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Fred (notdropdeadfred) wrote in resurrectio_rpg, @ 2009-05-21 15:02:00

Who: Fred Weasley and Leanne Yaxley
When: Backdate to Wednesday evening, please!
What: Creating Ministry-plotting schemes and so on
Where: WWW: Diagon Alley
Rating: PG
Status: Complete



Leanne really hoped that her and Fred could make some progress on those products. After returning to work from her week off, the atmosphere felt like it had changed. It was as if she didn't even exist anymore. Her desk was piled with mountains of paperwork to be sorted out. Maybe she preferred it that way, despite the pile growing larger and never smaller. It was already half way through the week and Leanne was deciding that extra hours were needed if she ever hoped to get it done to a reasonable level. As time was getting close to the end of the day, Leanne decided to send an owl to Fred, to be sure that when she was done for the day he would still be at the shop so they could work together. She put in the note that it would after 7 when she came by. As 7 pm came around, Leanne noticed that the stacks on her desk had begun to decrease and it was time to call it a day at the Ministry and time to head over to the twins' shop.

Fred was not having a very good week. It was bad enough one of his closest friends had died, but he was also pretty sure something was wrong in his own life as well. Alicia was either avoiding him or was too distraught to talk to him, which he wasn't sure. George had gone off to test the market for their products internationally, and while that was great for business, it wasn't so wonderful for Fred personally. Percy was a git, Charlie was in Romania, and Bill was a lovey-dovey newlywed. And Ron, though an adult, still felt like Fred's ickle baby brother.

So he really didn't have an ear to bend and was feeling pretty antsy by the time Leanne arrived that evening. He smiled as he heard the bell on the door, knowing it had to be her. Most of their regular customers knew they closed up shop at 7 and he'd already received her owl. Pulling himself up on the counter's edge, he offered a nod as she entered. "Lock the door behind you, will you?" he asked. "Don't need that little kid running in and out like he's been doing, oh, all day long."

"Busy day? Apart from the little boy?" Leanne asked as she locked the door behind her. Poor little kid. He'd have to find somewhere else to run in and out of now. She went over to the counter and leaned against it. "How are you doing today?" She didn't know about all the other stuff going on, apart from what she was going through too and that George was gone.

Shrugging, Fred kicked her hip lightly with the toe of his shoe. "Not too bad. The usual. It's a lot slower with the kids in school. Other than really young kids like that wretched brat and a few good adults... Nope, everything's pretty good." Pretty good being the key terms. "I can't complain. I know it could be worse. I could have your job, after all," he added with a smirk.

Leanne rolled her eyes. "Well that is good. If I took you up on that job, wouldn't want the whole place to suddenly slow down. You might have to keep me in the back." She thought on that a moment, the back was probably the best place. "Oh, its not so bad. Just don't take a week off because there is so much paperwork you'll think that you will never finish. And people might be going overboard with having you do all the work anyway."

Fred lifted his eyebrows and listened. Piling the work on her? That was ridiculous. If they hated her that much, they may as well just have found a reason to let her go. Idiots. The entire lot of them. "Why bother keeping you in the back? With Corner and Verity in Hogsmeade and Ginny back at school--" not to mention Alicia gone, but that couldn't be first on his mind at the moment, "I'm down two of my best sales people. May as well throw you in headfirst."

"You know I have no idea what I'm doing. Will I be getting any sort of training?" Leanne told him. "But we can definitely talk about this later, right? I've come here on an important mission because it is not all in my head."

"I know it's not," he told her with a reassuring smile. "And of course you would. Be getting training, I mean. Anyway, I believe what you're interested in is..." From behind the counter, he pulled out two long pieces of flesh coloured string. "These! Ah, our pride and joy. You know, we started making these long before we went pro." Winking at her, he hopped down from the counter and glanced carefully at the objects in his hand. "These though... These are special. They keep a verbal memory of everything said in their presence and all it takes is a basic charm."

Leanne smiled. "That's good to hear." She looked at what he held in his hand. "No, I didn't. They look fascinating." Not only did they look fascinating, they were brilliant. She was glad she had come to the twins for help on this. "This is brilliant, Fred. Thank you. You will have to come visit me at the Ministry sometime soon and help me with this. I don't think I could do it alone." Leanne picked up one of the ears. "How do you use it?"

