It Happened on a Tuesday
A story which I'm writing entirely because I'm procrastinating studying…
This story is a continuation of the Story 'Not a Pair a Person.' It's not necessary to read that one first… but if you're the sort who prefers to read things in order, you're welcome to it!
Oh yes… Para todos mis lectores españoles y de Brasil, quiero dar mis gracias. Yo se es difícil leer en otro idioma, en particular fanfiction porque a veces los autores (como yo) tienen problemas con ortografía y gramáticas. ¡Mil gracias para su amabilidad!
Vamos a trabajar…
George was in a daze. He was totally and completely in a daze. Either that or he was out of his mind.
What on earth had come over him? What one earth had possessed him to do such a thing!?
It was the day before Christmas Eve. He'd left the shop this morning, telling Ron that he needed to do some last minute shopping. As per usual, Ron had given a look of complete horror, mixed with an angry glare that could only mean, 'You're going out and leaving me all alone in a shop overflowing with hyper six year olds the day before Christmas?!'
"Why yes, I am," George had said, patting his brother on the head (which could easily be accomplished, since he was standing on the steps and his brother was looking up at him from the floor. "And it's not the day before Christmas. That's tomorrow."
And so, receiving a completely confused look from his brother, he threw on his dragon skin coat and walked out into the world.
Christmas in Diagon was something to see. In the years after the war, everyone celebrated Christmas with an almost feverish obsession. The shops were filled with contraptions and toys and decorations that flashed, dazzled and sang Carols loudly to passing shoppers. There was candy and music and dancing all over the streets, and everywhere he looked he saw families and couples and friends laughing with one another.
The best part of all, he thought in a sudden burst of fondness, were the small children who giggled and ran about freely, not a single look of worry or fear on their faces. Most teenagers and adults looked grateful, as though their thoughts were truly appreciative of how different this Christmas was from the one's past. But the young children… had no idea. To them, this was a celebration, and there was nothing in their memories to compare it to or to be grateful about.
George loved it.
'Still,' he thought wryly, a touch of a smile at the corner of his lips. 'I'm glad it's Ron running things today and not me,' Lately some of the parents in the area had decided that Weasley's Wizarding Whezes (or the 3W as it's loyal patrons called it) was the perfect day care for them to drop off their horrible little brats while they did some last minute shopping. As much as George enjoyed the next generation of Mischief Makers, he had simply had to take a day off, for his own sanity. He wasn't really worried about Ron. He knew the nice bottle of Firewhiskey and the ticket to the Chudley Cannon's game Ron'd be getting on Christmas morning would put everything right again.
In the mean time, he was mainly concerned with the final two members of his family he had to shop for. Since their family had grown substantially, Molly and Ginny were very likely to receive all sorts of things in full force. George really wasn't sure of the logic of the situation- after all, he could basically get all his brothers the same thing each year and they never really complained. But for whatever reason, when it came to the women of his family, it just wouldn't feel right to give them the same thing each year.
'At least with Hermione we know to just get her a book,' George paused as he reached the upper end of Diagon. Normally he didn't head up this way, simply because it was mostly expensive shops like jewelry and such. However, now that he thought about it, maybe he could get necklaces or something. After all, Mum had really liked the earrings and such that he and Fred had bought her a few years ago.
Feeling relieved, he rushed forward and ran into the first jewelry shop he came to, without even bothering to look at the name.
Inside, it was relatively dark, and the wide glass counters seemed empty. Not a single person or store keeper was in sight. George frowned. He was about to leave when something caught his eye.
In the show case on the left side of the room the sunlight from the crack in the door had shown onto the jewelry in the display. Slowly, he opened the door a tiny bit more and watched the carved gems cast rainbows onto the wall. With an almost suspicious curiously, he took a step closer, and as he did, the entire display case lit up from inside, displaying dozens of beautifully cut diamonds in necklaces, rings and earrings, all of which rotated, magically suspended in the air.
George chuckled then. There was almost no point in looking further- after all, there was no way he could afford to buy his mother and sister diamonds at Christmas. Besides, Ginny still wore her diamond engagement right next to her wedding band.
Still… it didn't hurt to look did it?
George leaned down, looking at all the different colors and the intricately carved rocks sitting on dainty silver bands. Really, when it came to the finer and more delicate things in life, he was not the man to go to. First of all, his family couldn't afford such things and second, the few things that they did own he and Fred had never been allowed to touch, for fear they'd break it. As it was, he knew absolutely nothing about rings. Apparently, back in the day there used to be Hogwarts class rings… but they'd passed out of style ages ago.
Not that George really cared… jewelry was more Bill's thing than his own.
'Though I could make a rather interesting statement by wearing an earring in my one and only ear…' he thought, amusedly.
It was then he saw it. Glittering, twirling; a beautiful purple diamond, balanced perfectly on a thin silver band.
George stared. It wasn't really the fact that it was a diamond, it was the fact that it was purple- but wait! No, as it moved, the color seemed to change as it hit the light… it was deeper, darker… more intense. A brilliant red hue startled his eyes for a moment before switching back to purple; refined and quiet.
George felt his heart jump. He stared at it as though dumbstruck.
At that moment, a small man, no bigger than Professor Flitwick burst through the dirty, dusty cloth which covered the doorway to the backroom. A large cloud of dust immediately engulfed him and he coughed loudly while trying to greet his lonely costumer.
"(cough) -hy hel..o (cough) …young (sneeze) man! Anything I can help you with?" he asked in a nasally tone, snuffing into a large handkerchief from his waist coat.
"Yes," George said softly, his voice strange, even to himself.
"I'd like to buy this ring."
Bum bum BUMMMMMM... Hahaha.
I have the next chapter ready, just let me know if you want it!
-Fe