Driving Me Mad: You and George come up with a plan to help each other out by pretending to date each other. But what happens when you actually start to catch feelings...
Part 1: You reconnect with George during a friendly game of spin the bottle.
Part 2: After an unexpected breakup, you and George formulate a plan to incite jealousy in detention.
Part 3: George joins you for breakfast and dazzles all of your friends.
Part 4: George takes you on a secret trip to the Three Broomsticks.
Part 5: You and George head to the party and things between you heat up quicker than expected
Part 6: It’s time for the first task and you find yourself surprised once again by the tricks up George’s sleeve.
Part 7: The night of the Yule Ball has arrived and you have no plans to attend. Until a familiar face shows up and urges you to reconsider.
Part 8: You track down George at the ball to finally tell him how you truly feel.
Charmed I’m Sure: George is in desperate need of assistance with his Charms essay and he turns to you. Working together brings you closer than you expected.
Depart&Return: George tells you that he’s leaving Hogwarts, but that doesn’t mean he won’t sneak back in to visit you.
Dancing in the Dark: You and George work to make Fred and Angelina’s wedding absolutely perfect, while planning your future together in the process
To Me, You Are Perfect: It’s Christmas Eve and you and Fred are celebrating together when George suddenly shows up on your doorstep.
Heartbreak Warfare: You’ve been summoned to Hogwarts to aid in the war efforts and you know that things will change forever.
Night Drive: George takes you on a night drive...in the sky.
Might Be Right: Muggle!AU, Band!AU, You find yourself attracted to the drummer in your band, who is none other than George Weasley. No matter how hard you try to fight your feelings, you end up slowly giving in.
Coping: After Fred’s death, you’ve been helping George to cope with it all and as a result, you’ve been neglecting your own grieving process. during Fred’s funeral, you put on a brave face until all your pent up emotions hit you at once.
The Contest (smut): You and George make a bet to see who can last the longest without giving in to sex, leading to several plans of seduction.
Just One Night: George is out for his stag party and you’re out for your hen night, but the two of you just can’t seem to stay away from each other.
About Time (series): On an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. And then suddenly loses her. What lengths will he go to in order to find her?
hey fam! I know I haven’t been posting a ton of weasley fics but it doesnt mean hogwarts hasnt been on my mind. I just spent a ton of time cultivating common room playlists for each hogwarts houses and would love if you’d give them a listen. any playlist like is a huge motivator for me to make more, so thank you for listening!! I associate with slytherin but has to admit ravenclaw is my fav playlist 🤪
a/n: it is our beloved twins birthday tomorrow! and in honor of that, I am posting a new series that might be one of my favorite things I've ever written. the concept is very much based on the movie About Time which I adore. the love interest is technically an OC, but I wrote it similar to how I write my George x Reader fics, just from George's perspective.
series description: on an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. and then suddenly loses her. what lengths will he go to in order to find her?
series description:on an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. and then suddenly loses her. what lengths will he go to in order to find her?
word count: 2.3k
taglist: @p0gues4l@amourtentiaa @305weasley
series masterlist
a/n: I know its been a while but I'm finallllllly posting the ending to this one!
X
“George…..wake up…..” he heard as he felt weight on his shoulder. When he opened his eyes he immediately smiled at the sight in front of him. Molly was resting on his shoulder and looking at him with bright eyes and a little bedhead.
“Good morning,” she cooed. George wasn’t normally a morning person, but he was happy to wake up with her by his side.
“Morning love,” he said, planting a kiss on her forehead. She countered his move by kissing him on the lips. “What time is it?” he asked.
“It’s a little after 8.”
“Mmm….” He said as he stretched out. “Don’t tell me you’re a morning person.”
“Not particularly. I’m sorry to wake you. I woke up and I couldn’t go back to sleep. After about 20 minutes I needed someone to entertain me.”
“No need to apologize. I am happy to entertain you.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Always,” he replied.
“You wanna help me make breakfast?”
“Sure!” Molly hopped out of bed first and headed to the closet to find some clothes. George scoured the floor for his boxers. “You don’t happen to have any comfortable clothes from past boyfriends laying around, do you?”
Molly walked out of the closet in a T-shirt and a pair of underwear. “Unfortunately not. So I guess you’ll just have to stay in boxers,” she shrugged with a coy smile.
“As you wish,” he grinned.
The two moved into the kitchen and started on breakfast. George started working on the French press to make some coffee and Molly gathered eggs and bacon from the fridge.
“Do you like cooking?” George asked her.
“I didn’t used to, but I’ve found a way to enjoy it. I figure it’s a necessity so instead of thinking of it as a chore, I might as well have some fun with it.”
“That’s a good way to look at it. And I’m assuming, you don’t like to use magic to cook?”
She shook her head. “Tastes better without magic. I can’t explain why, it just does.”
“Mum cooks without magic. She would always say that love was the special ingredient.”
“I love that,” she said. George made himself at home and started looking through the cabinets for a few mugs.
“Whatcha looking for?” she asked.
“Coffee mugs…” he said as he finally reached his destination and pulled down two mugs from the shelf. Molly was charmed with him. She loved that he felt comfortable enough to rummage through her cabinets instead of awkwardly waiting for her to pull some mugs out.
“How do you take your coffee?” he asked.
“A little bit of cream please,” she replied as she started frying up bacon. They worked together in the tiny kitchen surprisingly well. George seemed to know exactly what Molly needed next before she had to ask. Before long, breakfast was ready and George was topping off their coffee as Molly brought food to the small kitchen table.
The two ate in comfortable silence for a moment before Molly spoke.
“Did you…did you know this would happen?”
“What do you mean? Did I know you’d invite me into your flat?”
She chuckled, “No, not that. Just…with us…” she trailed, unable to find the words she was looking for.
“I certainly didn’t know things would go this well, but I had hoped. I knew I felt a connection with you and that I wanted another shot with you.”
“How did you make this happen?”
“It was mostly my irresistible charm.”
Molly laughed, “Well I know thaaat. But I want to know how you planned everything. How did you know where to find me?”
“You want to know everything?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I want to know everything.”
George paused to think. He hadn’t planned on sharing everything with Molly. He was inclined to simply tell her about his plan for the Prophet event, but when he looked at her pleading eyes, he knew he couldn’t keep anything from her.
“My plans were a little more involved than you might think.”
“Oh really?”
He nodded, “It actually started the night of our first date. You left before I got a chance to see you and before I could say goodbye and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. It was driving me crazy and I realized that I needed to see you. I needed to know who I was looking for in the real world. So naturally I broke the law. I used a time turner to go back to the restaurant just as you were leaving. I hid around the corner as you and Angelina left and my heart skipped a beat when I saw you. That one look was enough to get me through and was motivation to find you again.”
“Ah so that’s how you found me so quickly at the party. Because you had seen me before.”
“Exactly, and I knew you’d be there.”
“Oh? How’d you know that?”
“Ah that would be phase two of the plan. You see, I looked for you everywhere in Diagon Alley. I went to every coffee shop and I studied people walking by the shop window, but you never appeared. So I had to take a different approach. Then, as luck would have it, the Weird Sisters had a show in town and I remember you telling me you never missed a show when they were local. So I dragged Fred along with me and we spent the whole opening act trying to find you in the crowd.”
“Wait – but the Weird Sisters show is in two weeks.”
“Be patient love, I’ll get there. I finally ran into you at the bar thanks to your American accent. We chatted playfully and you eventually joined Fred and I. You flirted shamelessly with me the whole night, dancing with me, finding reasons to touch me. It’s possible alcohol was a factor since we had shared a few drinks. And just when I thought things were finally going my way, I asked you out after the show and you turned me down. Said you met someone recently and you weren’t sure where it was headed but you wanted to give the bloke a chance. You told me you had met him at a Prophet party and he took you out for a drink afterwards. So naturally, I walked off slumping into a depression. I thought about sitting tight and just being friends, but in my heart, I knew I couldn’t see you with someone else. Fred and I got home and I told him everything you had told me. He sheepishly pulled out an invitation to the Prophet Fundraiser. Said he hadn’t even thought about it. We get invited to those things all the time, but we never go. At that point, Fred brought out the time turner and said we might as well take a risk for true love. And now here we are.”
Molly was quiet, processing everything that George had just said. She wasn’t sure how to react.
“Sounds a bit creepy when you say it out loud I suppose. But I knew you were special and I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
“I think…I’m mostly stunned that you went through all that for me.”
“Really? You aren’t upset?”
“I feel like I probably should be, but I’m not. Things feel so right with you and I’m a little enamored by it all.”
“So to be clear, you don’t think I’m a crazy stalker?”
She shook her head and laughed, “I am glad you took the steps that you did because now we’re together. You’re the first person in a long time that I’ve felt…comfortable with. Almost like I’ve known you my whole life.”
“The feeling is mutual, love,” he said as he planted a kiss on her nose.
“Now, shall we head to the shop? We can stop upstairs at my flat so I can change and then I’ll give you the grand tour.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll go get changed and we can head out shortly.” Molly finished up her breakfast and headed back to the bedroom to put on proper clothing. George quickly cleaned up the dishes as he sipped on his coffee. Soon Molly emerged fully dressed and made up with her purse in hand. George had summoned and changed into his suit from the night before as he tucked his tie into his pants pocket.
Molly sighed, “You look really good in a suit. Are you sure you want to change?”
George chuckled, “Thank you. But I would much rather slip into something a bit more comfortable. The suit is only for special occasions.”
“Mmm…I suppose that’s alright.” George took her hand and they apparated out of the apartment. Moments later they were outside of the colorful shop. Molly peered into the windows and smiled at all the different products. George led her around the corner to another door, behind which was a steep and narrow set of stairs. They went upstairs quickly so George could change and then he showed her into the store.
Molly was in awe of the inside of the store. There was so much going on that she didn’t know where to look. As George gave her a tour, he would pull a product off the shelf and tell her the backstory.
“So these are Skiving Snackboxes. They’re different sweets that make you sick.”
“Why would anyone buy those?”
“To get out of class, of course! Nosebleed Nougat is guaranteed to kick in within 15 minutes of consumption. Perfect for making a dramatic exit mid-exam.”
“Ahh…I see.”
“We came up with these while at school. Took a while to perfect the Fever Fudge but we figured it out eventually. They sell well with the Hogwarts students.”
They moved to the next section of the store which was extremely pink. Molly picked up a small, pink heart shaped bottle.
“Hmm…I think I know what this is.”
“Oh that is one of our best sellers. Love Potion. Not terribly original but the witches love it.” George uncorked the vial and held it under Molly’s nose. “What’s that smell like to you?”
She took a whiff, “Campfire…coffee…and chocolate chip cookies.”
“That sounds heavenly. Mine smells like rain on the pavement, jasmine, and popcorn.”
“Ooh, popcorn is a good one.” Molly recorked the bottle and placed it back on the display table. They continued on their tour when a product caught Molly’s eye.
“What’s this?”she pointed out a purple and green package.
“Ah, I’m so glad you asked,” he grinned as he pulled the product off the shelf, “This was our ticket out of Hogwarts. Towards the end of our 7th year, the ministry essentially interfered at the school and they appointed this horribly wicked woman to be our headmistress. She was cruel to all the students and she restricted all our rights, including quidditch.”
“She cancelled quidditch!?” Molly said.
George nodded, “By that point, Fred and I realized it wasn’t worth our time to stick around and finish our exams. So we decided to go out with a bang.” George opened the package and lit the firework and threw it across the shop. A shooting star burst out and multiplied into rocket ships, dragons, words of profanity, and general sparks and fire crackers.
“We set these off during the 5th years exams while the headmistress was observing and flew off on our broomsticks. It was one of the greatest moments of my life.”
“I wish I could’ve been there to see it.”
“It was fantastic. Oh! And watch this,” George flicked his wand towards the fireworks display and it grew even bigger. “If you try to use a vanishing spell on them, they multiply even more.”
Molly looked at the fireworks display in awe and then turned back to George in awe.
“What do you think?” he asked, “About all of this.”
“I think it’s brilliant. I think you’re brilliant. And you’re so passionate about all of this. It’s incredibly attractive.”
George took this opportunity to move closer to her. Molly cradled George’s jaw in her hand and brought his lips down to hers. George wrapped his arms around her waist as he kissed her passionately. They remained entangled as the fireworks slowly faded. All the sudden, they heard footsteps and slow clapping. The two pulled away and saw Fred across the room, leaning against a bookshelf with his arms crossed.
“Well it’s about time, innit?” he said with a smirk.
Molly chuckled and said, “Hi Fred.”
“Molly, the next time you kidnap my brother, you’ve got to tell me. I was worried sick,” he joked.
“Oh! How inconsiderate of me. I promise that will never happen again.”
“A little heads up is all I ask,” he said with his hands up.
“I think I can handle that,” Molly replied.
“Now I’ll leave you two be. George, I’ll be in the back working on inventory if you need me.”
“Thanks mate,” George said as Fred turned to leave. He walked a few paces and then Molly called after him.
“Hey Fred?” Fred turned around and looked toward them. “I more than likely will be kidnapping George again tonight. Just so you know.” Fred grinned at her and shook his head. “I suppose this is how it’s going to be now, huh?”
Molly looked up towards George and he shrugged at his brother.
“As long as you’re happy, mate,” Fred said. George wrapped his arm around Molly and held her a little tighter. Fred headed to the back of the store and Molly couldn’t help but feel conflicted. She didn’t want to take George away from his brother, she just wanted to spend time with him.
George took her hand and the two finished the tour of the shop and headed upstairs to the apartment for a bit.
“Hey, maybe tonight we can see if Fred wants to have a few drinks with us? I can invite Angelina too, if you think he’d like that,” Molly suggested.
“I think that is a wonderful idea,” he said, planting a quick kiss on Molly’s lips. George couldn’t help but smile. He felt like his patience had paid off. All the years of waiting around for the right person and he had finally found her. This was the start of the rest of his life.
Bucky Barnes || 18+ || word count: 5,220 || A prayer. Not alone. “Does it always feel like that?”
» just remember that I love y’all, okay? divider by @firefly-graphics ♡ the song mentioned is Beyond by Leon Bridges.
warnings; SMUT. cursing, idiots in love, bit of angst, talk about divorce and getting shot, poorly edited.
