Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

When the girls stepped off the Knight Bus, at the Burrow they were exhausted. Siria in particular was relieved that Sirius had bewitched her bag to be just as large on the inside as her trunk's storage room. It meant that the lot of them had one messenger bag that felt empty. Neville kept looking around, like he had never seen anything as amazing as the Burrow, which Siria couldn't blame him for. The very air around the Burrow felt magical. Remus and Sirius stepped off the Knight Bus and ushered them onto the grounds. Ron ran out, waving madly at them.

"Oi!" Ron called to them as he hurried across the grounds. Siria gave a heavy sigh because, though Ron had always been taller than her and Hermione, he had grown even more since term ended. Hermione and Siria had to tilt their heads up to look him in the eyes. He laughed. "I look like your big brother." Ron nudged Siria, who, for the occasion, had Transfigured her hair to the flaming red of her mother's, which matched many of the Weasley's.

If one only went by hair, Ron could be her brother. However, even with her hair red, Siria felt she looked more like Sirius's daughter than Ron's sister. She made a point of standing the way Sirius did, which is to stay as straight and tall as she possibly could. Ron had a habit of slouching, as Hermione often did, but Hermione's slouch was from the weight of the small library she carried everywhere.

"Minus the freckles," Siria told him. She rubbed along her nose and cheek while she pictured what she would look like with freckles. "I wonder if—"

"Your hair is enough," Sirius patted her head. "Come on," He nudged Siria toward the Burrow with one hand while he corralled Neville with the other. "I've something to ask Molly."

"You might not want to," Ron told him. Remus looked from Ron to Sirius with a raised eyebrow. "She thinks you're the one helping Fred and George."

"Helping with what?" Hermione asked and looked to Siria, who shrugged.

"What?" Sirius asked far too loud. "If I were helping them with something, shouldn't she be happy they weren't doing it alone?" Remus sighed and rubbed his forehead as he opened the door for their party.

"Sirius!" The sharp voice of Mrs. Weasley snapped the moment the door opened.

"Mrs. Weasley!" Siria slid her bag onto the floor and rushed forward to hug and be hugged. Mrs. Weasley gave Siria a tight squeeze, but glared over Siria's head of messy red hair, at Sirius. When she broke apart the hug, her expression had softened. Mrs. Weasley placed a hand on Siria's cheek. "You look just like Lily." She smiled at her.

Mrs. Weasley took the time to hug everyone, Sirius included. She instructed Ron to show everyone their rooms— Hermione and Siria would be staying with Ginny, and Neville would be with Ron. When they reached the landing of Ginny's room, Mrs. Weasley broke into a roar downstairs. Neville jumped, which caused him to stumble forward and into Hermione. Ron and Siria caught the two just in time to fall to the floor with them. Ginny's door creaked open.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked them with her gaze intently at her feet.

"We just fell— how are we alright?" Ron groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. Hermione and Ginny helped Neville up.

"Sorry." Neville grumbled.

"What is your mum yelling about?" Siria asked and leaned over the railing. Footsteps thundered down the stairs, toward them. Hermione, Neville and Ron rushed into Ginny's room while Siria pressed herself to railing, to avoid being trampled by Fred and George. Siria tossed her bag through the doorway and ran after them.

"It wasn't him!" Fred shouted as he dashed into the kitchen.

"Honestly!" cried George.

"Wasn't it?" Mrs. Weasley shouted. "He already confessed!" Sirius, who was lazily leaning against a counter with his arms crossed, gave a half shrug.

"Confessed to what?" Siria asked as she looked around the room.

"Siria, dear," Mrs. Weasley soothed, "everything is fine."

"Good!" Fred, George, and Sirius chorused.

"Not for you lot!" She snapped and pointed at Sirius in particular. "How could you encourage them like this?"

"It isn't his fault!" George told her. Fred opened his mouth, but Sirius raised his hand to instruct the twins to back down.

"Molly," Sirius began in the calm, level tone he used when Siria wasn't in trouble, but their talk was to be serious. "You were right to suspect me for supplying the boys and encouraging their pursuits." Mrs. Weasley continued to glare at him. She, like the rest of the room, could sense the coming "but" clause. "I could have asked you, but you would have said 'no'. We know you want them to work at the Ministry, but have you ever asked them what they want?"

"A joke shop!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "A joke shop, Sirius! What's going to happen to them?" Fred and George looked from each other to Sirius. Sirius's kind grey eyes were firm; Siria knew he was in their corner, so she stepped forward to stand with the twins.

"Molly, they know what they're doing. Though they're still sixteen, they've got good business sense. Come next year or the year after, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes will have taken the Wizarding World by storm."

"What?" Siria whispered to the twins, under Mrs. Weasley's shouts at Sirius.

"Our joke shop" George told her.

"Mum found our order forms." said Fred.

