Chapter 13
“Well?” George tumbled through the doorway and grinned at Fred. “What do you think?”
Fred turned around the empty shop. “I think it’s…. perfect.”
George beamed. “I did too. We got lucky, this one opening up on Diagon Alley.”
“We got more lucky with Percy, Bill, Charlie, and Harry offering to be investors.” Fred muttered.
“Shhh,” George shushed him as he moved towards the stack of boxes on the wall. “Don’t let Mum hear you say that.”
“She’s not here.” Fred deadpanned.
“She’s got ears everywhere.”
“She sure does.” Audrey breezed through the door, pulling Percy with her. He smiled at the twins as he entered. “But not here. Not yet. Better watch her carefully to see what spells she casts.”
“Oh, hush, Addie.” Percy pulled his wife into a hug. She giggled as she kissed his cheek. “Our mother is overbearing, but not that bad.”
“Speak for yourself.” Bill said as he entered behind the two. “Can you two do that anywhere else?’
“Why, jealous?” Percy smirked at his brother, and then ducked the swat Bill sent at his head. “William!”
“Bill can’t be jealous, Bill has a girlfriend.” Charlie was the next through the door, a mischievous grin on his face. “Don’t you, Billy?”
“Lower your voice, Mum might hear.” Bill hissed.
Fred yelped with joy. He shared a grin with George. “A girlfriend Billy?”
“Already? But you’re still Mum’s handsome boy!” George leered. Bill brandished his wand at him.
“Don’t you start.” He threatened. “And I do. Well, kind of. We’ve only gone out a few times.”
“What’s her name?” Percy asked. Audrey pointed at Percy as if to second his question.
“We need another girl in this family.” Audrey mused. “Ginny and I are struggling against all the maleness.”
“I’m not telling you that.” Bill proclaimed. “You can know at a year.”
There were cries of outrage around the room. “Come on!” Fred said.
“We won’t do anything to her!”
“I’m not worried about her.” Bill grumbled. “Don’t you need help with setting this place up?”
“Don’t deflect.”
“Deflect from what?” Ginny asked as she and Ron entered. “Harry and Hermione can’t come. They say sorry.”
“Bill has a girlfriend.” George leaned around Fred to grin at their sister. “Know who?”
“No! What?” Ginny turned to Bill. “Who is it?”
Bill visibly faltered in Ginny’s face and the rest of the room waited with baited breath. Unfortunately, he still had a spine. “I’m not telling.”
They all groaned. “Boring,” Fred sang as he darted to pick up a box. He paused, looking at the label. “Hey, Bill, can you help with this?”
Bill stepped forward, and released his mistake only a moment too late. As he touched it the box poofed upwards, and Bill stumbled back covered in yellow product.
“Darn,” George said dryly. “Must’ve been faulty canary creams.” He and Fred shared a grin.
“I dunno how I kept falling for that,” Bill muttered, wiping at his face. Percy snorted.
“You moved out and were lulled into a false sense of security.” He deadpanned. Audrey snickered.
“Says the one who moved to Spain.” Ginny said. “I still live with them!”
“There, there, Gin. They’re moving out now, nothing to fear.”
“Thank Merlin.” Ginny studied the room. “This is filthy.”
“You sound like Mum.” George said.
“It is.”
“It just needs a wash. That’s what you lot are here for.”
Ron groaned. “I knew there was a reason you asked us to help.” He grumbled. Charlie scruffed at his hair. “Oi! Geroff.”
“Come on,” Percy brandished his wand. “The sooner we clean this place the sooner we can leave.”
“Big plans for tonight?” Ginny smirked at Percy. Audrey flipped her braids over her shoulder.
“Date night.” She crooned. Fred watched as Percy didn’t blush. He was getting better.
“It’s 11 in the morning.”
“Date afternoon then.” Percy waved his wand at the walls, which were instantly two shades lighter, but still not clean. “Or… night maybe. We may be here all day.”
Fred cackled at the look on his siblings faces, feeling very light indeed. “Still staying in Spain next year, Perce? Don’t want to help with the store?”
“Wishing I’d stayed in Spain this summer.” Percy muttered.
“One more year of the program,” Audrey chirped. “And then I’ve got another three months after that of my potions apprenticeship, and then we’re free to move wherever.”
“Somewhere warm, please.” Percy muttered.
“No!” Ginny exclaimed. “Back here, please!”
“I don’t know,” Audrey mused. “Maybe Percy was only fixed because of the warmth.”
“Best not to risk it.” Percy nodded, flicking his wand again. Charlie laughed at the look on Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George’s faces.
“Oh, come off it you lot. They’re not staying past a year.” He said. “For one, Mum’ll never let them.”
“What Molly doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” There was a ruckus on the street and Audrey peered out the window. “Oh, speaking of-” She darted outside and came back in with Molly and Arthur.
“Mum! Dad! You came!”
“Of course we did.” Their father put down a box. “Had to help set up.”
“This place is filthy!” Their mum declared. The group shared a look and burst into laughter, Ginny’s ears turning red. “Oh, what?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Fred took the box his mum was holding and kissed her on the cheek. “What’s all this?”
“Papers you left in your room, they looked important.” Fred peered inside and saw some of his and George’s product notes.
“We didn’t leave this in our room-”
“You confiscated them last year!” George exclaimed. “I thought you burned them.”
“Well, no.” Their mum flushed. “They looked important.” She said weakly, before bustling away.
“I knew she cared.” George said triumphantly. “Hey, the canary cream recipe! Maybe that’ll get the bug out.”
“Hope so,” Fred glanced at where Bill was working, his face still stained yellow. “Er, maybe it’s got an antidote?”
“No harm in checking.” George took the box and dug through it, and Fred surveyed the room. It was a filthy room, but it was cleaner by the minute, and if it meant his family would stay all day to help he was happy to have it disgusting.
“You look like a sap.” Percy came up beside him and threw an arm over his shoulders. Fred leaned into the hug.
“Near death will do that to you.” Fred glanced up to see Percy watching Audrey with a soft smile. “Ugh, you’re the sap.” He pushed him away. “You’re really going to stay in Spain?”
“No,” Percy said. “No, I think we’ll end up back here.”
“Good.” Fred nodded. “Hopefully you can get your program done without anyone else in the family almost dying.”
“With our family?” Percy scoffed. “Never.”
“Nah,” Fred said. “I’ve got a good feeling about this year.”
“Merlin, don’t say that.”