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Sliding out of George's grasp I huffed out a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding. He held onto me like a bloody koala, that being said, he was a strong, toasty, marvelous smelling koala. I fixed my top into place, it was Blaise's idea that I go braless to taunt George, not that it achieved anything other than humiliation on my part. Sliding to the edge of the bed, I wanted out; out of this bed, out of this room, out of the mortification of George rejecting me again. My foot had barely touched the cold, wooden flooring when George's voice startled me.
"I thought told you not to hide" George's steady tone quipped, me making me jump and turn to face him slowly, his dark blue eyes staring at me amused, his hair stood up at every angle and his crooked grin was weak. "I meant what I said last night," he paused lifting his body up so he was leaning against the soft headboard, his nipple piercing glinted impertinently, I shifted my gaze back to his face, his grin unwavering now.
"I don't know what you're talking about" I mumbled, my features heating up. George cocked an eyebrow at me, his grin twitching downward "All you ever seem to do is cast me aside"
George just stared over at me for a moment before taking my wrist in his hand and drawing me to him, his warmth flowed into me as our bare skin touched, his chest to my arm. "I like you" He claimed, his eyes flickering over my face as my heart skipped a beat "Not even Fred can change my mind" he grumbled into my neck his nose trailing up to my ear, I trembled in his arms from being so close to him and his declaration.
"But," I took a deep breath in trying to steady my emotions "You've never expressed that when I've given you the opportunity" my embarrassment crawling up on me again, he'd pushed me away twice already.
George stole my hands and huffed frustrated as he squeezed my fingers gently "You and I, we're going to be together for a long time Elizabeth" he proclaimed his eyes never wondering from mine "Before I was under the delusion that this," he pointed between us before sucking in a deep breah ",was wrong somehow. But it is possible I've been mistaken"
"You have a big notion about me being sixteen, and it being wrong because of that huh" I clarified, he shook his head 'no' I rolled my eyes at the ceiling. "Could have fooled me"
"Not any more" he murmured one of his hands tilting my face to his and he proved it with a soft kiss, my tummy flipped, pulling away he spied down at me carefully. I was still speculative if he really meant what he said. "Now I've got to work and you have to study." he pointed out cheekily while releasing my hand and climbing out of bed. He began to get dressed while I stayed in his bed dazed "Not to mention the two slytherin's in my flat" I heard him mutter as he pulled out a teeshirt.
"Oh shit" I muttered crawling to the bottom on the bed realizing that the real world still existed outside George's room and in it my friends were in the other room.
I had just placed my hand on the door when George fingers fell onto my shoulder "Wait" he murmured, I glanced up at him dwarfed by his lanky form without my heels, it intimidated me somehow to be so small beside him. "what do you say to lunch?" he asked, I cocked a brow at him confused "Fred-free special?"
I laughed "Yeah" I smiled turning to yank the door open, just before I was out of sight I turned to find a smirking George "And you know it could be three Slytherins in your flat actually" I pointed out, he only chuckled and I left him.
Pushing my own door open I found Theodore snoring with his music playing in his ears and Blaise sitting atop of the covers with a book in his lap "Well don't you look all high spirited this morning?" Blaise noted as he surveyed me.
"Yeah" I sighed quickly grabbing my night gown to cover my chest and bare legs.
"He finally gave in to his urges then?" I frowned at his words "his passions?" he chuckled rolling his eyes and slid off my bed, already dressed.
"No he didn't" I answered sharply, he looked completely bewildered, "some men can actually control themselves around women" I pointed out a little moodily.
"Obviously or we wouldn't be friends" Blaise muttered sitting at the edge of my bed while I sank into my desk chair ignoring his comment "then what's got you all happy?"
"We've got a lunch date" Blaise made an ill favored face, "I can't do dinner, I've got to study so Ic an't stay out late or drink remember. He knows that"
"Lunch dates are just," he shrugged his lips turn down unpleasantly "well they don't go anywhere"
I cocked an eyebrow at him, "Draco brought me out for lunch" I pointed out running a brush through my sleep tangled hair, "and he wanted it to go all sorts of everywhere" I explained with raised eyebrows.
"I think that statement is still in the present tense Ivy. And Draco only wants it to go straight to his king sized bed" Blaise stated crudely.