This is loosely based on the movie TiMER (2009). Same premises, the plot differs though.
|| Previous || Series Masterlist || Next ||
“There’s my girl!” Steve exclaims, moving away from the bar in a rush.
Bucky hears her laugh before he sees her. When he raises his eyes from the rack of glasses he’s polishing before putting them back in place, he finds her standing by the door, reading herself for something, her eyes fixed on Steve who’s moving in full force towards her.
She shrieks when Steve wraps his arms around her, picking her up and practically throwing her over his shoulder and moving back towards the bar, setting her down on one of the stools. He lets go after giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
“Thank you for helping out today.”
“No problem,” she shrugs, her eyes finally landing on Bucky and she smiles openly at him.
He nods tightly towards her, his mouth pressed in a hard line; it makes her frown a little and it makes Steve roll his eyes.
“I’ll be in the back,” Steve mumbles absently, reaching for her jacket and bag to take with him to the office and she lets go of them easily after fishing out her phone and bottle opener. Something about that gesture tells Bucky they’ve done this dance plenty of times before. “Do you mind helping Buck set up?”
“Not at all,” she replies, jumping off her seat and walking behind Steve along the edge of the bar. “It’s what I’m here for.”
Steve throws her another smile over his shoulder before he disappears through the door that separates the main bar from the kitchen, office, and storage area. She rounds the corner of the bar and walks behind Bucky before she’s standing close to him, asking for his attention.
“What would you like me to help you with, Buck?”
And Bucky is so, so fucked.
She’s wearing that red lipstick again, a green tank top with the bar’s logo stamped on it, and shorts. Her skin looks so smooth and radiant under the light, and Bucky aches to touch. He wonders if he could. He wonders if he could kiss her, too.
He doesn’t — instead, he watches as her mouth curves into another smirk and he can’t help but do the same, the strange feeling weighing on his chest after watching her interact with Steve long forgotten because she doesn’t smile at Steve like that.
Her eyebrows shoot up in askance and Bucky finds himself saying, “Maybe you can help me restock the wells?”
“Consider it done.”
She lingers close to him for a moment before she finally pulls away and gets to work. She’s picking up half-empty bottles from both stations and marrying them together, and opening new ones if needed. She has done this plenty of times before, and Bucky remembers their conversation back in her office when he had brought her lunch and the crazy amount of stories she had to share about the bar.
His eyes fall to her legs when she puts a foot on the bottom shelf and gives herself a few extra inches when she pushes up to grab a bottle from the very top of the shelf. He feels his face heat up when he thinks about the feel of the skin in her inner thighs and the way her breath would hitch when he’d kissed the area only three days ago.
He has to look away and close his eyes to shake the memory away when he feels himself twitch in his pants.
He’s in for a long night.
Steve comes back out once it picks up.
They both handle customers and Bucky is the bar back for the night. He likes it better that way; not really talking to people, his mind blanking out as he does basic chores like refilling ice and cleaning glasses, taking the bus tubs back to wash the dirty plates, wiping down the bar top if needed.
He tries to stay out of their way as much as possible, tries not to join any half conversation they’re having because he hates feeling like the third wheel.
They flow like water around the bar and around each other, there’s a level of trust and comfort built long ago. It’s almost like they sense where the other one is going to be at all times, like a choreographed dance they’ve practiced over and over.
Bucky can’t seem to explain the pang of jealousy he feels watching them interact; the way they stand too close to each other to whisper something and their smiles as they share secrets, even the way they touch each other’s arms or backs as they move around the other.
When he realizes it’s about time to close and there are only a few people left hanging out, he lets Steve know he’s taking a break before he shoots straight out to the back, past the kitchen, and out the back door.
He sighs deeply once he’s outside, takes a seat on one of the plastic crates laying around and closes his eyes, resting his back and head against the wall behind him. He sits there for who knows how long, metal fingers pinching the inside of his flesh palm to the point of almost breaking the skin.
Before he even realizes it, he’s…making a wish, playing scene after scene in his brain of what he prays would happen. Or at least, he thinks he is. It’s been so long since he’s prayed, he’s almost sure he’s not doing right. But he still keeps his eyes closed and hopes that, whoever’s listening, would grant him this one thing.
Bucky hasn’t wanted anything —anyone— this fucking bad in so long, he feels desperate.
His eyes snap open at the sound of the door. He flinches slightly and readies himself for anything until he hears her laugh again, watches her walk out with a trash bag in one hand and the other holding her phone up to her ear.
“Yes, make sure to text me his address and his name,” she mumbles absently, dropping the bag on the floor. “It was good,” she shrugs, looking down at her shoes with a smile. “Had fun, made some extra cash. I think we got enough to finally replace the couch… Hey, hang on, let me put you on speaker for just a second.”
She presses a button on her phone and tucks it under her tank top, in the space between her shoulder and the curve of her chest.
“So where did you meet this guy?”
“Had a drink with Darcy after work and he introduced himself and bought us some drinks,” the woman on the phone replies and it doesn't take Bucky long to realize it’s Monica speaking. He stays perfectly still, watching her take her time opening the trash can. “Speaking of work, I met this other guy that I think you’ll really like.”
She visibly freezes at her sister’s words, both of her hands on her hips and she throws her head back in exhaustion.
“He's in the air force,” Monica continues. “He seems nice. Kinda sweet, actually… he doesn’t have a TiMER, of course. I can do some digging and then maybe try to set you up, what do you think?”
She picks up the trash bag and dumps it inside the can before she closes the lid with a loud thud. She’s biting her lips and Bucky knows she’s trying to buy herself some time.
“We can talk about it later,” she says, her voice coming out in a rush.
There’s a second of silence and Bucky watches her play with the hem of her shirt, a nervous tick he hasn’t seen before.
“How’s Steve?”
“Still Steve,” she shrugs as if Monica could see it. “Very loud and charming, very handsome.”
Monica hums dreamily. “And how’s Bucky?”
“Bucky is…” she pauses, trying to find the right thing to say, and Bucky’s heart stills, waiting for her next words; “…still Bucky. Extra quiet today. Disturbingly handsome, too.”
Monica laughs loudly and Bucky can’t hear what she says next because she’s taking her off speakerphone, but whatever it is, makes her roll her eyes and bite down a smirk.
When she finally starts walking back, Bucky moves away from the wall to set his elbows on his thighs, crossing his fingers in front of him and the movement finally makes her look his way, her body going slack when she realizes he’s there.
“Text you when I get home?” She asks Monica on the phone before she’s hanging up and tucking the device back inside her pocket.
Bucky stands as she moves closer, the dim yellow light from the back door making her edges softer, her eyes darker.
“Hi…,” she starts, fidgeting a little. “Didn’t see you there. Was wondering where you went.”
“That so?” Bucky asks, stepping just a little bit closer. “Seemed to me like you and Steve had it covered.”
He doesn’t know why he says it but he regrets the words as soon as they’re out of his mouth. He bites down on his tongue to keep himself from saying something else, something he knows he shouldn’t.
She frowns at his comment, trying to figure out what he means by that, and comes out empty, not knowing what to say.
Bucky sighs once his gaze falls on her mouth, and he can’t help but press his thumb to the edge of her mouth, to clean a very small smudge from her lipstick. Her lips still have a red tint in them, and even though it’s not as bright as it was when she first arrived, it’s still just as inviting.
Her mouth goes slack and she inhales sharply at the gesture, making him realize what he’s doing and he drops his hand immediately.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, taking half a step back.
“It’s fine,” she half-whispers, a little breathless. She moves in closer, debating on something, and Bucky thinks he’s dreaming when she asks: “Can you — Can you do that again?”
He recovers incredibly fast from her request, swallows thickly, and reaches out with his right hand, his finger tracing the line of her jaw before his thumb finds the edge of her mouth again, this time tracing her bottom lip slowly.
She gasps, her mouth agape as she leans into Bucky’s hand, eyelids falling shut. She licks her lips before she bites down on them hard.
“Does it always feel like that?”
“No,” Bucky breathes, leaning in. “No, it doesn’t.”
This time, she’s the one who kisses him first.
She cradles his face with her hands, her mouth growing persistent against his, and Bucky groans when she opens her mouth for him, her tongue tracing his bottom lip.
He pulls her closer, tightening his grip on her waist, shuffling around until she’s pressed up against the wall, Bucky’s thigh in between her legs. He can feel her racing heart against his, and the loud beating on his ears of his own almost matches it.
His head is swimming in her taste, the feel of her hands on his face and neck, and the way her breath catches a moment when she rolls her hips against his thigh, getting some much-desired friction.
Everything shifts into perspective when her hand falls on his left shoulder, her fingers pressing down over both flesh and metal, and Bucky grunts loudly, a shiver running down his spine that makes him pull away slightly. Vibranium fingers close around her wrist right away, and he’s pinning her hand above her head, the movement a little too rough, taking her by surprise.
Bucky hovers over her, breathing her air, wide eyes never looking away from him. When he kisses her again, it’s slow and sweet and tastes like an apology for bursting their bubble.
“I, uh—,” Bucky starts, not sure of what he’s going to say. He pushes off of her and gives her enough room for her to straighten up, buying himself an extra couple of seconds. “Steve is probably wondering where we are.”
“Yeah. Um, you might be right,” she nods, her fingers working on fixing her hair and cleaning around the edges of her mouth.
She heads back inside, only stopping after opening the door and realizing Bucky hasn’t moved at all.
“You coming in?”
“Yeah,” Bucky nods, running a hand through his hair. “I just need a second.”
“Okay,” she replies, her voice small and she hesitates for a second before smiling at him and heading inside.
It takes Bucky a whole minute to get his heartbeat to steady again, and for the lingering sensation of her kiss and touch to fully disappear.
He smiles to himself before he heads back inside, thinking that he might need to start praying more often.
She makes a quick stop by the restrooms before she goes out to the front again.
It’s just a second or two, she just needed to check herself in the mirror for lipstick smudges and to fix her hair. She pretends she doesn’t see herself smiling the entire time.
“How’s Monica?” Steve asks once she’s back out front, busying herself with closing duties.
“She’s got a date,” she mumbles, working on covering all the bottles on every shelf. “And she says hi.”
The conversation flows easily after that like it always does. Both of them keep on working on cleaning up the bar, occasionally closing out the few customers left until Steve has to ask the last people remaining to leave. He locks the front door behind them and then falls on the seat next to her, where she’s counting the money from the night.
“Thank you for your help tonight,” Steve mumbles, squeezing her shoulder softly.
“Any time, honey,” she smiles. “You know that.”
“We’re all set in the back,” Bucky says, finally coming back out to the front, and he has to try hard to keep his eyes on Steve.
“Thanks, man,” Steve smiles at him. “Give me like thirty more minutes and I can drive you home, yeah?”
Bucky nods absently, but before he says anything, she blurts out:
“I can drive you.”
“Cool with me if it’s cool with you, Buck,” Steve mumbles, his eyes focused on his task at hand, recounting the bills before tying them together in three different stacks.
“That’d be great.”
Bucky’s gaze finally stays on her long enough to make her squirm in her seat, her thighs clenching together before she stands up to follow Steve back towards the office to grab her jacket and bag.
They’re quiet as they walk towards her car.
It feels stuffy once they’re inside, too hot despite it being around the low sixty degrees.
They don’t talk except for Bucky giving her directions towards his apartment, or about the songs playing on the radio. The ride is short; couldn’t have been more than ten minutes, and they both feel nervous as the car halts to a stop.
“Uh, thanks,” Bucky’s the first one to speak, his hands flat on his thighs, not exactly sure what to do with them.
“Anytime,” she mumbles back with a light shrug, fingers tightening around the steering wheel.
Bucky opens the door and makes to stand up, but then he doesn’t. He holds onto the door as he turns towards her and asks, “Would you like to come in for a beer?”
They stare at each other for a moment. Bucky’s scared of getting rejected, of ruining everything; and she’s scared that this is a bad, bad idea.
Still, she pushes that fear aside, tucks it away in the further corner of her mind as desire blooms deep in her belly when her gaze falls on Bucky’s shy smile.
“I’d love to.”
The place is fairly clean; not much decoration or furniture, but she was half-expecting that.
Bucky’s new to the city, and he always seemed to be at work or with Steve, only at his apartment to rest late at night to leave again early in the morning. He’s always been on the move, and he might think of this place as another stop along the way. If that’s the case, she realizes that this is not home yet for him. Something about that is a little heartbreaking.
He does offer her a beer but neither one of them finishes it.
They’re not sure who kisses who first, and it doesn’t matter — they’re all hands and tongue and pulling and pushing afterward. There’s nothing but a desire that carries them to the darkness of his bedroom. They don’t bother turning any lights on or taking off all of their clothes.
She memorizes the taste of Bucky’s mouth, and Bucky memorizes the feel of her skin underneath his.
They’re so fucked and don’t even realize it.
It’s been two weeks since she was at his apartment for the very first time.
Two weeks where they’ve talked and texted all the time, and seen each other every other day. They’ve gone out for drinks, to dinner, even to a museum. They’ve stayed in and watched movies, they’ve talked about almost everything, they’ve got private jokes now and plenty of private moments.
If they didn’t know better, they could even say they were… dating.
Bucky heads to see her when she calls a little shaken up, not really making sense but Bucky gets what she’s trying to say: She’s worried about Monica, who’s working a case in a small town in New Jersey. She had said it was called something like Westlake or Westview.
So when Bucky finally gets there, he scoops her up in his arms and doesn’t let go for hours. They sit on the couch and watch a couple of movies, her mind wandering off here and there, her eyes staring at her phone as if that’d make it ring.
When it finally does, she practically launches at the device, knocking her knees with the edge of the table to pick it up and press it against her ear.
“Monica?”
Her entire body turns to liquid once she gets a reply, and she sighs quietly, trying not to let Monica hear she was holding her breath. She goes back to the same spot on the couch where Bucky’s arms welcome her immediately. With her face tucked away, hidden against Bucky’s neck, she talks to her sister until her heart feels at ease again.
The relief after hanging up the phone is so great, a few tears prickle at the corners of her eyes and she has to kill them quickly before they dare roll down her cheeks.
“Feeling better?” Bucky asks.
“Yeah,” she breathes. “Thank you.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Because it’s clear to Bucky that this isn’t just about Monica, there’s something else there that weighs heavy in her heart and Bucky needs to know what it is, so he can get rid of it.
