I was almost running down Diagon Alley, the newspaper clipping clutched tightly in my fist. The store would close for lunch in a few minutes, and I had to get there before they went out for lunch. ‘Had to’ as in I needed rent.

Ninety-two, ninety-four… there it was! Of course, I really didn’t need the sign, or the street number, considering the truly magnificent sign advertising “U-No-Poo�. I stood there a moment, staring at it. I couldn’t believe the nerve of them. It had only been a week since Voldemort’s return became the official policy of the Ministry, since the death of (the apparently innocent) Sirius Black, and the well-deserved vindication of Dumbledore and Harry Potter. I hadn’t had doubts about Voldemort’s return – anyone who had seen the terror in Harry Potter’s eyes couldn’t doubt it for more than a moment. And Black… despite the night the school spent in the Great Hall during my sixth year, I trusted Dumbledore about him. Already, the Weasleys had signs up mocking the whole business. Well, maybe not the whole business. There was a picture of Black in the bottom corner of the window, framed in black crepe.

I tore my eyes away from the window and stood still a moment, mustering my courage. Then I strode up to the storefront, opened the door, and walked through.

I stopped in my tracks once more. The inside of the shop was a treasure trove of small explosions, mobile displays, and slowly revolving shelves. It looked as though a rainbow had vomited all over the interior; there was no-where for the eye to rest. The products packed into every square inch of shelf space made a plethora of noises, whirring, chiming, and even barking like small dogs. I grinned. This place was incedible.

“Come back here, you!� a man shouted, and I saw a small orange ball of fluff rolling through the shelves. A young redheaded man, who cursed as he ran headlong into a display of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, pursued it hotly. I knelt, holding my hands out, and the orange puff rolled into my hand. A small cloud of complete blackness had radiated from the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. The man stumbled out of it, coughing. “Nasty stuff, that,� he muttered. Then he saw me. His face split into a wide grin, and he said loudly, “Welcome to Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, the only shop in Diagon Alley to offer a full range of prankster’s goods and practical jokes! You’ll find everything here you need to prank you friends, torment your enemies, and avoid those bothersome classes. Now, how may I help you?�

“Hello,� I replied. “I’m here about your advertisement – the one you took out in the Prophet?�

He looked me up and down. His eyes lingered on my chest, just like all men’s do. I resisted the urge to cross my arms. “Oh – yes, of course,� he said. He stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m Fred Weasley.�

“Verity Maddox,� I answered, shaking his hand.

“Verity Maddox?� he asked, slightly incredulous. “You went to Hogwarts, didn’t you?�

“Yeah,� I replied, smiling at him. “I left a year before you.�

“Right,� he said. He hadn’t let go of my hand. “I remember you at the Yule Ball. You looked amazing.�

“Thank you,� I said. I tugged on my hand. He got the message and hurriedly released me, glancing down at our hands and then back up at my eyes.

“Here’s your… um… puffball,� I said, holding the orange ball of fluff out to him.

He laughed, taking the puffball from my hand. “Thanks,� he said. “We spent months developing these, I wouldn’t want to lose one.�

“Fred, are you about ready?� another man yelled. “I’m starving!� He came around the shelving and stopped short when he saw me. It was George, the other Weasley twin. “Who’s this, then?� he asked.

“I’m Verity Maddox,� I said, glad that Fred had released my hand.

“George Weasley,� George replied, shaking my hand.

“I’m here about the advertisement you placed in the Prophet,� I said.

“Oh, of course,� George said. “We were just about to leave for lunch, though, so if you could come back this afternoon…�

“She could just get an application now,� Fred said.

George looked at his twin, puzzled. “Fine,� he said. He walked back to the checkout counter and pulled out a tight roll of parchment. He handed it to me. “Come back here at two, with this.�

“And we’ll have an interview with you,� Fred finished.

“Thank you,� I said, smiling widely at them both. “I’ll see you later.�

“See you,� Fred and George replied in unison.

