IN THE PAST
A little over one year ago…
"Pay up." Ginny Weasley held out her hand, palm up. Fred and George looked at their sister, the horror of being completely run over by their youngest sibling… and a girl at that. They would have been proud but for the fact that she had just bamboozled them for over one hundred galleons… each.
"Now, Gin…" Fred smiled, his teeth almost twinkling like Lockhart's photograph on the jacket cover of his books. "You know we're good for it… the shoppe is picking up and busy… the back to Hogwarts rush is about to hit…"
George nodded. "And we need to invest everything we've got into extra supplies. Two hundred is a lot to be down before we've placed any orders."
The small redhead frowned, her eyes flashing dangerously. "And that's my problem how exactly? I can't help it that neither one of you knows how to gamble successfully. You'd think you'd have learned by now... or, at least, never to bet against me."
"Ginny…" The both pleaded.
"No. Money. Now." She stomped her foot. "Fifth year is coming up and I'd like to have some galleons in my pocket this year."
George walked around behind the counter while Fred threw his hands up in the air, frustration clearly painted on his face as he headed to the back room towards where their safe was concealed under the icebox.
"How about double or nothing?" Fred ventured, his eyes hopeful.
Ginny laughed, her voice hard. "Double? You can't even pay me the two hundred you owe me now. I'd put you out of business at this rate… and I don't fancy your shoppe. Jokes and pranks are your dream, not mine."
"No…" George's voice called from the back room. "You dream involves stealing a very attached young man with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead."
"Already dating your best friend, we might add." Fred wiggled his eyebrows.
She gritted her teeth while her brothers teased her about Harry Potter. "You can both shut up if you know what's good for you. Me and Harry are not your business…"
"But Harry is our business,"
"Dearest sister." George finished as he walked back into view, a heavy moneybag in his hands. "After all, he is a partner in this 'not your dream' store, as you like to call it."
Fred sighed dramatically. "And we have to think of Harry's welfare… can't let him get mixed up with the wrong sort."
"The type that wouldn't be good for his investment."
She rolled her eyes, her brothers trying once again to out logic her… failing miserably. "Right. Like I couldn't win points with him by telling him how you two keep losing all of the store's profits by gambling."
Ginny smiled in satisfaction at the stricken looks on both of their faces. "So… how about you just give me my money and we'll not say anything to anybody? Deal?"
"No way you're going to give us a chance to win our money back, is there?" Fred asked.
George leaned on the counter, the mischief almost thick enough to touch in his eyes. "Nothing that we, your loving and helpful brothers, could do for you?"
"Anything at all?" Fred added.
"If you're trying to get me to have you two morons help me break Hermione and Harry up, you're both crazy. Harry can go and do his little dating thing with her… he needs to get past the best friend/girlfriend phase." She smiled. "I had to get some of that out of the way myself… Michael and Dean… Neville. They were all great. Nice. But Harry is destined to be mine. No one ever stays with the first person they date… and when they fall apart, I can be there to help him back up."
George's eyebrows vanished into his hairline. "First relationship? Aren't you forgetting Cho?"
Ginny's laugh rocked both of them on their heels. "Cho? That wasn't a girlfriend… that was a mistake. A failed first try. Everyone but Harry and Cho could see that from a mile away."
Fred and George looked at one another. Ginny just smiled at the confused looks on their faces. "Harry and Hermione aren't even all that serious…"
"Not serious?" Fred barked. "Have you seen the two of them together?"
The youngest Weasley and first daughter in over six centuries rolled her eyes. "One of the benefits of being Hermione's first female friend… she confides everything in me. I know that they've decided not to… well, you know."
"You mean?" George asked. Fred looked flabbergasted.
"Yep. Harry is saving himself. Even subconsciously, he knows Hermione isn't the one for him. They'll kiss, they'll hold hands… and then one day they'll fight and they'll break up."
"And then you'll swoop in?" Fred's voice dripped with sarcasm, but Ginny ignored it as she reached over and picked up the bag of galleons from where it was sitting on the counter. The twins looked devastated. Not her problem.
"Absolutely."
George narrowed his eyes. "You seem quite confident."
"And how will Hermione take that? You picking up the pieces and all…"
She shrugged. "Hermione knows how I feel about him… there's never been any secret that I liked him."
Fred nodded slowly. "I remember you tried setting her up with Ron in their fourth year… but that won't work now. Mum was talking about how he and Loony were exchanging owls over the summer…"
"I don't need Ron to distract Hermione. Harry will break up with her all on his own. You'll see."
"Wanna bet?" George asked.
She smiled as she hid the moneybag under her cloak. "I'd bet my two hundred galleons on it."
"Deal." Fred said suddenly.
"What?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide. What just happened? "What deal?"
George shrugged. "Take good care of our money, sister dear."
"Because we're sure that you've just handed us our money back." Fred finished.
Ginny laughed (though not nearly as confident as she tried to appear) as she left the shoppe. "Right. You guys keep thinking that. I think another two hundred galleons will be perfect for when Harry and I want to go somewhere special once we're dating."
