All Bets Are Off

Chapter 12

December 2002

The week Hermione and Ginny agreed to help out in Wizarding Wheezes was the start of the shop's busiest month. With Christmas right around the corner, owl orders were piled high and there was barely any room to maneuver around the store. Hermione was pretty sure this was George's way of retaliating for putting up with a week of his brother's petulance, though Fred took it all in stride.

The first night, Hermione had stayed late with Fred to learn how to create the various fireworks. She was well aware of the amount of clever and advanced magic that went into all their products, but she still couldn't hide her amazement at watching how it all came together. It didn't take long for her to catch on to the the process and for Fred to entrust her with George's spot at the workstation. It was a good thing he did because even with all the late hours the twins had put in the previous month, it didn't appear as though their extra stock would last long on the shelves.

Thursday evening, Hermione entered the shop and was welcomed by the usual bustling crowd. As she gently elbowed a path to the main counter, Fred scurried by, brushing her cheek with a quick kiss and a hurried greeting. He was swallowed up by the crowd before she could respond.

They had fallen into a comfortable routine by then. Fred worked the floor, answering questions and directing the frenzied patrons. Ginny took control of the till and kept an eye on the door, making sure that people only left with what they had paid for. Hermione had taken over the Owl Orders; filling and sealing packages so that they were ready for Fred to post the following morning before opening.

"Hi, Gin," Hermione called as she reached the counter.

"Oh, Hermione! Thank Merlin! This gentleman is looking for a Boxing Telescope, but couldn't find them. Could you grab one for him, please?" Ginny asked, giving Hermione a flustered look.

"On it." Hermione slid her purse across to Ginny and made her way back across the shop. After suffering numerous pushes and jabs, she reached the shelf with the telescopes and grabbed one of the last five there. She also grabbed a jar of Bruise Removal Paste from the shelf above. As she started shuffling between customers, she felt a hand reach out and grab her bottom.

"Oi! That is NOT for sale!" she cried.

"I should hope not," Fred's voice whispered in her ear.

"Careful there, cheeky. You almost needed some of this paste."

"Worth it. Come on." He wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist and helped guide her back to the counter.

"Here you go, sir," Hermione said, placing the telescope and paste on the counter. "I highly suggest pairing the Boxing Telescope with this bruise remover. Trust me when I say I know from experience." She shot a stern look at Fred.

"Thank you!" the man replied as Ginny rang up his purchase.

Hermione turned to Fred and seized her chance to give him a proper kiss. "How high is the stack of Owl Order forms?"

"Let's just say don't let them fall over on you. It'll take days to dig you out."

"Lovely," Hermione groaned. With one last sigh and kiss, she dragged herself behind the curtain and carefully grabbed a handful of parchments. She spent the next three hours sorting through stockroom merchandise and packing up parcels. As the order form pile dwindled, her wall of boxes grew. At the bottom of the parchment pile, she found a bright yellow envelope, addressed to the three of them in George's untidy scrawl. She set it aside to open when the shop closed.

She finished up her orders and, with her wand, sent the final box soaring to the top of the pile. With a sigh of relief, she grabbed George's letter and peeked out into the shop. The last few customers were checking out and Fred was sweeping through the shop, reorganizing the shelves and picking up litter from the floor. Seizing the few moments that she was unnoticed, she watched as he flicked his wand and righted a stack of Nose Biting Teacups.