I sat at one f the outside tables at Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour while I filled out the application for Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. I hoped Florean wouldn’t mind.

Some of the questions puzzled me – “On a scale of one to ten, how would you describe your pranking threshold?� – but I managed to fill the application out without too much incident. At one-thirty I had answered all but two of the questions. I scribbled out answers to those two and walked down the street to number 93. I wanted to be there waiting for the twins when they got back.

I reached the storefront at a quarter to two and sat on the windowsill, waiting. I ignored the hunger pangs that rose now that I wasn’t preoccupied. I didn’t have money for food. That was why I needed this job so badly – I was almost a month behind on rent, and I hadn’t eaten more than a cheese sandwich for almost a week.

“Verity!� called a man’s voice. I turned, my stomach filling with dread.

“What is it, Larry?� I asked resignedly.

Larry stumbled over. He hadn’t shaved. His hair was blond, though at the moment you couldn’t tell. He reeked of Firewhiskey and cheap perfume. “Why aren’t you at the Kneazle Paw anymore?�

“Because sick perverts like yourself kept trying to stick their hands up my shirt. Go away, I’m busy,� I said, hoping the crabby tone would be enough to get him to leave.

“Surely you’re not too busy to talk to your old friend Larry?� Larry grinned, showing a mouthful of yellowed and rotting teeth.

“I’m always too busy to talk to you, Larry.� I craned my neck, looking up the street for the twins. Maybe coming back early hadn’t been a good idea after all.

“Oh, come off it,� Larry laughed. “What are you doing here, anyway?� He looked up at the Weasleys’ shop. “You going to work for a couple of blood traitors?� Larry asked, laughing harder.

“They aren’t blood traitors,� I said, now honestly angry. “Get out of here, Larry, or I swear I’ll –“

“You’ll do what?� Larry leered. “You ain’t going to do nothing.�

“Larry –�

“Come with me,� Larry said in a voice that was clearly supposed to be enticing. “I know a sweet spot up the way a bit, where you can get away from the blood traitors….�

“Larry, I’m not going with you. Leave me alone!� I snapped.

Larry grabbed my upper arm, pulling me harshly off the windowsill. “You’re coming, you little bint, and if you say one more thing I’ll –�

“What are you doing?� Fred Weasley said furiously, seizing Larry by the shoulder.

George yanked Larry’s hand off my arm and pulled me toward the shop. “Are you okay?� he asked.

I took a couple of breaths before answering. “Yeah, I’m fine.�

When he saw I was safe, Fred shoved Larry further into the street. As the neighbors stared, George unlocked the shop door and walked inside. Fred placed a hand on my back and guided me in ahead of him. As he walked in behind me, I glanced over my shoulder. Larry was sprawled in the middle of the street, a couple of shop owners watching him from their windows in distaste.

“What was that all about?� George demanded.

“He’s just an idiot,� I said, not wanting to get into that whole fiasco.

“He seemed to know you pretty well,� Fred said, his voice tight with anger.

I sighed. I really didn’t want to talk about it. “My last job was at this really dodgy pub in Knockturn Alley. He was a regular there, and he and his mates used to try and get me to do them favours. I stopped working there two months back.�

“Oh.� Clearly this hadn’t been what either Fred or George was expecting. They looked at each other, and then George asked, “Did you ever do them favours?�

“No, of course not,� I said. I didn’t pretend horror that they would suspect I had.

“We’ll hire you,� Fred said suddenly. “Are you a hard worker?�

“I was in Hufflepuff,� I said, as if that was all the answer he needed.

“Fred, don’t you think we should at least look at her application first?� George said.

“Here it is,� I told him, pulling the scroll out of my pocket. He took it, unrolled it, and looked it over. He raised his eyebrows at something, finished reading, and then handed it over to Fred.

Fred read the parchment. He looked at me. “Why haven’t you listed a reference for your last job?� he asked.

