Fred Weasley sat up straight from the delicate wand work he was doing. He frowned and a crease appeared on his forehead between his eyebrows. Looking concerned Fred used his index finger to swipe a dangling lock of red hair that had fallen in front of his right eye. "George?" he called over his shoulder.

Fred's twin brother George came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and his vivid ginger hair sticking up at every angle, his toothbrush protruded out of the corner of his mouth. "Wha'" he grunted around the toothbrush.

Their flat above their joke shop was quite large, but because they did quite a lot of spell experimentation in the flat most of their living room was battered and broken. That was what Fred was doing at that moment... Experimenting. Fred loved experimentation; it was his favourite part of what other people laughingly referred to as a job... a job... how could anyone call blowing things up and then selling them a job?

"Er... Do you have anything of Hermione's?"

George took the toothbrush from his mouth and swallowed. "No, why do ask..." Fred saw the moment of recognition from his brother's face. "Ah," George continued, "did you make that a question for the sole purpose of trying to transfer the blame to me? When what you're really trying to say is that you've not got anything of Hermione's!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Well why not... you were supposed to get something!"

Fred turned around on his stool so that he faced George properly. "What gave you that idea? I don't remember being assigned 'Stealer of Hermoine's possessions'!"

"I don't know." George thrust his toothbrush in Fred's direction. "But you should have."

Fred went to retort but had to pause to digest that bit of bad logic... "Right then. For that; I nominate you to go and get something of hers."

George gave a little jump of indignation and his towel fell down...

"Er..." He bit on his toothbrush and pulled it back up. "Ok it's time to stop this nonsense! Tomorrow morning we head to the Burrow and see if she's left anything in Ginny's room. Can you carry on working until we get something of Hermione's?"

"No," Fred replied regretfully, "I've added Harry's, Ron's, and Ginny's things and locked the spell to them, and I can't knot it and add the bottled kiss until I've got something to lock Hermione to Ron. What if there's nothing in Ginny's room?"

George scrubbed at his molars as he thought. "How long will it take you to finish the present?"

"Depends," replied Fred. "Maybe half an hour..."

"Hmm... too long. I was thinking of snatching a hair off her head, finishing the spell and opening the box in as much time as it took me to make the suggestion."

"That won't work... Let's think of what if's tomorrow... I'm going to bed... it's only two days until Ron's birthday so let's hope we dream up some miraculous answer if we don't find one of Hermione's hairclips or hankies in the morning."

JaKJaKJaKJaKJaKJaKJaK

"Brother of mine," said George standing regally, with one forearm behind the small of his back and the other aloft, "behold the majesty that is Hermione's old sweaty sock."

"Oh lovely... You sure it's not Ginny's?"

"Yeah it's too big for Ginny, she's got midget feet."

Fred sighed in relief... "Ok let's go, Mum must be suspicious enough as it is."

George held the sock while Fred tapped it with his wand. They would return to their flat, finish the spell and then wrap a second present. The first present would have no message on it so that they could deny all knowledge. As far as anyone else would know, the second present would be the only one Fred and George were giving to their brother on his seventeenth birthday, containing mundane shaving utensils... Hopefully he would get something else though... something he would no doubt much prefer.

JaKJaKJaKJaKJaKJaKJaK

"Bugger!" exclaimed Fred. Ron was in the hospital wing...

"Damn!" said George. They walked along side by side. So much for surprising Ron in Hogsmead.

They slowed as they got nearer to the hospital wing and at the doors they stopped and poked their heads in to take a look inside. Harry, Hermione and Ginny were all sat around Ron who was lying on a metal rimmed hospital bed.

They stood back up just outside. "Right," said Fred, "we can still make this work... if you're still game."

"'Course I am," said George looking insulted, "nearly dying is no excuse to stop this... he can still get some in a hospital bed," he grinned.

"I agree. I noticed there are no presents around his bed... so... we put that one," he pointed to the unnamed box, "on Ron's bed in the dormitories, and then we go into the hospital wing and put this one, from us, on the side... then we suggest to Harry that we go and get the rest of Ron's presents and bring them here for when he wakes up."

"That's good, and then we can 'by chance' notice that this one's not marked and we can open it ourselves... 'Just in case someone untrustworthy sent it...'"

"Which they did," they laughed quietly. "Ok then let's go."

The twins had to levitate the present through the window in the end, because they didn't have the password to get past the fat lady's portrait that guarded the Gryffindor common room. It got tricky once the parcel drifted out of sight, but they were fairly sure they managed to land it somewhere near Ron's bed.

They hurried back down stairs and shortcuts to the hospital wing and entered as smoothly as they could.

"So, all in all, not one of Ron's better birthdays..."

