This whole thing was taking too long. I didn't like waiting. Impatiently I tried to distract myself, watching as people continued walking back and forth through the area, going in and out of different the different shops. Diagon Alley was always varying degrees of hectic. Not many other places had this large of a selection of shops, it was a good place to buy what one needed or simply wanted. But I had agreed to come; I needed to go through with this. Even if it felt tedious it was for my own benefit in the end. I let out a sigh and rested myself against one of the less crowded walls. I'd give it a few more minutes before getting too upset.
"Sorry, I'm sorry; did I make you wait long?"
"Yes, you did" I grumbled, giving Daphne a look. She seemed to have taken my reply as a joke, that or she simply didn't feel like taking me seriously today. Either way, she let out a giggle.
"I said I was sorry, okay? I thought it would take less time for my mother to finish looking over her department's publishings. Since I was getting dropped off by her I had to wait, and I can't exactly rush my mother…" she mumbled the last bit before giving me a shrug. "But I'm here, aren't I?"
"Let's just get this over with" I let out a sigh. Daphne rolled her eyes at me and reached over, taking my arm without saying another word.
We had come together to buy ourselves some dress-robes. It wasn't like I needed, or even wanted, any more of those things. But as soon as she had gotten her invitation for the Malfoys' planned gathering Daphne insisted we should buy our dresses together. I had agreed to meet her here as long as she agreed to my some of my conditions. She knew how to choose good-looking garments at least.
Alas this didn't turn out as the simple in-then-out situation I had fooled myself into thinking it would be. Daphne took full advantage of our time together, and of the fact that I had agreed to pay for a good few things for her. First we grabbed some brunch. We browsed through a number of stores, which didn't sell clothes half the time, and continued to do so for at least an hour. Honestly, shopping with her was almost as bad as having to shop with my mother. Unfortunately, even through all of this, I wasn't in much of a place to argue. But finally, on what felt like the fifteenth shop we visited, she decided to take a deeper look. After that, shopping wasn't so bad. Not good but still, it wasn't so bad.
"This is the one I really felt had the best selection in the first place" she assured me, stopping in front of a particular dress.
"Then why didn't we start with this one?" I asked, giving her a look. Daphne simply gave me a smile and turned back at the clothes displayed before us.
"It's not every day that I get you to buy me things, you know."
"So you are deliberately dragging this out."
"You could at least pretend you're enjoying yourself" she gave me a look. My expression didn't change.
"Whatever could you mean? I am obviously having the time of my life" I replied as blandly as I could manage. Daphne let out a laugh and shook her head at me. I let out a smile in return. "I am having fun. Part of me just wishes there was a little less fun to be had."
"Then you should have invited someone else because, with me, you'll be having more fun that you can handle" she giggled and locked her arm with mine.
Taking her sweet time Daphne walked to each of the displays, inspecting the different designs. She took in one by one the detail of them all. I walked alongside her, only really glancing at the dresses. Really, though, that was mostly because her arm was still wrapped around mine. I had never been interested in clothing or "fashion" itself. The premise of what people found fitting to wear was as ever changing as their views. Just over a few hundred years prior fashion was being bound by about a dozen layers of metal and cloth and jewelry of sorts to the point where it was difficult to breathe. A few hundred years before that there was just a simple dress, maybe a scarf if that. Ancient Romans would just adorn themselves in sheets, so why couldn't we still do that?
"Here this one will look nice on you" Daphne called out to me, grabbing one of the sample garbs.
"It looks like the one I wore to the Yule Ball" I noted as she held the thing up and moved it towards me.
"Yes, the silhouette looked nice on you."
"The what?"
"The shape" Daphne repeated with a look. "The shape of it looked nice on you."
"Exactly, 'looked'" I repeated my point. "I wore one like this before. Isn't the whole point of us coming here to get something new? So why would I want one that looks like one I've worn before?"
"It's not just like it!" Daphne said, starting to get defensive. She always was sensitive about these things. "This one has a larger flare while keeping the same fit and an empire—look I know what I'm talking about. Just try it on, would you?"
"Fine" I agreed with a sigh.
Doing a complete turn of emotions Daphne gave me a smile, having gotten over her brief tantrum rather quickly. Gesturing to one of the employees of the shop Daphne handed her the clothing she had picked out so far, requesting a room to be prepared for us. As we continued to examine the rest of the shop she occasionally handed the staff a new item for them to store. There were about five garments for each of us already but she continued to walk around the shop.
"You know, even if it might not be your exact style, it wouldn't hurt to try on a few others" she mumbled, though sounding like she was talking more to herself.
"I think we already have enough" I grumbled, watching her hand an employee yet another dress.
"I'm just taking some time. How often do we get to see each other like this?" Daphne cooed at me.
"Every single day. We literally sleep in the same room for several months at a time whenever school starts" I reminded her. She waved that comment away.
"Yes but I mean during summer" she clarified. "We could go have some lunch after this. Or look at a few more shops nearby, there is a few we missed. If we're out long enough we could even grab some dinner—"
"Daphne" I interrupted, realizing where she was going with all of that. For a moment she contemplated playing dumb but sighed and looked back to me. I began walking away and she followed.
"Why do you have to go see him after this?" she pouted, catching up to me. I ignored her and continued forward. Daphne however did not get the hint. "You see him at least once a week at school already. Isn't that enough? Why do you want to see him here too?"
"Putting aside the fact you were using the exact opposite of that logic when trying to convince me to stay with you," I reminded her giving her a look, "I'm going. We had an arrangement, didn't we? Or did you forget?"
"I didn't forget" Daphne grumbled. "But I'm just saying—"
"What was the agreement?" I insisted.
