A/N: I don't know about you guys but I am wickedly excited for tomorrow night as I will be at the Midnight Showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!! Wanted to get a chapter up before that to thank all of you that have subscribed to my story. I also thought it might be time to claim characters that are indeed of my own creation: Colin Johnson, Tessa Broussard Johnson, and most recently Claire Greengrass. She is supposed to be Daphne's [original canon character older sister. As a warning there is heavy swearing in this chapter because as reviewer SilverScribes said: "Lying is never the answer."

Chapter 7 Learning to Communicate

"We've been over this at least a dozen times." George pushed back from the desk, throwing his quill down in frustration.

"What about bat wings?" Fred piped up from the trail he was pacing nearby.

"Why don't you go back to pacing back and forth, at least its something you're good at it." His voice was harsh.

"Alright mate, its time to call it a night…if we leave now maybe we catch the girls at the Dastardly Wizard…"

"Slow it down my twin. You know they organized that Defense League thing tonight."

"Damn, that was tonight. You know we might have to start going to those things, she stunned the hell out of me this morning just because I gave her ass a nice slap over breakfast."

"As much as I love it when you regale me of your life with the ball and chain, even though you guys haven't even tied the knot, we need to figure out this damn potion before we go broke."

Sure they already had a section of WWW's devoted to protection and dark magic detection. Their shelves were lined with shield hats, gloves, and cloaks in the morning and empty by closing time that night. Their Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and decoy detonators were a big hit as well, with the ministry putting in a special order to outfit the entire Auror Division with a set of each. But they needed something, something that could profit the Order during the war and their pockets afterward, it that way it was a double-edged sword, making it doubly difficult to produce. And they needed to produce. Buying Zonko's was still a good investment, but now they were cash-hungry. Fred had spent the rest of his savings to buy his and Angelina's new house, George had finally finished paying Harry back for their start-up loan. While the twins were not in debt, they weren't exactly swimming in galleons like they used to be. People may have wanted to have a laugh, but the joke division was suffering.

They had been trying to develop this elusive new product for the past couple of months. While Angelina, along with Alicia, organized a small group of friends to practice defense in order to make themselves feel useful to the cause, Fred and George had locked themselves in the back room of the shop to come up with the ultimate aid for the Order. The problem was that for the first time in their careers as inventors, they were stumped. They weren't even sure what they were creating at the moment it was supposed to been invisible ink, but that slop swimming in the cauldron was anything if invisible.

"Look man, you're my brother and I love you but there's only so much of your sniping that I'm willing to take."

"Urgh! I'm sorry, I just really need to get this done, its gnawing away at me. Like I'm this close, but I just don't see it."

"Well what we're attempting here is pretty extraordinary; no one has ever done anything like this, not even Hermione. We've been at this for six hours straight, c'mon lets catch a break, back to it in the morning."

"I swear we're being punished because we never had to experience the stress of studying for our N.E.W.T.s."

"Maybe so, George, maybe so."

Fred went out front to start locking up the store. As always Angelina left the tally number by the registers to make sure the receipts balanced the till. Of course her register always matched, Verity's on the other hand was an entirely different story.

"George!"

In answer to his brother's call, he poked his head out from the back room. "What's afoot?"

"Verity's damn till doesn't match up again! We've got to do something."

"What's missing?"

"5 galleons."

"Aw c'mon Forge that's not that much."

"Yeah, but you of all people know that it will add up, this has been like this for awhile now and you know it."

"Well maybe you're not very good at basic math." George came over to recalculate the figures Fred had already come up with. While, Fred laid his hands on the counter looking his twin dead in the eye.

"We're going to have to sack her, if this keeps up."

When the numbers didn't add up, just as Fred had said, George's face became a decent shade of puce. Quickly diving into his own pocket to balance the sheets, so Angie would not catch on, he eyed his brother.

"Well she's good at other things."

"The girl has two jobs: restocking the floor and we all know she has convinced Bernard to do most of that and working this register. Look, just because she gives you a good wank in the storeroom, and quick shag every now and again, is no reason to keep her here."

"You know about that hunh?"

"I'm your twin." He stated simply. "And you two are not exactly quiet."

"Alright mate, I'll talk to her about it. You staying here tonight or Gloucester?"

"I'm staying were no stray jinx can attack me in my sleep."

"Good choice."

Down the street, Angelina and her best friend were at the Dastardly Wizard enjoying a guy free zone. It had felt like years since the last time she and Alicia had some time just for the two of them.

"So I wanted to ask you an important favor." Angelina stated simply to her friend who was sitting with her at the bar.

"Shoot."

"I wanted to know if you'll be my maid of honor."

"OOhhh!! Of course Angie, you didn't have to ask!"

"Yes I did, I'm broke and I want another round, I figured this way you'd buy me one." Angelina added with a jovial wink.

