❝only fools rush in ❞
Georgiana Fortescue's father, Florean, was the well known owner of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, an extremely popular shop in Diagon Alley. Finally, two years after his passing, Georgiana manages to reopen the shop...
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13
WITH THE slowness that came with February, Georgiana had lots of time on her hands, and absolutely nothing to do. With snowstorms and freezing rain coming down almost constantly in the dreary weather of London, and the regular customers of Florean's back at school, the shop was constantly quiet. Georgiana, however, wasn't complaining. Actually, she had taken this free time to plan for the twenty-fourth of February: the annual pasta party. In the week of silence, Georgiana had, with the help of magic, created a unique Agnolotti-shaped design for the invitations, and decided that this year's event would be a black-tie event. They were going to eat their pasta with class.
Georgiana's party planning was interrupted by Charlie, who had been staying in his flat more frequently. The ring of the wind chimes brought Georgiana to her senses. She grinned and came to the other side of the counter to greet her boyfriend with a quick kiss.
"Hello, love," Charlie smiled. "I thought that I would take you out to lunch, as a pre-birthday treat."
"But Char, my birthday isn't until tomorrow," Georgiana laughed.
"That's why I said 'pre.' Besides, I really just wanted to see you. Work has been giving me lots of papers to look over, and we haven't seen much of each other recently. And we missed Valentine's day, so I would like to make it up to you."
Georgiana grinned: "Well in that case, let me lock up the shop and then we can leave." Georgiana put her plans away in her back office, then, with a flick of her wand, locked the front door and flipped the 'open' sign to 'closed.' She looped her arm through Charlie's, and the two left through the back door.
"So, I was thinking at first that we should go to the Leaky, but Bill told me about this new restaurant at the other end of the alley."
"I didn't know that there was a new place down here, though I'm not surprised: all the old shops are finally being moved into. I'm glad that the alley isn't as dreadful and quiet anymore."
"Well, it could never be dreadful with you here," Charlie grinned.
"Right, ice cream makes people quite cheerful."
"No, no: you, Georgiana Fortescue, are the light of Diagon Alley. I see people with sorrowsome expressions enter your shop, and when they leave they are happier than a pig in mud."
Georgiana laughed at his antics, "Pigs in mud are quite cheerful," she admitted.
"That they are, and it's all because of you," Charlie said, poking the tip of her nose with his index finger.
Georgiana took this opportunity to lick his finger. He pulled it away with a chuckle and an 'Ewww!' then wiped it on her shirt. He then pulled her into a restaurant that she had never seen before. It was quite elegant, with white table cloths and flowers on every table, which were spaced quite a ways away from each other. Georgiana smiled as a waiter took their cloaks and they were seated in a quiet booth next to the floor-to-ceiling window. The couple were brought water and menus, and were left to ponder over what they would eat for lunch.
"Wow, Charlie, this place is amazing," Georgiana said, noticing a small fountain that ran in the middle of the room. There were strands of ivy flowing from the water and wrapping around a small lamppost behind it, whose fire illuminated the room with a subtle and faint glow, overpowered by the light of noon shining through the window.
Besides Georgiana and Charlie, and the staff, the restaurant was otherwise empty, and a soothing orchestral piece was playing throughout the shop.
Georgiana and Charlie read through their menus: everything looked great. At the very bottom of the last page, in tiny black script, read: "Can't decide what to eat? Don't worry, choose the Chef's Choice, and we'll make the decision for you! Please tell your waiter if you have any food restrictions or allergies."
When their waiter returned, both Georgiana and Charlie chose the Chef's Choice; everything looked delicious. While they waited, the couple stared out the window of the restaurant, watching pedestrians pass by and they wondered aloud what they thought the people were doing.
"Look, that lady just got a new owl from Eeylop's!" Charlie pointed out. "I wonder what she'll name it."
"Well, when Stéphan came to the shop, he told me that the most popular owl name this year is Sylvester, which is odd, isn't it?"
Charlie laughed, "I've never heard of anyone calling their owl 'Sylvester.' Lester would be jealous of such a posh name."
"That's true, Lester deserves a name that represents his personality. I've never seen a more put-together owl than Lester."
"That's because we raised him," Charlie laughed.
"I don't believe that for a second. If we raised that owl, he would be reckless. Lester was raised at Eeylops," Georgiana laughed.
Once they settled that Lester was too proper to be raised by them, the waiter served them their food. For Georgiana, a plate of lemon pesto linguine with fresh rolls, for Charlie, a freshly baked chicken pot pie, with a side of cornbread. Georgiana's nose filled with the scent of garlic and basil and fresh bread and pastry, and her mouth started to water.
"This has to be one of the best meals I've ever had," Georgiana said through a mouthful of pasta.
"Mmmm... So good," Charlie agreed, his mouth full of chicken pot pie.
The two didn't talk much during their lunch, besides when they complimented the food. They were in awe of how delicious their meal was, and decided, on a whim, to order a piece of pistachio millefeuille to share for a dessert. This was also delicious -of course- and left both of their mouths watering, though their stomachs were full. After Charlie refused to split the cheque, and Georgiana tried to slip her money to the waiter, only to be caught by Charlie, the couple left and returned to Florean's. At the door, Charlie took Georgiana's hand in his.
"Georgiana, I have some news," he said.
Georgiana looked up. "What is it?" She asked. "Did something happen?"
"Actually, yes. Wilda sent you an letter with Lester, but he accidentally brought it to me," he said. "I guess co-owning an owl is more difficult than we thought," he added with a chuckle.
"What did it say?" Georgiana asked eagerly. She was hopeful, this was her chance to finally do what she loved.
Charlie paused, before a grin took over his entire face. "Congratulations," he said, opening the door.
Inside the shop were all of Georgiana's friends. Penny, Tulip, Rowan, Ben, André, Felix and Grace and the kids, Wilda, Bill, and Ginny. A banner hung over the display that read
Congratulations Gia! Co-Captain of the Holyhead Harpies!
Georgiana's face lit up. "Co-Captain?" She Asked Wilda.
"Haven't you heard? I'm retiring! Congratulations, Georgiana, you deserve this."