“My parents got a divorce when I was twelve,” she offers after a while, her voice soft and a little shaky still. “My dad was a police officer and he got shot about a week after he signed the papers. And we thought he wasn’t going to make it. He was in a coma for a couple of weeks and my mom—she just—she wouldn’t talk about it. She’d say she didn’t want to make me sad but I think she just couldn’t deal with it. I think she blamed herself... like somehow it was her fault or that he got shot because they weren’t together anymore. So I just —,” she sighs, giving herself a second for her voice to recover so she could continue. “I just kept quiet about it, kept it to myself. And I felt… so alone.
“My dad got better after a while and went right back to work,” she continues, “and I was terrified for him. He married Monica’s mom a few years later and I finally, finally had someone to talk about it. Monica was someone who understood my fear, but she embraced it while I kept running away from it. She’s my best friend and I love her with my entire heart. But every day I watch her walk out of the door and I think it might be the last time I’m gonna see her, I feel like I can’t breathe. I don’t think I can survive going through that kind of loneliness twice.”
Bucky’s loss for words for a moment. The only thing he can do is wrap her up in his arms again, hold her tight as she cleans the last of her tears and watch her push the rest of them back. He kisses her forehead and pets her hair for whoever long it takes her to stop trembling, for her breathing to even out.
“I understand,” he mutters. “She’s your soulmate.”
She looks up at him, “What?”
“Soulmates don’t only exist romantically, you know? It’s not just a single person for the rest of your life,” Bucky says, amusement laced in his words and the corner of his mouth as he watches her frowning. “I think there’s a handful of people you’re gonna cross paths with and you will have a connection. And you’ll just know it’s not an everyday thing. It’s not something you feel every time you meet a stranger, it’s special. And I’m not talking about someone you find attractive that you want to sleep with, I mean a friend, or a sister, or a parent, or the bartender at your favorite bar.”
Bucky chuckles at her confused expressions, her face relaxing immediately and she smiles too as if Bucky’s laughter was her favorite sound.
“Monica is your soulmate,” he states, and then, with an accusatory smile, he adds: “I see the way you are with Steve; you’re always smiling and relaxed, and you don’t even have to talk out loud to communicate with each other. He’s your soulmate, too.”
“In that case, he’s more yours than mine.”
Bucky laughs again, “You might be right about that.”
After a while, her grin slowly starts to disappear again, and it breaks Bucky’s heart to think of all the times she had worried about her sister and had to endure it all on her own.
“Your sister’s okay,” Bucky reminds her. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”
“You can’t promise me that.” She smiles sadly at him, her hand touching his jaw as a thank you for trying.
“I know,” Bucky replies. “But I can promise you, no matter what happens, you’re not alone anymore.”
The venue is stunning.
Neither one of them has been there before, but there’s still a familiarity to it that makes it so easy to navigate.
The place is something in-between a bar and a small theater. There’s a couple of rows of chairs in the back, plenty of space to stand right by the stage, booths along the left wall underneath the small balconies, the bar to the right of the stage. There are no windows, but the entire ceiling is covered with slow blinking lights that dance along with the lights on the stage, both of them elevating the performance even more.
It’s been an amazing night so far.
Her mood has improved drastically after Monica had finally made it home three nights ago. They have dinner before they make it to the show, and if neither one of them thinks about the ticking clock on Bucky’s wrist, it feels so easy. They know each other so well by now, good and bad, they’re comfortable.
They’re so comfortable by now, Bucky doesn’t hesitate when he goes in to touch her anymore. He doesn’t hesitate standing behind her in the crowd, hands on her hips, swaying with her to the rhythm of the music. He doesn’t hesitate before he presses his mouth to her shoulder, her jaw, or even her mouth when she turns her head back to say something in his ear every chance he gets, every time he feels like it.
“Thank you for coming in tonight,” the man on stage speaks into the microphone and the room roars in cheers. “I only got one more song left and if you’re here with your soulmate, go ahead and put your TiMERs up,” he instructs, raising his right hand, his wrist outwards facing the crowd, showing off his device. “And make sure to kiss that one person who might just be your everything and beyond.”
The crowd roars again as they recognize the lyrics from the next song, raising their hands, most of them following the lyrics along as he sings.
Bucky leans forward, his right hand finding her chin to make her look at him and he kisses slowly, deeply, stealing her breath away. When he pulls away, his fingers dance along the skin of her arm, all the way down to her wrist until he’s interlocking his fingers with hers, bringing both of their hands up, their TiMERs facing the stage.
She doesn’t hesitate to turn around to kiss him properly once the song is over.
After the concert, they laugh as they stumble inside her house.
Bucky made the mistake of kissing her out on the porch and now it’s taking too damn long to get where they want to be. They’ve done this so many times already, they know — the push and pull, what and where to kiss and touch.
Bucky knows the exact spot in her neck to bite down on that makes her tremble. She knows that if she pulls Bucky’s hair while biting down on his lips, she’d earn a whimper.
The lights in the bedroom are on this time, and Bucky’s trying to record to memory every curve of her body, every scar, every freckle. He sits at the edge of her bed and watches with heavy eyes as she gets rid of her jeans before she moves in closer again, straddling him.
Bucky’s grip tightens around her thighs, pulling her in closer, both of them moaning at the friction. Bucky visibly jumps when her hand falls on his left shoulder, vibranium fingers moving up to close around her wrist and pulling her hand away, pinning it behind her back.
He apologizes by kissing her harder, but this time she’s not having any of it. This time, she’s pulling away first, resting her forehead against Bucky’s, her eyes closed and breathing heavy.
“Why do you always do that?”
“What do you— I don’t—,” Bucky shakes his head, the thought dying on his tongue.
“It’s just me,” she whispers, shrugging lightly. “Why are you nervous?”
“Because it’s you,” Bucky answers simply, his voice small. “I don’t — I don't want to scare you off, don’t want you to run away. And it’s — it’s happened before.”
“Honey,” she mutters against his mouth, and Bucky’s completely done for at the term of endearment. “Trust me.”
She kisses him again, slow and lazy, her right hand moving up to rest against Bucky’s chest once his grip on it loosens. Bucky’s breathing becomes shallow when her hands fall to the hem of his shirt, her fingers tracing the skin of his stomach before they travel up, bringing the soft material with them.
Bucky keeps his eyes closed as her hands explore, twitching slightly every time they come dangerously close to his scars. He swallows thickly when she kisses his jaw, her mouth making its way down to his shoulder.
He groans low in the back of his throat when her mouth touches the first scar. His hands close tighter around her, and he whimpers again when she kisses another scar, and another and then another.
When it becomes too much for him, he cradles her face in his hands to kiss her hungrily.
“I need you,” he rasps. “Please, baby.”
She half stands to get rid of her underwear at the same time that Bucky gets rid of his, their kiss never really breaking. She aligns herself and slides down his length with a sigh.
“Christ,” Bucky hisses. “You feel so good.”
It takes her a second to adjust and another to start moving, Bucky matching her pace soon after.
It feels different this time, something deeper and heavier hanging in the air. When she holds onto his left shoulder like it’s nothing, pressing down on both flesh and metal, Bucky finally understands what it is — what he feels.
And he has to bite down on his tongue hard to not tell her how much he loves her.
They both jump at the sound of the door slamming shut.
It’s the dead of the night, they couldn’t have been asleep for more than an hour when Monica comes in. Both of them shoot up to get dressed right away, tossing clothes at each other.
She doesn’t quite understand what Monica’s saying, only listens to her voice move closer and closer until she’s knocking at her door.
“When you say you’re gonna be somewhere, I expect you to be there!” Monica yells through the door. “I was worried sick. And you not only stood me up but you also stood up a very attractive and incredibly nice man, in desperate need of true love!”
“Sorry,” she exclaims, stepping out into the hallway, trying to close the door behind her as casually as possible. “I’m so sorry.”
Monica inspects her for a moment, crossing her arms and tilting her head, “Why is your shirt inside out?”
“It’s not.”
“Yes, it is,” Monica states, matter of factly. “Who’s here?”
She scoffs, half shrugging, her best attempt at looking convincing and failing spectacularly. “Nobody. No one is here.”
Monica takes a step back, stunned, a flash of hurt crossing her features.
“Since when do you lie to me?”
She takes a deep breath, ready to come clean, but the door is opening before she says anything. Monica’s surprised face makes her wince.
“Hi, Monica,” Bucky greets quietly, resting against the doorframe.
Monica doesn’t reply, her eyes moving from Bucky to her sister and then back again.
“Have you — Have you been seeing him the whole time?!”
“Yeah, I have,” she shoots back. “And it’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?!” Monica repeats, waving her hands in exasperation. “It’s a huge deal!”
“Why?! Because I’m enjoying spending time with somebody? Because I don’t spend all my time worrying about my TiMER anymore?”
“No, because he’s gonna break your heart into a million pieces,” Monica replies, her tone just a tad softer. “If anyone knows self-destructive, it’s me, okay? And let me tell you, this is it!”
“If I could—”
“What?!” Monica exclaims, looking right at Bucky now, who has been trying to get their attention since they started arguing. “What is it?”
“It’s my TiMER,” he half-stutters, moving out to the hallway too.
“What about it?”
“It’s — well—,”
Not knowing how to explain, he opts for the only thing he thinks he can do: he reaches for it with his other hand and pulls the small device off his skin, making them both scream and look away at Bucky’s sudden and unsettling gesture.
“Whoa, it’s alright,” Bucky assures them, showing them his bare wrist, with not a single scar or drop of blood coming out of it. It’s like his TiMER was never there at all. “It’s okay. It’s — it’s fake.”
series description: on an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. and then suddenly loses her. what lengths will he go to in order to find her?
word count: 2.5k
taglist: @p0gues4l @amourtentiaa @305weasley
series masterlist
“Weasley, for two,” George said to the host. After leaving Gringotts, they had apparated to downtown London to a small wizard-friendly restaurant. They were guided to a small table in the corner of the dimly lit restaurant. There was a flame lit in a jar that was sitting on the table, providing some mood lighting.
The table was small and George’s long legs were so cramped that his knees were gently grazing his date’s.
“This is nice,” she said, looking around the small restaurant. The atmosphere was warm and cozy, which was only enhanced by a man playing guitar and singing cover songs for the patrons.
“Have you been here before?” George asked.
“No, I didn’t know this place existed.”
“Wish I could take credit but Fred recommended it. This is his go-to date spot.”
“And where’s your go-to date spot?” she challenged.
“Eh that would be Dans le Noir,” George replied, referring to the spot where they had shared a meal in complete darkness.
She laughed, “No I’m serious.”
“I don’t think I really have one. Every now and then I’ll take someone to one of the bars in Diagon Alley, but truthfully I don’t go on many dates.”
“That surprises me,” she replied.
“Why’s that?”
“You’re very likable and easy to be around. And you’re not too bad to look at either.”
He blushed ever so slightly, “I think I can get along with anyone, but I’m more interested in finding someone I have a connection with and that’s a bit harder to find.”
“Do you feel like there’s a connection between us?”
“Do you really need to ask that question?” He responded
“Hey, I’m entitled to ask that! As of an hour ago I had no idea you were even interested. This has all been very unexpected.”
“That’s fair. Well for the record, you’re the first person I’ve felt a connection with in a long time.”
She let out a small smile before asking, “So what happened that night?”
George sighed, “I still haven’t been able to figure it out. I think I wasn’t expecting to meet someone like you so it took me by surprise when you were so…incredible. And then I got nervous because I wanted you to like me and I wasn’t myself. That’s never happened to me before.”
“Well don’t let it happen again,” she replied with a smirk. They were briefly interrupted by a waiter who came by to take their orders. Molly continued the conversation, “I want to call you out for taking me on a proper date only after seeing me for the first time but it seems like you had this all planned out.”
“This was one of many plans.”
“Oh yeah? What were the other plans?”
“The original plan was waiting for you to come into the shop, but you didn’t want to cooperate.”
“I thought about it. A few times actually. But I convinced myself that you had someone else in your life, which is why you were so quiet that night. And I thought seeing you might be difficult.”
George hadn’t thought about her perspective before and it made perfect sense. He wasn’t sure what he could say to make things better, and luckily Molly interjected and said, “So how did you get to tonight’s plan?”
“I considered writing to you at the Prophet, but that just seemed so impersonal. And then I thought about just coming to your workplace to ask you out, but that didn’t seem quite right either. And then Fred found the invitation in the mail. I wasn’t positive you would be there, but it seemed like a real possibility. And now here we are.”
“You’re very impressive, you know that?”
“All for you, darling,” Molly blushed at his comment and George called her out, “Oh, don’t tell me you’re going to be all nervous now?”
“Of course not,” she replied.
“Then why are you blushing?”
She smiled, “It’s just nice to be pursued.”
“I have a hard time believing that guys aren’t throwing themselves at you.”
She considered her words carefully, “There are a lot of guys that are interested in sleeping with me, but romance appears to be a bit of a lost art.”
“Lucky for you, I am quite the romantic.”
“I bet you are,” she smiled. The conversation flowed pretty effortlessly and soon they had finished up their meals and were working on the last of their drinks. As George closed out the tab, Molly asked, “Do you want to go for a walk?”
George smiled, “I’d like that.” He finished paying the bill as Molly sucked down her last few sips before they gathered their things and walked out together.
It was a beautiful night, perfect for a walk through the town. George had his hand in his pockets and Molly took this moment to make a move.
“Wow, you aren’t even going to try and hold my hand?” she commented.
George looked at her and smiled, “You didn’t strike me as the PDA type.”
“Normally I’m not, but I’m willing to make an exception for someone special.” He took his hand out of his pocket and scooped up her delicate hand in one swift motion. He quickly interlaced their fingers and swung their hands back and forth. She chuckled at his enthusiasm.
“So I have an idea for our next date,” George said.
“And what makes you think there’s going to be a next date?” she teased.
“Because I know you can’t resist my effortless charm.”
“I won’t confirm or deny that. But hypothetically speaking, what sort of date are you planning?”
“I’m thinking I’ll get us some tickets to the Weird Sisters,” George felt butterflies in his stomach thinking of their first concert experience together.
“So you’re going to wait two weeks before taking me out on another date?” she countered. George was crafting a response but before he could say anything she added, “I’m surprised, I thought this date was going pretty well.”
