Chapter 7
"Blimey Hermione, that was fast." George said. Looking at his watch, he saw she'd only been gone about ten minutes.
"Yeah, well my vault is on one of the top floors." Hermione replied. "So what did you want to ask me Bill?"
"Hermione, I hear you need a job, and I'm going to offer you one. Ever since these three 17 year olds broke into Gringotts last year, my department here has been working overload. I'm in need of another curse setter if you're interested." Bill told her.
"A curse setter? That sounds great Bill. Although I have to tell you, as soon as there's an opening in the Ministry I'm going to be leaving." Hermione told him.
Bill nodded. "Understandable. It's Friday today, so why don't you start on Monday, 8 am. Just come to my office and I'll show you the ropes, sound good?"
"Wonderful! Thank you so much Bill." Hermione responded the same time as George spoke.
"What? She can't start Monday!"
Hermione turned to George. "And why not George?"
"What am I going to do if you're at work?"
"How about you go to work on Monday too?" Hermione responded.
"Why? Ron is doing a great job at the shop without me." George said.
Bill broke in and said, "George, it's your shop, not Ron's, so you need to get it together and go back to work. You wouldn't even have to be out on the floor; just stay in the back inventing stuff; the customers would love some new products. I hear it all the time when I go into the shop."
George glared at Bill. "Well, thanks for telling me what my customers want Bill. Besides the shop is half Ron's, and he's doing just fine with it. Even without new products the shop is making tons of galleons."
Hermione spoke up. "George, I'm sorry but I need this job. You knew it was going to happen at some point. You'll do fine during the day without me and Bill's right you know; you could come to the joke shop and just stay in the back if you wanted."
George glared at his watch. "Damn I still have 32 minutes left in this place. Come on Hermione, I don't want to be in Gringotts any longer." George stormed out of Bill's office.
Before Hermione followed she turned to Bill, "Don't worry about him. He's mad cause he knows you're speaking the truth. I'll see you on Monday." And she left. It wasn't until she was on the street that she caught up to George.
"What do you want to do for 29 minutes?" George asked.
"I think you're not telling the time right, but I'm not going to argue it. How about some ice cream?" Hermione said. George nodded and they walked down the street. They hadn't gone more then a couple of steps when Hermione heard someone call George's name from behind them. They both turned around and saw Lee Jordan coming towards them.
"George! What are you doing here? You do know you're in Diagon Alley and therefore are out in public right?" Lee asked his friend, then turned to Hermione and greeted her.
"Yes Lee, I know I'm out in public, or at least for another 27 minutes I will be." George said. "How have you been mate?"
"I'm doing okay. I've missed hanging out with you though mate. You want to go get a fire whiskey with me?" Lee asked, then turned to Hermione. "Is that okay anyway? I was in the shop last week and Ron was telling me how you've been forcing George out of hiding."
Hermione laughed and said it was fine, she'd go to the bookshop, and watched as the two friends walked away, hearing George say, "What the bloody hell Lee, Hermione isn't my babysitter; I can do whatever I want to."
Hermione went into the bookshop and when she left she had four new books to read, all about curse setters. She looked at her watch and seeing that she had been in Diagon Alley for over an hour, she wondered if George had stayed or if he had made good to his threat. She headed over to the Leaky Cauldron to find Lee and George. When she walked inside she smiled at the scene. George was surrounded by Katie, Alicia, Angelina, Lee, Oliver, and several other people that she didn't know. They were all pretty drunk and having a great time, even though it was only three in the afternoon. Deciding to slip away, Hermione made her way back to the door but George saw her.
"Hermione! Come on and join us love." George slurred. "Lee got everyone to take off work and join us. Come on love, you know you don't want to miss the fun."
Hermione shook her head and walked over to George. "I'll stay for a minute." and she joined the table. Lee handed her a fire whiskey and she sipped on it.
"That's not how you are supposed to drink that Hermione." Katie slurred. "Come on, chug it, this is a celebration!"
Hermione looked up at Katie. "And what are we celebrating?"
"The fact that George is out in public." Alicia said.
"Yes, and that he is actually talking to us again." Angelina added.
"And that he didn't turn and run as soon as he saw me." Lee told her.
"I don't turn and run from you guys." George said.
"Oh yes you do, and you know it." Oliver said.
Looking at Oliver, George responded, "That's just because I don't want to hear you go on and on about Quidditch like we're still playing under you." George told him, causing everyone to laugh.
Hermione smiled at the group of friends. It was clear they had all missed George and that George had been avoiding them. Hermione understood why of course, they had been Fred's friends too; she had done the same thing with her and Abby's friends, only she had never reunited the friendships like George was doing now. They sat there for a while talking, and then George asked Tom the barman for a sobering potion.
"What you taking that for?" Lee asked.
"Well I have to take Hermione here on a proper date and I don't think she'll let me if I'm drunk." George said, taking the potion. After a moment he was sober and grabbed Hermione's hand. "Ready?"
Hermione nodded and they left; George promising to keep in touch with them all and that they'd make plans to all hang out again soon.
Once back on Diagon Alley George smiled at Hermione. "That was fun. I've missed all of them and I've stayed away only because I was afraid of how they'd act around me. It wasn't bad at all. They treated me like normal. Is that how it was for you Hermione?"
Hermione shook her head. "I got my Hogwarts letter and left, remember? Most breaks I was at the Burrow, so I never reunited with my old friends. I'll see them every now and then, but we usually only say hi in passing. You're lucky George, just don't push them away anymore."
"I don't plan to. Now about our date. I'm kinda hungry, are you?" Hermione nodded. "Good I know just the place to go." He led the way to one of the fanciest restaurants on Diagon Alley, which happened to be next door to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. "I know. Kind of ironic isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. Do you want to go into the shop?" Hermione asked.
"No." George said as they entered the restaurant. They got a table quickly and Hermione had to admit, she had a lot of fun. Was it possible she was really falling for George Weasley?