"That you would buy me whatever dress I wanted if we went shopping together."
"And…"
"And afterwards you would leave to go see him" she mumbled, not happy with that part of the agreement.
"And…" I insisted. Daphne let out a groan before finishing.
"And I wouldn't tell anyone about this. Yes, I know. I just don't want you to go and make a huge mistake. You're still young" Daphne ranted, acting as if she were far older and more mature than she actually was. "You could find someone so much better. You know some great guys already; I can think of one in particular that suits you. Why not give one of those a try instead?"
I gave her a look and didn't reply. Instead I took a step inside my assigned fitting room and closed the door behind me. From the other side I heard a soft groan. Disregarding it I moved further into the room and heard Daphne do the same on her end. After some shuffling the sound Daphne of exiting her own room came and she stepped closer to mine. Letting out a breath I waited, knowing what she was going to do. Sure enough a knock came from my door. With a shake of my head I walked to it. Not a second after I opened the door Daphne strutted in, her clothes in hand.
"I'm just saying, you could do so much better" she said calmly, hanging her things next to mine.
"Why are you in here?" I asked but closed the door behind her. She had already begun undressing.
"They gave us two separate rooms" Daphne defended. I gave her a look in return, that was exactly my point. She guessed as much and rolled her eyes at me. "We've shared a room for years. I've seen far more of you than what I will see in this fitting. Besides, I want to see how they look on you."
"Why do you care so much what I look like?" I changed my question, having given up on trying to kick her out.
"For one, because if you tried just a little you could be stunning" Daphne lectured placing a hand on her hip, as if oblivious to the fact she was in her underwear. I rolled my eyes at her and moved to my side of the room. "But, more importantly, we're shopping for Draco's party. Don't you want to look nice for him?"
"Draco doesn't care what I look like" I shook my head at her.
"On that you're right" she gave me a sigh and grabbed something to try on. In term I did the same.
We took turns trying on our clothes. Daphne insisted on wanting a proper look at my garments, saying I wouldn't pay attention to anything besides how much trouble it was to put on. She wasn't wrong. I stepped into the first of the dresses so we, or rather she, could properly see what "silhouette" would fit me best. Mumbling to herself and circling around me Daphne made her verdict and instructed me to change. As I did she switched from my options and took in her own. This went back and forth for a while as we got through the mountain of options she had set for us.
I didn't care enough to choose between the garments so once we were done I gave the decision for Daphne to make. The dresses were comfortable enough to wear and, as she had stated, that was the only thing I actually cared about. She chose quickly, having put some thought into the choice already. With her own options she had a bit more trouble. Daphne grumbled to herself, holding up the two dresses she had narrowed it down to. After several minutes of waiting for her to be done I told her she could have both if it would hurry things along. With a happy shriek she hugged me before beginning to dress in her original clothes.
I should not be condoning this type of behavior but I was already testing her self-control, keeping her from saying all that she wanted to say about George. Besides she was helping me, in her own way. Papa would not have agreed to letting me spend all day with Hermione, Draco wouldn't have agreed to do this for him, and I was trying to keep them from knowing I was visiting George so I couldn't even mention him. But Daphne was fun to be around. Normally I preferred her in shorter spurts, but beggars can't be choosers.
As the staff took our measurements we instructed which designs were for whom. They made notes before leading us to the fabrics. Since the dresses were being made from scratch we also had the option of choosing what they would be made of, which was nice. They offered some advice on what fabric would best "drape" Daphne's "A-line" dress as opposed to the "bouffant" style she had. Whatever all that meant we declined. Daphne felt secure enough in her apparently extensive knowledge of this stuff to know what would best fit out gowns. I just didn't want yet another person hovering over me and speaking words I didn't quite understand. If I wanted that I'd go on vacation out of the country; that would be far more enjoyable. So they left assuring us that if we needed anything we could just let them know.
"Isn't it silly to be referring to a shade of color with so many different words?" I frowned looking at the rainbow spew that was this side of the shop. Daphne gave me a look in return.
"Silly?" she teased, coming to stand near the sea of blue tones.
"What?" I asked looking between two of the fabrics in front of me. They looked and felt exactly the same but were separated into two. There was no way these were different colors.
"Who says silly? What are you, five?" Daphne smiled at me. I gave her a look in return.
"Oh, I'm sorry" I replied in the most sarcastic tone I could manage. "What I meant to say was that the unnecessary level of detail applied to a slim spectrum of colors only solidifies the superfluous aspect of clothing and in return makes your behavior seem pedantic at best."
I smiled as Daphne began to frown as a result. Either she wasn't completely sure on what I had said or just knew I was using those kinds of words to confuse her. Whatever the case, Daphne continued to give me a look as she came to join me by the blues. She took the two fabrics from me, looked to them, and then smiled.
"Yeah, well, at least I can tell the difference between Indigo and Royal Blue" her smile got a little bigger, setting the cottons down.
"There is no difference!" I snapped and turned away from them. Daphne let out a giggle and took a hold of my wrist.
"Doesn't matter; I think greens actually suit you better. I myself fit reds rather well, which is unfortunate when considering our house colors. But we're focusing on you right now. Come on, and keep in mind you're a summer, so stick to warm tones."
"Because I was born in the summer?" I asked, wondering what that had to do with anything. Daphne gave me a knowing smile.
"That's not how it works" she shook her head and led me forward, to another section of the makeshift rainbow.
