A/N: Two updates within a week? Who am I? Clearly I've started the "productive" part of my quarantine. This chapter did not exist until about a week ago. But I think it turned out pretty cute and fits in nicely. Enjoy!

"George asked me to go into the shop today. The holiday crowds are picking up and they need all the help they can get," Ron said. "I'm so sorry, but I'll be back before dinner—"

"Can I come with you?"

Ron paused in packing up his lunch. "Come with me where?"

"To the shop."

Ron looked at her blankly. "George's shop?"

"Unless you're working at some other shop," Hermione said wryly.

"I er…why?" asked Ron.

"To see you work."

"It's not that interesting."

She sighed at him impatiently and secretly it lifted his spirits. She'd seemed much more herself in the last day or two, enough so that he felt all right about going back to work. "You always downplay yourself Ron, you need to stop doing that. I haven't been to the shop in months, I think it would be interesting to see you and George working."

"Don't you think you should stay here and rest?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well it's not like I'll be dancing ballet and using defensive spells all over is it? I'll just sit quietly in your office."

Ron snorted. "You have never sat quietly anywhere."

She frowned at him. "I'm coming with you. I'll be ready in five minutes."

He threw his hands up and called after her, "We don't need to leave for half an hour!"

They apparated directly into his office. "It's er…not very clean right now," said Ron, as he hurriedly attempted to straighten a stack of papers on his desk.

"Is it ever clean?" she asked with a knowing smile. "I know this is how you work. It's not my preference but if it works for you then…that's fine."

"Oh. Thanks," he said.

"Ron, did you—oh, hello Hermione," said George as he stuck his head in the office.

"Hi George," she said.

"Feeling better then?"

"A bit yes."

"Good. That's good. Are you finally leaving that blasted school and taking a job here?" he asked with a grin.

"I think we can all agree my temperament isn't exactly suited for a joke shop."

"Too right," George said. "Ron, did you get the invoices for that big order from last week?"

"They were supposed to owl them over last night," Ron said. "I'll check with Daisy."

"Great, leave them on my desk when you've got them."

"Will do."

"Good to see you Hermione," said George, tossing her a last smile before he disappeared back into the hallway.

"Come on then, I'll give you the tour before we open," Ron said, taking her hand and leading her onto the balcony hallway that overlooked the store. "So that's my office, obviously. And then George's is down there, he's got the window, git."

"Oi! It's my bloody shop!" George yelled from somewhere out of sight.

"Yeah, yeah." Ron rolled his eyes. "So then this is the workshop."

He opened the door between the two offices to reveal an absolutely enormous workroom. Several long tables ran down the center with all sort of experiments and bits and bobs along them. Unlike Ron's office this was extremely neat and tidy. "So this is where George works on new product. I wouldn't touch anything," he said hastily as she stepped closer to the first table.

"This is fascinating," Hermione said excitedly. "George really is a genius, some of the things in here are absolutely incredible magic."

"Yeah he spends a fair amount of time in here," said Ron. "Loves fiddling around. I think he sleeps here sometimes."

There was a touch of worry in his voice but he quickly moved past it. "Come on. I want to show you the floor."

They walked down the spiral staircase to the main floor of the shop, which was even grander than Hermione remembered. Everything was bedecked in Christmas decorations; wreaths that twinkled and changed color, spinning Christmas trees on every counter, and a massive sign that flashed Naughty or Nice when someone stood underneath it. Hermione suspected it might be rigged when she walked by and it flashed "Very Naughty" at her and recommended some adult-only products. "You've moved the registers," she observed.

"Yeah, I thought with the layout it might be better for traffic flow through the shop," said Ron. "And it's closer to the stock room so if we have to pull something from there for a customer it goes a lot quicker."

"Seems like a good choice."

The front door opened, letting in a blast of cold air and a young woman with curly blonde hair stepped inside. "Good morning Mr. Weasley," she said, unwrapping her scarf.

"Morning Daisy. And it's just Ron," he said. "This is my girlfriend, Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is our head clerk Daisy."

"Oh it's so lovely to meet you!" said Daisy brightly, shaking Hermione's hand. "Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley have talked so much about you. Mr. Weasley the most obviously."

"Er, right," said Hermione. "Lovely to meet you as well."

"Well I'll just get on with opening procedures then Mr. Weasley," said Daisy, scurrying away.

