Percy was on his way back to his bedroom after fetching himself a glass of water. It was late and everyone in the Burrow was asleep and tucked away in their beds. He tip-toed up the creaky stairs when something caught his attention.

Light was coming out from underneath Fred and George's room.

So not everyone was asleep. Percy frowned, wondering what those two were up to this time. He sighed, setting his glass of water on the top of the railing. He might as well go find out what it was. If this was another prank of theirs, it'd be best just to get it out of the way now and not during the precious last few minutes before he had to leave for work.

He knocked on the door gently, then crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently when neither of them got up to open it. What on earth were they doing at this hour? Unless they'd fallen asleep with the light on. That was plausible. But strange. They hadn't done that since they were smaller and afraid of the boogey wizard coming out from the shadows to get them-courtesy of Charlie who put the ridiculous idea in their heads. When the door remained shut, he was about to walk away, but that was when he heard someone's feet hit the floor.

"Look, sorry Mum, I know it's late but-oh," Fred was there and his face went blank when he noticed it was Percy standing there and not their mum.

"Sorry you're so disappointed," Percy said dryly. Fred rolled his eyes. He spied George on his bed, with a colossal of paperwork spread out. He raised his eyebrows. "What are you two doing at this hour? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"We're not children you know," Fred said with irritation. "We can stay awake if we want."

"I never said you were," Percy said calmly. "It's just that most people would be asleep at-" He took a gander at the clock, "two in the morning."

"Yeah well, we're busy," George said.

"With?"

"None of your business," the two of them said in sync.

He was not impressed.

"Not like you'd care anyway," Fred said.

"And why wouldn't I?"

Fred and George looked at each other, doing that thing with their eyes like they were silently communicating. Percy thought it was interesting, not that he would ever admit it out loud.

"It's for our shop," Fred said with a touch of proudness that Percy hadn't seen from him before.

"Our future shop," George said. "We're using the money that Harry gave us so we can buy that empty building in Diagon Alley."

"It's for our new joke shop," Fred added. "We're trying to compete with Zonkos."

"I see," Percy said.

"Course it's bloody difficult," George muttered.

Fred shot him a look for that. That was an area between the twins that made it easier to distinguish who was who. Fred was the stubborn one who didn't like asking for help, while George was more willing to admit when something was hard. Percy had learned to see the signs.

"And why is it difficult?" Percy asked for clarification.

"It's not," Fred interjected hastily. "We're fine. We can do this. We don't need any help, much less from you."

But for once, he and George weren't on the same page.

"It's everything," George admitted and his twin face-palmed in exasperation. "It's confusing and we don't really know where to start."

"We'll figure it out," Fred said, not wanting to admit defeat. "It's just some legal stuff. It's not that hard."

"I see," Percy repeated. He contemplated on the situation. He wasn't due to come in until late in the afternoon so it wouldn't have any negative consequences on him if he didn't go back to bed right away. "I could help if you'd like?"

"Really?" George brightened up somewhat.

Fred, however, was not. He was being thoroughly stubborn about it. "We don't need it."

"Yes, we do," George countered, giving Fred a look just as his twin was sending him a dirty look in return. "You don't know anything about this!"

"We'll ask someone who does!"

"Who?" George scoffed. "No one else knows this stuff better than Percy."

Percy blinked. Was he just complimented?

George's face softened. He could never stay upset with Fred long. "I just want to make sure everything's right. We've waited for this moment since forever."

"But why him?" Fred flung a hand in his older brother's direction. Percy tried not to feel hurt. "He doesn't even care about our shop! Probably thinks we're wasting our potential like Mum says because we don't want to go into the bloody ministry!"

"That's not true," Percy said quietly. Well, he had thought that at one time. But when Bill came back into Britain for a visit, he sat Percy down and the two had a long talk. He came to realize that he may have been a bit hard on everyone, Fred and George especially, for being what he felt was lazy and unmotivated. Now he knew better and had vowed to Bill that he was going to make things right.

He'd been trying to do that but it wasn't easy. For one, his younger siblings were suspicious of him. He supposed it would take them time to get used to the idea that he'd changed. Until then, he'd try and try again.

"I don't think that way anymore. I'm happy that you both get to live out your dreams."

Fred narrowed his eyes.

