A/N: Okay, this chapter is mostly to set up a couple more differences between Fred and George, and this chapter focuses mostly on Fred. There are a few paragraphs that are just sort of glance-overs of events, but I felt that they were neccessary and that writing out long descriptions and dialogue was superfluous. I hope you like this (reviews are lovely). Expect the next chapter in a week or so :)

Chapter One: Breakfast at the Burrow

Fred Weasley did not do mornings.

They were… unholy. Yes, that's what they were. He found it to be just this side of unbearable torture to have to get up before he was entirely ready at, oh, ten-ish. He had spent hours upon hours pondering just how George could get out of bed at seven each morning and never quite figured it out.

But then, he supposed it was a good thing that one of them was a semi-early riser, as George got a lot of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes paper-pushing, business-y stuff done before Fred had even pondered removing himself from the cocoon of his blankets.

It had been a silent agreement between the two of them, probably around the age of four, Fred thought, that any pranks they concocted would be worked on together. Fred was Idea Man (though occasionally George had a brilliant one) and George was the Business Guy (Fred shunned paperwork). And while they allowed the other to work on things independently, George on business and Fred on thinking up newer ways to play old tricks (or new ones), they had never once strayed from working on formulas, selling things, or planning things out together.

"Fred… Fred…. FRED!"

Had it been George who shouted at the large lump beneath the covers that was Fred, Fred would have peeked out, asked if there was a breakthrough, and if not, tackled his twin and force-fed him garden gnomes.

But it wasn't George, and so Fred cursed beneath his breath and yanked his pillow closer to his head.

"FRED!"

With a strangled noise that almost sounded like a drowning poodle, Fred swung his arm wildly in hopes of whacking his younger sister upside the head. He was practically mummified in his sheets, and it was only due to years of practice that he was able to move his limbs so quickly despite being impeded by several battered blankets.

However, Ginny was also well-practiced in the arts of a morning at the Burrow, and easily ducked Fred's hand. She pounced on him as he prepared for another assault, and giggled happily (or cackled evilly, in Fred's opinion) as she yanked her brother's pillow away and gave him a noogie.

"GIN!" Fred shouted.

He was very particular about his hair. Hermione had once told him that he was the only guy she had ever seen feather his hair. Fred offered to help her out with her crazy mane, but she had declined and said that the day she let Fred Weasley do her hair would be the day she "swallowed a live newt".

Fred rolled over as best he could with a thirteen year old girl atop him and lunged forward, gaining the upper hand. "HA-HA!" he crowed triumphantly as he plunged his fingers down and began tickling Ginny's sides. She screeched with laughter and begged him to stop in between gasps for breath. Fred, however, had learned to be relentless, as she was the only sibling aside from George who would exact revenge at the first given opportunity.

He let her up when she started turning purple.

"Tell me, dearest sister of mine," Fred said as they both collapsed against the mess of bedding against the wall, still laughing sporadically, "why do you insist on me being your only victim in the mornings?"

Ginny smiled outright. "Because Bill and Charlie aren't here, Percy would hate me forever, Ron might kill me in my sleep, and George is always up before me. Besides, you're the most fun."

"Oh, now I'm not fun?" George asked from where he was leaning against the doorframe, a goblet of steaming pumpkin juice in his hand.

"I never meant that, George! You just get up too early!"

"She's lying, you know, George. She thinks you're quite boring, really." Fred winked at his twin over Ginny's head.

Ginny's mouth dropped and she turned to Fred with an angered look. She punched him as hard as she could in the shoulder and he winced despite himself. Growing up with six brothers had leant her some muscles, apparently.

"S'alright, Gin. I know Fred's your favorite. The rest of us are just old shoes for you to toss out." George pretended to sniffle a bit and started to turn. "I'll just leave you two be… I know there's no room for a boring brother amidst all the giddy fun."

"George! Don't be like that! If anyone's boring, it's Percy!"

"WEASLEYS! BREAKFAST!" came the booming voice of their father.

Arthur Weasley knew better than to stand in front of the stairs after making such an announcement, and immediately proceeded to the kitchen.

This was a wise decision.

