Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Harry Potter characters.
Chapter Eleven: The W.W.W.
Saturday, October thirty-first came all too soon, but with a lot of hard work and running about, all his plans were coming to fruition.
Had he but answered a single floo call or accepted any missive from one of the Weasly's; he might have reconsidered…. Might have? The world, and Harry, would never know.
Now, he stood solemnly in front of the gravesite he visited every year on the anniversary of their passing. Bouquets of fresh white roses adorned all three graves, as they did every year at this time.
At length, Harry addressed the three graves of his beloved family.
"I'm not sure that you'll agree with what I'm about to do? It feels right though."
Harry silently wondered just how many madman and morons started such ventures because it 'feels right'?
"I don't know what else to do? Anything more and I'm a traitor to my country. Anything less and I'm a traitor to myself. I thought this was my place, mum, but I was wrong. This isn't my home anymore. I'm not welcome here now, maybe I never was,… not really? I'm not feeling sorry for myself; it's just how it is. People are afraid of what or who they don't understand. I've a lot of power, and let's face it- it scares people! It scares me sometimes, but ,.. I think that's a good thing. It makes me more cautious than otherwise."
"It's only been a couple of months since Mr. Weasley asked me to leave. I was angry at first, but now, the idea's kind of sunk in and taken hold. He was right about one thing; whether he knew it or not at the time? I'm thinking too small. I don't want to rule the world; mum, dad, Sirius,… I just want to help make it a better place."
"I'm not gonna stand here and be a hypocrite claiming I'm going to do this for purely unselfish reasons, cause I'm not. You know why I'm doing it. Partly it's for the benefit of the magical races. Partly because it needs to be done; people need hope. They deserve happiness and safety; a chance to have families and futures. I'm also doing it for my future. If I can make things just a little safer, maybe then…?" Harry grimaced, not daring to hope.
"I… I..think maybe I love her, mum. Maybe in time I'll earn the chance to be with her? Maybe I never will? I only know that if I don't try I'll never even get the chance and I can't face that. A little hope is better than none at all. Voldemort taught me that much."
"I won't be able to tend your graves for awhile, maybe not ever again. My elf friends will help out in my stead. It's not the same, but it's the best I can do. That,... and maybe this…."
Harry concentrated, ignoring the cool breeze that seemed to dampen the air around him along with his spirits. He cast his hands out over the gravesite and a silver speckles filled the air before floating down, covering the graves gently; preserving them as they are- for all time.
The creak of the cemetery's gate announced the arrival of other visitors. Not wanting to risk exposure on the eve of so many delicate plans; Harry made a hasty goodbye and left in a burst of flame and smoke.
Scarce minutes later, two pair of feet stopped at the Potter graves, having come to pay their respects. Only moments too late to prevent what was to come….
"Ohhh, look at all the beautiful white roses!" Ginny gushed.
Hermione did, only not with the same reaction. The Potter's and Sirius's graves were reverently covered with perfect white roses, … more so than they had ever been before. The sight both warmed and worried Hermione.
She pulled her gloves off and stopped to touch a single rose, her hand met with resistance scant millimeters from making contact with the soft petals.
Seeing Hermione's conundrum, Ginny gasped in surprise, "What is it?"
Hermione pulled her wand and scanned for wards over the area, but nothing registered. Thinking for a moment, she took a chance and cast again…
"Whoa,… what's that?" Ginny voiced her own glowing sense of dread as the grave site flashed silver so stunningly bright that it almost hurt to look upon.
"I-I don't know what it is, exactly?" Hermione returned, but silently she knew there was only one person alive that could come up with something like this and have a reason too. It was the reason that worried her more than the source.
"I-It's some sort of variation of a shield and preservative charm. Hermione answered hollowly.
"Did Harry do this?" Ginny asked the obvious, starting to sound a tad apprehensive herself.
"I think so, yes." Hermione surmised. "He always leaves white roses on their graves at the anniversary of their deaths."
But, there was no reason to place such a powerful charm like this unless someone wasn't going to be around to tend a gravesite for a very long time? Hermione left her suspicion unsaid.
"W-Why?" Ginny asked her scholarly, best friend.
Hermione shrugged, pretending puzzlement. "I-I don't know, but we need to talk to him. You have to talk to him and the sooner the better. If we can't get in to see him before, then we'll find a way right after the concert tonight." Hermione vowed.
"We will." Ginny vowed.
