Summary: Lila returns early and helps comfort Annie along with George while putting down Onyx. George has a weekly dinner at 'The Burrow'

Lila resembles Phoebe Waller - Bridge

Pet Death!

Chapter 4

Over the next three days, Annie spoiled Onyx like crazy. It was now the day that she was going to put down Onyx. She walked down to the kitchen and surprisingly she saw Lila.

"Hey Bells," the dark haired girl greeted her best friend.

Annie immediately ran to her and gave her a hug.

"Is everything alright, Bells?"

"I'm just surprised you're home."

Lila explained. "We have a couple of weeks off."

"That's great."

Opal ran to greet her owner.

"How is Onyx?"

Annie sighed sadly. "I have to put him down today."

"Oh, that's horrible. Do you need anyone to be there for you?"

"I do but I didn't know you would be home early so I ended up asking George Weasley."

Lila raised a questioning dark eyebrow at her. "George Weasley?"

Annie stifled a blush. "Yes."

"How did you run into him?"

Annie explained. "Before Valentine's Day, I had to visit Nellie at St. Mungo's because she ate a canary cream. They called him in since it's one of his products."

"Oh, you must've been mad."

"I was but he was rather apologetic."

Lila laughed and said. "And you've fallen for him again just like that."

Annie blushed because she knew her best friend was right. George Weasley has had her heart since they were seventeen but he didn't know that yet.

After another few minutes, the two girls got ready to take Onyx to the vet to be put to sleep. They floo'd to Diagon Alley and walked towards the vet.

As the vet's office came into view she saw the familiar head of flaming red hair waiting for them. She ignored her heart, skipping a few beats.

"Hey Weasley," Lila greeted cordially.

"Oh, Nielsen. I didn't realize you'd be here too. I can leave if McCartney wants me to," he offered.

"No, I'd like you to stay unless you have to get to the shop," she said.

"I promised I'd be here for you and I'm keeping that promise," he said determinedly.

"Okay."

The trio walked in and waited briefly for the vet.

"Ahh, I see you brought plenty of moral support," the vet said.

"I'm Lila Nielsen."

"And I'm George Weasley."

The vet said. "Weasley? I think I went to Hogwarts with your brother Bill. Though, I was a Hufflepuff."

George nodded.

The vet led the trio to the room, Annie took Onyx out of his carrier and put him on the table. She stood between George and Lila a few feet away from the examination table.

A few minutes later, Onyx was put down and Annie immediately turned to sob into George's shoulder as he cautiously stroked her hair.

Annie cried all the way back home.

"Will you need me for anything else, McCartney?" he asked.

"No, I think I just need to be alone for a bit."

He nodded. "Okay, that answers my next question since I was thinking about inviting you to 'The Burrow' for dinner tonight."

"Maybe some other time," she assured him.

"Okay. Is it alright if I hug you?"

She cracked a small smile. "I sobbed on your shoulder for hours. I think you can give me a hug."

He laughed and they shared a quick hug. During the hug, he noticed her hair smelled like peaches.

After the hug, he left through the floo.

Later that night, he stepped through the floo to 'The Burrow'.

"Hello dear," Molly greeted.

"Hi mum."

"How was your day at work?"

"I actually took most of the day off since a friend of mine needed me since they had to put their cat down."

"That was incredibly thoughtful of you, George."

"I didn't know Lee had a cat," Ron said. "It's better than that tarantula."

George replied. "It wasn't Lee actually. It was my friend Annie."

"She was in the DA, wasn't she?" Ron asked.

George had forgotten that Annie was in the DA for a second. Then he got a flashback of her beating him in a duel. "Yep, she was and she was an amazing duelist."

"You probably let her win."

"I didn't let her win. She won fair and square," George said, running a hand through his hair nervously.

Truth be told, he did let her win but Ron didn't need to know that. He also vaguely recalls her cat Onyx spending quite a bit of time in the Gryffindor common room.

He also remembers catching her looking at a picture of Diggory and now he realised that she wasn't just crying over Diggory but she was probably crying over her mum too.

At the dinner table, George was chatting with Bill and Fleur.

"So, did you know your friend Annie is my assistant mid-healer?" Fleur asked.

George said. "She is? She hasn't mentioned anything about her job."

"How did you two reconnect again?"

George blushed. "It was kind of my fault. She's a muggle born and her muggle twin ingested one of my products more specifically a canary cream. She was rather upset with me but I apologized."

"That's good."

"How did her sister get a hold of a canary cream?"

"Her wizard boyfriend gave her one not knowing the effects it would have on a muggle."

After dinner, he went home and honestly he thought Annie looked really cute when she was angry but he preferred when she was happy.

—

A few days after Annie put Onyx down, she was home alone writing a song when there was a knock on the door. She wasn't really expecting anyone but she went to go answer the door to face her brother James and their childhood friend Dhani Harrison. The latter was only a few days older than Annie and he was also magical but he had been sorted into Ravenclaw instead of Hufflepuff.

"Jamie! Dhani!" she squealed, hugging both of them before inviting them in.

They walked in.

"I see you've been doing a lot of song writing lately," Dhani noticed all the parchment and pens scattered around.

Annie smiled. "It helps me process my resurfacing feelings for a certain ginger prankster and the death of my beloved cat."

"Who is this ginger prankster?" James asked but Dhani had a knowing smirk on his face.

Other than Lila, Dhani knew how much she fancied George Weasley.

As if on cue, George stepped through the fire in his garish purple pinstripe suit. Though, she secretly thought he looked handsome in the suit.

"Hey Belle, did I interrupt something?"

She ignored her heart fluttering at the nickname that he used to call her. "No, you didn't. This is my brother James and our friend Dhani."

"It's nice to meet you," the other two men chorused.

"You too. I didn't realize Belle had more siblings than Nellie," George said, turning to James and then eyeing Dhani suspiciously.

Annie giggled. "Nellie and I are the youngest of six. Our birth was a surprise to our parents since James is only eleven months older than us."

"You're closer in age than Ginny and Ron. They're a little over a year apart."

Annie nodded.

"I'll let you catch up with your brother and your friend. We'll have our weekly catch up later this week," George smiled.

She nodded as he stepped through the fire again. She sank down on the couch in frustration.

"What's wrong, Bells?" James asked his sister sitting down next to her.

"Why does George have to be so bloody charming? I'm ready to snog him senseless," she groaned in frustration.

Dhani asked. "When did you two reconnect?"

"Nellie was at St. Mungo's earlier this month. And he was called in because she ingested one of his joke products."

"He owns a joke shop?"

Annie nodded. "It's amazing."

"Is that why he was wearing that garish suit?" James asked.

"I happen to think he looks bloody attractive in the suit. I wanted to try and keep our relationship professional since his sister-in-law is my patient and I'm probably set to help her deliver his niece in May, but now he's calling me 'Belle' again and I'm already ready to snog him senseless."

"When did he start calling you that?"

"We reconnected back in May 1997. My feelings for him resurfaced rather quickly. I happily agreed to be his plus one to his oldest brother's wedding in August 1997. I was going to tell him how I felt at the wedding but I saw him flirting with the bride's cousins and I was jealous. I just got up and started to leave, then the wedding was interrupted."

"How many siblings does he have?"

"Five. He and his twin were the second to youngest sons."

"So, he's a twin too?"

Annie nodded. "Yes, but sadly his twin was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts almost two years ago."

"That's horrible. I remember how horrified Nellie was when you told her that you had been petrified in your fourth year."

"It is. I remember running into him after the Battle of Hogwarts but I didn't offer my comfort or condolences."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure."

Her brother and best friend nodded. After a few more minutes they left.