It's Better If You Do

Bellamy stepped back into the dim, dingy setting of the Leaky Cauldron, slightly perturbed to be back so soon. That annoyance quickly vanished as she scanned the dining area for anyone that her sister would have set her on a date with. It was rather crowded and the room was filled with the sounds of people talking animatedly. There was an elderly witch and wizard off in a corner, both wearing black as they huddled over steaming bowls of soup. A drunken wizard sat at the bar singing a sad song about “Odo” that was intermittent with periods of silence as he tilted a flagon of a sloshing, dark liquid toward his mouth; the majority of which was getting on his robes. Bellamy hoped beyond anything that he was not her date for the evening.

Steeling herself, she lifted her head higher and marched further into the dining room. As she passed by a roaring fireplace, she scanned the room even further. The majority of the people there were older folk, a few of them by themselves but nearly all were paired up. Wringing her hands, which had been healed of blisters, she took a seat at a rickety wooden table for two, her heart falling slightly at the thought that she had been led on. The moment her backside came in contact with the roughly-hewn, cold, wooden chair, Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, was immediately at her table, grinning a toothless smile.

“Mademoiselle Lefebvre,” he said in his thick Cockney accent, “it’s a pleasure to see you back so soon. What brings you here?” Bellamy gave him a polite smile, trying to hide her disdain for the place and the situation she found herself in.

“I’m waiting for a gentleman to come and join me,” she said softly, glancing around the room once more, curious to see if anyone had joined the room. Tom seemed to smile even wider at this and nod in understanding.

“Lucky gent, what a lucky gent,” he said, “do you want anything to drink until he arrives?” Bellamy hummed in thought as she bit her bottom lip nervously.

“Just a bit of the white wine I had the other day would be splendid, please” she said softly. Tom gave an obedient nod and scurried away from the table. As soon as he moved aside to fetch the wine she requested, a head of blindingly red hair caught her attention, causing her to do a double take. Letting out a loud curse that seemed inappropriate for such a delicate-looking girl and had a few of the witches and wizards closest to her looking at her oddly, she stood from the table and walked over to him, anger bubbling within her. Bellamy stopped behind the red-head, who she vaguely noticed over her anger was very well dressed, and tapped him roughly on the shoulder. George spun around before gaining a surprised look on face, looking up at Bellamy.

“Bellamy! I didn’t know you were going to be here,” he said, shaking his head a bit. “Bloke not show up yet?” He asked casually. Bellamy gnashed her teeth together as she stared at George, the apples of her cheeks flooding with color. She almost looked like she was going to reply before she swallowed her words.

“What are you doing here?” She hissed, holding the clutch in her hand so tightly George thought she would snap it in two.

“I’m meeting up with a girl here who has a business proposition for me, or so Fred says,” he said with a confident grin. Bellamy merely stared down at him harshly, pursing her lips together so tightly they might have well have disappeared off her face. “Who are you meeting here?” George asked, raising his brows slightly with the question. Bellamy let out a sharp sigh, knitting her brow together as she stared down at the twin, who appeared to have not know her blind date was at the Leaky Cauldron.

“Someone named Gregory or…” A looked of realization slid over Bellamy’s expression and her eyes widened. “…Geoffrey,” she finished in a low drawl. She let out a heavy sigh and marched around the table, throwing herself into the seat in front of George, who was wearing a look of confusion.

“That girl should be here any minute and she may think that you’ve taken her spot. So, I‘d get up if I were you. I don‘t want to miss out on business opportunities,” George said in a clueless sort of voice. Bellamy scoffed loudly and rolled her eyes, shaking her head a bit.

“You idiot,” she hissed in a voice dripping with annoyance, “Fred and Rose have set this whole thing up in an attempt to get the two of us together.” George’s jaw dropped at this, but it took all he had not to grin at her realization.

“What?” He asked, acting gob-smacked before shaking his head slowly. “No…no, that doesn’t sound right. Fred surely wouldn’t have tried to…” He let his voice die of as he shook his head more vehemently. “No, there’s no way.” The look of disdain had returned to Bellamy’s features as she leaned across the table toward him, cutting her eyes at him in accusing manner.

“Did you have any knowledge of this plan, George?” She asked in a dangerously low voice that challenged him to lie to her. George shook his head once more.

“No, of course I didn’t,” he said in a voice that hinted that the idea was preposterous. Bellamy cut her eyes even more at him, her honey brown eyes darting between either of his chocolate brown ones as if either one of them was going to lie to her.

“Are you sure you didn’t know?” She asked, setting her jaw as she stared at him. George opened his mouth to deny once more, but Bellamy cut in quickly. “Before you answer, I’d like you to really think about this, George. If I ever found out that you were lying to me…” George’s clueless expression almost fell to one of sheer nervousness, but he managed to keep himself calm. Merlin forbid she ever find out, George thought to himself, she’d probably kill me.