“Ah so you do want a second date,” he grinned.
“I would like a second date, but please don’t make me wait two weeks. The concert can be our fourth or fifth date.”
“Now Molly, I know you couldn’t possibly be getting attached,” George said.
“Come on now George, you know I’m way too cool to admit to that.”
“Ah, but you also didn’t deny it.” Molly rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the smile growing on her face.
They continued walking along the cobblestone street, passing by storefronts that were dark and the occasional pub with a boisterous crowd. George didn’t have a destination in mind, but it didn’t matter. He wanted to spend as much time with Molly as he could get.
“So Molly, I know you’re from the States, but whereabouts?” he asked.
“I’m from Chicago.”
“Oh I’ve actually heard of Chicago. And how did you like it?”
“It’s a great city. Part of me thinks I could’ve had a happy life living in Chicago. But I wanted to explore new places and that wasn’t going to happen in my hometown.”
“Well for the record, I’m glad you decided to venture across the pond.”
“And where are you from?”
“I’m from Devon,” he said.
“Oh nice,” Molly replied.
“Are you familiar with Devon?” he asked skeptically.
She shook her head, “Not at all.” George laughed and she added, “Can’t say we learned much European geography in school.”
“So Devon is on the Western coast. It’s close to Cornwall which you may have heard of.”
“Yes, Cornwall I know.”
“Yeah so we’re a bit further north. And our town is rather small, mostly farms. Muggles primarily inhabit the area so we keep to ourselves for the most part.”
“And how did you like that?”
He sighed, “I loved my upbringing, but there’s a reason I moved closer to the city. I needed a little more action and excitement.”
“Now that I understand.”
“What’s your favorite part about London?” he asked.
She thought for a moment, “I love everything about London. I can’t quite put my finger on why. When I first came here when I was younger, I just had a feeling in my stomach that this was where I wanted to be. I’m a very logical person and I had never really experienced a feeling like that. So I followed it and never looked back.”
“Do you think you’ll stay here long term?”
She nodded, “I miss my family terribly and I would love to be closer to home, but I can’t imagine leaving London right now.”
“Well good. I had to make sure you weren’t planning to up and leave.”
“Nah, not my style,” she joked.
At this point, Molly had slowed her walking pace and came to a halt. George took a few steps ahead and turned around.
“What’s wrong, love?” he asked.
“Well we’ve reached our destination,” she said. He looked at her with a puzzled look. “This is my apartment,” she said, directing her attention to the window situated on top of the teashop where they were currently standing.
“Did you just trick me into walking you home?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Maybe,” she smirked. “But I’m hoping you’ll come upstairs with me for a nightcap.”
Molly noticed him perk up ever so slightly as a small smile spread across his face. “I couldn’t possibly turn that down.” Molly smiled and gently dropped his hand as she fished her keys out of her pocket. They walked up the narrow staircase that led to her tiny one bedroom apartment. Before unlocking the door, Molly pulled out her wand and muttered a quick spell that George recognized to be a charm to tidy up.
“I wasn’t exactly expecting company tonight,” she explained.
“Does that mean you’re messy normally?” he challenged.
“Well...it's more clutter than anything. Does that…bother you?”
“Not at all. I’m one of six dear, I’m used to clutter.”
Molly sighed with relief as she opened the door to her magically cleaned apartment. It was kitschy and cramped, yet very comfortable.
“Make yourself at home,” she smiled, as she walked over to the bar cart to pour a couple firewhiskeys. George took off his suit jacket and laid it carefully over one of the kitchen chairs. He slipped off his shoes and placed them neatly by the front door. Molly padded over barefoot to the couch and George followed with ease.
“Cheers,” she said, as they clinked glasses. Molly took a generous sip from her glass to combat her nerves. She hadn’t expected any of this and she was surprised at how bold she had acted around George. She liked him and she was sure about that, but she wasn’t quite sure what her next move was.
Molly placed her glass on the coffee table and slid in a little bit closer to George. “Thank you for tonight,” she said genuinely, as she placed a delicate hand on his leg.
“Thank you for giving me a chance,” he replied. George shifted and put his arm around her shoulders. “Did you enjoy yourself?” he asked.
“I had a wonderful time with you.”
“Can I take you out again next week?”
Molly simply nodded and smiled at him. George sighed and cupped her cheek. “Have I told you how absolutely stunning you are?”
Molly giggled and said, “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“It’s the truth, I’m not just saying that.”
She blushed, “I didn’t think you were. Your eyes said it all.”
“Now that is not fair.”
“What’s not fair?”
“My eyes say it all yet your eyes aren’t giving me anything,” he joked.
“Really? You aren’t getting the message that I’m trying to send you?”
“You’re going to have to try harder darling because I’m not getting anything.”
“Oh, you know what…I’m better at sending messages with my lips than my eyes,” she flirted.
“Is that so?”
“Only one way to find out.”
That was all the encouragement George needed. He leaned in towards Molly, planning to tease her a little but as soon as he felt her breath he couldn’t help himself. He gently placed his hand on the back of her neck and through her hair as his lips connected with hers.
The electricity was unlike anything he had ever felt before. If he thought she was the one before, now he was certain.
“Wow,” she breathed, catching her breath for a moment.
“That good, huh?” George joked.
“Can we do that again?” Molly asked, tugging on George’s tie.
“As you wish,” he said, enveloping her lips in his. It wasn’t long before the two were horizontal on the couch. Molly felt like a giddy teenager and couldn’t get enough of George. His musky scent was driving her wild.
George slowly kissed up her neck to her ear, where he nibbled on her ear lobe. That set her over the edge.
“We should…move to the bedroom,” Molly suggested.
George popped up to look at her, “Are you sure?”
Molly nodded enthusiastically, “I’m sure.” George stood and scooped up Molly in his arms as she giggled and he carried her into the bedroom where the festivities would continue.
X
“Wow,” George said, as he collapsed in bed next to Molly.
“Wow is right,” she said, struggling to catch her breath. She curled into George’s chest as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“I never do this,” Molly stated.
“Well you could’ve fooled me,” he said.
She lightly smacked him on the chest. “I’m not talking about sex,” she chuckled, “I mean that I never bring guys home on the first date.”
“Technically that was our second date, love.”
“Okay well I don’t usually bring guys home on the second date either.”
“Are you trying to tell me you like me?” he joked.
She laughed and said, “I’m trying to tell you that you’re special.”
George felt fuzzy inside. This was the first time that she had been direct with him about her feelings. He was starting to see a future with her.
“So what are we going to do tomorrow?” he asked.
“We could go to brunch…or we could make some breakfast here. And then if it’s nice we could go for a walk in the park. If it’s not nice we can go see a movie.”
“All I want is to spend the day with you darling.”
“Will you take me to your shop tomorrow?” she asked.
“You want to see the shop?” he looked at her with a smile.
She nodded, “I want to learn everything about you.”
George kissed her temple and pulled her in closer to him. “I would love nothing more than to share that with you.”
Molly smiled and pecked him a few times on the lips. She turned and pulled George around her so they were spooning. George kissed her shoulder and wished her good night as she drifted off to sleep.
George was soothed by her steady breathing and felt himself grow tired, but his mind was reeling which was preventing him from falling asleep. He couldn’t believe how perfectly things had gone and that his patience had actually paid off. His instincts were spot on and he knew that this girl was the one for him. George recognized that they were in the early stages of something special, but he knew he had found his soul mate.
series description: on an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. and then suddenly loses her. what lengths will he go to in order to find her?
word count: 2.5k
taglist: @p0gues4l @amourtentiaa @305weasley
series masterlist
“Weasley, for two,” George said to the host. After leaving Gringotts, they had apparated to downtown London to a small wizard-friendly restaurant. They were guided to a small table in the corner of the dimly lit restaurant. There was a flame lit in a jar that was sitting on the table, providing some mood lighting.
The table was small and George’s long legs were so cramped that his knees were gently grazing his date’s.
“This is nice,” she said, looking around the small restaurant. The atmosphere was warm and cozy, which was only enhanced by a man playing guitar and singing cover songs for the patrons.
“Have you been here before?” George asked.
“No, I didn’t know this place existed.”
“Wish I could take credit but Fred recommended it. This is his go-to date spot.”
“And where’s your go-to date spot?” she challenged.
“Eh that would be Dans le Noir,” George replied, referring to the spot where they had shared a meal in complete darkness.
She laughed, “No I’m serious.”
“I don’t think I really have one. Every now and then I’ll take someone to one of the bars in Diagon Alley, but truthfully I don’t go on many dates.”
“That surprises me,” she replied.
“Why’s that?”
“You’re very likable and easy to be around. And you’re not too bad to look at either.”
He blushed ever so slightly, “I think I can get along with anyone, but I’m more interested in finding someone I have a connection with and that’s a bit harder to find.”
“Do you feel like there’s a connection between us?”
“Do you really need to ask that question?” He responded
“Hey, I’m entitled to ask that! As of an hour ago I had no idea you were even interested. This has all been very unexpected.”
“That’s fair. Well for the record, you’re the first person I’ve felt a connection with in a long time.”
She let out a small smile before asking, “So what happened that night?”
George sighed, “I still haven’t been able to figure it out. I think I wasn’t expecting to meet someone like you so it took me by surprise when you were so…incredible. And then I got nervous because I wanted you to like me and I wasn’t myself. That’s never happened to me before.”
“Well don’t let it happen again,” she replied with a smirk. They were briefly interrupted by a waiter who came by to take their orders. Molly continued the conversation, “I want to call you out for taking me on a proper date only after seeing me for the first time but it seems like you had this all planned out.”
“This was one of many plans.”
“Oh yeah? What were the other plans?”
“The original plan was waiting for you to come into the shop, but you didn’t want to cooperate.”
“I thought about it. A few times actually. But I convinced myself that you had someone else in your life, which is why you were so quiet that night. And I thought seeing you might be difficult.”
George hadn’t thought about her perspective before and it made perfect sense. He wasn’t sure what he could say to make things better, and luckily Molly interjected and said, “So how did you get to tonight’s plan?”
“I considered writing to you at the Prophet, but that just seemed so impersonal. And then I thought about just coming to your workplace to ask you out, but that didn’t seem quite right either. And then Fred found the invitation in the mail. I wasn’t positive you would be there, but it seemed like a real possibility. And now here we are.”
“You’re very impressive, you know that?”
“All for you, darling,” Molly blushed at his comment and George called her out, “Oh, don’t tell me you’re going to be all nervous now?”
“Of course not,” she replied.
“Then why are you blushing?”
She smiled, “It’s just nice to be pursued.”
“I have a hard time believing that guys aren’t throwing themselves at you.”
She considered her words carefully, “There are a lot of guys that are interested in sleeping with me, but romance appears to be a bit of a lost art.”
“Lucky for you, I am quite the romantic.”
“I bet you are,” she smiled. The conversation flowed pretty effortlessly and soon they had finished up their meals and were working on the last of their drinks. As George closed out the tab, Molly asked, “Do you want to go for a walk?”
George smiled, “I’d like that.” He finished paying the bill as Molly sucked down her last few sips before they gathered their things and walked out together.
It was a beautiful night, perfect for a walk through the town. George had his hand in his pockets and Molly took this moment to make a move.
“Wow, you aren’t even going to try and hold my hand?” she commented.
George looked at her and smiled, “You didn’t strike me as the PDA type.”
“Normally I’m not, but I’m willing to make an exception for someone special.” He took his hand out of his pocket and scooped up her delicate hand in one swift motion. He quickly interlaced their fingers and swung their hands back and forth. She chuckled at his enthusiasm.
“So I have an idea for our next date,” George said.
“And what makes you think there’s going to be a next date?” she teased.
“Because I know you can’t resist my effortless charm.”
“I won’t confirm or deny that. But hypothetically speaking, what sort of date are you planning?”
“I’m thinking I’ll get us some tickets to the Weird Sisters,” George felt butterflies in his stomach thinking of their first concert experience together.
“So you’re going to wait two weeks before taking me out on another date?” she countered. George was crafting a response but before he could say anything she added, “I’m surprised, I thought this date was going pretty well.”
“Ah so you do want a second date,” he grinned.
“I would like a second date, but please don’t make me wait two weeks. The concert can be our fourth or fifth date.”
“Now Molly, I know you couldn’t possibly be getting attached,” George said.
“Come on now George, you know I’m way too cool to admit to that.”
“Ah, but you also didn’t deny it.” Molly rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the smile growing on her face.
They continued walking along the cobblestone street, passing by storefronts that were dark and the occasional pub with a boisterous crowd. George didn’t have a destination in mind, but it didn’t matter. He wanted to spend as much time with Molly as he could get.
“So Molly, I know you’re from the States, but whereabouts?” he asked.
“I’m from Chicago.”
“Oh I’ve actually heard of Chicago. And how did you like it?”
“It’s a great city. Part of me thinks I could’ve had a happy life living in Chicago. But I wanted to explore new places and that wasn’t going to happen in my hometown.”
“Well for the record, I’m glad you decided to venture across the pond.”
“And where are you from?”
“I’m from Devon,” he said.
“Oh nice,” Molly replied.
“Are you familiar with Devon?” he asked skeptically.
She shook her head, “Not at all.” George laughed and she added, “Can’t say we learned much European geography in school.”
“So Devon is on the Western coast. It’s close to Cornwall which you may have heard of.”
“Yes, Cornwall I know.”
“Yeah so we’re a bit further north. And our town is rather small, mostly farms. Muggles primarily inhabit the area so we keep to ourselves for the most part.”
“And how did you like that?”
He sighed, “I loved my upbringing, but there’s a reason I moved closer to the city. I needed a little more action and excitement.”
“Now that I understand.”
“What’s your favorite part about London?” he asked.
She thought for a moment, “I love everything about London. I can’t quite put my finger on why. When I first came here when I was younger, I just had a feeling in my stomach that this was where I wanted to be. I’m a very logical person and I had never really experienced a feeling like that. So I followed it and never looked back.”
“Do you think you’ll stay here long term?”
She nodded, “I miss my family terribly and I would love to be closer to home, but I can’t imagine leaving London right now.”
“Well good. I had to make sure you weren’t planning to up and leave.”
“Nah, not my style,” she joked.
At this point, Molly had slowed her walking pace and came to a halt. George took a few steps ahead and turned around.
