I wanted something really special for Amber's seventeenth birthday. I really wanted to show her how much she had come to mean to me, but I didn't have much money. I barely had enough for her gift. But my mum stepped up to the occasion and made a luxurious picnic lunch for us.
I had arranged to meet Amber at King's Cross Station at 11:30 am. That would give her time to take her Apparition test and give us most of the afternoon to celebrate her birthday. When I got there, picnic basket on arm, she wasn't there yet. So I sat and waited.
"Sorry I'm late." I looked up. Amber was standing next to the bench, pretending to study the train schedule. I smiled and got up to stand next to her.
"No problem, I wasn't waiting that long." I picked up the picnic basket and started heading to the exit, but when I turned around, Amber wasn't following.
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked when I returned to her.
"I'm fine." She looked at the train schedule again before looking at me. "I just don't want you to feel like you have to do anything for me."
I shook my head, a grin on my face. Amber never believed that I wanted to hang out with her because I wanted to; she always thought it was because of something Fred said at the Yule Ball. I have had to reassure her so many times that I wanted to do something with her because I wanted to, not for some other reason.
"If I didn't want to be here, I'd still be at Grimmauld Place helping Sirius plan your birthday dinner," I told her, reaching into my pocket. Amber opened her mouth to say something, probably to protest the fact that her father was planning a birthday treat for her, but I interrupted her. "And I probably wouldn't have taken the time to buy this for you."
Amber stared at the little box in my hand, but refused to take it. I sighed. Grabbing her hand, I placed the box in her hand and whispered, "Open it."
"You don't need to buy me stuff, George."
"It's your birthday," I insisted. As soon as I let go of her wrist, I tucked my hands in my pockets so she couldn't give it back. "What type of friend would I be if I didn't buy you anything, especially on your seventeenth birthday?"
Amber half smiled and carefully opened the box. I was tense. I spent most of the summer trying to figure out what to get Amber, and about two days of searching before I found the perfect gift.
"George, this is too much." Amber interrupted my thoughts, pulling out the necklace I got her. It was two silver pieces in a type of sideways Egyptian eye form on a silver chain, with five opals cutting through the center of the eye. And some really small diamonds between the opals, but, hey, it was Amber's seventeenth birthday. She deserved something nice.
"Not on your seventeenth birthday," I said, taking the necklace and moving behind her. Before she could protest again, I hooked it around her neck.
"You need to return it, George, it's way too much."
"Nonsense." I grabbed the basket and hooked my arm in hers. "I'm not returning it. Now, let's go finish celebrating your birthday." She sighed, but she let me tug her back to the main road, and she left the necklace on.
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"Why didn't you leave a bloody note or something? Do you know what we went through when Mum told us you were gone again? Have you lost your mind?" Everyone was talking at once, and it was giving George a headache. He bowed his head to his hands and rubbed his temples.
"Back off, he said he was sorry!" George looked up to see who was defending him and saw Hermione between him and the rest of the group, hands on her hips in a very Mrs. Weasleyish manner. Ginny was next to her in a very similar fashion.
The noise seemed to stop temporarily, but it started right up again, Ginny and Hermione vehemently shouted counterarguments right back at Ron, Bill, and Harry. Percy, who had been dragged from work by Bill, sat down at the table next to George.
"Enjoying your first couple of days back?" Percy whispered. George looked at Percy curiously. It was the first time since George returned to the Burrow that he had seen his older brother.
"It would be better if they stopped fussing over me. I'm not going anywhere." Internally, George added a "yet" to that sentence. Once he got the shop back on its own, and figured out a plan of action, he would be right out that door looking for Amber. Percy stretched.
"Let somebody know before you go hunting for Amber." George flinched, and Percy chuckled. "C'mon, George, it's obvious you're planning something. Ron says you mumbled in your sleep the entire first night back."
"But how did you know I was going to hunt for Amber?"
"Because that's what you did last time." George waited, staring at Percy, the rest of his family and friends still arguing not far away. Percy sighed. "George, at least let me know when you leave. If something comes up, I need to know where to find you so I can let you know. And I need to think up a cover so Mum doesn't track you down."
"Why would you think to walk to the bloody copse of trees?!" Ron broke away from the argument and turned to George. "Are you off you're bloody rocker? A note would have been nice!"
"I'm sorry!" George stood and slammed his fists to the table. The room quieted down. "I didn't think I'd be gone that long! I fancied a walk. That's all. Next time, I'll leave you your bloody note."
George looked at his friends and family. Ron looked shocked, Mrs. Weasley looked ready to fuss over him, and Hermione had a knowing look on her face. Turning from the table, George fled up to his room.
He sat amongst the boxes and memories, pondering everything that has happened the past three days. Reaching into his pocket, George pulled out the necklace. The leprechaun was the most peculiar thing he had ever seen, and he had a feeling that wasn't the least of it. As George tried to figure out how the leprechaun came to possess the necklace, there was a knock at his door.
"Who is it?" he called out, hastily stuffing the necklace back in his pocket.
"Its me, mate." Harry opened the door and stepped in. "I have a feeling you've seen enough of your family for awhile."
"Hey, Harry." George grabbed a box from where it sat on the ground and started rummaging through it. Harry stood in the doorway for awhile, but wandered in and sat at the edge of one of the beds.
"There's something you're not telling us." George looked up. Harry didn't phrase it as a question, it was a point blank statement. Still, George wasn't quite sure how to react.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" George finally said as he turned back to the box.
"Just some things Ginny and Hermione said earlier."
George kept digging through the box. There was nothing in it he wanted, but he had to look busy. Harry just sat there waiting for George to do or say something. Eventually, Harry sighed and shifted.
"I'll let Kingsley know Amber's still gone. I promised him I would when we found you anyways, since you might have been with her for all we knew." George shrugged. This was something he had to do. Harry and Percy could say they were going to help all they wanted, but, when it came down to it, George would be the one travelling the world looking for Amber. And when he found her, he wasn't going to let her vanish again.
"I'll find her," George whispered.
"I know you will, and I intend to help you however possible." George looked up, startled. He had forgotten that Harry was still there. Harry smiled at George. "Don't think you're the only one who cares about what happened to Amber. We became really good friends after Sirius' death. In fact, she's practically my sister."
George half smiled. He remembered well the times Amber and Harry were sitting in the common room talking before Sirius died. It made sense they'd become closer after Sirius' untimely death.
When George looked up again, Harry had vanished. With a sigh, he shoved the box aside and reached into his pocket once more. Pulling out the necklace, he let a tear escape. Staring into the opals, he swore to find Amber, no matter what the cost.
A/N: Oh, geez, its been forever since I updated last. Sorry, any loyal fans I might have. My computer got busted, so I went without for almost 2 months, and then I got a new computer just in time for my professors to bombard me with papers galore. It didn't help that I hit major writer's block in the main plot. But that's all worked out now. Don't expect anything until at least mid-May. Its the last week and a half of classes right now, so I have papers, projects, hearings, and exams up to my eyes right now. But thank you for reading, and please leave a review.