After what felt like an eternity of her pressing different colors to my face for comparison, finally the materials and colors were decided. We finished the arrangements, reminding which of the dresses was mine and when they needed to be ready. I made the initial payment leaving the rest to be given at the time of pick up. Once everything was all said and done Daphne finally agreed to leave the shop. Against my better judgement I did agree to have a small snack with her, stopping for an ice cream at Fortescue's. We chatted for a while, her more so than me. Daphne was too concerned with ruining her rose-shaped treat to really dive into her sweet.
"All I'm saying is, I don't see how a color can be 'soft', or have a temperature for that matter" I complained taking a bite of my ice cream.
"You don't see me questioning you and your smartypants talk" Daphne reminded me in a murmur. I looked up at her for a moment before looking down at the bowl in front of me.
"I've noticed, you're demanding a lot more of me lately, more than you used to" I noted bringing another spoonful to myself. Daphne smiled back.
"I'll take that to mean I have higher standards."
"Take it however you want, I know what I meant by it" I gave her a smirk back. Daphne let out a giggle.
"Well if I can, why not take advantage of the situation? Besides, I like spending time with you" she shrugged, still keeping her smile. "It's nice being able to talk outside of Hogwarts, as girls and not just students. I mean, sure, you remind me a lot more of Theo than any normal girl should. But I like him too; he just doesn't like buying me things as often."
"What are you talking about? He pays for half the things you buy at school" I reminded her. Daphne shrugged again making me roll my eyes and decide to let that go. "I would spend more time with you, were you not always insisting that I'm ruining my life, constantly 'reminding' me that my friends are a waste of time, and that I should break up with my boyfriend, and all."
"Hey, I haven't even thought about bringing him up in the last several minutes!"
"So you suggesting this had nothing to do with keeping me here longer?" I asked, gesturing at the parlour beside us. Daphne turned away, taking a bite off one of the rose petals on her cone. Aside from that she didn't say anything. I shook my head at her having guessed as much.
"Really, you could do so much better" Daphne insisted and I rolled my eyes.
"I don't need yet another person in my life trying to tell me when and whom I should date."
"But think of the life you'll lead if you marry into that family!"
"For the last time, Daphne, we're not getting married!"
"Good, you really shouldn't" Daphne nodded in agreement, completely missing the point of my outburst. I gave her a look and she returned to me a sigh. "Fine, I'll change the subject. Since we were talking about Hogwarts anyway, who do you think will be made prefects for our house this year?"
"I don't know" I muttered curiously. I knew the prefects were always chosen beginning fifth year but I had yet to put much thought into it. Daphne smiled at me, feeling accomplished to have successfully distracted me I suppose. "It really depends on if they are focusing on academic achievements or overall authority."
"What do you mean?" Daphne asked, now curious herself.
"If they are basing the decision solely on test scores and such then the more likely choice for our house would be Theo" I presented, to which she gave a nod of agreement. "However, if they want someone who has more authority, the kind of person who demands to be heard, then that role would fall on Draco."
"That makes sense" she concurred. "I think Theo would make a great prefect but he wouldn't bother telling others what to do. He might tell them once and then never bring it up again."
"That's probably why Draco will be chosen for the position."
"I bet he'll love that" Daphne gave me a smirk.
"Yeah, that will be fun to deal with alright" I let out a sigh. Daphne let out a giggle.
"Do you think you will be chosen for the girl's position as prefect?"
"I don't know" I answered honestly. "I suppose it would be nice to hold said title but I don't really care much either way."
"It would make sense" Daphne continued, seeming to care more about it herself. "I think you'd do great. Besides, you're like the only person at Hogwarts Draco ever listens to."
"Even so he can be a handful" I grumbled, taking another spoonful of ice cream. Daphne smiled and nodded her head at me.
"I think" she began, taking a bite of another of the petals, "this will be between you and Pansy. You know, like how it will be between Theo and Draco."
"Probably."
"Of course, if Pansy asks, I'll say the same things to her that I said to you. I don't like to play favorites and all."
"I'm well aware."
Daphne gave me a smile and I smiled back knowing that wasn't the reason. Pansy would throw a fit if she thought I was 'stealing' someone else from her. Once finished with our small treat Daphne and I parted ways. She did take time to remind me I could do better and I reminded her to keep her opinion to herself. I waited until I was sure she had left before turning away.
I turned down and headed to the South Side of Diagon Alley. Making myself unseen I walked down to the small archway that lay between Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. George and I had agreed to meet there seeing as it was hardly ever used. People generally made their way directly to one or the other, very rarely passing between the two. If they did, normally the Leaky Cauldron route was chosen. Resting my shoulder against the wall, I faced in the direction of Knockturn Alley. Anyone I should be concerned with telling my father of what I was doing would be coming from that side. I waited about a minute before I felt something grab me from behind. I frowned and pointed my wand behind me. But, having a good guess on who it was, I didn't move just yet.
"This is really not the kind of place you want to be grabbing me like that" I scolded, turning to look behind me. George leaned down to kiss my cheek. Smiling at me he seemed to not have noticed my wand inches from his face.
"I've missed you too" he greeted me warmly. "You been waiting long?"
"No, I just finished saying goodbye to Daphne" I answered, moving to place my wand back into my robes pocket. He only seemed to notice it as I pulled it away.
"It's really nice of her to be keeping this for you" George mentioned.
"Yes, she's going this because she's nice" I rolled my eyes. George continued to smile but Daphne had taken a lot more of my time than I had expected. "Have you been waiting long?"
"I did for a bit. But I was watching the path from the Joke Shop over there, so I wasn't bored. They have some pretty good junk" George nodded approvingly at it.
