Brotherly Business

Brotherly Business

by, Caliente

"Oi, what do you think you're doing?"

George looked up from the display he was arranging with an annoyed look on his face. He loved his brother, he did. But if Fred didn't stop acting like a git in the next ten seconds, he was going to have to take matters into his own hands. "I'm arranging this display of Get Sick Quick potions," he replied tersely and in a manner completely unbefitting of a Weasley twin. Honestly, it was disgraceful. He just didn't care at that moment. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're mixing products again." Fred was frowning, his hands on his hips in a way that reminded George all too much of their overbearing mother. Or, worse, that traitor Percy. George didn't need that. Nobody needed that. "Honestly George, I've told you a thousand times -"

That was it. George had had enough. He'd taken all he could take and the gloves were coming off. "We're in this together you know," he interrupted in a short tone. "Harry gave that money to us and we will either succeed or fail. Together. You are not the boss and this is not your shop. Not alone. We're partners and this is our shop." He gestured to the banner above the counter for good measure. "Get the picture here Freddy?"

Fred looked furious now and it was definitely all Mum. One hundred percent. Frightening, really. Or it would've been if it were anybody else. Right now it only served to make George more irritated. "I think it's you that isn't getting the picture here Georgie," Fred snapped, closing the distance between them so he was right in George's face. "We can't fail. What else would we do? Go home? Go back to Hogwarts? We have no options. We're stuffed if this doesn't work."

"Ah, but it will!" George declared, a bright smile on his face even though Fred was still a prat and he was still irritated. "I mean, c'mon. How could it not?" The frustration on Fred's face was still apparent but it was nowhere near the fury that'd been there moments before. "Do you remember the business we raked in at Hogwarts? And that was when we had to dedicate far too much of our time to our studies." He said the last word with the full disdain he felt for both the act of studying. Horrible.

Fred sighed in a very melancholic way. Far too serious for the likes of George... or Fred, usually. "That was child's play and you know it," he grumbled, thrusting his hands in his pockets and turning away. Great, now he was acting like Ron. Why couldn't he just act like the twin he knew, loved and occasionally physically harmed? "Sometimes, I just wish..." He shook his head as he began fumbling with the next display haphazardly.

Suddenly, George knew exactly what the problem was. Didn't have a clue how to solve it but he figured they could work on that later. At least he knew what the hell was going through his half-brained brother's mind and why he was acting so... so... un-twin-like! "Look, Fred," and he did turn to look at George, eyes clouded with things neither of them ever really wanted to discuss but, apparently, were going to anyway, "you'll get her back, mate."

That's when it happened. Something snapped inside Fred and his face turned hard in a very Percy way. Mayday, mayday! They were definitely going down here. "How do you know?" he asked coldly, eyes narrowed. "You - you don't understand! You and Alicia were never like us. You never - it wasn't -" He shook his head almost violently, accidentally knocking over a few of the chocolate frogs they'd tampered with. Diuretics really were wondrous things. "Just sod off."

"Oi, why don't you get bent?" George replied in kind, ready for his twin to snap out of this channeling frenzy and return to his usual fun-loving self. "It's not my fault that she -"

"Stop."

"- decided to call it quits. I know you don't want to hear it but -"

"Don't."

"- maybe she was right. I mean, even Lee said that Roger was -"

"Shut up."

"- good for her and, honestly, don't you want her to be happy?"

That was the end. George knew it the same instant Fred did. One moment, they were standing by their respective displays, arguing with overzealous gesticulations, and the next Fred was lunging at George. In an instant they were a pile of limbs, Fred flailing with anger as he shot off wild punches at George that his brother was... mostly able to avoid. They rolled on the ground a bit, knocking over several displays. The only sounds heard, besides the tinkering of broken glass, were the grunts of the battling twins.

Eventually, George got the upper-hand, managing to get Fred onto his stomach and seating himself on his back. Grasping his brother's hands tightly above his head, he tried to remind himself not to get too angry. Wasn't Fred's fault he was being a right fool over some girl. Oh, wait, it was. Bugger that then. "Look," he growled into Fred's ear, giving him a wet-willy, "I realize you're hurting, so I'm going to give you a by. This time. But you're going to listen to me."

Fred tried to wriggle out of George's grasp but it was futile. Somewhere along the way, his brother had turned into a damn Muggle wrestler or something. "Fine," he grit out. "But I would just like to point out that Davies is a prick and a half. You know as well as I that he's dated half the student body, maybe more, and who knows what his deal was with our future sister-in-law." He paused. "And he's not that great at Quidditch either!"

