To Love a Twin

Chapter 13: The Grand Opening

The Hogwart's Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station a little after noontime.

George grabbed Kira around her waist and helped her down from the train. The rest of the family and other passengers began unloading their luggage onto the platform. The surrounding trees were dressed in their vibrant autumn best. Kira wrapped her Fred Blanket, as she had come to call it, around her as the temperature this far north was decidedly chillier than it had been in London.

Kira had spent the trip continuing to embroider the hearts and scroll design on the now completely pieced together blanket, all around the large, yellow letter F's. George's mother was wiping away sentimental tears that riding the train again had wrought. She had spent the entire trip singing songs from her and Arthur's days at Hogwarts, when they had been young sweethearts in the school. Kira heard Fleur commenting to Bill that she had never been so happy to see a journey's end as that one.

Kira watched as George took a moment to help Percy levitate Penny down from the train in her chair. She wore a brightly colored scarf over her head to hide the unruly stubble that grew on it. Percy and Penny would be having a small wedding at a friend's house in London the next weekend. They had learned that they were being given a two-year-old baby boy named Simon as soon as they were man and wife. Simon's parents had been Muggleborns who had died in Azkaban. Before being apprehended, however, they had hidden their baby with a sympathetic wizard family who were, unfortunately, too old to commit to raising him themselves.

They all piled into the waiting Hogwarts carriages, Percy lifting Penny into his arms to get her safely seated within. Then, they used a reducing spell to shrink the wheelchair down to doll-size so it would fit in the carriage. George had explained to Kira that they were pulled by invisible creatures called Thestrals. Due to the recent dark times, Kira was practically the only person who could not see them.

Kira and George shared a carriage with Bill and Fleur. Molly and Arthur were right behind, with Percy and Penny. Ron, Hermione, Charlie and Harry were in a third carriage. One highlight of this weekend was going to be the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw Quidditch match the next afternoon. It would be Ginny's first game as captain. Then, that evening, after the game, was the grand opening party at the new store. On Sunday morning, the store would be opened to the general wizarding public. They would all return to Platform Nine and Three Quarters on the Hogwarts Express on Monday morning.

As they made their way into the village from the train station, Fleur began talking to Kira about their pregnancies.

"Deed you 'ave much of ze morning zeekness?" she asked.

"At first, some. The worst part was that the meat got me sick in my father's butcher shop, especially the red meat. That's how my father figured out I was pregnant. I've gotten over it now though."

"You are so much beeger zhan I am," said Fleur. "I noticed zat you 'ad fudge on zee train. You weel want to be careful. Eet is important to watch 'ow much weight you gain. I want to make sure zat my Bill never thinks I have let myself go."

"Kira is having twins, Phle...er...Fleur." said George. "That's why she is bigger than you." George was beginning to wonder how he and Fred had ever considered Fleur attractive. He knew she didn't mean to be so hurtful. She was just oblivious to how rude she came off sometimes.

"My maman ees coming to stay with us in my last month, and to 'elp after ze babe comes. Ees your maman coming to stay weeth you?"

"No, I don't think so," said Kira.

"But how terrible! A girl needs 'er maman at such a time."

"Kira's mother is not...well, Fleur," George said. He knew that Kira had written letters to her mother, but they had gone unanswered. "My mother has agreed to stay with us when the time gets closer. We'll be in the new house by then, so we'll have plenty of room."

"Oh, I am zo zorry to 'ear zat your maman eez not well, Kira," Fleur said.

"Thanks," said Kira, as she kept her face turned to the side, hoping that nobody noticed that her eyes were pooled with tears. Kira wished that her mother would come. Maybe she could even live with them and never go back to her father. She wished she felt comfortable enough to ask George. George said that he loved her, but sometimes she wondered if maybe he was just saying that to be nice. After all, there was no getting around the fact that he had been forced to marry her.

They had reached the village and the carriages slowed, finally stopping in front of the Three Broomsticks. Madam Rosmerta came out front to greet them. They all piled into the inn and were assigned their rooms. Kira and George were given the same room they had been in during their previous visit.

As he set their trunk down on the bed, he said, "Ah, the scene of the crime."

"Crime?" Kira asked, puzzled.

"Yes, of my seduction," said George. "You took advantage of my innocence with your wanton ways."

"That's right," teased Kira back. "And I'm about to do it again."

