The Leaky Cauldron had people milling about ordering drinks, smoking their pipes, and looking for tables to sit at and talk with friends. At one of these tables sat a group of redheads, a young man with black hair, a young woman with hair curly and unmanageable as she was, and a young woman with hair so pale it looked white if you just glanced at it. One of the red heads sat with his butterbeer between his calloused hands still full from when his sister handed it to him.
"George?" The redheaded man looked up and met the curious eyes of his sister. "You doing alright George?" He shrugged and took a long drink from his mug before answering.
"I'm alright Ginny. Just...just thinking about the shops is all." He watched as his sister frowned slightly knowing she didn't quite believe but let it go. George watched as the other patrons of the pub slowly began to sit and look expectantly at a cleared space by the huge hearth at the front. He used his mug to gesture around the room.
"What's everyone getting so quiet for?" He asked looking at the oddly quiet pub that was now only murmurs and the scraping of wooden chairs against the floor. He felt Harry nudge him slightly and looked where he was gesturing with his mug. George's eye caught a small group of people heading to the cleared space with some instruments.
"This group has been coming in at least once a week since Diagon Alley reopened." George continued to look at the group as they set up tuning their instruments as Harry spoke quietly. "It's honestly been helping morale and giving people back a sense of...well normalcy I suppose." Ron laughed loudly causing several patrons to turn and look at their table with curious glances. George tore his eyes from the preparing group to look at his little brother.
"What's so funny Ronnie-kins?" George asked giving a small crooked grin. Ron shrugged slightly and wrapped his arm along the top of Hermione's shoulders.
"If you haven't noticed most of the people here are either pervy old men or young guys looking to shag Deirdre." George watched as Hermione pulled a disgusted faces and shoved his arm off her chair.
"Deirdre is lovely. She was always nice to me and Ginny in school." George jumped slightly as he heard Luna's voice from beside him almost forgetting she was there.
"You all know the singer?" George asked taking another swig from his mug. He felt the eyes of the whole table on him and slowly met all of their disbelieving faces. "What?"
"Honestly George you can't be that bloody thick. Deirdre, Deirdre O'Keefe she was in Hufflepuff." Ginny said looking at George as if he had suddenly grown his ear back. George scratched his shoulder slightly before replying.
"Still not ringing a bell Gin." Hermione sighed and shifted in her chair.
"You're almost as bad as Ronald." George looked around at each of his companions before looking at the group in the cleared area by the hearth studying the woman. She was pretty enough from the back with her wide hips, slender waist, and short tightly curled reddy blonde hair. Luna's voice picked up once more from beside him he turned to look at the petite woman with a raised brow.
"She would follow you all over Hogwarts you know. Went to all of your quidditch matches she always did funny things around you." Ginny quickly broke into the conversation once more shushing them.
"They're starting." It was only then that George noticed the entire pub was silent. He could feel the anticipation bubbled up throughout the room. The hair on his arm stood on end from the energy that seemed to spread through the room as Deirdre smiled and placed her delicate fingers on the mandolin she held.
Deirdre walked up with her band and set her mandolin case on the ground looking and smiling at the words embossed upon the leather "Bonnie Nitwit and the Pearl Trio". Her older brother had come up with the name while they were at Hogwarts. She unlocked the case and pulled out the mandolin trying to ignore the patrons of the pub as they went about finding their seats.
"Deirdre what song did ya want us to start with?" Deirdre stood with her mandolin in hand and looked at the man that all but towered over her holding his accordion and smiled before speaking.
"I was thinking that we should start with The Goodman. It's a funny one to start off with." The others looked at her smiling and nodding in agreement. Deirdre watched as Sean stepped aside with his accordion to talk to one of the witches that always seem to crowd around to talk to him.
"Deirdre can we do I Courted a Sailor after?" Deirdre looked over at Anya and walked closer to her as she tuned her guitar adjusting it slightly as she waited for Deirdre to respond.
"Sure thing Anya." Deirdre looked out once more at the pub her eyes catching a few faces she saw at her shows. Adjusting her mandolin slightly she turned as she felt a sharp poke in her back.
"Oi! What was that for?" Deirdre hissed looking at Eldon as he smirked bow in hand and fiddle under his arm.
"Someone is here who I think ya would want to see." Deirdre gave him a confused look her eyebrow raising as she used one hand to rub the sore spot in the middle of her back. "The tosser you followed around at Hogwarts for years." Eldon continued with his crooked smile watching as realization came over Deirdre's face with a light blush appearing along her round cheeks.
"Don't be a wanker Eldon. I'm completely over Weasley." Deirdre proclaimed before glancing around to make sure that none of the pubs other occupants heard. Deirdre was pushed slightly to the side as Anya pushed up close to her. Deirdre turned her head only to have Anya's face right up against hers.