Glancing over at Theodore he started to stir from all our talking, "Why are you downing my happy mood?" I snapped glaring at Blaise unhappily "The whole arranged marriage leaves a bad taste in my mouth but if George and I get along it at least makes things a little sweeter."
Blaise reached over and took my hand in his and squeezed comfortingly "I just don't want you to get hurt, I've seen what a loveless marriage looks like and it's miserable"
Theodore sat up and waved his hand 'morning' to us before he ran it through his messy hair "How'd it gang wi George lest nicht, Wild ah hope" I laughed and shook my head 'no' Theo cock an eyebrow at Blaise and I trying to hide a yawn.
"He's bringing me to lunch later, Fred-free" I explained, waiting to see if Theo would have such a depressing response.
"Och guid progress! Bit dornt gang tae Madam Puddifoot's Tea shop" he explained with a shiver, "It's a bludy nightmaur" and he fell back into my bed sheets with a sigh.
I just smirked at Blaise who chuckled at Theodore. "Now that I've got my own Good Auror and Bad Auror convincing about the George situation. I think both of you have got to go" Theodore made a grunting sound of disapproval from beneath my pillows. "You don't have much of an option I'm going to the library, so unless you want to hang with the twins until I come back..." Theodore was already moodily crawling out of bed and Blaise was pulling his jacket on eyeing the floor for his wand.
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Tapping the counter in the shop, I was nervous, Fred knew I was nervous, the customers knew I was nervous and I just hoped Elizabeth didn't notice I was nervous. I kept glancing towards the workshops door hoping she would appear and terrified for when she would.
"Merlin Forge, you've been living with her, it's not likes it's a blind date" Fred muttered moodily as strolled over and casually leaned against the shops counter. He had hated it when I told him of the lunch date, and even now, after having time to simmer, he still didn't like it.
"That's the point, we skipped the dating stage, it's like we had one date and suddenly started to live with each other" I pointed out my palm sweating while my stomach growled, I glanced at the clock it was closing in on three p.m., she was very late.
"Yeah a roommate I never agreed on" Fred hissed, I cocked an eyebrow at him "What, I don't like her, never will" he exaggerated throwing his hands over his head turning his whole body to face me.
"You knew from the minute she arrived in Ottery St. Catchpole town center we didn't have much choice in what happened next." I argued seriously ready to have an argument with Fred but thankfully the shop bell dinged, glancing over I found Elizabeth looking frazzled and wet.
She quickly stepped over to the pair of us, water dripping from her coat onto the wooden floor, Fred turned to see what I was looking at. He laughed whole heartedly at the soaked Elizabeth forgetting his annoyence with her, Elizabeth frowned as she pulled her hood down showing off her damp hair "It's raining" she pointed out hotly, Fred and I glanced out to the thunder storm outside then back at her with faux shocked faces, she rolled her eyes. It had been raining all morning and throughout the evening it was slowly getting worse "sorry I'm late, I thought it would pass and it didn't"
"It's fine" I explained with a shrug while my stomach growled in protest, flicking my wand, she was dry "I forgot you can't do magic" I chuckled as Elizabeth sighed in relief touching her dried, now curly hair.
"It could have been worse than just late" she pointed out smiling at me, flicking her hair over her shoulder, my eyes trailed down her slender neck then jumped back to her green eyes.
"Yeah, like if you didn't show up" Fred snorted sarcastically walking off. Elizabeth took it in her stride and ignored him, dropping her rucksack to the floor beside the cash machine with a heavy thud.
"Ready?" she asked with a grin fixing her long hair behind her ears.
"Come on" I smirked down at her, taking her arm and leading her into the rain, the minute she stepped outside I pulled her into a side-apparition. We landed down an narrow alley from a muggle restaurant, Alice had recommended it to Fred and I ages ago if we ever decided to bring a girl out on a date. "You're much better at apparition now" I pointed out as she landed steadily beside me calmly.
"Me?" she asked with a chuckled pulling her hood closer to her face "You're the one doing all the work"
I nodded towards the busy muggle street, "Even in a side-apparition theres's a trick to it" I claimed "Ginny landed flat on her ass her first time" I chuckled remembering her face reddening with anger and embarrassment as Fred and I laughed loudly at her sitting in the middle of a very busy Diagon Alley.
"So where are we?" she asked as we stepped into the street, Muggles rushed around us in the drizzling rain and their cars and buses zoomed past dauntingly "London?" Elizabeth questioned glancing up at me.