"Well I was going to buy the next round anyway….Merlin I still can't believe you guys are getting married. Have you set the date yet?" Alicia asked wistfully.

"Not exactly, we want it to be soon, but with the War and everything, it's kind of hard to plan."

"Wow, you're going to be Mrs. Fred Weasley, that's pretty crazy."

"Excuse me!" A foreign voice interrupted them. It belonged to a leggy blonde, with bright green eyes and a body built to drive men crazy. She couldn't have been more than a year older to Angelina and Alicia, but her look of polished sophistication made Angie feel like that tomboyish, awkward girl that had stumbled around Hogwarts again.

Alicia slid Angie a skeptical look before politely replying "The loo is behind the bar, second door on the left."

"No, no, no…did I hear someone say that there was going to be a Mrs. Fred Weasley, as in George and Charlie's brother?" Her voice was a high-pitched squeal

"As well as Bill, Ron, Ginny, and the sniveling weasel Percy" was Angelina's cheeky reply, mocking Claire's annoying tone.

The girl gave a slight simper of polite toleration, and then turned her back on Angie to focus her attention on Alicia. "Well you must be the lucky lady, although I must say I use the word luck with a stark sense of humor."

"Actually…" Angie said loud enough to get this girl's attention.

"You can't be serious?" The blonde eyed her with skepticism.

"You're right, my name isn't serious. I'm Angelina Johnson, soon to be Weasley. The question is who exactly are you?"

"Merlin's beard this is almost too astonishing for words." She squeezed in a bar stool between the two friends. "Well I'm Claire Greengrass and if you are the same year as Fred then I was two years ahead of you."

"Clearly not a Gryffindor." Alicia said icily.

"No, Slytherin, but c'mon let's let bygones be bygones. I just can't believe you convinced Fred Weasley to marry you. Are you pregnant? I mean if you are doesn't he realize that a witch has other options nowadays, those Weasleys can be terribly old-fashioned. I mean it's not like getting married is the only solution, am I right girls?."

Alicia was choking on her drink, while Angelina's anger was mounting.

"Not that it's any of your business…but no I'm not pregnant. Now if you'll excuse yourself Claire, my friend Alicia and I would like to enjoy the rest of our evening."

"Well…and here I was trying to offer some friendly female advice." Claire said acting affronted.

"Interesting enough…have any other catty remarks or would you like to save the rest of your bitchy demeanor for someone else?" Johnson family hauteur…her father had taught her well.

"Fine." Claire threw up her hands and made to leave. "I just don't think I would want to marry the guy that shagged half of Hogwarts before he turned 16."

"And how would you know anything about that?" Alicia shot out, even though she already knew the truth.

"Because I was the one that taught him everything he knows and trust me, guys like that never change." Claire left with a smile on her face and an evil glint in her eye.

Alicia gave her friend some time to let the news sink in, while Angie had been Fred's best mate at Hogwarts, besides his annoying twin brother, she knew that Fred had actively tried to shield Angelina from his dubious sexual career. Rumors always flew, but Angelina's blind devotion and loyalty to Fred had allowed them to simply go through one ear and out the other. It was the Gryffindor trait that Alicia admired most in her friend, but at the same time hated so much because it helped other people to hurt her.

"Are you alright?"

"C'mon, we're leaving."

"Maybe you shouldn't see Fred right now. I wouldn't want you to say something that you would regret later."

"I'm not going home."

"What?"

"We're going to go see Hogwarts most infamous gossip."

"Who?"

"Lee…fucking…Jordan." The tone in Angelina's voice as she clipped out those final words let Alicia know that this was going to be a long night.

"And remember witches, wizards, and warlocks let's all stay safe out there. Natalie Zephyr is going to be playing all your love songs by request coming up next on the WWN. This is Lee "Lightening Lips" Jordan signing off."

Lee removed the headsets making sure not to get them tangled in his hair. He only had two hours until his next set, what his Dad called the Subversive Hour. Lee would man the station fielding calls from people who wanted to talk about the War and their feelings of ill will towards the Ministry's lack of action. It was the little bit that he could do for the Order.

He went upstairs to his office to take a nap, lying down on the leather squabs of a sofa he had transfigured from his desk chair, he had just about dozed off when a commotion from down the hall startled him awake. The raised voices made him hesitate before he opened the door.

"Look I'm not going to kill him or anything!"

"I'm still going to have to take your wand miss."

"Of all the ridiculous…fine take the damn thing, I can hurt him more without it anyway." That voice belonged to Angelina and she was clearly not in a good mood.

"Angelina, I mean he's probably not even here, it's a Friday Night." And that was Alicia, what on Earth had he done recently to have Angie pissed at him?

"Oh he's here all right. Now which one of these damn doors is his…"

Should he hide and cower under his desk, or should he go out and take his lashings like a man? No no no…Jordan men never cowered in the face of danger. He eased out into the hallway, sending a signal to the security wizard that his father has placed with him for his protection, that he had the situation under control.

