P A R A M O U R || George Weasley

35|| SECRETS

In a matter of weeks, Grimmauld's place became the Weasley's new home and the headquarters for the reinstitute Order of the Phoenix. While the adults had countless meetings, the 'kids' were left to entertain themselves and help Molly clean the old house. It was safe to say that with so much to do, they did not have enough time to feel bored.

The twins, for one, have been aggressively working on Weasleys Wheezes since Harry gave them the generous donation of 1,000 galleons. They had accepted the money eagerly, but they took a step back later in the summer to think it through. It was a lot of money, more than they've ever had in their possession. They have to be wise when it comes to using it.

In one of the runs to Diagon Alley, Fred and George found themselves in Flourish and Blotts, searching for a book to help them build their business. They can't ask Arthur and Molly because they'll make the twins return the money, even if Harry has made it more than clear that he wants nothing to do with it.

The matter is that out of everyone he could've given it to, including Ron and Hermione, he chose them. Harry believed in their idea and dream and gave the twins his prize money. It spoke volumes about Harry and how he perceives Fred and George. To him, they aren't just his best friend's brothers or two practical jokesters.

With the need to prove everyone wrong, they made their first purchase. A book on how to build a business from the ground up. Without wasting a second, George read through the book. He made a plan on how to proceed with their new business, while Fred took charge of documenting each of their products and what it's needed to make them in a big leather-bound book.

Because they will be entering their seventh year, the twins are determined to start building their clientele for when they graduate and open a physical shop. To do that, they've been working on their existing products, tweaking them, building stock, and creating new products. They've stopped doing owl-post orders to concentrate on their new business strategy. Plus, they don't run the risk of Molly catching them again and burning their stock.

One warm afternoon, Molly Weasley calls Fred and George into the kitchen in between chores. Thinking she'll tell them to dust off another room, they trudge down the stairs with a groan. The place is still as dusty and creepy as when they got there. It needs a lot more work to make it bearable. George has had to take potions for allergies to stop him from sneezing every 30 seconds.

As soon as they enter the kitchen, they stop in their tracks. Molly is waiting for them with a comb and scissors in hand. "It's time for a haircut, boys," Molly voices, signaling for either of them to sit on the chair.

"I'm okay, Mum. Don't need one," Fred's voice trembles. The twins have avoided getting haircuts by Molly for more than a year since they wanted to let it grow like Bill and Charlie's.

Molly pushes Fred onto the chair as George hangs back to try and come up with anything to get them out of this situation. "Trust me. You do," she says, brushing his hair with a comb. Fred winces when she brushes through a particularly big knot. "It's much too long. You're hiding under all that hair."

Fred eyes George as they communicate silently. This isn't about their hair length at all. It's about what happened at the beginning of summer with George. Molly thinks that cutting their hair makes them less likely to go out and be with a girl because they won't have the hair length to cover any marks. It's unreasonable and delusional.

There's no way they are getting out of this, though. Molly Weasley has it engraved in her head that this must be done, and so it will. This is silly because Lyra is in France now, and Angelina's in Ireland. The twins are not getting any action for the rest of the summer.

Molly is quick with the scissors, too quick. Without hesitation, she snips away the long hair tresses and lets them fall onto the floor. Fred's eyes water as the strands of ginger hair fall onto his lap, and he feels the breeze on the back of his neck. He doesn't mind short hair, just not against his will.