𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗲, george weasley

˗ˋ 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN
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-: the beginnings :-

── IN WHICH THEY EXPLAIN

. . .

"Rhea, are you okay?" 

It wasn't her last name like usual, there was a hint of worry to their tones as the twins examined the expression of the striking blonde sat in front of them.

"I mean you don't have to work here if you don't want to." Fred was far too bewildered and quickly went to rescind his offer in case she wasn't comfortable with it. 

"I'm.. confused." Rhea finally spoke, her fingers twisting together on her lap and look between them, forehead crumpled. "Why would you want me to work for you?"

"Why?" George repeated, gently pulling her down from a crouching position to sitting, before settling down beside her. "Because you've been helping us out and you've done so much and there's nobody else that we trust to help us more."

"Really? But all I've been doing is helping you paint and put things together - I mean I had at least double the amount of splinters that you both had put together because I kept dropping the wood and-" Rhea's fingers were brushing over where the mass amount of splinters had been.

"You've been working so hard." Fred sat down beside her as well. It was clear that there was a lot of self-doubt mixed in with the Lovegood oddities, but neither of them could figure out for the life of them why she was confused by them asking. "You've done so much - and for free as well."

"I thought I was doing it because I ratted you out to your mum?" Rhea looked between them. "You know - because you used an aging potion to get past the line around the cup and turned into little old men."

The Weasley twins winced as they thought back to the reprimanding that they had recieved from their mother upon her finding out from Rhea about their attempts to enter the deadly Triwizard Tournament.

Her eyes were wide as she looked between them, trying to translate the exchanged glances between them. "I mean I'll happily accept it's just very sudden and I've been helping out all over in shops. I just wanted to help out.. I felt bad." She swallowed, her fingers splayed out across her knees now. 

"Hey - Rhea. Calm down." George spoke gently. "You're not obligated to anything, if you don't want to work here then it's fine - or if you would rather just keep helping out whenever - it's okay, don't worry." 

"I'll go get something to drink, everyone likes Bubble Brew right? Or I think I saw a cart down the street selling iced pumpkin juice?" Fred offered. 

"Yeah, get the Bubble Brew." George confirmed, watching as his twin disappeared up the painted staircases, waiting for his legs to disappear from behind the bright orange, green and purple wooden slats before turning to Rhea. "I promise you that you don't have to work here if you don't want to." He reiterated his point. 

"It's not that.." The Lovegood girl's words were too quiet for him to hear properly and he just continued on. 

"I mean Fred asking was a bit sudden - we haven't properly discussed what we're gonna do about staff and hiring people but I've definitely thought about you working here properly but if you don't want to then it's completely fine." He was rambling slightly, eyes focused on the dirigible plum charm bracelet that hung around her wrist. 

"We don't even need an answer now - I think we'll start looking for people next week and you've got until the 22nd to decide whether or not you want to work the opening few days. But it could be a month and there would still be a place on offer if you make up your mind." George shrugged, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of her expression. 

She was chewing on her bottom lip, eyes glazed over with one hand reaching up to fiddle with her earrings, every so often tucking wild strands of her hair behind her ears. 

"What would it.. consist of?" Rhea asked, as her hand reached up above her head to bat away something that George couldn't quite see. She had done it several times before that and whilst having questioned it, both twins had decided not to say anything. 

And as Fred returned, three cans of cream and teal cans balanced his arms, he would be flashed a confident smile from his brother, who then continued to explain exactly what Rhea would be doing as she worked at the shop and what others would be doing as well.

By the end of it, George seemed to have planted a seed of hope and understanding within Rhea, hand balanced on her knee as he repeated what seemed to have become a mantra between them - if she didn't want to, then she didn't have to.

But the offer would always stand, in case she needed it.

Because to be truly honest, Rhea had done so much more than what orginally planned. She was doing that to repay them, but she had helped so much that now they felt as if they had to repay her with something - anything.

And to them, that was the offer to remain helping out there, to get a job there and keep living in the small apartment above Mrs Bixby's Apothecary and come and work there in the mornings and share butterbeer with them until late at night. 

The idea appealed to Rhea, but she still would have to think over it before accept.

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