I gave him a smile and he kissed my cheek again. After that he pulled away, glancing at both sides checking to see if we were getting any unwanted attention. Apparently, he hadn't bothered checking that before. I sighed a little at his lack of attentiveness and he heard me. George smiled down at me and grabbed my hand. With a light tug he pulled me closer to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and looked down at me.
"Ready?" he asked with a smile on his face. I gave him a look.
"Are you sure you can take both of us? You just recently passed your apparition exam" I reminded.
"I've been practicing. Actually mum complains I do it too much. So, you see, I can do it just fine" George smiled smugly. The doubt must have been clear on my face as his smile turned into a smirk. "Are you doubting my intelligegance?"
"Yes, that is exactly why I'm asking" I stated simply. George chuckled and looked down at me.
"Well, if you would rather just stand like this, I am perfectly fine with that too" George said shamelessly, pulling me closer to him. He leaned his face closer to mine. I gave him another look.
"Fine" I sighed in return. Taking that as final say he pulled me closer.
"Now remember, hold on tight" he gave me a smirk.
I felt the force of the apparition hit me in the seconds to follow. My grip tightened around George. The pressure made it difficult to breathe. This feeling always annoyed me. Certainly it was better than when I had first experienced it, but it was never pleasant. A moment passed and the pressure lifted from us. At the sound of a chuckle I looked up to find we had arrived. George looked down at me, giving a very smug look as I continued to hold my grip on him. In return I rolled my eyes at him and let go.
The usual sign proved we had arrived at The Burrow. I followed silently as he led us around his home, back towards the front entrance. We passed alongside his garden, though small and unkempt it still served its purpose. A faint croaking of frogs could be heard coming from it, most likely from the pond right beside it. I made a face at it. The croaks weren't really the issue. What was strange was that, aside from the shuffling of our footsteps, that was the only sound I could hear.
George took us through the kitchen door and we stepped into his home. Having entered I noticed the difference from my last visit immediately. The place was clean, very clean aside from a light layer of dust, as if it hadn't been touched in days. There was none of the usual chatter I had constantly heard muffled, like when I had been there last. No one running around outside, no people trying to get around each other, stumbling against things. No one was home, and the silence produced was profound.
"Where is your family?" I asked stepping closer to the middle of the room. Looking around, I saw no one there.
"I told you, we're staying at a friend's" George mentioned, vaguely.
"I thought at least some of them would have returned by now" I mumbled, as he sat us in the living room. I did note the house looked bigger with just two people there; not big, but bigger. Even still, the cluttered feel of his home felt more welcoming than that at the moment.
"No, not yet" he answered, once again vague. My eyes narrowed at him. I had noticed the lack of detail in his letters as well. Normally he was quite chatty, even in writing, he should have expected I would have noticed the change. Maybe he hadn't thought it that far through.
"Why?" I asked with a look. He shrugged at me, but continued looking forward.
"My parents decided it one night" he half answered.
"And you didn't ask why?" I gave him a suspicious look. George scratched his head, still not returning my gaze.
"They just wanted to visit a friend. I wasn't going to argue with them over that" he mumbled in response.
"What friend?"
"What?" he asked. This time, George turned to look at me.
"What is their friend's name?" I asked with a look.
"I don't know" he mumbled a lie and turned away from me again.
"You didn't bother to learn who you were staying with?" I asked, still waiting for him to tell me what was going on.
"My parents trust him" he eluded the question and my glance.
"Whiskers has been having trouble getting letters to you" I added.
"Maybe he's getting at that age, you know. Owls get stubborn as they age" he suggested knowing well that wasn't the case.
"He wouldn't do that" I insisted but George didn't quite get the hint.
"I thought the same thing, but when Errol turned seven—"
"What are you keeping from me?" I interrupted his attempt at a lie.
George let out a sigh and looked down at me. I gave him a stubborn look. He had been vague in his letters and half-answered, or downright ignored, any questions I had made to him about where he was staying. If I was curious before now I had to know. He let out a groan and leaned forward. Moving down next to me he rested his face against my neck.
"I love you" George cooed. I rolled my eyes at him.
"George."
"Why do you have to ask so many questions?" George groaned against my skin.
"Because you haven't answered a single one properly" I gave him a look, patting his head as he pulled me closer to him.
"Can't you just trust that I'm keeping this quiet for a reason?" George asked with a pout.
"No."
With a light chuckle he moved to sit up straight. George leaned down to me. Slowly he closed the distance between us and kissed my lips. He stayed there for a moment before pulling away, sitting himself up again. His gaze fixed on the ground a second longer before turning to face me, his expression back to normal.
"Would you like some tea? I'll go get us some tea" he decided, getting up from the couch.
"I just ate, actually" I answered but I doubt he actually heard the words I said.
"No, no, it's no trouble really" George said quickly and continued forward. I sighed and got up after him.
George began looking in the cupboards for the tea making supplies. At first he ignored me when I stepped into his kitchen. Standing by the entrance I waited for a moment. He managed to get half of the supplies out before letting out a sigh and turning to me. He didn't say anything, waiting to see if I was going to persist. Silently I looked at him for a moment before stepping the rest of the way in.
"Do you need any help?" I asked, joining him in the compact kitchen.
I would continue to question him, of course, but now wasn't the time. We had agreed to spend some time together and using that time asking insistent questions that were probably none of my business would be wasteful. George looked happy enough with my question and smiled in response. He walked closer to me and leaned in to give me a quick kiss on the lips.
"You like sugar in yours, right? We keep it in that cupboard if you want to go and get it" he mentioned, pointing to one of the wall cabinets. I nodded and walked over towards it.
