Imagine This

George Weasley | Childhood Friends

George Weasley x Reader: You and George have been friends since childhood, even before Hogwarts - you and the twins were always inseparable. Now, long past the Battle of Hogwarts and his twin's death, you and George haven't stopped being friends - and perhaps are on the road to becoming something more.

Rating: explicit; friends-to-lovers; mentions of death/deceased loved one

Word Count: 2.7k

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The Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was always busy, business was booming and so were the various exploding wares that they sold. The combination made for a tumultuous environment, not a moment of silence to go around. And yet, even with the noise and commotion, there was something missing. Less something and more someone. An empty space in the shape of a tall, joking ginger. A Fred-shaped hole in the air, present since the Wizarding War. It was that absence and the knowledge that his surviving twin felt the absence every day, no matter the hubbub of the joke store, that drove you to visit so often.

The bell over the door didn't ring, no, it yelled out at you. "Welcome Wondrous Woman to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!"

"Holy Mother of–" Your palm clutched at your chest. "I'll never get used to you little shit."

"And what did the welcome bell ever do to you, sweets?" George's voice sounded from somewhere in the aisles and stacks of practical joke supplies, before rounding a pile, his tall frame coming into view.

Glowering, you continued forward, away from the cursed little bell. "It doesn't make sense! How does it know I'm a woman? Is it sentient? Does it watch me when I come in? In that case, what if I was a man and just had really long hair? Would it still welcome me as a wondrous woman?" Turning, you found George looking down at you, face red from holding in his laughter. "What? Does my descent into madness amuse you?"

A customer called out to him, prompting him to make his way towards the voice, looking down at you as he walked. His face relaxed to just an amused quirk on his lips, eyes teary from near laughter. "Nothing, nothing... you just seem incredibly passionate about the nuances of my welcome bell." Finally, a laugh burst out of him, the pure joy in it warming something within you. The laugh sounded like how he used to laugh. Back when...

Shaking your head, you continued through the store, going behind the cashier counter to ring up a young wizard, his arms piled high with practical jokes and allowance money clutched in his hands. You rang him up, then struggled to open the register – which proceeded to yell and scream at you.

"Help! Help! Danger! Danger! Unhand me you unknown! Unha-"

George's hands snaked around you, the register halting its temper tantrum as soon as his hands touched it, opening up and allowing you to place the galleons safely into its confines. As soon as it was safely closed again, you turned in George's arms, which hadn't moved, staring up at the boy.

"You know," You huff indignantly up at him. "I'm here almost every single day and, every single time, that stupid register yells at me as if I'm someone trying to rob you. And every. Single. Time." You punctuated the words by pressing your fingers into his chest. "You tell me that you'll fix it and switch the allowances on it. And yet, each time I come here, it's never changed!"

"Yes, well," George leaned down and suddenly, it felt as though every other noise in the store died down as he whispered in your ear. "Only official employees are allowed to open the register." You were frozen between his arms, practically leaning in to hear the next bit. "And if you were an employee, then I'd be your boss... and that just wouldn't be appropriate."

"And why exactly would that be inappropriate, Mr. Weasley?" Your voice came out a whisper, dripping in fake innocence. His body stiffened.

"Welcome Mighty Man to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!" Just as quickly as the moment arose, it was gone – literally gone with the bell.