Finding Neverland | George Weasley ✓

Chapter Sixty-Five

Thea sat at her desk in the Auror office, her eyes flickering over each page, her fingers that were clutching a quill tightly occasionally moving to scratch an answer. This was one of her final written examinations before they would move to more practical stuff which included dueling and actually accompanying other Aurors to actually arrest witches and wizards. 

She was more than ready for it to start, feeling herself becoming more and more restless as the weeks drag on. But her fingers were twitching for a different reason today because once she finished this examination she would be heading to the Three Broomsticks to make four big apologies to four people who knew her better than most. 

Thea had sent out four letters to the four individuals a few days after Molly insisted it would be the only way that she would be able to get rid of the guilt she had held for so long. She was delighted when she received responses from all of them agreeing to meet her that evening. 

Although she had been in deep grief and shock, there had been no excuse to treat her friends like that on that evening and continue to ignore them throughout the year. Those four people were among the few people who had known Thea and her brother better than anyone and she had just pushed them away at a time that she needed them the most. 

Thea scribbled down the last answer and quickly hurried up to the Auror who was over watching the examination but even though he collected her test papers, he told her that she had to sit back down until the others were finished. 

The second Elliot and eventually Miles also handed in their test papers, Thea was out of the room, quickly collecting her things before beginning to head out of the Ministry. 

"Woah, Thea! What's the hurry?" Elliot asked her. 

"I'm-"

"Let me guess," Miles interjected. "She's got a date with someone who actually finds her interesting."

"Actually no, Miles." Thea replied, tucking her hair behind her ear, freezing when she realize how short it was. It had been a month but she was still getting used to it. "I'm meeting up with some old friends from school."

"But you've only been out of school for a few months, surely you can't have missed them that much."

"Well, due to um...circumstances I wasn't able to talk to them for a while," Thea replied awkwardly, watching as a look of recognition flickered across Elliot's face.

"What circumstances?" Miles pressed.

"Drop it, Grigbarwhagram," Elliot said. 

"Well, I better go. I'll see you two tomorrow." Thea quickly waved to the boys before she apparated. 

Thea sat at a table in the Three Broomsticks, rubbing her hands together slightly, nervously. She only hoped that her former friends would be accepting of her apology. Thea was suddenly interrupted from her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. 

"Excuse me, do you perhaps know where-." Max started, her eyes widening when she saw Thea sitting in front of her. "Thea!" 

"Max, did you find her-" Sadie started from beside her. "Woah! Thea! What happened to your hair!" 

"I cut it," Thea said shyly. "Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Sadie shouted, causing several people to look at her strangely.  "I love it! It suits you perfectly!"

"It was just a bit of a shock to see you with shorter hair. We didn't even know it was you, you've had long hair for the entire time I've known you."

"Max! Sadie! I don't think we have time to be conversing with a stranger when we can't find Thea." Marquis asked them from behind Thea. She turned her head to face Marquis watching with a slight smirk when he jumped. "Holy cow!"

Alexander also arrived behind Marquis, jumping even higher when he saw Thea. "Well, I guess we found her!"

Everyone settled around the table but it seemed that everyone just needed a few moments to get over the shock of seeing Thea with short hair but eventually, the conversation started and it finally felt like old times. 

"I'm honestly so sorry for the past year. None of you deserved, my behavior. I was in a lot of pain at the time and I'm so sorry." Thea blurted out, feeling the lump in her throat slowly growing. 

"Don't be, Thea. We completely understand and it seems like you had other people to comfort you after all instead of us." Max said, patting Thea's hand comfortingly. 

"What do you mean?" Thea asked confused before it hit her. "Oh, you mean Fred and George." Her voice slightly cracked upon saying their names but she quickly covered it up with a cough.

"Yeah. The three of you seemed to get along very well." Alexander remembered. 

"Well, two of you seemed to get along extremely well if you know what I mean," Sadie interjected. 

"What she means to say is that we all thought you and George we are a cute couple," Marquis said

"Hey! I could have said that!" Sadie exclaimed. 

"Yeah, well it was only for a few months," Thea said.

"Was?" Alexander questioned. 

"I broke up with him." 

"You did what!" Sadie shouted. 

"Why, Thea? What happened?" Max asked. "Because I saw you two on Valentine's Day, happier than I have ever seen you."

"It just wasn't working out," Thea said.

"You better get back with him, right now!" Sadie shouted again. "I will personally drag you over to that store of his in Diagon Alley and make you ask him out again." 

"Sadie doesn't mean that," Marquis said quickly.

"I bloody hell do!" 

"Anyway," Alexander quickly interjected before things got ugly. "What do you do as a job now, Thea?"

"Oh, I'm training to become an Auror," Thea said, stopping when she saw the four people in front of her give her shocked looks. "What? Have I grown another head or something?"

"You are an Auror?" Max sputtered out. 

"Well, training to become one but yes." 

"How did this happen?" Alexander asked. 

"Well, my N.E.W.T.S went better than expected and-"

"Let me rephrase my question. Why did this happen?"

"I decided I wanted to become an Auror and that's what I did."

"Wow! I certainly wasn't expecting that." Sadie exclaimed while Marquis sat there in silence before finally saying something.

"You little badass."