Trust Me // George Weasley

Chapter 12: The Dinner

"Ron! I told you not to just pop by today-" George stated with an angry tone in his voice.
"But I thought she would-" Ron defended himself, looking rather apologetic.
"I warned you! No using the fire-"
"I just needed to get-"
"I told you not-"
"But Hermione was-"
"I don't care! I told-"
"I didn't know she-"
"Ron you git! You've scared her," George finished their messy conversation and stepped closer to Anna who was taking a few deep breaths to calm down again. Ron coming in through the fireplace had surprised her quite a bit.
"No, I'm fine. I'm fine. I was just not expecting that. Like at all," she said and gave George a reassuring smile. She was just totally struck by the element of surprise. Of course, George had told her about their ways of transport but she had not expected someone to just pop in like that, especially not now.
"What happened? I heard- Oh, it's just Ron," Fred hurried in, now wearing clothes again. He patted his brother on the shoulder and then sat down at the kitchen table.
"I'm sorry," Ron apologized and brushed off what seemed to be something like ash. He walked over to Anna and held out his hand for her to shake. "Ron Weasley."
"Anna," she smiled, accepting his hand. "Anna Lewis." George pushed Ron down on a chair at the kitchen table and then turned back to the counter.
"Just in time for dinner, Ickle Ronnikins," Fred said and picked up a newspaper from the table. Anna sat back down as well and looked at the paper. Even the pictures on the front and back seemed to be moving.
She felt like she was stuck in some weird dream, but no, this was all real. Magic was real. Pink little fluffballs were real. Travelling through the fireplace was real. Moving pictures were real - and no, not videos. Pictures on paper.
"Haven't got enough," George growled, still annoyed that Ron would just pop in without having asked first and scaring Anna.
"We can make enough," she jumped in. Her slight moment of fear had gone again and she did not mind at all. Ron granted her a kind smile.
"You don't know how much he eats," George told her and turned around. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Just flick your wand and make some more, that's a thing right?" she asked. They all laughed at her. "What? It's not the craziest thing that you can do right?" More laughter. Fred patted her on the shoulder.
"I love muggles," he said. A blush appeared on her cheeks and for a moment she wished that she had not said anything at all. "You're right though. It's not the craziest thing we can do."
"Ron, what are you doing here anyway?" George questioned him and took four plates from the cupboards, placing them on the table. She immediately stood up to help him but he told her to just sit back down and let him take care of dinner for once.
"Hermione. She's completely stressed out about this new job at the ministry that she's starting soon and-" Ron sighed.
"And you just leave her alone to deal with it? You're a true gentleman, Ron," Fred told him, his eyes still scanning the pages of the newspaper.
"No. She told me to get out. She needed some alone time," he said but Anna shook her head. Fred even put down the paper and George stopped placing the cutlery on the table for a second.
"When a stressed-out person tells you that they need to be alone, do not leave them alone. Especially when they're as stressed out as Hermione," she said immediately. George and Fred nodded their heads at her words.
"You haven't met Hermione," said Ron.
"Ron, she's a girl. I think Anna would know," Fred said and gave him a pained look.
"No, she wouldn't. No offence, Anna. When Hermione says leave me alone, it means leave me alone. Besides, I told her I'd be here. If she needs me she can just come over," said Ron casually.
"How long have you been together?" she asked and squinted her eyes slightly. Yes, it was confusing when people said 'leave me alone' but it really meant 'please hold me', but sometimes they just worked that way. It was a bad form of communication, but Anna had been guilty of it herself a few times in her previous relationship.
"A little over a year. But I've known her for eight now."
"And she's never told you to leave her alone with other intentions before?"
"I mean-" His eyes went big and his cheeks flushed red. "Bloody hell. Perhaps you have a point."
"Just invite her over. At least then she won't have to worry about dinner or her boyfriend leaving her alone for it," Fred said and opened up the paper again, but closed it when a piece of zucchini got thrown at his head.
"Fred, it was bad enough when you were going to eat with Anna and me but now Hermione and Ron too?" George asked, which made Anna chuckle slightly.
"Honestly, George, I don't mind. The more the merrier, right? I love meeting new people," she interfered. She did not mind, as long as they would take a walk together afterwards. These people were part of George's world and she wanted to know all about it.
"Oh yeah! She definitely is a Hufflepuff!" Fred cheered while Ron walked back over to the fireplace. She looked at Fred with a confused gaze.
"What the hell is a Hufflepuff?"