The twins sat and listened to Harry Potter as he explained how Ron had drunk poison most likely meant for someone else and how Harry had saved him.

And then... "We should go and get him his other presents," suggested George flawlessly.

"What?" said Harry.

"His other presents," explained George... for when he wakes up... I'm sure he'd like it if they were all here."

Fred was half afraid Harry was going to decide against it but good old Harry agreed and the three boys hurried up to Gryffindor tower.

Fred made sure that he picked up the unopened present himself so that Harry did not get suspicious, after all Harry would have been sure to have seen all of Ron's presents that morning and might notice an extra one.

The twins were careful not to catch each others eye, they were well practiced at subterfuge and acknowledging a partner in crime while you were carrying out a plan could lead to ruin.

It was not until they were unloading the presents around Ron's bed that Harry noticed the extra parcel...

"What's that?" he asked pointing under Fred's arm from next to Ginny across the other side of the bed. Ginny leant sideways off of the edge of her chair to peer around Harry. Hermione, on the same side of the bed as Fred and George, did not take any notice, except to squeeze Ron's hand a little. Oh this is perfect, thought Fred, sometimes it just seemed too easy.

"What do you mean?" asked Fred innocently. "It's a present."

Harry frowned. "It wasn't with Ron's other presents this morning." Ah but you could always count on Harry.

Fred examined it. "There's no name..."

"That's fishy," said Ginny glancing up at Harry's face, "maybe someone's trying to finish Ron off."

George moved next to his brother. "We should open it and check for..."

"NO!" cried Harry as he lunged forward across the bed. But it was too late for him, George had already lifted the lid of the box and their unsuspecting birthday present erupted from it.

Silver beams of light streamed out of the box with a huge billow of smoke. The light curved and bounced in the air, sparkling and jumping around. Six beams danced around them... Six? thought Fred, Oh damn.

The spells struck each of them. Fred felt an unstoppable tug at his right wrist and he was wrenched to the side. He and George struck each other and bounced off. But they did not bounce far apart because as the smoke cleared and everyone became visible again Fred saw to his horror, a silver, metal, handcuff attaching his right wrist to Georges left.

The twins gaze lifted to each other they shared identical looks of terror. They tugged at the handcuffs, knowing it was useless... there was only one thing could get the handcuffs off and it was not brute strength... No, no, no, no, no. Thought Fred over and over... how could this have happened? The spells should have latched on to only the people who he had targeted and he was not one of those people... oh how he hated it when plans backfired.

He risked a glance across at the others around the bed... yes... that had all worked out correctly.

Harry stood next to Ginny coughing at the last vestige of smoke; his wand was in his hand pointed at the box. Ginny sat next to him aghast. Her back was ram rod straight, her eyes wide and staring at the handcuffs on her right hand attaching her to Harry, who seemed unaware of his predicament.

Hermione sniffed, she had stood at the eruption of spells and still held Ron's hand, she too did not seem to realise that her left wrist had a new decoration.

Ginny whipped her head to her brothers, he shock replaced by anger. "What! Have! You! Done!?" she gnashed through grinding teeth. She gave a tug at the hand cuff.

Harry glanced down and then did a double take. He tugged back.

"Don't pull me," snapped Ginny pulling her wand awkwardly with her left hand from her right pocket. "George... What have you done?"

"Me?" George complained. He lifted his hand so that Fred's hand was dragged up too. "If you hadn't noticed I'm in the same position as you!" There were a few moments of shock, when their surprise present backfired and caught them in all its glory, but the twins were professional, their acting was exemplary.

Ginny all but growled and pointed her wand at the chain linking the two wrists. Fred had to bite his tongue or laugh. "Reducto." Ginny cried. The spell struck the links and the small length of chain shrunk to half its previous size.

"Ginny stop," shouted Harry. Ginny bit her lip, anger was gone... now she looked like she wanted to be sick. She turned back to her brothers. "Get it off."

Fred and George put on identical looks of insulted innocence. "We didn't do it!" lied Fred.

Madam Pomfrey appeared suddenly from her office as though she had smelt out trouble on her ward and she scurried across to Ron's bed.

"What's going on? If you're disturbing my patient –"

Ginny shot to her feet and held out her hand, joined to Harry's.

"Look," she demanded, "Those twits opened that box and... look!"

Madam Pomfrey glared at the twins. "We didn't do anything," they protested like five year olds accused of filching biscuits from the cookie jar.

The nurse pulled her plump frame up to her full height... which to be honest was not particularly threatening, she barely topped Fred's chest. "Well, whatever nonsense this is it can be done away from my Hospital. Go on! Out! All of you! Leave my patient in peace." No one moved, but everyone's gaze drifted to Hermione's wrist, which was attached to said patient. Madam Pomfrey's eyes followed.

