Soulmates - George Weasley

39

"Are you sure you're feeling better?" Benjy asked Hazel for the thousandth time, making her chuckle.

The girl had been staying at Grimmauld Place for a week. For the first three days she couldn't even get out of bed without George's help, but now she truly was getting better. Walking up the stairs still ached but it was nothing compared to earlier. Plus, thanks to Apparating she didn't have to do it often. "Yes, grandpa, I'm feeling better," Hazel replied in a playful manner, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Because you know, I'm sure Remus and Sirius wouldn't mind if we stayed another week or two- "

"Of course we wouldn't," Sirius interrupted, while Remus nodded along.

"Not at all!" exclaimed Remus, smiling encouragingly. "We love having you here."

Benjy kissed the top of his granddaughter's head, "And I'm sure George wouldn't have a problem with you staying a bit longer. He'll even stay with you." George nodded in agreement from the other side of the table. "See? If you need more time to heal, we're all here for you," he told her seriously.

Hazel sighed, removing her head from his shoulder, sitting up straighter. "I feel fine," she said softly, looking at them with a small smile. "It doesn't hurt that much anymore," Hazel explained to them. "I'll be back here in a couple of weeks anyway. I want to be at the shop for the Grand Opening," she shrugged, grinning at George.

"We can push it back if you need -" George said, as if it were that easy.

"I'm fine!" Hazel insisted with a laugh. "It just feels like I've exercised too much, you know? Like my muscles are tight - that's all!" She promised, being honest. "Can we go there after breakfast, please?" She asked George, who nodded.

The last week had been rough on everyone. Harry wasn't able to stay because he had to go to the Muggle world with his 'family', but he wrote almost every day. Before Harry left, he told Hazel all about Umbridge and how she got dragged off by a group of centaurs. Hazel would've laughed harder, but the pain hadn't yet subsided by that point. He also mentioned Dumbledore had been reinstated and she was welcome to visit Hogwarts whenever she wanted. Something was off though. Hazel knew there was something Harry was hiding from her. She let it slide, not having the energy to get it out of him then.

Much to everyone's surprise (but Hazel's) Draco had sent a letter. Hazel couldn't help but laugh at Harry's face expression when she wrote back and got a response within a day. Draco was worried for her health but he was also apologetic about everything that had gone down. Sadly, because of his age, he was not aware of everything that was going down that night. He promised Hazel he would've told her otherwise and she believed him completely. The girl went as far as inviting him to the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes once it opened. Harry told Hazel his father had been imprisoned, along with other Death Eaters. Hazel said nothing in return, she'd talk to him about it in person.

Meanwhile, Fred was taking care of everything at the shop because he knew George needed to spend time with Hazel. He visited most days along with Angelina, who would be living with them until her parents got back from their work trip. Lee and Alicia had been writing nonstop after George told them what happened, but they couldn't go visit due to the secrecy of the place. Of course, Hazel's grandparents hadn't even left Headquarters since the incident occurred.

During breakfast, Sarah mentioned Hazel's mum. "She's written a few times, she wants to see you," said the older woman, drinking her coffee slowly.

Hazel hummed. "Yeah, I've answered her letters... I don't think I'm going to the Muggle world anytime soon," she admitted, taking a bite of the bacon and eggs Sirius cooked for them. "It's not safe for us to move around so much." Honestly, it bothered Hazel that her mother couldn't get over her fears to see her. I've been Crucio-ed for fucks sake.