I had a reviewer last chapter who helped me by pointing out some out of character moments with Lydia, and I really appreciate that. I remember when I was editing the chapter, I also thought that was weird but ended up just leaving it in there. Please, if you read something that doesn't make sense or is worded funny, tell me. I am a writer who is always changing and always learning, your all's help is SUPER appreciated.

Thanks a lot, Addy! I really appreciated your sharp eye in regards to my writing. Please continue to be that way with every new chapter, it is good. Also thanks to Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967 for your kind words!

Getting ready for dinner with George was more nerve wracking than I thought it would be. He'd showed me a part of him he usually kept hidden and I wanted to do the same. I just wasn't as brave as him, I couldn't expose all of me just yet. I took a baby step and wore a t-shirt without long sleeves. Some of my scars were on display, but the majority for them were covered for now. That was more than I've shown most people I've known my whole life.

I straightened my hair and winged my liner before bundling up and stepped outside to Apparate to WWW. I'd never actually been inside before so I made my way inside the joke shop and up the stairs to his the flat. I took a calming breath and knocked on the door, stepping back to wait for George.

I heard rustling inside before a lock slide out of place and the door opened. He had an apron tied around his waist and a rag in his hand, using it to wipe his hands clean. I don't know if I've ever seen him look quite so attractive before. Without thinking, I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Hello to you, too, 'puff," he grinned, his cheeks turning red at my sudden bout of affection. "If I'd known it would make you this happy, I'd have cooked for you in school."

"Why in school? I didn't think you really even knew who I was," I replied, stepping into the warm flat with him.

I watched him wince as the tips of his ears turn red and realized he wasn't wearing the prosthetic on his left ear. "You're not wearing your prosthetic tonight?"

"I told you, I don't want to hide from you," he shrugged, tucking the rag into the pocket of his apron. "Can I take your coat?"

"You're not the only one trying to not hide. I'm not wearing sleeves," I told him, unzipping my jacket and unknotting my scarf slowly.

I pulled off my jacket and scarf, handing them to George and taking a deep breath. With my hair over one of my shoulders, I turned and allowed him to see my left arm. There were scars licking from under my sleeve and down to my wrist, but nothing like it was on my back and stomach. I was pink, kind of like my skin was still growing or something.

I felt his fingers feather-light trailing down my arm over the scars. I had my eyes clenched shut and my lips were set in a straight line. It was only a matter of seconds before he freaked out. If the ones on my arm were this bad, how badly did he think my torso looked? Boys didn't like girls with disfigurements.

"Thank you," he told me a beat later, moving to stand in front of me and tilted my head up to look at him. "For letting me in."

"It's a baby step, but I swear I'm trying," I promised, leaning into him as he cupped my cheek.

"Baby steps are still steps, Lydia," he told me quietly.

I stood on my tiptoes and held his wrist in my hand. "I really want to kiss you, George Weasley."

He nodded and stooped over, still holding my face as he leaned into me. I felt his breath on my lips again and took the final leap by pressing our lips together. He held me like I was fragile and I barely pressed the kiss further, just enjoying the feel of butterfly wings against my skin.

I pulled back a full minute later and stood flat footed again, looking up at him with wide eyes. He was smiling softly, just a tilt of his lips and it made a fire light in my belly. I wanted to kiss him more but held back, we'd just met and I didn't want to jump the gun.

"I was told there was also food," I said, looking at him with a smile full of chagrin. "Maybe we can continue this after…?"

His eyes flashed before he straightened back up and took my hand in his. He led the way to the kitchen and gestured for me to sit at the kitchen table. Then he gestured to the wine bottle with the glass beside it for me to pour myself a drink, which I did happily.

"That looks brilliant!" I exclaimed, leaning back against the kitchen counter to look at the pot sitting on the burner. "Is it beef stew?"

"It's my mum's recipe and I'm trying to do it justice," he replied, stirring the pot and looking at me. "If it's awful, you don't have to lie."

I shook my head and took another sip of my wine. "I'm sure it'll be great. I don't think you can mess up beef stew."

"Remember that when you get a bowl later," he winked, grabbing a roll of bread and a knife. "Can you cut this and put it on that sheet?"

I nodded and moved over to the cutting board with the bread. I placed them evenly apart on the sheet before coating them in olive oil and letting him place them in the oven. I was still iffy about anything hot.

Once dinner was finished, I helped him set the table and poured myself another glass of wine. When I asked if he wanted one, he declined and pulled pumpkin juice from the fridge instead. Then he sat down across from me and levitated the bowls of stew over to sit in front of each of us along with the basket of bread.

He watched me anxiously as I took the first bite and let out a surprised noise. "This is so good! George, why were you nervous?"

The same soft smile from earlier was back and it lit a fire in my stomach, one I wasn't afraid of for once. We ate together and joked about, having a really good time. I'm sure the wine was helping things along so I switched to water after my second glass. The last thing I needed was to be drunk off my ass tonight, I was too attracted to him for that.

