Rhys Williams
It only took George half an hour to find the correct Rhys Williams. He was at home, and Gwen wasn’t. He checked his clothes before knocking on Rhys’s door. He was thankful that it was indeed his ex-classmate.
“George? It’s been a while. What do I owe this pleasure?” Rhys asked, shocked to see his ex-classmate at his door after so many years.
“We need to talk about Gwen Cooper, your girlfriend. It’s probably better I come in for this.” George was worried that Gwen would turn up the longer they stood outside.
“Of course. Is Gwen okay? I haven’t seen her since she left for some case in the countryside.” Rhys let George as he spoke, mind filling with worry.
“Remember Ianto Jones? Hufflepuff years below Harry, the same year as Ginny. Professor Lupin was his dad.”
“What’s he got to do with Gwen?”
“They work together. Gwen’s not exactly been nice or faithful, to say the least.”
“She told me she worked with a Ianto Jones, but it’s a common name, so I didn’t think it was the same kid from school. Tell me the truth, how bad is she at work?” Rhys couldn’t believe what he had just been told but decided he wasn’t going to take any chances. He needed to know.
“She’s been flirting and obsessing over their boss, who Ianto has a crush on, and according to luna, he has a crush on Ianto too, but that’s not important. She’s a bully and delusional mate. I can’t put it any other way.”
“Does she bully Ianto or someone else?”
“Ianto? Yes. I’m not 100% sure if she bullies the other woman on the team, Tosh. she currently has the team medic wrapped around her finger, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she wanted in his bed. ‘Ccording to Ianto, she thinks that she, the newbie, is the second in command. All because she replaced the last one who offed herself.” George told him honestly, worried about how the other’s reaction would be.
“Typical Gwen on the delusions of grandeur. The bullying and determination to bed two of the team will need to be addressed though. How is Ianto? Is he still getting the short of the stick?” Rhys muttered before the protectiveness for his fellow badger kicked in.
“Almost killed by cannibals after they beat the living daylights out of him, the only way muggles can, he took the beating to try and save Tosh. Poor sod looked worse than he did after the final battle of the war. Even fighting Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback didn’t leave him in such a state, and that’s saying something.”George admitted thinking back to the battle, all the destruction and loss.
“I remember how bad he looked when he collapsed by Professor Lupin’s body after the battle. Thought he was dead until he groaned in pain when Ginny almost tripped over him. He must be lucky to be alive if he's worse than that. Will he be okay?” every instinct told him to make sure the younger man was safe and recovering.
“Susan says so, treated him the best she could before saying so, mind you. Keep an eye on that muggle girlfriend of yours, get into contact with Ianto and ask him for honest updates on her at work. If she doesn’t stop, tell her you went to school with him. Wish I could be there when you tell her that to see the look on her face at that.” George admitted with a smile.
“Pure terror, I imagine. You planning on hanging around, or are you heading back to the joke shop?” Rhys smiled slightly at the mention of Gwen’s face.
“I plan to pop back and forth, make sure everyone’s alright and the shop’s cool while Ianto is recovering. Why you wanna grab a few pints at some point or something?
“Might as well, catch up on what’s happened in our lives for the past almost decade.” Rhys smiled. “Not like I’m really that involved in our world with Gwen around. I kinda miss it all.”
“Good point. How about we grab a few tonight? Need to check in at the shop and with Ianto to update him and the others. Oh, and if you want anything to make Gwen's life miserable, I’ll give it to you for free.”George smiled at Rhys with obvious mischief in his eyes. It was the first time mischief had truly reached his eyes since Fred’s death.
“Might just take you up on that one, mate. Just come around when you’re ready to go for those pints. You’ve got some stories to tell, you’re married, and I want to hear about it. Plus, any kids you have.”
“Of course, you’ll hear it all. We’re going for a few pints to catch up and swap stories, aren’t we?” George told him, pulling the other into a brief side hug before apparating back to Ianto’s Flat.
“I found him. He’s not happy with Gwen at all.” He told the still-gathered group that now included an angry Draco Malfoy who had now also squeezed into the room.
“Was she there?” Ianto asked, worried about the possibility of Gwen finding out about this, though he had now stopped shaking from fear.
“Nope. he was home alone, had a nice chat. Suggested he contact you for honest updates on her behaviour at work. If she doesn’t behave, he's gonna tell her you guys went to school together to see if that stops her and see how she’ll react. I’ll grab his number for you later, we’re gonna go grab some pints to catch up, but I wanted to check in with you guys and then the shop. “ George told him, hoping it would be reassuring to Ianto.
“It won’t take long to show him how she actually acts at work. He’s going to hear everything, every fit she pitches, every flirty comment, All of it. He deserves to know it all.” Ianto’s voice was determined but soft.
Draco nodded, knowing his friend and cousin was right about Rhys deserving to know. “I plan to stay around for a while to see what I can get on this Owen Harper and Gwen Cooper myself. You mess with Ianto, you mess with me. Plus, someone’s got to keep an eye on Ianto to make sure he’s looking after his health, taking his potions and not lying about his health.” his mutterings of ‘it better not be the snarky snotty Harper he thought it was’ went unnoticed.
“I don’t need looking after. I can look after myself. I am an adult.” Ianto protested.
“You wince at the slightest touch and say nothing is wrong. And that’s after telling me you got the living shit out of you by crazy cannibals. I’m staying.” Draco told him in the old Prince of Slytherin voice he had perfected at school.
“Alright, fine.”Ianto muttered, slumping further into his sofa seat. Fleur handed him another cup of herbal tea.
“We’re all worried about you, mate. I honestly don’t understand why you even joined Torchwood. Why you stayed after everything with Rachel, let alone after Canary Wharf or Lisa.” Ron told him. A few noises of agreement came from the group,
Fleur shook her head, knowing why Ianto had joined Torchwood, for answers. He had found papers that mentioned Torchwood in Both Grimmauld Place and Lupin’s cottage in the Brecon Beacons. The village was also out there, making her suspect that he wouldn’t be returning to his real home, the cottage, anytime soon. An idea began to form in the french witch’s head.
After a few minutes of silence, she spoke up. “Is there anything you need from the cottage? I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go back out there if something is needed.” her voice was thoughtful.
“I’d rather get it myself, but you’re probably right. There are a few files on my desk, as well as a couple of books I've bookmarked. Can you also grab a few of tad’s jumpers from his old room?” ianto asked, wanting the comfort of at least one of his parents. He wished they were both still alive to comfort him.
“Of course.” She smiled and kissed his forehead before slipping out of the living room to apparate to the quiet cottage. She retrieved the items quickly and grabbed an old blanket too, to be sure, packing them all into a bag so nothing would be lost on her return trip.
Upon returning to the flat, she placed the bag in his bedroom before ushering most of the group out of the flat to give Ianto some privacy. She then insisted ianto have a shower to wash the horrors off while pushing him into the bathroom, intending to clean up from all the tea and coffee.