"Yeah" I nodded pointing to the black restaurant front a little down the street "There it is" I smiled leading the way, Elizabeth grabbed my hand as a group of men all dressed in dark hoodies past us. "scared?" I teased as we reached the door, she pulled her stare away from the group of men back to me as I pushed open the door for us.
She dropped my hand blushing. "One of them was leering at me" she mumbled, pulling her coat's hood down, her bright green eyes took in the venue, before a small smile grew on her face "this is cute" she stated, my hand felt empty without hers somehow.
I glanced around as well, their was a pale blue wallpaper, along with the pale woods and pretty flowers at each of the tables it was a 'cute' place "A friend recommended it" I pointed out, 'cute' was not what I was going for and I wasn't someone who liked to hold hands, my cheeks flushed as a young waiter came over dressed in a white shirt and black pants.
"Lunch for two?" he asked us, Elizabeth nodded and smiled brightly at him. "Right this way" he explained pulling two menu's from a cluttered shelf. Elizabeth followed the man, he let us sit before handing us our menus "Drinks?" he asked
"Just water please" Elizabeth explained opening her menu quickly.
"Same" I agreed, he nodded and left us to the menus. Flicking threw it I quickly decided on the chicken wrap and a large side of peri-peri salted chips, my stomach protesting the long wait. Elizabeth copied me and dropped her menu to the table. "Hungry?" I asked her stupidly.
She laughed catching the attention of a passing young man and nodded at me. "Starved, I started to think you would have gone to lunch with Fred instead of waiting for me"
Our waiter returned interrupting my reply and poured our drinks "Ready to order?" nodding, we ordered quickly and he went away.
"Fred went to a early lunch with Angelia and Lee" I explained after taking a huge gulp of water hoping it was calm my stomach's growling. We were silent for a moment and I felt it get awkward, while she seemly serached for something to talk about. "How's the studying going?" I asked noticing the ink stains on her fingers as she fidgeted.
She sighed slouching into her chair "I'm so sick of it" she admitted, I coked an eyebrow at her curious, I assumed she enjoyed studying, Hermione seemed to. "Did you know how much stuff is supposed to be common knowledge to us?" she asked rhetorically "I've given up studying anything more, Hermione advised that I just do some mock tests and which ever sections are coming up the worse to study that some more"
"And which sections are coming up bad?" I asked, maybe I could help.
"Magical Law for one" she spat out moodily under her breath so no one could over hear us and deem us a weirdos "muggle studies but Hermione can't help me much more in that section, Dark magic because that's just repulsive to begin with and wizarding current affairs because, like eww" she shivered for effect, I chuckled.
"I've a friend in Law" she laughed shaking her head, her eyes flickering over to our waiter.
"Yeah if you mean that Conor lad, no thank you" she muttered, I'd forgotten he'd hit on her already. "I'll be fine, there's twelve parts and it's only them four I can't get my head around so even if I left them out and studied the other eight well I should pass it"
"You really want to do Alchemy huh?" I asked, after all this was what doing the W.O.M.B.A.T was supposed to lead to. "You couldn't have been insanely good at defence against the dark arts like Ginny?" I teased, most of the girls in my year enjoyed Defence the most.
"Dark arts is just disgusting" she stated playing with her knife. "Nothing will ever change my mind on that"
"Defence was one of my favorite classes in Hogwarts" I admitted, her eyes flew to mine curious "But Fred and I never graduated, so I guess I didn't love it that much"
Our waiter returned with out food, while Elizabeth's facial expression slowly became more shocked and bewildered. "If you need anything just catch my attention" the man explained with a nod before wondering off.
"You dropped out" she uttered while I started straight into my chips, her appetite seemly vanished. "Like, just dropped out and Mrs Weasley didn't care?"
"Mom cared" I argued chewing on my chips, while her panini and half chips-half onion rings were left untouched "Fred and I didn't, we don't need a Hogwarts Graduation to run a joke shop"
"But" she glanced from my face too her food, then back up at me "Why is this the first I've heard of it"
I shrugged "Guess it didn't matter all that much" I pointed out honestly, "It doesn't matter at all anymore really,"
Elizabeth started to eat and we were in a comfortable silence while she was obviously precessing what I'd just told her and I wondered what her pretty little head was thinking as I ate. I had finished before her and since I didn't have any more food to distract me and I'd already surveyed everyone one else eating in the restaurant, I started to wondering about how my dropping out would change her opinion of me.