"Burned the whole lot," George signed.

"Been on a rampage ever since." finished Fred.

"But you two would have the best joke shop ever." Siria said. George patted her on the back.

"Thanks red." Fred smiled at her. She looked from George to Fred, then Sirius and Mrs. Weasley.

"What about their internship?" Siria asked, a little louder than Mrs. Weasley's voice. She gulped when the eyes in the room fell on her. Hesitantly and now unsure, she reached to scratch the back of her neck, before catching herself and instead linking her hands in front of her. Behind her, footsteps stopped and she felt the added weight of more eyes.

"Sirius was talking about having Fred and George intern, at his company." Siria turned her green eyes to Sirius with a pointed expression. "So they could see what running a business is like and get some hands on experience." She turned her gaze to Mrs. Weasley. "You know how Sirius works a Muggle job, well he was saying the skills are helpful and…"

"The job I've offered you." Sirius said as level as if he had talked about it with Siria. "I've offered you in the job for years, but you always turn me down. I was hoping to extend it to Fred and George, for next summer." Mrs. Weasley looked around from Sirius to Siria then to Remus. Remus smiled kindly at her.

"It's why I'm here as well." Remus lied. "So I could tell you what all they would be doing and we could discuss it thoroughly. We are, of course, hoping to have Ron join as well. We're waiting on the Granger's reply for next summer, but Hermione," Hermione froze behind Siria as the eyes in the room turned to her, "what did you think of your time this summer?"

"Oh?" Hermione asked. She scanned around the room. "Well, you know. It's very standard stuff, for Muggles, but I found it very helpful. There's a lot of work with technology— computers and such, and it's all very good." From behind Siria, Hermione pinched the back of Siria's shirt.

"Absolutely!" Siria exclaimed and looked to Mrs. Weasley. "I learned so much at Moony & Padfoot and can't wait for next year." Mrs. Weasley sighed as she scanned the room, but she resigned. Somehow, Sirius managed to snowball it from the twins and Ron working at Moony & Padfoot over summer to Mrs. Weasley working there part time during the school year. While Remus and Sirius explained what her work would consist of and how she would absolutely still have time to take care of things at home, Sirius stole a wink to Fred, George, and Siria, who quietly and slowly snuck everyone back up the stairs and all the way to Ron's room.

"Thank Merlin!" Fred sighed when he closed the door after George.

"Moony & Padfoot?" George asked Siria with a meaningful look. Siria gave a single nod.

"That Moony & Padfoot?" Fred whispered.

"Yes." She hissed through closed teeth before asking Ron, who was taking a seat on his bed. "Who all is staying here?"

"Us." George told her while Fred slung an arm around her shoulder.

"We're not done." He whispered.

"Yeah." said Ron. "Me, Neville, Fred and George. Bill and Charlie got Fred and George's room and Percy gets his to himself."

"For his important Ministry work," George told them.

"Can't be disturbed at all!" Fred rolled his eyes.

When they were called down to prepare for dinner, two people Siria had never seen, but knew immediately, were outside (B4, 52). Bill and Charlie Weasley had just finished setting up the tables and chairs. Hermione, Neville, and Siria introduced themselves.

(Book: B4, 52 Charlie looks like the twins, but is calloused and has a few burns. Bill is "cool" and would fit right in at a rock concert)

They were setting the table when Remus and Sirius came into the yard. Sirius kissed the top of Siria's forehead and she sighed. "Already?"

"I'll see you at the Cup." He reminded her. Siria sighed again and her eyes fell to the seat she was setting. "Come on, it should be exciting— you're taking your first Portkey."

"I don't know what that is, but feel like I'm not going to like it." She said.

"It's not worse than Apparating." Sirius assured her while he patted her messy, red hair. Siria knocked his hand away. She sighed again, but hugged him. "Have a good day at work," Siria waved to Remus and Sirius as they Disapperated with a CRACK.

(Book: B4, 60-62 the tables are weighed under by all the food, Percy complains that Ludo Bagman hasn't looked for Bertha Jorkins at all and that Percy's boss, Barty Crouch, has taken a personal interest. Percy also talks about the "top secret" event, which Ron says is probably an exhibition on thick-bottomed cauldrons)

Hermione caught Siria's eye and gave her an apologetic glance. Siria gave a very subtle shrug. There was a chance Sirius would remove the conversation's seal or else stop by Hogwarts to remove it, once Dumbledore had announced it. Either way, they couldn't say anything now. The very thought of saying something caused Siria's tongue to stick to the roof of her mouth.

(Book: B4, 62-64 Mrs. Weasley wants to cut Bill's hair, but he and Ginny like it how it is. Charlie lets Siria know how the Quidditch season played out. Mrs. Weasley sends them to bed— obviously, they don't talk about Sirius or Siria's scar)