George left me to it, turning back to finish prepping the tea. With a wave of his wand he got the fire started as I turned to do my own part. I opened the cupboard and noted the sugar was higher than I had expected. With a shrug to myself I reached for it anyway. The bowl of sugar sat just out of my reach. I pulled back, huffing a little annoyed. It wasn't that far up, I should be able to reach it just fine. Trying one more time I reached up, this time leaning on the tips of my toes. Still, no luck. Letting out an aggravated groan I rested one of my hands against the counter for leverage and tried again. The tips of my fingers graced against it but it was still too far to get a hold of.
I planted myself back on the ground and glared at it. That's when I heard the chuckle coming from behind me. George watched me from where his station lay already prepared. It took me a moment to realize he had to have known I wouldn't be able to reach it. He did this on purpose. My look turned into a glare as he continued to chuckle lightly to himself.
"I was trying to be civil about all of this, but if you want to be like that—"
"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist" he smiled, reaching for my arm. "You just look so cute."
"I'm not cute" I argued, crossing my arms at him. He didn't seem affected by my gesture one bit.
"I think you're very cute" he argued, reaching behind me for the sugar.
Without visible effort he had the bowl in his hand and down in the counter with one simple move. I gave him a look but he either didn't notice or chose to ignore it. George gave me a smile as he set the bowl just behind me on the counter. For a moment I turned to look behind him at the water he had set on the flame. The kettle had been there too long. Turning back to him he was still giving me the same untroubled smile.
"You're going to overheat the water" I reminded him and, sure enough, the kettle began to give a loud whistle.
With a bit of haste George pulled out his wand and extinguished the flame. He walked over to the kettle and moved it out of the way. Looking inside he was met only with a bit of hot vapor and the water it stemmed from. At that moment he looked to have remembered that there really was only water in there and his posture relaxed.
"You can't burn water" he said to me, though seeming to need the reminder himself. I gave him a smile and shook my head.
"As with any kind of mixture, there needs to be a balance. Too much heat in a batch can have a severe effect to the ingredients. This applies to tea as well, so exceeding the temperature norm of the water will in term damage, maybe even burn, said tea" I insisted.
"I'll just let it sit for a bit before putting it with the tea. It'll be fine" he added dismissively.
I shrugged at him and leaned against the counter, he was making the tea not me. With a curious look he began walking towards me. George stopped just in front of me, putting his hands on either side of my waist. He gave me a smile and, before I realized what he was going, George lifted me up and had me sitting in the counter. I gave him a frown as he moved his hands from my waist to the surface on either side of my legs. Not paying any mind to my scowl he continued to smile at me.
"How many times have I told not to just move me without my permission?" I frowned, pushing myself back a little for comfort.
"I've lost count" he admitted with a childish grin. It was hard to keep angry at him sometimes. I shook my head.
"At least ask before moving me around like that" I frowned at him.
"So you're saying," he spoke slowly, as if in mid-thought, "that if I ask, I can move you around however I want?"
"No."
"I had to try" he shrugged at me. I gave him a smile and his grew bigger. "It's just so easy to."
"Maybe it's just that you can move things easily. Did you ever think of that?" I argued but he gave me a shrug in return.
"Either way, one of us should feel flattered" he let out a chuckle.
George leaned forward, leaning to rest his head against my chest. He leaned himself against me, using his hands as leverage. I ignored him for the moment and looked around the small kitchen space. Part of the living room was still visible from this angle as well. I could see the couch as well as their peculiar clock. I had found it strange since having first seen it. Personally I don't think I would much enjoy having something that told my father exactly where I was but their family was different I suppose. From the look of it he was the only one currently "home". George's father and a couple of his brothers looked to be at "work". Everyone else seemed to be stuck in traveling.
"Did you tell your parents you were bringing me here?" I asked, feeling that was probably worth bringing up.
"No, I told them I was spending some time with you, but I never told them it was here" he answered, still lying against me.
"Why not?"
"Reasons" George answered simply. I gave him a look, getting a little tired of his half answers. He didn't look up but must have guessed what I was going as he quickly added to his response. "Trust me, I do not want to have that conversation with my mother."
"Then why are you using her cooking supplies?" I asked with a curious look.
"What does that have anything to do with it?" he asked, sounding a little amused with my question.
"Won't she notice her things are moving?" I asked curiously.
"Of course not" he chuckled, as if that should be obvious. "Who keeps track of something like that?"
"My parents do" I answered. George pulled back to look at me. "They rarely use our kitchen's supplies themselves, especially my father, but he does demand a certain level of organization. If things are not where they are supposed to be he has a talk with our staff."
"That seems a bit much."
"Does it?" I asked before giving him a shrug. It seemed perfectly reasonable to me. If it's your home, why wouldn't you want to know exactly where everything in it is?
George looked down at me for a moment. He seemed to be thinking of something for a moment but didn't say anything, instead settled for shrugging to himself. Grabbing my sides he pulled me to the edge of the counter. Wrapping one of his arms around my waist, and the other under my legs, he pulled me up and off the counter. Instinctively I wrapped my arms around his neck, keeping myself from falling back. George laughed in return.
"Don't you want your tea?" he asked me with a smirk before I could say anything. George smiled shamelessly at me before setting me down next to his dinner table. I let out a sigh as my feet touched the ground and gave him a look.
"Why?" I asked simply.
He didn't answer me. George pulled out a chair for me and I sat down, allowing him as much. I waited as he made his way to the kitchen. Honestly I should have known he would do as much. Scooting up I settled forward on my seat. Leisurely he walked back and forth collecting the tea necessities. One by one he placed them in front of me.
"I would have just charmed them over here but I didn't want to spill yours" he commented, placing the cup in front of mine.