"Oh if you two were still in school I'd have you both scrubbing bedpans for the rest of the year."

"It wasn't us!" the twins complained.

After harrumphing she moved over to Hermione and Ron. "Evenesco."

"Ow!" Hermione flinched. "It just tightened."

Madam Pomfrey glared at the handcuff for a second and then sighed. "I'll go fetch Filius." She brandished the wand at them all like a sword. "None of you are to leave do you hear?"

"You just told us all to get out a minute ago," said George.

Madam Pomfrey huffed and went back to her office. Hermione sat back down. She stared at her wrist, looking faintly bemused. Ginny glared at her brothers. Harry's eye's kept flicking between Ginny and the handcuffs; he looked a bit queasy. Fred and George shared a look... Harry should love getting the handcuffs off. They grinned devilishly.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Ginny.

"Nothing," replied Fred.

Tiny Professor Flitwick waltzed into the hospital wing then. "Now then," he squeaked, "what seems to be the problem?"

They all lifted their hands in unison. Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and came back over to stand by them.

"You are... handcuffed to each other?" asked the little Professor in bemusement.

"That's exactly the problem," said Ginny dryly.

"And we can't get them off," added Harry.

Professor Flitwick chuckled. "Of course, or else it would not be a problem would it. Hmm. Now then let me see." He carefully inspected the chain linking Harry and Ginny; he muttered softly to himself and viewed it from every angle. It took him a full five minutes before he even drew his wand. From then on the evening went rather down hill.

Professor Flitwick could do nothing, though gratifyingly he was thoroughly impressed by the spells on the handcuffs. He even tried shrinking Harry's hand and whole arm at one point, but the handcuffs shrunk to match. He viewed them like a confounding puzzle that he did not want to put down. When he decided it was beyond him he called in their head of house, the stern spartan, Professor McGonagall, who tried transfiguration, but all that achieved was to turn the handcuff, linking Harry and Ginny, pink and fluffy, and then she could not manage to change it back. Rather unlike Flitwick's enthusiasm, it seemed to frustrate McGonagall. She, in turn, called in Professor Snape; Fred saw Harry sink his head into his hands when McGonagall announced she was called in Snape.

The worst moment was when Fred's mum and dad came in. They had been visiting with Professor Dumbledore about Ron's poisoning, and had obviously finished and returned to see Ron again. Their mum's delight at seeing Fred and George died when she realised what was going on, and Fred had a sneaking suspicion that she knew exactly who was behind this even if she could not prove it. The twin's innocent faces did not work on her anymore.

Fred felt particularly proud of himself when Professor Dumbledore himself was called to have a go at unlocking the handcuffs, even while secretly hoping that Dumbledore would be the one to succeed so that he and George did not have to get the handcuffs off themselves. He looked particularly solemn as he entered the hospital wing but after a look at what adorned Harry and Ginny his face broke into a marvellous smile. He lifted an eyebrow at Harry familiarly; who rolled his eyes and let out a small sigh.

Dumbledore failed along with the rest. He thought that he had beaten the handcuffs when he turned Harry's hand to jelly, but when they tried to slide the handcuff off it proved to be stuck tight to his wrist.

"Madam Pomfrey... I believe you will need to set up some beds for the night..." he said, he sounded faintly surprised. "Close together... I think it best if you all stay here for the night, we can continue to ponder this in the morning but it's late and it could take time to puzzle out your new decorations."

Harry's head snapped up from where it was nestled in one hand. "You mean we're stuck!"

Dumbledore addressed him over his half moon spectacles. He nodded gravely. "Yes... you see there is only one way out of those handcuffs, a trick, one pull of a string that will unravel the whole knot... but it could be anything, you may have to spin around in a circle three times on the 21st of October, or sing three bars of silent night under a full moon, I cannot tell. Tomorrow perhaps you can start to..." Dumbledore's beard twitched, "experiment... in an attempt to find the pivotal thread to pull."

Hermione found voice from a gaping face... "But... But how will we go to lessons?"

"Lessons?" asked Ginny incredulously, "I'm more worried about how we're going to go to the toilet!"

Harry blanched.

"Right, er, well, I think Fred and me are going to head home," said George, looking slightly green.

They were mostly ignored but for a stern look from their mother.

When they arrived back in their flat they both just stared at each other.

George swore at Fred. "Are you sure that there's no other way out of this?" he pleaded.

Fred tried to gulp but his mouth had suddenly gone dry. He shook his head, disgusted with himself. "It's fool proof, and genius proof. There's only one way."

George looked like he was going to throw up... "Well... let's get this over with."