Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment before she understood. "An Auror? Well, I think you'd make a brilliant Auror. I have a friend who's about to become an Auror. When you get old enough, you just let me know and I'll put in a good word for you. I'm sure he'd love to have you with him." She smiled when he took a step closer to the table.

"You mean Harry Potter? Is he here?"

She shook her head sadly. "No, he couldn't make it today. He's making sure everyone else is safe. Though, he'd probably be pretty embarrassed that you look like a better Auror than he does. Did your mum help you with your costume?" He nodded. "Well, I think it's very nice." She reached over and grabbed another bag. "Do you want some candy?"

"Do I have to kiss you for it?"

"No."

He paused. "Can I kiss you for it?"

She laughed and nodded. "Sure." She pointed to her cheek and turned her head. "Put a big one right here." She grinned when he darted forward and pecked her, pulling away to look at the ground. She held out the bag of candy. "What's your name?"

"Thomas."

"Well, Thomas, I'll make sure to let Harry know to look out for you in a few years, alright?"

He nodded before smiling and rushing off.

Fred was excited about Ginny's booth for the clinic.  He felt full to bursting with pride for his baby sister, and when he'd heard about her advertising idea, he realized she wasn't likely to need as much of his help as he might have thought.  She had her own ideas and knew how to put them into motion.  It was with a bit of spring in his step, causing the bells on his hat to jingle, that he sidled up to her, leaning against the side of the booth and grinning through his <a href="http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs8/i/2005/301/e/f/Jester_by_DaFotoGuy.jpg">face paint</a>.

"I feel like I ought to scold you for all this kissing, but for one it's brilliant, and two, I don't think any of this lot has designs on you, so I'll behave myself, for now."  He pulled two small boxes from his pocket, removing the shrinking charms with a tap of his wand and opening them to reveal a collection of brightly-colored Whirlagigs, specially charmed to project the words 'Healing Hands of Hogsmeade' as they spun.  "Thought I'd stick my nose into your advertising, just a bit."

Ginny stood, coming around the side of the table to hug Fred. "Fred! These are brilliant." She pulled back, holding one of the twirling things in her hands. "The kids will love these." She looked over at him with an eyebrow raised. "What would you like as payment?"

"That was the idea," Fred agreed, wrapping his arms around Ginny and giving her a squeeze.  He stuck his tongue out at her question.  "Not a bloody thing!  I'm dead chuffed over this whole clinic business and I felt like monkeying around a while, so I did those up."  Tugging a lock of her hair affectionately, he added, "Besides, I had to make sure no one was getting cheeky with my baby sister, what with the kissing booth set up."

She pulled back and smiled at him. "I think your costume is amazingly appropriate by the way." She laughed as she poked him in the ribs. "If I had you around to make me laugh at a moments notice, I'd never be sad again." Ginny sighed, looking around at the bustle going on. Kids were running through the streets. It reminded her of Hogsmeade trips during school. Third years running around like they were first years, giggling when they passed Madam Puddifoots'. "I'm glad you approve of the booth. I'm hoping it's busier tonight. When the people with money are about."

Executing a dramatic bow, jingling head and foot, Fred quipped, "Everyone still ought to recognize me, even.  I'm glad to be of service, madame... today, laughs are my game."  He followed Ginny's gaze, watching the children dodging to and fro, horsing around when their parents' backs were turned.  "It ought to be," he contemplated aloud.  "It's a regular society to-do for some people, from what I've heard around Diagon this past week... "

Ginny nodded. She was really hoping this would help the clinic. She'd never admit it to Fred, but she was desperately worried about how they'd do. Blaise was right, she was worrying for nothing, but she was having a hard time convincing the knot in her stomach of this fact. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking sideways at Fred. "Mum told me you owled her finally."

"I did.  Had to get her birthday gift to her, anyway," Fred said, shrugging.  He picked up a Whirlagig and set it spinning in his hand, turning his palm over, back and forth, to watch as the top traveled over the edge with the change in motion.  "She's so excited for you, you know.  Her baby, making her own path in the world..." He mimed wiping tears from his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. She made me appropriately uncomfortable with her praise when she was helping me paint." She smiled, still feeling that sense of happiness, knowing her mum was happy and proud of her. "I had to send her an owl. With everything going on..." She trailed off, feeling like a rotten daughter for not actually being able to visit with her mum on her birthday.