* * * * *

Later, Kira went up the hall to the witches' bathroom. She found Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, and Penny impatiently waiting for Fleur to emerge. Kira returned to the room and told George, so he took Kira down the hall to the wizard's bathroom and stood guard at the door while she freshened up. On their way back to their room, they passed the line that still stood, waiting for Fleur to emerge. George offered to stand guard while they used the Wizard's one and they all went scurrying off down the hall, Mrs. Weasley pushing Penny in her chair, while Kira returned to their room.

They were nearly finished with their lunch down in the pub when Fleur finally came sashaying down the stairs, having bathed and completely changed her attire. Fleur sat down near Bill and began questioning Madam Rosmerta about how she prepared her various offerings, oblivious of the other females' simmering resentment at her self-absorption.

After they finished eating, Harry stood up and said, "I'm going to go for a walk." He strode out of the Three Broomsticks, pulling his Invisibility Cloak from his robes as the door closed behind him.

Harry walked up the road toward Hogwarts, planning on slipping onto the grounds and into Hagrid's Hut, where he and Ginny had arranged to meet. He knew he could depend on Hagrid to give them some privacy. As a trainee with the Auror's Office, he had a high level of security clearance and could go wherever he wanted whenever he wanted. Besides, the level of protection that Albus Dumbledore had used to keep the school protected was no longer needed in this new post Tom Riddle world.

Harry finally arrived at Hagrid's Hut. He opened the door and stepped inside. Ginny was in his arms even before he had completely swept off his cloak. "Kreacher," he called. The popping sound told him that the House Elf had heard his call.

"Yes, Harry Potter?" asked the now totally reformed House Elf. "What does Harry Potter require?"

"If anyone comes this way, please redirect them away from this place. But do it nicely. Just have them get a sudden craving for butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks."

"Of course, Harry Potter," said Kreacher.

"Until morning," said Ginny as Kreacher vanished.

Back at the Three Broomsticks, the rest of the party left Bill and Fleur, who still had not completed instructing Madam Rosmerta on the correct way to prepare her meal, and walked up to the new store. George opened the door with a tap of his wand and they all piled inside. He had utilized Wizard Space to increase the interior capacity of the building. Immediately to the right was a large display of the Household Helping Hands. Over twenty staff members were in the store, stocking shelves and hanging signs.

"I learned a lot from my visits to the Muggle stores with Kira," said George. "I've set it up like what they call a department store. We have household items right up front here, with the Wonder Witch line right behind, for the ladies. To the left, we have the more adolescent joke and trick items, like Trick Candy, punching telescopes, U-No-Poo, and the Skiving Snackboxes line. Please notice our two newest additions to the line, Diarrhea Drops and Hemorrhoid Hexes. They were Kira's idea, as were the Household Helping Hands. Then, in the back, are the Fireworks. On the upper floor, we have our defensive items, like Shield Hats, Cloaks, and Gloves."

Mrs. Weasley looked at Kira. "You came up with the idea for Diarrhea Drops and Hemorrhoid Hexes?"

"Yes, it seemed to naturally follow in the same line as U-No-Poo. They wear off after a day. George is such a genius. He can make anything I can come up with. As soon as he perfects the Traveling Butt Kicker, he is going to start working on my newest idea for helping busy wives and mothers, an apron that will warn a witch when her children are up to no good. The apron-strings will extend themselves to rein them in. I got the idea from the Extendable Ears."

"Boy, could I have used one of those aprons," said Mrs. Weasley wryly, looking directly at George.

"And," said Kira, indicating several baskets full of what appeared to be firecrackers, "everyone who comes into the store to make a purchase will be receiving one of these as a free bonus. You break them open and you get a lovely flash of multi-colored sparks, but it also releases a mist that makes you want to come back and shop again. This was Ron's idea. Ron made them by slightly modifying the love potion in the Wonder Witch line. Instead of becoming in love with a person, the buyer will feel they are in love with the store. We're also making them up for the Diagon Alley Store."

Hermione picked one up and looked at it. "Ron came up with this?" she asked.

"Always the tone of surprise," said Ron.

After the store, they all tramped down to the far edge of town to George and Kira's new house. Kira was amazed at how much progress had been made. The exterior was complete. All that remained was the roughing in of the interior walls on the upper floors. She wandered through the large front parlor, taking in the beautiful diamond paned leaded glass windows and the large white marble fireplace. George said that he wanted a fireplace that would accommodate more than one member of his large family at one time.

