It's Better If You Do

Bellamy glanced either way down Diagon Alley, curious if there were any bed shops down the stretch so she wouldn’t have to leave and deal with loud Londoners again. Many of the witches and wizards were giving her choice of clothing a particularly disgusted once over. As much as Bellamy strived to fit in, she was French and had an extensive knowledge of fashion. She would not throw that all away for some dowdy-looking robes or oddly shaped hat.

Letting out a heavy sigh and mentally cursing herself for not asking for directions before she left, she turned and began to make her way through the bustling crowds. Bellamy teetered uneasily in her heels a few times as she was nearly shoved into the glass store fronts a few times. And of course, no one really understood her when she told them off in French, only that she was yelling at them.

She wandered hopelessly for around thirty minutes before she stopped just around Gringott’s bank, her eyes raking the alley for any sort of bedding store. She’d be happy enough just finding a place that sold pillows and blankets, but she was finding no such thing. Letting out a heavy sigh, she decided that she was going to set out for London instead. Bellamy stepped off the steps at the front of Gringott’s and began to make her way back to the Leaky Cauldron.

“Are you lost?” A rather short, plump looking wizard asked her as she passed. She stopped and looked over at him for a moment before nodding. “What are you looking for then? I might be able to provide some assistance.”

“I’m trying to find an establishment that sells cots or beds…maybe just pillows and blankets,” Bellamy said softly. The wizard grinned a greasy, toothless grin and pointed off to a dark alleyway just in front of Gringott’s.

“You might just want to try Knockturn Alley,” he said, “they’ll have everything you need.” Bellamy merely smiled to the man.

“Thank you,” she said before walking off in a completely opposite direction than the man had directed her in. She didn’t remember much about Diagon Alley, but she distinctly remembered her parents telling her to never, under any circumstances, go into Knockturn Alley. It was a bad place, filled with bad things and bad people to boot.

Then, as if a reward for her good decision, a store suddenly came to view and she spotted, not only pillows, but a brass bed in the window. Bellamy let out a relieved sigh and darted over to the store, smiling all the while.

As she stepped into the store, the sounds of the bustling alley quieted and her eyes were met with every sort of pillow, sheet and bed imaginable. A very sleepy looking wizard stood behind a small counter, his chin resting in his palm and his eyes drooped on the verge of falling completely asleep.

“Welcome to Stanley’s Sleeping Shack, let me know if you need anything,” he said unenthusiastically with a wave of his hand before he completely nodded off, letting out a loud snore. Bellamy snickered to herself before she began to walk through the store. First, she walked over to the pillows. She lifted a few of them and tested out the fluffiness and what they were filled with. Picking out two of the fluffiest, goose-down pillows she moved onto the sheets and blankets. She picked out a set of the highest thread count she could find; a set of maroon sheets for Rose and a powder blue set for herself. If Rose didn’t like the color, the tag said the color would change on a whim, so she knew that wasn’t going to be a problem. She picked out the softest blankets should could find in the same colors.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she walked over to the counter and cleared her throat, trying to as gently as possible wake up the wizard behind the counter. He stirred a bit and Bellamy noticed that his uniform looked a lot like a pair of striped pajamas, but she chose not to say anything. He blinked a bit, smacking his lips together, before his eyes opened wide and he jumped.

“Oh! You’re still here,” he said in a groggy voice, “what did you need?” Bellamy set everything she had picked up on the counter.

“Well…I need to buy all of these, and I’d like two of your most comfortable portable cot mattresses and two portable cots to go along with that,” she said softly. The wizard, looking excited at the thought of making a sale, hopped to it. He reached beneath the counter and pulled out four boxes with silver, flowing script that described the cots and mattresses for the cots.

“All of this will be…30 galleons,” he said once he had glanced over everything. Bellamy quickly dove into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out the correct amount, handing it over. The wizard took a few moments to count the golden galleons before nodding and smiling. Bellamy then gathered the things up into her arms, balancing them precariously in her arms. “Thank you very much, miss,” the wizard said cheerfully before he resumed his nap.

Bellamy, managing to make it back to the store without dropping a thing, or getting rudely bumped into. Making her way up the stairs to the flat, she set the things down on George’s bed. She glanced around the room before calling out, “George? Are you here?” There was a few seconds of silence and she figured he must still be out. She picked up one of the medium sized boxes and read the instructions thoroughly before she set the box on the floor. With the simple wave of her wand, a metal cot sprung from the box and popped loudly into place. Soon enough, she repeated the step another three times; once for the other cot and twice for the mattresses.

She then unwrapped the sheets and began to neatly make all four of the bed, figuring it was the least she could do since she volunteered to stay behind. She couldn’t help but to think of the fun Rose must have been having, seeing all the sights of London with Fred beside her. Growing suddenly melancholy, she plopped down on her made cot. She glanced up and around the room, feeling alone for the first time in a few weeks, maybe months. The sound of laughter and happiness drifted into the room through the cracked windows and Bellamy closed her eyes at the sound. She didn’t like feeling alone. She wanted someone to be with her always, to keep her company and make her laugh. She had believed that someone to be Julian, at one time. A few tears escaped her shut eyes and she willed herself to keep it together. It wouldn’t do to get emotion, especially not when George could be back at any moment.

Speaking of George, at that thought, the door to the shop opened and footsteps resonated through the quiet shop. “Bellamy?” He called up the stairs. Hastily wiping her tears, Bellamy stood from her bed.

“Oui?” She asked in return and heard the sound of him setting something down on the floor.

“Could you come down here please?” He asked. She slowly made her way out of the flat, shutting the door quietly behind her as she hoped she hadn’t looked like she was crying. Stepping past the curtain, she noticed a plethora of brown paper bags on the floor and George was holding something behind his back.

“What’s this?” She asked quietly, slowly stepping toward him.

“Ingredients to my favorite meals…and a couple of French meals,” he said, and quickly added once he noticed Bellamy’s expression, “no bouillabaisse.” He could have sworn the tiniest laugh resonated in Bellamy’s throat, but no humor appeared on her face.

“And what if I don’t know how to make said meals,” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. George merely grinned and pulled out a towering stack of thick, leather bound books from behind him. Bellamy’s eyes widened as she stepped forward, taking the time to read each of the titles carefully.

“I saw the books first in a secondhand bookstore down the street, then I decided, what good is it to have cookbooks but nothing to cook with? So, I decided to go to the market and pick up a few things,” he said with a shrug. He noticed how Bellamy’s eyes had lit up when she saw the books and it brought him pride to know that he had brought her a little bit of happiness. She finally turned her eyes to him, looking a bit surprised.

“But your errands-”

“-can wait until later,” George finished her sentence as he set the books aside. He glanced down to the watch on his wrist before looking back up at Bellamy. “I know it’s a bit early for lunch, so would you mind coming with me to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour for a bit of a sweet snack before I go off to do the rest of my errands?” He half expected her to tell him “no” immediately, and was preparing to just continue on with his errands.

“Oui,” she said softly and simply causing George to smile even wider than he already was.