Hermione, Sadey, and Ginny all got ready to go to Diagon Alley for the night. Ginny had invited Dean along as well, and Fred and George would be joining them once they closed their shop. Ginny and Sadey hit it off well, and while Sadey was getting changed in the bathroom, Hermione filled Ginny in on her and Ron's plan to get the two of them together.
"I think it's a good idea!" Ginny said excitedly.
"What's a good idea?" Sadey asked from the doorway. Hermione smiled at her.
"You look lovely," Hermione commented, brushing the subject to the side.
"Thanks. And so do the two of you," she agreed, going to her trunk, and pulling out a small necklace.
"I've never seen you wear that before. Where'd you get it?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the piece of jewelry.
"That's because I made it in my spare time. Pretty interesting what you can do with a piece of fishing line, and a few charms and beads," Sadey said, looking at the choker in the mirror. She grabbed a hair tie, as Hermione put her wand in her pocket. Ginny looked at herself in the mirror one last time, before turning out of the room, and going down to the living room. Sadey slipped on her sandals, and followed Hermione down the stairs.
"I can't believe how hot it's been. I was totally unprepared for this," Hermione said, using her hand as a fan.
"The weatherman on the News channel said that a heat wave was going to come this week. It's supposed to last a while," Sadey said. Hermione stopped and stared at Sadey as she walked past.
"You're parents have a television?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"No! Oh hell, no. My aunt does. My father's muggle-born, and she's his sister," Sadey explained, laughing at the thought of her family owning a television.
"Oh. Of course," Hermione said grinning, and sitting down at the wooden table. Not long after they sat down, did Harry and Ron come down the stairs.
"Everyone ready?" Ron asked, pocketing his wand, and a few sickles.
"Yup. Dean's meeting us at the Golden Lady," Ginny said, turning to the hearth. Ron scowled behind her, but kept his thoughts to himself. Ginny was the first to travel to the restaurant. Harry followed. As Sadey disappeared, Ron rushed to Hermione, and kissed her fiercely.
"Oh, you don't know how long and how patiently I've waited to do that," Ron said, holding her in his arms.
"Oh, I think I have an idea. Now let me go, so I can go to the restaurant. If I don't hurry, people might get suspicious. She disappeared into the green flames.
When Ron appeared at the Golden Lady, he was unhappy to find that Ginny had jumped into the open arms of Dean Thomas, and was now kissing him blissfully.
"I think we should get a table," Ron said loudly, after clearing his throat. Hermione giggled behind her hand, and led everyone through to the dining room. She and Sadey took their seats, as Ron sat down in the closest seat to Hermione. Fred and George came in and took their seats down across from Sadey and Hermione, as Dean and Ginny took their own seats. Harry stood awkwardly, before taking the only empty seat, next to Sadey. Hermione grinned at Ron and Ginny. She had hoped Harry and Sadey would have to sit next to each other. They all opened their menus, and not long after ordered their dinners.
Some conversation was littering the air as they waited for their dinner. Sadey looked around at the people that were sitting with her. Dean and Ginny were staring into each other's eyes lovingly, saying something to each other in hushed tones; Ron had secretly grabbed Hermione's hand under the table, and Fred and George were talking brightly about their new business to Harry. But as Fred was explaining something to Harry about their jokes, George caught Sadey's eye. She couldn't bring her eyes away from him. Something about George was intriguing her, but she didn't quite know what it was. She finally drew her eyes away from him, and smiled nervously at Hermione, who gave her a look, as if asking Are you alright? Not long after, their dinners arrived. Hermione and Sadey spent the time they ate to talk about little things from school, like the prefect meetings they would need to be attending during their 6th year at school. Fred, George, and Harry were engulfed in a conversation about Quidditch, but every once in a while, Sadey would catch George stealing glances of her. Around the end of the meal, Sadey did try and talk to Harry. As Ron was paying for dinner, Sadey pulled Harry aside.
"Listen, about what happened earlier…I wanted to apologize," she said, lowering her eyes.
"What do you mean? You didn't do anything but get hurt," Harry said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He actually believed he was getting feelings for her. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Well I'm happy to hear I wasn't a burden," she said, taking his hand in hers for a moment, before walking off to join Hermione. He stared after her for a moment before being joined by Fred and George.
"How about you give me a little tour of your shop?" Harry suggested, wanting to take his mind off Sadey for the first time in hours.
"Sounds good," Fred said excitedly. "You coming George?"
"No, I think I…I think I've spent enough time at the shop for today," George said, distractedly.
"Oh, well have fun, whatever you do," Fred said, leading Harry off down the Alley. Ginny and Dean were heading off toward the ice cream shop, and Hermione, Ron and Sadey were sitting on a low wall by the restaurant. George walked over to them with his hands in his pockets and sat down.
"What are you three up to? Not planning to get into any trouble I hope," George teased, looking at the three of them over Sadey's shoulder. She moved back to let him into their conversation, and her hand brushed his. She blushed quickly, and held her hands in her lap.
"Nothing going on here. Hermione, Sadey and I were just talking about maybe going on a boat ride," Ron said.
"Oh, I don't think I'm going to go. I tend to get a little motion sick on boats," Sadey said with a laugh.
"Oh. Well I'll feel bad just leaving you here…" Hermione said, looking from Sadey to Ron.
"No, you two go. Have fun," Sadey assured her.
"Don't worry. I'll look after her," George said with a grin.
"I'm sure you will," Ron mumbled, rolling his eyes, and smirking. The two of them walked off, leaving Sadey and George alone.
"What do you say to an ice cream cone? My treat," George tempted, standing up, and walking away toward the ice cream parlor.
"I say an ice cream cone would be really lovely right about now," Sadey said, standing up, and following him. "Surprising how busy the Alley is this time of day," Sadey said, walking through the crowd. Suddenly a man came between them, and separated the pair for a moment.
"A person could get lost in this pack," George said, taking her hand. Sadey looked up at him, but held onto him tightly, as to not get lost. When they reached the small shop, George ordered strawberry and peanut butter cones for the two of them, and they sat down at a small café style table in the outdoor dining area. Sadey looked around at the place, as she licked her dessert. There were small trees set around the iron fence, and small strings of lights had been strung between them, and made a checkered pattern above them. It was a very calm, romantic setting. As she was marveling at the decorations, George stared at her, eating his own treat.
"Let's get out of here. Just go for a walk," George said, standing up, and taking her hand again. He led her down the Alley and they looked at the different shops, talking about Quidditch, pranks, school, and the future; almost everything. Sadey found it extremely easy to talk to George, and she liked being in his company. When they finished with their dessert, they threw out the paper that was around the cone, and sat down on a low wall.
"Oh, you have…a spot on your cheek," George said, reaching over to brush it off. As he did, he leaned in closer. Sadey closed her eyes, and kissed him gently. Something inside of her burst, and everything felt so right with him there. After a moment, they broke apart. Sadey smiled shyly at him, as he brushed his thumb on her cheek. She reached up, and placed her hand over his, as he smiled back at her, and leaned in for another kiss, a little more passionate than before. Sadey moved closer to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
As they kissed, a pair of green eyes caught a glimpse of them, and stared.
Harry walked away from the scene heatedly, his heart burning with jealously. He thought he had found a girl that he would finally be happy with, and now she was stolen away from him. Of course this is my fault for not making a move sooner! he thought irritably, kicking a trash can down a dark alley. He walked fiercely toward the Leaky Cauldron, and returned to the Burrow, fuming, and annoyed.