"George…..wake up….." he heard as he felt weight on his shoulder. When he opened his eyes he immediately smiled at the sight in front of him. Molly was resting on his shoulder and looking at him with bright eyes and a little bedhead.
"Good morning," she cooed. George wasn't normally a morning person, but he was happy to wake up with her by his side.
"Morning love," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead. She countered his move by kissing him on the lips. "What time is it?" he asked.
"It's a little after 8."
"Mmm…." He said as he stretched out. "Don't tell me you're a morning person."
"Not particularly. I'm sorry to wake you. I woke up and I couldn't go back to sleep. After about 20 minutes I needed someone to entertain me."
"No need to apologize. I am happy to entertain you."
"Are you hungry?"
"Always," he replied.
"You wanna help me make breakfast?"
"Sure!" Molly hopped out of bed first and headed to the closet to find some clothes. George scoured the floor for his boxers. "You don't happen to have any comfortable clothes from past boyfriends laying around, do you?"
Molly walked out of the closet in a T-shirt and a pair of underwear. "Unfortunately not. So I guess you'll just have to stay in boxers," she shrugged with a coy smile.
"As you wish," he grinned.
The two moved into the kitchen and started on breakfast. George started working on the French press to make some coffee and Molly gathered eggs and bacon from the fridge.
"Do you like cooking?" George asked her.
"I didn't used to, but I've found a way to enjoy it. I figure it's a necessity so instead of thinking of it as a chore, I might as well have some fun with it."
"That's a good way to look at it. And I'm assuming, you don't like to use magic to cook?"
She shook her head. "Tastes better without magic. I can't explain why, it just does."
"Mum cooks without magic. She would always say that love was the special ingredient."
"I love that," she said. George made himself at home and started looking through the cabinets for a few mugs.
"Whatcha looking for?" she asked.
"Coffee mugs…" he said as he finally reached his destination and pulled down two mugs from the shelf. Molly was charmed with him. She loved that he felt comfortable enough to rummage through her cabinets instead of awkwardly waiting for her to pull some mugs out.
"How do you take your coffee?" he asked.
"A little bit of cream please," she replied as she started frying up bacon. They worked together in the tiny kitchen surprisingly well. George seemed to know exactly what Molly needed next before she had to ask. Before long, breakfast was ready and George was topping off their coffee as Molly brought food to the small kitchen table.
The two ate in comfortable silence for a moment before Molly spoke.
"Did you…did you know this would happen?"
"What do you mean? Did I know you'd invite me into your flat?"
She chuckled, "No, not that. Just…with us…" she trailed, unable to find the words she was looking for.
"I certainly didn't know things would go this well, but I had hoped. I knew I felt a connection with you and that I wanted another shot with you."
"How did you make this happen?"
"It was mostly my irresistible charm."
Molly laughed, "Well I know thaaat. But I want to know how you planned everything. How did you know where to find me?"
"You want to know everything?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I want to know everything."
George paused to think. He hadn't planned on sharing everything with Molly. He was inclined to simply tell her about his plan for the Prophet event, but when he looked at her pleading eyes, he knew he couldn't keep anything from her.
"My plans were a little more involved than you might think."
"Oh really?"
He nodded, "It actually started the night of our first date. You left before I got a chance to see you and before I could say goodbye and I couldn't stop thinking about you. It was driving me crazy and I realized that I needed to see you. I needed to know who I was looking for in the real world. So naturally I broke the law. I used a time turner to go back to the restaurant just as you were leaving. I hid around the corner as you and Angelina left and my heart skipped a beat when I saw you. That one look was enough to get me through and was motivation to find you again."
"Ah so that's how you found me so quickly at the party. Because you had seen me before."
"Exactly, and I knew you'd be there."
"Oh? How'd you know that?"
"Ah that would be phase two of the plan. You see, I looked for you everywhere in Diagon Alley. I went to every coffee shop and I studied people walking by the shop window, but you never appeared. So I had to take a different approach. Then, as luck would have it, the Weird Sisters had a show in town and I remember you telling me you never missed a show when they were local. So I dragged Fred along with me and we spent the whole opening act trying to find you in the crowd."
"Wait – but the Weird Sisters show is in two weeks."
"Be patient love, I'll get there. I finally ran into you at the bar thanks to your American accent. We chatted playfully and you eventually joined Fred and I. You flirted shamelessly with me the whole night, dancing with me, finding reasons to touch me. It's possible alcohol was a factor since we had shared a few drinks. And just when I thought things were finally going my way, I asked you out after the show and you turned me down. Said you met someone recently and you weren't sure where it was headed but you wanted to give the bloke a chance. You told me you had met him at a Prophet party and he took you out for a drink afterwards. So naturally, I walked off slumping into a depression. I thought about sitting tight and just being friends, but in my heart, I knew I couldn't see you with someone else. Fred and I got home and I told him everything you had told me. He sheepishly pulled out an invitation to the Prophet Fundraiser. Said he hadn't even thought about it. We get invited to those things all the time, but we never go. At that point, Fred brought out the time turner and said we might as well take a risk for true love. And now here we are."
Molly was quiet, processing everything that George had just said. She wasn't sure how to react.
"Sounds a bit creepy when you say it out loud I suppose. But I knew you were special and I couldn't stop thinking about you."
"I think…I'm mostly stunned that you went through all that for me."
"Really? You aren't upset?"
"I feel like I probably should be, but I'm not. Things feel so right with you and I'm a little enamored by it all."