“What’s wrong, love?” he asked.
“Well we’ve reached our destination,” she said. He looked at her with a puzzled look. “This is my apartment,” she said, directing her attention to the window situated on top of the teashop where they were currently standing.
“Did you just trick me into walking you home?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Maybe,” she smirked. “But I’m hoping you’ll come upstairs with me for a nightcap.”
Molly noticed him perk up ever so slightly as a small smile spread across his face. “I couldn’t possibly turn that down.” Molly smiled and gently dropped his hand as she fished her keys out of her pocket. They walked up the narrow staircase that led to her tiny one bedroom apartment. Before unlocking the door, Molly pulled out her wand and muttered a quick spell that George recognized to be a charm to tidy up.
“I wasn’t exactly expecting company tonight,” she explained.
“Does that mean you’re messy normally?” he challenged.
“Well...it's more clutter than anything. Does that…bother you?”
“Not at all. I’m one of six dear, I’m used to clutter.”
Molly sighed with relief as she opened the door to her magically cleaned apartment. It was kitschy and cramped, yet very comfortable.
“Make yourself at home,” she smiled, as she walked over to the bar cart to pour a couple firewhiskeys. George took off his suit jacket and laid it carefully over one of the kitchen chairs. He slipped off his shoes and placed them neatly by the front door. Molly padded over barefoot to the couch and George followed with ease.
“Cheers,” she said, as they clinked glasses. Molly took a generous sip from her glass to combat her nerves. She hadn’t expected any of this and she was surprised at how bold she had acted around George. She liked him and she was sure about that, but she wasn’t quite sure what her next move was.
Molly placed her glass on the coffee table and slid in a little bit closer to George. “Thank you for tonight,” she said genuinely, as she placed a delicate hand on his leg.
“Thank you for giving me a chance,” he replied. George shifted and put his arm around her shoulders. “Did you enjoy yourself?” he asked.
“I had a wonderful time with you.”
“Can I take you out again next week?”
Molly simply nodded and smiled at him. George sighed and cupped her cheek. “Have I told you how absolutely stunning you are?”
Molly giggled and said, “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“It’s the truth, I’m not just saying that.”
She blushed, “I didn’t think you were. Your eyes said it all.”
“Now that is not fair.”
“What’s not fair?”
“My eyes say it all yet your eyes aren’t giving me anything,” he joked.
“Really? You aren’t getting the message that I’m trying to send you?”
“You’re going to have to try harder darling because I’m not getting anything.”
“Oh, you know what…I’m better at sending messages with my lips than my eyes,” she flirted.
“Is that so?”
“Only one way to find out.”
That was all the encouragement George needed. He leaned in towards Molly, planning to tease her a little but as soon as he felt her breath he couldn’t help himself. He gently placed his hand on the back of her neck and through her hair as his lips connected with hers.
The electricity was unlike anything he had ever felt before. If he thought she was the one before, now he was certain.
“Wow,” she breathed, catching her breath for a moment.
“That good, huh?” George joked.
“Can we do that again?” Molly asked, tugging on George’s tie.
“As you wish,” he said, enveloping her lips in his. It wasn’t long before the two were horizontal on the couch. Molly felt like a giddy teenager and couldn’t get enough of George. His musky scent was driving her wild.
George slowly kissed up her neck to her ear, where he nibbled on her ear lobe. That set her over the edge.
“We should…move to the bedroom,” Molly suggested.
George popped up to look at her, “Are you sure?”
Molly nodded enthusiastically, “I’m sure.” George stood and scooped up Molly in his arms as she giggled and he carried her into the bedroom where the festivities would continue.
X
“Wow,” George said, as he collapsed in bed next to Molly.
“Wow is right,” she said, struggling to catch her breath. She curled into George’s chest as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“I never do this,” Molly stated.
“Well you could’ve fooled me,” he said.
She lightly smacked him on the chest. “I’m not talking about sex,” she chuckled, “I mean that I never bring guys home on the first date.”
“Technically that was our second date, love.”
“Okay well I don’t usually bring guys home on the second date either.”
“Are you trying to tell me you like me?” he joked.
She laughed and said, “I’m trying to tell you that you’re special.”
George felt fuzzy inside. This was the first time that she had been direct with him about her feelings. He was starting to see a future with her.
“So what are we going to do tomorrow?” he asked.
“We could go to brunch…or we could make some breakfast here. And then if it’s nice we could go for a walk in the park. If it’s not nice we can go see a movie.”
“All I want is to spend the day with you darling.”
“Will you take me to your shop tomorrow?” she asked.
“You want to see the shop?” he looked at her with a smile.
She nodded, “I want to learn everything about you.”
George kissed her temple and pulled her in closer to him. “I would love nothing more than to share that with you.”
Molly smiled and pecked him a few times on the lips. She turned and pulled George around her so they were spooning. George kissed her shoulder and wished her good night as she drifted off to sleep.
George was soothed by her steady breathing and felt himself grow tired, but his mind was reeling which was preventing him from falling asleep. He couldn’t believe how perfectly things had gone and that his patience had actually paid off. His instincts were spot on and he knew that this girl was the one for him. George recognized that they were in the early stages of something special, but he knew he had found his soul mate.
series description: On an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. And then suddenly loses her. What lengths will he go to in order to find her?
word count: 0.8k
taglist: @p0gues4l @amourtentiaa @305weasley
series masterlist
Fred and George stayed up all night planning how they would pull this off and ensuring they wouldn’t run into their past selves. They also talked about what they would do at the party. Molly mentioned she didn’t meet this guy until closer to the end of the night, so George wanted to get there as early as possible. Fred was going to play look out and try to distract any good-looking gents that walked through the door. It was the first time they had ever attended a Daily Prophet function so they weren’t fully certain what to expect.
The boys changed into the best suits they had. Fred wore a burgundy suit with a black tie. George put on his three-piece grey suit with a navy tie. It was fairly subdued for the two, but they were trying to avoid unwanted attention. Fred gave George a pep talk, to prepare him for the party, and suddenly the two were back in time. They quickly apparated to Gringotts, where the event was being held and Fred presented the invitation to the goblin guarding the door.
“Did you RSVP?” he asked.
“You know, we didn’t,” Fred stated, “But we recently had a change of plans and decided we’d like to donate a significant amount of money to…” Fred quickly looked at the invitation, “St. Mungos.”
The goblin grunted but allowed them to enter. There was a table with name tags displayed for all the attendees. George stopped Fred at the table and Fred replied, “They won’t have name tags for us.”
“I know, but I want to see if Molly’s already here.” The two perused the nametags and didn’t see one laid out for Molly, which meant she was here. George took a deep breath, but he wasn’t nervous. If things were meant to be, it would all work out.
Fred and George approached the bar cart for a few drinks before scouring the room for Molly. George wasn’t nervous about finding her this time. He was more concerned with how he would make his move.
After a few laps around Gringotts, they found her. She was in a little black dress and her hair was curled every so slightly. She had on heels, giving her some extra inches, along with some pink lipstick. As expected, she looked beautiful.
It turned out, talking to her was easier than expected. George caught her eye across the room and moments later she was walking over to him. Fred reacted immediately and left George alone.
“I know you,” she said with a smile.
“Oh do you?” he replied.
“You’re one of the Weasley twins. But the question is which one…”
“Obviously I’m the more charming and attractive one,” he said.
“Which would make you…”
“George,” they both said at the same time. “Now the real question is, do you know who I am?”
“Of course I do. You are Molly Wilson,” he said, reading her nametag. “You’re a Thunderbird and you like Kenmare quidditch and the Weird Sisters.”
“Very good,” she smiled. “So…why are you here?” she challenged.
“I’m here for you, love.”
“For me?”
“I assumed that you’d be here and I thought I might have a second chance.”
“Ah, changed your mind huh?”
“No actually. I knew I liked you that night.”
“Funny way of showing it,” she commented.
“I know I made a bad first impression, but I’m here now. Let me take you out to dinner.”
“What’s in it for me?” she contemplated.
“Not much. Just a good meal with a charming bloke,” George said. She stood there for a moment, thinking.
“Okay,” she smiled shyly.
“Wow, that was easier than I expected.”
“Let’s just say…you’ve piqued my interest,” she said coyly.
“Hey, I’ll take what I can get. Now finish your drink.”
“Trying to get me drunk now?” she said, swirling her glass of wine.
“Oh no, nothing like that love. We actually have a dinner reservation in about 20 minutes.”
She choked on her wine ever so slightly and said, “Excuse me?”
“I said we have a dinner reservation in 20 minutes.”
“But…tonight?” she asked, still trying to wrap her head around George’s words.
“Yes tonight,” he chuckled. “Don’t tell me you actually want to stick around this place.”
“No, I don’t. You just…took me by surprise is all.”
“I’m full of surprises,” he smirked. “Now drink up,” he said, clinking his rocks glass with her wine glass. The two finished their drinks and George held out his arm. Molly hooked her arm with his as he escorted her out of Gringotts. George made eye contact and nodded at Fred as they walked out and he was silently applauding them. George took a deep breath and smiled. Part one of their plan had worked.
a/n: it is our beloved twins birthday tomorrow! and in honor of that, I am posting a new series that might be one of my favorite things I've ever written. the concept is very much based on the movie About Time which I adore. the love interest is technically an OC, but I wrote it similar to how I write my George x Reader fics, just from George's perspective.
series description: on an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. and then suddenly loses her. what lengths will he go to in order to find her?
series description: On an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. And then suddenly loses her. What lengths will he go to in order to find her?
word count: 0.8k
taglist: @p0gues4l @amourtentiaa @305weasley
series masterlist
Fred and George stayed up all night planning how they would pull this off and ensuring they wouldn’t run into their past selves. They also talked about what they would do at the party. Molly mentioned she didn’t meet this guy until closer to the end of the night, so George wanted to get there as early as possible. Fred was going to play look out and try to distract any good-looking gents that walked through the door. It was the first time they had ever attended a Daily Prophet function so they weren’t fully certain what to expect.
The boys changed into the best suits they had. Fred wore a burgundy suit with a black tie. George put on his three-piece grey suit with a navy tie. It was fairly subdued for the two, but they were trying to avoid unwanted attention. Fred gave George a pep talk, to prepare him for the party, and suddenly the two were back in time. They quickly apparated to Gringotts, where the event was being held and Fred presented the invitation to the goblin guarding the door.
“Did you RSVP?” he asked.
“You know, we didn’t,” Fred stated, “But we recently had a change of plans and decided we’d like to donate a significant amount of money to…” Fred quickly looked at the invitation, “St. Mungos.”
The goblin grunted but allowed them to enter. There was a table with name tags displayed for all the attendees. George stopped Fred at the table and Fred replied, “They won’t have name tags for us.”
“I know, but I want to see if Molly’s already here.” The two perused the nametags and didn’t see one laid out for Molly, which meant she was here. George took a deep breath, but he wasn’t nervous. If things were meant to be, it would all work out.
Fred and George approached the bar cart for a few drinks before scouring the room for Molly. George wasn’t nervous about finding her this time. He was more concerned with how he would make his move.
After a few laps around Gringotts, they found her. She was in a little black dress and her hair was curled every so slightly. She had on heels, giving her some extra inches, along with some pink lipstick. As expected, she looked beautiful.
It turned out, talking to her was easier than expected. George caught her eye across the room and moments later she was walking over to him. Fred reacted immediately and left George alone.
“I know you,” she said with a smile.
“Oh do you?” he replied.
“You’re one of the Weasley twins. But the question is which one…”
“Obviously I’m the more charming and attractive one,” he said.
“Which would make you…”
“George,” they both said at the same time. “Now the real question is, do you know who I am?”
“Of course I do. You are Molly Wilson,” he said, reading her nametag. “You’re a Thunderbird and you like Kenmare quidditch and the Weird Sisters.”
“Very good,” she smiled. “So…why are you here?” she challenged.
“I’m here for you, love.”
“For me?”
“I assumed that you’d be here and I thought I might have a second chance.”
“Ah, changed your mind huh?”
“No actually. I knew I liked you that night.”
“Funny way of showing it,” she commented.
“I know I made a bad first impression, but I’m here now. Let me take you out to dinner.”
“What’s in it for me?” she contemplated.
“Not much. Just a good meal with a charming bloke,” George said. She stood there for a moment, thinking.
“Okay,” she smiled shyly.
“Wow, that was easier than I expected.”
“Let’s just say…you’ve piqued my interest,” she said coyly.
“Hey, I’ll take what I can get. Now finish your drink.”
“Trying to get me drunk now?” she said, swirling her glass of wine.
“Oh no, nothing like that love. We actually have a dinner reservation in about 20 minutes.”
She choked on her wine ever so slightly and said, “Excuse me?”
“I said we have a dinner reservation in 20 minutes.”
“But…tonight?” she asked, still trying to wrap her head around George’s words.
“Yes tonight,” he chuckled. “Don’t tell me you actually want to stick around this place.”
“No, I don’t. You just…took me by surprise is all.”
“I’m full of surprises,” he smirked. “Now drink up,” he said, clinking his rocks glass with her wine glass. The two finished their drinks and George held out his arm. Molly hooked her arm with his as he escorted her out of Gringotts. George made eye contact and nodded at Fred as they walked out and he was silently applauding them. George took a deep breath and smiled. Part one of their plan had worked.
series description: On an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. And then suddenly loses her. What lengths will he go to in order to find her?
word count: 2.7k
warnings: slight language
taglist: @p0gues4l @amourtentiaa @305weasley
series masterlist
X
“Ready George?” Fred called. George had been fixing his hair for the last 20 minutes. He wanted to make sure he looked perfect.
“Just a few more minutes!” he called to his brother. Fred popped his head into the bathroom where George was running his fingers through his hair. “Do I look okay?” George asked.
“You look as handsome as always. But perhaps a little over-styled…” George’s hair was gelled into place, an unusual look for him. Fred ruffled his auburn locks, releasing his hair from the hold of the gel. “Much better,” he stated. George looked polished, yet casual with his newly messy hair. He looked good without looking like he was trying too hard. It was perfect.
George thanked his brother and they gathered their things to head to the concert. George had immediately bought them tickets to the Weird Sisters when he saw the poster. Not only was Fred excited for his brother to meet up with his soul mate, but he was happy to have a night out.