She grabbed a bag of candy when a kid ran up, holding his hand out. She rose an eyebrow and kept it out of his reach. "Your name?"

"Robert."

"Profession?"

He looked up at her with wide eyes. "What? I'm a kid!"

She grinned at him before handing the candy over. "Oh yeah! I'm sorry. My mistake." She watched him run off to rejoin his group of friends. She looked over at Fred. "I don't think I was ever that innocent at that age. I grew up with you lot."

Chuckling in amusement as he watched the boy skip off with his loot, Fred turned back to Ginny and stood up properly, grabbing a set of knitted juggling balls from one of the boxes, stepping street side to amuse himself and possibly some of the children.  He cast a quick charm before stowing his wand in its sleeve-pocket, causing the balls to emit little sparks like fireworks as they left his hands.  "You did, at that," he allowed with a wink, "and you turned out just fine, so don't think it's likely to get you much sympathy!"

"Turned out fine my arse." She laughed when a group of girls passing by looked at her, gasping. "Oh. Right. Sorry! No cursing! Cursing is bad!" She called after them. She shook her head, moving back around the table to take her seat. She watched as a gaggle of children started to gather around Fred, watching his juggling talents. "Do any of you guys want some candy?"

Dean smiled as he heard Ginny laugh.  Feeling a bit juvenile, he walked up behind her and put his hands over her eyes.  "Guess who?"

Ginny smiled. "Viktor Krum?" She reached up and grabbed Dean's wrist, turning in her seat to wrap her arm around his waist. "Fancy meeting you here."

Laughing, Dean bent to drop a kiss on her temple.  "Krum, eh?  So, vere vould you be likink me to set up, Miz Veazley?"

"Right next to me. Where you've been every night for the last week." Her eyes darted to Fred quickly, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Children, bite size!" Fred admonished, lobbing one of the balls aside to smack Dean lightly on the side of the head.  "And you watch what my sister has cause to say about you, Thomas." 

He tossed one of the balls to a girl standing in the circle near him.  "Hang on to that a minute, poppet."  Retrieving the one he'd thrown at Dean, he juggled two and nodded for the child to toss the third back, catching it without breaking the pattern to much bouncing and clapping from the small crowd.

Dean grinned.  He'd always enjoyed watching Fred around children.  Pulling out his paints, he set himself up at the end of the table.  Once he had everything situated, he looked up. 

"So, does anyone want their face painted?"

Smiling at her brother and his constant over-protectiveness, Ginny turned, watching as a small group of girls approached Dean. She leaned forward, smiling at them. "What do you say you let him paint your face and then you get some candy?" They nodded shyly before turning back to Dean.

"Can you make me a kitty?"

Picking up a tube of greasepaint, Dean smiled gently.  "I sure can, love.  Just sit right there, and I'll make you the prettiest kitty in the world,"  he said as he began to work.  A few minutes later, Dean turned and picked up a mirror.  Handing it to the girl, he asked, "So.  What do you think?"

The girl gave a squeal before saying a quick thank you and tearing off, back towards her mother. Ginny nodded approvingly. "Very nice, mister artist." She watched as more people lined up in front of him. There was a large group still gathered in front of Fred as well, watching him with rapt eyes as the balls he was juggling gave a bright flash of colored lights.

She blinked as a little girl came running up, limping on one leg. She got up and made her way around the table, kneeling in front of the girl. "Aw, love, what happened?"

It was hard to listen through the hiccups, but Ginny got the story that a pair of boys had pushed her to the ground and she'd scraped her knee. Ginny looked over the girl's shoulder, wondering where her mother was. She looked back at the girl and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll fix you right up." She picked her up under the arms and sat her on the table, pushing the hem of her princess dress up. The knee was scraped, but it wasn't really bleeding.

She pulled her wand out of the top of her thigh-high socks and held it over the girls knee. The girl winced and Ginny smiled. "I promise it won't hurt. Do me a favor and tell me your favorite joke."

The girl sniffled, wiping her nose on the sleeve to her dress. "What's white and black and read all over?"

"Sounds like a zebra eating spaghetti, if you ask me," Fred guessed, turning his juggling over to a little boy who'd shown some talent.  He wiggled his fingers in front of the little girl's face for a second, blocking her view of Ginny working, then turned his hand palm-up to reveal a Whirlagig, already spinning.

