Begin Again (George Weasley/Draco Malfoy)

Twenty-Five.

George and I certainly worked up an appetite that day. That was for sure. Before we actually ate lunch, George said, “I still need to spoil you for your birthday like I said I would, in fact,” as he opens the drawer to the nightstand and takes out a small, square, grey box from it. “Here is one of many late birthday gifts.”
   
“Oh, George, how many times do I have to tell you that you don’t need to spoil me,” I say, taking the box anyway, I don’t look at what’s inside as I open the necklace box, “You have to know that. I’m not just with you because you’re making money now.”
   
I look down at the necklace and I gasp.
   
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Says George, proudly.
   
“Y-yes, George, it’s beautiful,” I breathe totally taken aback. But I didn’t really think it was beautiful. Well, that’s wrong, I did, but I didn’t want to wear it because of the center gemstone. I tried my hardest not to scowl at the thin, light gold chain that held a heart pendant that was made out of a brown gem that I believe to be Axinite.
   
“I saw it in a store in Diagon Alley one day and I saw that color and I thought that it matched your eyes perfectly,” says George, smiling so wide. He had no idea what he just did, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him Draco used to tell me the same thing. And oh, it was also Draco’s nickname for me and how he addressed me in all of his letters that he ever wrote to me except for the very last one that I got over Christmas.
   
“The gem, in the middle, it’s um, it’s Axinite, isn’t it?” I ask, forcing myself to find out. I kind of hoped I wasn’t right, that it was some other brown gem that matched my eyes.
   
George continued smiling, “It is!” he beams.
   
I put on my biggest fake smile. I don’t have the heart to tell him about Draco, and what this meant for my relationship with him. He seemed so excited to give me the necklace, and it was a very pretty necklace. If the gem was anything other than Axinite, it would be just perfect.
   
“It’s beautiful, George, really,” I say and I mean it. It was a beautiful necklace.
   
“Simple and beautiful,” Says George peacefully as he reaches to my face and places a strand of hair behind my ear, “just like you.”
   
I can’t help but blush at that. He was so kind, and so, so sweet. I didn't have the heart to tell him the truth about Draco and our old nicknames for each other. It would just ruin the moment, and that's the last thing that I wanted to do.
   
That was my Summer Holidays for the most part. A few days a week I'd head to the shop to spend time with Fred and George. During the first two weeks of the Summer Holidays, I was actually glad to stay inside, things have been a little bit, um, chaotic for this moment. A bridge collapsed not far from London, there was a hurricane in West Country, and there have been plenty of murders in the area as well, that everyone in the Wizarding world knows was the work of Death Eaters. The Ministry sacked Fudge finally, and he has been replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour, who was the head of the Auror office.
   
The Ministry is taking Voldemort’s return so seriously, they have sent out a free pamphlet to every Wizarding house giving instructions on how to stay safe right now. I was in shock the first time I read mine. That was the first two weeks of my summer. My dad would come to visit here and there, and we had security questions for each other because you can never be too sure.
   
My mum started getting nervous about me leaving the house to see the Twins, but my dad was able to talk her down. He knew Fred and George would not let be put in any danger. She agreed with that and she allowed me to continue to visit my boyfriend and his twin    .
   
In the middle of July I got my O.W.L. marks back, and I had passed everything with O's, and one E in Ancient Runes. I was annoyed that I didn't get all O marks because of one class but at least I didn't fail anything. George was so proud of me, he hugged me tight and said, "My girl is a art one! I'm so proud of you, baby!"
   
It was very cute. He was more excited than I was.
   
My dad took me to the Burrow for Harry's birthday on July 31st. We spent a lot of time playing 2-on-2 Quidditch in the Weasley’s orchard. Ginny and I against Harry and Ron. And Hermione kept score for us. We all ate dinner outside that night.
   
“There have been a couple of dementor attacks,” said Bill, as Mrs. Weasley passed him a large slice of birthday cake. “And they’ve found Igor Karkaroff’s body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been over it – well, frankly I’m surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters; Sirius’s brother Regulus only lasted a few days as far as I can remember.” Then he looks at my dad, and asks, “Did you hear about Florean Fortescue, Remus? The man who ran–”
   
“The ice cream shop on Diagon Alley?” Harry finished for him. “He used to give me free ice creams. What’s happened to him?”
   
“Dragged off, but the look of his place,” says Bill, “Happened right before I left. Him and Ollivander.”
   
“Ollivander? The wand maker?” I ask, looking at my dad.
   
“Yeah,” he nods.
   
“What will people do for wands?” Asks Hermione.
   
“They’ll have to make due with other wand makers,” says my dad, “But Ollivander was the best, and if the other side has got him it’s not so good for us.”
   
That’s when Mrs. Weasley made us change the subject. She doesn’t like the thought of three of her son’s working in such a dangerous place now. She didn’t like the idea of it at all, and I didn’t like the idea of my boyfriend and two of his brothers working there either.
   