“I honestly had no idea, Bellamy,” he said in the most sincere voice he could conjure. Bellamy stared at him for a few more moments before she sank back into her chair, almost looking a bit saddened as she looked anywhere but at George. He took note of her sudden change and was a bit surprised. He had expected her to get angry with him, Fred, and Rose, maybe even stomp out and ruin their evening as well as Fred and Rose’s. But he never imagined she’d let herself appear to be so vulnerable in front of him.

“What’s wrong?” George asked softly. For the first time all evening, he wasn’t acting or lying to her. He was honestly very concerned with her change of emotion. “Do…do you not want to be on the date…with me?” Bellamy looked up at him, wide-eyed, and shook her head slowly.

“No…no…it’s not that at all,” she said in a meek sounding voice before biting her bottom lip. “I just feel like this is all just a big plan to let Rose and Fred have more time to themselves,” she explained, folding her hands on the table. George stared at her for a while before sighing heavily.

“I don’t think that’s it,” he said, shaking his head a bit, “I think maybe Rose just wants to see you happy again.” Bellamy drew in a deep breath of air and George thought she was going to be angry at him, but she offered him a small, unconvincing smile.

“I am happy,” she said weakly, “see.” She pointed to her fake smile; a smile that quickly slid from her features. “I’m as happy as I’ve ever been.”

“Then why don’t I believe you,” George said as he earnestly looked at her. She stared up at him with an almost shocked expression before saying.

“I don’t need a man in my life to make me happy, George. I can be perfectly content by myself.” It almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself of what she just spoke. George gnawed on the inside of his cheek, thinking what he was going to say to her carefully.

“Perhaps now that Rose has Fred…she feels you’ll be left out,” he offered softly. “She just wants to make sure that you don’t feel forgotten, Bellamy.” In the dim light the Leaky Cauldron offered, George could have sworn he saw the twinkle of unshed tears on the brims of her eyes before she lowered her head, her fringe blocking him from seeing them anymore. She took in a few deep breaths of air, keeping her eyes hidden from him.

“I,” she started, her voice shaking uncharacteristically, “did not come here for a heart-to-heart therapy session or to talk about how I feel with anyone, George.” She lifted her head and all hint of unshed tears had disappeared completely from her eyes. “I am twenty years old and perfectly capable of looking after myself,” she continued in a much stronger voice. “I do not need Rose, though I am very grateful to have her with me, and I most certainly do not need a man.” George opened his mouth to give his input but Bellamy leaned across the table once more, cutting her eyes at him challengingly. “This conversation is over,” she said in a low voice.

Then, as if by luck, Tom the barkeep strode up to their table with two glasses and a green, old-looking bottle of white wine, grinning widely at the couple. His presence, however, did not dispel the unsaid tension that had risen between the two of them.

“George Weasley!” He exclaimed as he placed the glasses down on the table. “So you’re the lucky gentleman that gets to have dinner with this lovely, French woman?” George, despite how angry Bellamy must have been with him, grinned and nodded.

“Yes…very lucky,” he said happily, glancing to Bellamy, who was scowling at him from under the shadow of her dark brown fringe. Just as Tom popped the cork of the bottle and tilted the bottle toward the glasses, Bellamy stopped him.

“I’m sorry to inconvenience you, Tom,” she said in a sweet voice that did not match the venomous look she had on her face as she stared at George. “But I have a feeling we’re going to need something much stronger this evening. If you have any bottles of Ogden’s Old Firewhiskey, I’ll gladly take two,” she turned to him with a small, polite smile.

“Two?!” Both Tom and George exclaimed, looking a bit surprised at the small woman’s demand.

“Yes, two,” Bellamy said softly, the polite smile she wore unfaltering as she stared at Tom, who was watching her with a mixture of awe and hesitance.

“Are you sure? Firewhiskey had a very high alcohol content and for such a small figure as yourself-”

“I’m sure,” she said, her smile growing slightly more tightlipped. “I am very capable of knowing my limits, sir.” George was glancing between the two of them with a very interested expression, almost like he were watching a Quidditch match.

“Very well then, very well,” Tom said, still not entirely convinced, but stooped into a low bow anyways, and began off to fulfill her interesting request. George suddenly remember that he still had to purchase the kitten for Rose and the Magical Menagerie was going to close at eight. He cleared his throat, drawing Bellamy’s attention away from the drunken wizard who was singing loudly by the bar.

“I have a quick errand to run,” he said hesitantly, “but I’ll be back in ten minutes tops. If he comes back to take our order I’ll have the roast beef with carrots and mashed potatoes.”

“This isn’t a date, George,” she said stubbornly, as his heart dropped into his stomach, “you’re very well free to go off and not come back. I am not keeping you here.” George merely stared at her for a moment before standing and beginning to leave. “However,” she started, staring up at him and making him pause, “I will order your food for you, if you wish to return.” George gave her a thankful smile and a nod.

“I’ll be back soon enough, Bellamy,” he said softly, “just make sure you leave some of the Firewhiskey for me.” Bellamy gave him the most sarcastic smile and laugh he had ever seen someone produce before he left, thinking through ways to expedite getting the kitten to the shop without making Bellamy wait for too long.