Ginny used Fred's distraction to work. "Sano," she whispered, watching as the scrape healed itself. She looked up just as the girl started giggling at Fred.

The little girl reached out to touch the Whirlagag. "No, silly, it's the Prophet!"

"Ohhhhhh," Fred responded, exaggerating his expression of comprehension.  "Read all over!  That's clever!"  He grinned and motioned for the girl to hold her hand out, then tipped the toy carefully into it.  "There," he said, mimicking the motion he'd been making when he'd held the top.  "Now tilt sideways, and it will keep spinning and spinning until you stop it."  He watched as she followed directions, then grabbed another Whirlagig from the box on the table, demonstrating a little trick.  "Once you've gotten good at that, you can teach them to jump," he said, popping the spinning toy into the air to transfer it from one hand to the other.

Putting the finishing touches on the hound face he was doing, Dean turned to Fred.  "Oi, Fred!  I'm pants at temporary transfiguration - could you help this one out with a pair of ears to go with this mug?"

"Sure."  He winked at the little girl as Ginny finished healing the scrape on her knee.  "You keep practicing with that, ey?  It's yours, to keep."  Pulling his wand from his sleeve, he turned to the boy Dean had turned into a dog, in facial feature at least.  "Hound ears, huh?"  He waved his wand, adding one long, floppy ear, then the other.  "How's that?" he asked, handing the little mirror over.

Ginny helped the girl off the table and nodded at the little boy. "Very nice. I shall call you puppy and you will sleep at the end of my bed."

He gave her a very confused look before thanking Dean and skipping off. Ginny shrugged, squeezing the little girls shoulder. "All better?" She nodded before wrapping her arms around Ginny's waist. Smiling, Ginny hugged her back. "You go get some candy and have fun, yeah?" The little girl ran off, turning once to wave before being eaten by the crowd. She turned back to Fred, heaving a sigh. "Alright. So I've been kissed, sneezed on, made someone cry and stopped someone from crying. This is a pretty good day."

Laughing heartily, Fred slung his arm around Ginny's waist and hugged her to his side.  "It certainly sounds like it!" he agreed, kissing the top of her head.  "You're great with the little ones, though.  And don't think they won't remember the pretty ginger-haired lady who gave them sweets.  It's a brilliant marketing idea - I'm a bit jealous," he teased.

She smiled slightly. "Yeah." She wasn't sure how to tell him it was Blaise's idea. She was angry she hadn't thought about it first, and when she said she'd been the one to come up with it, it made her not worry about Blaise getting his arms ripped off for suggesting that people kiss her. "We're going through candy faster than I thought we would. This is a good thing." She smiled at Dean. "And we've got the wonderfully talented Mr. Thomas transforming my future clients into..." She cocked her head to the side. "A... rhino?"

Dean grinned as he looked at Ginny.  "I think he was inspired by my costume," he said, pointing to his prodigious nose.  "And with the gifted Mr. Weasley on hand, I think we'll be able to accommodate him, won't we?"

"That we can," came Fred's answer as he brandished his wand once more.  "All right," he jibed in mock warning, holding a moment before he began any transfiguration.  "Hold still or you'll end up a unicorn instead."  He grinned as the boy did, then conjured a horn above the grey-painted nose.  "There.  Now just don't gore anyone and you'll be all set." 

Ginny laughed, watching as the boy reached up to experimentally touch his new appendage. "He's right. I don't want to have to heal any marks made by a rhino horn."

She smiled, looking at the crowd around them. She felt good. Optimistic for the first time in days. Things are going to be alright. She looked over at Fred. "Thanks for helping. Really." She turned and smiled at Dean. "You guys really made their day."

"No worries, love.  Anything I can do to help... and besides, I think I had as much fun as the kiddies did."

"Absolutely any time, Ginnybean," Fred promised.  "And I'm with Dean - this was fun.  I don't often get to help turn people into animals and not get hexed or otherwise into trouble."  He nodded in the direction of the Whirlagigs in their boxes.  "Not to mention those are good advertising for both of us.  We ought to persuade the rest of the family to go into business at this rate."

Ginny laughed, trying to think of what kind of business Ron would try to run. Imagining something with food he cooked himself, she shook her head. "Or maybe not."


Summary: Ginny gets some help with the kids in the form and Dean and Fred. (Who are much like kids themselves...)