"Abs, my man!" Fred cheers as he pushes the inner door of the pub open. George shakes his head at his brother's attempts to wind up the old man. He holds open the door for Lily, who steps in with a cautious smile. This was apparently the safest way to get into the castle undetected, but she had her suspicions that there was another reason why George wanted them to come here.
Stroking her arms to keep herself warm, Lily steps into the light and follows Fred through to the back. She stops suddenly as her eyes meet the elderly man who was sitting behind the bar scowling at Fred. In the dim light, the man almost looked like he was Dumbledore. The likeness was incredible, down to the light blue eyes, except the difference being that Lily felt she had more in common with this man than she ever did with the late Headmaster.
"This is Aberforth Dumbledore," George says as he shrugs off his coat and smiles at the elderly man. "Abs, I want you meet Lily Argent-Fowler."
With an encouraging smile, George holds out his hand for Lily to take, which she does gladly. The bartender stops wiping his glass and stares at Lily with an odd expression.
"Merlin's beard," he breathes as his eyes darts between George and Lily. "You did it. You found her."
Feeling extremely self conscious, Lily smiles and offers a small wave. From behind the bar, Fred subtly shakes his head causing Lily to drop her hand mid-wave and clear her throat.
"Hi," she says instead, staring at the man, as she takes a seat on one of the bar stools. "Sorry, you just look a lot like your brother," she marvels, leaning forward to get a closer look of Aberforth. This man, however similar, was a more rounded individual than Dumbledore. Where the late Headmaster emanated an aura of power that demanded respect, this man seemed to have chosen a different path. One that Lily was seriously considering for herself if they all manage to get through this in one piece.
"Right charmer you have here," Aberforth grunts, pouring them a drink.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Lily says sincerely, glancing around the deserted pub.
"I'm not." Aberforth mutters, passing her a Butterbeer. Taking a sip, Lily grins at his honesty, deciding that she liked this man after all. "I suppose you'll be wanting access into the castle?" He asks the boys who nod, eyes trained on the portrait of an absent Ariana.
"Has anyone else come through?" Fred asks narrowing his eyes at the discarded Daily Prophet on the bar table.
"Two others before you and that Potter boy." Aberforth replies bitterly. "There's going to be more though."
"Harry's here?" Lily repeats paling. If Harry had already managed to get here then their time was already running out. Silently Lily pleads with her guardian to just stay put for a little while longer. Aberforth gives the young girl and odd look before shrugging his shoulders.
"It's gonna be okay, we'll figure it out." Fred says sincerely, noticing Lily's unease. She nods stiffly knowing that they did not have another choice. Her mind races with all the different ways she had just wasted the year and now the war was practically at their doorstep.
"It's going to be tough going back there, are you sure you want to do this alone?" George asks in a low voice.
Placing a hand over his, Lily nods wordlessly. She had to do this alone. Severus Snape did not do well with confrontations and the less people involved the better. The harder task was figuring out what she would do about telling him about her change of heart. One does not tend to just abandon the Dark Lord. At least not alive.
"You can take one of our Fireworks, just in case things get too weird," Fred offers from the corner.
"No thanks, I think I'll pass," Lily replies.
YOU ARE READING
Shit, I'm Falling For A Weasley || George Weasley
Fanfiction||EDITING|| Lily Fowler, known to the world as Lily Argent, in order to protect her from her dark past, is a fifth year student at Hogwarts. Cursed as a child, Lily prefers to be alone, but things begin to change when George Weasley takes a liking...