"Ah Angie and Alicia, it's been awhile. Come to have a tour of the station?"

"You have a lot of nerve showing yourself like this, acting all innocent."

In actuality, Lee was innocent because he still hadn't the slightest idea as to what was going on.

"Why don't you ladies come inside my office and we'll have a nice chat." Lee came up behind the two of them and practically forced them inside.

"Can I have MacGregor fetch you guys some tea or maybe something a bit stronger?"

"Oh Lee, she's had enough to drink for one night." Alicia shot him a sympathetic glance, while Angelina fumed.

"Well then as long as everyone is comfortable, what can I do for you?"

"Claire Greengrass."

"I'm sorry who?" Lee knew who she was; hell every boy in his year knew who she was…intimately.

"Claire Greengrass, a Slytherin slut who was two years ahead of us at Hogwarts."

"Oh that Claire! I seem to have a few passing memories of her…why do you ask?"

"You know damn well why I'm asking." Angelina was getting red in the face now and he could tell by her poise that she was ready to lash out at him.

"She knows Lee….she knows." Alicia offered from her position by his file cabinet. "We ran into her tonight down at the DW."

"I thought you two had Defense League tonight."

"Nevermind that…wait a second! Alicia you know about this?" Angelina rounded on Alicia, always the gentleman Lee intervened.

"Look Angelina we all expected Fred to tell you when the time was right." Lee used his best soothing tone.

"Yeah Angie it's not as if Fred was chaste at Hogwarts, you remember 4th and 5th year he was George before George was George. If that made any sense?"

"While it was rather roundabout, Alicia has a point. Fred had a reputation. Angelina don't play dumb, you were there."

"Look I'm not stupid, I know what was going on, I just …I just didn't know that he had slept with her, a couple of snogs sure, but shagging at 15…she's not the only one is she?" She slumped back down into the chair

"No." Alicia answered as Angie looked at her.

"Lee?"

"Dammit Angie…alright no."

"Well how many were there…I mean I remember a lot of girls, but how many did he sleep with?"

"Maybe you should be asking Fred these questions." Alicia put her arms on Angelina's shoulders trying to sooth the hurt.

"If I see Fred right now, I'll kill him."

"But Angelina…"

"It's not the girls Lee, it's that he lied to me. He said I was his first." With that she stood up and apparated.

Both Alicia and Lee knew exactly where she was headed. What in Merlin's name had motivated Fred to come up with that stupid lie, he had no reason to. If Lee's experience with women could be used as a basis of reference, he knew his comrade-in-arms was in for a long night.

Back in his old bed, Fred wasn't sleeping as well as he should be. He had gotten used to sleeping next to Angelina and spent most of the night tossing and turning…that was until he couldn't anymore.

Being unable to find a more comfortable position jerked Fred awake. He tried moving again…nothing. His mind went into overdrive then, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Ah…I see you're finally awake." To his surprise Angelina was sitting on the edge of his bed. "And it would appear that you've already discovered that you are unable to move. Well that's because I put a full body bind on you."

Now this could be fun…

"That excited light can go right out of your eyes Fred. This is not some ridiculous fantasy come to life." She leaned casually against his door, arms folded across her chest.

Damn…

She continued in her nonchalant voice, but now that he had become fully awake he began to realize that not everything was okay. She looked like she had been crying, but instead of running to him for aid as if she had been attacked, she left him unable to move. He didn't hear any other movement in the house, so George wasn't awake and therefore the Order hadn't been called to action. What in the hell was going on?

"I want to ask you some questions Fred."

His eyes snapped back to Angelina, who had now moved from her easy position at the door to sit on the side of his bed. She leaned over him, her hair tickling his face, her eyes looking deep into his.

"Look to the right if it's a yes, to the left if it's a no. Did you sleep with Claire Greengrass?"

Shit…he could only stare back at her…trapped.

"Your lack of an answer makes me think you may have forgotten who she is, let me describe her for you. My height, long blonde hair, empty green expression, Slytherin, huge breasts."

He could explain, he hadn't been trying to deceive her and to be completely honest he hadn't lied to her. It was more a lie of omission and now he was stuck here completely unable to defend himself. He watched her get up then, shaking with restrained anger.

"Oh forget it, I already know it's true." She pointed her wand at him, muttered a spell under her breath and walked out.

Suddenly Fred was able to move, he whisked the sheets away and jumped from the bed to follow her down the hall. "Angelina!"

She was heading for the door, he reached out to grab her arm.

"Take your damn hands off of me!"

"Where do you think you're going, it's three in the morning?" Fred said harshly.

"I'm going for a walk."

"You can't just walk in here, put me in a body bind, accuse me of sleeping with people, and then walk out."