"What's the total?"
"One hundred twenty"
Harry whistled between his teeth. "Ouch!"
His cohort nodded in understanding. "What price…"
"Freedom" Harry finished.
"If all goes to plan; things will get more expensive from here on out, but our plans are in place to recover the expense and then some." Raynock promised.
Harry nodded. "Big plans"
"Great plans, my knight. Great plans." Raynock clarified.
Harry extended his hand. A clawed mottled brown one grasped his firmly, affectionately.
"I'll miss you." Harry half smiled, half grimaced.
Raynock's ears wilted slightly. "And I you, but our parting will be brief, fortune and fate willing?"
"Fortune and Fate" Harry bowed reverently to the Goblin chief, whose pointed ears wilted even more so in affection at the honor afforded him.
"'Fortune and Fate', young Harry." Raynock echoed, patting his friend's hand where it grasped his own.
An hour later, Harry stood in silent contemplation.
One Hundred twenty! He smirked at the irony, hoping it was an astral sign of approval for what he was about to undertake.
8 pm and Chudley stadium was filled to capacity; some eighty-four thousand magical folk of all ages. The whole of wizarding Britain and a great deal of the continent, as well, was in attendance.
Black uniformed Unspeakables, served as security for tonight's landmark event.
A large round stage was erected center pitch with four jumbo 'Magictron' screens erected over each quadrant of the stadium so that everyone in attendance was assured an up close and personal view of tonight's entertainment.
Front row, center stage on the Eastside was the British Minister of Magic along with his closest family and friends. Two of which were grinning smugly, having exchanged their center seats with an ecstatic younger sister and her best friend.
"What're you two on about?" Ron groused not pleased at having lost the company of his wife for the evening.
"Discretion is the better part…"Fred began
"…of valor, little, bro." George finished sagely from beside his twin.
Fred clarified. "Harry may be too cunning for his own good, but he has a weakness for the ladies."
"He'd never prank Ginny and 'Mione" George nearly crowed the validness of his assumption.
"Hence the brilliance of our last second change of seating arrangements." Fred chortled, shaking hands with his twin in salute of their cleverness.
"Gits" Ron groused sourly.
"Jealous" George chided.
"Envy's an ugly thing, ickle-ronnikins." Fred agreed next to his twin
"Completely enamored"
"Covetous"
"Boys…" their father shushed them wearily as the stadium lights blinked out and the show was about to start.
The lights came up softly to the scene of a dimly lit street corner with a few people walking toward destinations unknown, with a lone figure propped against a softly glowing light pole watching people passing by.
A young girl entered the cross walk, instantly catching the leaning figure's attention. He propped up the hat he wore pulled down over his features revealing a flash of mischieveious, emerald green eyes.
Gasps and squeals wafted throughout an appreciative half hearted applause, immediately quieting as Harry broke into a song and dance, following in the young girl's wake.
He sang a jaunty song about falling in love at first sight as he danced around the girl, seeking her affections.
At the crux of their encounter, the hesitant girl accepted his proffered hand. Harry slung his hat into the squealing crowd as the girl dropped her overcoat revealing an emerald green, form fitting dress that was fringed at the hem. The two complimented each other beautifully as they danced about the stage, each teasing and taunting the other mercilessly.
Ginny, as well as thousands of other witches in the audience, watched with rapt attention, some were screaming excitedly, others swooning, Ginny herself was growling, predatorily like.
-It was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen!
Harry had the young witches in the audience totally captivated and,... he danced and sang like he knew it!
The scene ended with the woman, dipped in Harry's arms, surrendering to their first kiss.
The street lamps faded until round stage went black. The entire stadium boomed in raucous applause for several minutes. When the cheering finally subsided to a dull roar and announcer's voice came out of the darkness…
"And now Ladies and gentlemen, live and undead on any stage for the first time….VOLDIE and the DEATHBEATERS!"
The lights came up to find the stage transformed into a decaying, foggy cemetery. Floodlights lit upon a teenage appearing Harry Potter shuffling along in his Hogwarts robes and trademark round eyeglasses, stopping in front of a crumbling headstone.
Young Harry rapt upon the headstone and called out challengingly: "Come on Voldie, get your moldy bones up and let's play!"
Band instruments rose up out of the floor. A skeletonized, red eyed Voldemort pulled his decayed bones up out of the ground and stumbled brokenly to a waiting drum set and took his seat.
