DOROTHEA {fred weasley}

eighty six

Fred was serving a customer when the coin in his pocket burned into his leg. His eyes first darted to George, who had one of the three coins they had. His brother was safely chatting with a witch, laughing with her as he showed her their various different ranges of love potions. George was fine, it had to be Dorothea, then. 

The man packaged the puking pastilles as quickly as he could, before pointing his wand at their door, putting the sign onto closed, and beginning to usher people out of the shop. Reluctantly, he approached his twin brother, who was still laughing with the black haired witch, and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Sorry, Georgie, stock issue."

George, who had also felt his coin burn but assumed it was Fred accidentally, sensed his brother's serious tone and nodded, turning apologetically to the witch beside him.

"Come back tomorrow, if you can," he grinned. "Got a lot more to show you."

The woman smiled and left the shop, turning over her shoulder to give George a wave and a wink as she left.

"Sorry, mate, she was gorgeous."

"Ah, she'll be back," he shrugged. "The coin, was it-"

"Dorothea, did I mention I gave her one?"

"Right," George breathed, looking around the shop and closing the shutters instantly. "How will she get here?"

"Apparate, I suppose."

The other brother lifted a blind to look out onto Diagon Alley. Busy enough to not draw attention to herself, but also busy enough to be spotted. 

"So, we just wait?" George asked.

Fred sighed, "I guess so. She put up a load of wards the last time she was here. Dunno if she'd rather do it herself, though."

Dorothea apparated moments after she had squeezed the coin, not into Diagon Alley, but Knockturn Alley. She wouldn't be looked at twice there. She pushed her way past several witches, keeping her head down and her blonde hair tucked into her cloak. 

Eventually, she reached The Widow Hexley's Heirlooms, and tucked herself inside Widow Hexley was a distant relative of Leila Davies, she had been in the shop a few times when the witches were younger. The old woman was odd, but unassuming.

"Hello?" A voice from the back of the shop croaked.

"Hi," Dorothea called back. "It's..." she hesitated. "Lilith - Leila's friend. We've come in the shop together a few times."

"Ah," Hexley cooed back, still now showing herself. "How can I help, Miss Bulstrode?"

"Just done a raid, got any mirrors? Could do with cleaning myself up?

"Back left shelf on row fourteen."

Dorothea muttered her thanks and pushed her way to the back of the shop where she found shelves upon shelves of variously shaped mirrors. Checking once more for Hexley, she pulled her hood down and assessed the damage that Ezra had done. 

Her right eye was swollen red and half shut, her nose, and indeed most of her lower face, was bloody. Her hand too. Dorothea grimaced at the sight of herself, taking out her wand, preparing to clean herself. 

A shuffle behind her disrupted her, "you know, I always remember the Bulstrode family, all of you have thick, black hair. You did too Lilith, I thought-"

Dorothea pulled up her cloak again, not having the chance to change anything.

"It's a glamour charm," she said quickly, brushing past where the short woman stood, swearing she saw her begin to pull up her sleeve, and rushing out of the shop, down the cobbled streets of Knockturn Alley, pausing only when she reached the entrance of Diagon Alley.