It's Better If You Do

Bellamy clasped her hands together as she stared at the dusty room in front of her. First, she would mentally chart out where everything would go before she did any heavy lifting. She wondered if the brothers had many cauldrons, or if she would have to use hers. Never mind that, she thought to herself, I’d prefer to use my own things anyways. With that though, she turned and made her way up the stairs to the flat. Bellamy glanced over the room once more before walking over to her trunk. Quickly, she pushed aside her numerous amount of shoes and pulled out all the things she would need to have a proper potions set.

She silently commended herself for packing her collapsible cauldron, instead of the clunky pewter one she preferred. The trip back down the stairs, with her arms full of things, was an easy one because of that decision. Setting her things down on the floor, out of the way of the doorframe, she began to set up everything. She set an old leather beside her as she shook her collapsible cauldron back into shape and placed it upon the brace, so it’d be suspended over a flame, once she found one that is.

Once she was pleased with her arrangements, she popped open the old, tan leather briefcase, exposing rows upon rows of tiny glass bottles, filled with every potion ingredient imaginable. She figured the Weasley Twins had stores limited to ingredients they needed for potions they used in their store. If she was going to be doing any sort of innovating or improving current products, she’d need much more than that. Bellamy tapped her fingers on the sides of her cauldron, trying to think of something to work on that she didn’t see in the store. Despite the fact that Fred and George had found use in both of the sisters, she felt the overwhelming need to prove herself even further. She would be no help with any charm work or even sales, though she had made at least one, so she needed to absolutely excel in her potions work.

An idea suddenly struck her and she grinned widely before she pulled a small burner from her briefcase and placed it under the cauldron. Hurriedly, she began to gather up all the ingredients she would need for the potion she had in mind. No matter how many people thought potions was boring, or simple enough if you followed directions, Bellamy found great joy in putting ingredients together in a way that caused a desired outcome.

Bellamy sat, with her legs curled over to one side, and toiled over the potion for hours upon hours. Her hair had become quite frizzy with the humidity the potion and had it not been pulled back, it would have appeared to have become a bird’s nest. She gave the finished potion a few stirs before sighing heavily and sitting back, reducing the flame underneath it so it would keep the potion at a low temperature.

“What’s that?” A voice asked suddenly and Bellamy jumped and gasped in surprise. She had focused so much on brewing the potion correctly that she hadn’t taken notice of anyone entering the room. Placing a hand over her heart, which was thumping like a rabbit against her ribcage, she glanced over to the doorway, seeing the Weasley twins wearing matching grins.

“It doesn’t look much like the bangers and mash you promised us for dinner,” Fred said as he leaned over the cauldron. Bellamy frowned a bit and let out a heavy sigh, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest.

“She promised bangers and mash?” George asked, looking a bit intrigued. Fred nodded and looked over at Bellamy.

“Yes, I did…but I don’t have any ingredients, or any that I know of, to cook with, so I’ll have to go to the market and fetch a few things,” she said softly. She glanced down to the cauldron at her feet and drew in a deep breath. “And this,” Bellamy motioned to the cauldron, “is a powerful sleeping draught.” Fred and George stared at her hesitantly, so she continued. “Well…I noticed you guys didn’t have anything like this. So thought…maybe…you could start a line called Sleeping Sweets. It won’t kill you, nor is it as powerful as the Draught of Living Death, but it should knock someone out cold for a few hours. I know they’re kind of like your Skiving Snackboxes, maybe they could be included in that whole…product line…but they’d be like…lollipops or… miniature cupcakes…” She let her voice die off slowly as she bit her bottom lip, noticing that the twins were looking at her in awe.

Bellamy looked genuinely scared as she glanced between the two of them. Swallowing hard, she looked away, curling her lips in and biting them. This was it, she had gone out on a limb for them and they were going to throw her creativity back into her face. “Or…I could just…dump this down the drain and stick to love potions…”

“Now why would we make you do such a thing as that?” Fred asked, causing her to look up suddenly in surprise.

“I think it’s a brilliant idea, Fred. What do you think? Should we add these ‘Sleeping Sweets’ to the Skiving Snackboxes?” George asked, looking over to his twin with a wide smile. Fred returned the smile before looking back to Bellamy.

“Of course! I think they’d be a wonderful addition to the line,” he said with a nod to Bellamy, who appeared to be suppressing a bit of a smile. “When will they be ready?” He asked, rubbing his hands together.

“Well…first we’ll need to decide on whether to use the lollipops or the miniature cupcakes, then I’ll purchase the ingredients needed for them when I go and get what we need for supper. Then we’ll have to extensively test them to make sure their safe for consumption and aren’t too powerful,” she said, glancing between the twins as she spoke. “We don’t need any angry parents barging in, complaining about how their children are asleep all the time to get out of chores.” Both Fred and George spare her a laugh and shook their heads. George suddenly smirked and looked over at Bellamy.

“Do you mean to tell me that you haven’t already tested it out on Rose?” He asked, raising a brow. Bellamy frowned a bit and shook her head.

“No,” she said softly, before a severely frightened look came over her features. “Why?” She asked breathlessly and walked over to the door with great speed, Fred and George following behind her. Fred and George merely stood behind her as she ripped open the curtain. Fred pointed over her shoulder to the blonde girl sleeping on the second floor banister. Letting out a heavy sigh, she murmured the words, “Bénis son cœur. Elle a vécu assez pour un jour.*” Quietly, she made her way up the staircases, Fred and George watching her every move. She stopped beside her sister and gently placed a hand on her back.

“Rose,” she said softly, gently shaking the younger girl. Rose’s eyes fluttered open and George was only slightly surprised at how easily she was woken. Rose straightened up from the banister, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she yawned widely. “I’m going to go to the market a get things for supper. Do you need anything?” Rose groggily shook her head and Bellamy snickered a bit at the frizzy mess her sister’s hair had become. Smoothing her hand over it, she tamed it just a bit. “Well…I’ll be back soon enough,” she said with a nod.

Bellamy turned and carefully descended the stairs, stopping just in front of Fred and George. Cutting her eyes, she glanced between the two of them before pinching Fred’s sleeve between her fingers and began to pull him, with a remarkable amount of force, out of the shop. “You’re coming with me,” she said brusquely, and in a low enough tone that neither of the twins challenged her, as she tugged him behind her. Fred shot George an extremely frightened look as Bellamy pulled him sharply out of the front door.