*Anne's Scene*
Sun. Outside. Warmth. Clean Air.
After days of cloudy and sunless skies, the sun finally decided to reappear on the beautiful sky giving the buildings and trees surrounding me a bright colour. I take a deep breath, feeling my lungs fill to an extend with crisp air and breathe out through my mouth.
This feels good.
Today feels like a good day. As if nothing could change the fact that we all are still alive and that such a wonderful place exists, where we can sunbathe and inhale fresh air after rain with this slight earthy scent.
The people around me are deep in conversation or in a hurry to get from one shop to another. I watch them closely and wonder what might be on their mind on that exact same moment. Do some of them even appreciate where they are and how lucky some of us really can be?
In the haze we usually tend to forget what we have and that it isn't standard for everyone. I forgot it as well, but I'm finally able to realize that again, to appreciate it enough. I'm finally able to breathe freely. And nowhere near hell am I going to give that up now.
Because seeing the light is worth the fight.
I follow George through the crowds towards a potion shop in the alley. We are out of ingredients and need to go shopping to fill not only the shelves in the laboratory but also in the flat.
Fred being Fred sneakily talked his way out of this duty and now I have to assist as herbs-judger.
"Can I ask you a question?," George turns to me while changing his direction.
"Only if this question is important," I answer.
"Everything I say is important!"
I give him a look before going inside the store we searched for.
"This time it really is important. I swear!," he surrenders.
"Okay ask me," I say grabbing a plant to look for the prize.
"What would you think about moving together into our own room?;" he eyes me closely and stops beside me.
I put the plant back down: "Does the flat provide that much room? Wouldn't that be kind of a problem through the limited space?"
"We have this spare room, we would need to decorate it and put the necessary furniture in it, but other than that we would have a small place for our own."
"And Fred? Is he okay with that?"
George nods: "His exact words were: Finally: 'Then I have enough room for my whole genius. You always stopped me in developing.' "
"Stopped developing his own Ego..."
George snickered and leans himself against a shelf.
"Now what do you say? You can't live on that couch forever."
"Wanna bet?," I look at him, running a hand through my hair.
"Okay let me rephrase that: You certainly can live on that couch forever, but it would be way more comfortable in a real bed beside me," he grins.
"Is that small room really big enough for the two of us?"
"It will be a bit cramped yes, but it is big enough. I already took the measurements. Now what do you say?"
I walk over to another plant and eye it closely giving the whole thing some time before finally answering: "An own room does sound good."
Then I feel someone hugging me from behind and pressing a kiss on my cheek.
"This will be awesome," George grins.
"I wouldn't go that far," I say, taking the plant with me and walk towards another shelf.
George bounces next to me with a big grin on his face, fooling around making the shopping tour impossible to be fast.
---
"Excuse me?," I turn around to an elderly man holding a packet in his hand.
"Yes?"
"Can you tell me where Slug and Jiggers is?"
"Oh yes, it's straight ahead then the second alley on the right side and it should be next to the apothecary you can't miss it," I show the man in which direction to head.
"Thank you, with the fest preparations going on, I have no sense of direction," he laughs and heads of.
George stops by my side after having made his last purchase: "Who was that?"
"I don't know, haven't asked for his name," I shrug.
"What did he want?," we both start going again.
"Just wanted to know where Slugs and Jiggers is."
We avoid colliding with a floating table just by millimeters and decide it's time to go back to the flat. People are now even busier than before, with the big festival coming closer. Just a little arrangement the alley management made for customers to be able to party and for the shops to sell even more goods. I never was able to attend this festival, with all its attractions and sales.
The twins on the other hand attended it before. It's their first time participating in it as a shop.
When we come home, Fred already placed the banner and the sale signs and takes the goods from me. He and George disappear to the back leaving me alone in the almost empty shop. I look around carefully and go through it. In the evening I'll start working here, will it be hard to remember everything that should be inside of here?
Fred nods to his brother and whispers something before he comes back to me and we go to the flat. I look at him questioning, but he decides not to react on that. Somethings going on...
---
I come downstairs mentally prepared on what I need to do today.
"Okay let's get this bitch," I say jumping down the last stair looking at the twins: "What?"
"You won't work today," George surprisingly says.
"What?"
"He said you won't work today," Fred behind the tilt looks over to me.
My hands play with the hem of the cloak they gave me to wear.
"Did you-did you decide that you don't want me to work here? Did I do something?," anxiously I look between them.
I didn't even start to really work and somehow managed to do something wrong, great.
"Oh no," Fred says grinning: "Just put that cloak away will you?"
"But- but you said yourself I need to work tonight, since you expect a large amount of costumers?"
"We will expect them nevertheless but Lee's on his way for that, he knows more of our products than you anyways," Fred plays with his eyebrows.
"So," slowly I remove the orange cloak: "You want Lee to work instead of me?"
"Don't worry," George grins: "You still work here, just not today."
"But why?"
"Because this annoying git there," Fred nods with his head to George: "decided it is better for you to visit the festival than work here."
I look over at George, he just smiles innocently at me and reaches out an arm for me to take.
