Hey Freddie

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, was Fred and George's joke shop, which has exploded in popularity, and the amount of Galleons they were raking in was impressive if not astonishing. Despite Fred now earning more than me, and well on his way to earn a small fortune, I still insisted to pay my half of rent, much to his cries of disapproval.

I stood in the joke shop, looking around at its newly gathered customers, that still came in steadily even with the threat of death eaters.

Suddenly a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, and I instantly recognized them as Fred.

"Look at our newest visitors!" He pointed forwards, and my gaze followed his pointer.

It was Hermione. She was standing at a large display near the counter and was reading the information on the back of a box bearing a highly colored picture of a handsome youth and a swooning girl who were standing on the deck of a pirate ship. One of her eyes was blackened by what looked like something people received in drunken brawls.

"One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic, thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteens. You know," said Hermione, looking up at Harry, who had appeared next to her, "that really is extraordinary magic!"

"For that Hermione," Fred said, beaming at the compliment, "you can have one for free."

"How are you, Harry?" Fred and Harry shook hands. "And what's happened to your eye, Hermione?"

"Your punching telescope," she said ruefully.

"Oh blimey, I forgot about those," said Fred.

"Here, take this." I said.

I pulled a tub out of my purse and handed it to her; she unscrewed it gingerly to reveal a thick yellow paste.

"Just dab it on, that bruise'll be gone within the hour," said I. "Fred and George had to find a decent bruise-remover. They had me help test most of their products on themselves."

Hermione looked nervous. "It is safe, isn't it?" she asked.

"Course it is," said Fred bracingly. "Come on, Harry, I'll give you a tour."

Harry left Hermione dabbing her black eye with paste and followed Fred toward the back of the shop, where he saw a stand of card and rope tricks.

"Muggle magic tricks!" said Fred happily, pointing them out. "For freaks like Dad, you know, who love Muggle stuff. It's not a big earner, but we do fairly steady business, they're great novelties... Oh, here's George..."

George appeared from behind a large stack of self correcting quills, and shook Harry's hand energetically.

"Giving him the tour? Come through the back, Harry, that's where we're making the real money... pocket anything, you, and you'll pay in more than Galleons!" he added warningly to a small boy who hastily whipped his hand out of the tub labeled: Edible Dark Marks--They'll Make Anyone Sick!

George pushed back a curtain beside the Muggle tricks and we entered a darker, less crowded room. The packaging on the products lining these shelves was more subdued.

"We've just developed this more serious line," said Fred. "Funny how it happened..."

"You wouldn't believe how many people, even people who work at the Ministry, can't do a decent Shield Charm," said George. "'Course, they didn't have you teaching them, Harry."