A.J RYAN IN THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Chapter 37 - New Premises

A.J had only been with Sirius for a couple of hours; mostly talking about James. She had returned just after lunch, when Fred pulled her along to the portrait leading to her office.

He smiled, placing his arms around her.

"You know I won't be here much longer?" Fred said quietly

She nodded.

"About you leaving, I want to show you and George something today."

"What?" Fred started bouncing on his feet.

She laughed. She told him to grab George and meet her at one of the secret passages to Hogsmeade.

Half hour later the three of them were standing in an old shop in Diagon Alley. The walls were lined with empty dusty shelves that reached all the way to the roof. At the back was a darker, smaller room lined with ceiling high shelves. George turned to Fred beaming, and AJ sat on the counter waiting for them to finish looking around.

"Are you sure we can have it?" George asked excited.

A.J looked up from drawing patterns in the dust on the counter and nodded.

"There's a small apartment upstairs too."

Fred and George ran for the stairs out the back. They emerged back downstairs five minutes later.

"How'd you find this place anyway?" Fred asked.

"I know the owner." She shrugged.

"Okay, how much rent do they want?" George asked absently, still looking around admirably.

"Nothing. They'll sign ownership over to you." A.J said matter-of-factly.

Fred and George's looked at her puzzled; "What?"

"The owners wanted out of Diagon Alley immediately. They'll sign the premises over for nothing."

The previous owners did want to sell immediately, but they sold it to A.J. Now she was the one giving it away for nothing.

They still looked apprehensive. A.J sighed; "Here-," She pulled a pile of parchment from under the counter and hovered it over to Fred. "-read the contract yourselves."

They leaned on the counter and signed the paperwork. Fred and George now owned number ninety-three Diagon Alley. A.J waved her wand and a bottle of mead and three glasses appeared.

While the twins stood drinking their mead near some shelves, discussing how they were going to arrange things, A.J was waving her wand over the counter in strange motions. When she was done she beamed happily and lowered her hand to rest by her side.

She turned when she realised the twins had gone quiet. They were staring at her with an amused expression. "What are you doing?" Fred laughed.

She gestured at the counter, "Look, no dust. And there shouldn't be any for a long time."

"There'll be no more dust, ever?" He checked.

"I wouldn't say ever, there's a repelling charm, it will wear off eventually."

"Can you do the whole shop for us?" He asked excitedly.

"Sure."

"My clever witch." Fred wrapped his arms around her. "You know we can leave school anytime now we have premises?"

She nodded.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Fred raised his eyebrows.

She laughed; "I'm not going to stand in the way of what you want."

"Even if it is just a joke shop?"

"It's not just a joke shop..." A.J started defensively, but Fred was laughing.

She sighed as she realised he was goading her.

"Hey do you think we can go shopping in Diagon Alley for a bit?" George gave Fred a meaningful look.

A.J checked her watch.

"Oh yeah, do we have time?" Fred looked at A.J.

She shrugged; "You have an hour, go for it." She settled back on the counter.

"You aren't coming?" Fred asked.

"Nope. Can't stand shopping. Don't worry no one will recognise you two when you look like that." She laughed.

"Look like what?" George asked sceptically, while Fred conjured a small mirror.

"Wicked." Fred nodded at his appearance.

George took the mirror from him and smiled in amusement; "When did you do that?"

Both of their faces looked completely different. Fred had dark brown hair, a rounder, sterner looking face, and George was a short-curly haired blonde with piercing blue eyes.

Fred was staring blankly at his twin; "He doesn't look any different." He said confused.

"Neither do you." George replied.

She had disguised the three of them when they left Hogwarts, but they would look the same to each other. They both turned to A.J, she smiled and waved her wand over them; they appeared to each other the way they now looked to others.

"Wicked." They both nodded.

She waved her wand again; "Try saying each other's name."

"Timmy." George tried to say Fred.

"Alex." Fred tried to say George.

Satisfied that they were sufficiently disguised, she let them go. She worked her way around the shelves removing the dust.

When they returned an hour and fifteen minutes later, A.J was waving a flock of birds around the room.

Fred and George eyed the tiny blue, speckled birds; "What are they?"

"Jobberknoll's. Well an imitation of them." She flicked her wand and the birds disappeared.

She jumped off the bench and looked at them; 'Ready?"

"Their feathers are used as potion ingredients?" George asked.

She nodded.

They arrived back through a secret passage from Hogsmeade and waited until the coast was clear of Filch before they appeared back into the castle.