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The Favor
folder
Harry Potter › Threesomes/Moresomes
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
4
Views:
39,320
Reviews:
27
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
Harry Potter › Threesomes/Moresomes
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
4
Views:
39,320
Reviews:
27
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Part One – ‘I owe you one...’
Title: The Favor (1/4)
Author: ianthe_waiting
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter books and their characters are the property of JK Rowling. This is a work of fan-fiction. No infringement is intended, and no money is being made from this story.
Pairing: Hermione/Fred/George, mentions of Hermione/Ron.
Rating: NC-17/MA
Summary: Post-Hogwarts. Three years ago, Hermione asked a huge favor from the Weasley twins, and now they have come to collect what Hermione owes them in return.
Warnings: M/M/F, light Twincest, toys, oral, anal, spanking, some bondage and overall wickedness therefore, be warned... Also, some light HBP spoilers...
Genre: Somewhat romance, mostly smut and a reason to get Fred and George to be extremely naughty. ^_^ Gods, I love red heads!
Author\'s Notes: Thanks the gods for HP Lexicon! This fic is also archived in my LJ and AFF.net. All hail my new betas, SeductionsClaim and viccro!
Part One – ‘I owe you one...’
HG,
We are calling in our favor. WWW, Inc., Number 93, Diagon Alley, Thursday, 6:30 PM.
Sincerely,
F and G
At 6:20 PM, a certain Hermione Granger stood outside Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley watching through the window as Fred Weasley ushered the last of the browsing customers out the door. He had not noticed Hermione standing in the shadows of the late day sun, dressed in imposing heavy black robes, her unruly brown hair in a tight bun, and a scowl firmly affixed to her face. She watched as the shades were magically lowered over the two front windows and the sign hanging in the glass of the front door morphed from ‘Welcome,’ to ‘Come again at another time.’ The few customers that had been politely ushered out, milled about the front of the shop until 6:25 PM and ambled on down the street to another shop open a little later. It was then Hermione moved quietly across the street and to the door, opening it quietly and moving inside. Shutting the door behind her back, Hermione blinked at the darkened interior of the shop, which seemed strangely too quiet for something with the name Weasley on the nameplate outside.
“Hermione? You’re early...” a voice called from the back of the shop, near the curtain that partitioned the shop from the box room in the back.
“Better early than late, how have you been, Fred?” Hermione said softly as Fred Weasley, dressed in loud magenta robes moved through the store to where Hermione stood, seemingly glued to her spot before the door.
When Fred came close, Hermione felt her body relax realizing she had named the correct twin. She could tell the twins apart more so now than before the War. Fred sported a thin purple scar that ran just above his left eyebrow, the only marked difference between the ginger haired brothers. But Hermione immediately noticed, beyond the fact that Fred was now clasping her hand in his, that he had grown a bit taller since the last time she had seen him three years previous. The Weasley twins had both been on the stocky side, but now, if Fred was any indication, both boys seemed to have grown into the gangly bodies of the Gryffindor Quidditch Beaters Hermione remembered.
“Good, good...business is great, we just opened a shop in America two months ago. Our shares are up, and we are expecting to open another store in China next year...”
Hermione heard only a little of what Fred was saying as he gently pulled her through the darkened shop, flinching out of habit as Fred flicked his wand over his shoulder to magic the shop door locked. Hermione glanced about, seeing shelves of boxes, some Skiving Snackboxes (still quite popular at Hogwarts) with the label reading ‘New and Improved!” There were some things that Hermione realized were new to her, things she had not remembered seeing on her last trip to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes when she had first come during her trip before the start of that fateful sixth year.
“How have you been?” Fred asked, his question disrupting Hermione’s thoughts. “And how can you stand to wear such heavy robes in summer?”
Hermione felt her lips curl into a slight smirk. “I have been well, and the robes...I’m used to them. Maybe it is in anticipation for the new term.”
Fred smirked and returned to talking of how business was booming as he led her into the box room in the back of the shop.
“George is setting out some cucumber sandwiches and iced tea in the back, and we will explain...”
