"She's so annoying!" Ginny whined in a low whisper one Friday evening.
Annabelle muffled a snort, sticking a biscuit in her mouth to cover up the sound.
Fleur Delacour had just left the youngest Weasley's bedroom, where Ginny, Anna, and Hermione were eating Molly's biscuits and tea. She had mainly been stopping by to ask Hermione when Harry would be arriving for the summer, but it was enough to set the two younger girls into a mild fit as soon as she left the room.
Ever since Bill proposed to Fleur at the beginning of summer, she had been staying at the Burrow. This was due to Bill having to work overtime at Gringotts, and so Fleur could get to know some of the other Weasleys.
Of course, as amusing as Anna found it that Ginny, Hermione, and Molly hated Fleur, she wouldn't lie and say she enjoyed the French woman's company any. Anytime the half-Veela French woman was in a room, nearly every guy in the vicinity stared or tripped over themselves to get her attention. Thankfully, Fred didn't ogle her, at least when Anna was in the room. She didn't think she could take seeing Fred checking out another woman.
Of course, Fleur never really encouraged the attention she got from men. She seemed to be as loyal to Bill as any woman should be. However, she did have this arrogant attitude, always talking about how much better France was.
"Anyway," Hermione muffled her laughter to speak again, "Anna, how have your first couple weeks of work been?"
"It's actually been really great, but busy." Anna admitted. "You know, with everyone freaking out about Voldemort returning, and when Amelia Bones was killed a few days ago. A lot of people left work, or didn't even show up, when news of that got out."
By halfway through July, the murder of Amelia Bones, possibly by the hands of Voldemort himself, was far from the only thing to happen. Death Eaters and dementors were running rampant. A chilly mist had permanently blanketed the wizarding world, which apparently was being caused by dementors breeding. Anna didn't even know dementors could breed.
Death Eaters had also caused a bridge to collapse, killing dozens of muggles and sending cars into the river below. There had also been news of muggles murdered in their homes.
"I suppose that's understandable." Hermione murmured.
"On a different note, did you do anything on your birthday? That was this week, wasn't it?" Ginny asked.
"Yes." Anna laughed. "My parents woke me up by putting Aslan on my face. Not exactly the wake up I would've preferred. I also got a brief note from Fred that morning wishing me a happy birthday. Fred also," Anna cut off to chuckle again, a blush spreading over her cheeks, "sent flowers to my work for everyone on Level two to see."
Ginny and Hermione awed, though they giggled a bit, too.
"Finally, the day ended with dinner with my family, and my mum made apple pie for dessert. And I got a short letter from Remus, since he couldn't visit with the mission he's on."
"Sounds like a good birthday." Ginny summed up, grabbing another biscuit off the plate.
"It was a good birthday." Anna agreed with a soft smile.
XXX
Anna sighed as she stepped out of the bathroom at home, running her hand through her wet hair. She was dressed in her pajamas and bathrobe and heading for her bedroom to finish folding her laundry her mother had dropped off earlier.
"Harry!"
Anna paused at the sound of her parents' mingled voices from downstairs. After barely a second, she spun on her bare heel and raced down the stairs, spinning around the corner at the bottom to stare into the living room.
There was a small pile of luggage by the door, Hedwig the Snowy Owl in her cage perched on top of the pile. And right in front of the front door, Sirius was hugging a familiar, messy-haired boy with glasses while Wren stood eagerly by them, awaiting her turn.
"Harry! I didn't know you were coming tonight." Anna exclaimed, hurrying over to join her parents in greeting her godbrother.
"Yeah, Dumbledore just dropped me off." Harry answered as he finally released Sirius to accept Wren's motherly hug.
"He mentioned he'd be picking you up from your aunt and uncle any day now." Sirius noted as Harry released Wren and gave Anna a hug, too. "Did he really pick you up this late?" he added with a glance at the clock on the wall. It was just around 9:00 at night.
"Well, no. He took me on a-a mission of sorts." Harry admitted.
"An Order mission?" Anna asked, her eyes wide.
"Not really. At least, I don't think so." Harry admitted. "He needed my help to convince someone to be a professor at Hogwarts."
"The new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor?" Anna guessed, her head tilting slightly.
"No, I guess not." Harry shook his head. "It sounds like Snape's finally got that position. It was some guy named Slughorn. He's going to be the Potions teacher."
"Oh, I remember Slughorn." Wren spoke up, moving around everyone to pick up Aslan, who was half-asleep on the living room floor with his blanket held tightly in one arm. "He was our Potions professor, remember, Sirius?"
"Of course I remember that dolt." Sirius answered, rolling his eyes and stuffing his hands into his pants pockets. "Head of Slytherin House, and made obvious favorites. Don't get me wrong," he added, turning to Harry again, "he was decent enough, for a Slytherin. But he had what he called, the 'Slug Club', which was made up of all his favorite students. Your mother was in it, so it wasn't completely awful. Wouldn't be surprised if he tries to get you to join, too."