Harry snapped his fingers and several spectral "Deathbeaters" rose up from nearby graves and took up the remaining instruments. The specters wore moldy, moth eaten black robes and their usual skeletal masks were instead characterizations of skeletal 'smiley' faces.
Harry took up a microphone and began snapping his fingers rhythmically in anticipation. After a few minutes he stopped and turned puzzled eyes toward the skeletal Voldemort.
"Well?" Harry inquired impatiently.
Voldemort shrugged his boney shoulders and apologized. "I have no drumsticks, Harry Potter."
Harry rolled his be speckled eyes and reminded. "Are you a dead wizard or what?"
Hermione, as well as the rest of the stunned crowd; who had been silent until then, started laughing as Voldemort broke off a pair of his leg bones and began playing the drums.
Harry broke into song "Being dead ain't cool if you follow the rules!"
Fred and George snorted appreciatively at that and soon the rest of the stadium had gotten over their initial shock and was clapping along with the beat.
The song finished to tumultuous applause with people calling out for an encore.
Harry held up a hand quieting the audience.
"Should we give em another guys?" Harry asked his band.
Voldie suggested in a dead monotone. "I could sing the "Snaky Snape song."
Harry rolled his eyes."No one wants to hear that parselmouth prattle."
"You could translate?" Voldie suggested hopefully.
"Oh, alright." Harry reluctantly agreed, grumbling. "Can't believe anyone wants to hear a ballad about a greasy git?"
Harry held the microphone out to Voldie expectantly; who raised his leg bones up indicating walking was out of the question.
Harry shook his head and sighed as he walked over to his ghoulish drummer and held out his microphone for Voldie.
Voldie hissed a line in parselmouth.
Harry translated. "There was a greasy git who made people sick."
The crowd laughed and snickered at that.
Voldie turned his dead eyes on Harry and drooled. "That's not what I said, Harry Potter."
"Artistic interpretation" Harry answered.
Voldie shrugged in reluctant agreement and hissed another line.
Harry interpreted, "Gryffindors get me hot when I'm stirring the pot!"
Voldie paused, clearly disgusted. "That's disturbing Harry Potter."
"And Snape wasn't?" Harry asked incredulously to which the crowd cheered its agreement.
Voldie shrugged. "Point taken"
Voldie hissed another line of his song.
Harry snickered, asking in surprise. "He was your personal anti-impotency potion maker?"
"You're ruining the song, Harry Potter."
Harry shrugged. "Says the ghoul who used to cross dress and go double dating with Bellatrix Lestrange."
"I'm leaving!" Voldie dragged his boney arse off his seat and crawled back into his open grave.
"If I'd known that's all it took, I would have insulted your preferences years ago." Harry sniggered.
Harry grabbed up Voldie's leg bones off the drum set and walked over to his grave.
"Here," he called down into the grave. "…don't say I never gave you nuthin!"
Harry dropped the leg bones down and the audience could hear the sound of bone impacting hollowly on bone.
"You'll pay for that, Harry Potter." Voldie threatened.
Harry shrugged and kicked large clump of dirt down into the grave.
A muffled voice came back "You'll pay for matt foo!"
The lights dimmed and the laughing crowd cheered as the stage went black again.
When the lights came back up, Harry was dressed up in a 1950's style black leather jacket and jeans, singing a 'doo-wop' song to a bunch of giggling, 'poodle skirted' teenage girls in a malt shop setting.
On and on the evening progressed, until just before intermission Harry did the song he'd recorded in the locker room before Ginny and rest of the Harpies team interrupted.
He started singing the song, presumably naked, in a steamy shower on stage decorated like a quidditch locker.
Harry emerged from the shower, already covered by a towel around his waist, to the disappointed groans of the female audience.
Harry snickered,… and the stage went dark again.
The announcer called out, "Ladies and Gentlemen, there will now be a twenty minute intermission."
"Well, I must say; that was fun!" Jane Granger squealed delightedly next to her daughter
Hermione chuckled. "What'd you think, Ginny?' she asked her still goggling friend.
"Ginny?"
Ginny shook her head like she was coming out of a stupor. "That was absolutely brilliant! I forgot how cute he was as a teenager, not that he's not dreamy now. That voice,… and those moves? He's better on the ground than he is on a broom! Where in the world did he come up with that 'Voldie and the Deathbeaters' number; that was sheer genius!..."
