Starting Over (A George Weasley Love Story)

Chapter 1 - there's always a first time

    Her face was sad as she watched the store across the street open. It was a joke shop that had been opened a two years ago by the Weasley Twins. It had been closed briefly last year during the war at Hogwarts. She knew that George Weasley, the man who ran the shop know had lost his brother in the battle and  never fully got over it. She had opened her own small cafe across the street from Weasleys' Wizard Wheeze's just after the war had ended. She too was only 20 but had found school to be to boring for her and the career choices that her head of house, Professor Flitwick had given her didn't appeal to her. She pushed a piece of long dark brown curly hair out of her face before deciding that she was going to to talk to George. She had been in love with him since their third year, but  she had never had the opportunity to tell him. He was loved by so many girls and some boys that she didn't think she had a chance with him. Besides she had been in Ravenclaw and with him being in Gryffindor they didn't cross paths much. On the occasion they crossed paths during a Quidditch match, she had barely been able to stutter out a hello. She had been the keeper for the Ravenclaw team, so most of their contact was limited to air time and that didn't make for very good conversational moments.

    She had closed her shop early today because most of the kids had left. The lunch rush was over and no one had come in, in over an hour.  So she decided today was the day she would try to talk to George, maybe ask him on a date? She walked across the street to his joke shop and stood outside. She was still lacking the courage to open the door. She finally got the courage after watching a few students and even adults walk in the store. She pushed open the door unsure of what she would find. She knew he had been running it by himself since his brother died, so she was a bit surprised when she saw the store full of students from Hogwarts. Mostly third years and up, some first and second years had managed to sneak in.

    She remembered those days. She went to Hogsmeade's ever visit with her friends, but she always walked to the Zonko joke shop in hopes of seeing George hanging out there with his twin. She remembered how excited they were talking about opening their shop when they graduated, but then again they had never graduated. She had been talking her exams in the great hall when they made it filled with fireworks and a swamp. She sighed as she looked around as a few third years pushed past her into the store causing the bell at the top of the door to ring. She moved in behind them looking around. She met the brown eyes of George Weasley, but looked away quickly. She had a condition with her eyes and she had been teased about it, so she had been very self conscious about them.

    She moved slowly through the store as she looked at different items. She ran a hand through her hair messing with the curls that rest just past her waist. Normally she kept it tied back in a braid but she had been running late this morning and she didn't have time to put it up before opening her cafe. Now it was closed since it was after lunch. She moved up the stairs and looked up at a skeleton of a large bird on the ceiling. She turned around a few seconds later and found herself bumping into the solid mass of a man. She would have fallen back over the railing that was around the balcony of the second floor if the man she bumped into hadn't caught her around the waist and pulled her against him.

    "Are you all right?" She heard the deepened voice of George Weasley. She looked up blushing as she noticed that he still had his arm around her waist. Her hands were pressed against his chest. He moved her away from the railing before letting go of her, almost hesitantly it felt to her. She smiled at him before moving further away from the edge. She was a bit afraid of heights. Being the butt of the practical jokes all through her school years made her wiry of a lot of things.

    "Yes, I'm fine" She continued to look at his brown eyes. They were enchanting, hypnotizing almost. She swallowed nervously before taking yet another step back. Her back his the wall of books that was stacked behind her. She used her hands to steady them quickly before she made a mess. "Thank you"

    "You're welcome." He smiled, but his smile never reached his eyes. She knew that he hadn't smiled the same or as much since his brother's death. She suddenly felt like a stalker as she knew so much about him. Then again, his life was pretty much an open book. He had no reason to hide his life. He hadn't been teased or made fun of all his life, not like her. He stuck his hand out for her to take. "I'm George Weasley"

    "Lucy Taylor" Lucy shook his hand. She felt something that someone might describe as electricity course through her hand and into her body. He must have felt it too because he pulled back his hand rather quickly, but the one thing she did notice about him was that he didn't break eye contact. He never even made a gesture as if it made him feel awkward about how her eyes look. Though him continuously staring at her eyes made her feel a bit self conscious, but not in the way that made her feel embarrassed.

    "I like it" George smiled again, she liked his smile even if it was a bit empty. Maybe she could make it whole again. A bell sounded near the desk where the he kept the cash register was. She looked at the counter where his register and saw a fourth year gryffindor standing, waiting for George. She looked back at him.

    "Seems you have a customer" She hadn't even stopped smiling at him. He nodded.

    "Yes, i guess i do" He turned to away from her then looked back. "By the way, I like your eyes" He said before he disappeared down the stairs. She watched him go to the register before she let herself get lost in her thoughts.

    No one had ever told her they liked her eyes. One might ask what was unusual about her eyes. She had one brown eye and one black eye. She was born with two brown eyes, but during a fight with an older slytherin in her first year, that she had lost, she was cursed and it caused one of her eyes to change color. The fight? Oh, it was because she was muggle born and the Slytherin thought she should be taught her place. If not for the Gryffindor head of house, Minerva McGonagall, then she may have ended up in the hospital wing longer then a couple of hours.

    Once his line had gotten smaller, she walked down and came over to the counter. She sighed nervously as he watched her. She felt a bit awkward as he watched her silently not pressuring her into saying something. He let her take her time in thinking about what she wanted to say. She looked at him again, her eyes scanning his face, stopping at his lips before meeting his eyes, she had hoped he didn't notice that look. She licked her lips because they had suddenly gone dry as had her throat.

    "Lucy?" George said her name softly. She jumped as she had been so lost in the thought about asking him to get some dinner she had forgotten to actually ask.

    "Sorry, I was just... " Lucy sighed. "I know... it hasn't been long since... well since fred, and i know you're not over that... but i was wondering if you... maybe wanted to get something to eat ..."

    "You mean like a date?" George blinked as he heard her asking him to go to dinner.

    "No... i mean it doesn't have to be, it could just be two friends going out for something to eat... I'll even pay for my own food."

    "Yes" George watched as she ranted, going on and on about how it didn't have to be a date, but he thought that a date would be nice.

    "What?" She suddenly stopped in the middle of her rant. "Really?"

    "Yes"  She did something she never thought she'd do. She jumped into his arms giving him a really excited hug. As soon as she realized what she had done, she pulled away. "I'm sorry"

    "It's alright" George chuckled softly. Then they set the fay and time for their date. She went home feeling as if she could fly. She was so happy, but would it turn into more then just a friendship. Maybe, just maybe she would be able to make him happy and he would return her feelings.