Hermione blinked, feeling Fred’s large, calloused hand squeeze hers gently as he opened a door, which Hermione had not noticed in the dark of the box room. Light streamed past Fred’s silhouetted form and slightly blinded Hermione as he led her inside. As her amber eyes adjusted she realized she now stood in a small parlor with high windows in the back wall. A set of stairs were set against the right wall, leading up to what Hermione assumed were the apartments over the shop she had heard about. And on the right wall was a large fireplace with a small table and chairs before the hearth. In the middle of the room were two plaid covered armchairs flanking a poorly stuffed red sofa. But what caught Hermione’s eye and attention even more than the layout and décor of the parlor was George Weasley, sans magenta robes, setting a tray of sandwiches on the table, smiling warmly at Hermione as he did so.
“And there she was,” George chuckled, moving about the table to greet Hermione, taking her hand from Fred and shaking it gently.
“Early...just like I said she would be,” Fred mumbled, doffing his robes and throwing them on the old sofa revealing an old gray tee shirt and Muggle jeans. George was dressed similarly but his shirt was a pale blue and seemed a bit newer.
“Come in, have a seat, everything is ready for a nice sit down,” George said extending his arm to invite Hermione in. “And take off those robes, you are off duty, Professor.”
She did not hesitate to take off her robes since it really was a bit warm in the parlor and she felt the twins’ eyes upon her as she let the heavy black robes slip off her shoulders. Hermione left the bun, enjoying the breeze on the back of her neck, no matter how the bun made her appear a bit severe. And despite the heavy robes, she had decided to wear something cool underneath, a black tank top and black Capri cut pants with slip on black loafers. She knew her transformation was probably a bit puzzling, considering that her robes rivaled that of the former Potions Master at Hogwarts. But she was the Potions Mistress now and no one spoke of the overgrown bat of the past anymore...
But as she placed her robes on the back of the nearest armchair she grimaced a bit knowing that even though her robes were heavy, black and a bit too much for public wear, they were her best robes...money was a bit tight, even with a position at Hogwarts. Although the War had been over for four years, the Wizarding world was still not facing real prosperity any time soon, this was still a period of Reconstruction and her wages were barely enough to live on especially if she had opted to live outside of Hogwarts. But she was glad to see and hear that Fred and George were doing so well. Their ‘wheezes’ were just what the Wizarding world needed to help forget the horrors of the years before, and Hermione respected their work more than ever before...but now...
She joined Fred and George, noticing that they seemed to be waiting for her to sit down and relax a bit. She knew that they were waiting to spring their trap on her...the favor. Hermione shuddered slightly causing the twins to glance at each other quickly and then move to serve her some iced tea in a tall glass and place a plate and napkin before her. So it was food and drink to lull her a bit, she thought, letting her lips move into a slight scowl.
The iced tea was refreshing and reminded her of summers at the Burrow which seemed like lifetimes ago. The cucumber sandwiches had a little too much dill, but it soothed Hermione’s stomach from the nervous churn she had felt since she had received the letter reminding her of ‘the favor.’ Finally she dabbed her lips with her napkin and sat back in her chair, glancing from George who sat across from her and then to Fred who sat to her right. Again, they seemed to have been waiting for Hermione, their glasses empty, plates clean, and napkins neatly folded on the tabletop.
“Now that the pleasantries are over, let’s get down to it, shall we?” Hermione said in her best ‘Professor’ voice, crossing her arms before her chest.
“Yes, let’s,” they said in unison which was something Hermione did not find too surprising, she had been used to their voices for years despite the fact that time had passed since she had last talked to them.
“If this is about the ingredients I asked for three years ago...”
“It is,” Fred answered, “and before you renege on your promise for a favor in return, we should tell you that we had to pay a handsome fee for what you asked for...”
“Nothing too painful, I hope,” Hermione sighed, raising her hand to rub the spot between her eyes, she felt the beginning of a nasty headache.
“Five months profits, some sensitive information on some of our projects as well as some strange requests from Charlie’s mates, all twenty of them,” George answered in a tired sigh.
“Dragon keepers are total freaks,” Fred muttered, leaning his elbows on the tabletop, staring into the empty fireplace with a pained, yet melodramatic expression.