I shrugged. “Like I said, it was really dodgy. I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea about me because of where I worked before.�

George nodded. “If that’s the kind of client you typically served, I can understand that.� He studied me. “If you’re working here, will that git you were talking to come in and bother customers?�

I shook my head. “He shouldn’t. I think he just bothered me today because I was out in the open.“

“Your application is quite impressive,� Fred said, holding it up. “George?� he asked, looking at his twin.

“I don’t like this. But I can’t think of a good reason why not,� George said after a moment of eye contact with Fred. He turned his eyes to me. “We’ll give you a try. Two weeks.�

“Then we’ll evaluate and decide if we’d like to keep you on. Okay?� inquired Fred.

I nodded, feeling a grin spreading across my face. “Sounds great.�

“Be here at eight o’clock tomorrow,� Fred ordered. “We open the doors at nine. Our uniform is black robes.�

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll be here.�

I’d be there by a quarter to eight.

* * *

I left the front entrance of the Leaky Cauldron and walked north along the street in Muggle London. I’d begun renting a Muggle flat about a month before beginning my job at the Paw. The rent was cheaper, in general, in the Muggle parts of town than in Diagon Alley. My robes were in the bag slung across my chest. I had taken advantage of the loos in the Leaky Cauldron to change out of my skirt and into a more conventional combination of jeans and t-shirt.

I turned right, left, went straight a few blocks, and then turned right again. My building was the third along the street. I climbed the stairs to almost the top floor, stuck my key in the lock, and went inside.

The room was tiny. My bed took up one corner, my dresser another. A mirror hung on the wall, next to a plain door that led to my bathroom, which barely fit a toilet, sink, and shower. My kitchen was small. It had a fridge empty but for a liter of milk and a block of cheese, a sink, and a stove.

I sat on the bed and took off my shoes. I couldn’t believe I had needed Fred and George to pull Larry off of me. Weren’t witches supposed to be empowered by magic? Not even pulling my wand out was a stupid mistake, even by my standards. I was painfully aware of the fact that I’d only earned four O.W.L.s, only one of them an Exceeds Expectations. I was terrified when the twins found out, they would sack me. But this train of thought wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

I picked my book up off the floor, lay back, and began to read. It was a Muggle book by a lady called Jane Austen, who had lived in the eighteenth century. I’d found it in a bin on my nightly walk from the Leaky Caudron to my flat. I was just to the part where Elizabeth, the protagonist, overhears Mr. Darcy, the rather annoying hero, discussing her with his friend. I read for about an hour, listening to the cars go past outside, before my stomach gurgled loudly.

I checked my watch. It was four-thirty. I could eat dinner now.

I got up, went into the kitchen, and pulled the bread out of a cupboard. I sliced off a piece of cheese and folded a piece of bread onto it. I sat on the counter and ate my sandwich. I was still hungry afterwards. I hesitated, and then made myself another. I eyed the milk in the fridge. It was on its way to spoiling, and I was starting a new job tomorrow. What the hell.

When I was finished with the milk, I decided to get ready for the morning. Fred had said to wear black robes as part of the uniform. I pulled open the top drawer of my dresser, digging around. It was as I had suspected. The only black robes I owned were my Hogwarts robes, complete with embroidered badge. I slipped into them, fastening the front and then looking at myself in the mirror. The robes fit a good bit more loosely than they had when I wore them last. I would manage. I looked again at the Hogwarts insignia on the front. I could get that off, if I was careful. I sat down on my bed with the robes and a pair of scissors, clipping individual threads until I could pull the badge away, and then cutting the remaining threads holding it to the robes. I was pleased that I didn’t leave a hole.

At nine o’clock I cleaned my teeth, put on my pyjamas, set my alarm, and went to bed. I had a big day tomorrow, and there was no way I was going to screw this up.

