Choices

Valerie tightened the hood around her, making sure that her distinct blond hair was out of sight as she walked down the unusually quiet street in Diagon Alley. It was sad to think that only a year ago it had been bustling with witches and wizards going about their business, stopping in the streets to catch up with old friends and loitering about. Such a sight did not greet her but she knew it was to be expected now that Voldemort was back, danger could be lurking everywhere and no one was taking chances. Most of the stores had closed or were deserted in the late afternoon, only one place was still booming with business.

Her destination, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.

The colorful blue building with a huge model of the twins’ image—modesty was not in their dictionary—dominated the lesser buildings beside it. While the rest of the street spoke of the tough and somber times Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes emanated a feeling of joy and laughter both very much needed these days. Valerie peeked through the many windows to see that the store was crawling with people even with only thirty minutes left until closing time. She also spotted George and Fred on the stairs waving their arms around and talking excitedly to the person in front of them. They were wearing matching brown suits that on anyone else would have looked clownish but they managed to pull off. Eccentric was their middle name.

Bypassing the front door she made her way to the rear of the store, taking the spare key from her pocket and unlocking the door to enter the back of the shop where Fred and George worked on the prototypes of their inventions. Carefully edging around the dozens of amazing inventions that truly showed the genius of the twins she arrived at the stairs and climbed to the top where a door opened to the upper level of the shop where Fred and George lived.

Dropping her purse on the couch she unzipped her coat and shook her hair free. As she did every week, Valerie made her way through the familiar bachelor home to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of hot coffee before sitting down at the table to wait for George. Her relationship with George wasn’t the normal kind. They were dating that was for sure but they never went out in public together. Valerie didn’t want word getting back to her parents about her involvement with a Weasley. To say they would be angry was an understatement and she didn’t want George to be targeted by the Death Eaters because of her. Now more than ever she had to be careful about revealing that she was seeing a member of the Order of Phoenix with Draco having been entrusted with a secret mission by the Dark Lord that even she didn’t know the details of. As a precaution, George and Valerie met once a week in secret at his place and always stayed in.

Fred didn’t mind at all, usually going out on the days she came over so that George and her could have privacy but other times he would stay with them and the three would have dinner and talk. Valerie couldn’t help loving Fed like a second brother, getting along with him surprisingly well. However, she had often wondered what he truly thought of her dating his brother so once when George had had to deal with an emergency in the shop downstairs she had uttered her question to Fred. He had looked at her like she was crazy. He told her that even if she hadn’t been the total opposite of what he thought a Malfoy was he wouldn’t have cared as long as his brother was happy.

“I can tell you for a fact that George has liked you since he met you during our third year and he never stopped. I thought he was insane but I supported him anyway. It isn’t until you started dating that I saw how good you are for him,” Fred had told her. “Trust me when I say that I have never seen my brother more content and happy than in the last few months. The world is literally going to hell around us but you are keeping him sane and hopeful…and at this point that is all we are fighting for.”

Touched and encouraged by Fred’s words Valerie had done the unthinkable and opened her heart to George.

Valerie tugged at the necklace she was wearing and George had gotten for their first month anniversary as she thought of the wonderfulness of the last months and the way she and George had grown closer than she thought humanly possible. Valerie traced the outline of the gingerbread man on her chain while sipping the last of her coffee.

She washed her cup and then placed it on the side to dry before making her way to George’s bedroom. Valerie was tired from her day at work and just wanted to get out of her green uniform and into something comfortable. Things had been crazy at St. Mungo’s where she worked as a Healer today. Valerie mainly dealt with injuries due to magical creatures but today she had been called in to help with searching and subduing her former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart who had escaped his room. They had finally found him twenty minutes later hanging off the side of the building, thinking he was a muggle fireman that had to rescue the woman three windows down from burning. It had taken hours to coax him down and get him back in his room; needless to say the whole fiasco had made the staff learn their lessons on never letting him watch the muggle movie Ladder 49 again.

Rummaging through the drawer that was designated as hers in the antique armoire she found some black shorts and then stole one of George’s purple printed shirts. Just as she sat down on the bed the door opened and George entered. Valerie smiled in welcome, her heart already racing faster than a snitch at being in the same room as him.

“Hello beautiful, how was work?” he asked loosening his flamboyant green tie.

“Exhausting. You?” Valerie replied when he heaved a sigh and collapsed onto the bed.

“Inventing the products is so much easier than dealing with customers,” George responded putting his head on her lap.

“Poor baby,” she cooed sarcastically as she combed her fingers through his bright hair.

“Can I just resign like school?” George let his hand wander along Valerie’s bare leg leaving a trail of desire in his wake.

Valerie grinned, “You just want an excuse to blow something up. God knows what you and your brother would come up with since I am sure you would have to top your school exit.”

“Since when did you figure me out so well?” he cracked open one eye, looking up adorably at her.

“I could always figure you out,” she countered. George snorted in disbelief and Valerie pinched his ear.

“Ouch! That hurts!”

“You’re such a baby!”

“Bully!”

Valerie threw her head back and laughed before looking down at him as she cupped his cheek, “All jokes aside I am really proud of you George. What you have done with this shop is amazing.”

George smiled tenderly at her and sat up. Valerie just studied the man that she thought she might be falling deeply and irrevocably in love with. His red hair was all over the place from her ministration, his lips curved in an ever present smile, and his eyes twinkling dangerously.

“How proud?” he asked seductively as he pushed her back against the pillow. Valerie squealed and laughed helplessly as he covered her body with his.

“George!” She giggled louder as he pressed kisses along her throat. She tried to push him off her but he just grabbed her hands and held them above her head.

“I think you should show me how proud you are,” George wiggled his eyebrows as his hands wandered down the length of her front and made her gasp.

“George.” This time it came out breathless as she moved her legs so that she had then hooked around his waist in clear invitation. George got that satisfied male look in his eyes as he bent to kiss her. Pure bliss spread through her body as his lips moved seductively on her own and his hand slipped under her shirt, first wickedly tracing circles on her quivering stomach and then higher to the underside of her breast, teasing her relentlessly. She moaned in frustration as her grasp tightened on the hand that was holding her prisoner. She wanted to touch him and make him as wild with lust as she was feeling. Valerie arched her back, brushing her chest against his torso in the way she knew he couldn’t resist.

He growled deep in his throat and broke their hungry embrace to kiss, lick, and bite the side of her hypersensitive neck. He cried out her name huskily when she managed to catch his ear between her teeth in a playful tug. George’s grip loosened and Valerie took advantage of his pleasure to roll his body onto his back and then climb on top of him, ripping off her shirt in the process so that she was only wearing her shorts and bra.

George chuckled, “I love a woman in control and who knows what she wants.”

“I want you,” Valerie threw his tie away and unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it aside to reveal light, cream colored skin and washboard abs that left her mouth dry.

“That is the point little lamb,” he lurched his hips suddenly so that she had to brace herself on his powerful chest or topple over. Her grey eyes met brown naughty orbs, “Time to eat your gingerbread man.”

“Gross! That is horrible dirty talk George…” Valerie moaned when he sat up and captured her lips in an unyielding kiss that made her tremble in pleasure.

Valerie didn’t bother with talk after that and lost herself in the loving embrace of her George.