glockgal had a birthday!! whoo!!

 

"I can't believe you," Fred said. He was staring down at George dolefully, counting out Knuts and Sickles like they were the last money the two of them would ever see--

Except for the fact that those meagre coins were the last money they'd see until next week when the inventory came in. Keeping accurate records meant not filching from the store's till more than your salary.

George wrote something down. "Fred, it's not like I forgot your birthday."

Fred plopped down on the floor next to George, carefully spilling over a nicely piled collection of Knuts on purpose. "Yes you did."

"Fred," George said patiently, "I forgot our birthday. it's not quite the same--"

"Remember when Ginny was eight," Fred said really fast, because heartfelt confessions of embarrassment or homesickness had to be got out all in one breath, or he just couldn't do it at all, "and mum couldn't afford any real presents, so we took a picnic to the middle of that field, and Charlie--"

George jumped in, laughing. "And Charlie transfigured some trees into a throne, and you carried Ginny on your back all the way there and all the way back,"

"because she was a princess," Fred cut him off, "and Ginny's old enough to be a Chaser now. She's on our Quiddich team and we have a store."

George put down his quill, and looked at Fred. Fred looked at his hands. It wasn't that they were grown up, per se, they just had to count money - and finally had some to count. Not enough to have a decent birthday, but enough that George was counting it instead of having this all-too-early mid-life crisis along with Fred--

"Calm down," George said patiently, "it's barely three in the afternoon." He shoved the parchment aside. "We'll be home by nightfall."

Fred stood up, saying sharply, "don't laugh at me."

"You think I'm laughing at you?" George asked. "Since when have we been apart, truely apart, from the rest of our family?" He hauled Fred close to him. "We're wizards, half-wit. Disapparate and we'll be there--"

"now." Fred looked around. Over in the corner, his mother was having a kind of seizure, clutching his chest. "Mum, cheers."

She found her tongue. "You two!" and patted her chest once or twice. "Scared me right out of my skin, you did. I nearly had a heart attack." She scowled at them. "The least you could do is appear outside the house. As long as you're here you can go de-gnome the garden."

Fred smiled.