"Come on, Fred," George said tiredly. "We really need the help."

Fred's eye wandered from his twin over to Percy, lingering on him. "Fine," he relented, drawing an imaginary circle on the floor. "Suppose we do need help."

"Alright," Percy ventured into the room, closing the door. He clasped his hands together. "So, what needs to be done first?" When his younger brothers looked blank, he inwardly took a deep breath. "Alright, well, have you figured out a name for your shop yet?"

"Already done," George said.

"Have you gotten your work permits yet?" Percy pulled up a spare chair, one that typically one of them used but was free since Fred was standing and George was on the bed.

The two of them glanced at each other.

"I'll take that as a no," Percy concluded. "I would recommend that you do that now, because there is a bit of a wait."

"And how do we do that?" George asked.

"There's an office at the Ministry. I can show you, if you'd like and help you with any part of the application process. It's quite lengthy."

"How do you know that?" Fred said suddenly.

"Dad took me on a tour through the Ministry before fifth year. The Permit Office has the paperwork next to the door so I took a look through it."

'What else do we need?" George said, eager to continue the conversation.

"Have you opened a bank account yet?" Percy said.

"We already have one," Fred said. "Mum and Dad-"

"No. I don't mean a personal one. Your business needs to have one specifically for dealing with payments and such. I don't believe it's legal to share a joint account for personal and business anyway."

"In that case-no," George said.

"Right. Well, sometime this week you two need to go to Gringotts and set one up and if you have a spot of galleons in your savings or you're able to take a small amount from Harry's money, I'd suggest putting some away in that account so it isn't completely empty. The Goblins can be fairly finicky at times and they might terminate your account with nothing in it," Percy advised.

"That's not fair," Fred protested.

"Perhaps not but the Goblins don't play fair."

Fred grumbled about the injustice of it all under his breath.

"Next," Percy said briskly, "insurance. Your shop needs to have insurance. You'll need three different kinds- "

"Three?" George couldn't believe it. "That sounds expensive."

"It might be at first," Percy agreed. "But you should look around and eventually it won't matter once you start making a profit."

"Well what do we need?" Fred was unhappy about it as well.

"I believe you need a general liability, product liability and commercial property insurance," Percy rubbed at his chin, nodding when that sounded right.

"Can't we just get the general liability?" Fred tried. "Sounds like it's good enough."

"I wouldn't," Percy shook his head. "General liability protects you from things like property damage or lawsuit settlements or injury. Things like that. I would highly recommend the product liability in case one of your products is defective and somehow injures a customer."

"Our stuff is fine," Fred interjected, mildly offended and miscontruting that Percy was implying that they didn't know what they were doing.

"Yes, but you never know when something might go wrong," Percy told him gently. "It would be better to purchase this and never use it than to not have it and have something happen. Trust me, it will cause more problems if you don't."

"I guess," Fred frowned.

"There's still a third one, isn't there?' George was getting them back on track. 'The commercial one?"

"Oh. Yes. That one will protect your shop from any loss caused by weather or an accident or vandalism."

"But I thought the general one covered us for damage?" Fred said. "Why do we need that one too?"

George groaned, dropping his head in his hands. Percy couldn't tell if he was becoming frustrated from all of this legal talk or he was annoyed at Fred for interrupting.

"General liability is for claims. Say, if Malfoy came to your shop-"

"We wouldn't let him in," Fred said.

"Well, imagine he snuck in and then claimed he was somehow injured as a result of your products or something. This would also take care of any costs to you you might have to pay in legal fees if Malfoy decided to take you to court for his injury."

"He would," George muttered.

Percy continued, hiding his smirk as he recalled how the little git had milked out his supposed injury by Hagrid's hippogriff. "Now when it comes to commercial property, this will protect the shop itself and any of your equipment inside. It will also pay for any repairs or replacements you may need if someone steals any of your inventory or there is spell damage or something. It's quite crucial to have."

Fred and George exchanged a look.

"Guess we're buying three."

"Guess we are..."

"Have you decided on how you're going to approach your finances?" Percy adjusted his glasses, for they'd been slipping down the bridge of his nose again. "I would suggest hiring an accountant to handle the financial reports, tax filings and such."

"Can't we just do it ourselves?" George asked.

"How hard could it be?" Fred shrugged.