Fred picked up the other ear and grinned down at it. He really was proud of these products, once considered goofy and useless by his own mum. Now even the Ministry occasionally came looking for tips. Though he doubted they'd expected to ever have his products turned against them. It was actually pretty satisfying. "They're simple." He pointed his wand at the ear and spoke the word repono. "They'll listen and record automatically, and to play back, you just use the charm recognosco." Once again, he pointed his wand and spoke the word aloud and his own voice spoke back to him, repeating his previous sentence word for word. "See?"

"Oh wow. That is amazing," Leanne said as she listened to what he did and copied him. "Very handy too." She had started to worry that maybe this idea of hers was going to cause more trouble than it was worth. However, seeing the finished product and learning how to work it was a relief. Now she could prove to Mr. Brocklehurst, and possibly Minister Shacklebolt, that what was being said behind her back wasn't in her head and that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. Okay, maybe this could be considered wrong, but what the Ministry was doing was a whole lot worse than this. "I'm sold."

"No you're not!" Fred said with a wide grin. "You're free. You don't think I'm letting you pay for this, do you?" His voice was teasing, mostly because he'd already told her they were hers so long as she reviewed them for him. But in truth, Fred knew money was tight for her at the moment through no fault of her own. And as Fred had spent most of his life fighting for every knut, he'd do what he could to help someone out of the same situation.

Leanne laughed. "No, I didn't think you would. After all, I did come to you for help and I think that this remains off the market, so to speak, for now." Ah, money. She remembered a time when she didn't have to worry about it. Not anymore, thanks to the lovely Ministry. Maybe this would help with that because she really wanted to be living on her own again. "I thank you." Leanne put the ear she had down on the counter. "So what is new with you, other than this and losing two of your best sellers to the other shop?"

What was new? Nothing. That was part of the problem. "Not much," he replied as casually as he could manage. His entire life felt like it was being ripped out from under him, but he couldn't possibly drop all of that on Leanne. He knew he needed to talk to Alicia. Things weren't right, as much as he hated to admit it. And he missed Katie. And, for the first time in his life, he'd been separated from his twin for more than a day or two. "The usual, you know. Work, getting by... That stuff. You?"

She shook her head. "The same, pretty much." Nothing had changed in her life except for that change that Katie's death had caused and it had happened to Fred too. It felt strange to her that she had been sad for a couple of weeks and more than anything she wanted to be happy. "We must be very exciting people."

"I used to be," Fred said with a somewhat annoyed look. "Things used to be... I don't know. I had fun, you know? Now everything feels so... Settled isn't the right word." He wasn't sure what was. Adult, maybe? But he'd felt like an adult from the day the shop had opened and yet he'd still been the popular, fun-loving twin he'd been in school. Where had that gone? "I don't know. Boring."

"Having to deal with responsibility?" Leanne asked. She knew that feeling. "I think you're still fun and not boring at all." Which was completely true because she did believe that. "Maybe we should do something. You, me, and everyone else and go do something fun. Forget we're adults with responsibility for one day. Whatever it is has to be in this country. What do you say?" Maybe if they all did something...maybe it would help.

Everyone else didn't sound too bad. Hell, in the mood he was in, one on one with Leanne didn't sound bad. Leaning against the counter, he flashed her a sideways grin. "And what do you propose, Leanne? One of those crazy muggle group things? Bowling? Pick up rugby, perhaps?"

"I don't know. I know nothing about crazy muggle group things. Well, except going to the beach, but we'll both burn and that wouldn't be any fun." Leanne had been to the beach well before Hogwarts and hadn't been back because of how badly she was burned. She tried to think of other things. "Now is a time I really wish I had taken Muggle Studies. Hmm. I can't think of anything. I know nothing about bowling or rugby."