"Are you sure you're not just jealous that you and James were never asked to join the Slug Club?" Wren asked teasingly, rocking Aslan gently against her chest.
Sirius narrowed his eyes playfully at her. "You weren't either, as I recall. Must've been a blow to your ego, being a Ravenclaw, and all."
Wren rolled her eyes, turning to head for the stairs. "My ego wasn't as big as yours." she retorted. She paused at the bottom of the stairs to look back at the others. "Anna, could you show Harry to your room? Aslan would never let you get a nights sleep if you slept in there with him." she added to Harry. "He'd be too excited and would want to play all night."
Harry chuckled while Anna nodded. "Sure thing, Mum. Come on." she added to Harry. Anna picked up Hedwig's cage while Sirius waved his wand, causing the rest of Harry's luggage to disappear. When the small group arrived at Anna's bedroom, the luggage was already in a small pile by the far wall.
Wren returned after seemingly putting Aslan to bed. "You must be hungry, running around all day with Dumbledore." she told Harry. "Come on downstairs and I'll make you something to eat. Anna and Sirius can set up the room so you'll have a place to sleep."
Harry blushed while Sirius muttered an obedient, "Yes, love."
Anna snorted, moving into the room and grabbing her wand from her bedside table. She examined her bed and the remaining space in the room.
"We could shrink my bed to a twin size and make a second one. There'd be enough room for that, right?" she suggested, glancing at her father.
Sirius nodded. "Yeah, that'd work." He waved his wand once, which shrunk Anna's bed, then a second time, which made a second bed appear with the bedside table between them.
Sirius Transfigured a small dresser, which they sat next to Anna's, and they let both Hedwig and Ariel out for a flight and hunt, leaving the window open so they could return when they fancied.
Within an hour, Harry was done eating the food Wren made him and changed into some pajamas. Wren insisted it was late and he could leave unpacking for the morning.
Anna settled down in her now-smaller bed, placing her wand on the bedside table. Harry, who'd finished changing and getting ready for bed in the bathroom across the hall, put his glasses and wand near hers.
"Well, I know I'm not as great of a roommate as Ron," Anna said quietly as she turned off the light with a last flick of her wand, "but I swear I don't snore."
Harry laughed quietly before they settled down for the night.
XXX
The last day of July was a late evening at work for Anna. She stayed an extra hour at work, following a trail of evidence for a case she'd been assigned. She stopped at home for a shower and then headed for the Burrow just in time to join everyone there for Harry's birthday dinner. She was delighted to see Remus there, and was sure to give him an enthusiastic hug.
She was shocked to see Hermione with a nice, dark black eye, and demanded to know who did it. Of course, she blushed and tried not to laugh when Hermione explained that she picked up one of the twins' Punching Telescopes. Anna had told Fred and George to clear all that stuff out of their old room, lest someone stumble upon them. They were lucky it wasn't their mother who'd picked up one of those telescopes.
Everyone also took the opportunity to spread some of the latest gossip, some of which Anna had already heard.
Florean Fortescue, the owner of Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, had apparently been dragged off, seemingly by Death Eaters. His shop was left trashed, showing signs of a struggle. Ollivander had also gone missing, but no one knew for sure if he'd been taken or if he went willingly. Anna had heard about it all the previous Sunday afternoon when she went to the twins' shop to work for the day. Other store owners had left, as well, leaving many stores in Diagon Alley boarded up and abandoned.
During the few short hours Anna was at the Burrow with everyone, she thought it was adorably funny that Aslan practically refused to be parted from Harry. There were a few times he wanted Remus to hold him, but he mainly remained in Harry's arms until he fell asleep, allowing Harry to carefully pass him to Wren. Despite the fact that Aslan was probably getting at least a little heavy, Harry didn't seem to mind holding him at all.
At the end of the night, when everyone left the Burrow to go to their own homes, Anna was thrilled that Remus would be joining them for a few days.
"Harry!" Anna called out the next morning. She was in the kitchen, having been in the middle of eating a quick breakfast before she headed out to work. "Post for you!"
Harry came stumbling into the kitchen, his glasses were pushed up to his forehead as he rubbed one eye with his fist. His black hair was messier than normal and he was still in his large, ragged pajamas. Anna held out the letter that an owl had just dropped off before flying back out the window. Harry took it from her, straightening his glasses as they fell back over his eyes. He looked at the letter for a moment before ripping into it. Anna guessed by the Hogwarts crest on the front that it was his booklist for the year.
As Anna turned back to her breakfast of toast and tea on the table she heard a dull thump as something hit the kitchen table. She looked up and saw a familiar silver badge laying on the table directly under Harry's opened letter. She'd seen that same badge on a few other people; Charlie, Oliver Wood, and Angelina.
A smile started tugging at her lips as she looked up at Harry's face. He was staring down at the badge, his expression blank. Then, his eyes stretched wide and his lips parted in shock. One of his hands lowered shakily to pick the badge up off the table and Anna caught a glimpse of a red letter 'C' on the front.
