black and white ✰ g.w.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The next morning, as the majority of the people in the Village got ready to either go to work or to the Burrow, they were all yawning much more than they would on a regular morning, as none of them had gotten very much sleep.

"You know, you don't have to come in to the shop today," George told Olivia, who was standing at the bathroom sink getting ready for the day. He wrapped his arms around her middle from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head. "You can take today to catch up on your sleep."

"I'll be fine, love," she reassured him. "If I can manage to take my N.E.W.T.s on just a few hours of sleep and do just fine, I can work a day in a joke shop."

George chuckled. "Earning all Os is more than doing 'just fine', darling."

"It wasn't all Os. I got an E, too."

"Oh, wow, that is terrible."

"Shut up."

"Get your hands off my sister, Weasley. It's too early for this," Oliver said, going to enter the bathroom but stopping when he saw the couple.

"We're not even doing anything," Olivia said, quite annoyed by the presence of her brother.

"You're doing plenty. Also, this is the only bathroom in the house and you're not the only ones here."

Olivia sighed deeply out of frustration. She felt something soft brush against her leg and looked down to see her cat, Trixie, a small calico female that had come from the same litter as Sunny. She picked up the cat and exited the bathroom, sticking her tongue out at Oliver as she went.

"Oh, very mature," he called after her as she went into her bedroom and shutting her door.

"Why, thank you, Ollie," she shouted back. "You're so very kind."

"You're annoying!"

"I love you!"

"Gross!"

.｡❅*⋆⍋*∞*｡*∞*⍋⋆*❅｡.

The twins and Olivia had been at the shop for just twenty minutes and were about to open for the day when a very familiar person Apparated outside, walked up to the door, and knocked.

"Delia?" Olivia said aloud, wondering what the woman was doing there as she unlocked and opened the door to greet her. "What are you doing here? Isn't there practice today?"

"Not until later. You know that," Delia responded. "What's this I read in the Daily Prophet about your boyfriend's family's house burning down last night?"

Olivia rolled her eyes at the Daily Prophet's tendency to exaggerate. "Of course they said it burned down. Come in, I'll tell you."

Olivia let Delia in the shop, closed and locked the door behind her, and led her up to the flat.

"The house is fine," Olivia explained. "My grandparents and my aunt and uncle stopped the fire and repaired everything."

"But what even happened?" Delia asked.

"Bellatrix Lestrange is what happened. Apparently Fenrir Greyback was there too."

"Liv, those are probably the two most wanted Death Eaters right now and you say it like they just showed up for a nice picnic."

"It might've been a nice picnic for them, but it quite traumatic for the rest of us."

"Well, I would think so."

Delia left not long later after getting the full story of what had happened the previous night. Throughout the day, they had customers coming up to Fred and George asking if the Weasleys in the Daily Prophet had anything to do with them, so when they finally closed for day, they were grateful they wouldn't have to talk about it anymore.

"What are we looking at?" George asked Olivia as he came across her staring through the front window not long after they had closed the shop.

"Nothing, really," Olivia told him. "I just wish whatever happened to Fortescue didn't happen."

"Me too, but why?"

"Because I miss being able to go to his shop and get ice cream whenever I wanted."

"With how much you went there, I wouldn't be surprised if he knew you by name."

"Oh, he did. I was his last customer before he disappeared, you know."

"I don't doubt that." There was quiet for a moment. "I could really go for a nap right now."

Olivia grinned. "Me too."

[word count: 712]
[written: 9/18/20]
[published: 9/18/20]