Blood In The Stars

3. Appearances

"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." -Jane Goodall. (Expert of chimpanzees)

3602 words

The bell jangled, alerting Hermione of a customer. She lifted her gaze, her chin propped on her hand as she read at the counter top. Her arm wasn't feeling up to sorting today, nor lifting anything heavy in particular. Lucky for her, Old Lady Margaret was at the doctor's until the weekend.

"Hermione!" George greeted, shrugging off his overcoat, which meant he was planning to stay a short while. Hermione wasn't sure if this made her nervous, or angry.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, sitting up straighter on her stool. Though she buckled slightly, but played it off by stretching out her legs.

"Well, keeping up with appearances for one." George winked at her, stomping his boots twice on the floor mat before walking over. Hermione couldn't help but to sweep her gaze over his appearance, it still shocked her the twins were so adamant about wearing suits to work. "Secondly, I need a book about Veela's." He grinned, but Hermione's attention faltered.

Veela's.

"I'm not looking to woo one, so you can rest assured in that department." George leaned against the counter, smiling at her. "I want to learn more about their language, so I can apply it to a Seduction Box we're creating." George smiled once more, but Hermione found herself furrowing her brows.

"A seduction box, what's that for?" Hermione asked, and George found himself lightning up.

"Well, I don't mean to sound condescending but it's in the name there, love." George smirked, but Hermione only rolled her eyes.

"I know that, darling." Hermione drawled back, missing the way George dropped his head in flushed embarrassment. "I just meant what would one find in a-" Hermione started, but George suddenly darted forward, grabbing the book Hermione had been reading. Having caught sight of it as his chin dropped to his chest.

"Hermione, what's this?" He asked, flipping the book shut to read the cover.

Hermione panicked, which was the direct opposite of what she should have done, and made a grab for it.

But George was taller, holding the book over his head in shock.

"Light reading." She replied, growing angry as she jumped for the book once more, only for George to take a step back.

That had been mistake number two, as George realized it was the same book she had been reading at the Burrow.

"Who's...why...Hermione what are you hiding?" George asked, relenting in dropping the book back to the counter, but only because he felt like holding it any longer might actually pain him.

Why was she learning how to accept death?

"So everyone else can have secrets but me? Is that it?" Hermione growled, and with a snap of her fingers her wand tumbled into her hand. She disregarded the book, stepping around the counter to poke her wand under George's chin.

George held his hands up, eyes blown wide as he stared down at Hermione. Her usually warm, brown eyes had gone dark, and there was an anger line between her brows. It was a line he was accustom to seeing on his mother when he didn't do his chores, not from Hermione when he asked a question.

Hermione loved answering questions.

"Of course, of course you can have secrets Hermione but not..not ones like that." George waved his hand at the counter, but this only further angered Hermione.