Hermione’s left brow raised and she crossed her arms again.
“And this favor I owe you?”
The melodramatic expression faded into a mischievous grin, “We’re getting to that,” Fred answered.
Hermione dropped her hands to her lap, expecting the worst. The worst was all she could expect from these identical terrors, now full grown and all the more to worry about.
“We were hoping to use a bit of your brilliant Muggle knowledge...” George began.
“...since you are Muggle-born and understand the Muggle world more than we ever could...”
“...we usually slept through Muggle Studies...”
Hermione scoffed instead of trying to laugh. The twins never did finish their education at Hogwarts after leaving during her fifth year. However the twins did petition to lift the lifetime ban against their Quidditch playing and won with the help of a brilliant solicitor, Hermione had read a notice in the Daily Prophet a year or so ago...
“You see, it has to do in part with the gift you gave Ginny...”
Hermione frowned, confused.
“...the gift you gave her at her bachelorette party,” George finished.
Hermione blinked, realization setting in quicker than a potions stain on her best robes.
“Oh.”
Fred nodded and George smiled widely. Hermione’s reaction and her distant gaze that seemed to settle on the jug of ice tea, tracing a tear of condensation moving down the glass, amused both red headed men.
“That...that was a gag gift, you should have seen what Luna gave her...” Hermione trailed, her mind slipping back in time to Ginny Potter nee Weasley’s bachelorette party...Hermione had been quite drunk...and she vaguely remembered snogging with one of the male strippers that Lavender Brown had hired.
“We saw, but it was your gift that got us thinking about product expansion,” Fred began, his voice becoming quite serious in tone, businesslike. “Granted we are pleased with our current line of products and we have so much more we would like to develop, but...”
George continued, “We have a prototype after we nicked ‘it’ from Ginny...”
Hermione snapped out of her daze, shocked.
“...we gave ‘it’ back,” Fred interjected, his brow furrowing at Hermione’s reaction.
“That...that was not what I was thinking...” Hermione said weakly.
“...and we have sent a few prototypes to a select few beta testers. And so far...so good.”
Hermione huffed, the twins had beta testers for...for ‘that?’
“But can’t wizarding folk get these...these things from other places?” Hermione asked, feeling suddenly too warm and too aware of the twins’ eyes upon her.
“Of course, but not without our special modifications and guarantees. Most shops that sell these sorts of things are down Knockturn Alley which I am sure you know is not the sort of place many people want to venture down or be associated with these days.”
Hermione agreed with a subtle nod of her head. She had seen those types of shops during her own few and quick trips to the apothecaries down Knockturn Alley. It was not as if she were afraid of going down that filthy alley, but she had seen how dirty and foul everything was inside and outside of the shops... But her thoughts turned again to Fred and George and their line of thinking, and for them to consider what she was thinking of...
“So what do you want from me?” Hermione asked, refusing to speculate any further and wanting to know what her return favor was to be exactly.
Fred and George cast a meaningful glance at each other, and while their eyes were still connecting in a way that had always mystified Hermione as to the meaning, Fred answered.
“We want you to take us to the shop where you bought Ginny’s...Ginny’s...what do you call them?” Fred asked, turning his eyes to Hermione expressing a strange sense of innocent curiosity.
“A vibrator,” George supplied, his eyes also on Hermione, noticing the blush rising from her chest and up her throat.
“Yes, the shop where you got Ginny’s vibrator,” Fred completed with a sly smile sending Hermione to her feet in surprise, nearly knocking over her chair in the process. George also rose to his feet in astonishment to Hermione’s reaction, leaning over the table slightly, his face one of pleading.
“We are completely serious, Hermione. And you’re the only one we can ask,” George said calmly, slowly sitting back in his seat realizing that Hermione’s chair had settled back on its feet.
“Why not ask another Muggle-born, a male friend perhaps?” Hermione suggested, trying not to sound too horrified at the twins’ request.
“We tried, and it did not go over well,” Fred chuckled half-heartedly.