"I-I'm the Quidditch Captain." Harry muttered quietly. He looked up and stared at Anna, his green eyes wide. "I'm the Quidditch Captain." he repeated, sounding completely baffled.
"Congratulations." Anna told him with a grin. She wasn't too surprised Harry had been made Captain. The only people it could've been were him and Katie, really. Katie would've been a fine Captain, but Harry was the obvious choice. "And since I'm guessing your booklist is in there, too, you may want to tell my mum. Her and Molly want to plan a day to take all you youngsters to Diagon Alley to get your books and things, and visit the twins' shop." she added teasingly.
"Sure. Right." Harry mumbled, still looking baffled as he left the room with his letter and new badge.
XXX
"Hi Audrey." Anna greeted her coworker happily as she walked out of her cubicle, nearly running into the other witch, whose cubicle was right across the small walkway from Anna's.
"Hi, Anna. Done for the day?" Audrey greeted her, pulling a small purse over her shoulder as they both headed for the door.
"Barely." Anna admitted with a laugh. "I thought for sure I'd be here till midnight working on this latest case, but I managed to get a lead a little while ago and finish up. Good thing, too. I've got a big day tomorrow and I'd like a few hours of sleep."
"I know just what you mean." Audrey laughed tiredly. "I couldn't quite finish up my latest case, but I didn't want to stay too late, so I'm taking it home to work on over the weekend."
"Good idea." Anna commented, even though she knew it would never work for her. Her weekends tended to be busy with the joke shop, hanging out with the twins, family events, and sometimes Order stuff.
The two coworkers traveled up to the Atrium at Level Eight, where they could take separate fireplaces out of the Ministry.
As they approached the glowing, green light of the fireplaces, Audrey looked at Anna.
"Well, my boyfriend's over there waiting for me. I'll see you on Monday."
"Okay, have a good weekend." Anna returned with a smile. She watched Audrey head for a fireplace further down the room, where a few wizards were standing and talking. Anna saw Audrey approach one of the wizards, who barely paused to smile at her before continuing his conversation.
Anna blinked, staring in brief surprise. "Percy?" she whispered to herself. No, surely Audrey wasn't dating Percy Weasley. Maybe it was one of the other wizards in the group she was referring to.
But as she paused to watch, the other two wizards in the group left in a flash of green in the fireplace. Percy looked just the same as the last time Anna had seen him. He was tall and thin with the trademark Weasley-red hair. He was still wearing his same horn-rimmed glasses, but he was wearing what looked like nice, new robes. He was also carrying himself tall with his typical arrogant-like attitude, but when he turned to greet Audrey, Anna noticed he looked tired and worn out.
He offered his elbow to Audrey, who took it, and the couple stepped into the fireplace, disappearing in a flash of green flames.
XXX
The next day, Anna got to sleep in until 9:00 before getting up and getting ready. She picked up coffee and breakfast before heading to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for the day. Due to a slight line-up outside the front door, Anna went around to the backdoor, using her key to open it and enter the backroom.
George looked up from where he was working on something at the table, instantly grinning at the sight of her. "Hey, Anna. How was your week?"
"Busy." she sighed heavily, approaching the table. She took one of the to-go cups from the carrier she held and placed it next to him. "I come bearing coffee and breakfast." she added, also taking a container out of the paper bag she was carrying and placing it next to the coffee.
"Yes!" George exclaimed, instantly grabbing the coffee and taking a sip. "I knew there was a reason you're my favorite future sister-in-law." he added teasingly.
Anna reached over and smacked the back of his head, trying to will her blush away. "Shut up. That's not something you say. And I would've thought Fleur would be your favorite. She seems to be all the Weasley men's favorite."
"Aw. Are you jealous?" George teased lightly, popping open his container to reveal a steaming heap of scrambled eggs and a few strips of bacon.
"Of course not." Anna retorted.
"Good. 'Cause you have no reason to be. Fred thinks the world of you. The whole family does, really. Mum would be over the moon to be planning your and Fred's wedding instead of Bill and Fleur's." George commented casually, digging a fork out of the bag Anna had set on the table.
Anna took a deep breath, rolling her eyes. "Thank you. Now drop it."
George laughed, pulling out a fork and looking up at her. "Alright, alright. I'll drop it. Now, Fred's out front getting stuff ready if you want to take him his coffee and food. Well, probably leave the food back here and let him know it's here. We open in…ten minutes." George told her with a glance at his wristwatch.
"Okay." Anna moved the rest of the food farther down the table away from George, in case he tried to steal the rest, and headed for the door. She cracked it open and stuck her head out to scan the still-empty shop. She could see the crowd outside the front door. Her eyes scanned the shop until she caught a glimpse of Fred around one of the isles.
