Gunpowder & Cinnamon {Fred Weasley}

Chapter Thirty Six

"I know she's up to something." Remus confided in his father the next day as he sat in Lyall's home. Lyall was sitting in one of the armchairs with his feet propped up while sipping some freshly squeezed orange juice.

He glanced over at his son and smiled. "So what if she is?"

"I don't want her getting into trouble." Remus said.

"And if she does get into trouble? What are you going to do about it, Remus?"

"I..I don't know. Try to get her out of it. But that's not the point, I don't want her getting into trouble in the first place."

"Oh stop it, Remus. She's young, getting into trouble is what young people do and some of us old folk when we feel up to it." Lyall said. "Sometimes I think you forget how you were when you were young."

Remus looked down at his hand. "I remember when I was younger, but I was in school, I don't know what Eleanor would be doing outside of school...but I certainly don't think she's getting manicures with Sirius and Nixie."

Lyall nearly choked on his juice with laughter. "That's original."

"Dad.."

"Remus,you were once a prankster. She is your daughter, there's no doubt about that. She lives above a prank shop. She works at the prank shop. She's going to marry a prankster. Leave her be. Let her get into trouble, as long as it's not life threatening or going to hurt someone, she's fine."

"Fine, I can accept the fact that she has a mischievous side. But I don't like the fact that she's lying to me."

"You act as though you've never lied. Saint Remus here, ladies and gentlemen."

Remus laughed. "I should have known that you were going to take her side."

"I'm a grandfather it's my job to see that my grandchildren are spoiled and allowed to get away with things that their parents wouldn't let them get away with. Says it all in the paperwork."

"What paperwork?"

"The paperwork you get when you become a grandparent."

"I've never seen this paperwork."

"Of course not, you're not a grandparent....yet."

Remus froze for a second before looking up to his father. "Do you think...you don't think that's what she's hiding from me? Right?"

Lyall shrugged.

"It would make sense that Fred is involved now and George...oh goodness." Remus covered his face with his hands.

Lyall looked to his glass of orange juice.

"Hmmph, definitely thought there would be more pulp in this...pulp is the best part."

"How are you so calm about this?" Remus asked him.

"Because I think you're overreacting. If Eleanor was pregnant, I believe you would be one of the first people besides Fred to know. She wouldn't tell Sirius and Nixie before you. That's just silly. You ought to trust your daughter more, Remus."

"But she's hiding something-"

"And it's probably for good reason."

Halloween had the shop packed that afternoon requiring everyone to be working, even Lee had been recruited to help.

Eleanor had sold several Comb-a-Chameleons, but as soon as she finished helping one customer there was another before her. She was preparing to stick a Headless Hat on and hide for the remainder of the day.

"Where are these people coming from?" Eleanor said to Verity. "Don't people have jobs anymore?"

"Halloween is a great holiday to celebrate." Lee told her. "Young or old."

"That's great and all, but the shop is looking less like a prank shop and more like a riot." Eleanor said.

"Ellie's right." Verity said. "I don't remember it ever being this bad."

"I haven't seen Fred or George in the last hour because there's so many people in here." Eleanor told them.

"Last time I saw one of them, they were by the Creepy Crawlies section."

Eleanor went to respond as she looked over the crowd of people until she saw her grandfather pushing his way through the people.

"Grandpa Lupin?"

Eleanor made her way over to him. "Grandpa, what are you doing here?"

"About to be crushed under the stampede of people, apparently."

"Come on, we'll head up to the flat." she said grabbing his hand and leading him to the stairs.

"I didn't know you were coming here today." Eleanor said before offering him something to drink.

"I'm fine, but thank you. And I really wasn't planning on visiting but..I thought it was best if I did."

"Is something wrong?" Eleanor frowned.

"No, nothings wrong. At least with me, your father on the otherhand-"

"What's wrong with Dad?"

"Oh he's just all worked up that you, my dear, are keeping secrets."

Eleanor's face became red.

"I guess it's true then, you are keeping secrets." Lyall chuckled.

"But it's not like I'm keeping anything bad from him." she said.

"So I'm guessing you're not getting manicures with Sirius and Nixie?"

"No." Eleanor said. "Although we were talking about making it an actual thing."

"Do I get to know what the secret is?"

"Are you going to tell Dad? "

"Not if you don't want me to."

Eleanor sighed as she sat down at the table. " You can't tell him or anyone for that matter."

"I won't. Promise."

"It's to help Dad, it's nothing against him. I'm just hoping that it will help him....every month."

"Are you talking about his lycanthropy?"

Eleanor nodded.

'My dear, you must be very careful when it comes to that. It's very dangerous...I don't think you should be doing anything -"

"We're studying to become animagi." Eleanor interrupted him.

Lyall's eyes widened but then they returned back to normal.

"Well...you're not pregnant then." he began laughing.

The woman stared at her grandfather.

"What?!"

"Your father thinks...but you're actually...oh this is too good."