Soon there were four redheads jockeying for position on the staircase. Ron had come thundering out of his room, hoping to beat Fred and George for once. George had been the first out of the twins' room, then Ginny, and then Fred (Fred was shouting at Ginny for pushing him down as she leapt off of his bed). They all reached the staircase at the same time and an all-out brawl broke out. Ginny and Ron combined efforts to pull back George and get ahead of him, but Fred tripped Ron before he could help his sister much. Ron attempted to jump the banister, but George grabbed the back of his shirt and hauled him back over. By the time they had reached the kitchen, Ron's pajamas were ripped, George had a stubbed toe, Ginny's hair was a mess, and Fred's shirt was half-off.

Molly sighed as she took in the sight of her four youngest children. "Go on then, eat up."

Breakfast was the usual affair—Ron threw cereal at Ginny when she called him a beanpole, Fred and George were discussing possible spells to use for their latest project, Arthur was telling Molly about a raid he had went on the night before (she was only half-listening, as she was trying to tell Ginny that she needed to help with the laundry that day), and Errol was attempting to catch his breath after dropping off a letter from Charlie.

When they finished, everyone went their separate ways. Molly was instantly at the sink bewitching things to self-clean, Arthur was out in his shed, Ginny was on her way to the lake, Ron was reading his copy of Flying With the Cannons for the billionth time, and Fred and George headed up to their room to begin the first experiments of the summer. They were hard at work on what they planned to call Extendable Ears, and everything was going according to plan.

George liked Extendable Ears. At least with them he knew he wouldn't experience any side-effects, like he had with the Fainting Fancies. He still got really lightheaded and called Fred "Frank" from time to time.

The two of them dressed quickly, and, George was thankful, differently. While he usually didn't mind dressing identical to Fred, it was nice to get a break from it once in a while. He decided on a blue shirt, jeans, and his favorite sneakers. Fred picked his favorite "Weird Sisters" shirt, with two Flying V guitars crossed behind the band's logo, some jeans, and his favorite sneakers. When Fred jumped over the back of his chair to take a look at the Extendable Ears, he snatched up his Gryffindor tie and tied it around his head like a warrior.

George rolled his eyes. "No idea why you insist on doing that."

"It puts me in the right mindset for inventing. You ought to try it, seriously." He held out George's tie to him.

He took it and tied it around his head. He looked contemplative for a second, sensing out whether Fred was right. He shrugged. "I suppose."

The hours ticked by, and Molly was thankful to only hear two explosions from the twins' room. She was busy dusting off pictures on the mantelpiece, allowing herself to be swept into the past by them. It was decidedly easier to get swept away when your memories were not punctuated with loud bangs, she thought.

She gazed at all the pictures in turn. Christmas after Bill had been born… Arthur and herself at the altar… Ron and Ginny before they left for King's Cross and Ron's first year began… Percy with his Head Boy badge… Harry and Ron the first summer Harry had stayed over… Arthur opening a gift of plugs from Hermione, who was looking on giddily… Charlie dodging a dragon in Romania… the twins braiding Ginny's hair into pigtails…

"Oh, hi mum! Just getting a glass of water!"

Molly looked up and saw one of the twins. She was feeling very motherly today, as was evident when her reply was not, "About time you left your room and did something productive!"

"Of course, George," she smiled.

Even the trained eye of Molly Weasley did not see his smile falter before he replied, "I'm Fred."

When they were a week into their holidays, Fred and George made a very, very important decision.

They needed jobs.

It was natural, of course, that they would need money to run a joke shop. The outrageously generous donation that Harry had given them was enough to buy the shop itself, but supplies, marketing, and help would require more money. And if they couldn't get that from their parents or Ludo Bagman, they would have to earn it themselves. George didn't mind the idea much, reasoning that they would, while working, get to see how business was conducted and pick up a few pointers. Fred was less anxious and hoped that one summer of work would be enough to buy enough supplies to last the whole of the pending school year.

With the blessings of their perplexed and slightly suspicious parents, the two headed into Ottery St. Catchpole the next morning dressed for interviews. They had decided that working in Diagon Alley would cut back on profit, as they would have to pay for Floo Powder… and it would be an issue getting hired in places that sent clerks to follow them and make sure they didn't blow anything up. The only place worth working at in Hogsmeade was Gambol and Jape's, but again, that cut into their paychecks with travel.

Ottery St. Catchpole was a muggle village, but it was within walking village and it couldn't be that hard working for muggles.

Or so they thought.