Pre date getting ready party
Halloween was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year, and Lirum’s first real date. They’d woken up early pacing their dorm room trying to decide what to wear. Luna and Cedric sat on the spare bed giving opinions.
“You literally just gave twenty almost identical grey and blue jumpers pulled out.” Cedric said unenthusiastically.
“They’re a little different. See, that one is blue.” Luna said, pointing to one of the jumpers on the ground. “And that one's got patterns across it in different shades of grey.”
“Come on guys, this is important! It’s my first date!” Lirum stressed pacing back and forth.
“Why aren’t there any trousers?” Luna asked.
“Luna, have you ever seen Lirum wear anything besides black trousers? No, that’s all they wear.” Cedric
“You’re uninvited to the pre date getting ready party.” Lirum said, picking up, and balling one of the jumpers to throw it at him.
“I don’t know why you need help. You could wear a sack with arm holes cut out of it, and he would trip over his own feet when you smiled at him.” Cedric said, casually dodging the jumper.
“It’s a first date, that’s very important.” Luna said, nodding.
“Am I boring?” Lirum asked, looking at their clothes laid out on the floor.
“Yes,” Luna said, dreamily. “But that’s alright, you’re very thoughtful.”
“You should have known to expect the truth.” Cedric joked, cackling.
“Thanks guys.” Lirum sighed, staring at the jumpers.
“You have to have something else to wear.” Cedric said pulling out the under bed storage. “Ooooo, what is this?”
He was holding up Percy’s jumper he’d let them keep. Waving it around.
“P, for Percy?” Cedric taunted.
“I hate you.” Lirum said, unenthused.
“No you don’t!” He said dancing around holding it up in the air, as if Lirum wasn’t tall enough to snatch it back.
“That would be a real conversation starter.” Luna said, innocently.
“Not the conversation we want.” The fifth years said together.
“Oh! Wait, I’ve got it!” Lirum said digging through the drawer Cedric had pulled out. “You’re brilliant Luna!”
“That’s not something you hear offt-ouch!” She elbowed him. Snatching back the jumper as he doubled over in pain. Stopping him before he was able to finish that statement.
“I’m sorry, did that hurt?” Lirum choked, stifling the laugh that came as brilliant little Luna, still wearing her sweet dreamy look, played dumb once more.
“Yes! I’ve found it!” Lirum cheered, pulling their very own blue weasley jumper with an L knitted in.
“Did you ask for it to be blue? Or was this a bizarre coincidence that it matched everything else you own?” The Hufflepuff asked skeptically, staring at the jumper.
“No, actually. Harry’s was blue too. Orphans get blue jumpers apparently.” Lirum joked, earning horrified looks from their friends. “What is that too much? I’ve absolutely said worse?”
“Do I get a blue sweater since my mums dead?” Luna asked genuinely.
“I mean I think that depends on how close you get with Ginny.” Cedric joked, trying his hardest not to laugh. “Are we bad people?”
“What did I miss with Ginny?!” Lirum questioned, shocked. Looking between the two.
“Oh yeah, Ginny’s joining our study sessions.” Luna said, calmly. “She’s quite nice now that she’s not possessed.”
“We’re talking about this later!” Lirum said, pointing between the two. “But we have to go or I’m going to be late for my date.”
Lirum threw the jumper on, over their button up, and the trio made their way down the stairs toward the great hall. Where they meet their Gryffindor friends. George stood proudly at the large doors waiting for them to arrive.
“Are you ready for the second most romantic day of your life?” George asked, grinning ear to ear
“Second? Why second?” Lirum was perplexed. Wouldn’t he think their first date would be the most romantic?
“Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll be able to top our wedding.” George teased, smugly.
“Who said I was going to marry you?” Lirum asked.
“Well you are wearing a Weasley jumper.” He reached a hand out for them. “I figured you’d like the name to match.”
“You cheeky bastard.” Cedric chuckled, following behind them into the hall.
“Cedric!” Lirum shouted, shocked.
“I’ve been called worse for less.” George laughed, clearly un phased by the Hufflepuffs comment.
“So, breakfast then Hogsmeade?” Lirum asked, looking anxiously at him.
“Unless you’d like to make the track on an empty stomach?” He teased.
“No, I just know you said you wanted to head out early so we could- you know it doesn’t really matter.” Lirum shook off their thoughts. George had a plan, and everything was going to go smoothly.
“I promise we’ll have plenty of time, alright?” George said, interlocking his fingers with theirs.
“So if breakfast is here, what’s the plan for the date?” Lirum asked to take their normal seat while George took his across the aisle from them.
“Date? What date?” Fred asked, glancing back and fourth between the two.
“Did you not…” Lirum trailed off looking at George.
“Well…” He started, looking at them.
“George and Lirum’s date of course?“ Luna said cheerfully, Fred froze.
“You weren’t going to tell me?!” Fred looked more than cross with his younger brother. “Bloody hell George You’re meant to be my twin!”
“I knew you’d react like this!” George defended, gesturing wildly at his twin. “And then you’d run and tell Percy!”
“Oh, so now I can’t be trusted!” He was fuming.
“Of course I can trust you, you're my brother, and I love you but,” George looked sincerely at his older brother. “Please, don’t ruin this day for us.”