"Did you check to make sure the water wasn't too hot?" I asked him as he scooted the bowl of sugar towards me.
"I think I know how to make a sub-par cup of tea" he mentioned, taking his seat across from me.
"You do know that 'sub-par' doesn't mean good, right?" I clarified, mixing in a few spoonfuls of sugars.
"It doesn't mean bad either and, really, isn't that all that matters?" George answered. I couldn't help but let out a giggle. He gave me a smile in return. "You seem to care a lot about how these things are made."
"No, it's nothing like that" I mumbled, blowing into the cup to cool it. I heard George give a tiny chuckle. Ignoring it I took a drink of tea before continuing. "I just have a delicate temper when it comes to this, I guess. It's part of why I have knack for Potions."
"Have you tried getting into cooking? You might like it" he suggested, taking his own drink. I shrugged back at him.
"I have a bit. Draco tells me I'm a good cook, so I suppose the two do correlate" I noted. "That or he's just being nice."
At the mention of his name, George let out a scowl. I probably shouldn't have brought up Draco. Sometimes I forgot about that. Hoping that he wouldn't start like usual I waited to see his reaction to his name. George looked down at the table. For a moment he just sat. Then, still not saying anything, he reached his hand over and grabbed mine. He held it and, shortly after, pulled our entwined hands up. Leaning forward he kissed my hand and looked back up at me.
"Next time, you can make our tea" he gave me a small smile, placing our still joined hands on the table between us.
Without saying another word he picked up his cup with his free hand and took a drink of his tea. Not saying anything either, I did the same. We took our time enjoying the tea, chatting for a bit. He didn't let go of my hand the entire time. After we finished I waited in my seat while George picked our things up. He took the items away bit by bit, setting them aside to be cleaned. I rested against my hands, leaning forward and waiting. Normally I would have offered to help but he probably wouldn't have insistently argued with me about it anyway. Once done, he came back to meet me at the table and offered me his hand.
"Come on" he called down to me, helping me up, "let's go to my room for a bit."
"Alright" I called back. It's not like anyone was going to bother us but I didn't mind.
I followed as he led me up the stairs to the second floor and into his room. From what I remembered it looked just the same, though slightly cleaner. Part of me wondered if he had done that himself before my arrival or if it was just a coincidence. Still, it managed to smell like something had recently exploded. I sat down on his bed, watching as George closed the door behind us. Once done he came to join me.
"You do know we're the only ones here" I reminded him as he came to sit next to me on the bed. George gave me a smirk.
"Yes, I do know" he said, scooting himself a little closer to me.
"Then, why did you close the door?" I asked, mentioning towards the door.
"Oh, force of habit I guess" he shrugged, looking at the door as well. "If mum knew half the things that went on in this room we would be grounded for life."
"That sounds boring" I noted. "What do you normally do when you're grounded?"
"Exactly the same thing really" he admitted. "We're not supposed to, but if we did what we were told we wouldn't be getting grounded in the first place."
"I don't think I've ever been grounded" I pondered the thought a moment. Even if I hardly did what I was supposed to, my parents weren't ones to punish adversary behavior.
"I could ground you, if you'd like. So you know what it feels like" he suggested with a smile. George took a moment to clear his throat. Then, his expression turned serious. Raising a hand he pointed it at me and began his lecture. "You are no longer allowed to see that Malfoy boy! Do you understand me, young lady? If I see you anywhere near him I'll—"
Not letting him finish his attempt at a lecture, my laughter overshadowed his words. I continued to laugh, probably harder than he meant for me to. Still, George smiled at me. He kissed my cheek then fell back. Lying on his bed, he turned back to face me.
"That is probably how you would react to anyone trying to ground you. But, it was worth a shot" George sighed, reaching over to put a hand on my waist.
"I would say nice try, but that was not at all likely to happen" I replied in between a fit of giggles. Letting out a thoughtful sound he sat up, facing me again.
"Can I move you real quick?" he asked, looking down at me.
"At least you're asking now" I sighed, wondering why it had taken this long. Giving me a smile, George reached to pull me towards him. Putting a hand of mine up, he stopped. "That wasn't a yes."
"Then what was it?" he pouted, leaving his arms still outstretched towards me.
"You know, I'm still not happy with the amount of things you've been keeping from me" I told him.
George gave me a pout. He paused for a moment and looked down at me. His face scrunched a bit, making a face as if trying to decide between some things. With a small groan he turned towards the window. When he turned back, he seemed to have decided on something.
"So… if I promise to tell you all of that, you'll let me move you wherever I want?"
"Are you planning on carrying me out of his room?" I asked with a frown, noting his wording. Sometimes it annoyed me that I couldn't quite tell what he was thinking. He shook his head at me and kept smiling. "Then, sure."
George reached the rest of the way towards me. Placing a hand around my waist, and the other under my legs, he scooped me off the bed. In one, almost effortless, tug he had me up and on his lap. I let out a sigh. With a frown I turned back to look at him. Without a word he finished settling me on his lap, folding his arms neatly around me.
"You didn't say this was where you were planning to place me" I grumbled at him.
"All you asked was whether I was going to take you out of the room or not. I answered that part, didn't I? It's not my fault you weren't clear enough with what you wanted to know" George shrugged at me. I kept my look.
"George."
"You're already getting me in trouble, can't you just let me have this?" he asked with sad smile.
I let out a sigh, resting my head against his chest. At that, his face turned into a much happier smile. George took a tighter hold of my waist and scooted himself back, taking me along with him. Using the wall against his bed he leaned himself against it for support. For a moment he was quiet, and then he spoke.
