Rose Weasley had never been short on anything, her family showered her with unconditional love, her friends with kindness. The only thing she was missing was the money needed for the gap year she craved. I have worked too hard for too long to be able to move from one place of education straight to another she had argued with her parents. But while they had the funds to give her everything she needed, they couldn't give her everything she wanted, so when it was announced a department store would be added to the once quaint town of Hogsmeade and that Hogwarts students were welcome to hand in a resume she jumped at the chance.
It was three weeks later that a letter was dropped in her breakfast announcing the acceptance of her application and another week after that, that Rose realised she has just signed on to 12 hours a week of hell on Earth. It wasn't that the job was hard, scanning clothing and quills was the easiest part of her day, but the fact that the 4 hour shifts seemed to go on forever made her heart sink every time she walked through the doors. Not to mention the fact she was always on the late shifts, 8pm-12am, which meant the only customers were non-functioning members of society and the only staff left were the ones repacking shelves.
It was close to 11:30 that Thursday night when she first spoke to him. An older witch had made her way to Roses counter, handing over a ten pack of toy cars. The low zap that emanated through the store after every scan buzzed in Roses ears as 1 Galleon came up on the screen.
"The sign said 1 sickle" the woman retorted, anger in every word. Rose was shocked as to how horrible and absolutely stupid people could be. How could 10 toys cost 1 sickle? Rose stewed.
"I'm sorry miss, but the sign must have been for the single cars"
"They weren't". Squeezing her eyes shut Rose reached for the phone by her side "I'll call one of the people out the back to check the price for you"
"Fine, but that's a waste of time" Ohh I know Rose thought, picking the phone up to her ear, the ringing buzzing through her head.
"Yeah" the voice on the other end rumbled.
"I need a price check on the toy car ten packs. They're ringing up as 1 Galleon, but the-" pausing Rose glared over at the scowling old woman in front of her "lady says it is 1 sickle"
"what a f idiot, of course they aren't a sickle" a giggle slipped from roses lips as the manly voice on the other end replied, clearly exacerbated.
Rose remained silent, the only sound being the other person shuffling through the isles, his heavy breathing showing his clear distain for the woman he had never even laid eyes on.
"OK, I'm in the isle. And surprise, the old hag was wrong, it's a galleon"
Phone still to her ear, Rose turned to the woman replying "sorry Miss but they are a Galleon would you still like to get them?"
"You're lying to me"
"I'm not, we have done a price check and they are one galleon"
"Oh tell her to get f" the voice from the phone whispered into Roses ear, but the woman had already stomped her way out of the store.
"I'm guessing your customer service skills is why you work out the back?"
"Oh that's only the half of it" the man on the other end replied.
"And what's the other half?
"Apparently I look intimidating"
"Well lucky we're only speaking on the phone" she laughed, before putting the phone back on the hook. A smile playing on her lips until the end of her shift and long after she made her way back to her dorm.
The next time she spoke to him it was a Wednesday night and rose was doing her best to hide her textbook under the counter in hopes she could gain some extra knowledge for the test she had first up the next day. She wasn't used to studying on her own, normally she'd force Al to ask her questions until they were both too tired to continue, but not tonight, tonight she was on the late shift, and it seemed every time she had a chance to study a customer would appear from nowhere just to disrupt her.
Startled from her disrupted study session by a middle aged wizard with his baby daughter, much to her dismay, the dinosaur onesie that the wizard had handed her had no tag, meaning this transaction would take even more time away from her study.
Picking the phone up Rose waited for the person on the other end to finally reply.
"Yep?" the same voice from the other day answered
"Hey, could I get a price check please?"
"No"
"I'm sorry" shock evident in her voice as her eyebrows bunched up on her face.
"No price checks tonight, I'm studying for a test. Give it to them for free"
"Well I can't do that"
"A sickle then, whatever, I just really have to get back to this".
Rose paused for a moment, before turning to the customer, phone tucked between her ear and shoulder,
"1 sickle thanks". Shrugging the man threw a sickle onto the counter before making his way into the night.
"What are you studying for?" Rose asked, turning back to the guy on the other end of the phone.
"The defence test tomorrow, but none of its sticking in my brain" he sighed. So he was in her year, Rose thought.
"I'm doing the same, but normally I force my cousin to ask me questions, so studying on my own is doing nothing". Roses ears were met with static, before the person on the other end coughed, breaking the silence by saying "Name the three unforgivable curses"
"Geez, we're not first years"
"Ohh, sorry miss genius, me and my first year brain will go and study on their own"
"Oh shut up and ask me something harder" Rose laughed, bitting on her lip as the mysterious figure on the other end of the line rattled off question after question, halting every once and a while when Rose had to serve a customer, before returning back to their impromptu study session.
It had been an hour, or maybe two when Rose looked at the clock, for the first time her shift seemed to have flown by, the clock reading 11:45pm.
"What time do you finish?" Rose questioned, putting her text book on the counter and spinning around to see the shop null of customers or other staff.
"Like half an hour ago" the voice said, quiet and unboastful for the first time since they started talking.
"Oh my Merlin, why are you still here? Go back to your dorm and get some sleep before tomorrow" Rose exclaimed.
"Yeah, my prefects are probably wondering where I am" he sighed.
Curious, Rose chewed on her bottom lip before blurting
"Who are your prefects anyway?"
"Are you asking what house I'm in?" the voice laughed.
"I've been talking to you all night and I don't even know your name. I At least deserve to know what house you're in" Rose exclaimed, her heart beating faster in her chest.
"We'll get to names eventually" he replied, shuffling in the background as he packed up his bag.