Meanwhile, as Ginny raved about the performance…
"Peanuts….Hot peanuts here! Blood pops! Chocolate frogs…"
"Hey, over here!"Fred called over the vendor.
"Two bags my good man." George ordered.
"Right you are, gov-ner, at'l be ten sickles." The vendor returned in a thick cockney accent.
"What a minute?"Fred was about to accept the proffered treats, when he thought better of it, eyeing the bags of steamy peanuts suspiciously.
"We'll pick out our own thanks." George ordered grabbing two bags from the other side of the vendors stock.
"Wha'evr you want fella" The vendor shrugged and moved down the aisle to an anxiously clamoring for 'Chocolate frogs', Ron Weasley.
As soon as the twins ripped open their bags of nuts…
"Nooooo!"
Simultaneous 'pops' heralded the twins port key departure.
"What the…?" Ron grunted in surprise
"YESSSS!"
The cockney peanut vendor morphed into a celebrating Harry Potter, who was pumping his fist in triumph, shouting…"Yes-Yes-Yes!" with each pump of his fist.
"Harry?" Ron blurted out.
"I love it when a plan comes together!" Harry chortled happily. He shoved his vendor tray into Ron's startled hands proclaiming: "Here, Ron,.. keep the lot!"
Recovering from the surprise, Molly was next to register Harry's unexpected arrival and her twin sons' departure.
"What'd you do?" she scalded accusingly, rising from her seat.
"Molly?" Harry backpedaled, adding sheepishly. "Er,. um, nothing much…"
"Where are they?" Molly huffed, pointing at the twin's, now empty seats.
"Er, at the shop getting it ready for tomorrow's big sale, I expect." Harry answered uncertainly.
"What big sale?" Molly's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Say, look at the time?" Harry went thru the motion of checking a watch that wasn't there. "I've gotta get back on stage."
Discretion was indeed the better part of valor- Harry beat a hasty retreat, disappearing in a burst of smoke and flame.
Molly turned to her bewildered husband and warned…"Mark my words Arthur Weasley; no good will come out of what those three are up to."
"No,… really." Arthur returned sarcatically.
Hermione and Ginny giggled in expectation nearby.
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's performance is brought to you by WWW, home of the world's foremost entertainment products: Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Tomorrow celebrates the opening of the new and highly anticipated WWW branch-Wicked Witches Wares! Join us tomorrow at 1221 Diagon Alley for a special one day, half price off on all merchandise sale.
Your hosts: Fredwina and Georgia Weasley will be on hand to model our intimate apparel line for all you naughty witches who know that; 'Playing in the dark, needn't be bad!'
Again that's 1221 Diagon Alley and tell them, Harry sent you!"
"Fredwina and Georgia! Oh,.. for shame…" Molly spat aghast, turning to her husband. "Well, what are you going to do about this?"
Arthur blanched. "Well I suppose I could pick you up a gift card, Molly?"
Ginny and Hermione burst into laughter at that.
The lights dimmed and when they came back up Harry was dressed in jeans and a soft green jumper. He looked to be sitting in a nursery, rocking a bundle in his arms.
He sang an original lullaby that had the young witches in the audience swooning dreamily,Ginny among them, although Hermione wore a pensive expression and shot nervous glances toward Ron every once in awhile.
Harry finished to lullaby and gentle place the bundle in its waiting crib.
He approached the front of the stage, directly in front of the Weasley section and announced:
"I wrote that lullaby with special friends in mind who are expecting their first child… congratulations Weasleys'!" he chortled.
"What!" Molly shrieked happily twisting her head back and forth over her flanking children.
"Fleur?" Bill squawked indignantly.
"I never told 'em, Bill!" Fleur gasped in mortification.
"Oh, Bill?… Fleur!" Molly blurted excitedly.
"Interesting" Harry commented from the stage with a devilish grin and twinkling eyes.
"However…
"Harry don't?"Hermione shrieked in sudden realization.
"Congrats Ron!" Harry cheered and the lights went dim.
"C-Congrats Ron?" Ron stammered in the dark.
"Ron I was going to tell…?"Hermione tried to explain before Molly's disembodied voice excitedly cut her off.
"Ron?... Hermione?.. You're going to have a…? Oh, Arthur… this wonderful!" Molly barely managed to get out before the audience erupted in cheers around them.
The lights came back up to find Harry on stage wearing a white evening jacket with black slacks, drink in hand and crooning a romantic song in a nightclub setting.
