The bright orange shop glares out at you from between its pastel-coloured neighbors. Even now, after the war, it still sticks out like a sore thumb, contrasting boldly with the gray February sky. You've only been there a few times, but you have to admit that you were pleasantly surprised the first time you entered Weasley's Wizard Wheezes—you had never taken Fred and George seriously when they talked about opening a joke shop.
But now Fred is dead, and the only Weasley twin in that shop is George. You imagine him behind the cash register, as he always seems to be now, his hair sticking up haphazardly and his eyes unfocused as if staring at something far away. You imagine that it must be hard for him—he can't even look at himself in the mirror without being reminded of the brother and best friend that he has lost.
It's been hard for everyone, really. Even a year after his death, no one will speak his name. Your mother cries herself to sleep every night and your father quit his job to spend more time with her. Ron received a first class Order of Merlin as well as a hefty cash reward, so he's able to support them until they can get back on their feet.
Despite this, life is slowly returning to normal for everyone else. Ron and his girlfriend, Hermione, are engaged and back from their trip in Australia. Your sister, Ginny, is in a serious relationship with none other than Harry Potter, her childhood crush and the savior of the wizarding world. Bill and Fleur are expecting a baby. George is still mourning, but he's finally coming around with the help of one Angelina Johnson. Charlie recently returned to Romania to resume his job working with dragons and has been given a promotion.
And then there's you. You're still stuck. You quit your job and moved back in with your parents. Every night you lay awake thinking of what you could have done better, your little brother's last laugh playing over and over in your head. In your mind, you desperately dig through the wreckage of a collapsed wall only to find his corpse, a smile still stretched across his face and blood streaming from a gash on his temple. It is a gruesome and heart-wrenching sight.
You open the shop door and step inside. The shop is surprisingly empty, but then again it's still early. You can't see George anywhere, but you do see his assistant stacking Skiving Snackboxes onto a shelf. You walk over hesitantly.
"Excuse me?" you ask.
She promptly drops an armload of Snackboxes. "Oh!" she cries, stooping to pick them up. You quickly set about to helping her, picking up two of the boxes and handing them to her as you both straighten up. Flustered and embarrassed, she quickly puts them on the shelf and flicks a piece of hair out of her eyes.
"Verity, isn't it?" you ask.
"No, she's not in today. I'm her sister, the other assistant."
"Oh. Is George here?"
She shakes her head. "No, he went out for his lunch break a few minutes ago."
"It's nine o'clock," you point out.
She shrugs as if it makes no difference to her and continues stacking merchandise.
"Do you know when he'll be back?"
She shrugs again.
You pause. You came here to see George, but if he isn't here then you might as well wait. You look at the assistant, who is determinately ignoring you. She's pretty, with long brown hair and shining brown eyes.
"Do you need help?" you ask her.
She hesitates, then nods. "Can you help me restock the Reusable Hangmen?"
"Sure," you say, gathering up several and walking over to the other shelf to organize them appropriately. The next few minutes pass this way.
"You're Percy, right?" she asks. "George's brother?"
"Yeah, that's me," you admit, grinning sheepishly.
She turns to face you, smiles shyly, and extends her hand to be shaken. You do so, maintaining eye contact and smiling back at her.
"I'm Audrey," she says.