“Tell a bloke that you want to go to a Muggle sex shop and you warrant yourself some strange ideas and glances,” George said in complete seriousness.
“So you’re the only one, Hermione...and you owe us big.”
Hermione felt her blush rise all the way to her face. The twins were serious...for once. Slowly gathering herself, she sat down again. She knew that she really did owe the Weasley twins, those ingredients were impossible for her to ever afford with her meager salary and the ingredients had come in so useful being so undiluted and pure. But to go to a sex shop, with Fred and George Weasley... Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples slowly, knowing that the twins were waiting for her reply.
“And what are you two planning IF I take you?” Hermione asked in nearly a whisper, her mind flashing all the sordid little plans she had an idea they would say.
The twins glanced at each other again. “We would buy a few items, dismantle them, test them, redevelop with our personal modifications, beta test and market accordingly,” Fred answered.
“But the difference is that we will be selling these items through a catalogue, so you don’t have to worry...we’re not opening a shop down Knockturn Alley,” George chuckled at Hermione’s horrified expression.
“We have begun the process of opening a discreet branch of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes called Wanton Witch and in time a department for men...all of which is the adult side to WWW,” Fred explained once again in that businesslike tone.
Hermione listened although she could do nothing for the blush that flushed her normally pale complexion.
“We sell plenty of love potions and pre-packaged daydreams to adolescents and schoolgirls, but we are convinced that by starting a line of adult products all the demographics will be covered. And with the increase in profits we can afford to start our own labs with a full staff, hire better beta testers, afford to win more contracts from the Ministry and pay to open spaces for mass production of some of our more popular items,” Fred said, pouring another glass of iced tea for the three of them.
“And we can open more stores and become a legitimate chain business. We could edge out a lot of the other joke shops in Britain and the Continent as well as buy the patents to some of the wares owned by Zonko’s and others.”
Hermione listened to Fred and George talk business, realizing that these men had grown up so much more than she ever could have thought possible. The ease in which they talked of such things as profit margins, demographics, corporate takeovers as well as the development states of products that included many of the fields Hermione dealt in, made it poignantly seem Hermione had misjudged the Weasley twins...they were brilliant business men and inventors.
“...all of our own variations, spells and research, of course. All of this bit of work so that we can patent something original. But we want the Muggle...er...toy, to study...”
At the suddenly silence that filled the parlor, Hermione snapped from her own thoughts and noticed once again, something that was ever reoccurring during this visit, two sets of pale blue eyes were set upon her.
“Still with us?” Fred asked, tapping Hermione’s shoulder.
“Yes... I...”
“I think we lost her for a moment there, Fred,” George chided with a smile.
“So, Hermione? Will you help us?” Fred asked, letting his large hand mould over the curve of Hermione’s bare shoulder, sending a warm jolt down Hermione’s spine.
“I...” she trailed again, feeling as if her logical mind had shut down and the sensation of Fred’s hand on her bare skin were the only thing that was real.
“We’ll send you a package of our final products, but if you want to be a beta tester you’ll have to sign some forms and meet with our solicitor,” George chuckled lifting his iced tea toward his mouth. Hermione eyes were riveted to the shape of George’s lips and the bob of his Adam’s apple as he drank...then to the drop of condensation from the cold glass running from George’s chin, past his jaw and to his throat. Hermione’s mind was quickly inundated with thoughts that she confined to the times she was alone in her chambers at Hogwarts...and her voice rasped out...
“Wh-when do we go?”
“Tomorrow? We’re closed all of tomorrow, so that would be fine for us...” Fred answered and glanced to George for confirmation who nodded in agreement.
“We’ve been in Muggle London many times, but we’re not sure of where to go and where is safe. We don’t want to end up some place too...seedy...” George said softly.
“Tomorrow then...7 PM, meet at the Leaky Cauldron?” Hermione suggested letting her mouth move but slow to realize what she was saying.
“You’ll take us to where you think is best?” Fred asked, leaning toward Hermione, his voice little more than a deep purr.
“Yes...” Hermione hissed, refusing to meet eyes with either of the men.
