The Ravenclaw and The Grim

trouble

It was a slow dreary day in the shop. Fred was out on business and Verity had the day off. Leaving just Lyra and George to watch the shop. She sat on the front counter her legs swinging and an abandoned book in her lap staring out into the rainy day. George sat next to her behind the counter, tinkering with a prototype for a potential product.

She looked over at him and sighed. Blowing a stray hair out of her face. George smirked looking up at her. "Thats the third time you've sighed like that."

Lyra smiled, laying back on the counter and looking at him upside down. "Sorry, I'm just bored. It's so slow today."

"I'm surprised your not taking advantage of the quiet. Usually you'd be stowed away in your office on a day like this."

"I need to restock my shelves, and since someone doesn't want me wandering about Diagon by myself anymore...."

"I'm sorry love." He said and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"No you're not."

"Alright, you're right I'm not." He admitted turning back to his prototype. "People have started disappearing from shops. So if we can avoid sending you alone I'd prefer that."

Lyra sat up and swung her legs around to face him. "You let Fred go places alone."

"Fred's not a muggle-born empath" she went to open her mouth to argue but George continued before she could "AND he's not my fiancé. Plus he's been coordinating with Bill and Dad to try to avoid it. Whenever we can."

"I didn't realize my future husband was going to be so bossy." She teased. "You're not going to try to order me around all the time are you?"

George set the prototype back down, smirking up at her. "Firstly, I didn't order you to do anything. I suggested that you avoid going out alone because it's dangerous."

"So if I walked out the door right now you wouldn't be upset?"

George grabbed the table and rolled his stool over so that he was directly in front of her. "Maybe a little bit. I'd be worried while you were gone at the very least. But the distinction my love, is if I was ordering you around I wouldn't let you leave." He wrapped his arms around her and placed his head on her thighs. "I'd lock you away and keep you all to myself."

She wrinkled her nose. "You aren't the boss of me Weasley."

He grinned, "of course not love."

"I'm only staying today because I don't want to leave you alone at the shop."

"Right." He chuckled, nuzzling her leg and making her blush, "well since your staying, why don't we make the most of an empty shop?"

"What do you mean?" She asked wearily.

"It's been a while since you tried practicing legilmency."

"George-"

"I know you don't like too but it may come in handy. Plus don't you think it may be good for Fred and I to try and learn how to block people out?"

Lyra hesitated deliberating this, "alright... But we start by trying to teaching you guys to block out. I'd feel better about digging around in your mind knowing you have the ability to stop me."

"Brilliant!" He sat up grinning, "where do we begin?"

"No promises I'm even going to be able to teach you..."

"Don't worry about it, let's just give it a shot. How did you and Snivellus do it?"

Lyra's face puckered as memories of being flung across the potion rooms floor surfaced to the top of her mind. "I'm not sure I have the heart to do that to you. Let's try this instead." Lyra slid off of the counter and onto one of the stools so that they were at the same level. "One of the hardest things about occlemncy is that before you can learn to use it, you have to master the ability to clear your thoughts and emotions."