"Don't you talk to me like that, I'm not a child."

"You are making damn good impression of one." It was times like these that he appreciated the three inches he had on her; just enough that he could look down on her with his piercing stare. "Now let's talk about this like adults."

"Fine…how many more were there?"

"Excuse me?"

"How…many…more…were…there?"

"I don't know Angelina, I didn't exactly keep track."

"So then why did you let me believe…"

"Let you believe?" He quizzed cutting her off.

"Yes dammit! I give my virginity to you and you…you…"

"What? Was I supposed to wait for you?" Now he was getting upset, he was pretty sure that their steadily rising voices were going to wake up George.

"Wait a second, why are you angry with me, I'm the one…"

"Look maybe it was a lie of omission."

"Still a lie."

"You think I'm proud of myself or something. I mean yeah it was great for awhile, but if it was that amazing I wouldn't have started dating you and only you, which is what I've been doing for the last 3 years. I'm making you my wife, for Merlin's sake."

"So what? That's supposed to make me feel special or something?"

"I would think so…" Fred knew he was in the wrong, at least in part, but the best way to get through to Angelina was to match fire with fire. Usually it ended up with some heavy snogging, and recently it had them falling into bed with each other, one reason why he loved to fight with her sometimes.

He noticed a lot of noise coming from the direction of George's room, but as Angelina fell into the overstuffed armchair, he knew this wasn't over.

"There is something else isn't there?" He was concerned because she had sat down looking so utterly defeated.

"Look I'm tired. I just want to go bed." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"So stay here."

"No I want to go home…to Gloucester. I'll see you at work tomorrow." She got up and came over to him, falling into his embrace, holding him extra tight. "I love you Fred."

"I love you more Angel." He kissed her brow, just as he heard her apparate.

"Alright you can come out now!" Fred shouted down the hall. Taking a seat in the chair that Angie had just recently vacated, he rubbed his temples in frustration. He looked up and sure enough not only George came stumbling down the hall, but Alicia and Lee.

"I must say to my erstwhile reflection that was an interesting way to handle that situation."

"George you have the sensitivity of a stuffed pig." Alicia huffed. "I mean honestly Fred why lie to her, it's not like she didn't know you had girlfriends at Hogwarts before her."

"I mean I understand why when we were back at school mate, but now she's your fiancée." Lee added. "And I don't appreciate being attacked at my office." He slid a glance at Alicia.

"Hey it was all Angie's idea."

"What really happened tonight Alicia, there has to be something more." Fred asked.

"It was Claire Greengrass," she said with a sigh.

"Claire who?" inquired George, taking his place at the mantel. "She wasn't in our year was she?"

"Oh c'mon man, you remember Claire. Blonde hair, green eyes, fit build, and I'm talking huge…" Alicia commenced to whack Lee on the shoulder, "…err…learning potential."

"Anyway she was so bitchy, she heard Angie and me talking about the wedding. She asked after you Fred. She assumed I was the one marrying you, and when we pointed out that it was Angelina she asked if Angie was pregnant. The way she said it, she implied that would be the only way you'd marry her."

"What a slag!" George said what Fred was thinking. He knew Claire was evil, but even he didn't think she would stoop that low…then again she was a Slytherin for a reason.

"If only that were the end of it."

"Damn Alicia, how much worse can it get?" Fred asked as he ran fingers through the long locks he knew Angie was crazy about. "She didn't say anything about Angie being a half-blood did she?"

"No, but she did say that she was the one who taught you everything you knew."

A low whistle emitted from Lee, and George sent him a sympathetic look. So that's why she was so rattled and damn he couldn't blame her.

"Shit I need to go talk to her."

"Look Fred, give the girl some space. I mean from what we heard she wasn't really that mad anymore and she said she'd see you tomorrow." Lee offered.

"Well I think I'm headed for home." Alicia rose to leave but something stopped her. "Fred I don't know if it is my place to say something, but Angie has always been a little insecure about your attraction to her."

"That's crazy."

"That's women."

"George you never cease to amaze me, look my point is that seeing Claire today just drudged all that up again. I mean you have to admit that you did have a certain type." Sage words of wisdom from Alicia and then she apparated away.

"So what are you going to do Fred?"

"Do you guys know that she had me in a full body bind tonight?"

"And I thought that the whole reason you didn't go to Gloucester tonight was to avoid getting jinxed."

"Sod off George!"

"If only I had some sort of warning or something, I mean what is a bloke to do, she caught me com…plete…ly…by…surprise!"

"What are you on about mate?" Fred had taken on a crazed gleam in his eye. It was funny how inspiration hit a person at the oddest times. He ran down the hall to his room to grab a t-shirt, shouting back to Lee along the way:

"I just had the vision for the product that is going to help the Order and make us a ridiculously large amount of galleons, and all we have to do is build it."