O X O X O X O X O X O
Just under six months ago…
Arthur Weasley smiled indulgently towards two of his sons. He knew how hard it was to admit failure, especially to one's own family. It showed true character that they had chosen to approach him as men, rather than trying to lie and hide at how much trouble they were in. Leaning back, he settled comfortable in the old desk chair his father had left him after he died. His family never had had much in the way of galleons, but there had never been a shortage in love.
Each of the twins, mirror images of one another, sat across from him. Their hats were in their hands, as the old saying went. No once could have expected that the attack on Hogwarts and the papers all talking about You-Know-Who's return, not to mention the death of Albus Dumbledore just a month past.
"How much?" He asked, trying to keep his voice kind.
He watched as they looked at one another, neither wanting to say anything first. He just waited. It was Fred that finally lost the telepathic argument they always seemed to have… the bond of being a twin. Arthur watched as the elder by two minutes opened his mouth. "A little over four hundred galleons…"
He whistled. That was a lot of money. "And how did it get this bad?"
Emboldened by his brother, George took over. "We tried to cut a few corners… contracted out some of the labour… the stuff didn't sell well…"
"At all." Fred piped in. George only nodded.
"Not at all. Poor quality… but we'd paid in advance. The company up and vanished by the time we tried to get some of our money back. We for suckered…"
Arthur nodded. "How much can tide you over?"
Fred looked at his brother. George sighed. "Well… we could close up the shoppe and call it quits… but we'd still owe the four or so."
"Or," His brother took over. "We could pay off a bit with around one fifty or so… hold 'em off. I think we can start breaking back even after the school rush…"
"Just like last year."
Both of them nodded, their eyes desperate. Arthur sighed. "Your mother and I have saved some money for each of you… a nest egg, I guess you could call it. Something to give to each of you once you left home to make your own way in the world. Maybe start a family. Bill took his and used it to set up a home when he first started at Gringott's. Charlie used it to make his way to Romania.
"There is a little bit for each of you… not much… but it's yours, to do with as you will." At the grateful looks of his sons, Arthur shook his head. "I'll have to talk it over with your mother… you know she won't be happy, but it takes both our names to get it out… a safety precaution whenever one of us was weak."
"How much?" Fred asked.
Their father grimaced. "If you'd waited until after school, maybe more… but right now, it's about sixty galleons each."
"One twenty… both together."
"Right." Arthur Weasley agreed. "And I think I could invest a little extra to you… not much, but we can up it some."
"We'll pay you back, Dad…"
"Honest, we will."
He smiled at his sons. "No. This isn't a loan. This is what family does for one another… but boys…"
They stopped and looked at him.
"This is it. Your mother and I can't do more… there's still Ron and Ginny… and Ginny's will need to be much more, as any wedding she might have will be our responsibility."
"Okay, Dad." They both said at the same time. He smiled at his two sons.
"Now… lets go downstairs and talk to your mother…"
O X O X O X O X O X O
Just under two months ago…
"You know it's her fault…" George muttered under his breath, the bottle of butter beer slipping from his fingers and landing on the floor… nothing spilling as it was empty. It matched all of the other empty bottles that were scattered across the second floor.
Fred sighed as he ignored his brother's drunkenness. "I know… but we're okay… not millionaires like we'd planned, but we still have the shoppe… and we're making enough of a profit that we can even look like we haven't wasted everything on a fantasy."
"We needed those galleons…"
"Well, we lost them. That's why we don't gamble anymore, brother o' mine. We can't afford to lose."
George leaned down, his hands running along his unshaven chin. "But there's still the other bet… the double or nothing bet. We could lose everything."
He hated that his brother was right, but their sister would demand her money… and things were looking even more in her favor. Harry and Hermione had been together for nearly two years… moving on to their seventh year in school, and still no break in their armour. "Well…. what do we do about it? Force them to shag."
His brother lifted his face from his hands as they shared a look. "We could use one of the love potions…"
"No. That was a joke." Fred couldn't believe what his brother was suggesting. "Absolutely not. No way."
"But how are we hurting anything?" George pleaded, his eyes suddenly more alive then they'd been in months. "They're young. They're in love. We're just two modern day cupids…"
He shook his head. "No, George. No way."
"We could lose the shoppe… lose everything. We'd have to go home on our hands and knees. Desk jobs at the Ministry… nine to five, Fred. Do you want nine to five? Or face Dad again?"
George watched as his brother stood from the table, his face set. "I said no. I am not going to be a part of this. We're talking about Harry, George. Remember Harry? He's the boy who gave us our start up money… the boy that is a brother to our brother… a brother to you and me. The guy who saved Ginny from the Chamber. He saved Dad.
"I won't do it. No."
George nodded silently. "Then we're lost. Doomed."
Fred walked to the doorway. "I love my sister. She can be a right pain in the arse sometimes, but I'd do anything for her… and she could be right, you know. She could be meant to end up with Harry. Would you deny her that? Just for a shoppe of jokes and novelty items?"
