This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 16 January 2023.

This was written for Love Fest 2023. The prompt came from LookAnotherNote, who I can't thank enough for inspiring this adorably funny little piece. I hope that you love this! Happy reading! xxDustNight88

Thank you to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly! Any other mistakes are definitely my own..

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended.

Prompt: LookAnotherNote request for HG/Charlie Fred and George (or any iteration of the two) are out on a business trip and Hermione and Charlie are in charge of the joke shop

The Joke's on Us

Rated: General Audiences

Pairing: Charlie Weasley/Hermione Granger

Word Count: 660

Summary: Charlie and Hermione run into a few issues running the joke shop while the twins are away for the weekend

"Are you sure you two will be okay without us for a couple of days?" Fred asked as he fastened the buttons on his coat.

"Yeah," chimed in George, who was packing up a few last-minute parcels. "We've never both been away from the shop before, so if you can't handle it, one of us can stay behind."

"It's going to be fine," Hermione reassured the twins for what felt like the millionth time. "You're only going to be gone for the weekend. We can handle the shop while you're gone."

"Yeah," said Charlie, who walked in from the back room. "We'll make sure not to burn the place down."

"I'm serious, Charlie," Fred said and glared at his older brother. "The last time we left you in charge, you did, in fact, nearly burn the place down."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Charlie said, smiling and leaning forward on the counter. "Besides, you've got insurance."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Fred glared at his older brother and then looked at Hermione. "Promise me you'll keep your boyfriend in line."

"I make no promises, Fred," Hermione said with a laugh. "You know as well as I do that your brother is as bad as you and George sometimes."

"That's what worries me," Fred noted and then sighed. "I guess we just have to trust you."

"Yeah," George chimed in as he finished with the parcels. "We've got our train to catch, so we must run. Please, owl us if you need us."

"We will. Promise." Hermione smiled warmly at both Fred and George. "Have a good trip. We'll see you in a couple of days."

As it turned out, things didn't go well for Charlie and Hermione that weekend. It seemed one disaster after the other afflicted the little shop in Diagon Alley. First, the Pygmy Puffs all got out of their cages. Hermione and Charlies spent hours trying to round them up, and they weren't sure they'd found them all. Then, three little boys ate Puking Pastilles and caused quite the scene during one of the busiest Saturdays Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had in months.

"That's on you," Charlie said to Hermione as he dragged the boys from the shop.

Sighing, Hermione cleared up the mess and brought order back to the shop before anyone else could get sick just from being around it. After the shop was cleaned and things had calmed down, Hermione and Charlie began to go back to running the cash register and talking with customers.

Unfortunately for them, a pipe burst in the ceiling and caused water to pour down through the very centre of the tall shop.

The remainder of the patrons in the shop fled to the door as water rained down from the ceiling. Hermione, soaked to the bone, just turned to Charlie and started to laugh. "I guess when it rains, it pours," she joked, trying not to lose her mind.

"Jokes on us, I guess," Charlie said as water continued to pour down on them from above. "It's much harder keeping this joke shop under control than I thought."

Hermione slid onto her tip-toes and kissed Charlie on the cheek. "That's okay," she said, taking out her wand. "We can clean up a mess or two. Finite Incantatem."

The water stopped flooding the shop, and Charlie pulled Hermione into his wet arms. She squealed and tried to wiggle away, but he held her fast. "I suppose you're right, love. Now give me a proper kiss before we put this place back together. Fred and George will be back tomorrow, and we don't want them thinking they were right about us."

Hermione just laughed, but she did indulge in a few more kisses with Charlie before they fixed the shop back into working order. By the time the twins returned, Hermione and Charlie were seated at the counter, both reading and acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.