Quietly, Anna hurried across the store and peaked around the corner into the isle to see Fred restocking the shelves with a wave of his wand. Creeping up behind him, Anna carefully slipped her arms around Fred's middle from behind, hugging him and laying her head on his back.
Fred chuckled quietly, and Anna felt it through his back against her cheek. His hand wrapped gently around her forearm, his thumb rubbing her skin.
"Good morning."
Anna smiled, pulling away so Fred could turn around and face her. "Morning. I brought coffee and breakfast. It's in the backroom."
Fred glanced down at his wristwatch. "I may have a few minutes to eat something." With that, he began ushering her toward the backroom, making her laugh. They hurried across the shop and entered the backroom, where George was already halfway done with his food.
"I can watch the front with Verity when she gets here, since I'm almost done eating." George mumbled with his mouth full. "You can eat and work back here for a while."
"Sure, but I'll come up front within the first hour. Judging by the crowd already out front, we're in for a hectic day." Fred commented, popping open his own container of food.
"If you guys need me up front, just let me know." Anna told them, dumping a scoop of food into the Pygmy Puffs' food dishes. The little puff balls instantly swarmed the dishes. "Otherwise I'll just get stuff done back here. You have a list of things I need to work on?" she added the last question at George.
With his mouth full again, George just nodded and pushed a sheet of parchment across the table in her direction.
"Do you know what time the family and everyone is stopping by?" Fred asked curiously before taking a heaping bite of eggs.
"Not sure." Anna admitted. "I think they need to buy their school supplies first, but after that, I'm not sure."
The back door that lead to outside opened and Verity hurried in. "Sorry I'm running late." she panted, seeming out of breath.
"It's fine. We're due to open in…" George checked his watch, "one minute." He clapped his hands together and packed up his now-empty breakfast container and coffee cup. "Let's get out there. You two finish your breakfast." George told Anna and Fred before leading Verity into the main part of the shop and closing the door behind him.
"Thanks again for getting us breakfast." Fred told her after swallowing a large mouthful of eggs. "You didn't have to."
Anna shrugged. "I felt like it." she admitted honestly, taking a sip of her coffee while looking at the list George gave her. It was a list of things she would need to make. Looking at the first item on the list, she flipped open the book that had instructions before approaching the potion ingredients to get started.
XXX
Anna was alone in the backroom some time later. Fred had been called up front due to the enormous crowds coming and going in the store, which basically required all hands on deck. In the time since she arrived, Anna had started multiple products, including a few batches of the Skiving Snackboxes, Pimple Vanisher, and some fireworks.
She'd just finished her third Anti Gravity Hat when the door creaked open again. She set the finished hat with the others and looked over her shoulder to see Fred looking in at her.
"The family just got here." he told her, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "Great!" Anna jumped up and hurried toward the door. Fred backed out and let her through into the main part of the store. It was so crowded, everyone was practically bumping elbows. There was a decent-sized line at the counter where Verity was ringing them up, but most customers were wandering the store and browsing the different shelves. She spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione leading everyone in through the front door. She hurried through the crowd to see Hermione looking at the Patented Daydream Charms.
Hermione read the back of the box before looking at Harry, "You know, that really is extraordinary magic!"
"For that, Hermione," Fred beamed, coming up behind Anna and tossing an arm over her shoulders, "you can have one for free."
Anna grinned as the two turned toward them, even though she'd seen Harry that morning when she woke up. Seeing Hermione, however, she suddenly remembered that she'd forgotten about the bookworm's run-in with a Boxing Telescope.
"How are you, Harry?" Fred asked before Anna could bring it up. He shook Harry's hand with the one that wasn't around Anna's shoulders. "And what's happened to your eye, Hermione?"
"Your punching telescope." she answered ruefully. Anna grimaced sympathetically.
"Oh blimey, I forgot about those." said Fred. "Here-"
Anna glanced down to see him pull a familiar tub from his robe pocket and hand it to her. She unscrewed it hesitantly and peaked inside to see a thick, yellow paste.
"Just dab it on, that bruise'll be gone within the hour." Fred told her. "We had to find a decent bruise remover. We're testing most of our products on ourselves."
Hermione glanced nervously between the paste, Fred, and Anna. "It is safe, isn't it?" she asked.
"Course it is." Fred insisted.
"It really is, Hermione." Anna assured her, guessing the younger girl would take her word over Fred's. "I've used it myself. It's amazing."
"Come on, Harry, I'll give you a tour." Fred added to Harry.
The boys wandered off toward the back of the shop, leaving Anna with Hermione, who was dabbing the paste on her black eye.
"You know, Fred was serious when he said you could have that daydream charm for free." Anna told her after Hermione screwed the lid back on the container. She handed it to Anna, who placed it in her pocket to return to Fred later. "He doesn't just give stuff away for free, especially merchandise. If he offered you one, he meant it. And that means something."
Hermione smiled, glancing back at the Patented Daydream Charms on the shelf. "Really?" she asked hesitantly. "But I thought they didn't like me."