Saturday dawned overcast, cold, and blustery. In other words, according to George, perfect Quidditch weather. After breakfast, the party left for the school and Ginny's first Quidditch match as captain. Kira had to admit to being rather curious about the game. George, of course, had tried explaining it, but it was rather hard for her to visualize it. Just in case the game began to be too much for her to comprehend, she brought her sewing bag along, planning on doing more embroidery of the hearts and scroll design on the blanket. Once the game got underway though, Kira got caught up in the action of it.

Before too much time had passed, she responded to a foul hit on Ginny by standing up and screaming, "Knock the rotten creep off his broom, Ginny!" When a Bludger came dangerously close to where George and Kira sat in the stands, Kira reacted by swinging her green velvet sewing bag at it and knocking it right into a Ravenclaw Beater's back, nearly knocking him from his broom."

"Whoa," said Charlie, who was sitting right in front of her. He had to yell to be heard over the swell of cheers the entire House of Gryffindor was directing at her. "Are you sure you're a Muggle?"

"What the hell do 'ya got in that bag?" asked George, impressed.

"Just the blanket and my crochet supplies, and some sandwiches in case I get hungry," said Kira innocently.

Ginny received special dispensation from the new Headmistress to attend the Grand Opening Party with her family. Headmistress Donnelly was a pureblood witch from the north of Ireland who had become famous for having created a magical sphere where she had managed to hide dozens of Muggleborn witches and wizards during the recent dark times. Headmistress Donnelly's invention was the model used for the confinement of the Dementors. Although as stern as Professor McGonagall, her blue eyes were kind as she said that it was important for Ginny to spend time with her family.

The entire Weasley clan, including Harry and Hermione, made their way back to Hogsmeade and piled into Madame Pudifoot's for tea. Then it was time to head back to the Three Broomsticks to make ready for that evening's party. The Three Broomsticks was packed as wizards and witches from all over were arriving for the event. Madam Rosmerta had to temporarily add another floor onto the building to accommodate everyone.

Kira was rather tired, so George took her upstairs so she could rest before having to get changed into her dress robes. Kira had brought the champagne gold silk robes she had worn to be married in.

As they went upstairs, they met two wizards with familiar faces. It was Merkel and Sam Jorkins. They both greeted Kira and George warmly, thanking them for the invitations.

"Well, it was the least I could do," said George. "After all, you did manage to get me married to the best woman in the world. I hope you enjoy yourself. The party is being catered by 'House Elves 'R Us.'"

Dozens of House Elves had been left alone because their families had been either killed or imprisoned after the dark times. Part of Hermione's job at the Ministry was coordinating the retraining of House Elves to exist independently. They were showing an astounding amount of entrepreneurship, banding together to open businesses like House Elves 'R Us.

Hermione had suggested that George, Ron, and Kira engage the new catering company for the event. George was considering hiring one to help make Kira's life easier once they were in their own house. Under the new laws, liberated House Elves and wizards contracted for specific terms of service and were paid. Abuse of any kind was no longer tolerated, and even families with an inherited House Elf could have them confiscated.

Harry was coming up the stairs; he had Ginny by the hand. He saw Merkel and Sam Jorkins talking with George and Kira. Knowing them well due to his employment in the Auror's office, Harry greeted them warmly. "I didn't know you were coming," he said.

Merkel and Sam began telling Harry of their role in getting George and Kira married. As they spoke, Harry and Ginny looked at George, barely able to contain their urge to laugh.

On the way to their rooms, Kira stopped into the witches' bathroom which, for once, was not occupied by Fleur. Thankfully, Madam Rosmerta had also temporarily added a couple extra bathrooms.

Ginny waited until the bathroom door was firmly closed behind Kira before asking, "So, you took Kira into the Leaky Cauldron and did magic in front of her. Right in full view of not one, but two Aurors?"

"'Fraid so," said George.

"Does she have a clue you set her up so she'd have to marry you?" whispered Harry.

"Not a one," said George whose smile showed that he felt not a bit of shame at his actions.

"Brilliant plan," said Harry.

"I know," said George, who immediately pasted an innocent expression on his face as Kira emerged from the bathroom. "All set there, Love?" he asked.

"Oh, yes George," she said, smiling. "Everything is wonderful."

"Yes," George replied, "everything is wonderful."