"I can't tell you everything, and some things I will have to stay vague about, but I promise I'll try to tell us as much as I can" he softly explained. I nodded but thought of my first question to him. Something was still bothering me.
"Who are you staying with?" I asked again.
"I can't say."
"Where does he live?"
"I… can't say that either."
"Didn't you say you would try" I asked accusingly. So far nothing in his answer had changed. George noticed too and gave me a sigh. "Why all of this secrecy?"
"This isn't just me being hesitant about wanting to share something" he insisted himself. "It's more than that; it's more serious than that. It has to do… with You-Know-Who's return."
I paused at the sound of the name. That made clear sense. All of the secrecy and sudden changes had now made sense. My gaze turned up, towards him. I couldn't be angry at him for keeping something like that. His family had probably been adamant about keeping this quiet. The wording might be vague but even still he was telling me.
"So, then, what can you tell me?" I asked turning back. George seemed slightly relieved with that.
"We're staying with a friend of my parents, from when they were younger. He lives in… London, but that's all I can say of him" he mumbled.
"Why do all of you have to move?" I asked curiously, feeling that it was unnecessary for them all to follow after their parents.
"We only recently moved. They thought it would be safer for us all to be there. That and it helps with their meetings—" George stopped his sentence abruptly, letting out a frown. That was probably one of those things he should have kept to himself. I should have let things be, but he had piqued my interest.
"Meetings for what?" I asked. He looked hesitant to answer, but I had half an answer already. Thinking about that I made a face. "You have meetings; they all have something to do with You-Know-Who. Something your parents have been involved with before..."
"Why do you have to be so brilliant" George groaned at me. He let out a sigh and looked to me. "I am asking you to, please, not tell anyone about this. Not anyone, especially Malfoy."
"George" I rolled my eyes at him. "I tell him everything—"
"I know, I know you do" he stated grudgingly. "Which is why I'm saying don't tell him this. If Malfoy, or any of his lowlife—"
"Let me finish" I snapped at him. Noting my look, George grew quiet. "I tell him everything about my life, but that doesn't mean I go around spilling others' secrets. He doesn't care for you; of course I won't tell him something you shouldn't even be telling me."
"Thank you" George muttered. He continued to look at me, before he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, it's just…"
"I understand" I patted his cheek. George grabbed my hand and kissed it. Using that, he pulled me forward. "You didn't answer my question."
"You didn't technically ask" he reminded me, before giving me a small smile. "The Order of the Phoenix was reinstated."
"Order of… the what?" I asked, giving him a frown. It sounded like something I should be familiar with but I couldn't quite place the name. George smiled at me and gave me a kiss.
"The Order of the Phoenix is… a secret society..." he muttered, thinking of how he should word this explanation. I let him think but I was curious about something.
"You said 'reinstated'. Does that mean it has been disbanded before?"
"Sometimes I wish you didn't think so much. But then I wouldn't love you would I" George gave me a smile and kissed my cheek. "Yes, you're right. They worked with part of the Ministry, the Aurors in particular, to stop the war. In times of war they were the main defense against Death Eaters and You-Know-Who."
"Oh" I said softly. "I see."
I understood what he was talking about. There were reports and such from my father's study I had taken the time to read, including some I probably shouldn't have been looking at. In them there was mention of a group. They were described as annoyances for the most part. Part of me had assumed they were an organized group but a name had never been placed. It sees as though this Order of the Phoenix was the one mentioned... George seemed to have taken my words to mean something else as he continued to speak.
"There are things being set in motion…" George began. "The Order of the Phoenix was created to stop You-Know-Who so when Dumbledore heard from Harry what had happened he reinstated the organization."
"Right after? Was it really necessary to act so suddenly on the word of a fourteen year-old's report?" I asked, finding it a bit sudden. He must have noticed something in my tone because he let out a shrug.
"Better to be too early than too late" he mumbled and rested himself against my neck.
"I suppose you're right about that" I replied, patting his head gently and frowned at the wall. I knew I had been right about all of this. It was war. Already both sides were preparing for battle. George noticed my troubled expression. His grip tightened around me and he leaned in to kiss my cheek.
"It's probably nothing, I wouldn't worry about it" he continued, making me smile a little. He was trying to comfort me. If only things were so simple. "Everyone is just being paranoid because of last time. The whole thing will probably blow over in like a week—"
"Don't lie" I interrupted, knowing if I didn't he would keep going. George gave me a sigh.
"Have you heard anything about this?" he asked curiously. I took a second to pause. Part of me felt like I owed him something for the information, especially considering he wasn't supposed to tell anyone outside of his family. But just because he had said something to me didn't mean I was obligated to respond…
"No" I shook my head at him. "I've heard rumors and such but, no, no one has told me about what you just did."
That wasn't technically a lie…
"Well then don't worry your pretty little head about it" George smiled and gave me a kiss.
"Have you joined this Order as well?" I asked, wanting to direct the subject away from me.
"I want to" he grumbled, taking the bait.
"So you haven't" I concluded, and he nodded in confirmation.
"Mum doesn't think we should. Said we're too young or something" George complained. I had long since learned that whenever he mentioned a 'we' without context he was referring to Fred as well as himself. I nodded in term as he stuck out his tongue, as if his mother were standing in front of us.
"You're old enough now. You should be able to do as you see fit" I offered but he shook his head.
"Yeah, try telling her that" George rolled his eyes. "Honestly we would have insisted a bit more but she's been 'touchy' lately. What with the sudden move, the Order reopening, and Percy, she doesn't leave us with a lot of room to talk before she snaps."
"What about Percy?" I asked curiously.