"Hmm. It's not that they don't like you." Anna stated slowly, trying to figure out how to word what she was thinking. "Sure, you guys butted heads a lot, but if anything, I think they respect you and your opinion. I mean, when Fred heard you call the daydream charms 'extraordinary magic', he practically burst with pride. They do value your opinion, just like they value their parents' opinions, it's just not likely to stop them from doing what they want." she added, partially teasing even though it was the truth.
Hermione laughed, turning and taking a Daydream Charm off the shelf. "Well,…okay then. I am really curious to try this. Not in class, of course." she added hastily.
"Oh no, of course not." Anna joked. "Hermione Granger, daydreaming in class? The world would end before that happened."
Hermione pushed as Anna's shoulder, but both girls were laughing.
"But anyway, if Verity or anyone mentions you not paying for that, just tell them Fred Weasley, and me, said you could have that one for free."
"Okay, thanks." Hermione told her before glancing around. "Where do you think Fred and Harry disappeared to?"
"Probably where all the defense stuff is. The twins started their own branch of defense products, and they've been itching to show Harry that stuff since they thought it up. You know, since Harry taught the D.A. and everything."
Hermione nodded, her brown eyes alight with curiosity and Anna guessed she wanted to see the defense products, as well.
"What've you got there, Hermione?" Ginny asked, having wandered over after looking at something with Molly.
Hermione showed it to Ginny and Anna offered a brief explanation of the product.
"So, have you tried one?" Ginny asked Anna curiously.
"Well, yeah. Me, Fred, and George all tried them out before we started selling them, to check they worked for everyone."
"And what did you daydream about?" Ginny asked deviously.
Anna glared lightly at the redhead, trying not to blush. "Nothing very interesting." she lied. She'd obviously daydreamed about her and Fred, but it wasn't anything too naughty like Ginny was implying. It had just been of Anna and Fred making out in the backroom of the shop…on the work table. It was just a little bit more than the couple had done in real life, but Anna wasn't about to give Ginny any details.
"Ooh, do I have to guess?" Ginny pushed. Hermione was also smirking lightly, but she stayed quiet, just watching the exchange.
"How about you try one and tell me what you see?" Anna countered with a smirk. "I'm sure your dirty little mind will come up with all kinds of fun things to do with Dean."
"Shh!" Ginny hissed, her eyes switching to glance worriedly over Anna's shoulder. Glancing back, Anna saw Fred returning with Harry in tow.
Anna smirked back at Ginny, who narrowed her eyes warningly at her.
"Haven't you shown them our WonderWitch products yet?" Fred asked Anna, stopping at her shoulder.
"Oh, not yet. Ginny and I were just catching up on so much." Anna commented, glancing slyly at the youngest Weasley. "Right, Gin?"
"What's WonderWitch?" Ginny asked quickly, looking up at her brother.
Fred glanced between his sister and girlfriend for a moment, his eyes narrowed with slight suspicion, before he turned and leaded them toward the window. Anna grinned when she saw that Hermione and Ginny hung back warily when they saw the large, pink display surrounded by giggling girls. Not much of girly-girl herself, Anna had tried suggesting the twins not make it so pink, but they didn't listen.
"There you go." Fred grinned proudly. "Best range of love potions you'll find anywhere."
Ginny raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do they work?"
"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question-"
"-and the attractiveness of the girl." George finished, suddenly appearing at his twin's side. "But we're not selling them to our sister," he added, suddenly looking more stern than Anna had ever seen him, "not when she's already got about five boys on the go from what we've-"
"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie." Ginny interrupted calmly. "But I do get it now." she added, as if suddenly thinking of something.
"Get what?" Fred and George asked curiously.
"I get why someone as beautiful and amazing as Anna is with someone like you." she finished, looking at Fred and wiggling a bottle of Love Potion suggestively. Anna snorted, covering her mouth and looking at the twins.
George with smirking, glancing sideways at Fred, who just narrowed his eyes at his sister.
"Funny." he commented dryly. "But for your information, Anna just has good taste in men."
"If she's with someone like you, I'm not so sure." Ginny argued teasingly, glancing at Anna with a friendly look to let her know it was said in jest.
"She does have a point." Anna played along, crossing her arms and looking up at Fred. "What is it I see in you, again?"
Fred smirked. "If you want a detailed reminder, we'd have to go into the backroom."
"Okay." George lightly shoved at Fred's head. "Don't talk like that in front of our little sister."
Ginny and Hermione laughed, while Anna looked at her feet to hide her blush and her smile.
"Anyway, don't change the subject, Gin." Fred continued, "Are you or are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas?"
"Yes I am." Ginny answered. "And last time I looked, he was definitely one boy, not five. What are those?"
Ginny pointed at the Pygmy Puffs in the bottom of a large cage, rolling around and squeaking. She was clearly trying to change the subject, and Anna admired her effort.
