Golden Boy

23. Twelve Days Later

It seemed like only yesterday that Zina had Disapparated after catching Camellia and Fred together in the living room- when Camellia had looked Zina dead in the eyes as Fred thrust into her, his dizzying moans ringing in her ears as he cried out how much he loved her; when she'd finally proven to that bitch that Fred belonged to her and no one else.

That felt like only yesterday... when in fact, it was well over a week ago.

Twelve whole days passed by them in a blur of work, friends, family, and sleep like a flash. Camellia was going back and forth between the twins' flat and the Burrow so often that she wasn't sure where she would stay night to night, and frankly, it was exhausting.

The scuffle between Fred and Adrian Pucey had, contrary to their expectations, brought in even more customers to the shop than they'd had before.
Evidently, word had spread around town that Fred and George Weasley wouldn't shy away from "taking bold measures to keep their employees and customers safe, even at the risk of their own well-being," as the Quibbler so kindly put it in the top article the next day. This new surge in business kept the three shopkeepers extremely busy until the late hours of the night, and because of how tired they were becoming, Fred and George decided to hire on a weekend retail staff to take over on Saturdays and Sundays so that they wouldn't have to work seven days a week.

The days at the shop were long and tiring, so much so that when their free time did come- around eleven at night- the three hard workers would simply bid their goodnights and crash, with barely any conversation or downtime to cushion their falls.

Camellia's days consisted mostly of rising at eight, getting ready to start work at nine, opening the shop at ten, then working tirelessly all day long until closing at about seven o'clock in the evening, after which she and the twins would have yet more work to do until about eleven. Then, it was practically straight to sleep the second their heads hit their pillows. Occasionally, their friends would stop by for lunch, but their visits were never long.

Inquiring customers and store accidents and general retail responsibilities kept Camellia busy all day long.
However, there was one ray of light among all the non-stop commotion of the week- she hadn't seen Zina but once or twice, and when she had, their interactions were brief and unpleasant, just how Cam liked them. She must've been as cross with Fred as she was with Camellia, too, as any time she saw them together, they would hardly interact. Fred seemed oddly quiet and uncomfortable around her, rarely exchanging a word.

Although, as the week went on, Fred seemed to be getting more easily frustrated and irritable. During the day, he would work incredibly hard and make sure everything was in perfect order, but once the customers cleared out for the day, he seemed quieter than usual. Camellia wasn't sure what was going on with him, and their busy schedule didn't allow much time for long conversation.

Now, it had been a week and a half since Zina had caught Fred and Camellia. The two of them and George were down in the shop, doing their usual work now that the customers were gone.

Fred was tending to the Pygmy Puffs in the breeding cages, gently talking to them as he fed and pet them. They were only days from giving birth, and the Puffs needed more attention than ever. George was going up and down the stairs with massive boxes of product, his hair messy and his tie loose around his neck as he worked. He wasn't saying a word as he went back and forth, which was unusual for him.

Camellia was in the Moonrise section, reorganizing the display to make room for new products. The new collection had proven extremely successful, boosting the shop's sales significantly and bringing in new customers. People seemed to really like the discretion the shop provided, and they were met with overwhelmingly positive feedback.