Royalty (George Weasley) (Completed)

Yaxley

The following couple of weeks went by slowly. There had been no developments from anybody in the Order to keep us busy, and I was definitely seeing much less of Draco, so the prospect of snooping on him was growing slimmer as well. Of course, this only made me think of more ways I could try and help him.
The only slightly exciting thing to look forward to was the Hogsmeade trip planned for this weekend.
"I really hope the snow isn't too harsh, nothing is worse than trudging down to the village through a foot of snow.." I mentioned to George, who was working on some History of Magic homework next to me in the library.
I had finally convinced him to really get to work on his homework he had let pile up. He begrudgingly obliged, not without letting mention that I was beginning to sound like Hermione.
"I still don't think it's the best idea that you go, Liz.." he mumbled, scribbling something down on his parchment to avoid my eyes.
We had been having this discussion daily now.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I truly don't believe she would try anything with Dumbledore this close. She's too afraid of him, and I don't blame her, he can be quite frightening.."
George sighed, setting his quill down and looking at me with concerned eyes.
"I know, but I promised Sirius. I told him I would keep an eye on you. I intend to keep that promise, not only for him but for me too. If something happened to you, while I was there, even.. I just don't know how I'd handle that." His voice broke a little, and I felt my heart ache for him.
I smiled softly at him, taking his hand across the table.
"I know.. I may have overheard you too talking," I sheepishly admitted, though I had a feeling George already knew about this, "but Tonks and Mundungus will both be watching Hogsmeade this weekend, and Dumbledore's been spending a lot of time in the Three Broomstick's discussing business with Madame Rosmerta.. I really think we will be quite alright. I just want to have a nice day out with my friends, and you of course."
George still looked unsettled, but nodded nonetheless, placing a small kiss on my hand wrapped around his.
"Now, you have a whole half foot of parchment left to write, so get back to work." I smiled at him, pushing his quill back into his hand as he groaned.
"SHHHH! This is a library!" we both jumped at the sound of Madame Pince's shrill voice, causing us to shove our noses back into our books.

