Calamity

"It was you wasn't it? " George mumbled as Swatch curled up next to him on his bed. He scratched behind his ears as the pup hit George sarcastically with his fluffy tail.
George gave an amused huff. "Play innocent for now silly pup." George said as he stretched out onto his bed, placing his hands beneath his red hair and gazing out the window.
He never would have guessed, but one of the main things he missed from the Burrow was the stars. Here in the city, things were a bit brighter and thus muffled the night sky.
Crash! Bam! Shatter! Meow!
Someone suddenly emerged below George's bedroom window. He bolted up right and took off to see the noise maker through his window.
It was dark and the street lamp only illuminated a small part of the alleyway.
Swatch whined and scratched at his heels. Clearly he wanted to see too.
George picked him up. "See anything little guy. " Instantly a low howl erupted from the small pup.
"Atta boy. " George said as he took off to Fred's room.
"Fred, Freddie! Merlins sake wake up mate!" George whispered intensely.
Fred grumbled something about a rabbit before shuffling around his bed.
George laughed, his twin had managed to scrunch his butt up into the air and snore loudly into the pillow.
Swatch barked and launched onto the bed, trying desperately to wake up Fred by pushing him with all the little pups might.
"Give up little mate. I grew up with Fred. He's not moving tonight. " George whispered as he snatched his brothers sweater off the doorknob and tossed it on.
A dew-like effervescent excitement hung in the early morning air as he left the shop.
A chill ran through his spine. It was cold for spring. George instantly scooped up Swatch and zipped him up into the hoodie.
"Ready Boy?" He asked as they strode off into the darkened street.
It was exciting, like an adventure from days passed. Days at Hogwarts. It all became a bit too real as they came upon the crevice leading behind Shop 9. It was dark, damp, and almost creepy. But that was where the sounds were coming from, and with George's Gryffindor pride he felt obligated to check it out.
George realized then that he had left his wand behind. He felt vulnerable without it, lost without it. If things got messy...
Well, he tried not to think of that.
"Now or never eh, Georgie." He mumbled to the darkness as Swatch hid in his jacket, away from the cold wind that surrounded their already chilly bodies and made breath bare noticeable fog.
He rounded the corner, bypassing trash cans and boxes as he walked cautiously onward.
A small alleyway connected the back of each nearby shop. Wood of all shapes and sizes littered the cobblestone, creating a maze for George to weave himself through. Carefully he ducked and climbed, till finally he reached the back door.
Locked.
He jimmied the handle again.
Still locked.
Swatch poked his curious, little head outside his sweater and instantly got excited. His barks echoed off the stone rather loudly.
George swore. He could hear rustling inside and knew that he had to act fast. The second floor window was merely feet away. He leaped at the opportunity.
Quickly, he placed the small pup onto the overhanging roof before pulling himself onto it and together they entered through the large, broken window.
It was dark and dank inside shop 9. The wood was old and rotted. Pinholes of light sprung up between the loose boards and the smell reminded him of good old Grimwald Place.
Swatch eagerly skuffled around in his arms as George tried desperately to calm him down before their cover was blown.
When the young pup finally settled, the boys pressed onward through the hall and down the stairs.
Light flickered from a candle at the center of the large shop. A person stood silhouetted by shadows, revealing only their small stature. A clock ticked off in the distance.
Tick.... Tock... Tick... Tock..
"Of all places, " A feminine voice mumbled. George froze, expecting to be caught. "And my wand- they can't just-"
Tick.... Tock...
"Surly not without proof. Damn it !" The woman grumbled as she paced, Occasionally stopping to lean on the work bench and run her, clearly frustrated, hand through her long hair. "Ugh, him of course too. Ya go on one date with a man and suddenly you a mass murderer?! "
Tick.... Tock... Tick..
George watched her skeptically as she talked to herself in pieces. It was too confusing for him to make any true sense of what she was talking about.
George laughed silently.
He only assumed the rest of the conversation was being finished in her head.
Tick.... Tock..
"Shit! Well of course it's not good Jesslyn! What are you going to do?" The woman paused, deep in thought as she twisted something in her hands. Anger radiated off her like the smog from good old Mr. Muledy.
George could feel the tension in the air. There was an Iceyness that wasn't caused by the chilly spring night.
Nervously he shoved his hands into his pockets. Should he stay? Say hello? Make himself known? Run maybe? Sneak out while there is still a chance?
Tick....
He didn't know.
Tock...
Tick..
"ugg DAMN IT!" The woman shouted suddenly as she wrenched the ticking clock off the wall. She spun and slammed it into the floor boards, smashing it at George's feet.
Instantly, their eyes locked in fear.
For a moment the two stood in awkward silence. Neither expecting the others reaction.
"He-hello." George stuttered nervously.
"Hi..." She said as almost a question.
Gratefully George sighed as a snout emerged from his sweater, barking eagerly.
"Swatch! There you are boy!" She squealed eagerly as the pup ran to her. "I've been worried about ya little man. You're cold."
"Yeah he's a sweet pup." George said as he scratched Swatch's ears. "Chilly out there Huh,
Mr. Snickles."
The girl smiled slightly and laughed into Swatch's white fur. "Mr... Snickles?" She questioned.
