Written for the Fanfiction Marathon Competiton/Challenge and What Hurts the Most Competition (Signups CLOSED).


George looked up from the plans for the newest toy by WWW, his brow furrowed in confusion. He just heard a noise, a noise that sounds suspiciously like crying, though why he would hearing crying was beyond him.

He waited for a minute, wondering if the sound would happen again. It didn't, and he turned his attention back to the plans. Then he heard something that he knew was a sniffle.

George stood up. The sounds sounded like they were coming from the bathrooms, which were right next to the office he and Fred shared. He walked over to them, and it sounded like they were coming from the women's bathroom. Carefully, and with great hesitation, he knocked on the door.

"Hello?" he called. The person sniffled, "George?"

It was Verity, to George's surprise.

"Hey," he said, suddenly nervous. "What's the matter, Ver?"

The bathroom door swung open, and George stepped back just in time to prevent it from swinging into him. Verity was standing in the entrance, her blue eye's red-rimmed and her blonde hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun.

"You don't want to hear it," she said, her voice small, teary, and scratchy. "Besides, it's nothing. I really shouldn't be crying, especially not at work." Her eyes suddenly bugged out and she started to breath heavily. She gripped the doorframe and hunched over, her eyes turning to floor. "Oh, God, I'm crying at work." Verity looked back at him. "I'll get my stuff. God knows you don't want to keep me hired anymore. Oh, I'm such an idiot."

George was honestly getting scared. Carefully, he put his arm around Verity's shoulder and led her to the chair and desk he had just been using.

"Verity, don't be ridiculous. You're not fired, me and Fred couldn't find our own arses without you. Just tell me what the problem is and I'll see if I can help."

For a minute, Verity was silent, merely staring at the plans so hard, George was honestly wondering why they weren't bursting into flames. Finally, she said, "Jack cheated on me."

George felt like the floor had been pulled out from under him. "What?!"

Jack Montgomery was Verity's boyfriend, and they had been dating since his sixth year and Verity's fifth. George never really liked him, but out of respect to Verity, he had never said a thing. He wondered if perhaps he should have.

Verity nodded. "I just came home and I found him screwing some blonde bint on our bed. I didn't even tell him that I had seen him, I just walked right out and came here."

George took a deep breath and then let it out. "I'm really sorry, Ver. But, to me, good riddance. Any bloke who doesn't realize what a good person he has in you, is a guy that isn't worth your time."

Verity smiled. "Thank you, George. Perhaps one day, I will find a guy worth my time."

George looked at her with a smile and widely beating heart. "You knows?" she continued. "Perhaps I already have."

The next thing he knew, she was kissing him.

The next thing after that, he was kissing her.