Weasley Twins - A Fate You Can't Escape

Chapter 64 - Owl Orders

September comes to an end and jumpers are gotten out as temperatures drop. I feel sad putting on my old Hufflepuff sweater. I miss sitting by the warm fires in the common room. I miss hearing the laughter of the other Hufflepuffs as they play games near by. The community and sense of belonging is gone now. And maybe normally, I would have been able to build my own. But the streets of Diagon Alley are nearly deserted. Outside of work and the order, I only have a few friends.

I slide my hands into the end of my sweater as I hurry down the cobbled street. Leaves crunch under my boots, and a chilly breeze causes me to shiver. A copy off the Daily Prophet blows past, long abandoned for it's false news.

More than anything, I wish I am tucked up in my bed, nursing my quidditich bruises and sipping hot chocolate. But the prophecy never ceases to echo in my mind, urging me to somehow protect these boys. Besides, I'm pretty sure Molly Weasley would kill me if I let something happen to them. And she knows where I live.

So despite my exhaustion and the cold, I am heading to the joke shop. My stomach clenches as I think of having to see George. The only person I probably want to see less, would be Umbridge. But at least with her it wasn't personal.

The bell chimes as I enter, and I shove my feelings very very very far down.

"Hello! Welcome to the Weasley Wizard Wheezes! I'm..." George trails off when he sees who it is.

"Is Fred here?" I try to bring myself to smile, but I can't. At least my voice sounds steady.

"Yeah. I'll go get him." The boy flees quickly to find his brother. A moment later Fred saunters to me.

"Hey Hazel."

"Hey, Fred." I am able to smile when I see him. We've had some rough patches. But now that I'm not dating or sleeping with either of them, I'm hoping things go more smoothly. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

"No. Not at all. What I said before about you being here too much," he blushes, cringing at his past actions, "I was just all messed up about whether or not to talk you about George. I like having you here."

"That's a bit of a relief, I suppose." I chuckle, following him to the front counter.

"Want to help me pack up an order? Some kids in Ginny's year are wanting to pull a massive prank on the Slytherins. And if you're using it against the snakes, you get twenty-five percent off!" Fred gestures to the giant open box. "Itching powder, canary creams, a couple portable swamps, and my new favorite, farting fruit snacks!"

"Farting fruit snacks?  How's that supposed to get you out of class?"  I laugh as I start helping him organize the product in the crate.

"They don't!  They're for giving as gifts.  Or if you're committed enough, torturing those who sit near you in class."  He says excitedly.  I slide a few more boxes of trick treats into the order, checking the order slip as I do so.

"How's business been now that school's been back in session?"  I ask, hoping that they're still doing well.  Looking around the shop, it's definitely quieter here than it was during summer.

"In person has been slow, but during summer we handed out a bunch of order forms for our order by owl service.  That's been going swimmingly.  We're actually making more sales than we did over summer."  Fred explains as he packs the remaining items.  I help him seal the box up and label it.

"How are you going to send this by owl?  This crate is so big, you'll need a hippogriff to carry it."  It is easily the size of a small child.  I almost pity the poor Slytherins.  I more so pity myself for having to miss the fallout of such a large scale prank. 

"We've actually set it up so we can floo it to the Hogsmeade post office.  The students can pick it up there on their next trip." Fred brushes his hands on his pants before placing them on his hips.

"Seems like you two have it all figured out." There's a slight pang in my chest as my own inclusion of George. I remind myself what I'm here for and push my feeling aside. "Um... so how's he, I mean George, yeah, how's he doing? After everything, you know?"

"Hazel, you don't have to do this." Fred's brown eyes soften. "George can take care of himself."

I know he's trying to comfort me, but it does the opposite. If the prophecy is about George, then I'm the only one who can help. George can't take care of himself. My stupid prophecy saw to that. After everything that happened, here I am, stuck with the responsibility of protecting him.

"Hazel?" Fred waves a hand in front of my face, bringing me back. "You there?"

"Yeah, sorry. I was having... thoughts?" I blink a few times trying to get back on track.

"Thoughts?" Fred hops over the counter, sitting on it beside where I am standing. "Care to share? Free therapy with Fred."

"I wish I could." I mutter looking down at my hands. There are still remnants of blue polish on my nails from a few weeks ago that I never bothered to remove. I start picking at it nervously.

"Hazel." Fred's usually charming smile drops, replaced by concern. "What's wrong?"

I can't tell him what's really going on. That would insure that one of them dies. So I have to lie. Well maybe not lie.

"It feels like nows not the time to let things get between you, and the people you care about. Like, everything with George got so messy. Heck, even things with you were a bit rough." I sigh, editing the truth a bit as I go. "With this war, it's only going to get worse before it gets better. And I'm not naive enough to think everyone will survive. It's not the time for hurt feelings and grudges."

"Are you saying you're forgiving George? Just like that?" I can tell Fred is trying to be neutral, but I can hear the judgement in his tone. I guess he feels his twin doesn't deserve forgiveness quite yet.

"I'm not saying I forgive him. That will take time. And honestly, even when I get to that place, I don't believe I could ever see him as more than a friend again." I blush a little as I say this. "But I care for him as a person."

"You were always too good for ole Georgie." Fred flashes me a half smile. "And you're right. Let's save the pettiness for after the war. Then I will personally help you get all kinds of revenge. Did you know that George is scared of flobberworms? We could fill his bed with them! Imagine the screaming!"

"Sure Fred. After the war, I'd love to fill George's bed with flobberworms with you." I smile at Fred, thankful to have someone to talk to. Maybe I can't tell him everything, but this is enough.

Fred and I spend the next hour or so just laughing and talking as we pack the owl orders. After a while George joins and I politely greet him this time. He seems surprised, but responds in kind.

The rest of the afternoon slips away with the three of us. It's the most normal we've all been together in about a year. There's definitely some awkwardness between George and I, but looking at him doesn't make me want to cry anymore. And I guess that's a good sign.
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