Angeline tilted her head. "That sounded like a plan voice."
"It is."
George pointed lightly at the parchments.
"Step one, we stop Percy from touching anything else."
Daryl nodded once.
"Step two," George continued, "we figure out whether Percy's being a self-righteous part… or if someone told him to do it."
Harry met his eyes. George's were sharp now.
"And step three," George finished softly, "we take my shop back before the Ministry decides jokes are a regulated substance."
Angelina grinned. Daryl cracked his knuckles again and teddy naked another sleeve button. This time, the charm honked like a rubber duck. George blinked. Then, despite everything, he snorted.
"Alright," he said, standing up. "That's a sign if I've ever heard one."
George rubbed his hands together once, the way he used to when a new idea for a Skiving Snackbox hit him in the middle of the night.
"Right then," he said. "Operation: Save the Shop."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You named it already?"
"Of course I did. Every proper plan needs a name."
"Preferably one that doesn't get us arrested," Angelina added.
George waved that away.
"Details, Angelina. Minor details."
Daryl leaned back against the chair, arms crossed. "So how exactly are we stopping Percy from touching things? Last I checked, he's got the Ministry behind him and a badge that probably says authorized to ruin everyone's fun."
George picked up one of the parchments and tapped it.
"That's where this comes in."
Harry leaned closer. The parchment was stamped with the Ministry seal, several lines underlined in thick, officious ink.
"Confiscation review," Harry read. "Temporary regulatory hold on experimental magical merchandise…"
George grimaced. "Exactly. Percy marched in yesterday with two assistants, three clipboards, and the personality of a damp filing cabinet."
Angelina snorted.
"And?" Harry asked.
"And he started tagging products," George states. "Anything he thinks qualifies as 'unverified magical risk.' Which, according to Percy, includes Canary Creams, Portable Swamps, and apparently anything that honks.
They settle into a quiet moment, the low chatter of the other patrons filling the Leaky Cauldron. For a second, it goes oddly silent-almost like someone cast Silencio.
HOOONK.
Half the pub turns to stare. The four of them slowly look down at the table. Teddy sits there happily, poking the bright yellow button on George's sleeve.
HOOONK.
George stared for a second, then shook his head. Teddy clapped his hands in delight.
HOOONK.
George rubbed a hand over his face.
"Right. Ignoring the duck situation for the moment…"
He leaned over the table and lowered his voice. "Percy didn't just inspect the shop. He was looking for something."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "What makes you say that?"
George shrugged, but the humor had faded from his face. "Lee said he barely cared about half the products. But kept asking about the back room. Storage crates. Old prototypes." He paused. "Stuff Fred and I made years ago."
Angelina straightened a little. "You think the Ministry's after one of your inventions?"
"I think Percy is," George said. "Which means someone above him probably is too."
Daryl cracked his knuckles again, slower this time.
"That's bad."
"Very," Harry agreed.
Another HONK came from George's sleeve, louder this time. The button popped loose and bounced onto the table. Everyone watched as it rolled in a small circle… then sprouted tiny orange feet. It waddled twice. And honked.
George blinked. "Well," he said slowly, "that's new."
The tiny duck-button waddled towards the edge of the table and peered over. Angelina burst out laughing. Teddy stared at it, eyes wide.
"Duh," he said uncertainly.
George crouched and gently scooped the duck-button into his palm. It honked again, proudly. George studied it for a moment… and then a slow grin spread across his face.
"You know," he said, "this might actually help."
Harry folded his arms. "Please tell me your plan does not involve weaponized duck buttons."
George slipped the tiny creature into an empty teacup.
"No," he said. He paused. "Well… not entirely."
Daryl groaned. Angelina leaned forward, intrigued. "Go on."
He glanced toward the door of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Percy sealed the back storage room with a Ministry charm. Only authorized personnel can open it."
Harry nodded. "Standard procedure."
George leaned closer and grinned wider. "But the charm only recognizes people."
Harry slowly smiled. "Oh no," he said.
"Oh yes," George replied.
Angelina wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. "You're going to break into a Ministry seal… with a duck."
"Not just a duck," he said proudly. "A highly specialized infiltration duck."
Daryl rubbed his face. "I cannot believe this is our plan."
George set the duck-button down and clapped once. "Right then. Teddy, how many more of these can you make?"
Teddy giggled. His hair flashed briefly from brown to bright yellow, the exact color of the duck. Teddy leaned over Harry and poked the tiny duck again.
"Honk," he said proudly.
Harry watched him for a moment. Then his smile faded slightly. He glanced around the room. The Leaky Cauldron had filled while they'd been talking. Dinner crowds, traveling witches, a pair of loud vampires near the bar. Too many ears.
"George," Harry said quietly.
George looked up immediately. The shift in Harry's voice was enough. "This isn't the place," Harry added.
George followed his gaze around the pub and nodded slowly. "Shop?"
Harry gave a short nod. "Shop."
Angelina pushed back her chair. "Good. Planning a crime in a public bar felt like a poor life choice anyway."
Daryl snorted. George scooped the tiny duck-button back into his hands and stood.
"Right then," he said. "Field trip."
A few minutes later, green fire roared through the grate, and one by one they vanished into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. George stepped out of the fireplace first and brushed soot from his sleeves. The shop was quiet, dark except for the glow of a few enchanted displays. Shelves of joke products watched them silently as the others sipped out of the floo behind him. George didn't stop there. Instead, he headed for the narrow door behind the counter.
"Upstairs," he said. "If we're planning a break-in, we might as well do it properly."
George pushed open the narrow door and led the way up the crooked staircase above Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The flat was dim, lit only by the orange glow of enchanted street lamps outside the windows. Half-finished inventions cluttered the tables and shelves, bits of parchment and prototype parts scattered everywhere. George set the tiny duck-button down on the kitchen table, where the tiny duck honked indignantly.
"Right then," he said thoughtfully. "Teddy, how many more of these can you-"
He stopped. Teddy was sitting on the floor, legs spread out, staring at the duck with wide fascination.
"Duh!" Teddy declared proudly.
He clapped his hands. A faint shimmer of accidental magic flickered around him. The duck on the table honked. Then a second tiny duck popped into existence beside it with a soft plip. Angelina choked on a laugh.
"Oh, Merlin."
Harry pressed his hand to his forehead.
"Teddy, mate," he said gently, crouching down. "Maybe… let's not make any more ducks."
Teddy looked delighted with himself.
"Duh!"
Two tiny yellow duck-buttons now stood on the table, both honking in slightly different pitches. Daryl stared.
"I take it back," he said quietly. "The duck plan is getting worse."
George, however, looked thoughtful. Very thoughtful. A familiar spark had appeared in his eyes, the exact one Fred used to get right before something exploded. Angelina noticed it immediately.
"Oh no," she said.
"Oh yes," George replied.