"Why?"
"You told me yourself you never attended this beautiful event and I wanted to change that, so think of it as a kind of Date," he grins proudly motioning me to take his arm.
Letting go a breath I put the cloak onto the tilt: "Won't you really need me here?"
"Nah it's fine," Fred says.
"And not to mention you said yourself when you are free you would go on a date," George states: "Since your bosses decided to give you a free evening I wouldn't see the problem."
I smile a bit, in the end taking his extended arm.
"Why do we always end up having such rushed kind of dates?"
"Because they are better than a planned out ones," George says leading me towards the door.
"And how?"
"Well for one, you don't have expectation on how the dates needs to be, so no disappointment and two you don't have the stress in dressing up."
"Sounds fair," I turn around to Fred: "You really don't have anything against this?"
"As I said before, it's fine, now go enjoy yourselves," he dismisses us.
"Thanks Fred," I smile and then I'm outside with George.
The scenery is full of live and people, artists on every corner and bright and vivid colours are everywhere, the strangest smells and different types of sounds. As we walk through the crowd you would never imagine that we are in the middle of darker times. Honestly? Right now it doesn't feel like that at all.
George leads me to a table with strange looking food on it and pays for two sticks of them. I have no idea what that is but I try it nevertheless. Being surprised that this actually tastes good.
"Merlin, this is delicious," I take another bite.
George laughs: "Wait until you tried the giggle water, you'd love that."
"The what?," I snicker.
Soon we find ourselves lost in the crowd enjoying the festival.
---
"Psst, you need to be quiet," George leads me inside the shop by the back entrance.
"Why don't we go in here in the front door?," I whisper.
"Because then, Fred will want us to work since we aren't really visiting the festival anymore. That was the deal, no working as long as we are on the festival. However, I already showed you everything outside there and I have something else planned," he grins, tightening the grip on my hand and pulling me with him further in the backroom.
"Something else planned?," I ask curious: "What are you going to do with me?"
"Just relax will you?," he snickers and walks up to a wall, me thinking we will collide flinches but instead we reach a hidden ladder.
Since when does this shop has a back entrance to the flat? Why have I never seen this before? We appear near the fireplace and the flat is still quiet and dark. From downstairs you can still hear the muffled sound of voices coming up and laughter. From the alley you still hear loud noises and the music that fills the air as well as explosions. Well the latter could also be from the store.
"What have you planned George?," I try again following him to the window as he climbs out.
"I thought it would be nice to relive some things, wouldn't you agree?," he helps me out onto the roof and walks up a bit, to the usual place I sit.
"What do you mean with reliving some-"
On there lies a blanket, a basket and some pillows.
George stands next to it, looking nervously at me.
"I thought this would be a good idea, I even bought the chocolate you liked so much," he runs a hand through his hair: "Also don't worry I have fire whiskey as well."
A smile grows on my lips and I hug him.
"Woah if it just needs fire whiskey for that reaction I would have brought it earlier," he jokes.
"No that's not the fire whiskey, well maybe a bit, but it's rather the fact that you did all this for me," I look up at him: "That you did all this for me again."
He gives me a peck on the lips: "I'd say it's worth it."
---
*George's Prov*
It got cold up on the roof and so we carry the rest that is left down into the flat, you can still hear the faint music from one of the music groups. I have never seen Anne that relaxed and happy than today. I watch her putting the basket down onto the counter.
She looks over at me: "What?"
I put the blankets onto the couch and smile: "Nothing, this smile thing just suits you."
"Fuck off," she laughs putting the dishes away.
"Do you know what would make this evening even better?"
"No enlighten me please," she turns to me.
"A Dance," I say swaying my hips a bit to the rhythm of the music.
"Oh hell no," she shakes her head: "I can't dance to save someone's life."
"Come on, that's why I am here," I go up to her and take her by the hands: "You really need to start to laugh about the stuff you can't do and do it nevertheless. Would do you good to not take everything that seriously."
Hesitantly she takes my hand and we start to dance. She didn't exaggerate when she said she can't dance. We laugh when she steps on my toes for the thousand time or something.
"I'm sorry!," her cheeks heat up a bit, she laughs.
"I believe those hips have some better moves don't they?," I joke turning on the spot.
"Well I can try certainly?," she laughs and joke dances around to the music.
She is, in fact, a very horrible dancer, but that doesn't stop her this time.
"Very fascinating movements," I comment laughing, feeling a bit tipsy from the whiskey previously.
"Stop judging, more dancing," she grins and pulls me close.
We dance for a few songs together until we are breathless and our stomach hurts from laughing too much. Merlin, how much I appreciate this girl.
Suddenly she takes my face in her hands, grins at me and stares straight into my eyes: "Salazar, how much I love you, you fool."
Then her lips crash onto mine before she continues to dance.
Did she just-?
I have to smile: "I love you too."
Then Fred comes in, exhausted from the evening, looking at Anne dancing: "Looks horrible really."
"I don't care Weasley," she smiles and walks past him to the bathroom, patting him on the cheek while doing so.
"Wow someone really looks happy," he comments looking at her and me.