Ron was being prodded awake by his brother Bill, having fainted dead away from the shock of Harry's announcement.
Molly was crying tears of joy alternating between gushing to Hermione and excitedly kissing her beaming husband's cheek.
Ginny was giggling next to a red faced Hermione who was shooting 'death glares ' Harry's way, which only served to make his eyes twinkle more vividly as he continued crooning away.
The lights dimmed after he finished his song and the crowd erupted in cheers.
The lights came on to a family scene. The setting was reminiscent of the Burrow's living room. Harry wore a cardigan and was smoking a pipe with a young boy on his lap, whilst a, (red haired), woman with an apron was preparing an evening meal in the adjoining kitchen, humming whilst she worked.
The little boy on Harry's lap asked… "Daddy, what kind of man will I be when I grow up?"
Harry withdrew his pipe from his lips and pondered the boy's question for a moment.
He answered in a song. Nodding knowingly toward the boy's mother; lovingly preparing their meal.. ..
"Any man who loves his mother… Is man enough for me….
Sharing her hours, sending her flowers…
Though it's no anni-ver-sarrry.
Many men love fame and fortune…
Its gold they long too seeee….
But it's the man who loves his mother, as much as she wants to beee…
Is man enough forrr…. meeee…..,
As the song continued, nary a mother in the audience had a dry eye as Harry finished his tribute to the mothers in his own life.
Many other scenes and skits filled the evening as Harry entertained all age groups throughout the event. The last song of the night was perhaps the most special and surprising of all.
11:30 pm, Oct. 31
The lights came on to an empty stage except for Harry. He appeared exactly as he did at eleven years old. He was short and skinny with his trademark; black, broken rimmed, round glasses. He wore oversized clothes and tattered trainers. Jet black hair sticking up in all directions as it once did.
He half carried; half dragged a string guitar,(that was too heavy for him), up to the front of the stage and perched himself on the edge with his feet dangling over the side.
Harry pushed up his spell 'o taped glasses and cocked his head to the side questioningly.
"H-Hermione?" he asked uncertainly in a small voice.
Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth, gasping in stunned disbelief. He didn't just appear young, but acted as if he really was eleven years old again?
"Whoa.." he exclaimed wide eyed, "you got big!"
Hermione started to tear up.
"Don't cry, 'Mione,…I'll be your friend…Ron too, even though he's a git sometimes." young Harry promised.
"B-Best friends…" Hermione agreed, scrubbing at her cheeks.
Young Harry turned his attention to Hermione's left and blushingly stammered, "Er,..Hiya, Ginny."
Ginny blushed prettily. "Hi…Harry" she returned, with a slight wave.
"I…um,.. h-have a s-song for you." Harry announced nervously, turning his eyes down and looking up bashfully under his fringe.
"For me?" Ginny squeaked, pointing to herself.
"Uh-huh" Harry acknowledged and began to softly strum the guitar that was too big for his child sized body.
Harry sang an innocently sweet love song. His voice surreptitiously blending with his magic as it spread out over the crowd. It calmed and soothed, dulling the senses until every last person in the audience was sleeping blissfully unaware by the time his somewhat squeaky, younger voice cracked out the last note.
From out of the dark audience around him they came….One hundred and twenty former Unspeakables.
They wore a different uniform now; midnight blue with a gold enflamed phoenix emblazoned over their left breast and their rank and name over their right.
A graying, powerfully built man stepped forward with a commander's bars on his lapel.
"Nice uniform." Harry complimented, taking his friend's hand.
"It fits better than the last one,… in every way that counts." William Hoag agreed.
"Anyone change their mind?' Harry asked.
Bill shook his head. "We're in it for the duration, Harry."
"Thanks"
Bill shook his head."No,… thank you, Harry." he disagreed. "We've been waiting for the chance to make a difference all our lives."
Harry nodded. "Alright, then. Does everyone have a port key for themselves and their family?"
"And a spare one, just in case." Bill acknowledged.
"The elves?"
"The goblins are seeing to them as we speak. Raynock says they'll all be accounted for by five a.m.,.. six at the latest." Harry nodded.
"Watch over them." Harry reminded waving his hand across the slumbering audience for emphasis.
"As soon as the first person stirs, we'll be on our way." Commander Hoag promised.
The commander issued a hand signal and the rest of his troops fanned out providing temporary security for the sleeping audience.