And then Hermione remembered little else besides apparating at the gates of Hogwarts, her robes over her arm, somehow making it to her chambers and collapsing face first on her wide four poster bed...mumbling:
“What the in seven hells was I thinking?”
Author: ianthe_waiting
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter books and their characters are the property of JK Rowling. This is a work of fan-fiction. No infringement is intended, and no money is being made from this story.
Pairing: Hermione/Fred/George, mentions of Hermione/Ron.
Rating: NC-17/MA
Summary: Post-Hogwarts. Three years ago, Hermione asked a huge favor from the Weasley twins, and now they have come to collect what Hermione owes them in return.
Warnings: M/M/F, light Twincest, toys, oral, anal, spanking, some bondage and overall wickedness therefore, be warned... Also, some light HBP spoilers...
Genre: Somewhat romance, mostly smut and a reason to get Fred and George to be extremely naughty. ^_^ Gods, I love red heads!
Author\'s Notes: Thanks the gods for HP Lexicon! This fic is also archived in my LJ and AFF.net. All hail my new betas, SeductionsClaim and viccro!
Part One – ‘I owe you one...’
HG,
We are calling in our favor. WWW, Inc., Number 93, Diagon Alley, Thursday, 6:30 PM.
Sincerely,
F and G
At 6:20 PM, a certain Hermione Granger stood outside Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley watching through the window as Fred Weasley ushered the last of the browsing customers out the door. He had not noticed Hermione standing in the shadows of the late day sun, dressed in imposing heavy black robes, her unruly brown hair in a tight bun, and a scowl firmly affixed to her face. She watched as the shades were magically lowered over the two front windows and the sign hanging in the glass of the front door morphed from ‘Welcome,’ to ‘Come again at another time.’ The few customers that had been politely ushered out, milled about the front of the shop until 6:25 PM and ambled on down the street to another shop open a little later. It was then Hermione moved quietly across the street and to the door, opening it quietly and moving inside. Shutting the door behind her back, Hermione blinked at the darkened interior of the shop, which seemed strangely too quiet for something with the name Weasley on the nameplate outside.
“Hermione? You’re early...” a voice called from the back of the shop, near the curtain that partitioned the shop from the box room in the back.
“Better early than late, how have you been, Fred?” Hermione said softly as Fred Weasley, dressed in loud magenta robes moved through the store to where Hermione stood, seemingly glued to her spot before the door.
When Fred came close, Hermione felt her body relax realizing she had named the correct twin. She could tell the twins apart more so now than before the War. Fred sported a thin purple scar that ran just above his left eyebrow, the only marked difference between the ginger haired brothers. But Hermione immediately noticed, beyond the fact that Fred was now clasping her hand in his, that he had grown a bit taller since the last time she had seen him three years previous. The Weasley twins had both been on the stocky side, but now, if Fred was any indication, both boys seemed to have grown into the gangly bodies of the Gryffindor Quidditch Beaters Hermione remembered.
“Good, good...business is great, we just opened a shop in America two months ago. Our shares are up, and we are expecting to open another store in China next year...”
Hermione heard only a little of what Fred was saying as he gently pulled her through the darkened shop, flinching out of habit as Fred flicked his wand over his shoulder to magic the shop door locked. Hermione glanced about, seeing shelves of boxes, some Skiving Snackboxes (still quite popular at Hogwarts) with the label reading ‘New and Improved!” There were some things that Hermione realized were new to her, things she had not remembered seeing on her last trip to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes when she had first come during her trip before the start of that fateful sixth year.
“How have you been?” Fred asked, his question disrupting Hermione’s thoughts. “And how can you stand to wear such heavy robes in summer?”
Hermione felt her lips curl into a slight smirk. “I have been well, and the robes...I’m used to them. Maybe it is in anticipation for the new term.”
Fred smirked and returned to talking of how business was booming as he led her into the box room in the back of the shop.
“George is setting out some cucumber sandwiches and iced tea in the back, and we will explain...”