I ran through an open plain in Africa, watching the animals around me. A family of lions basked on a large rock formation, the cubs chasing each other’s tails as the adults napped. A herd of gazelles stood by a large pond drinking, while a flock of flamingoes picked around in the centre of the pond. Far to my left, a large purple elephant trumpeted rhythmically.

A purple elephant…

Shit!

My eyes popped open: it was already ten past five. I rolled out of bed and raced into the bathroom, pulling off my pyjamas as I went. I jumped into the shower and rushed through shampooing and scrubbing down, then toweled off and fairly leaped into the lilac turtleneck and black slacks I would wear that day. I glanced at the clock again – it was nearly six. I had only an hour before I needed to leave. My hair would not be dry for a while yet, and I was too scared of melting it to use a Heating Charm.

After eating breakfast and brushing my teeth, I put my empty wallet into my bag with my robes, looked around for anything I had missed, and left the flat, locking the door behind me.

I arrived at The Leaky Cauldron just as Tom the landlord was unlocking the front doors at seven-thirty. “May I help you?� he asked as I swept past him.

“I’m just going to the Weasleys’,� I called over my shoulder. I took a sharp right into the loo and pulled my black uniform robes on over my slacks and sweater. Once again I was forcibly reminded of the weight I’d lost since leaving Hogwarts.

I looked in the mirror and cringed. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to get it in some kind of order. Without thinking, I first pulled it into a ponytail. I don’t know why; maybe my Hogwarts robes had made me forget about the last year. Then I turned to inspect the ponytail, and the scar across the back of my neck brought me back to reality. I finally ended up with my hair mostly down, so it covered my neck, but with just enough up to keep it out of my face.

I left the Leaky Cauldron, tapped on the correct brick above the trash bin behind the pub, and strolled down Diagon Alley. I kept trying to pull my mind away from the scar, and the evening I’d become its owner, but it just kept returning. It was my last night working at the Kneazle Paw, pouring drinks for a few of our regulars. Larry and his mates were drunk, of course – were they ever not drunk? – and sitting at the bar behind me. Larry was particularly cross that night because I hadn’t sat on his lap when he asked me to.

I was handling the drinks for two boys who probably weren’t old enough for them, one blonde and pointy-faced, and the other dark-skinned. Larry decided it was time for his next round, and he tapped his bottle on the counter to tell me so. When I didn’t listen right away, he got my attention by throwing the bottle at me.

I managed to get myself out of these thoughts just as I reached Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. I smoothed one hand over my hair, straightened my robes, and walked inside.

One of the twins – was it George? No, Fred, I decided, as he grinned at me – was standing on a tall ladder by the window display, hanging a banner that advertised a sale on Harry Potter’s birthday.

“Morning, Verity,� Fred said warmly.

“Morning, Mr. Weasley,� I answered.

He checked his watch. “You’re early,� he said, somewhat surprised.

I smiled at him. “Yes, well, I thought it might be a good idea.�

Fred climbed down off the ladder and brushed off his palms on the front of his robes. “Why don’t I show you how to clock in, and then you can get started?� he suggested.

I shrugged good-naturedly. I grinned at him, trying to push as much charm as I could into the expression. “Sounds great.�

“Great,� Fred said. He led me back through the shop, winding through shelves and displays. We reached the register. Behind it was a wooden door, plainer than I would have expected for the office of a Weasley twin. Fred went through without hesitation; I paused, but he beckoned me through.

George looked up from his desk, apparently halfway through listing inventory. “Morning, Verity,� he said pleasantly.

“Good morning, Mr. Weasley,� I replied, trying not to sound too eager.

Fred gestured at a table next to the door. “This is where you’ll clock in each day. “ He pulled a card from a drawer and wrote my name on it with a quill. His handwriting was compact, slightly messy, with only minor embellishments – the kind of writing you’d expect to see on a diagram of some great invention. “Just tap this with your wand when you come and go, and it’ll automatically record the time.� He pointed at the wall behind me. I turned and saw several hooks in a row. “You can hang your cloak and bag there.�

“What’re you going to have her do, Fred?� George asked.