"Me either," Fred admitted with a grin. Quidditch didn't sound right, either. Not when the reason so many of them were down was Katie, and Quidditch had been her real passion. "You know, we ought to just go out to one of those big dance clubs. I think there's one with a really big wizard population in London. Doesn't have to be dancing, can just be hanging out and talking and all but... You know. Just getting everyone's minds off of things for a night."

Leanne thought about the dancing, or just the hanging out. "I like the sound of that. It can last for hours and we can all have a good time. I like the way you think, Mr. Weasley." Chances were, she never would have come up with that idea. "We don't even have to go to one with a big wizard population. A muggle dance club will work too." Leanne actually preferred going to one with less of a wizard presence. The fewer of them, the better because she planned on ditching her little red badge any chance she got and didn't want to be caught without it if she was recognised.

It took him a minute, but Fred caught on quickly enough. Of course Leanne wouldn't want loads of wizards around. Why should she, when their community was treating her like crap? "I'll bet one of the muggleborns we know might have some recommendations. It could be fun." He grinned widely, then, the tip of his tongue peeking out between his teeth in an almost wicked expression. "You'll save me a dance, won't you? I was too busy stepping on Angelina's toes during the Yule Ball to bother you." At the rate they were going, he'd be lucky if his own girlfriend even wanted a dance or two with him.

"I think its the sort of fun we need. We'll definitely need a muggleborn with us to help us with anything we need to pay for. And they are probably spending all their time out at the clubs," Leanne said, knowing that it wasn't completely true. "Of course I will. Ah. The truth comes out. I've been wondering why you didn't dance with me then for years." Not really. She had wondered at the time, but she was okay with it. "I'm just glad I had that nice Durmstrang bloke to dance with so I wouldn't be pondering when you'd ask me."

Covering his heart with his hand, Fred nodded solemnly. "I'm glad to hear you weren't pining away. That would've broken my heart, you know. Finding out you harbored resentment all this time and all." Stupid Durmstrang blokes. It was a good thing Fred had made a move and asked Angie when he had, or he'd have been one of the many left out by the flock of Bulgarian and German men. Not to mention those blasted French pretty boys.

Leanne laughed and lightly smacked his arm. "I know. It would've broken my heart if I was the one to break yours." She had enjoyed that year, mostly because of the blokes from the other two schools. "Though, I think I'd be broken hearted anyway if someone else did. You are far too much fun." This was the Fred she enjoyed spending time with. "At least it was only the one year."

Him? Fun? He used to be. Was he still? Well. A night out would prove that one way or the other, wouldn't it? "Thank Merlin," he joked. "Way too much competition. Got a sister-in-law out of it, too. Seriously, glad that Cup thing only happens once in a blue moon."

She remembered when him and George had tried to enter. "Glad that your aging potion didn't work? I think the reason behind it was a good idea, not so much the competition itself."

For a moment, Fred's mind flashed back to Cedric and how he and George had teased him about being the pretty boy and the do-gooder. Now he'd give anything to be able to throw apples at Cedric from the paddock between their houses. And Harry... "Well, if it hadn't been for Harry winning the Cup, this?" He waved his hand around the room carelessly. "Wouldn't have been possible. His winnings paid our start up costs."

"How generous of Harry. I'm glad he did." Even if the circumstances behind it all were awful. Leanne had been one of probably many girls who had a crush on Cedric. Like Katie, he was too young when he died. "I don't know what I'd do now if he hadn't." She had been coming around a lot lately, compared to when she had just finished her last year at Hogwarts.

That sounded so strange coming from her. For a long time, he'd only considered her 'Katie's friend'. He knew Katie well from Quidditch, but Leanne he'd mostly just known because she followed Katie around. Lately, though, she was becoming a pretty important part of his life. Strange, really. He should see about setting her up with George. If he really had fancied Katie, Leanne wouldn't be a huge step away. "Probably be pretty bored," he teased her, then reached under the counter for a Daydream Charm that someone had picked up but put back down in the wrong place before leaving. Why bother re-shelfing it if he didn't have to? "Here," he offered, sliding it across the counter in her direction. "A reminder of how boring your life would be without this place. I think that one's the deserted island, but it could be the mystical castle. Don't remember."