"Oh Weasley now is it?" Anya said drawing out the name. "It used to be 'oh Anya did you see George today at the match. Oh George was so glorious today!' Said that every match you did."
"First of all Anya I don't sound like that and second I never said that" Deirdre said her blush turning a brilliant red color on the pale skin of her chest and face. Sean's high pitched version of Deirdre's voice cut in from beside Eldon.
" 'Oh Sean, did I tell ya that George talked to me today. I was walking in the hall and he bumped into me and apologized.' Deidre everyone knew you fancied him." Deirdre looked at all of them trying to calm down the heat that her face seemed determined to give off.
"Bell ends the lot of you." Deirdre hissed still blushing before looking out where Eldon gestured with his bow. Deirdre's eyes swept across the crowded pub before stopping at the table with the red headed man. It felt like a fist grabbed her insides and twisted sharply. She felt suddenly ill almost as if she was a first year about to get sorted in front of the entire school. Deirdre looked at him noticing that he seemed...older. Everyone looked older after the war but it seemed as if there was something pulling him down.
Sean sneezed loudly pulling Deirdre's attention away from George and to her band. Deirdre cleared her throat her blush starting up once more.
"Shall we." Her friends chuckled as they got into their places. Deirdre closed her eyes her fingers getting into position along her mandolin before beginning their first song of the night.
George watched as Deirdre began singing her voice soft but so very clear her slight Irish accent sneaking in on certain words. He absent mindedly dragged his fingers along the gouged surface of the table and studied her face looking for something to jog his memory. Her face was round, the bridge of her nose was slender but the tip of it was wide, he smiled slightly it suited her. He couldn't quite tell what the color of her eyes were but they looked to be on the lighter side. He propped his chin up with his hand as he continued to look at her singing and playing her mandolin. Why couldn't he remember her she felt...familiar but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.
"Her voice is lovely isn't it George?" George nodded in response to Luna's comment still trying to place Deirdre in his memories from school. Luna spoke up once more keeping her voice low so as not to bother those around them. "Deirdre is the same year as me and Ginny and she had much longer hair then. You might remember her brother, he was a Hufflepuff beater the year you and Fred left, his name was Padraig. He died at the battle too he was a sweet boy, always believed me about the nargles and helped find my shoes first year."
George frowned he remembered Padraig he was a burly bloke, perfect for a beater. He was only in his sixth year and already had the Irish National Team looking at him. As he looked at Deirdre he could see the similarities the hair for one and the nose were the same apart from hers not being broken by a bludger. He vaguely recalled a girl at the time hugging him after Hufflepuff had beaten Gryffindor. Must of been her George thought he remembered seeing her around the school a few times in passing but never spoke to her from what he could recall.
"How'd Padraig die Luna?" He watched as a small frown formed on her normally serene face before she answered.
"It was horrible he had gotten caught on the other side of the barrier trying to help some of our forces and…" Luna shuddered "Fenrir had gotten hold of him Deirdre saw the whole thing." George felt his stomach clench tightly as a sick feeling almost overwhelmed him.
George and Luna were startled out of their conversation by a round of applause that swept through the crowded pub. His eyes flew up to the front and watched as Deirdre and the rest of the group bowed in thanks. How long had he and Luna been talking? George continued to look at Deirdre as she began to put her mandolin away and the Leaky Cauldron's patrons went back to their usual loud volume. George went to drink more of his butterbeer only to find it empty. He cleared his throat and stood causing his friends to look up at him.
"I'm gonna get another." He said lifting his mug slightly "Any of ya want anything? I'm buying." He watched as Ron opened his mouth to speak and George smirked. "Except for you Ron. You hafta pay for your own." He laughed as Ron looked at him in irritation before standing himself and grumbling up to the bar.
"I would like another butter beer so would Harry." Ginny chimed quickly. George nodded and looked at Hermione and Luna.
"How about you two? Do ya want anything?" The two women shook their heads and George shrugged walking up to the bar passing Ron who was walking back to the table with what appeared to be firewhiskey. The idiot would regret that in the morning if he had many more of those. When George reached the bar he raised three fingers at the barkeep who nodded and went about getting the drinks. As George waited he turned leaning his hip against the bar to look out at the crowd once more. He quickly picked out Deirdre mingling about in the crowd of people that seemed to cram around her.
George continued to watch her pushing his hand through his shaggy hair. He had started to grow it out a bit longer to cover the hole where his ear used to be. It seemed to have turned the birds off when he had his hair short and they could easily see what was missing. Deirdre smiled brightly and laughed a laugh that carried above the din of the pub noise. He hadn't heard a laugh like that in a long time. George didn't even notice when the barkeep set the three mugs of butterbeer on the bar for him to grab. Suddenly his view of Deirdre was blocked by a tall man who stood facing him. George looked up slightly and met the smiling eyes of the accordion player.
