heard about your brother. I didn't think you'd be back."

"I didn't either for a while, but I'm going to give it a shot. You should come by sometime. We reopen on Monday."

Hermione had almost finished her list at this point. This store had an incredible selection of goods it seemed.

George appeared at her side, quickly taking stock of what was still needed and helping her complete their purchase.

George put the goods on the counter as Hermione approached. Grida had her eyes locked on George, though it seemed he was avoiding her gaze. After a moment of calculating George handed over payment and turned to Hermione.

"Did you bring that bag of yours? The fancy one?"

She nodded, bringing out her handbag. George loaded their goods inside and waved to Grida as he ushered Hermione out quickly.

"What was all that?" She asked once they were away from the door.

"Part veela" George choked out roughly.

"She got to Fred once, it wasn't pretty" he said with grin.

Hermione laughed at the thought. remembering how boys used to fawn over Fleur at school her fourth year.

George didn't stop until they exited Knockturn Alley into the sunshine in Diagon Alley. Hermione breathed in deeply and soaked in the warmth of the sun on her face.

They made their way towards Madam Malkin's, George leading the way.

"What do we need here?" She asked as they stepped inside.

"Your uniform of course!"

Groaning, Hermione followed him to the counter. Madam Malkin welcomed them and ushered them to the back fitting area.

"Your brother is already here" She said, waving them through the curtain.

Confused, Hermione looked around in the fitting area, wondering which brother she was looking for.

Her eyes widened in recognition as Charlie waved from a chair in the corner.

"You're late" he said, but his smile betrayed his real temper.

"No, we're just on time" George replied.

"He roped you into this too?" Hermione asked.

Charlie nodded.

"He said if I wanted to help out I had to wear the uniform" he gave a small chuckle.

George just beamed at the two of them.

"That's the rules, I know how you love rules Hermione" he said winking at Charlie.

Both of the Weasley boys laughed as Hermione rolled her eyes at them. Madam Malkin motioned her up onto the pedestal in the center of the room.

The other two sat down as swaths of maroon fabric wound magically around Hermione. She looked into the wall of mirrors and watched in awe as robes took shape. No matter how many times she did this, it would always be amazing she thought.

At first she was wary of the bold color of the uniform, but she found that she actually liked the way it accentuated her light skin. Her brown hair didn't seem so plain against it either as she studied herself.

She had forgotten there were others in the room until she caught Charlie's gaze in the mirror. His look was intense, but she couldn't place the emotion behind it. Realizing she was staring at him now she blushed and looked away embarrassed.

It wasn't much longer before Madam Malkin was done with her, pinning the fabric and allowing her to step down. She quickly took a seat next to George as Charlie stood to take her place.

She tried to think if she'd ever seen the second oldest Weasley wear robes. Typically he was seen in holey jeans and tagged t shirts that showed off his muscular physique.

Madam Malkin got to work, quickly wrapping fabric around him the same way she had done with Hermione. She watched in as the woman worked.

She found herself once again staring at Charlie through the mirror. Their eyes met and Hermione quickly looked away, instead focusing on anything else in the room.

By the time she looked back at him the robes were being pinned and she marveled at the skill the woman possessed. She would never understand how the red Weasley hair didn't clash with maroon, but it didn't.

He looks good in robes she thought idly. Madam Malkin gathered the material as it fell away from him, pinning the last few spots and walking from the room.

"Are we ready then ?" Charlie asked, stepping down from the platform towards them.

"Yeah, I thought we could stop for drinks before heading home. Butterbeer?" George offered.

Hermione thought about declining but George must have known. He gave her the saddest puppy dog eyed look and she burst out laughing.

'Fine, fine, let's go. But you're paying George Weasley." She said surrendering.

The trio exited the store, making their way towards the Leaky Cauldron.