Swatch looked to George and tilted his head. "Yeah. It's a joke we share Love."
Swatch gave a snappy bark before leaping from his owners arms and trotting off to sleep soundly in only what George assumed was his bed.
"Inside jokes after one night? Hah, I should have known." The girl said cheerfully as she turned her attention back to George. "Your George Weasley right?" He nodded. "I'm Jesslyn. I saw you with Swatch earlier ya know. " She explained. "Or well... yesterday."
George rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He hoped she hadn't thought he wanted to dognap him. "Oh yes. We'll you see i-I didn't want him to go run off and get lost. Lots of cats around these parts..." he trailed off and glanced shyly at her from under his bangs.
Jesslyn waved her hand and made a 'Pfft' noise. "Hakuna Matatta Doll face, it's cool." She said as she lead him closer to the lit lamp. "I actually wanted to thank you for keeping him safe overnight."
George smiled down at the short woman. "Anytime. Not like he was much trouble. Makes a good magnet for customers. " He explained cheerfully.
Jesslyn eyed the pup skeptically. George thought that her expressions were quite comical. "You sure he wasn't a little terrorizer? " She asked as Swatch snored dramatically. "Yeah, we're talking about you." She reprimanded lightly. Swatch merely rolled onto his back, his paws dangling off the cushion and his tongue stuck out. "Ya go ahead and fake sleeping. We all know the truth."
Swatch grunted in response.
George couldn't help but laugh at the two's playful banter.
"Well, he got to spend the day at the infamous Weasley joke shop. Ya'll must be a riot over there." As she spoke her American twang hit George's ears. She shrugged shyly and pulled her stripped sweater closer to her. Jesslyn hopped up on a make shift work bench, moved a bit of tools, and insisted upon George joining her.
He lingered a bit, his mother's voice reminding him in his head how rude it is to go sitting on things you shouldn't. So he simply leaned on the ledge near her.
The room was dim, dark and damp. It was messy. Boards strewn askew here and there. Parts of walls were torn down to be remastered And many tools, hand powered and electrical, lay cast aside throughout the place. If his father walked into a room filled with as many muggle contraptions as were here, well... George was sure he'd have a hard time getting him to leave.
Overall the place had a dreary feeling, almost a scary feeling. It was certainly not a typical place for a small, pretty woman and her animated pup. That, George thought, was almost too odd to shrug off.
"Your not..." He paused, wondering weather he should ask it or not.. Her sweet face scrunched into a puzzled look behind her long auburn hair.
"A murderous fool?" Jesslyn asked for him. Her eyebrows raised in an animated way and she folded her arms knowingly.
Finally George gave in and nodded slightly. "Nope. I may be just another Self righteous American." She answered honestly. "But trust me there Cherry Pie, if I was? " she laughed arrogantly. "That boy would not have been first on my Christmas list."
George chuckled, he believed her. "So you are American?"
Jesslyn smirked. "What gave me away. My southern bell vocals or all that democracy I'm puttin off? "
George smiled. He shoved his hands into the holes of his sweater. "A bit of both I think. "
"Damn." She laughed. " I was going for Korean and communist here. "
"Your a bit far off there Love." George laughed as the young woman stuck her tongue out at him.
"So DO you know what happened? " He asked curiously.
Jesslyn shrugged. "Not much more than you. " She sighed and rolled her eyes. "The tools we're mine. That's why they brought me in. Didn't have much else to keep me there so.."
George nodded. He thought back to the saw blade protruding out of the young man's shoulder. A gruesome sight. Quickly he shook the mental image away.
It reminded him of the battle at Hogwarts.
Too much blood for his liking.
"My wand however, they did keep. " She explained. "For 'Good Measure' "
Jesslyn gave a childish laugh as she mocked the men at the aura office.
"Your wand? That's terrible! What if your attacked next?" George exclaimed suddenly. He couldn't imagine going a day without his wand.
"Yeah well, Muledy didn't seem to think that was much of an issue." She grumbled. "And dude. Painting Pots? Totally genius. "
Jesslyn's instantly turned from aggravated to cheerful in a single swoop. George laughed in shy amusement. "Fredy's idea." He said modestly. "We cooked it up last year after Ginny attempted to take up painting as a hobby."
Jesslyn eyed him questioningly. "Ginny.. Girlfriend? Her work any good?" She asked eagerly.
George shook his head and chuckled. "Ginny? My little sister? Not a chance. She will even tell you herself that it was rubbish."
"Oh." Jesslyn said. She swung her legs as they dangled off the work bench.
George's brow furrowed in confusion. "Your not worried? I know Muledy's a bit of a tosser, but it could mean trouble for You. He seems... "
"Persistent? " She finished. George nodded. "No. I'm not worried. What more can they do to me?"
Jesslyn's childish laugh quickly molded into a stretching yawn as she tangled her long dark hair into her hands. Her blue eyes smiled brightly up at George with a look that told him to relax.
Instantly he thought of Muledy. There wasn't a way that any of the horrible things he said about Jesslyn could have been true. She was too... Adorable! In an odd, child-like sorta way. She couldn't possibly have murdered someone.
"It's a bit too cold for April isn't it?"She asked suddenly.
He smiled and shook his head. Usually, George had a good sense about people, but Little would he know then that even the innocent have secrets too.