He huffed and stormed off. Leaving George and Lirum behind.
“So what did you tell him and Lee we would be doing before we met up with them exactly?” Lirum asked, remembering what little he’d told them about their plans.
“I just knew what time they’d be going into Hogsmeade, and knew they’d go without me if they couldn’t find me. So, we were going to run into them at Zonko’s after our date?” He explained with a slight grimace.
“George!” Lirum snapped, he was smart Lirum had to give him that. He’d become so use to sneaking around to pull pranks he became scary good at working around problems instead of addressing them.
“It was a good plan!” He defended, loading his breakfast onto his plate.
“It was manipulative! You knew exactly how they’d react so instead of talking to them you planned around them so you could still have everything your way.” That face was there again, the one that said he’d been caught doing something he knew better than.
“I just did what I needed to, to maintain my relationships.”
“George…”
“Love, how can you be so dense and yet so perceptive?” He asked “Please, we can work on this later. We both have lots of things to work on. I just want us to have one good day, please?”
“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t h-“
“No, don’t apologise. You saw me doing something wrong, and expressed your discomfort.” He took a deep breath. “That’s a step in the right direction for you, actually.”
“I always say when I’m uncomfortable.” Lirum said, defensively.
“That’s not true, at all.” He said, before taking a bite of food. “Most of the time you’ll shut something down or say something along the lines of don’t do that. Rarely ever do you explain why not, or how it made you uncomfortable.”
“Everyone loves to tell me how I feel. I didn’t realise I was so bad at communicating it.” Lirum grumbled, while they picked through the breakfast items at their table.
“Let’s not focus on this, let’s finish our breakfast and start our morning over in Hogsmeade, does that sound alright?” George asked.
And so they did. Lirum and George finished their breakfast and made their way to the self contained hamlet just outside Hogwarts grounds. He did his best along the way to brighten the mood and bring them back to the giddy excitement they’d shared in the morning. Lirum couldn’t help but find themself smiling at his efforts, he always put so much attention into what they needed. It was hard not to overlook any negatives when the care he showed was so genuine.
“I believe we’re here!” George said standing in Front of a stone building with a painted green store front and a sign that read ‘Tomes and Scrolls’ since 1768.
“You? A book store?” Lirum asked, staring shocked at their date.
“For you, yes.” He smiled. “I thought you might need a new favourite book after everything with Lockhart last year. I doubt voyages with vampires is your favourite anymore.”
“It was travels with trolls, I’ll have you know!” Lirum corrected. “But yea I would like to look for something new. The library doesn’t carry much fiction and when it does all the good stuff is locked in the restricted section.”
“What have you been doing in the restricted section?” George’s voice dipped into a lower register as he taunted them about what they might have been reading.
“I just meant that they don’t allow books that broach sensitive topics in the library because first year’s could stumble across them.” Lirum huffed, opening the door. “Even if we have first years like Harry Potter and your little brother who try to get themselves killed at every opportunity.”
They opened the door to the smell of old books. The room was covered in large shelves full of books. Even with some in piles near the edges. An older gentleman stood behind the counter to greet them.
“Not our usual crowd I see! Feel free to look around to your heart's content!” He said watching the new couple enter.
“It smells funny in here.” George said, his face crinkled slightly.
“What do you mean? It just smells like books?” Lirum questioned, looking back at him.
“I didn’t realise books had a smell.” He shrugged.
“Have you ever actually been in a library?” Lirum laughed, earning a smile in return, as he followed them making their way towards one of the shelves.
“Of course I have, I have to do research sometimes.” He shrugged following them to the nearest set of shelves.
“Research? What has The George Weasley been researching?” Lirum joked, watching his cheeks flush slightly.
“Oh you know, A little of this, a little of that.” He said, glancing over the titles of the books on the wall. Picking up one named business for the brainless. “How to be the worlds greatest boyfriend, important things I assure you.”
“A book on business? I didn’t take you for the ‘i read books about math in my spare time’ type.” Lirum giggled, watching him start to grow pink in the cheeks. “I’m finding all sorts about you today.”
“I told you me and Fred want to start a business. We want to find a way to make our love for jokes, pranks, and general trouble making into a business?” He said sincerely.
“You know The Ollivander family has been running a successful business since well before I was born. I’m sure I could give you some tips.” Lirum suggested, skimming through book titles.
“First you’d have to find any time at all in your oh so busy schedule.” He was right.
If they hadn’t been on bad terms with Percy at the moment they’d be studying with him in the library instead of in Hogsmeade. They still have their scheduled tutoring with Luna and Neville, and supposedly now Ginny. They still hadn’t even had a chance to show George better wood carving techniques for his joke wands.
“Speaking of your schedule…” George started, seeming anxious. “I was wondering if you’d start coming to my quidditch matches?”
“George-“
“I know they’re not really your style, and that you’re not really a big fan of the game, but I would mean a lot to me if you’d come.” George said looking hopeful.
“Even though I won’t be studying with Percy for a bit I still need to study. We’ve got our O.W.L.s at the end of the year, and without someone to help keep me on track when I’m studying it’s going to take me a lot longer.” Lirum felt bad, but these things where important.
“What were you doing before Percy?” He asked, watching what books they stopped to look at.