As soon as they stepped out of the kitchen, Fred and George immediately sidled up to Anne. Mr. Weasley and Aaron were walking ahead, chatting about the Ministry of Magic.
"Anne, we invented something new over the summer..." Fred grinned, pulling a handful of sweets from his pocket.
George added excitedly, "We made it together, Tongue-Ton Toffees. Someone just tested one, did you hear about it? His tongue swelled up over four feet long!"
"Who did you test it on?"
"Harry's cousin. We just picked her up from his aunt's house," Fred said.
Ron and Harry were walking behind them, listening intently. Bill and Charlie had already gone out into the yard.
As they reached the stairway, two girls appeared, Hermione and Ginny.
After greeting each other, Aaron and Mr. Weasley continued their conversation outside.
Anne hadn't expected Hermione to be at the Burrow and tried to redirect the conversation. "Well, maybe we should head out and help in the yard?"
"Come on, Anne. Bill and Charlie will be fine. Tell us what really happened?" Ron asked, finally voicing the question he'd been holding in.
Anne shot Fred and George a sharp look, but the twins grinned shamelessly.
"Alright, what do you all know already?" Anne asked with a sigh.
Ron blurted out, "Mum was cleaning Fred and George's room last week and found a stack of order forms, pages of price lists with all the stuff they invented. Hilarious things, tons of them, and a whole box of money!" He gestured with his hands. "This big! All Galleons and Sickles. I bet our family's never had that much saved up!"
"We've been hearing explosions from their room for ages, but never thought they were actually making stuff," Ginny chimed in. "We thought they just liked loud noises."
"Then Mum called them up and gave them an earful. She wants them to work at the Ministry someday, like Dad. But they told her they want to open a joke shop. Then you sent that letter, and they explained you'd invested in them. She didn't believe them at first, but then your uncle wrote too, and things settled down."
Fred and George nodded in agreement.
Anne turned to them and muttered, "You already told her you want to open a joke shop? I thought we agreed this was just a research project for now."
The twins shrugged in unison. "She was going to throw all our stuff out, we had to say something!"
"So, Anne, you're really involved in their joke shop idea?" Hermione asked.
"Basically, yes. I believe in Fred and George's inventions. I made a small investment…"
"Small? That was a whole chest of gold!" Ron exclaimed. "I bet Mum didn't sleep at all that night, she put it in Gringotts first thing the next morning!"
"When did you invest?" Hermione asked.
"At the start of third year. They kept asking me about Muggle inventions, and it started from there."
"Anne, have you figured out what to do about this yet?" George asked.
"Their O.W.L. results really upset her. She's still angry," Ginny added.
Just then, a door on the second-floor landing opened and someone stepped out, wearing horn-rimmed glasses and looking annoyed.
"Hello, Percy," Harry said, glancing up.
"Oh, hi, Harry," Percy replied. "I don't know who's making all that noise. I'm trying to work, I've got a report to finish for the office, but people keep shouting on the stairs. I can't concentrate!"
"Oh, sorry. We didn't realize whispering would interfere with top-secret Ministry work!" Fred and George said in exaggerated tones.
Percy's face turned red. "I'm writing a report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Not that either of you would understand how important that is!"
"Oh, world-changing stuff, I'm sure," George said. "Front-page headline in the Daily Prophet: Leaky Cauldron Get Worse."
Percy slammed the door.
Mrs. Weasley came out of the kitchen, holding a spoon and her wand. "Fred! George! Why are you still here? Have you taken Harry's trunk upstairs yet?"
Fred and George exchanged glances, grabbed a trunk each, and dashed up the stairs. Anne had the feeling they'd stayed behind on purpose.
Once they were gone, Mrs. Weasley's expression softened. She smiled at the others. "Go wait in the yard, dinner will be ready soon." Then she returned to the kitchen.
"Er... you two want to check out the bedrooms?" Anne asked Harry and Ron.
Harry shook his head. "Anne, have you figured out how to handle this yet?" The others clearly shared his curiosity.
"There are a few options, but the last one seems best for now," Anne said. "I still need to gather more information. After dinner, we'll know more."
She glanced at Percy's door and headed to the yard, asking, "So, Percy really likes working?"
