I Was Younger Then

When The Time Comes

In an attempt to avoid demands for an explanation about her absence on Saturday and to avoid thinking about Snape, Penny retreated to the greenhouses on Sunday. He'd returned her mysteriously, for the second time, to her bed. Penny was bemused by how she could have been that exhausted from a day of walking around London and Paris to actually be out cold enough to allow Snape to get her home. She concluded he must have resorted to magical means because there was no way he retraced his steps with her on his back.

When she'd woken, it was to the blissful remnants of stale fire and bergamot on her shirt. It brought a smile to her face until she was awake enough to realize what she was happy about. It was at this realization that Penny felt the need to flee and made her way to the greenhouses where she found Fred and George huddled in a corner. She made her way over to get a better look at what they were so absorbed in.

"Is that.--"

"Penny!" Fred and George said in unison.

"--weed" Penny finished in an accusatory tone.

"Sh!" Fred hissed.

"We don't use that name lest Professor Sprout become wise to us. So far she hasn't questioned our new enthusiasm for volunteer work in the greenhouses," George said in a hushed voice, as though someone might overhear them in the empty greenhouse at 6am on a Sunday.

Penny couldn't help but grin and shake her head at their antics.

"Don't just stand there and shake your head like a prat, help us dry this lot," George said.

"What if we get busted for this?" Penny said, examining the leaves skeptically.

"You've got plausible deniability here if you don't ask any more questions," winked Fred.

Penny shrugged and reached for her magic, drying the pile they had harvested instantly. Both Fred and George admired her handiwork, slapping her on the back.

"Brilliant, Penny. For your efforts you can try the first joint," Fred said, turning to her dubiously.

"I'll pass on being the lab rat, thanks," said Penny, darkly.

"Fine. Seeing as you're our third, we don't really wanna trial and error this test batch on you anyway," conceded Fred.

"Test batch?" said Penny, plopping down, reaching for the dried leaves to smell them.

"We learned about all the amazing uses of weed over the summer, I suppose you wouldn't know, but most wizards don't really know about marijuana. Probably because growing the muggle stuff takes way too long, but with some magical tinkering, we've been able to up the potency to start our own. . ." said George turning to Fred for the word he was looking for.

"Dispensary," Fred said, innocently.

"What happened to the joke shop?" Penny asked, gathering the leaves and piling them into the containers Fred and George had waiting for them.

"This is just a means to fund the joke shop, so fret not, and don't look so worried, as long as mum doesn't find out, we're fine!"

"Yeah, and technically there is not a single rule at Hogwarts banning students from using--" said George, but Penny cut him off.

"You're really going to sell this stuff to student s?" she said, turning to them in bewilderment. "Whatever makes your dreams come true, I suppose, you know I'll support you. . .I bet Malfoy and his rich friends would totally buy some," Penny mused.

Fred and George looked at Penny as though they had never seen her true potential before and it frightened her. Perhaps she should have kept her mouth shut.