CHAPTER THIRTEEN: INVENTION

Lucy offered up the box of every flavour beans to Fred. He took one and tried it before pulling a face.

"Vomit flavour, yuck!"

"You said they weren't that bad!" She said in a sing song voice.

"They're not!" He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. But she didn't pull away, she allowed it. She loved the way he held her as he did so. When he let go Lucy felt so strange. The gesture didn't even feel romantic, it was just Fred being Fred and yet at the same time it did feel somewhat nice.

Then George appeared behind them and opened up a red envelope and opened the card inside: "Lucy! Wake up!" It called gently in Hermione's voice and they all laughed.

"Lucy! You're going to be late!" It kept saying. "Lucy!"

Lucy's eyes snapped open and she looked up to see Hermione's concerned face above hers.

"You don't want a detention do you?" Hermione's eyebrows were knotted together in concern.

"Goodness gracious no!" Lucy pulled back her covers and scrambled out of bed.
Hermione handed her a set of her school clothes she'd already gathered for her. "Thank you, I'm so glad you're organised."

"I heard you in the common room late last night, it woke me. What were you doing down there?"

"Oh," Lucy zipped up her skirt after ridding herself of her nightgown, then pulled her jumper hastily over her head. "We were just talking and then lost track of time. It happens to the best of us."

"You seemed like you were all having so much fun."

"Oh we were. You know Fred and George, always there to make you laugh."

"Don't I know it but I think Ron is just as endearing."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing about the blush that tinged Hermione's cheeks.

Lucy slung her tie around her neck and Hermione handed her her satchel and they made their way downstairs and out of the common room. By the time they made it to the entrance hall Lucy had finished knotting her tie, she was just tucking it into her jumper when Fred pulled her into a hug.

"God you're wonderful!" He announced, causing Hermione to giggle.

"I'll save you some toast, Lucy," she smirked and headed into the Great Hall.

"I've already told George about personal space and I'll tell you as well!" He held her in just the way he had in her dream and Lucy didn't know quite what to think.

"But you've made us rich! We've been selling the yelling confetti in the Great Hall at breakfast and they're a huge hit. Don't be surprised to see any red envelopes being passed around and the sound of yelling."

"But how? We only completed them last night."

Fred shrugged. "George and I stayed up all night making them in our dormitory. Needless to say — " Fred tugged down on his under eye, exaggerating the dark circles. "I'm tired."

"I'm not surprised but we had a deal," Lucy held out her hand.

"Oh, right," Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out some change, he began counting it up and then put some back in his pocket before pouring the rest into Lucy's hands. "That should be enough to buy a few boxes of every flavour beans."

"And more," Lucy smiled and placed the money in her bag so it rattled as they began making their way into the great hall. "So are my skills needed for further inventions?"

"Certainly, this is only the beginning."

Then a figure blocked their path from heading any further into the hall. Fred looked up and froze.

"Mr Weasley, I believe you and I need to have a discussion," the menacing voice of Snape declared.

Lucy went to walk away but Snape grabbed her arm. "Not so fast, Lucy, you too are included in this." 

"We're rich!" George chanted as he slung his arms around his brother and Lucy. "We're rich! We're so rich! We're — " he finally noticed Snape standing there. "In trouble."

Snape smirked. "Precisely."

They made their way to Snape's office and when they arrived Snape sat behind his desk and summoned some chairs for the three of them. "Sit," he commanded and they all obeyed.

"I expect the two of you," Snape's eyes passed between the twins. "To be causing all kinds of trouble but that does not mean I encourage it. Selling so called inventions to vulnerable students, which haven't even passed the vigorous testing that Zonkos have to endure to be declared safe. This will not be tolerated." His gaze landed on Lucy. "But I did not for one moment expect you to be a part of this."

"Professor, I can exp—" George began.

"Silence," Snape cut him off.

"No, I will," Lucy folded her arms and stared her father down. Snape stalled, it wasn't easy being a single father to a sassy teenage daughter. "The invention was my idea and I take full responsibility for it but I wasn't consulted in the matter of selling them to students today. It was my understanding that they'd be sold after Fred and George had finished school and used the idea for their career."

Fred felt so betrayed in that moment but of course Lucy would grass him up to her father, once a Snape always a Snape.

"Well then — " Snape turned to the twins again.

"I'm not done," Lucy snapped, Snape fell silent. "However, the invention is not edible and so cannot cause internal harm. Confetti isn't going to harm anyone and the volume of the yelling isn't going to deafen. We tested this out for ourselves last night and nothing went wrong and with magic almost anything can be fixed. It's a harmless practical joke that almost all of the Great Hall is getting some enjoyment out of. Surely you can let this one go."

Snape looked between the three of them for a moment as if contemplating her words. His eyes rested on the twins. "Ten points from Gryffindor, you are dismissed."

Fred and George filed out of the room leaving Lucy to give Snape a look. Snape watched them go and narrowed his eyes at the closer door before they fell on Lucy who was giving him the typical teenage daughter look.

"Why can't you be as cheerful as you are at Christmas with a bottle of wine."

"I got old, it'll happen to you as well one day," he sighed and leant back in his chair.

"You don't have to keep your youth in tact to smile. Here — " she got up and left and threw something in his desk. "I wrote you a card."

She got up and left, when the door slammed again he picked up the red envelope tenderly. It always cheered him up a little when his daughter gave him something, she really was a lovely girl even if she was a sassy teenager. He supposed she'd learnt from her what with her smart mouth.

He opened up the envelope and pulled out a blank card, perhaps she'd forgotten to decorate it or it wasn't important. He opened it up all the same —

Confetti exploded into his face and he yelled just as the card screamed back at him:

"SNAPE'S A GIT!"

Snape's face contorted in anger, confetti caught in the crevices of his face. His voice came out dangerously low: "Weasley."