“So, do you have a plan for tonight?” Fred asked.
George shrugged and said, “I hadn’t really thought about it. I’ll know what to do once I see her.”
“Do you need a wingman? You know I’m terrific at that,” Fred stated.
“I actually feel perfectly charming tonight. I think I’ll be alright on my own, but I will happily fix you up with whatever friend she’s with.”
“Ah, how kind of you Georgie.” The two reached the crowded club and headed straight to the bar for a drink. George immediately had his radar on, searching for Molly. He wanted to spot her first, and then he would figure out how to talk to her. Being tall was certainly advantageous in this situation, but there were still a lot of people to sift through and it was rather dark.
Fred handed George a brew and they found a spot near the door, keeping an eye on concertgoers still filtering in.
“Remind me what she looks like again?” Fred asked, scanning the crowd.
“She’s small, maybe 5’ 2” or 5’ 3” and she has straight dark brown hair that’s about shoulder length. And she has light eyes and freckles and the most amazing smile. It’s like-“
“I can work with that,” Fred said, cutting him off. George decided to take a lap around the venue to see if he spotted Molly. Fred would stay by the door and watch to see if she walked in.
George took his time walking around, studying anyone that showed even the slightest resemblance. But he knew as soon as he saw her, his heart would skip a beat and that would be the indicator he needed. He circled the place once more but still couldn’t find her. George made his way back towards Fred and noticed he was engaged in conversation with a woman. It should have annoyed him that Fred was distracted, but oddly enough it didn’t. He joined his brother and was briefly introduced to the new dame before they quickly parted ways.
“Sorry mate. I promise she came up to me, I was focused on finding your girl,” Fred said.
“Don’t worry about it. You’re allowed some fun. Besides, I don’t think she’s here yet.” The two of them eventually migrated toward the stage, as the opening act came on. Every so often Fred would nudge George and point to a short brunette, to which George would shake his head. He was starting to get nervous that she wouldn’t come, but he held out hope. After all, she had said she never misses a show. George tried to relax and enjoy the concert. He had plenty of time to find her.
As the opener’s set was coming to a close, George made a trip to the bar for another round of drinks. The bar was essentially empty and he easily placed his order and waited for the bartender to pour a round of fire whiskey. His order finished the bottle, so he had to wait a few moments as the barback went in back to grab a replacement. He leaned on the bar to wait and suddenly there was someone next to him.
“Can I get two fire whiskeys please?” the voice said. George froze, recognizing the sweet American accent.
“It’ll be just a moment. We’re waiting on a new bottle,” said the barkeep.
“I suppose I should apologize for that,” George said, turning to her. She looked up at him and he was immediately struck by her piercing green eyes. George smiled at her and she smiled back.
“Finishing all the fire whiskey and making me wait for a drink. How dare you,” she joked.
“I know. I’m surprised they haven’t kicked me out yet.”
“Oh I can make that happen, do you want me to get the bouncer?” she said sarcastically.
“Careful love. If you do that, I won’t be able to pay for your drinks.”
“I am perfectly capable of buying my drinks,” she said.
“I know you are, but I want to buy your drinks. It’s the least I can do.”
“The least you can do?”
“I believe I owe you for a night of wonderful conversation in complete darkness.”
George smiled at her and something in her expression changed slightly, like she was putting everything together.
“Oh shit,” she said, looking him up and down, “George Weasley. You really need to have your storefront redone. It doesn’t do you justice.”
“Oh, that’s Fred out front. If it were me he’d be much more handsome.”
She laughed, “How’d you know it was me?”
“Not many people in London with an American accent.”
“Ah of course. That is my giveaway.”
The bartender placed four glasses in front of them and George quickly paid before Molly could protest.
“Are you here with Angelina?” she nodded and he added, “Fred and I are standing right over there if you’d like to join us. I will make sure that Fred is on his best behavior.”
“What about you? Are you going to be on your best behavior?”
“I can’t make any promises,” he smirked. She smiled and said, “I’ll grab her and we’ll come right over.”
George returned to Fred as the crowd started to migrate toward the bar for a refill before the Weird Sisters came on.
“I found her,” George said with a stupid grin on his face.
“I never doubted you for a second.”
“And she’s coming over here. With Angelina. So please don’t ruin this for me.”
“I will be the perfect gentleman,” he said.
“I don’t believe that for a second,” George replied.
Fred shrugged as Molly and Angelina joined them.
“Well, well, well…if it isn’t Fred Weasley,” Angelina said.
“Ang! Darling, how are you?” He said, kissing both her cheeks. She rolled her eyes but smiled. Molly fell into place next to George and said, “Is he always like this?”
“More or less.”
“Then they should get along great,” she joked.
“I have to say Molly, I am a little offended that you haven’t come into the shop yet. You claim to be a troublemaker.”
“Oh I am. I just don’t need cheap tricks to play pranks.”
George dramatically put his hand over his heart, “Ouch.”
“Are you that fragile? I have so much more to dish out.”
“I can take it, as long as you can take it back.”
“Do your worst,” she said.
“I didn’t want to have to bring up Kenmare this early, but if you insist.”
She shook her head and smiled, “Damn, hit me where it hurts the most.”
“How about we call a temporary truce. You don’t insult me, I don’t insult you, and we enjoy the concert.”
“Okay, but just until the concert ends,” she held out her hand and George shook it.
The lights went down and the crowd started cheering as the band came out on stage. Molly cheered and a huge smile spread across her face as the music started. George shifted his attention between the band and Molly, as she mouthed every word and moved to the music. Fred and Angelina took turns bringing them drinks and George realized he was feeling a little more than tipsy. And by the looks of it, so was Molly.
Towards the end of the set, Molly turned toward him and grabbed his hand, saying “This is one of my favorites!” She then pulled him forward and started dancing with him. It started out innocent enough, with the two of them facing each other and moving to the music. And then Molly took George’s hand and turned around so that she was dancing in front of him, her body pressed ever so slightly against his. The height difference between them was almost comical, with him at 6’3” and her barely at 5’3”.
The song came to an end and the mood shifted as the Weird Sisters played one of their few slower songs. Molly took George’s other hand and lightly wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She leaned her head back into his chest as they swayed to the music, watching the band the whole time. George was trying to suppress the butterflies that were currently in his stomach and simply enjoy the moment. Soon the music ended and it appeared the concert was over. Molly turned around and gave George a small smile. She motioned with her fingers for him to come closer and he bent down. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and George took her hand and squeezed it as they separated.
People started filtering out now as the lights came back on. Molly and George were still holding hands as they followed Fred and Angelina, who were bantering back and forth, and George sighed in relief when they felt the cool spring air hit them. The four of them walked about a block and stopped, determining their next move. Molly and Angelina were talking to each other when Fred said, “Would either of you care for a pint at the Leaky Cauldron?”
Angelina looked toward Molly for an answer and she replied, “I wish we could, but we should get back. Rain check?”
“Sure,” George said. The four of them stood there awkwardly for a moment when Fred broke the silence.
“Well my lady, it has been a pleasure,” Fred said, kissing Angelina’s hand. She rolled her eyes and Fred gently pulled her away from George and Molly. George heard her say, “What are you doing?” and Fred replied, “Shhh…I’m giving them some privacy.”
“That was subtle,” Molly commented.
“For what it’s worth, I had a great time tonight,” George said.
“Me too,” she nodded.
“Listen Molly, would you like to go out sometime?”
“Oh, so now that you know what I look like, you’re suddenly interested?” she challenged.
“Ah that’s actually not it at all,” she waited for further explanation. “I was interested that night in the dark. And I tried to tell you before we walked out, but you stopped me.”
“You certainly didn’t seem interested.”
George sighed, “I know. I’m still trying to figure out what happened to me that night. I was nervous and I froze up.”
“You don’t strike me as the nervous type.”
“I’m usually not, but you were perfect and I didn’t want to say the wrong thing and screw it up.”
She ran her fingers through her hair and said, “Shit George, I really wish you would’ve told me that when we first met.”
“Why’s that?” he asked.
“Because I liked you, but now I’m sort of seeing someone.”
“Oh,” he said, disappointed.
“It’s new, but it’s been going well.”
“How’d you two meet?”
“It was at a Prophet party a few weeks ago. I met him towards the end of the night and we went out for a drink afterwards.”
George looked down at his feet and nodded, “Sure, got it. I…uh…I hope it goes well.”
“I’m sorry George,” she said sincerely.
“It’s fine, really. I hope you had fun tonight,” he said, making his way back toward Fred. Molly stood there and watched him tread back to Fred, with a look of uncertainty on her face. Angelina rushed back towards her and the two took off.
“How’d it go?” Fred asked.
George just shook his head, “She has a boyfriend.”
“You’re joking,” Fred said. George shook his head again, “Well she certainly wasn’t acting like she had a boyfriend in there.”
“I should’ve told her that first night. Things would’ve been completely different.”
Fred consoled him as they apparated back to the apartment. George sat down at the table and Fred immediately opened two butterbeers for them.
“I never thought I could go from feeling so happy to so sad in such a short period of time.”
“Alright mate, before you get carried away in the dramatics, let’s go through the facts. Molly likes you. As evidenced in the way she was acting around you tonight.”
“Maybe she’s just flirty. And we had been drinking a lot.”
“I don’t buy that. The way Molly was looking at you, she wasn’t just flirting. And she told you to your face that she likes you.”
“No, she said she liked me. As in past tense.”
“Don’t get hung up on that. The way I saw it, she was more than interested in you tonight.”
“What does it matter,” George stated, taking another sip of his drink.
“Stay with me here. We know that she started dating someone only a few weeks ago. It’s a new relationship. Things could happen.”
“Sure, but I don’t know that I have the patience to wait for something to happen.”
“Have you thought about just trying to be friends with her for now?”
“The last thing I want to do is put myself in the friend zone. I don’t want to see her with someone else who makes her happy.”
“Fair enough,” Fred said as he took a big sip from his drink. Seeing George hurting was killing him, and he knew he had to take action to help him. “Did she tell you how she met this boyfriend?”
“Yeah, she said they met at a Prophet event a few weeks ago,” George replied.
Fred got up and started sifting through the pile of mail sitting on the table. “Could it be this Daily Prophet Fundraiser we were invited to about two weeks ago?” Fred asked with a grimace, holding up an invitation they had received.
“Fuck, Fred,” George said, putting his head in his hands. Fred always went through the mail, and truthfully he didn’t think anything of this invitation. The Prophet was always inviting them to events since they often took out advertisements in the paper. Fred hadn’t put two and two together. He recalled George saying Molly worked for the Daily Prophet but they never attended the events they were invited to it. Out of habit he pushed the invitation aside.
“I’m sorry, I never even thought about it.”
He sighed, “I know, I know. It’s not your fault.”
“But we can fix this,” Fred said, a smile spreading over his face.
“We can?” George asked.
“We can. With the time turner.”
“Fred…” George said, concerned.
“Don’t argue with me. We can totally do this. You know she likes you. We just have to find her before this other guy does.” George was considering the offer when Fred added, “Do you really think she’s the one?”
“Yes.”
“Then we need to do this. Or else it might never happen for you two.”
“I want to, more than anything, but it’s risky Fred.”
“I know it’s risky, and this decision is up to you. But just know I will be there with you if you want to go.”
George was weighing the pros and cons in his head. He knew messing with time could be dangerous, but this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. He chugged the rest of his butterbeer and said, “Let’s do it.” Fred finished his butterbeer with a smile and the two planned out how exactly this would go down.
“Don’t leave me,” George moaned, as you got out of bed.
“It’ll just be for a second! I’m cold.” The two of you had been cuddling in bed after a particularly satisfying round of intercourse. Despite the body heat radiating off of George’s bare skin, it was a cold and rainy night in Scotland and you were shivering under the covers without any clothes on.
You tip-toed around his dormitory and grabbed an oliver green sweater that was draped over a chair. You pulled the sweater over your head with ease as the oversized sweater swallowed you up.
George looked at you lovingly and said, “You have never been more beautiful.” You blushed and jumped back into bed with George, nuzzling your head into the crook of his neck.
“I love wearing your cozy sweaters.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Mhm, and this one is my favorite,” you said, tracing the gold uppercase G that was found on the sweater.
“You know what, that reminds me. I have something for you.” George got up and ruffled through his chest to pull out a parcel wrapped in brown paper. George tossed it onto your lap and joined you in his bed.
“A present?!” you said excitedly. George nodded and you started unwrapping the package. Inside you found an olive knit fabric, similar to the sweater you were currently wearing. You pulled the garment out of the wrapping and found a handknit sweater with your first initial in gold on the front.
“Mum sent that for you.”
“She made this for me?”
He nodded, “You’re part of the family.”
You couldn’t hide the smile creeping up your face and you wrapped your arms around George’s neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“I love it,” you whispered in his ear.
“Do me a favor though. Don’t try it on just yet. I like you in my clothes.”
“Don’t leave me,” George moaned, as you got out of bed.
“It’ll just be for a second! I’m cold.” The two of you had been cuddling in bed after a particularly satisfying round of intercourse. Despite the body heat radiating off of George’s bare skin, it was a cold and rainy night in Scotland and you were shivering under the covers without any clothes on.
You tip-toed around his dormitory and grabbed an olive green sweater that was draped over a chair. You pulled the sweater over your head with ease as the oversized sweater swallowed you up.
George looked at you lovingly and said, “You have never been more beautiful.” You blushed and jumped back into bed with George, nuzzling your head into the crook of his neck.
“I love wearing your cozy sweaters.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Mhm, and this one is my favorite,” you said, tracing the gold uppercase G that was found on the sweater.
“You know what, that reminds me. I have something for you.” George got up and ruffled through his chest to pull out a parcel wrapped in brown paper. George tossed it onto your lap and joined you in his bed.
“A present?!” you said excitedly. George nodded and you started unwrapping the package. Inside you found an olive knit fabric, similar to the sweater you were currently wearing. You pulled the garment out of the wrapping and found a hand-knit sweater with your first initial in gold on the front.
“Mum sent that for you.”
“She made this for me?”
He nodded, “You’re part of the family.”
You couldn’t hide the smile creeping up your face and you wrapped your arms around George’s neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“I love it,” you whispered in his ear.