"You could," Percy conceded. "But consider that you might be far too busy with other things concerning your shop. It might not leave you with much time left over, especially for the first year. It might be useful to hire a professional or perhaps someone else who knows what they're doing."

"Make a note of that," George told Fred, who produced a notepad out of nowhere and wrote it down. "We'll take care of that this week."

"On top of everything else," Fred sighed heavily. "Blimey, didn't realize how much we've got to do."

"You'll be alright," Percy said encouragingly. George seemed surprised by his words. Fred too, but he was more subtle. "Take it one step at a time and think everything through."

They nodded in a way that reminded him of how they'd been when they were younger. When all three of them were as close as they possibly could be and the two of them would soak up everything Percy said.

"So," he said as a way to push those thoughts away. No use dwelling on anything. They needed his help right now. "Any questions so far?"

"Do we need a lawyer?" Fred addressed Percy. "I've heard some places have them, you know, in case of stuff. I think Flourish and Blotts and Florean Fortescue's have one."

"Perhaps," Percy considered. "It might be helpful. However, those are considerably more expensive than the insurances you need. We'll have to talk more about it some other time. You could even find one and discuss it with someone. They'll consult with you for free."

"Can't we just talk to you?" George said. "You know all about that stuff, don't you?"

Percy looked at them apologetically. "I'm afraid that's not my area of expertise. I know of it on a surface level, but when it comes down to it, you'd be better off talking to a professional."

"Make a note of that too," George said.

"On it."

George tried to stifle a yawn. Percy hid his smile. "If you want, we can continue this tomorrow morning if you can get up. I don't have to leave until the afternoon."

"No, no," George mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. "M'fine." he waved his hand. "Go on."

"You can make it, Georgie," Fred said cheerfully. "Sleep is for the weak!"

"You yawned before Percy came in!"

"Did not!" Fred hit his twin on the back of his head.

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Okay," Percy cut through their banter. "Regardless. I believe there are still a few things to go over."

They were still grumbling at each other.

Percy muttered to himself, trying to think what needed to come next. "You need to register your business name if you haven't already."

They shook their heads, looking a bit sheepish.

"We only just started the whole thing," Fred said, sounding like he was on the defensive because he anticipated Percy was going to react negatively to them.

"That's alright," Percy noticed and tried to be comforting.

They looked suspiciously at him.

"It is?"

"Yes," Percy nodded and then got back on track. "Now, I think we've pretty much covered the legal aspects of things and now we can move on. Have either of you given any thought to hiring anyone else to help with the shop?" He peered at them. "I wouldn't suggest you tackle everything yourselves."

They straightened up, more so George because he'd been slouching down.

"Lee," they said immediately.

"Alright," Percy said. "Anyone else?"

George spoke up. "I asked Verity Mullins and she accepted."

"Didn't she go to Hogwarts?" Fred said.

"I think so. Don't remember her house, though."

"Alright, so Verity as well," Percy said. "Have you both figured out all of the products you'll be selling?"

"We have a list," Fred handed it to him. There had to be about thirty pages stuck to the clipboard.

"Well you've certainly got plenty," Percy muttered. Louder, he said, "You're going to need help setting things up, yeah? Would you like any help with that?"

"Sure," Fred said.

"We were going to go on Friday and start setting up," George said.

"Make sure you've got the permit by then," Percy said just as George yawned again. He chuckled, getting to his feet. "I think we should continue this conversation some other time."

George didn't protest.

"Goodnight you two," Percy said warmly as they mumbled their own goodnight's to him.

/

It was mid-morning on Tuesday when Percy strode into the Ministry with Fred and George trailing behind him. He offered to take them to the Permit Office to get everything going. Their parents had been unaware of the talk that went on the other night-not that the three of them were purposefully hiding it, it just didn't come up-and were caught off guard at the sight of them sitting at the breakfast table, talking amongst tiredly amongst themselves in a way that the two elder Weasleys hadn't witnessed since they were much smaller.

Percy smiled, giving a brief nod at those who said hello to him along the way. He wasn't popular, per se or exactly well known to everyone that worked within the building, but many knew him from his work with Fudge and being known as one of Arthur's sons. It wasn't something he thought much about but now, with his younger brothers there to see it, he felt kind of embarrassed.