"Likes?" Ron said glumly. "If Dad hadn't dragged him home, he wouldn't have come. He's obsessed. And don't get him started on his boss. It's always 'Mr. Crouch thinks... Mr. Crouch says...' They're about to make his job permanent."
"The Ministry really has been busy this summer," Anne murmured.
As they stepped into the yard, they spotted Hermione's ginger, bandy-legged cat, Crookshanks, darting around with his bottle-brush tail high in the air. He was chasing something muddy that looked like a potato with legs.
"Is that a gnome?" Anne asked. Hermione nodded.
A loud crash came from further in the yard. They walked toward it and saw Bill and Charlie using their wands to levitate two battered old tables, making them crash into each other mid-air like a duel. Each table was trying to knock the other to the ground.
With a bang, Bill's table knocked a leg off Charlie's. Just then, a sharp clatter came from above. They looked up to see Percy's head sticking out of a second-floor window.
"Can you keep it down?!" he shouted.
"Sorry, Percy," Bill said cheerfully. "How's the cauldron report coming?"
"Awful," Percy snapped and slammed the window shut.
Bill and Charlie chuckled quietly, lowering the tables gently onto the lawn. Bill tapped the broken leg with his wand, repairing it in a flash, then conjured a tablecloth from thin air. Aaron and Mr. Weasley were nowhere in sight.
"Your family is so fun," Anne said, laughing. From the yard, she could see the whole Burrow, four stories tall, tilted at odd angles, obviously held together by magic.
"And your house is wonderful," Anne added seriously. "It must've taken a lot of magic to build it."
By seven o'clock, the tables groaned under the weight of Mrs. Weasley's delicious dinner. The entire Weasley family, along with Harry, Hermione, Anne, and Aaron, sat under the clear indigo sky enjoying their meal.
Anne chatted with Mrs. Weasley about recipes and subtly complimented her throughout, keeping a bright smile on Mrs. Weasley's face the whole time.
At the other end, Aaron and Arthur were deep in conversation about the Ministry, while Fred, George, Charlie, and Bill animatedly discussed the Quidditch World Cup. Harry was too busy eating to talk, and Hermione and Ginny whispered to each other.
Under the moonlight and floating candles, Anne finished her last spoonful of strawberry ice cream with a satisfied smile. As everyone finished, Bill and Charlie exchanged a knowing glance and were the first to head back to the house.
Mr. Weasley soon ushered the others inside. Fred and George stayed behind, and Anne and Aaron remained seated.
Percy had mumbled something about his report and left early, uninterested in what was to come. But Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron lingered, clearly reluctant to go.
"Alright, I owe you an apology," Anne said earnestly. "I was involved in the whole thing with the twins."
Mrs. Weasley looked slightly embarrassed.
"Those two have always caused trouble," she said. "They've had more letters from Hogwarts than all the others combined."
"That's partly why I asked Uncle Aaron to meet you tonight," Anne said, glancing at Fred and George. "Mrs. Weasley, don't be too angry with them. They're brilliant."
The couple couldn't hide a flicker of pride.
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "But all that cleverness, wasted! Unless they straighten up soon, they'll end up in trouble."
"It's not that bad, really," Anne said, pulling out a scroll of parchment. She unrolled it, smoothed it out, and handed it over with a smile. "As of today, I, Anne Roland Reeve, first heir of the Roland family, formally establish the Weasley Wizard Wheezes under our name. Fred and George Weasley are hereby appointed shop managers."
Fred and George exchanged stunned looks, then high-fived with cheers.
Mrs. Weasley blinked at the scroll, it was written in elegant English script, stamped with the Roland family crest and Anne's signature.
"Once they sign, it'll be legally recognized by the Ministry. They're still in school, of course, but if they want, the Roland family can open a shop in Diagon Alley at any time. They'll handle U.K. sales, we'll take care of international trade."
The twins were stunned.
"Can we sell abroad?"
"Mum, sign it! Please!"
"They'll also earn a salary during school, 15 Galleons each per month, or more if needed."
In the end, Anne and the Weasleys agreed: until graduation, the twins would focus on research and enjoy what they love. Afterward, they'd launch the official store, with Anne and the brothers working out the details together.
Mrs. Weasley still worried they might get into trouble, but now that someone respected their work and gave them a future, she was proud.
With everything settled, Anne and Aaron returned home via Floo powder. After all, they needed to be up early for the World Cup tomorrow.
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