“Do me a favor though. Don’t try it on just yet. I like you in my clothes.”
series description: On an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. And then suddenly loses her. What lengths will he go to in order to find her?
word count: 699
taglist: @p0gues4l @amourtentiaa @305weasley
series masterlist
For weeks George woke up every morning with the hope that today might finally be the day that he saw Molly again. He’d stock the shelves of the store and gaze out the window, hoping to see her face in the crowd. After all, she did say she walked by the shop every day. It seemed it would only be a matter of time. He became an expert people watcher. Every few weeks he would switch up his routine, trying out different coffee shops hoping he might run into Molly. But she never made an appearance. The closest he got to her was reading the sports section of the Prophet. George knew that she had read all those same words and her influence went into each of the articles. When he read the quidditch standings, he made sure to pay special attention to Kenmare and how they were faring.
George was surprised at how positive he had been about the whole situation. He half expected to give up and mope around the house when he couldn’t find her immediately. But it was the opposite. It was more like the chance of seeing her each day fueled him. It was like the world’s longest game of hide and seek and he loved playing games.
On one particular morning, he went out for his morning coffee and it happened to be pouring rain. Before stepping outside, he considered just going back upstairs and making some coffee but he continued to the coffee shop, wanting to go for a walk. The streets were quieter than usual which meant it was even more unlikely he would run into Molly. Nonetheless, he continued on, enjoying the rain. For some reason the rain always calmed him down and helped him relax.
As he entered the vacant coffee shop, the barista greeted him with a warm smile.
“George, I’m surprised to see you this morning. Seems the rain has scared everyone off,” she said. The barista’s name was Eleanor and she reminded George of his mother.
“It’s going to take a lot more than rain to scare me off.”
“The usual?” she asked.
“You know…I think I’ll mix it up today. Can I get a flat white and a chocolate croissant?”
“Coming right up!” she said. Eleanor started the espresso machine and George added, “So Eleanor, any sign of my soulmate yet?” George had a habit of sharing his stories with some of the local shop owners. Despite his connections, none of them had spotted Molly.
“I’ve told you, I’ll send an owl the minute she walks in the shop.”
“I know, I know. But I had to ask.”
“I do hope you find her, dear. She sounds lovely and you of all people deserve to be happy.”
“Thank you Eleanor,” she placed the coffee cup on the counter next to a brown bag with the croissant. Before he could pay her for breakfast, she held her hand up. “On the house, dear.”
“Eleanor-“ he protested.
“I will not accept your money. Don’t even argue.” George smiled at her and made a note that he would have to bring her some free product samples for her grandchildren the next time he came in.
George made his way back outside and headed back to the shop. After a few steps, he stopped and decided to take the scenic route and enjoy the empty sidewalks and cool air. He sipped his coffee and took his time walking back to the shop. He wasn’t particularly in a rush, knowing business would be slower today. He looked into each of the shop windows on his way, waving to his colleagues as he passed, when something suddenly caught his eye.
He stopped and noticed a posting next to Madam Malkin’s. He didn’t usually notice things like this, but the design of this poster was striking. It was black with white bold text and George moved closer to read the details. He dropped his coffee cup and a big smile spread across his face.
This was it. This was exactly what he needed. He had an opportunity to see Molly again. The Weird Sisters were playing a show in London on Saturday.
series description: On an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. And then suddenly loses her. What lengths will he go to in order to find her?
word count: 2.7k
taglist: @p0gues4l @amourtentiaa (let me know if you want to be added!)
series masterlist
X
“Fred, why are we doing this? It’s utterly ridiculous.”
“Oh come on now, it’s an experience!”
“I’d hardly consider eating in the dark an experience,” George scoffed. He was flabbergasted when Fred signed them up for this “blind” dating experience. Fred never had trouble meeting women at the bar, but he kept saying he needed a change of pace.
“You never know what tonight might lead to Georgie. Maybe you’ll meet your soulmate,” Fred said as he raised his eyebrows. They walked into the chic restaurant where the lobby was dimly lit. As they checked in, the host explained that all the waiters in the restaurant were blind. All part of the “experience.” One of the waiters requested they grab onto his shoulder and a few moments later they were escorted down the stairs and behind a black curtain into complete darkness. As they walked back, the waiter explained that the idea behind the dining experience is that the total darkness enhances the other senses, creating a truly unique dining experience. As they got to table, he added that the darkness cultivates an environment to truly connect with people.
“I hate this already,” George said.
“Shh…” Fred said, as he kicked George under the table.. It was then George noticed there was movement next to them. Their dates had arrived.
“Hello ladies. I’m Fred and this here’s George.” Fred greeted.
“Oh well hello,” a voice said, “I’m Angelina.”
“Hi, I’m Molly,” said the person sitting next to George. She had a soft and earnest voice with an American accent.
“Nice to meet you, Molly’s my mother’s name actually,” George responded.
“Oh…does it…suit her?” she asked.
“I reckon it does. Although, she’s a bit sturdy so Bernard might have been a better fit.”
She laughed lightly and said, “Okay.” After a momentary pause she asked, “So have you ever been here before?”
“I haven’t.”
“Me neither. To be honest, I’m not completely sold on this concept yet. I genuinely like to be able to see my food and the people I’m eating with.”
“Exactly. Fred had twist my arm to even get me here.”
“Glad that we’re in the same boat. Not that I’m not excited to meet you or anything…” she added. “Oh, something just touched my elbow,” she whispered.
“That wasn’t me,” George quickly said.
“Well that just makes it worse! If it wasn’t you, who was it?”
“It wasn’t me…because I’m touching something else,” Fred stated.
“Yes, and you’ll stop that right away, thank you,” Angelina responded.
A waiter approached and began filling the empty glasses. George found the glass in front of him and took a big swing before realizing that the glasses had been filled with wine and he choked slightly.
“You okay there?” Molly asked him.
“That is not water,” he said. She giggled as she took a more reasonable sip from her wine glass.
“You might be onto something there. Maybe we should just get drunk,” She whispered.
George smiled and said, “Cheers to that.” He held up his glass and within seconds he felt her glass lightly tap his, which was impressive considering the complete darkness.
“So, girls, be honest. Who is more beautiful?” Fred asked. George knew he was joking, but he was partially concerned the girls wouldn’t pick up on his subtleties.
“Oh, I am,” Angelina said.
“She is,” Molly added.
“Excellent!” Fred beamed. George tried not to roll his eyes and luckily Molly interrupted his thoughts.
“So George, what do you do for a living?” she asked.
“My brother and I own a joke shop in Diagon Alley. Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes.”
“Oh no way! I walk past that shop everyday. And what made you start that?”
“Honestly, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life. At school we were always coming up with inventions for pranks and we quickly realized that we could make money doing what we loved.”
“That’s amazing. And I’m assuming you went to Hogwarts?”
“You would be correct. Now what’s your story? Ilvermorny and then how’d you get here?”
“Yes, I was a Thunderbird at Ilvermorny and once I finished school I wanted to do something different, explore a little. So I moved to London and worked some odd jobs for a while and now I’m an editor at the Daily Prophet.”
“Ah, if you’re responsible for fact checking Rita Skeeter, I think you should pursue another career path.”
“Very funny,” she said, taking another sip of wine. “My area is much less controversial. I’m a sports editor.”
George’s ears perked up at that. “What’s your team?” he asked.
“Kenmare. I have family in Ireland so I was born and raised a Kestrals fan. And let me guess, you follow the…Chudley Cannons?” she said, throwing out a blind guess.
George chuckled, “Puddlemere United. Although your instincts are good, my younger brother is obsessed with the Cannons.”
“Puddlemere…that’s respectable. They’re having a good year. Been to any matches yet?”
“I’ve been meaning to, but haven’t gotten to it this season. Too busy with the shop.”
“You should go if you get the chance. They are unbelievable to watch. The Chasers are just so in sync, it’s mesmerizing.”
“Did you play at all?” he asked.
“I was a Keeper. I miss being out on the pitch. Just something about the buzz that was in the air and having your whole house out there cheering for you. No better feeling.”
George smiled, thinking about the days he spent playing Quidditch for Gryffindor. She perfectly described what it was like to play and he hadn’t realized how much he had missed the crowd calling his name whenever he took out an opponent with a bludger.
“Fred and I were Beaters. It seems like those were the best years of my life.”
“Oh don’t tell me you peaked in school. Just when I thought I had met someone interesting.”
George thought carefully about his response. “I’m happy with my life, but we’re adults now. There was something about being younger, having your whole life ahead of you and not having to worry about paying bills and making a living. I miss the simpler times.”
“I can understand that. I do miss sneaking fire whiskey into the dorms. It’s not as fun when you can just go and buy it.” He smiled at her statement, remembering his own teenage shenanigans.
“You would’ve had fun with us at Hogwarts.”
“You don’t strike me as a troublemaker, George,” she said.
He chuckled and replied, “That’s because I’m on my best behavior tonight.”
“Well that’s no fun,” Molly flirted.
Suddenly, George felt himself get nervous. He hadn’t been on a proper date in a while and he wasn’t sure how to act or what to say. He felt tense instead of his usual carefree self. He realized that he might actually like this girl.
“So…what kind of music do you like?” she asked.
“I mostly listen to rock. Recently it’s been a lot of the Weird Sisters.”
“Oh I love the Weird Sisters!” she exclaimed. “I see them every time they come to London.”
“They’re great live. They played at one of our balls in school and it was incredible.”
“That sounds amazing,” she beamed. There was movement near them as the waiter placed what George assumed was the main course in front of them.
“Looks great,” he said. Molly laughed a genuine laugh as opposed to a polite chuckle and George felt butterflies at the sound of it. He never thought he could be so attracted to a voice. Something about her seemed special. The four of them ate and sounds of silverware filled the air as they did.
“I’m still not completely sold on this experience, but I will say this meal has been delicious,” she spoke. George was racking his brain for a response that might induce some conversation when Molly added, “The company hasn’t been too bad either.”
Before he could respond, Angelina said, “I’m going to run to the loo. Mol, will you join me?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said, putting down her silverware. George was grateful for a few minutes to drum up some conversation topics as their dates vacated the table.
“How’s it going?” Fred asked him.
“Good…she seems great. I’m just rubbish at dates.”
“Well don’t sweat it. I’m going to invite Angelina back to our place after this. Maybe Molly will come too.”
“Is it really going that well over there?”
“I mean I’m not gonna marry the girl, but we’re getting along well enough.”
“Does it bother you that you don’t know what she looks like?” George asked.
“Sure, but I’ve never been one to shy away from risk.” George shook his head. Fred and George were on completely different wavelengths when it came to women. Fred was never concerned with commitment and was always living in the moment. But George was the opposite. He didn’t want to waste time on someone if it wasn’t going to turn into something meaningful.
Molly and Angelina returned to the table just as the dessert course was placed in front of them.
“I need to know…is the washroom pitch black as well?” he asked.
Molly giggled and said, “Now that would’ve solidified my opinion of this restaurant concept.”
They ate in silence for a moment when Molly asked, “So what’s your family like?”
“Big. I have five brothers and a sister.”
“Wow, and where do you fall in that mix?”
“In the middle. Fred and I are twins and then there are three brothers older than us and a younger brother and sister.”
“I’m sure you had fun growing up with such a big family.”
“I don’t think I always appreciated it when I was growing up, but now I love having such a big family.”
“That’s awesome.”
“And what about you?”
“I have two younger sisters. We grew up pretty close so it is tough to be so far from them.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen them?”
“Since the holidays. I always come home for Christmas and usually my family will come out for a visit at some point in the spring or summer.”
“Do you ever think about moving back home?”
She paused for a moment, “No, I don’t think so. It seems like this is where I’m meant to be.”
George had finished off the glass of wine in front of him and he realized the waiter had cleared all the plates and their visionless meal was ending. He took a deep breath, wondering where this night would take them. He just wanted to see her. He wanted to look into her eyes and confirm there was a true connection between them. They all stood up from the table and Molly and George walked out as a pair toward the lobby, with Fred and Angelina in their wake.
It was quiet as George racked his brain for what to say. He couldn’t recall feeling this nervous around someone he barely knew. As they reached the curtain, he stopped her in an attempt to express his feelings. He didn’t want her thinking he was just interested in her based on her looks.
“Molly, I…erm…I just wanted to-“
“Oh George it’s okay, you don’t have to do this. I can tell when someone’s not interested in me. But thank you for making this dinner bearable.”
Before he could protest, Angelina came whizzing by in a huff. “Come on Molly,” she said grabbing Molly’s arm and leading her through the curtain. George just stood there frozen when he noticed Fred by his side.
“Well, read that one wrong,” he said.
“What the hell happened?” George asked.
“I may have whispered some sexually suggestive things to her that she did not take very well. How’d things go with you?”
“I dunno. I thought it was going well, but I may not have made a good impression.”
“Do you like her?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Then go get her!” George followed his advice and slid through the curtain, excited to see Molly for the first time.
But she wasn’t there. George walked through the front door, hoping she might be outside, but the street was empty. He hung his head and kicked himself for the way he let things transpire.
“She’s gone,” George said as Fred walked through the door.
“Ah rotten luck mate. Sorry to hear it. Shall we go for a pint?”
“I think I’ll just head home,” he said. Fred nodded and they walked down the street a bit before apparating back home.
X
George couldn’t sleep that night. He kept thinking that he had missed out on something special. He replayed every minute of that night in his head, thinking about how he should’ve been more engaged in the conversation and flirted with her more. George certainly knew how to flirt and he could not figure out why he froze up with Molly.
Eventually he got up and moved to the kitchen to pour a fire whiskey. He needed something to take the edge off and numb the feeling of regret. He tried to forget about this girl but the more he did, the more he convinced himself that if he just saw her, he would know. And it wasn’t just about physical attraction, although that was certainly a part of it. He just needed to see her. The mystery was driving him crazy.
After his second glass of fire whiskey, he started to think about how he could make his hope a reality. He considered visiting the Daily Prophet and trying to find her there, but that didn’t quite feel right. He could write a letter and suggest that they meet up, but the suspense of waiting on a response would kill him. Then it suddenly hit him.
He ran into the room and started fumbling through a junk drawer, looking for one thing in particular. He started throwing aside Extendable Ears and miscellaneous Skiving Snackboxes before he finally found it. All the rummaging seemed to have woken Fred because a moment later his voice came from the doorway.
“What are you doing?” he looked half asleep, but still concerned.