George's expression changed quickly at the sound of his brother's name. He let out a frown that was very unlike him. Instead of commenting on it, I waited. Turning his expression to me I saw his scowl lessen. With a sigh he held my waist with a secure grip. Before I could ask what was wrong George leaned us both to the side. We fell back against his bed. Knowing he was still holding that grip on me I didn't even attempt to move away, couldn't have if I tried. George pulled me closer to him, pressing my back against his chest. Making himself comfortable he rested his chin on my shoulder. Still waiting I let out a sigh myself.
"What happened?" I asked, once he stopped moving us. "I've seen him around the Ministry and he seemed fine. In fact, didn't he recently get promoted?"
"Yeah, he sure did, the goddamned git."
"Language" I scolded, hitting his arm lightly.
"He deserves it. He deserves worse, in fact" George continued to grumble, ignoring my warning.
"What happened?" I asked again, deciding to ignore it too.
"A couple of weeks ago…" he muttered, his frown still in place. "Well, he and dad had a shouting match. After his 'promotion' he came home real pleased with himself, and told us all the news. He expected dad to be thrilled, maybe even throw him a ball."
"And you didn't invite me?" I asked. George laughed a bit in return and he put his face closer to mine.
"I would have, but it never happened" he mentioned, his smile fading slightly. "As any rational human being, dad didn't believe he got the position for his fabulous work as Crouch's assistant."
"Then what did he think?" I asked but had a pretty good guess.
"That Fudge appointed him to spy on the family, to spy on Dumbledore."
Not that I agreed with Fudge but he did have a point. Dumbledore was obviously doing something. Albeit, Fudge was more focused on losing his position as Minister of Magic but his fear was warranted. If Dumbledore expressed even the slightest inclination towards the position I knew of a good few members of Ministry who would stand behind him. Still, this level of scrutiny felt unnecessary. I shuffled a bit to the side before laying myself flat on the bed and turning to look at George.
"He's probably not wrong" I admitted. George gave me a humorless laugh.
"Yes, well, Percy sure as hell didn't see it that way" he shook his head, though looking visibly upset. "He threw a fit, said some things that would deserve him a hex to the face. Went and blamed dad's 'reputation' at the ministry, saying it was holding him back. That it's because if his lack of ambition that we're… in the position we are. Now he wants to make sure everyone knows where his loyalty lies."
"I'm guessing that's not with your family."
"You'd guess correct, my darling" he gave me another humorless chuckle. "He packed his bags and left very shortly after. Good riddance I'd say but mum followed after him. She went up to London to try to reason with the git only to have him slam the door in her face. Since then her and dad gave been at patience end anytime he's mentioned. None of us have seen him since."
"Did you want me to pass on a message next time I see him?"
"Like a curse sort of message, or…" George trailed off giving me a maverick smirk. I giggled in return. "Do you see him often?"
"On occasion I'll accompany my father to the Ministry so I do see him" I acknowledged. "But now they are in different floors, different departments, so it's not as common. If he was still working with the Department for International Affairs then that would be another tale."
"Well, don't you worry about him. Soon we'll give him our own little message" George said in a low, almost menacing, voice. I gave a smile at the tone and moved to pat his head. He gave me one in return but paused and let of a sigh. "You know, if mum ever finds out all the things I've told you, she'll have my head. Probably some other parts of me too."
"Then why take the risk of telling me?" I asked him.
"Because there's a chance she'll find out, but there's a guarantee you would have held a grudge if I didn't tell you" George answered me with a smirk. I gave him a shrug; he wasn't wrong. "Besides, I trust you."
George looked down at me. With a hand on my cheek he leaned down to kiss me. He stayed there a minute longer before pulling away. But instead of sitting up he lingered close. His lips trailed from my cheek down to my neck. George let out a soft groan and rested himself against my chest, treating me as if I were his pillow.
"Also, you're very soft, and this is well worth it" he mumbled, moving himself closer against me. I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through his hair.
We kept ourselves in that place for a bit. The bed wasn't uncomfortable to lay on so I was fine with the position. George gingerly ran a hand along my side as I occasionally soothed his hair. Taking advantage of the calm we shifted to lighter topics of discussion. We talked for a while, until the sun began to pour in from his window. It wasn't setting just yet but it was clear to see nightfall was only a couple or so hours away. George noticed too, and let out a small groan.
"What time did you say you had to leave?" George asked, reaching for my hand. I waited a second thinking he was going to sit us up. He didn't. Instead he pulled it and me along with it, turning me so that we were facing each other.
"I don't know for certain. Daphne is supposed to be covering for me for the entirety of the day" I mumbled thoughtfully, emphasizing the "supposed to" bit. She sometimes became distracted when told to do things a certain way. "I'm not sure what she's off doing, I didn't ask, but she shouldn't be home until tonight. So sometime before then is when it would be best suited for me to leave."
"So I have until sundown then" George concluded, getting off my chest. I shrugged back, but noted the smirk on his face.
"I suppose so" I allowed. "Why? Did you have something planned for us?"
"That depends on how nice you're planning on being to me today" he smiled but I frowned back.
"What does my attitude have to do with anything?" I asked a little confused. George gave me a chuckle.
"You're cute as hell, you know that?" George leaned down to kiss me.
"That doesn't answer my question, did you know that?" I grumbled at him as he made his way down to kiss my neck.
"Give me a second and I'll explain it to you in great detail" he grinned down at me. I rolled my eyes.
"You told me you would stop being so vague" I scolded, but George let out a laugh.
"Literally anyone else would be able to tell what I meant" he shook his head, pulling me closer to him. George gave me a zealous look, I returned it.
"That's a very bold statement."
"Well, I'm a very bold man."