"Pygmy Puffs." George answered. "Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?"
"I dumped him, he was a bad loser." Ginny answered, sticking a finger through the bars of the cage, which the Puffs crowded around. "They're really cute!"
"They're fairly cuddly, yes." Fred admitted. "But you're moving through boyfriends a bit fast, aren't you?"
Ginny turned around to face her brothers, planting her hands on her hips. She looked so much like her mother, Anna glanced almost nervously at the twins to see if they would flinch.
"It's none of your business. And I'll thank you," she added angrily at George's elbow, where Ron had just appeared with arms full of products, "not to tell tales about me to these two!"
"That's three Galleons, nine Sickles, and a Knut." Fred interrupted, surveying the many products in his brother's arms. "Cough up."
"I'm your brother!" Ron argued.
"And that's our stuff you're nicking. Three Galleons, nine Sickles. I'll knock off the Knut."
"But I haven't got three Galleons, nine Sickles!"
"You'd better put it back then, and mind you put it on the right shelves."
Ron accidentally dropped several of the boxes, cursed, and gave Fred a rude hand gesture. Unfortunately for him, Molly arrived right in that moment and saw.
"If I see you do that again I'll jinx your fingers together." she threatened sharply.
"Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" Ginny asked desperately.
"A what?" Molly asked warily.
"Look, they're so sweet!" Ginny insisted. Molly moved closer to the cage, and Anna stepped up with them, in case she needed to help Ginny convince her mother.
"Well, I don't know." Molly said uncertainly, looking down into the cage at the little animals. "How expensive are they to care for?" she asked Anna.
"They're easy and cheap to take care of, honestly." Anna answered. "They can eat just about anything you can give them, like table scraps and leftovers. And they're friendly. They have different personalities, so some of them are more…well-behaved then others." she admitted. "Just like any pet. But a lot of them are just content to sit on your shoulder or cuddle with you."
"Hmm…" Molly glanced from the playful creatures in the cage to the price tag stamped above the cage. A Pygmy Puff was two Galleons, four Sickles, and Anna guessed Molly was hesitant to spend that much.
Anna chewed her lip, tempted to either give Ginny the Pygmy Puff for free, or buy it for her herself. Of course, she didn't think it was her place to just give merchandise away, like the twins did for Hermione and Harry. Just as she was opening her mouth to offer to buy it for Ginny, Fred came up next to his mother and looked into the cage.
"You see one you want, Gin?" he asked, glancing between his sister and the cage.
"Well,…"Ginny glanced at her mother. Fred met Anna's eye and she nodded.
"Pick one." Fred told Ginny, looking back at her. "Free of charge."
"Oh, Fred, you don't have to do that." Molly argued.
Fred wrapped an arm around his mother and hugged her close. "Mum, it's fine. The shop's doing great, we can afford to give our sister a Pygmy Puff. I even okayed it with the boss." he joked, making Anna and Ginny laugh.
"Please, Mum?" Ginny begged, clasping her hands together. "Can I pick one?"
"Well,…alright, but you have to take good care of it." Molly told her sternly.
Ginny hugged her mother tight, and Anna opened the cage to help the young girl pick a Pygmy Puff.
While they were doing so, Molly looked around the shop and frowned.
"Where have Harry, Ron, and Hermione disappeared to?" she asked.
Anna glanced up and realized the young trio weren't in the same spot they'd been in moments ago.
"I'm sure they're around." Fred assured his mum. "The place is so crowded, they could be a few feet away from you and you could still miss them."
"Hermione seemed interested in looking at the defense products." Anna spoke up, still standing by Ginny as the girl petted the different Puffs. "Maybe Harry took them back there to show them."
"Good idea." Fred agreed. "Come on, Mum. I'll show where that is and we'll see if they're there."
Molly nodded and followed her son through the shop. Anna followed them with her eyes for a moment before glancing around the shop. She could barely see Arthur looking at some playing cards in the Muggle Magic Tricks section. George was helping some other customers. She could also see her father and Hagrid standing just outside the front door, looking back and forth down the street. It was safe to say the trio couldn't have left the shop without being spotted by at least one of the two.
'Unless Harry brought his Invisibility Cloak,' the thought suddenly popped into Anna's mind. She contemplated that for a moment before shrugging it off. Why would Harry and the others sneak off? What could they be doing that was so important, especially now?
"Aw!" Ginny's cooing brought Anna back to the present. One of the purple Pygmy Puffs had climbed up Ginny's arm and was nestled in the girl's chest under her chin. "I want this one!"
Anna laughed. "Alright, then. Excellent choice. Do you know what you're going to name him?"
Ginny tilted her head to look down at the little ball of fluff, who was making little squeaking sounds as he nuzzled under her chin.
"Hmm…Arnold?" she suggested. The Pygmy Puff squeaked happily and climbed up Ginny's chest to her shoulder, burrowing under her red hair. Ginny laughed, leaning her head to nuzzle her cheek against his head. "Definitely Arnold."