“Well, I was thinking that since we’ve received that new shipment – “

“Of love potions, yes, she could place those in – “

“The window, I was thinking, since they’re a –“

“New product, right, and maybe we should feature them.�

George shrugged. “Sounds good to me.�

I glanced between them, slightly flabbergasted. “Do you two always do that?� I asked.

They exchanged a look and laughed sheepishly. “Yeah,� George replied. “I’ve heard it can –“

“Get quite irritating,� Fred finished.

I grinned. “I don’t mind it.�

Fred smiled back. “Good. Come on, let’s get you started.�

He took me to the storeroom in the very back of the store. He handed me a large box. Despite its volume, the box wasn’t that heavy.

“I thought you made all your own products?� I asked.

“Oh, we do,� he answered, sounding surprised at my question. “That is, we formulate everything and make prototypes for testing. A workshop in Lancashire mass-produces some of the more time-consuming things. Love potions, for instance.�

I nodded. “I see.�

“You need to put these on display in the front window. We’re not expecting it to look incredible, just make it look nice.�

“Okay,� I said. I turned and left the storeroom, weaving through shelves. I was very careful not to knock any products off shelves with my large box. Finally I reached the large front window. I set the box down and examined what I had to work with. Not much; the entire windowsill was covered with red velvet, but there was very little decoration apart from that. I opened the box and pulled out one of the small bottles packaged therein. I set it on the windowsill and examined it skeptically. Did they really expect me to make an impressive window display out of a piece of velvet?

I stood there a minute, trying to decide what to do. Should I go and tell them I couldn’t do it? No, I decided immediately; they already had enough doubts about me.

I strode back through the shop to the storeroom. More boxes of products were stacked around the walls, but a glimmer of silver in one corner caught my eye. I crossed the room and carefully removed boxes from the corner, uncovering a tiered silver display stand. Jackpot!

I restacked the boxes and carried my display stand into the main area of the shop. I placed it in the free space of the window, next to the Pygmy Puff cage, then arranged the bottles in the box on the tiers. The lightest pink bottles, “WonderWitch’s Desirous Daydreams�, went on top, a magenta shade (“WonderWitch’s Flirtatious Fantasies�) on the middle tier, and bottles with scarlet labels (“WonderWitch’s Lusty Loving�) on the bottom tier. A smaller box was in the bottom of the box that had held the potions; I opened it and then scattered the contents, tins of “WonderWitch’s Ten-Second Pimple Remover�, on the velvet around the tiered display.

A wooden floorboard creaked behind me. I turned to see Fred approaching through the shelves. “Hello, Mr. Weasley,� I said.

“Hi, Verity,� he replied. He stood beside me and examined my display. “Well done. Very well done; I’m impressed.�

I grinned. “Thank you, Mr. Weasley.�

“We’re going to refill the storeroom soon,� Fred said. “Would you distribute cases of the products throughout the store, on the shelves above where they’re kept, please? Get the storeroom as empty as you can.�

I nodded. “Okay.�

I worked on this for several hours, as the store opened and the twins began their business day. People came into the shop in spurts; from my perch atop a ladder, I watched the trends of people coming and going. At noon, just as I was finishing up, there was a lull in the crowd. I descended the ladder and went to the storeroom, emerging with the last boxes, which held Decoy Detonators.

By now, I had learned the placement of most of the products; these were in a smaller, back room of the shop. I grabbed the ladder from the shelf where I had left it and awkwardly carried the boxes and the ladder to the back room.

I had just placed the first box of Decoy Detonators and was going down the ladder for the other when it happened. The accident I had been dreading all day. I stepped on the hem of my robe, slipped on the rung of the ladder, and fell, grabbing wildly for the ladder. It seemed to take an eternity to fall a few feet.