The week had come and gone slowly as ever, all of us itching to get to Hogsmeade and get our hands on some Honeyduke's sweets or some of Zonko's newest pranks.
I could tell George was still not totally on board with my plans to go down to the village, but he had begun to bring it up less, clearly understanding that I was going no matter what.
Saturday morning finally came, all of us lining up at the main doors to be allowed outside by Filch. I was bundled in a large parka, a scarf around my
neck to keep me protected against the biting cold. I smiled when I noticed George had on a Molly Weasley Original sweater, his jacket unbuttoned over it to reveal a colorful firework etched onto his chest. This boy sure had a soft spot for his mum.
"Lestrange.. check... Weasley.. check.. and if you bring any funny business back from Zonko's I'll have you strung up from your ankles, boy!" Filches wheezy voice called out behind us, George's eyes going wide as we nearly jogged down the lane to get away from Filch.
"Well, you heard the man George. No funny business," Fred's voice made us turn to see him walking down the pitch with Ron and Hermione.
George winked at his twin, a mischievous grin on his face, "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it Freddy."
We made our way into the snow covered village, and I instantly smiled at the sight. There were happy looking people gazing into windows of all of the shops, some with warm butterbeers gripped in their hands, some hand in hand with a loved one. I did notice there seemed to be less people on the streets than usual, but that was probably due to the chill in the air. The smell of freshly made toffee from Honeyduke's was wafting through the air, mixed with a hint of a wood-burning fire coming from the chimney of the Hog's Head Inn down towards the end of the way.
I grabbed George's hand in mine, leading our group towards the Three Broomsticks, "I'm close to freezing, I think a butterbeer is in order."
The Three Broomsticks was warm inside, an air of happiness emanating from every corner of the room as people gathered with friends to enjoy drinks and good company. We found a table by the fireplace, Ron and George running off to grab drinks for the rest of us.
"Where are Ginny and Harry?" I asked Hermione, slipping my scarf off and hanging it on the back of my chair.
"Probably off snogging somewhere," Fred looked utterly disgusted at this news, "Ginny said they would join us in about an hour."
George and Ron returned with five mugs of butterbeer, all of us eagerly grabbing one from them.
"Looks like Dumbledore won't be in today.." Fred mumbled, eyes darting around the shop.
I looked around as well, realizing the headmaster was no where to be seen. Interesting.. he had been here every single Hogsmeade trip so far this year.
"You can't expect him to sit around in a pub all day, do you? He's a very important wizard you know.." Hermione retorted, leaning back against her chair.
"Suppose so.. I guess this means there's no need to be on such high alert then.." Fred's face instantly broke out into a grin, his eyes filling with mischief.
Hermione rolled her eyes, returning to her drink. My mind, however, drifted back to Dumbledore. Why wasn't he here? Sure, Hermione could definitely be correct. He was a very important wizard indeed, but this had become such a routine of his that it was strange to see the pub free of his presence.
We finished our drinks in the comfort of the cozy pub, all of us silently dreading walking back out into the cold.
"Reckon we should go over to Zonko's?" George asked me, tilting his head towards the door.
Nodding, we all stood up and bundled back into our coats and scarves, heading for the cold outdoors.
Zonko's proved to be busier than ever, plenty of people itching to get inside of a shop rather than browse the windows from outside.
"Brilliant!" I heard George mutter at nearly everything we passed, smiling at his child-like wonder. It took everything in me to keep my hand firmly around his so I didn't lose him in the chaos.
Hermione and I caught up with Ginny after a while, who seemed flustered and red in the face.
"Not a word to my brother's," she warned both of us, causing us to giggle as she blushed even harder.
"It's crowded in here, Hermione, Ginny and I are going to wait out front, okay?" I pulled George aside and told him, his hands nearly spilling everything he was carrying.
He looked unsure, his eyes darting to the door and back to me again.
"I'll just be a moment, I can come with you-"
"No, no. We'll be fine. You take your time, and don't forget a gift for Filch." I winked at him, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.
Hermione, Ginny and I all three waited out front of the shop, happy to be away from the crowd but less than happy to be back in the cold.
"I hate to admit it, but we might need to head back up to the castle after they're finished. It's bloody cold," Ginny hissed out, shivering in her parka.
Hermione and I agreed, huddling against the shop windows for some sense of warmth.
"Eliza Lestrange.."
Turning on my heel at the sound of my name, I came face to face with one of the most frightening men I had ever seen.
His face was taut and gruff looking, his light blonde hair almost the same color as the snow covering the grounds. His voice was gravelly and deep, making chills crawl down my spine.
"Can I help you?" I asked, my voice wavering a bit. It was hard to avoid the feeling of fear growing in the pit of my stomach.
The man's face twisted into a demented type of smile, his eyes full of hunger.
"Not me, no. But the Dark Lord's sure interested in you for some strange reason. You and that Potter boy.. I personally don't see the appeal in some seventeen year old blood traitors but to each his own I suppose.."
"Stupefy!" I heard Hermione yell, silently thanking her for being so quick with spells.
The man, however, was quicker. He had deflected her spell and knocked her down onto her back with a single flick of his wand.
As quick as I could possibly manage, I had my wand up and at the ready, stepping in front of Ginny who was always poised and ready for a duel. I saw Hermione jump back to her feet out of the corner of my eye, her wand up and at the ready once more.
"Don't touch my friends," I spat at him, pointing my
wand at his cloaked chest.
"Now, now little one.. you are quite brave. Reminds me of your mother.." he rose his wand again, aiming at me this time.
"I don't believe she'd want you to kill her daughter," Ginny spoke defiantly from behind me.
The man let out a maniacal cackle, his head rolling with every laugh.
"Oh, no. I don't believe she would be very happy with me if I did that.. She just said she wanted you alive, dear.. Lucky for you I know just how far to go before a spell becomes fatal.. CRUCIO!"
My mind nearly went black. All I could feel was the most excruciating pain I'd ever felt in my life. White hot pain. I'm sure I was screaming, but even I couldn't hear myself. My body contorted around on a cold surface, I'm assuming I had fallen to the ground at some point. Bright flashes of light where bursting through my closed eyelids, and I felt as if the pain moving through my body would soon cause my chest to split straight open.
And then everything went dark and quiet, the last thing I heard was a familiar voice calling out my name.