She nodded her head. "Yes, I'd probably be very bored." And sad without Katie around. If only this whole mess hadn't been started. Godric, it had nearly been a year since those laws went into effect. "Thanks. I'll probably be content with either one. I'll just take it at random and see if anybody notices that I'm not paying attention." Leanne took the charm from him and put it in her pocket. Too bad she'd be daydreaming because that would be amusing sight and probably would pick up interesting conversations that way.

"Set it to record before you do if you decide to use it at work," Fred urged, then grinned. "S'what I'd do, anyway. Look, you know if you need anything... Well, you know how to get to the shop and all."

"I will. If it works well, I might ask Tonks to see what she can pick up in her area when she comes in." Leanne nodded her head. "I know."

"Of course it'll work well," Fred replied, sounding for all the world more confident than he felt. If anything went wrong and put Leanne in danger, he didn't know what he'd do with himself. "And we can prove to the entire Ministry how awful they're being. Gits." He turned to grab a dust rag and wiped off the counter easily enough. "Come on, you can help me close up and I'll make sure you get home okay. No need risking yourself more than usual."

Leanne nodded her head. "They are being very awful indeed. Okay, what can I do to help?" She asked. She'd never help do that before and had no idea what she was supposed to, especially since she usually left her desk covered with work when she was done for the day. "That would nice, Fred." It was strange that he'd offer, but she didn't mind as it was a much better deal than going off by herself.

He was sort of surprised he'd made the offer himself, but it seemed the right thing to do. Besides, it'd get him help closing up shop and getting home sooner. If he was going to make dinner for Ali, he needed to prep in advance and all. "You can make sure the shelves look neat? Nothing complicated, just move anything that obviously doesn't go there into this bin," he gestured to the bin at his side, "and straighten anything that's been tossed around. I can close up the register and we'll be out of here in no time."

She did what he said to do and it wasn't as difficult as she thought it would be at first. Plus, keeping things straight and looking neat was something she was good at doing and it didn't take her all that long to get it done. Fred must be glad that he had some help. As he had already said, his two best sellers were at Hogsmeade and he was probably used to having help closing up most of the time. "I'm done," Leanne announced when she came back to the counter.

Fred had just finished bundling up the money from the register and he grinned over his shoulder at her. "Perfect. I'll drop this off at Gringott's in the morning, so I say we're set." She'd done a good job, actually. If she really was serious about wanting to pick up some extra money on the weekend, he'd definitely be happy to have her. "Come on, then, let's get you home. Actually..." He couldn't believe he was even about to suggest it. He should head upstairs and go home. But that would be far too easy. "What are you doing for dinner?"

"That is perfect timing. Maybe I should help you out on the weekends?" Leanne said. The little bit of extra income from that would definitely help. "I don't know. I hadn't thought about dinner." Wait? What was he doing? "Why? Do you want to have dinner with me?"

Shrugging, Fred reached to pull his jacket from the rack in the corner. "Well, I know I don't want to go upstairs and eat by myself. I'm used to cooking for at least two, see. If you don't have plans, we could go get something, but if you were headed home, I'm not going to stop you, either, see."

Leanne didn't have any plans. "Okay. Let's go get something." Poor Fred. She knew she could have dinner with him. He was probably just lonely. Of course, she still wondered why he wasn't going to see Ali. "So you cook?"

"All the time," Fred admitted with a sheepish smile. It was one of those little known Fred Weasley facts, but it was definitely the truth. He'd learned from his mum, hours of punishments turned into bonding time in the kitchen. One of the few things he did well by his mother's standards. "Most anything, really, I'll try making anything once. But tonight, Ms. Yaxley, it's the Leaky for us. Mostly because I've been chasing that kid out of the store all day and I'm exhausted." In a playfully chivalrous gesture, he offered her his arm and a smile. "Ready?"

"That's impressive." And she meant what she said. Not everyone could cook, especially when it came to men. "I bet you are tired from that kid. Sure seemed to have a lot of energy by the looks of him when I saw him." She was partly glad to work in the Ministry and not have to deal with little kids, not that they were a problem but they could be exhaustive. Leanne smiled as she took his arm. "I'm ready. Let's go to the Leaky."