Anna laughed, closing the cage so the other Pygmy Puffs didn't try to escape. "That's the perfect name. Now, you want me to show you around more?"
Anna showed Ginny around, Arnold perched happily on the redhead's shoulder.
"Ah, Fred mentioned giving our little sister a Pygmy Puff." George commented, appearing next to the two girls in the fireworks section.
"Yep." Ginny beamed. "I named him Arnold, and I love him." she stated.
"I can see that." George grinned, reaching up and scratching the little creature on his head, or his back, whatever.
"Do you know if Fred and your mother found Harry and the others?" Anna asked him.
"Just ran into Mum, actually." George answered. "Said they hadn't found them. Mum's in a right tizzy."
"Well, I'm not sure why." Ginny commented, looking past Anna's shoulder. "They're right over there."
Anna's head snapped around, and sure enough, Harry, Ron, and Hermione came into view near the front door through a break in the crowd.
"Ooh, Mum's going to tear them a new one." George chuckled.
Just as he spoke, Molly Weasley appeared in the crowd, storming across the store toward the young trio with a murderous expression. Sirius entered the store and hurried over to them, looking worried, and Anna noticed Hagrid looking in the window with a similar expression.
"Well, as much as I would love to watch the show, I need to get back to work." George told Anna and Ginny. He ruffled his sister's hair and patted Anna's shoulder before disappearing into the crowd.
Anna shook her head, laughing before she turned to Ginny. "I should probably get back to work on some of the products in the back. Make sure you guys say bye to me before you actually leave."
Ginny agreed and Anna wove her way through the crowd to return to the backroom. She found herself taking a deep breath once the door clicked shut behind her. In the backroom, where the only noise was the muffled sounds of the crowd through the wood of the door, the squeaking of the Pygmy Puffs across the room, and Anna's own breathing, it was almost overwhelming how different it was in the shop. It was wonderful that there were so many customers in the shop, but it almost felt claustrophobic to be out there among the crowd, where people were pressing in on her from every side.
Taking another breath and relaxing, Anna returned to her seat at the work table to continue working on the list of products she'd been given.
Ginny and Hermione came into the back to say goodbye to Anna not long after. Apparently Molly was livid with the younger trio, as they had been obviously lying to her about where they had disappeared to. So, they were all heading home for the day, leaving Anna and the twins to get back to work.
"Lunch."
Anna's head snapped up from the Canary Creams she'd been working on for only a few minutes. Fred was entering the backroom, closing the door behind him as he carried over a plate piled with sandwiches.
"How is it lunch already?" Anna demanded as he set the plate on the table next to her batch of Creams.
"It's almost two o'clock." Fred told her in amusement as he sat down next to her.
Anna spun around to look for the clock on the wall and, sure enough, he was right. It'd been almost two hours since the family had left.
"Guess I lost track of time." Anna admitted, turning to face forward again. Now that there was food in the room, Anna realized just how hungry she was. Her breakfast of scrambled eggs about four hours ago seemed a long ways away. Taking a brief break with the Canary Creams, she grabbed a sandwich off the top of the pile and took a large bite of it, the creamy mayonnaise and smoky turkey soaking into her taste buds as she chewed.
"You got a lot done back here." Fred noted, his eyes scanning the crowded work table before taking a bite of his own sandwich.
"Yeah, well,…I didn't know it'd been this long." Anna admitted sheepishly.
"I could tell." Fred teased.
"Shut up." Anna laughed, trying to take another bite of her sandwich. "By the way, I can't believe you gave free merchandise to Ginny, Harry, and Hermione, but didn't give anything to Ron."
"Yeah, well, Ron needs to learn manners." Fred countered. "Hermione, Harry, and Ginny didn't expect free stuff. Ron did. He was being entitled, and I wasn't going to reward that."
Anna tilted her head slightly. "That's a surprisingly good point. Anyway, how's the shop doing out there?" she asked, finally taking another bite.
"The crowd died down a bit ago, but it's still pretty steady out there. I'll eat a few sandwiches and head back out there so George can take his break."
"What about Verity?" Anna asked after swallowing again.
"She took hers a little while ago, so she's good until the end of her shift." Fred assured her.
Anna nodded, finishing the rest of her sandwich in one huge bite. Still chewing, she stood up and gathered some of the finished products littering the table and moved them to the shelf across the room that held all the products ready to put out front to sell.
Turning back, she returned to the table and started to gather some products around her. Then she felt something brush her hair off one shoulder. Pausing, Anna turned her head slightly as Fred then rested his hands on her hips from behind. He leaned forward and kissed the back of her head.
"What are you doing?" she asked slowly, a small smile slowly slipping over her face.
She felt him grin into her hair, his hands gently squeezing her hips. "Giving you that detailed reminder about why you love me." he mumbled, his voice low and rough, making Anna blush and look down.
