Late Monday Morning, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

Fred yawns lazily and stretches before falling back onto his pillow. He looks around his room as the sunlight drifts in throught the curtains. Fred glances over at his alarm clock and yelps--he's overslept! He jumps out of bed, pulls his workrobes over his head, runs down the stairs to the shop and throws open the door, once again, laying out the door mat.

[ooc: again, please say whether you step on or over the mat]

Comments

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

Curious about a store in town that had the word "Wizard" in the title, Willow stopped by after her baking workshop.

Being polite, she wiped her feet on the mat.

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

"Ugh! Do you know where your feet have *been*?!" Willow hears from below her. Fred chuckles.

[ooc: sorry for the delay! my computer crashed out on me]</small]

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

Willow squeaked with surprise and leapt off the mat. "Sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

[NP!]

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

Fred grinned.

"Don't worry about that," he says, gesturing to the mat, "that's what it's there for--insulting doormat!" Fred stuck out his hand. "Weasley's the name. Fred Weasley."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Rosenberg, Willow Rosenberg," she said, sticking her hand out in return. "Pleased to meet you and now just a little perturbed that I decided to wear a skirt today." She glanced over her shoulder, looking to see if the mat had eyes.

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

"Nice to meet you, Willow. And don't worry, no--it doesn't have eyes," Fred said, following her gaze.

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Oh good," Willow said in a rush. "Um - I mean. I knew that. Hi. So - um. Is this a place to buy magic stuff?"

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

"It is, of sorts," said Fred smiling. "This is a joke shop--we have all kinds of magical aids for the making of mischief here. What's your fancy?"

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Magical jokes?" Willow looked surprised, but not unpleasantly so. "Wow. I've never seen those before. The biggest joke at the magic store back home was the prices. I get that the insurance rates must've been sky-high considering how often the owners were killed, but gouging is gouging if you ask me."

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

"If you say so," said Fred, bemused. "So you had a magic shop where you're from, did you?" Fred continued to be amazed by the number of witches and magic shops that seemed to be around, considering everything was supposed to be so secret. But maybe things were just different in America--that is why they left England, after all.

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Just the one," Willow said. "Which is surprising when you consider all the vampires and demons that were around. It made it really hard for a girl to get her hands on some quality eye of newt before the world wide web came along."

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

Fred paused, certain he hadn't heard Willow correctly.

"The what? How big is this web? I don't know--we had some pretty big webs in the Forbidden Forest on the grounds of my old school, but world wide? I've never heard of spiders that big."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

Luckily, Willow was used to this sort of reaction to technology. Unluckily she assumed it meant Fred was from an earlier timeline, just like Joxer and Peter. "Oh! Sorry. Okay, we've got these machines called computers now? Which are the most amazing things ever next to books. They can do all sorts of stuff like hold information. The web is a way that one computer can talk to another."

She looked at Fred in a manner she hoped encouraged him to ask questions if she hadn't been clear.

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

Fred nodded. "So it's not a real web, like a spider's web? It's like a felly tone, but bigger?" Fred would never cease to be amazed by the way muggles found ways to get around not having magic.

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Very much like that," Willow assured him. "So I can use it to buy eye of newt from anywhere in the world. Or anywhere that happenes to have newt eyes that they feel like selling. There's not much of either in Antartica, for example."

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

"Okay, I get it. That's wicked cool! Except for Antartica, I mean. We don't have anything like that where I'm from. We've got Diagon Alley for all our magical needs, and owls to send letters, but nothing like this. My dad would be amazed. He loves everything to do with muggles--nonmagical people, that is."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"If you ever want to know about computers, I'll be happy to show you," Willow said. "They're sort of a hobby of mine." She looked around the shop. "Magical jokes I don't know anything about. Is it real magic? Not just hiding a coin in a hidden slot in a box?"

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

Fred frowned.

"Why would you hide a coin in a hidden slot in a box? That doesn't make any sense. No, no--it's real magic here. We've got all kinds! My brother George and I started inventing stuff a few years ago and it went over great with our friends and the other students at our old school. We've got our Skiving Snackboxes," Fred led Willow over to the shelf, "these have Fainting Fancies, Puking Pastilles and Nosebleed Nougat, all good for getting out of class early to pursue leisure activities instead of spending an otherwise wasted hour in some stuffy classroom."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Oh no!" Willow said, looking a little grossed out. "I love classes! I'd never want to get out! And there's nobody I'd want to make throw up or bleed or..." She trailed off for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Okay, one person that I might - well, actually maybe two now. Possibly three. But that's it!"

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

"You sound like Hermione," said Fred. "I never had much use for class. But don't worry--that's not all we have. We've got Canary Creams--they turn you into a giant canary, but it doesn't last but 30 seconds--you molt back into yourself and you're totally fine. We've got trick wands and over here," he said, directing Willow to the window, "are our Pygmy Puffs. Girls seem to like these most." Fred pulled out a white pygmy puff and handed it to Willow.

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Oh it's so cute!!" Willow cried out, her voice immediately doing that girly thing of going up a few octaves at the sight of something so adorable. She petted the puff until it started to purr. "How sweet! Is it alive or just a toy?"

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it's alive," Fred said, smiling. "George and I found they make great pets for busy students on the go--they are easy to take with you, if you like, but they're also very low maintenance." He gestured to the tank, where there were different colored pygmy puffs--pale blue, purple, pink, and more white.

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"I already have a rat," Willow said, absently, even as she went closer to the tank to look at the others. "Do they get along okay with rats? How do you take care of them?"

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

"I haven't heard of any trouble with rats, but I'd expect you want to introduce them slowly, so they have time to get used to each other. Just make sure they get plenty of water and one tablet of Pygmy Puff food a day, and that's about it. Like I said, they're very low maintenance."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

Willow was very sorely tempted. Actually she was tempted to walk out of the store with the entire tank, but point being there was temptation.

"I've got a roommate," she said. "I probably shouldn't bring another pet in until I check with her."

That moment of responsibility taken care of, Willow immediately asked, "Will you be open tomorrow?"

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

Fred grinned.

"I will. Stop in any time. I may ask you some more questions about that web thing--it sounds like it has huge potential." Fred looked at Willow slyly. "Is there a particular pygmy puff I should set aside for you, assuming all is okay with your roommate?"

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

Willow grinned. "Theoretically, I might like a pink one."

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

"I'll bear that in mind, Willow."

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

"Thanks," Willow said. "And I'll happily teach you anything you want to know about computers. I could even make a website for you if you wanted! And maybe you could teach me about magic? Not to steal any of your secrets or anything. I just like to learn. I don't often get a chance to hang out with wizards."

[fredoftheburrow.livejournal.com]

Fred beamed.

"Excellent! Then I look forward to seeing you again soon." Fred bowed Willow out of the shop, waving as she went. Then he closed up for the evening, and went to bed.

[ooc: sorry to end the fun, but it's 11pm here, and my husband is very subtly suggesting (by turning off all the lights) that I come to bed now. =) catch you later!]

[willbedone.livejournal.com]

[ooc: No prob! Going to bed soon m'self, so this worked out just fine =) ]