We finished eating and moved to the living room, sitting together on the couch. He was telling me about catching the canopy around his bed in the Gryffindor Tower on fire once along with Fred in their sixth year. I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, the way he told the story was just so funny I couldn't handle it. I wasn't even afraid, the thought of it happening to me wasn't suffocating. This was a new development.

"The two of you did so many crazy things. I hardly left my mark," I told him, tucking my feet underneath me on the sofa. "My friends and I weren't very remarkable."

He reached out and brushed my hair over my shoulder, his fingers trailing across my cheekbone fleetingly before resting on the couch between us. "Not true, I remember you all through school, 'puff."

His confession made me flush and look away from his warm brown eyes. Then I had the realization I could be getting played. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind once since I'd met him, but I knew people would do that to you. They would break your heart and not think twice.

Okay, so, I haven't told the entirety of my backstory just yet. When I was a sixth year, I fell in love with a boy who had ulterior motives. I thought he loved me and naively gave him my heart and had sex with him. The next day I was attached and he wasn't even looking my direction in the halls. He played me for what he wanted and I gave in within three weeks, not my finest moment by far.

"What was so memorable about me?" I asked, trying to put up a wall to stop myself from completely falling into him.

"Watching you in the library with your blonde friend, the way you tuck your hair behind your ear and it makes you look like an elf," he replied without much thought as he brushed the shell of my ear. "The concentration you had when you cut your food at dinner, the way you covered your mouth when you spoke and laughed. How you always smiled at everyone when you passed them in the corridors, even Slytherins. I could go on if you'd like for me to. I've adored you for longer than I want to admit, if we're being honest."

A flicker of hope lit in my chest, this was real for him. I was so dumb to think he would have shared the things he did if I was just another girl to him. With that thought in mind, I leaned forward and held his gaze shyly. It was his turn to make a move and kiss me, I kissed him earlier.

"Can I kiss you again or is it too soon?" he whispered softly.

"Please," I breathed out, just on the side of desperate.

If he noticed how desperate I was, he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he pushed his lips against mine and closed the gap between us quickly. This kiss had a kick to it the previous one didn't, it was a lot more than a brush of butterfly wings. He was trying to keep himself in check, but I could tell he wanted so much more than the light kiss.

I pulled on my big girl knickers and parted my lips under his. He immediately took advantage of the progression and slid his tongue along my bottom lip playfully. I tilted my head and moved closer to him on the sofa, allowing him to take full control of the kiss now.

His tongue charted out my mouth as I knotted my fingers in his hair. One of his hands moved down to grab my waist to press us infinitely closer. I wrapped my free arm around his shoulders and moved up onto my knees as our tongues brushed against each other for the first time.

A strangled squeaking noise left my throat that made me flush immediately. My heart was already pounding against my ribs, but that noise made embarrassment flood me, too. I sounded like a teenage girl during my first make out session in a broom closet at Hogwarts or something.

"How are you so cute and sexy at the same time?" he asked in a rough voice, putting a couple centimeters between us to breathe.

"What? I am not sexy!" I huffed, only slightly winded now.

"On the contrary, 'puff, you're so damn sexy," he replied, tracing his fingers over the outside bend of my arm where it rested on his shoulder. "I have a very hard time staying in control when it comes to you."

That was going to change so drastically when he saw all my scars. They weren't sexy or cute, they were disfiguring. Like he sensed my unease, he turned his head and trailed kisses over the marred skin. I trailed my fingers over what was left of his ear in response and saw his cheeks dust pink.

"When I show you my body, I don't want it to change things," I admitted, still touching his skin as I spoke. "I'm afraid."

"You don't have to do anything with me you're not comfortable with. I don't expect anything from you," he replied, his fingers still rubbing my scars almost absentmindedly.

I let out a breath and leaned my forehead against his shoulder by my arm. "Baby steps, right?"

A laugh rumbled his chest and made the tension in the room fade. I needed to calm down, things didn't have to be so tense. We were both scarred from war and taking a big chance on each other. Telling secrets and showing our bodies was hard for both of us, but we wanted to do it with each other. That spoke volumes to me.

"Does that involve kissing you again? Because I really want to kiss you again," George suggested, smirking at me cheekily.

I took a breath and maneuvered myself onto his lap, completely shocking him and myself a little bit. I was shy, I don't think I ever actually put myself on anyone's lap before. My arms around his neck anchored me down as I kissed him, sliding my tongue into his mouth this time. He gripped my waist as we slowly learned each other. We stumbled through a rhythm until we finally started to move together, his hands staying in safe places yet making my blood pound in my ears.

This was not how I thought pulling a prank on my classes would work out. I never thought George Weasley would have had a crush on me in school or now, but here we were with me on his lap in a short sleeve t-shirt in his flat making out.

I wasn't complaining.

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