Those Left Behind

Twenty-Nine

Olivia stopped in her tracks as the large clock on the wall, chimed loudly, signifying that there were only ten minutes remaining until the joke shop closed. Several of the customers let out a collective sigh of disappointment, before rushing around to gather up any last-minute items that they wished to purchase.

George stood on the far side of the shop, surrounded by a large group of children, while he demonstrated how to use several of the Muggle magic tricks available. Olivia tried to read his lips as he pulled a card out from the middle of a deck of playing cards and held it out towards a little girl, asking her if it was her card.

The way her mouth dropped open in awe, told Olivia that George had done the trick correctly. He grinned widely as the group, cheered and applauded. He then locked eyes with Olivia who was staring his way, and his smile faltered. She could see the sadness in his eyes, as he looked away from her and back down at the excited faces in front of him.

Olivia felt a light tap on her shoulder, as a customer tried to get her attention. She plastered a large smile on her face, before turning around to find a cheerful-looking woman and her two children.

"Are you all ready to check out?", she asked enthusiastically, speaking at a higher register than usual. The woman and her children nodded in unison, quickly approaching the counter. "Did you find everything you were looking for?".

"I believe so, although I'm sure we'll be back sooner, rather than later. These two adore this place.", the woman chuckled, gesturing to her son and daughter as they placed everything down on the counter. Olivia smiled at them both, while she began to calculate the total price. As the mother paid, she placed everything into the brown paper bags, with the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes logo stamped on the front.

"Have a wonderful day!", she sang sweetly, handing them their bags and waving as they left the shop. A line began to form on the other side of the counter and Olivia called the next person over, spotting George who had mounted the steps behind them. He continued up towards the office, leaving Olivia alone to serve the rest of the customers.

She made quick work of it, upholding her cheerful demeanour the entire time, resulting in each customer leaving the shop satisfied. Eventually, she ushered the last group out the front door, locking it behind them. She then approached the stairs, taking her time to climb to the very top. When she reached the office, she found the door slightly ajar and walked inside without hesitation.

George sat at the desk, writing feverishly with the homemade quill that Arthur and Molly had gifted him, on the last birthday that he and Fred had spent together. He stared down at the parchment in front of him, refusing to look up and acknowledge Olivia's arrival. She cleared her throat loudly and took a step closer, but he didn't even flinch.

"George?", she whispered his name and he responded by picking up the pace of his writing. "George!", the desperation in her voice, caused him to let out a loud exhale. He then slammed the tip of the quill down, punctuating the end of his sentence, before lifting his gaze. "Did I do something wrong?", she inquired quietly.

"I don't know...you tell me!", he shot back, putting down his quill. Olivia's mouth dropped open as she stared at him in silence, completely lost for words. "Have you or have you not been in contact with O'Brien?"

"Of course not!", she uttered in disbelief. 

"Then why the fuck was he here?", he snapped, the harshness of his words startling Olivia. 

"I don't know!", she shouted back, slamming her hands down on the desk. "This isn't my fault, and if you think that you're going to suggest otherwise for even a second-"

"No! I'm not trying to blame you...it's just...", he stammered, shrinking into his seat as she glared down at him. "I just don't understand why he came here after all of this time. I thought that was something that we had left in the past...", he trailed off, prompting Olivia's expression to soften.