"Does that get confusing, her calling you and George both Mr. Weasley?" Hermione asked as they walked back upstairs.

"Incredibly," said Ron. "We've told her to call us Ron and George but she just won't. Personally I think she can't remember which of us is which. But she's really good with customers and keeps a cool head so we just let her go."

As soon as the shop opened it was flooded with people. Hermione could hear the din from upstairs in the office as Ron worked and she sat quietly, sometimes reading a book, but mostly just watching him. It was mesmerizing. Never before had she seen him so confident, so sure of himself. A great lump of pride lodged itself in her chest as she watched him deal with bills, sort out a mess of an order form, and bicker with George about the price of a large shipment of Doxie dung.

"Mr. Weasley?" Daisy poked her head into the office.

"You can call me Ron, Daisy," he reminded her again.

"Right, well, Angus just sent an owl, he's ill and won't be in today, which means we're short two clerks since Eloise already left for her holiday."

Ron nodded. "I'll come down in just a minute."

Hermione closed her book. "You're going to help downstairs?"

"Yeah sometimes when the shop is crazed George and I take turns running the front. What?" he asked when she continued to look at him.

"I'm just so proud of you," she said, instantly making his ears go red. "I always knew you could do something like this and here you are just…doing it all so wonderfully."

"Er, thanks."

Hermione stood at the railing of the walkway and watched as Ron filled orders, took payments, and restocked the shelves even as dozens of customers continued to pour into the shop. "Ma'am," he said calmly, "I understand that you don't like the smell of the product your son bought, but he did buy it and it is intended to stink up your entire home in less than five seconds. It says so right on the packaging."

"Well why was it sold to him in the first place?" the woman yelled. "He's a child!"

"Ma'am we can't control the products our patrons buy except for our items specifically labeled ages seventeen and up, which Weasley's Fantastic Farting Fumigators are not."

"My house has been stinking for a week!"

"Again, I'm terribly sorry that you don't like the product. I'm just going to have you go see Daisy right there and she's going to process a full refund for you, all right?"

"Well," the woman grumbled, "that's just fine then I suppose."

"Excellent, right to the register then. Happy Christmas and all that. Daisy! Full refund! I'm heading back upstairs all right?"

"Candy cane?"

George leaned up against the railing next to her, the offered sweet in his hand. Hermione had been on the receiving end of enough Weasley pranks that she knew better. She raised her eyebrows at him. "What flavor is it? Liver or something?"

"Actually it's dirty socks, but good guess," said George with a grin. "Like what you see?" He nodded toward the floor where Ron was now helping a little boy reach something on a top shelf.

Hermione smiled as six boxes fell and Ron tried to catch them all at once. "He's doing a brilliant job."

"I don't know what I'd have done without him all these months," said George. "Without—" he swallowed, "you know. It's just been good that he's here."

He looked sideways at Hermione. "Don't go telling him that though he'll get all big headed and think he deserves a raise or something."

"You could just tell him you know," Hermione said. "It might do you both some good to speak your minds for once."

George's gaze softened. "He knows." He straightened. "I was kidding, it's Christmas pudding flavored," he said, handing Hermione the candy cane.

He walked away and she gave it a sniff. It certainly smelled all right, but heaven knew it would probably make her turn into a Christmas tree or something.

Ron bounded back up the stairs around lunchtime when the crowd died down a bit, stopping short when he saw Hermione standing at the railing. "I thought you were reading."

"It was more fun to watch you," she said.

"All in a day's work," said Ron. "We here at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes aim to please or your money back."

"Is that George's idea?"

"Actually it's mine. Got to give the customer what they want, even if they're wrong. Besides, I'd rather lose a couple sickles than have raging customers in here all day. Not good for business to have people yelling about what a nightmare our products can be."

"That seems very wise."

"Well I have been known to do all right on occasion. Apparently I do a bit better when I can sort of be my own boss."

She kissed him on the cheek. "I always knew you would be brilliant. I'm glad I got to see it for myself."

Ron's ears turned red. "What's that you've got?" he said, hastily changing the subject.

Hermione held up the candy cane. "George gave it to me."

"You didn't eat it did you?"

"No. I'm a bit smarter than that."

"Good. It'll turn your tongue green and make you do nothing but sing carols the rest of the day."

A/N: Leave your love in the reviews!