Chapter Text
George had apparated directly into his flat above the shop. Fred's place was on the third floor and his was on the second. It was actually the perfect setup for them. It meant they got to hang out all the time, but Fred wouldn't complain about all of his hair products in the bathroom. George in return wouldn't cringe while looking at his brothers various piles of clothing that never got hung up.
It also meant they could have some privacy and didn’t have to worry about bothering each other whenever they brought a date home. Not that that had been an issue in the past few weeks. He had been staying over at someone else's place lately. He smiled to himself as he thought about it. He had arranged to meet Pavarti for a holiday drink today. He was really grateful Fred had given him an excuse to get out of the Burrow for a few hours.
George went to his closet and picked out some dark wash jeans and a forest-green long sleeved shirt. He liked wearing green. As a redhead it did a lot of good for his complexion. It was probably the most common colour in his closet. He then donned a black pea coat and left the flat, locking the door behind him.
He was much too early to meet Parvati, so he decided to grab his brothers requested gift for Hermione first. Then he would still have a lot of head into muggle London to the Brass and Breakle, which was the pub she had chosen. He was very happy she had agreed to meet him today. He simply had to see her.
He made his way down the stairs and cut through his shop. It was barely controlled chaos. Kids and parents were everywhere buying last minute gifts. Verity waved at him when she saw him. She had been explaining a prank to a young customer. She was obviously surprised to see him.
“Need something Boss?”
He smiled. Verity always called both of them boss because she could never tell them apart. She had given up after a week of working with them. “Nah, just passing through. Everything good here?”
She gave a tired smile, but she clearly had it all under control. “Aye, we are golden.”
He gave her a wink and waved goodbye to her. He escaped from the throng of people happily making him rich through the stores front door. Diagon Alley wasn’t much better. It looked like a lot of people waited until the very last minute to finish their shopping this year.
When arrived at Flourish and Blotts he was amazed at how busy it was as well. He was grateful that Fred had owled the store this morning and confirmed that they would put his box-set aside. He was also happy that he was six-foot-three and could easily see where he was going without getting lost in the crowd.
He made it through the mass of book buyers and queued up to the till. There were about six customers in front of him but he didn't mind. He still had a lot of time, and knowing that he was going to see Parvati soon had put him in a good mood.
When he finally got to the counter he saw a lovely brunette witch behind the till.
“Pick-up for Weasley?” He asked while leaning one armed on the counter and giving her one of his most dashing smiles. Mostly out of habit.
The girl met his eyes and gave him a sultry smile of her own. “Of course, Mr. Weasley. I just have to grab it from the back.” She then very obviously checked him out with a up and down scan, smirked and then went off to find his order.
George laughed to himself. He was used to this kind of reaction from women. It was even worse after the Witch Weekly’s interview on them came out six months ago. He found it difficult to go out for the first few days after the issue dropped. Even their store was suddenly full of single witches. All giggling, playing with their hair, fawning over their ‘products’.
He had actually taken to escaping to muggle London to get some peace and quiet. Normally he didn't mind this kind of attention, but it had been excessive the last few months. Well, he still didn’t mind it, but it didn’t matter to him anymore. He had officially taken himself off the market.
Eventually the pretty witch came back to the counter. “Did you want this gift-wrapped Mr. Weasley?”
“Please!”
She fussed with the wrapping paper and the receipt and placed the finished product into a paper bag. Then she handed it to him. “One more thing!” She said before he could leave. She grabbed one of the free bookmarks by the cash, wrote something on it and slipped it into his coats breast pocket. “Merry Christmas.” She finished with a wink.
George smiled at her again and then exited the store. As he was walking down the street he pulled out and examined the bookmark. Written on it in pretty cursive was:
Owl me sometime -Tabitha Whitworth
He grinned to himself. She had actually been quite lovely. A few months ago, he certainly would have taken her up on her offer. He appreciated her boldness. Now however, he hoped she wouldn't be too disappointed that he wouldn't be sending her a note. He crumpled up the book mark and tossed it into a bin on his way out of Diagon Alley and into muggle London.
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When he got to the pub, Parvati was already there waiting for him. She smiled widely and waved him over. He was so happy to finally see her. By the time he reached her, she had stood from the booth and the two shared a big hug. He then bent down and playfully kissed her on the cheek, which made her giggle.
“Go on, George!” She teased him. She blushed a little and retook her seat. He sat across from her and placed his bag in the booth next to him. He then shed his coat and ordered a pint from the barmaid who had already come over.
Once he was settled, he got right down to business.
“Thank you so much for meeting me Parvati. You’re a goddess.”
She smiled coyly. “Well you were so adamant in your letter. I have to admit I’m intrigued.”
He blushed a little. “Yeah well, it's important to me. I don’t think I can wait any more.” He had quickly become very serious. A pleading look came over his face.
She frowned a little. “It’s just... it's not that simple George. There is a lot to consider. Are you sure this is what you want? I can't do this unless you’re sure.”
She definitely had her reservations. George did have a reputation. What if this was just another fling for him? Parvati needed to know that he was serious.
He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “I meant every word of my letter. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Please! I need you!”
She was searching his eyes and could tell that he was being sincere. She had never seen him this serious. All of her concerns about him vanished. He was obviously in love.
She gave him an endearing smile. “OK. I believe you. It’s written all over your face.”
He blushed, smiling from ear to ear. “You mean your answer is yes?”
“Yes George.” She smiled wider. He looked so cute. He was almost bouncing with excitement.
“So, let's get started.” Her demeanor suddenly became professional. “We won’t be able to file the paperwork until after the holidays, but I can at least get the initial preparations ready. I will need her details. Full name, address, occupation, closest relations. It is going to get personal George.”
She gave him a level gaze. She wanted to make sure he understood how serious this was. “The full nature of your relationship is going to be investigated and scrutinized. Seriously! Everything! How you met, how long you’ve been seeing her, first time you went on a date, first kiss, first time you... well I think you get the picture.
George was still grinning wildly. “Thank you so much. I know it is going to be complicated. That's fine, she's worth it. I need to tell her, I need to try.”
Parvati gave him a sympathetic smile and continued.
“Even after a full investigation your request could be rejected. You need to be prepared for the possibility that the Muggle Relations Office might just say no. I’m still not very high up in ranks yet, but I promise I will pull as many strings as I can. It will be a long shot. Often they won't consider breaking the Statute of Secrecy until a wizard and muggle are married or until there is a child in the picture.”
He let out a long sigh. “I know. The thing is, I want to propose. I just can’t ask her for something like that until she knows everything. I want her to know what she is getting into. I want to be honest with her.”
Parvati nodded. She understood the importance of it. “Would you be willing to state that in your application? It might help sway their decision in your favour.”
George nodded enthusiastically. “Of course.”
“Good!” She was confident that would make a big difference. “OK then. What’s her name?”
A wistful smile came over his face. “Her name is Lesly and she is perfection.”