"Points taken," George conceded, as he finally caught his breath again. "Now hear mine. You," he poked his brother in the side, "are being a prick and a half. If you're not moping like Ron, you're bossy like Mum or a jerk like Percy." Fred growled so he kneed him in the back. "Don't deny it, you know I'm right. Now, I realize you're still broken up over Angelina, so I've held my tongue. But enough is enough! Get over it! You're miserable to work with. To live with. Everything. You're being a right arse."

Finally gathering the strength needed, Fred pushed his brother off his back and backed up a few steps. George watched him warily, preparing in case he jumped him again. Neither of them were bleeding, so it didn't count as a proper fight. Yet. They glared at each other for a few long moments before Fred finally sighed again. That was two. Two too many. "You're right," he agreed finally, obviously displeased with being forced to admit it. George tried not to gloat. Much. "And I'm... you know." He did. "It's just hard."

Leaning against the counter, Fred ran a hand through his long red hair and George momentarily considered cutting it. Then he vetoed that idea. Too much work to cut it short. All those dimwits from the States gelled theirs and, well, bugger that. "I guess, at some point, I just sort of took for granted she was going to be there," he continued, glaring at his still gloating brother. "Be with me. I have to get her back mate. I have to." He sounded determined enough but who knew how long that'd last?

So, George did the only thing he could think of. He smacked his brother in the back of the head. "Then stop being a moron, you moron!" he scolded. "Do you remember when we were first years?" Fred nodded sullenly, rubbing the back of his head as he glared at George more. George made a mental note to lock his bedroom door tonight... and booby-trap it, too. Just in case. "You told me you were going to marry Madame Rosmerta."

"I was only a kid!" Fred objected quickly.

"You fancied her for three years!" George rebuked, matching his twin's tone and posture perfectly. Some days, it really was eerie just how similar they looked. Had to remember to freak out Mum again with that one sometime soon. "Up until you fell off your broom and Angelina, one of the new seekers, came to tend to you. But even that wasn't a constant. If I recall there was... Marietta, that Slytherin girl, Katie, that Muggle from town a few summers ago, L-"

Slapping his hands over George's mouth, Fred rolled his eyes. "I think you made your point. But she... she was just... different, okay?!" He pinched his brother's nose tightly. "And, I don't have to explain myself to you!" They glared indignantly at each other for a long moment before George had enough and bit his hand. "You tosser! That hurt!" Fred cried angrily. They shoved each other around a bit more but neither of them was feeling particularly violent at that moment. More disgruntled than anything else.

After they'd settled a bit, they found themselves sitting on the cold stone floor with a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans between them. "I do get it," George said finally, carefully selecting a modest pinkish colored bean. Ah, good. Strawberry. "I know you miss her. But you're going to have to get a grip. Either she'll wise up or you'll find someone new but making me miserable in the meantime is not helping anything." He looked at his brother and smirked slightly. "Alicia has a cousin, you know..."

Fred slapped his shoulder but he was laughing. Finally. "Oh, shut up," he grumbled half-heartedly. He stood up and offered his hand to his brother. "C'mon, let's get this place cleaned up already. Mum would throw a fit if she saw it like this." George looked at Fred like he'd grown a second head and he punched his arm none too lightly. "Not to mention the Leaky Cauldron will be filled with the usual daft crazies if we stop in too late."

He had a point there because, fun as the crazies were, they had a tendency to put a damper on a pint. So, George did the only thing he could in that position. He unloaded the remaining beans into his mouth all at once (usually a mistake but, eh, better than letting them waste) and took his brother's hand. An electric volt ran through his body and George yelped, releasing his brother's hand and falling back to the ground. "Ow!" He rubbed his hand gingery. "What the bloody hell was that?" It sounded aggravated but there was a mischievous glint in his eye as he asked.

Smirking, Fred slid the buzzer off his hand and held it up for George to see. "Muggle gag toy," he replied, obviously quite pleased with himself. "Runs on those battery things Dad's always raving about like a loon. It wouldn't work in Hogwarts," which was where the majority of their clientele came from for obvious reasons, "but I thought we might be able to reverse engineer it and rework it with magic." They grinned wickedly at each other.

Oh yeah, the boys were back in business.