Hermione blinked, feeling Fred’s large, calloused hand squeeze hers gently as he opened a door, which Hermione had not noticed in the dark of the box room. Light streamed past Fred’s silhouetted form and slightly blinded Hermione as he led her inside. As her amber eyes adjusted she realized she now stood in a small parlor with high windows in the back wall. A set of stairs were set against the right wall, leading up to what Hermione assumed were the apartments over the shop she had heard about. And on the right wall was a large fireplace with a small table and chairs before the hearth. In the middle of the room were two plaid covered armchairs flanking a poorly stuffed red sofa. But what caught Hermione’s eye and attention even more than the layout and décor of the parlor was George Weasley, sans magenta robes, setting a tray of sandwiches on the table, smiling warmly at Hermione as he did so.
“And there she was,” George chuckled, moving about the table to greet Hermione, taking her hand from Fred and shaking it gently.
“Early...just like I said she would be,” Fred mumbled, doffing his robes and throwing them on the old sofa revealing an old gray tee shirt and Muggle jeans. George was dressed similarly but his shirt was a pale blue and seemed a bit newer.
“Come in, have a seat, everything is ready for a nice sit down,” George said extending his arm to invite Hermione in. “And take off those robes, you are off duty, Professor.”
She did not hesitate to take off her robes since it really was a bit warm in the parlor and she felt the twins’ eyes upon her as she let the heavy black robes slip off her shoulders. Hermione left the bun, enjoying the breeze on the back of her neck, no matter how the bun made her appear a bit severe. And despite the heavy robes, she had decided to wear something cool underneath, a black tank top and black Capri cut pants with slip on black loafers. She knew her transformation was probably a bit puzzling, considering that her robes rivaled that of the former Potions Master at Hogwarts. But she was the Potions Mistress now and no one spoke of the overgrown bat of the past anymore...
But as she placed her robes on the back of the nearest armchair she grimaced a bit knowing that even though her robes were heavy, black and a bit too much for public wear, they were her best robes...money was a bit tight, even with a position at Hogwarts. Although the War had been over for four years, the Wizarding world was still not facing real prosperity any time soon, this was still a period of Reconstruction and her wages were barely enough to live on especially if she had opted to live outside of Hogwarts. But she was glad to see and hear that Fred and George were doing so well. Their ‘wheezes’ were just what the Wizarding world needed to help forget the horrors of the years before, and Hermione respected their work more than ever before...but now...
She joined Fred and George, noticing that they seemed to be waiting for her to sit down and relax a bit. She knew that they were waiting to spring their trap on her...the favor. Hermione shuddered slightly causing the twins to glance at each other quickly and then move to serve her some iced tea in a tall glass and place a plate and napkin before her. So it was food and drink to lull her a bit, she thought, letting her lips move into a slight scowl.
The iced tea was refreshing and reminded her of summers at the Burrow which seemed like lifetimes ago. The cucumber sandwiches had a little too much dill, but it soothed Hermione’s stomach from the nervous churn she had felt since she had received the letter reminding her of ‘the favor.’ Finally she dabbed her lips with her napkin and sat back in her chair, glancing from George who sat across from her and then to Fred who sat to her right. Again, they seemed to have been waiting for Hermione, their glasses empty, plates clean, and napkins neatly folded on the tabletop.
“Now that the pleasantries are over, let’s get down to it, shall we?” Hermione said in her best ‘Professor’ voice, crossing her arms before her chest.
“Yes, let’s,” they said in unison which was something Hermione did not find too surprising, she had been used to their voices for years despite the fact that time had passed since she had last talked to them.
“If this is about the ingredients I asked for three years ago...”
“It is,” Fred answered, “and before you renege on your promise for a favor in return, we should tell you that we had to pay a handsome fee for what you asked for...”
“Nothing too painful, I hope,” Hermione sighed, raising her hand to rub the spot between her eyes, she felt the beginning of a nasty headache.
“Five months profits, some sensitive information on some of our projects as well as some strange requests from Charlie’s mates, all twenty of them,” George answered in a tired sigh.
“Dragon keepers are total freaks,” Fred muttered, leaning his elbows on the tabletop, staring into the empty fireplace with a pained, yet melodramatic expression.
Hermione’s left brow raised and she crossed her arms again.
“And this favor I owe you?”
