Chasing Love

Chapter Eighty-Nine - Pygmy Puffs

"We're expecting a busy day today Za," Fred shouted up the stairs, "Considering it's nearly time for the schools to go back."

"Okay," She ran down the stairs whilst pulling a jumper over her head, "Is it all hands on deck?"

George nodded, "I'm afraid so Elz. Don't have any plans, do you?"

"Of course not, I'll help you!" She said as she went behind the counter and began to tidy the back of it, "You really need to keep on top of this though!"

"We know," Fred told with a wave of his hand, "But we're busy with everything you know!"

It was only a few hours later when they were indeed very busy with everything, Eliza rushed around as she helped serve the customers. It was hard having to tell people where everything was, having to get things down from the shelves and then serving them. As she looked around she caught sight of the nearly empty shelf of Nosebleed Nougats, "Fred, most of the Nosebleed Nougats have gone."

"Lee, can you restock the Nosebleed Nougats?"

"Yeah, sure!" He yelled back at them as he disappeared into the stock room.

"Your family has arrived!" Eliza whispered to Fred so the two went over to Hermione, Harry and Ron who were looking at the 'Patented Daydream Charms'. "'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," Hermione commented as she looked over at Harry, "That really is extraordinary magic!"

"For that, Hermione," Fred said while smiling, "You can have one for free."

"How are you, Harry?" He shook Harry's hand before Eliza did. "And what's happened to your eye, Hermione?"

"Your punching telescope," Hermione replied causing Fred to glance over at Eliza.

"Oh blimey, I forgot about those," Fred tried to ignore the cold glare from Eliza. "Here —" He pulled a tub out of his pocket and passed it to Hermione, she unscrewed it and stared at the thick yellow paste, "Just dab it on, that bruise'll be gone within the hour," said Fred. "We had to find a decent bruise remover - Eliza told us we had to. We're testing most of our products on ourselves."

Hermione looked even more nervous. "It is safe, isn't it?"

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

"Don't worry, it is safe." Eliza said to her, "How are you then, have you had a good Summer?"

"I'm not too bad - it hasn't been terrible!" She sighed.

"We've been stuck in the house with Phlegm!" Ginny butted in causing Eliza to laugh, "She's terrible."

"Just think you'll be escaping her soon enough!"

Ginny smiled, "Yeah, do you have anything that I could use against her?"

Eliza looked around before shaking her head, "No, I don't think your mother would like that." She then saw the twins push past the curtain behind the Muggle tricks section with Harry following, "I'll see you in a bit."

"We've just developed this more serious line," She overheard Fred say. "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."

"That's right. Well, we thought Shield Hats were a bit of a laugh, you know, challenge your mate to jinx you while wearing it and watch his face when the jinx just bounces off. But the Ministry bought five hundred for all its support staff! And we're still getting massive orders!"

"So we've expanded into a range of Shield Cloaks, Shield Gloves."

"I mean, they wouldn't help much against the Unforgivable Curses, but for minor to moderate hexes or jinxes."

"And then we thought we'd get into the whole area of Defense Against the Dark Arts, because it's such a money spinner," She stayed hidden behind the curtain. "This is cool. Look, Instant Darkness Powder, we're importing it from Peru. Handy if you want to make a quick escape."

"And our Decoy Detonators are just walking off the shelves, look. You just drop one surreptitiously and it'll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight, giving you a diversion if you need one."

"Handy," Harry replied.

"Here," Eliza then felt someone tap her back.

Turning she noticed it was Verity, "Everything alright?"

"The twins are needed."

"Come on then," Eliza replied while smiling as she pulled the curtain back.

"There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley,"

"Right you are, Verity, I'm coming," George said quickly. "Harry, you help yourself to anything you want, all right? No charge."

"I can't do that!" Harry said as he held up his money bag.

"You don't pay here," said Fred firmly as he pushed the money away.

"But -"

"You gave us our start-up loan, we haven't forgotten. Take whatever you like, and just remember to tell people where you got it, if they ask." George told him.

George left with Verity while Eliza and Fred walked Harry back to Hermione and Ginny who were still looking at the daydream charms, "Haven't you girls found our special WonderWitch products yet?" The two shook their heads, "Follow me, ladies." The group walked over to the window that was covered in pink products, "There you go, best range of love potions you'll find anywhere!"

They both stayed away from it, "Do they work?" Ginny asked skeptically.

"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question —"

"— and the attractiveness of the girl," George suddenly appeared, "But we're not selling them to our sister, not when she's already got about five boys on the go from what we've —"

"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie," Ginny replied. "What's this?"

"Guaranteed ten-second pimple vanisher," Fred informed her. "Excellent on everything from boils to blackheads, but don't change the subject. Are you or are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas?"

"Yes, I am. And last time I looked, he was definitely one boy, not five. What are those?"

"Pygmy Puffs," George said. "Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?"

"I dumped him, he was a bad loser," said Ginny as she ignored her older brother and played with the Pygmy Puffs, "They're really cute!"

"They're fairly cuddly, yes. But you're moving through boyfriends a bit fast, aren't you?"

Ginny turned to look at him, her hands on her hips - it reminded Eliza of Mrs Weasley. "It's none of your business. And I'll thank you,'' She added angrily to Ron who had made his way over to them, his arms full of merchandise. "Not to tell tales about me to these two!"

"That's three Galleons, nine Sickles, and a Knut," said Fred, examining the many boxes in Ron's arms. "Cough up."

"I'm your brother!"

"And that's our stuff you're nicking. Three Galleons, nine Sickles. I'll knock off the Knut."

"But I haven't got three Galleons, nine Sickles!"

"You'd better put it back then, and mind you put it on the right shelves."

Ron dropped several boxes, swore and then made a rude hand gesture to Fred that was spotted by Mrs Weasley, "If I see you do that again I'll jinx your fingers together."

"Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" Ginny said at once.

"A what?"

"Look, they're so sweet."

Mrs Weasley moved over to look at the Pygmy Puffs and Eliza saw customers waiting to be served. "Come on you two, we have a job to do!"