"Mmmm, well good night mysterious stranger"
"Yes" he paused "Good night. Oh and I'm in Slytherin by the way, so don't even think about beating me in this test"
"A Ravenclaw would never lose to a Slytherin, unless they're cheating like usual"
"How dare you" the other person voice filled with fake horror, the background noise ceasing, signalling to Rose that the only reason he was still in the store was because of their conversation.
"Get back to your dorm, cheat"
"Get back to studying, nerd" he quipped, the click of the phone signalling the end of the conversation and the start of the longest 15 minutes of Roses life.
Taking her seat at the Ravenclaw breakfast table the next day, Rose took extra time to look around the Great Hall, but no one stuck out at her as being the person on the other end of the line.
"Isn't he just gorgeous?" Rose heard a third year sigh next to her, "like a bit scary, but those tattoos, and his eyes. By Merlin if only we were in the same year" she gushed to her friend. Rolling her eyes at the younger girl's infatuation, Rose turned back to her text book, only slightly curious as to who they were gossiping about.
She didn't speak to him for another three shifts, and she would be lying if she said it didn't annoy her to pick up the phone, asking for a price check and to be met with a perfectly friendly and helpful voice. Turning up for her shift on the next Friday, Rose was tired, the flu spreading around the Ravenclaw dorm had finally caught up to her, and the late nights studying the week before hadn't helped. So when a packet of unmarked chocolates was thrown onto Roses' counter she was really considering just letting the customer leave with the goods, but the nagging voice that reminded her she actually needed this job forced her to pick up the phone at her side and dial the ever familiar number.
"Yeah" the gruff voice answered, Roses heart leaping at the familiar distain.
"Price check, those little bars of white chocolate" rose said, no need for formalities or manners as she listened to him shuffle through the store.
"3 Sickles".
"3 sickles please", Rose smiled at the family in front of her, who quickly handed over their cash before disappearing into the night.
Lifting the phone back up to her ear she was glad to be met with the shallow breaths of her co-worker traveling down the line.
"So, where have you been the last few shifts?" Rose asked, stifling a cough that scratched at her throat.
"Had the flu. All those dumb arse Gryffindor's who think they're too tough to get their flu shot and then just spread it all around the school will be the legitimate death of me"
"Who would have known you would even have opinions on vaccines" Rose grinned, a wave of dizziness sweeping through her head as she leaned against the counter to steady herself.
"Ohh, I have opinions on everything" He retorted, dragging the 'everything' out for way longer than acceptable.
"Mmmmm, any opinions on telling me your name?"
"Names change things" he replied. Rose knew of the power names held, her last one making people turn and stare as whispers followed her around the halls of Hogwarts. You would think that the infamy would be good, that it would get her everything she wanted, but that was the problem. Every time she got a perfect 100% on a test, or got voted captain of a club she couldn't help but wonder if it was only because of her last name instead of her talent.
"They do, but knowing your name isn't going to make you anymore pleasant, is it?" Rose said, an edge to her tone that indicated that the normal banter the pair shared was over, their conversation turning to a stage of seriousness they were yet to reach.
"I guess knowing your name won't make you any less of a know it all" he quipped.
Silence met Roses ears for several minutes afterwards, both not game enough to speak first, a kind of game that stubbornness would not allow Rose to lose.
"My family did things in the war, things I'm not proud of" The voice said, pulling Rose out of her thoughts and back to the conversation at hand, "people change around me once they find out who my parents are, well more specifically my Dad"
"I know what you mean. Every time someone new talks to me I have to try and figure out if they want to know me for me or because of my parents".
"The joys of having famous parents I guess". Silence enveloped the line once again, Rose coughed before saying "My opinions of you won't change if you tell me your name, unless I completely hated you before of course" she joked, not used to the weightiness of the conversation at hand.
"Right" he replied hesitantly.
"Right" she mirrored.
"On 3?" Rose questioned.
"Alright. 1"
"2"
"3" the pair said together, before Rose called out her name hearing "William Zabini" in return.
"You're the little bitch beating me in defence" Rose said at the same time William replied "You're the little shit beating me in transfiguration", his voice clearly outraged.
"Well I'm sorry I'm naturally gifted" Rose laughed, shuffling heard on the other end of the line as Will made his was through the store.
A tap on the shoulder made Rose turn around, in front of her stood 6'4 of brooding snark and back tats, freckles peppering his face that was framed by his buzz cut. Wills eyes, a mixture of blue and green that reminded Rose of the Great Lake, stared back at her as he lowered a phone from his ear, placing it on the desk in front of her.
"You're finished right?"
"Umm, shit yeah" Rose replied, putting the phone back on the hook, slowly grabbing her bag off the ground, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves before standing up to face him again.
"Come on, I'll walk you back to the dorms"
"You don't finish for another hour" Rose said, her eyebrows scrunching up in confusion.
"They won't miss me".
"OK"
"Alright, lets go" matching smiles breaking out on both of their faces as they made their way out of the store and onto the street, both purposely walking slightly slower than usual to prolong the inevitable parting which grew closer with ever step.
They were outside the Ravenclaw dorm when Will pipped up
"I'm surprised I didn't figure it out, we're in what, four classes together?" Will sniggered, shacking his head at their shared obliviousness.
"I guess our paths don't cross very much. If it wasn't for this job I doubt we'd have ever spoken"
"Maybe this job isn't so bad after all" Will smiled, before turning around and fading into the darkness of the Hogwarts halls.
Maybe this job isn't so bad, Rose replayed, making her way into the common room and clasping on to one of the seats that were strewed around the room, maybe this job isn't so bad.