"Umm can I help you?" George asked when the man only continued to stare at him. The man seemed to chuckle before apologizing.
"Sorry mate. I was sent as ambassador by those two o'er there." He said nodding his head towards another man and woman sitting in the corner. "The names Sean Mac Gabhann." George shook the outstretched hand offered to him.
"George Weasley." George stood straight and stopped leaning against the bar.
"Trust me I know exactly who ya are Weasley." It wasn't said in a mean way just a statement of fact that made George shuffle slightly uncomfortable. He felt like he was being judge by McGonagle the way Sean looked at him only he had a smile.
"You said you were sent to deliver a message."
"I was."
"And… that message is." George said unconscious trying to lean around the tall man to see where Deirdre was. Sean chuckled once more before replying.
" The message is this, go talk to her already. You've been standing and staring at her and to be honest it's getting a bit creepy mate." George felt his ear get warm knowing that it was most likely red.
"W-what…" George trailed off meeting Sean's eyes.
"Take your drinks to your friends and go talk to Deirdre. Chat her up if ya want she'll be chuffed just stop looking so I dunno dodgy I guess." Sean shrugged then promptly walked off to join his friends. George stood there for a moment taking in what he was just told before grabbing his drinks and walking back to his friends. He gave Ginny and Harry their mugs still standing.
"What was Sean talking to you about George?" Harry asked taking a sip from his butterbeer his other hand resting on Ginny's knee. George slumped into his chair and quickly drained the contents of his drink before responding.
"He just told me to go chat up Deirdre and I think I will."
Deirdre nodded only half listening to the old witch that stood in front of her. She wanted to get over her friends maybe have a butterbeer or two before heading home for the night. Deirdre shifted her weight to her over foot as she pulled a wayward curl back behind her ear and watched as the old witch smiled before she slowly wandered off to one of the tables in the pub. Sighing Deirdre looked quickly for an escape root only to feel a tap on her shoulder from behind. Jumping slightly in surprise she turned with a bright smile on her face expecting to see another well wisher. She was met with the sight of someone she least expected to seek her out.
"G-George Weasley…" she managed to choke out blushing furiously as the man just smiled at her. She quickly looked him from head to toe. He was taller than she recalled and his shoulders were broader as well.
"Hi Deirdre." Deirdre was pulled rather embarrassedly from the perusal of his person.
"H-hello." George smiled down at her once more and shifted his weight from foot to foot almost like he was uncomfortable with this whole thing.
"So How have you been Deirdre?" George shoved his hands in his pants pockets and looked down at her, she was pretty short compared to him and to be honest he was only average height for a man.
"I've um I've been good. Working mostly ya know." Deirdre was screaming internally her blush not receding for a moment. She crossed her arms under her chest not noticing the reaction that George had to the movement. George cleared his throat slightly and blushed lightly before quickly averting his eyes. "How about you George?"
"I've been good just opened a shop in Hogsmeade. Seems Hogwarts will never get a rest from my pranks." George replied smiling and thinking of the little shop that just had it's grand opening that had the building filled to bursting.
"You were always able to make people laugh. I remember in my first year you and Fred snuck dungbombs into the prefects bathroom. It took weeks to get the stench out according to Truman." George gave a sincere smile that Deirdre shyly returned. She watched as George shuffled his feet slightly before responding.
"I nearly forgot about that one. McGonagle gave us a month's worth of detention polishing the trophies. We made sure to leave our Weasley mark of course got us a few points deducted but Hermione managed to make them up in just a week." Deirdre snorted and then looked horrified and covered her mouth and nose face the color of beetroot.
"Oh Merlin that's so embarrassing!" Deirdre wanted the floor to swallow her whole and she went to make a run for it her eyes watering. Everything had to be going so well and then she had to go and muck it all up. George face softened and he carefully gripped her arm to keep her from running off.
"It just means you thought it was funny Deirdre nothing to be embarrassed about. Watch." George gave a very loud snort that caused several people to turn and give him a strange look. Deirdre flushed her heart like a hummingbird in her chest. George slowly let go of her arm and gave her a crooked smile and waited for her to talk again.
"I uh don't know what to say." Deirdre responded her voice a little shaky as she turned to face him again.
"How about you say yes to letting me buy you a drink sometime." Deirdre froze her eyes darting around his face waiting for him to say 'just joking' but it didn't come. George watched as Deirdre looked up at him with wide surprised eyes that he could now see were a pale grey-blue framed by incredibly long lashes.
"I would-I um...I would like that." She managed to stutter out not able to make eye contact with him.
"Brilliant I'll owl you by the end of the week." With that George walked off into the the crowd leaving Deirdre standing there feeling like she would wake up any moment and find out this had all been a dream and she was back in Hogwarts.