“I couldn’t sleep. I can’t stop thinking about Molly. I just need to see her.”
“Well it seems a bit late for that now, eh?”
“No, it’s not,” George said holding up the thin gold chain that held a spinning hourglass on the end.
“Mate, that’s a terrible idea. Time isn’t to be meddled with.”
He put the time turner around his neck. “I can do this. I won’t interact with anyone. I’ll just stand outside and have a smoke while she walks out. No conversation, no nothing.”
Fred let out a deep sigh, knowing this was a losing battle. “Just don’t be stupid. And don’t get caught.” With that, he spun the time turner four times and closed his eyes. He immediately disapparated to the restaurant and hid in the alley way across the street. It was only a few moments until Angelina and Molly would leave the restaurant. George considered his options and thought it was best to stay hidden, he didn’t want to have an awkward run in with his past self.
He waited for what seemed like an eternity (but was probably only a few minutes) when the front door opened. A dark skinned woman with long braids was leading the charge, pulling the arm of another woman. She had fair skin, covered in freckles and deep brown hair that hit just below her shoulders. She was petite, probably around 5’3” and very slender. But the most striking thing about her was her smile. He heard their voices and immediately recognized the American accent that belonged to the freckled woman. Angelina was explaining what had just happened and Molly stood there, reacting with a new facial expression after every sentence. And then she laughed and George felt his heart stop. She was the one. It seemed crazy for him to think that considering he had just met her, but he knew. He watched the two of them walk down the cobblestone street as he tried to commit every detail of Molly to memory. Next came the tricky part, finding her.
series description: On an unexpected night out, George meets the love of his life. And then suddenly loses her. What lengths will he go to in order to find her?
word count: 2.7k
taglist: @p0gues4l @amourtentiaa (let me know if you want to be added!)
series masterlist
X
“Fred, why are we doing this? It’s utterly ridiculous.”
“Oh come on now, it’s an experience!”
“I’d hardly consider eating in the dark an experience,” George scoffed. He was flabbergasted when Fred signed them up for this “blind” dating experience. Fred never had trouble meeting women at the bar, but he kept saying he needed a change of pace.
“You never know what tonight might lead to Georgie. Maybe you’ll meet your soulmate,” Fred said as he raised his eyebrows. They walked into the chic restaurant where the lobby was dimly lit. As they checked in, the host explained that all the waiters in the restaurant were blind. All part of the “experience.” One of the waiters requested they grab onto his shoulder and a few moments later they were escorted down the stairs and behind a black curtain into complete darkness. As they walked back, the waiter explained that the idea behind the dining experience is that the total darkness enhances the other senses, creating a truly unique dining experience. As they got to table, he added that the darkness cultivates an environment to truly connect with people.
“I hate this already,” George said.
“Shh…” Fred said, as he kicked George under the table.. It was then George noticed there was movement next to them. Their dates had arrived.
“Hello ladies. I’m Fred and this here’s George.” Fred greeted.
“Oh well hello,” a voice said, “I’m Angelina.”
“Hi, I’m Molly,” said the person sitting next to George. She had a soft and earnest voice with an American accent.
“Nice to meet you, Molly’s my mother’s name actually,” George responded.
“Oh…does it…suit her?” she asked.
“I reckon it does. Although, she’s a bit sturdy so Bernard might have been a better fit.”
She laughed lightly and said, “Okay.” After a momentary pause she asked, “So have you ever been here before?”
“I haven’t.”
“Me neither. To be honest, I’m not completely sold on this concept yet. I genuinely like to be able to see my food and the people I’m eating with.”
“Exactly. Fred had twist my arm to even get me here.”
“Glad that we’re in the same boat. Not that I’m not excited to meet you or anything…” she added. “Oh, something just touched my elbow,” she whispered.
“That wasn’t me,” George quickly said.
“Well that just makes it worse! If it wasn’t you, who was it?”
“It wasn’t me…because I’m touching something else,” Fred stated.
“Yes, and you’ll stop that right away, thank you,” Angelina responded.
A waiter approached and began filling the empty glasses. George found the glass in front of him and took a big swing before realizing that the glasses had been filled with wine and he choked slightly.
“You okay there?” Molly asked him.
“That is not water,” he said. She giggled as she took a more reasonable sip from her wine glass.
“You might be onto something there. Maybe we should just get drunk,” She whispered.
George smiled and said, “Cheers to that.” He held up his glass and within seconds he felt her glass lightly tap his, which was impressive considering the complete darkness.
“So, girls, be honest. Who is more beautiful?” Fred asked. George knew he was joking, but he was partially concerned the girls wouldn’t pick up on his subtleties.
“Oh, I am,” Angelina said.
“She is,” Molly added.
“Excellent!” Fred beamed. George tried not to roll his eyes and luckily Molly interrupted his thoughts.
“So George, what do you do for a living?” she asked.
“My brother and I own a joke shop in Diagon Alley. Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes.”
“Oh no way! I walk past that shop everyday. And what made you start that?”
“Honestly, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life. At school we were always coming up with inventions for pranks and we quickly realized that we could make money doing what we loved.”
“That’s amazing. And I’m assuming you went to Hogwarts?”
“You would be correct. Now what’s your story? Ilvermorny and then how’d you get here?”
“Yes, I was a Thunderbird at Ilvermorny and once I finished school I wanted to do something different, explore a little. So I moved to London and worked some odd jobs for a while and now I’m an editor at the Daily Prophet.”
“Ah, if you’re responsible for fact checking Rita Skeeter, I think you should pursue another career path.”
“Very funny,” she said, taking another sip of wine. “My area is much less controversial. I’m a sports editor.”
George’s ears perked up at that. “What’s your team?” he asked.
“Kenmare. I have family in Ireland so I was born and raised a Kestrals fan. And let me guess, you follow the…Chudley Cannons?” she said, throwing out a blind guess.
George chuckled, “Puddlemere United. Although your instincts are good, my younger brother is obsessed with the Cannons.”
“Puddlemere…that’s respectable. They’re having a good year. Been to any matches yet?”
“I’ve been meaning to, but haven’t gotten to it this season. Too busy with the shop.”
“You should go if you get the chance. They are unbelievable to watch. The Chasers are just so in sync, it’s mesmerizing.”
“Did you play at all?” he asked.
“I was a Keeper. I miss being out on the pitch. Just something about the buzz that was in the air and having your whole house out there cheering for you. No better feeling.”
George smiled, thinking about the days he spent playing Quidditch for Gryffindor. She perfectly described what it was like to play and he hadn’t realized how much he had missed the crowd calling his name whenever he took out an opponent with a bludger.
“Fred and I were Beaters. It seems like those were the best years of my life.”
“Oh don’t tell me you peaked in school. Just when I thought I had met someone interesting.”
George thought carefully about his response. “I’m happy with my life, but we’re adults now. There was something about being younger, having your whole life ahead of you and not having to worry about paying bills and making a living. I miss the simpler times.”
“I can understand that. I do miss sneaking fire whiskey into the dorms. It’s not as fun when you can just go and buy it.” He smiled at her statement, remembering his own teenage shenanigans.
“You would’ve had fun with us at Hogwarts.”
“You don’t strike me as a troublemaker, George,” she said.
He chuckled and replied, “That’s because I’m on my best behavior tonight.”
“Well that’s no fun,” Molly flirted.
Suddenly, George felt himself get nervous. He hadn’t been on a proper date in a while and he wasn’t sure how to act or what to say. He felt tense instead of his usual carefree self. He realized that he might actually like this girl.
“So…what kind of music do you like?” she asked.
“I mostly listen to rock. Recently it’s been a lot of the Weird Sisters.”
“Oh I love the Weird Sisters!” she exclaimed. “I see them every time they come to London.”
“They’re great live. They played at one of our balls in school and it was incredible.”
“That sounds amazing,” she beamed. There was movement near them as the waiter placed what George assumed was the main course in front of them.
“Looks great,” he said. Molly laughed a genuine laugh as opposed to a polite chuckle and George felt butterflies at the sound of it. He never thought he could be so attracted to a voice. Something about her seemed special. The four of them ate and sounds of silverware filled the air as they did.
“I’m still not completely sold on this experience, but I will say this meal has been delicious,” she spoke. George was racking his brain for a response that might induce some conversation when Molly added, “The company hasn’t been too bad either.”
Before he could respond, Angelina said, “I’m going to run to the loo. Mol, will you join me?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said, putting down her silverware. George was grateful for a few minutes to drum up some conversation topics as their dates vacated the table.
“How’s it going?” Fred asked him.
“Good…she seems great. I’m just rubbish at dates.”
“Well don’t sweat it. I’m going to invite Angelina back to our place after this. Maybe Molly will come too.”
“Is it really going that well over there?”
“I mean I’m not gonna marry the girl, but we’re getting along well enough.”
“Does it bother you that you don’t know what she looks like?” George asked.
“Sure, but I’ve never been one to shy away from risk.” George shook his head. Fred and George were on completely different wavelengths when it came to women. Fred was never concerned with commitment and was always living in the moment. But George was the opposite. He didn’t want to waste time on someone if it wasn’t going to turn into something meaningful.
Molly and Angelina returned to the table just as the dessert course was placed in front of them.
“I need to know…is the washroom pitch black as well?” he asked.
Molly giggled and said, “Now that would’ve solidified my opinion of this restaurant concept.”
They ate in silence for a moment when Molly asked, “So what’s your family like?”
“Big. I have five brothers and a sister.”
“Wow, and where do you fall in that mix?”
“In the middle. Fred and I are twins and then there are three brothers older than us and a younger brother and sister.”
“I’m sure you had fun growing up with such a big family.”
“I don’t think I always appreciated it when I was growing up, but now I love having such a big family.”
“That’s awesome.”
“And what about you?”
“I have two younger sisters. We grew up pretty close so it is tough to be so far from them.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen them?”
“Since the holidays. I always come home for Christmas and usually my family will come out for a visit at some point in the spring or summer.”
“Do you ever think about moving back home?”
She paused for a moment, “No, I don’t think so. It seems like this is where I’m meant to be.”
George had finished off the glass of wine in front of him and he realized the waiter had cleared all the plates and their visionless meal was ending. He took a deep breath, wondering where this night would take them. He just wanted to see her. He wanted to look into her eyes and confirm there was a true connection between them. They all stood up from the table and Molly and George walked out as a pair toward the lobby, with Fred and Angelina in their wake.
It was quiet as George racked his brain for what to say. He couldn’t recall feeling this nervous around someone he barely knew. As they reached the curtain, he stopped her in an attempt to express his feelings. He didn’t want her thinking he was just interested in her based on her looks.
“Molly, I…erm…I just wanted to-“
“Oh George it’s okay, you don’t have to do this. I can tell when someone’s not interested in me. But thank you for making this dinner bearable.”
Before he could protest, Angelina came whizzing by in a huff. “Come on Molly,” she said grabbing Molly’s arm and leading her through the curtain. George just stood there frozen when he noticed Fred by his side.
“Well, read that one wrong,” he said.
“What the hell happened?” George asked.
“I may have whispered some sexually suggestive things to her that she did not take very well. How’d things go with you?”
“I dunno. I thought it was going well, but I may not have made a good impression.”
“Do you like her?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Then go get her!” George followed his advice and slid through the curtain, excited to see Molly for the first time.
But she wasn’t there. George walked through the front door, hoping she might be outside, but the street was empty. He hung his head and kicked himself for the way he let things transpire.
“She’s gone,” George said as Fred walked through the door.
“Ah rotten luck mate. Sorry to hear it. Shall we go for a pint?”
“I think I’ll just head home,” he said. Fred nodded and they walked down the street a bit before apparating back home.
X
George couldn’t sleep that night. He kept thinking that he had missed out on something special. He replayed every minute of that night in his head, thinking about how he should’ve been more engaged in the conversation and flirted with her more. George certainly knew how to flirt and he could not figure out why he froze up with Molly.
Eventually he got up and moved to the kitchen to pour a fire whiskey. He needed something to take the edge off and numb the feeling of regret. He tried to forget about this girl but the more he did, the more he convinced himself that if he just saw her, he would know. And it wasn’t just about physical attraction, although that was certainly a part of it. He just needed to see her. The mystery was driving him crazy.
After his second glass of fire whiskey, he started to think about how he could make his hope a reality. He considered visiting the Daily Prophet and trying to find her there, but that didn’t quite feel right. He could write a letter and suggest that they meet up, but the suspense of waiting on a response would kill him. Then it suddenly hit him.
He ran into the room and started fumbling through a junk drawer, looking for one thing in particular. He started throwing aside Extendable Ears and miscellaneous Skiving Snackboxes before he finally found it. All the rummaging seemed to have woken Fred because a moment later his voice came from the doorway.
“What are you doing?” he looked half asleep, but still concerned.
“I couldn’t sleep. I can’t stop thinking about Molly. I just need to see her.”
“Well it seems a bit late for that now, eh?”
“No, it’s not,” George said holding up the thin gold chain that held a spinning hourglass on the end.
“Mate, that’s a terrible idea. Time isn’t to be meddled with.”
He put the time turner around his neck. “I can do this. I won’t interact with anyone. I’ll just stand outside and have a smoke while she walks out. No conversation, no nothing.”
Fred let out a deep sigh, knowing this was a losing battle. “Just don’t be stupid. And don’t get caught.” With that, he spun the time turner four times and closed his eyes. He immediately disapparated to the restaurant and hid in the alley way across the street. It was only a few moments until Angelina and Molly would leave the restaurant. George considered his options and thought it was best to stay hidden, he didn’t want to have an awkward run in with his past self.
He waited for what seemed like an eternity (but was probably only a few minutes) when the front door opened. A dark skinned woman with long braids was leading the charge, pulling the arm of another woman. She had fair skin, covered in freckles and deep brown hair that hit just below her shoulders. She was petite, probably around 5’3” and very slender. But the most striking thing about her was her smile. He heard their voices and immediately recognized the American accent that belonged to the freckled woman. Angelina was explaining what had just happened and Molly stood there, reacting with a new facial expression after every sentence. And then she laughed and George felt his heart stop. She was the one. It seemed crazy for him to think that considering he had just met her, but he knew. He watched the two of them walk down the cobblestone street as he tried to commit every detail of Molly to memory. Next came the tricky part, finding her.