Fred slid one hand around Anna's waist, pulling her around so that they faced each other. Anna peaked up at him, her butt pressing back into the edge of the work table. Fred grinned down at her, leaning down and kissing her cheek. He then bumped her cheek with his nose and kissed her jaw below her ear.
"I'm attractive," he listed, "hilarious, a talented Beater and Quidditch player, a successful business owner,-"
"Not to mention arrogant." Anna added, rolling her eyes with a slight smirk.
Fred shifted his hands higher and tickled her ribs. Anna shrieked slightly, giggling as Fred wrapped an arm around her lower back to pull her tight to his chest. Anna was still giggling quietly, pressing her mouth into Fred's shoulder and wrapping her arms under his and around his back.
"I make you happy." Fred continued quietly, the arrogance gone from his tone as he wrapped both arms around Anna, cradling her to his chest. "I understand you, why you make certain decisions, like your job and wanting to live at home with your family. I protect you, even when you sometimes don't want it. I'm really family oriented, which you love because you didn't have much family growing up. You know you can trust me with anything and that I'll always have your back."
Anna hummed quietly, turning her head to rest her cheek on his shoulder, peaking up at the side of his face. Fred also turned his head, tilting it to look down at her, their noses almost brushing.
"And I'm an amazing kisser." he breathed, smug smirk returning to his face. Before Anna could roll her eyes, he leaned down and pressed his warm lips to hers. Anna smiled into the kiss, but then her breath hitched in her throat when his tongue licked her lip.
Fred's hands slid back down to Anna's waist while hers slid out from under his arms and up his chest, one continuing up to rest on the side of his neck.
Fred's grip on her waist suddenly tightened and then he lifted her up and sat her down on the edge of the table, making her giggle. Anna felt her butt and lower back push the products back, but she didn't care. She slid both arms around Fred's neck and pulled him closer. Fred stepped close until their chests were touching.
One of Fred's hands slid up until it rested on her ribs, his thumb under her breast and his fingers curved around her back. His other hand slid down past her butt to her thigh. Gripping it tightly, he pulled her leg up and Anna instinctively wrapped it around his waist. She pulled her other leg up in the same position and hooked her ankles together behind his butt.
Fred groaned low in his throat. He let go of her leg and soon that same hand was planted on the tabletop just past her waist, his arm boxing her in. Anna slid her arms back, one hand cupping Fred's jaw and the other sliding into his short, soft hair. She gently fisted the ginger locks between her fingers and felt a slight shiver run down Fred's body.
Fred tore his mouth from hers, his breathing loud like Anna's. Her ears were filled by the pounding of her heartbeat and their loud gasping. Fred tilted his head and kissed her cheek, his warm, wet lips trailing down to her jaw, and then her neck. Anna gasped and tilted her head back without thought.
"You're so bloody sexy." Fred muttered against her skin, his warm breath sending shivers down Anna's spine, goosebumps rising on her arms.
Anna continued to breathe heavily, her eyes still closed in bliss. It took a few moments for her brain to register Fred's words, then their meaning, and then her response.
"Bullocks." she muttered, burying her face in the space between his shoulder and neck.
"It's true." Fred breathed, both his hands moving again, resting high on her waist and gently sliding up to her ribs. "You're beautiful. And amazing. And sexy. And I don't tell you that enough." he breathed, kissing his way back up to the corner of her mouth. He pulled back slightly, his hot breath fanning Anna's cheeks and lips. She forced her heavy eyelids open and looked up at him. His cheeks were red, his brown eyes darker than normal, and his slightly-swollen lips were parted as he breathed. When his eyes met hers, one corner of his lips tugged up slightly in a smirk.
"Do you remember what you see in me now?" he asked teasingly.
Anna's own tender lips tugged up in a small smile and she laughed breathlessly.
"I think you jogged my memory a bit." she joked back. She leaned forward slightly, brushing her lips teasingly against his. "But I'm sure you could give me a few more reminders."
Fred's eyes flashed and his smirk widened. He leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against Anna's-
-just as the door to the backroom swung open.
Fred and Anna lurched apart and turned. George had paused in the doorway, his eyes looking back and forth and a smirk growing on his face.
"Shut up, George." Anna groaned, letting her head drop onto Fred's shoulder.
"I didn't even say anything!" George laughed. The door closed with a click and Anna heard footsteps approaching them. "I just came back here to eat my much-deserved lunch. If I'd known I'd be walking in on this, I'd have gone out to eat."
"Shut up and eat your sandwiches." Fred laughed, repeatedly running a hand through Anna's hair and down her back soothingly. "Do I have time to eat another sandwich or two, or do I need to get back out there?"
"You mean you didn't get enough to eat?" George teased. Fred reached over to smack his twin, but George ducked out of the way laughing. "It's slowed down quite a bit, and I told Verity to just yell back here if she needs any help. You should be good for a few minutes."
"Good."
Fred helped Anna hop down from the table and they all took their seats to eat some more sandwiches.