Harry stared longingly over his surrogate family sleeping nearby, his eyes coming to rest on Ginny.
"It's almost midnight, Harry." Bill reminded him from over his shoulder.
Harry nodded, sniffling softly.
Bill Hoag lay a supporting hand on Harry's shoulder, reassuring that, "It won't be forever, Harry."
Harry nodded dolefully.
"See ya soon, Bill."
"First thing in the morning, Harry." Bill promised.
Harry was just about to flame travel away when Bill called: "Oh,.. and Harry?,… that was one helluva show!"
Harry nodded his thanks and disappeared in a burst of smoke and flame.
It was just after midnight when the first person began to stir. Bill Hoag lit his wand and shot a starburst into the air. The former Unspeakables activated their port keys and were gone from Britain's shores.
The giant magictron monitors blazed with a personal thank you provided by Harry Potter, Knight way, The Chudley Canons and lastly, an advertising reminder for the special sale taking place at: Wicked Witches Wares, 1221 Diagon Alley.
A quick check of their watch and hundreds of excitedly squealing witches exited the stadium pushing their family and significant others ahead of them, in their zeal to be up early for the special sale taking place.
Most were stunned having thought they'd drifted off for a bit and never bothered to dwell on it.
Some noticed the difference right off.
"What happened?" Ron asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"I'm not sure? His brother Bill replied from next to him. "The last thing I remember is listening to Harry and starting to get drowsy."
"Me too"
"Same here"
"Uh-oh" Jane Granger smirked next to Molly. "I've a feeling we've, and by that I mean this entire gathering, just been pranked."Jane finished with a sense of pride and wonder at Harry's antics.
"You don't mean he put the entire stadium to sleep just by singing?" Ginny asked gapping in surprise.
"He did" Hermione agreed, shaking her head worriedly. "The question isn't just how, but why?"
Mr. Weasley's face paled but otherwise he remained silent as he checked his watch.
The time read 12:20 a.m. and Harry's hand pointed to traveling.
He's gone… Arthur realized with no little apprehension. He cast his gaze toward his youngest child already grieving the hasty decision that would ultimately lead to breaking two hearts, perhaps beyond repair.
You're a fool Arthur Weasley. He chastised himself, vowing to make amends, but not knowing how at this point.
"I suggest we all go home and get a good night's rest. Tomorrow we'll try to get in touch with Harry to see what's what?" Arthur suggested a little too positively, but the others nodded in acceptance and made to leave.
At 7:59 a.m. the doors in front of, (formerly Weasly's Wizarding Wheezes), 'Wicked Witches Wares' was besieged by some hundreds of witches of varying ages, awaiting the stores grand opening.
The front curtains opened up to reveal:
On the left store front, "Fredwina" Weasley, a voluptuously well proportioned freckled red head was swaying her hips provocatively. She was dressed as a belly dancer, complete with ruby stud adorning her navel. The veil covering her mouth had a silencing charm on it to stifle her wails of outrage as the compulsion charm forced her to jiggle shamelessly before her delighted public. A neon sign flashed boldly behind stating: 'Charmed wares to thrill and entice the wizard in your life, or,… secure the affections of the one you really want!'
The window on the right displayed a rather perky, Georgia Weasley.
She was dressed in a tight fitting 'cheer leader' outfit, complete with Gryffindor colored pom-poms, a dark red to match her cheeks.
Neon lights flashed a cheer above her head as she danced and posed:
'RAH-RAH-RAH ….HE-HE-HE….Weasley Has Your- FAN-TA-SY!'
A signed lit up above the doorway promising:
'The Only Limit To Your Enjoyment Is Your Imagination!'
The doors to the shop opened to a hoard of shoppers that cleaned out the shelves in minutes, happily waited upon by several familiar looking elves; the head of which wore mismatched socks.
All manner of provocative outfits, charms, love potions, amorous enchantments poured out of the store till naught was left but the humiliated former proprietors that continued to dance unashamedly within the confines of the store's display windows.
At noon, the store locked itself up tight and the enchantments placed upon the twins dissolved, releasing them from their torment. Being the savvy business men they were, they immediately checked the register.
All humility aside; gold is gold.
They found an empty till, except for a polite note thanking them for their generous contribution to the "E.L.F" reform, which stands for: Equality-Liberality and Freedom.
Pale faced, haggard and beaten; they did the only honorable thing they could think of: They ran home and cried to momma!