They caught up to him, exchanging a look between themselves. "What, does everyone know you?" Fred raised his eyebrow.

"Not everyone," Percy said mildly.

"But most?" George said.

"Not quite."

"George, I can't believe it," Fred said. "This is a huge moment for our dearest Percy."

"We should alert the Prophet of this magnificent news!"

"Quite, right."

"Are you two done?" Percy rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Maybe."

"Maybe not."

"Well, we're here," Percy gestured to a table with stacks of different parchments laid around neatly. He took the permit application and gave it to Fred, with George leaning over his twin's shoulder to read over it. "You'll want to finish that as soon as possible. As I said before, there's a bit of a wait."

"Blimey," Fred groaned, pulling it apart to show how long it was.

"How many pages is it?" George was looking at it warily.

"I told you it was quite lengthy," Percy grinned.

"Right," Fred exhaled and shrunk it enough to place it in his pocket.

So, dearest brother of ours," George changed the subject, reaching up to put his arm around Percy's shoulders, who raised his eyebrows. "How about you introduce your devilishly handsome brothers to those lovely looking girls over there."

Oh, he was talking about the two ladies not too far from tem. Percy had seen them around before but never had any reason to talk to them.

"When you can find me some, I will," Percy said mildly.

"How rude."

/

They'd secured the building. Everything, or almost everything that is, was taken care of. Today was the day that Fred, George, Lee Jordan and Percy were helping stock products and ensure it was ready to go for the tentative date of their grand opening.

Percy got off the ladder, pleased with the way everything was looking. He was really, truly proud of his little brothers and how they'd gone from wistfully talking about having their own shop as children to actually having one.

"Oi, Perce, take a break," George called as he slid down the rail on the staircase. "You've been at it for hours now, mate."

Percy frowned. "Are you sure? There's still plenty to be done."

"M'sure. You're no good to anyone when you're tired," George smirked. He handed his brother a butterbeer, which was gratefully accepted.

There came a bit of a boom from somewhere in the back of the store. Percy looked startled. "What was-"

"Oh, probably Verity," George said nonchalantly.

"...Shouldn't we go see if she's alright?"

"She's fine," George said cheerfully. Percy arched his brow. "She's just fed up with Lee flirting with her."

And speaking of those two...

Lee came rushing down the stairs, yelping with his hands trying to cover his bum from behind. "Ah! Woman, stop it!"

Verity was following him closely, her wand raised. "I told you, you had one more chance, Jordan!" She barked.

"I didn't think you meant it!"

Percy watched with amusement as Lee was successfully chased out of the store with Verity running after him down the street of Diagon Alley.

/

"What a day!" George hopped on the counter, sighing in contentment.

It was the grand opening of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Percy had taken the day off, leaving no room for Minister Fudge to argue. Actually, the man tried to intervene, insisting he needed Percy there but he'd simply told the man no and left it at that.

The shop was amazingly busy. They'd hoped for a good turn out but this was much bigger than they had imagined. Many of the customers were students at Hogwarts, all of them quite eager to use these new products on their unsuspecting professors and classmates.

Oliver Wood stopped by, congratulating Fred and George on their success. He gave Percy a light punch to his shoulder, quietly telling him how it was nice to see them-them being him and the twins-getting along so well.

Now it was dark out and the shop was closed. He, the twins, Lee and Verity were exhausted but pleased.

"My fingers are achy from the register," Lee complained. "Stupid thing. My fingers kept getting caught in it."

Verity scoffed. "I'm surprised you did anything at all. You seemed quite enamored by those two girls."

"Just wanted to make sure they felt welcomed," Lee said smoothly.

George laughed and Percy shook his head, chuckling.

Fred came back to them with a bottle of firewhiskey in his hand. It didn't look cheap either.

"Don't tell me you've bought that?" Verity was surprised. "That looks like it cost a pretty galleon."

"We deserve it," Fred said and conjured up some shot glasses. "We made triple what we predicted!"

"That's brilliant!" Lee exclaimed.

"I'm really proud of you two," Percy said with a warm smile.

George seemed happy to hear that. Fred, too, but he wasn't one for touchy feely things. "Alright, alright," he mumbled good-naturedly. "No need to get all mushy about it."

Percy ruffled their hair, despite their half hearted protests.