I landed squarely on the box of Decoy Detonators. They exploded under me, rocketing off in all directions, letting off a deafening cacophony of trumpet blasts. I suppose I must have screamed; one of the Decoy Detonators got trapped in my hair and kept trying to escape, pulling hair out by the root and shooting off sparks.

Two pairs of pounding feet echoed on the floorboards of the shop. The twins raced into the back room. On the floor, I groaned. I was about to be fired, I knew it. Fired after one morning.

Instead, both twins surprised me. “Are you okay?� they asked in unison. Fred reached down and helped me to stand; then George patted me on the back.

“I’m so sorry,� I gasped. “I slipped on the ladder and fell – I’m really sorry.�

“It’s okay,� Fred said. “It was an accident.�

George didn’t say anything, but just looked at me.

**

We took a lunch break, at least the twins did – I just tried to stay out of the street for the time being. Something told me that yesterday hadn’t been my last encounter with Larry. I went into Flourish & Blotts and spent the time looking at books, on occasion pulling a linen- or leather-bound volume off the shelf and wishing I had the money to buy it.

When I returned to the Weasleys’ shop, I knew immediately that something was wrong. A tension hung in the air that hadn’t been there when I arrived that morning.

I walked back to the office, just in time to hear George snap, “She’s a liability, Fred! She destroyed ten Galleons’ worth of merchandise just this morning.�

“But look at the job she did on that window display,� Fred insisted. “Besides, you’ve never fallen off a ladder?�

There was a long pause. Finally George replied, “Fine. We’ll keep her on, but if I see her screw up again…�

Suddenly, the door opened and Fred left the office. I just stood in front of the counter, my eyes wide as Galleons.

Fred stopped short, also looking shocked. “Oh – hello, Verity.�

“Hello, Mr. Weasley,� I replied, my voice shaking.

Fred simply stood there a moment. Finally, he asked, “Did – did you hear any of that?�

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

George appeared in the doorway behind Fred. His face didn’t assume Fred’s shocked expression, but his eyebrows did contract sharply. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, Verity,� he said. “We don’t have any plans to –“

“—dismiss you,� Fred finished, recovering his composure. “The incident with the Decoy Detonators this morning –

“Was disappointing, yes, but everyone makes mistakes,� George said. I noticed with some irritation that he was quite a lot more forgiving than he had been hardly a minute or so ago.

I smiled. “Well, that’s a relief,� I said. The steadiness of my own voice surprised me.

“Why don’t you come in and get back on the clock, then we’ll find you something to do,� George suggested.

I nodded and stepped past Fred toward the door. George walked back into the office; I followed. As I leaned over the table that held the time cards, a lock of my hair fell over my shoulder. I began to brush it back, until I noticed that the ends were charred.

I turned to face the twins. “Does this ever happen to you?� I asked, holding up the charred bit of hair.

Fred laughed lightly. “Yeah, actually. Bit of an occupational hazard.�

I shrugged, not letting on how much this had shocked me, or how much the loss of my hair meant. “Guess I’d better get used to it, then.�

Fred nodded. “Come find me when you’re ready; I’m sure I’ll have something for you to do.� He turned and left the office.

I hung up my bag on my hook as George returned to his desk. I heard his pen scratching behind me; then he muttered, “Two forty-seven plus two twenty-six…�

“Four hundred seventy-three,� I said automatically.

He looked up at me. “What?�

I shrugged. “Two hundred forty-seven plus two hundred twenty-six is four hundred seventy-three.�

“Can you always do that?� he asked. I made a motion somewhere between a nod and a shrug. “What’s six hundred thirteen plus three ninety-two?�

“One thousand five.� I spoke with more confidence than I ever had around George.

He took a second to figure it out, then smiled at me. “Wait here. I’ve got to tell Fred.�

He swept out of the office. I heaved a sigh of relief. Maybe I wouldn’t be getting the bag after all.