Mrs. Weasley likes me more than Fleur, she always has. It made me kind of sad, to see how the women all treat her, but I do understand it. She talks to Ginny like she’s 5, and she’s 15. That would annoy anyone. Mrs. Weasley thinks she and Bill rushed their engagement and are moving too quickly since they have only been together for just over a year. I kind of have to agree with her on that one.
   
Then, in the middle of August, our sixth year Hogwarts letters arrived. Harry was made Quidditch Captain, which he wasn’t expecting at all judging from the shocked expression on his face when he read it. This is our first year without Steele gone now, I wondered who the new Hufflepuff Captain is.
   
Mr. Weasley and my mum got his wife to let us go off on our own so we could look for some robes. So we headed off to Madam Malkin’s with Hagrid while the parents went to buy us all our books. We ran into Draco Malfoy there, complaining to his mother that he wasn’t a child and that he should be allowed to go off alone. He stops when he notices us in the mirror, with a cold look on his face, he sneers at us through the mirror saying, “If you’re wondering what that smell is, mother, a Mudblood just walked in.”
   
Madam Malkin told him there was no reason for that kind of language.
   
Harry and Ron both drew their wands.
   
“Put those away,” said Narcissa, coldly, “If you attack my son again, I shall ensure that it is the last thing that you ever do.”
   
Harry all but laughed in her face. “Really?” He said, stepping towards her now, “Going to get a few of your Death Eater friends to do us in, are you?”
   
Madam Malkin tried to make him stop, but he didn’t listen and he kept his wand up. Narcissa smiled unpleasantly. “I see that being Dumbledore’s favorite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. Dumbledore won’t always be there to protect you.”
   
Harry looked around the shop, mockingly, “Wow…look at that…he’s not here now! So why not have a go? They might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband.”
   
I gasp, and clutch the heart pendant of the necklace George gave me. That made Draco look at me, he noticed what I am holding, and gave me an even nastier look, and then his grey eyes went back to Harry. He steps towards Harry, but his mother stops him.
   
“It’s alright, Draco,” She said restraining her son with her white fingers upon his shoulder, “I’m sure Harry will be reunited with Sirius before I am reunited with my Lucius.”
   
Harry raised his wand even higher, I stepped over to him frantically. “Harry no! You mustn’t! You will be in so much trouble! Think!”
   
Draco’s eyes glared at me. “Mother, I don’t even think that I want these anymore,” he says and takes off the green robes he was wearing and throws them on the floor. Then his eyes are back on me. “Nice necklace, Fawley, did your mum buy it for you? Since we all know that your precious Weasley didn’t.”
   
“Actually, it was a gift from George,” I scoffed at him. He was being so nasty for no reason, and at me, of all people. Who only told Harry to not attack him and his mother. “The pendant is pure Axinite. George said it he saw it and thought it matched my eyes.”
   
Draco scowled so hard, I thought his face was going to be permanently stuck like that. I just got him good, and none of my friends knew how, but I did. “Let’s go, Mother. We’ll do better at Twilfitt and Tatting’s.”
   
They left giving us all dirty looks as they passed us. Hermione and I apologized to Madam Malkin for the commotion as they exited the store, and she said it was no problem, she was glad it didn’t escalate beyond words, and she didn’t really care if she lost the Malfoy’s business anyways.
   
“Adelaide,” says Hermione as she and I start to look at the robes. “Why did it matter to Draco what the pendant of your necklace was made from?”
   
So, I quietly told her about Axinite and Moonstone. She took in the story quietly. At the end of the story she only had one thing to say, “So, obviously George doesn’t know if he bought you that necklace.”
   
“I didn’t think I’d ever need to tell him,” I admit, “And he was so proud of himself when he gave me the necklace I didn’t have the heart to tell him about it then.”
   
“Well, as long as you truly do love the necklace, I guess it’s not that big of a deal,” says Hermione giving me a shrug.
   
“Exactly,” I agree, “And I do, truly love the necklace.”
   
She gave me a smile, happy with that response.
   
We left the store quickly, because we didn’t want to take up more of Madam Malkin’s time than we already had. We told Hagrid what happened with the Malfoy’s when we started walking again, and he shook it off saying the Malfoy’s wouldn’t cause an actual scene in public like that since Lucius is in Azkaban now.
   
Then we met up with the parents again, and we headed to Apothecary and Eeylops on the way to Fred and George’s shop. Hermione and I got ingredients for potions class at Apothecary, but the boys didn’t because they didn’t score high enough on the O.W.L.’s in order to transfer to N.E.W.T. level potions. We all got owl feed for Puddles, Pigwidgeon, and Hedwig at Eeylops, and Hermione got cat food for Crookshanks. Then it was time to go where we all have been dying to go since we stepped foot into the Alley. Fred and George’s shop.
   
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 nine 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, Adelaide,” 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, “Adelaide.”
   
“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.

___________________
Here's part 25!

Every chapter they get cuter and cuter I swear.

-Emily Winchester.