The melodramatic expression faded into a mischievous grin, “We’re getting to that,” Fred answered.
Hermione dropped her hands to her lap, expecting the worst. The worst was all she could expect from these identical terrors, now full grown and all the more to worry about.
“We were hoping to use a bit of your brilliant Muggle knowledge...” George began.
“...since you are Muggle-born and understand the Muggle world more than we ever could...”
“...we usually slept through Muggle Studies...”
Hermione scoffed instead of trying to laugh. The twins never did finish their education at Hogwarts after leaving during her fifth year. However the twins did petition to lift the lifetime ban against their Quidditch playing and won with the help of a brilliant solicitor, Hermione had read a notice in the Daily Prophet a year or so ago...
“You see, it has to do in part with the gift you gave Ginny...”
Hermione frowned, confused.
“...the gift you gave her at her bachelorette party,” George finished.
Hermione blinked, realization setting in quicker than a potions stain on her best robes.
“Oh.”
Fred nodded and George smiled widely. Hermione’s reaction and her distant gaze that seemed to settle on the jug of ice tea, tracing a tear of condensation moving down the glass, amused both red headed men.
“That...that was a gag gift, you should have seen what Luna gave her...” Hermione trailed, her mind slipping back in time to Ginny Potter nee Weasley’s bachelorette party...Hermione had been quite drunk...and she vaguely remembered snogging with one of the male strippers that Lavender Brown had hired.
“We saw, but it was your gift that got us thinking about product expansion,” Fred began, his voice becoming quite serious in tone, businesslike. “Granted we are pleased with our current line of products and we have so much more we would like to develop, but...”
George continued, “We have a prototype after we nicked ‘it’ from Ginny...”
Hermione snapped out of her daze, shocked.
“...we gave ‘it’ back,” Fred interjected, his brow furrowing at Hermione’s reaction.
“That...that was not what I was thinking...” Hermione said weakly.
“...and we have sent a few prototypes to a select few beta testers. And so far...so good.”
Hermione huffed, the twins had beta testers for...for ‘that?’
“But can’t wizarding folk get these...these things from other places?” Hermione asked, feeling suddenly too warm and too aware of the twins’ eyes upon her.
“Of course, but not without our special modifications and guarantees. Most shops that sell these sorts of things are down Knockturn Alley which I am sure you know is not the sort of place many people want to venture down or be associated with these days.”
Hermione agreed with a subtle nod of her head. She had seen those types of shops during her own few and quick trips to the apothecaries down Knockturn Alley. It was not as if she were afraid of going down that filthy alley, but she had seen how dirty and foul everything was inside and outside of the shops... But her thoughts turned again to Fred and George and their line of thinking, and for them to consider what she was thinking of...
“So what do you want from me?” Hermione asked, refusing to speculate any further and wanting to know what her return favor was to be exactly.
Fred and George cast a meaningful glance at each other, and while their eyes were still connecting in a way that had always mystified Hermione as to the meaning, Fred answered.
“We want you to take us to the shop where you bought Ginny’s...Ginny’s...what do you call them?” Fred asked, turning his eyes to Hermione expressing a strange sense of innocent curiosity.
“A vibrator,” George supplied, his eyes also on Hermione, noticing the blush rising from her chest and up her throat.
“Yes, the shop where you got Ginny’s vibrator,” Fred completed with a sly smile sending Hermione to her feet in surprise, nearly knocking over her chair in the process. George also rose to his feet in astonishment to Hermione’s reaction, leaning over the table slightly, his face one of pleading.
“We are completely serious, Hermione. And you’re the only one we can ask,” George said calmly, slowly sitting back in his seat realizing that Hermione’s chair had settled back on its feet.
“Why not ask another Muggle-born, a male friend perhaps?” Hermione suggested, trying not to sound too horrified at the twins’ request.
“We tried, and it did not go over well,” Fred chuckled half-heartedly.
“Tell a bloke that you want to go to a Muggle sex shop and you warrant yourself some strange ideas and glances,” George said in complete seriousness.
“So you’re the only one, Hermione...and you owe us big.”