"So to be clear, you don't think I'm a crazy stalker?"
She shook her head and laughed, "I am glad you took the steps that you did because now we're together. You're the first person in a long time that I've felt…comfortable with. Almost like I've known you my whole life."
"The feeling is mutual, love," he said as he planted a kiss on her nose.
"Now, shall we head to the shop? We can stop upstairs at my flat so I can change and then I'll give you the grand tour."
"Yes, of course. I'll go get changed and we can head out shortly." Molly finished up her breakfast and headed back to the bedroom to put on proper clothing. George quickly cleaned up the dishes as he sipped on his coffee. Soon Molly emerged fully dressed and made up with her purse in hand. George had summoned and changed into his suit from the night before as he tucked his tie into his pants pocket.
Molly sighed, "You look really good in a suit. Are you sure you want to change?"
George chuckled, "Thank you. But I would much rather slip into something a bit more comfortable. The suit is only for special occasions."
"Mmm…I suppose that's alright." George took her hand and they apparated out of the apartment. Moments later they were outside of the colorful shop. Molly peered into the windows and smiled at all the different products. George led her around the corner to another door, behind which was a steep and narrow set of stairs. They went upstairs quickly so George could change and then he showed her into the store.
Molly was in awe of the inside of the store. There was so much going on that she didn't know where to look. As George gave her a tour, he would pull a product off the shelf and tell her the backstory.
"So these are Skiving Snackboxes. They're different sweets that make you sick."
"Why would anyone buy those?"
"To get out of class, of course! Nosebleed Nougat is guaranteed to kick in within 15 minutes of consumption. Perfect for making a dramatic exit mid-exam."
"Ahh...I see."
"We came up with these while at school. Took a while to perfect the Fever Fudge but we figured it out eventually. They sell well with the Hogwarts students."
They moved to the next section of the store which was extremely pink. Molly picked up a small, pink heart shaped bottle.
"Hmm...I think I know what this is."
"Oh that is one of our best sellers. Love Potion. Not terribly original but the witches love it." George uncorked the vial and held it under Molly's nose. "What's that smell like to you?"
She took a whiff, "Campfire...coffee...and chocolate chip cookies."
"That sounds heavenly. Mine smells like rain on the pavement, jasmine, and popcorn."
"Ooh, popcorn is a good one." Molly recorked the bottle and placed it back on the display table. They continued on their tour when a product caught Molly's eye.
"What's this?"she pointed out a purple and green package.
"Ah, I'm so glad you asked," he grinned as he pulled the product off the shelf, "This was our ticket out of Hogwarts. Towards the end of our 7th year, the ministry essentially interfered at the school and they appointed this horribly wicked woman to be our headmistress. She was cruel to all the students and she restricted all our rights, including quidditch."
"She cancelled quidditch!?" Molly said.
George nodded, "By that point, Fred and I realized it wasn't worth our time to stick around and finish our exams. So we decided to go out with a bang." George opened the package and lit the firework and threw it across the shop. A shooting star burst out and multiplied into rocket ships, dragons, words of profanity, and general sparks and fire crackers.
"We set these off during the 5th years exams while the headmistress was observing and flew off on our broomsticks. It was one of the greatest moments of my life."
"I wish I could've been there to see it."
"It was fantastic. Oh! And watch this," George flicked his wand towards the fireworks display and it grew even bigger. "If you try to use a vanishing spell on them, they multiply even more."
Molly looked at the fireworks display in awe and then turned back to George in awe.
"What do you think?" he asked, "About all of this."
"I think it's brilliant. I think you're brilliant. And you're so passionate about all of this. It's incredibly attractive."
George took this opportunity to move closer to her. Molly cradled George's jaw in her hand and brought his lips down to hers. George wrapped his arms around her waist as he kissed her passionately. They remained entangled as the fireworks slowly faded. All the sudden, they heard footsteps and slow clapping. The two pulled away and saw Fred across the room, leaning against a bookshelf with his arms crossed.
"Well it's about time, innit?" he said with a smirk.
Molly chuckled and said, "Hi Fred."
"Molly, the next time you kidnap my brother, you've got to tell me. I was worried sick," he joked.
"Oh! How inconsiderate of me. I promise that will never happen again."
"A little heads up is all I ask," he said with his hands up.
"I think I can handle that," Molly replied.
"Now I'll leave you two be. George, I'll be in the back working on inventory if you need me."
"Thanks mate," George said as Fred turned to leave. He walked a few paces and then Molly called after him.
"Hey Fred?" Fred turned around and looked toward them. "I more than likely will be kidnapping George again tonight. Just so you know." Fred grinned at her and shook his head. "I suppose this is how it's going to be now, huh?"
Molly looked up towards George and he shrugged at his brother.
"As long as you're happy, mate," Fred said. George wrapped his arm around Molly and held her a little tighter. Fred headed to the back of the store and Molly couldn't help but feel conflicted. She didn't want to take George away from his brother, she just wanted to spend time with him.
George took her hand and the two finished the tour of the shop and headed upstairs to the apartment for a bit.
"Hey, maybe tonight we can see if Fred wants to have a few drinks with us? I can invite Angelina too, if you think he'd like that," Molly suggested.
"I think that is a wonderful idea," he said, planting a quick kiss on Molly's lips. George couldn't help but smile. He felt like his patience had paid off. All the years of waiting around for the right person and he had finally found her. This was the start of the rest of his life.