The Other Potter (George Weasley)

Twenty-Two.

Walking up to Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes was interesting, mainly because at the top of the building there is an animatronic bust of what looks like both Fred and George who is moving his arm up tipping his hat repeatedly. It was kind of jarring to see. When the eight of us enter the shop we see kids running around, playing, having fun shopping around testing out some of the items. The place is packed.
   
I don’t see either of the twins anywhere, but Ron spots them. They’re standing on the staircase observing their business. “Step up! Step up!” they call together, and then Fred takes over.
   
“We’ve got Fainting Fancies, Nosebleed Nougat, and just in time for school,” he pauses momentarily and he and George finish the sentence together. “Puking Pastilles!”
   
An enormous sense of pride takes over me, I know how hard they have both worked to get this far. How much time and energy they have invested into this shop. I was so proud of them. I wasn’t the only one either. All of the Weasley siblings were proud of their two brothers, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were proud too. They loved to see their children prosper like this.
   
George spots us, and I know he does because he looks down at us and he gets Fred’s attention and points us out to him. That’s when they start walking down the staircase. George gets to us first, because he basically ran down the stairs to get to us, and he picks me up off my feet in front of everyone right there in the middle of the store. I wrap my arms around his neck hugging him as he holds me up and I tell him, “This place is amazing. I’m so proud of you.”
   
“Awe, thank you, love,” George gives me a quick kiss and one more squeeze before he puts me down so I’m on my feet again.
   
Mrs. Weasley places a hand onto her son's shoulder. “Oh George, I’m so proud of you. Really, I am. This place is immaculate.”
   
George can’t help but blush. “Thanks, mum.”
   
As much as we would love to take all of the attention from the twins, all we can get is a quick catch up and then we have to let them run their shop. So we all take off to look around the shop. I stick with Hermione and Ginny, and we all walk around together. We find a very pretty display of white flowers illuminated by a light pink light. Inside the flowers was a vile of some unknown liquid. After a moment of looking at this display and trying to think of what liquid each vile was filled with I felt a long arm drape my shoulders and we were with the twins again.
   
“Hello ladies,” they singsong harmoniously.
   
“You won’t be needing any of that, Savannah,” Fred says, giving me a smirk.
   
“And what is it, exactly?” I ask placing the vile back into the flower.
   
“Love Potions,” answers George. Well, Fred was right. I don’t need any of that. “They really do work"
   
I look up at George and give him a smile, “You’re right I don’t need that.” George gives me a proud smile back.
   
Fred looks to his little sister. “And from what we hear, sis, you’re doing just fine on your own.”
   
“Meaning?” asks Ginny, giving him a look that doesn’t like the accusation.
   
“Are you not currently dating Dean Thomas?” asks George.
   
Ginny flashes me the death stare in my direction and hisses, “Savannah.”
   
“I didn’t know you didn’t want anyone to know,” I protest gesturing with my hand to Hermione now as I say, “you said it so casually to us.”
   
Ginny huffs annoyed and stalks away angrily. “She’ll get over it,” George assures me, giving my arm a light squeeze. “Come with me, Darling, let me give you a tour of the shop.” He starts walking, and I go with him as he leads me around the busy store, and he very casually asks, "So, what do you think of the shop?"
   
"It's honestly amazing," I tell him, smiling. "You and Fred have really captured your essence in the atmosphere here."
   
"That's what we were going for," he says, nodding. "You know I tried to get mum to let you come stay the last week of your summer holidays here, but she wouldn't allow it. She wants to keep you and Harry under her eye until your on the Hogwarts Express. She's really worried."
   
"She is," I agree, "didn't even want to let us come to Diagon Alley today. She only let us because we haven't seen your shop yet and we all really wanted to see it. Thanks for trying though. I know we haven't seen much of each other since March."
   
"I know, I really miss the days at school, when we'd see each other every day."
   
"Me too, but it's not like we didn't know this would happen, whether you had finished or not last year was going to be your last year anyways. You just finished a few months early is all."
   
"I guess you're right, doesn't mean I don't miss you though."
   
"I know," I say, wrapping an arm around his long torso. "I miss you too. But you can visit me on Hogsmeade weekends and now that the school's mail isn't being monitored it's safe to write to me."
   
"Yeah, that sounds nice," he says, draping an arm around my shoulders then.
   
Mrs. Weasley came over to us then, saying they didn't know where Harry, Ron, and Hermione went. We had no clue where they were, but I knew Harry had his invisibility cloak with him. He said Dumbledore told him to keep the cloak with him at all times.
   
Mrs. Weasley was almost frantic and had checked the entire store by the time that they turned up. They claimed to be in the back room of the store but I knew better. They had snuck off and left the store underneath Harry’s cloak, I just didn’t know why.