Hermione felt her blush rise all the way to her face. The twins were serious...for once. Slowly gathering herself, she sat down again. She knew that she really did owe the Weasley twins, those ingredients were impossible for her to ever afford with her meager salary and the ingredients had come in so useful being so undiluted and pure. But to go to a sex shop, with Fred and George Weasley... Hermione sighed and rubbed her temples slowly, knowing that the twins were waiting for her reply.
“And what are you two planning IF I take you?” Hermione asked in nearly a whisper, her mind flashing all the sordid little plans she had an idea they would say.
The twins glanced at each other again. “We would buy a few items, dismantle them, test them, redevelop with our personal modifications, beta test and market accordingly,” Fred answered.
“But the difference is that we will be selling these items through a catalogue, so you don’t have to worry...we’re not opening a shop down Knockturn Alley,” George chuckled at Hermione’s horrified expression.
“We have begun the process of opening a discreet branch of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes called Wanton Witch and in time a department for men...all of which is the adult side to WWW,” Fred explained once again in that businesslike tone.
Hermione listened although she could do nothing for the blush that flushed her normally pale complexion.
“We sell plenty of love potions and pre-packaged daydreams to adolescents and schoolgirls, but we are convinced that by starting a line of adult products all the demographics will be covered. And with the increase in profits we can afford to start our own labs with a full staff, hire better beta testers, afford to win more contracts from the Ministry and pay to open spaces for mass production of some of our more popular items,” Fred said, pouring another glass of iced tea for the three of them.
“And we can open more stores and become a legitimate chain business. We could edge out a lot of the other joke shops in Britain and the Continent as well as buy the patents to some of the wares owned by Zonko’s and others.”
Hermione listened to Fred and George talk business, realizing that these men had grown up so much more than she ever could have thought possible. The ease in which they talked of such things as profit margins, demographics, corporate takeovers as well as the development states of products that included many of the fields Hermione dealt in, made it poignantly seem Hermione had misjudged the Weasley twins...they were brilliant business men and inventors.
“...all of our own variations, spells and research, of course. All of this bit of work so that we can patent something original. But we want the Muggle...er...toy, to study...”
At the suddenly silence that filled the parlor, Hermione snapped from her own thoughts and noticed once again, something that was ever reoccurring during this visit, two sets of pale blue eyes were set upon her.
“Still with us?” Fred asked, tapping Hermione’s shoulder.
“Yes... I...”
“I think we lost her for a moment there, Fred,” George chided with a smile.
“So, Hermione? Will you help us?” Fred asked, letting his large hand mould over the curve of Hermione’s bare shoulder, sending a warm jolt down Hermione’s spine.
“I...” she trailed again, feeling as if her logical mind had shut down and the sensation of Fred’s hand on her bare skin were the only thing that was real.
“We’ll send you a package of our final products, but if you want to be a beta tester you’ll have to sign some forms and meet with our solicitor,” George chuckled lifting his iced tea toward his mouth. Hermione eyes were riveted to the shape of George’s lips and the bob of his Adam’s apple as he drank...then to the drop of condensation from the cold glass running from George’s chin, past his jaw and to his throat. Hermione’s mind was quickly inundated with thoughts that she confined to the times she was alone in her chambers at Hogwarts...and her voice rasped out...
“Wh-when do we go?”
“Tomorrow? We’re closed all of tomorrow, so that would be fine for us...” Fred answered and glanced to George for confirmation who nodded in agreement.
“We’ve been in Muggle London many times, but we’re not sure of where to go and where is safe. We don’t want to end up some place too...seedy...” George said softly.
“Tomorrow then...7 PM, meet at the Leaky Cauldron?” Hermione suggested letting her mouth move but slow to realize what she was saying.
“You’ll take us to where you think is best?” Fred asked, leaning toward Hermione, his voice little more than a deep purr.
“Yes...” Hermione hissed, refusing to meet eyes with either of the men.
And then Hermione remembered little else besides apparating at the gates of Hogwarts, her robes over her arm, somehow making it to her chambers and collapsing face first on her wide four poster bed...mumbling:
“What the in seven hells was I thinking?”