In the dark, suddenly alone, George nodded.
O X O X O X O X O X O
The day before our story began…
The small redhead rolled her eyes as Hermione looked out the window again, her eyes scanning the back yard. There was still no sign of Harry anywhere. Idly glancing at her watch since the grandfather clock in the hallway didn't actually tell the time, Ginny could see that it was after four in the afternoon. Harry was nearly five hours late.
"If anything was wrong, the Order would have contacted us, dearie." Molly Weasley smiled at the young woman that was like a second daughter to her. "Harry is quite able to take care of himself."
Hermione absently nodded, her eyes never leaving the window. Molly nudged her daughter. Ginny scowled for a second before she caught on to what her Mum wanted.
"Hey, Herm…" At the hated nickname, her best girl friend turned and looked at her. "How about you help me set the table?"
"Sure." She responded despondedly, her eyes still worried.
"And relax… you'll just make Harry upset if he comes in and finds you all tense…" Ginny giggled. "He'll have to spend half the day trying to loosen you up before you and he can snog."
That did the trick as Hermione smiled, her eyes lightening. "Ginny!"
Hermione shot a glance at Molly, her face flushing, but the older woman was pretending to ignore what the two youngsters were saying… she remembered what it was like to be young and in love.
"Not in front of your mother!"
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Eww. Not the mental picture I needed. You and Harry cuddled up on the couch while Mum and Dad tell you what you're doing wrong…"
Molly Weasley chose that time to interject a pearl of wisdom, her face pulled back in a mischievous smile as she set he meatloaf in the oven to cook. "Not watch… might be too distracting… but your father and I might be able to offer advice beforehand, though…"
"Mum!" Ginny's face was as red as her hair. A quick glance showed her that Hermione wasn't too far behind, the heat radiating from both of their faces nearly enough to light up the kitchen.
"Why don't the two of you finish setting up for dinner and then go wash up."
Both girls nodded silently, the work getting done faster than it ever had before… they raced from the room as soon as they were finished. Ginny and Hermione broke into a fit of giggles as they reached the top of the stairs, gasping for breath.
"What's so funny?" One of the twins asked, his eyebrow quirked. "I'd love to be in on the joke."
Hermione just shook her head, her face starting to turn red again as Ginny was bent over, the act of inhaling air becoming a problem as she started crying from laughing so hard. Both were too busy to see that George moved quietly from upstairs to join his brother. They both looked at the girls.
"Do we get to know the joke?"
Finally, after a few minutes, both Hermione and Ginny shook their head in the negative. The twins, disgusted to having waited for several minutes to hear what was so funny, threw their hands in the air and started to storm off towards the stairs.
"F-Fred…" Hermione called after them. "George… We're sorry... really… come back." Neither gave so much as a passing glance towards either of them.
"They'll be okay…" Ginny wiped at the tears on her cheeks. "Its good for them to be on the receiving end once in a while."
Hermione shivered. "If you're sure…"
O X O X O X O X O X O
"He's still not here?" Ron peaked his head in the door.
Hermione shook her head. "Is Luna gone to bed?"
Ron grinned a goofy smile that forced Hermione to smile along with him. "Yeah. She was sleepy… plus I think she's excited about tomorrow. The big day… Harry telling everyone about Dumbledore's tasks for us."
She chewed at her fingernails, a disgusting habit she'd picked up recently. "Do you think we did the right thing… convincing Harry to let the Order in on everything?"
Her best friend sat down on the bed, his eyes thoughtful. "I think so." He sighed as he looked over at the small table in the corner and spied a plate of cookies and a pitcher of milk. Huh? Mum most have left those for Harry if he came in late tonight. "Truth be told… I'm worried a bit."
"Worried?"
"Yeah… things are going to okay, you know." At her look, he shook his head. "Things are usually happening… but the summer's been quiet… and now Harry's done with his awful family and on the way here. I keep expecting something to happen."
Hermione nodded. "I'll feel better once Harry is here. Do you know where he is?"
Ron shook his head, hating that he had to lie to her. She was so worried, but Harry had made him swear before he confided in him before the summer break that he was going to give Hermione a promise ring… something special. "Nah… but I'm sure he's fine…"
"I just hate sitting here not knowing anything. Even when he was at the Dursley's, I at least knew where he was." She took a breath. "Maybe I should call Lupin and Tonks… they'll find him for me if I ask."
Looking to distract her, Ron stood up and went over to grab the cookies and milk. "Hey… look, we can have some cookies and milk and stay up and talk until either Harry shows up or we fall asleep."
Rolling her eyes, Hermione frowned. "You mum left those for Harry…"
Ron grinned as he took a bite of a cookie. Man! These are fabulous. "Hey… you snooze, you lose. Right? You gotta try one of these…"
Hermione smiled at Ron's constant eating. She reached over and grabbed one, bringing it to her mouth. "Maybe just one…"