So I blurted out rapidly "You see Fred and I won some money, and all we've ever wanted is to pull pranks for the rest of our life. The shop was Fred's idea, we'd started making products and it just made sense" Elizabeth chewed her sandwich as I ranted on "And since we had the money it wasn't hard when we'd seen that the shop and flat was up for rent during our last christmas holiday to talk to the right people and take up a lease." She said nothing as she sipped her drink "Obviously it was the right choice because we're successful and everything now"
She said nothing as my heart raced to hear her opinion on it all "I think it's amazing what you've been able to accomplish at such a young age George" she complimented and my nerves relaxed, she wasn't judging me harshly like I presumed "I'd be disowned if I dropped out and then even if I had money of my own I'd never have known how to spend it maturely. I wouldn't know the first thing about being independent like you and Fred have done" she explained her cheek flushing slightly "and you've gone and made a great career out of it all too. You're actually proof that if you work hard for what you want, you'll get it." Now my cheeks were flushed.
"Well we won some money. It's not at all like what you're trying to do" Elizabeth shrugged off that comment "But it's really not, pranks come easy to us, studying was never something Fred and I could ever get right" Elizabeth didn't say anything for a moment as she eye'd the table setting.
"You properly think I'm some loser nerd" She murmured tracing the rim of her glass till it sung. "I mean all I do is study now"
"Nerd?" I scoffed "sure you go out more that I do" I laughed grinning over at her as she glanced at me shyly "You're the one who introduced me to Mike's shot" I explained exaggeratedly "Even Fred's been trying to wesley the location of that bar out of me ever since I came home drunk holding a bag of sweets." She laughed her eyes brightening from the memory of that day. "The last way I'd ever describe you is as a loser nerd Elizabeth" I declared as the waiter cleared away our table and I asked for the bill.
"Thanks" Elizabeth murmured bitting her lip "All this study is getting to me, I miss my freedom"
"Alchemy worth it?" I wondered aloud as I placed some muggle notes into the bill book "I mean, your dad said you're artistic so..." she sucked in a deep breath and I waited for her to tell me she wanted to study art in Paris or somewhere even further away.
"All the other subjects are so straightforward. Airthmancy is a numeric formula with a solid answer, herbology always has either a life or death policy in the end, care of magical creatures is interesting but everything is already found out, potions is the only thing that comes close because you can modify the method and the result can change too." she declared as she stared at me "But Alchemy, playing with the elements and the transmutation of substances; only some witches and wizard can do that. And I could be one of them who could. My subject choices are the same of Nicholas Flamel, I've got all the interests and skills in the right places to actually be a brilliant alchemist" She breathed out excitedly, her face rapidly reddened, she must have said something she didn't mean to "I'm.." she looked away from me her eyes cast down "Ignore that" she muttered
"So I guess you've figured out what you want" I stated with a bright smile, she flickered her gaze to me a small smile on her lips. "Thats the first step I guess" I teased standing up, she slowly copied me and smiled at the waiter as we left the restaurant. The rain had calm slightly but it was still pouring as we stood in the alcoved entrance of the restaurant.
Elizabeth yanked up her hood before cautiously taking my hand in her, I tried to pretend the action didn't effect me but I couldn't help grinning at her. "Only a few weeks ago I thought I wanted to move to Australia and work with animals" she muttered hopelessly, I laughed out loudly startling her.
"Well I for one am glad you wont be leaving for the other side of the world" I declared happily glancing out to the road where the muggle cars zoomed around "I doubt we'd make much of a long distance relation..."
Elizabeth stepped up onto her tippy toes and kissed me into silence, tugging her hand to me she slid up against my body and I wrapped my arms around her waist kissing her with pleasure. A loud car drove by and I pulled away from her lips reluctantly realising where we were, I smirked down at her while she caught her breath and our pulses calmed down slowly "I might change my mind again" she whispered out through a heavy pant gazing up at me threw her eyelashes.
I chuckled wrapping an arm over her shoulders dragging her out of the warmth of the alcove into the showery street. "It's a women's right I've heard" I stated bring her slightly down the dull alley so that none of the muggles would see us as we disappeared "to change her mind" I teased, she laughed and I pulled us into the tight tube of apparition.