Junoesque ✿George Weasley✿

73.

Blair exited the supermarket with three reusable bags in her hands. She had been able to get something for tea, dessert and some snacks that the twins were bound to ask for in the coming days. After spending months living with the two, she had learnt that their stomachs were endless pits that needed to be filled 24/7. She knew Ron was also like this as he was always seen grabbing at the chicken dishes at meal times in the Great Hall until he eventually passed out into a food coma. But now it seemed that Fred and George also possessed the trait, making the fridge a sacred place that was raided frequently by both of them.

The supermarket had been surprising filled with customers, as the Christmas holidays were now over and people wanted to get back into their routines of keeping producing meals on tables for their families. But the streets were still empty. Blair assumed that most people apparated from their homes to the store, before doing the same to get back to their house. This was obviously from the ongoing fear of Death Eaters lurking around corners with the intent to curse anyone they saw regardless of them being Muggle-born, halfblood or pureblood. If Blair had known who was following her, she would have done the same. But the exhaustion from the busy day at work and the stress of serving hundreds of customers had jumbled her better judgement.

Instead, Blair walked up the pebbled street that weaved around small cottages and closed down shops. It hadn't yet gotten dark enough for the lampposts to turn on, but the evening was well under way and the sky had begun to darken once the sun had set over the hills. She trudged up the hill and was three turns from being back at the shop, when a familiar meow brought her attention from her feet to the cat up ahead.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned as Jasper padded towards her, rubbing his head against her leg once he was close enough. He purred and meowed, his tail high in air and curling around her knee.

"I must have left the door open when I went to grab some more of the swamp potion," she pondered aloud and sighed. "How did you even find me? I don't suppose Fred or George saw you walking around and thought you were a customer."

It was lucky that the street was deserted; otherwise Blair would have received some odd looks from talking to herself. She rolled her eyes when Jasper liked his lips before yawning obnoxiously. She didn't know how the cat had found her and she was sure that he hadn't been following her to the supermarket as she would have noticed.

"Are you going to be good and walk beside me? Or will I have to put you into one of these bags-"

"Blair!"

She looked up questionably and saw her boyfriend running down the slope that she was yet to climb. His dress shoes slapped against the street loudly and his lanky arms pumped in sync with his long legs. His cheeks were pink and were shining from the exquisite sweat that had gathered at his hairline and ran down his face. Blair noticed that he was still in his work suit with his bow-tie still flashing it's red and green circuit.

Once he reached her, he put his hands on his knees and hunched over to catch his breath. George scrunched his eyes shut and first tried to control his heavy breathing. Blair waited patiently and noted how unfit he had become since being banned from Quidditch by Dolores Jane Umbridge. Blair and the twins hadn't played Quidditch since the previous year when they all left Hogwarts on their brooms. There was simply no time or place to play any friendly games, but their fitness level had truly suffered from that. Fred and George would refuse to admit that, however.

"Take your time, Georgie," she joked as he panted. "Although Fred will start wondering where his food is-"

"Why the hell did you leave without telling me?!"

She nearly jumped back when he shot up from his hunched over posture with his unexpectedly harsh tone. His cheeks were slowly turning from an exhausted pink to a fiery red, showing that he was upset and frustrated. George put his hands on his hips and stared down at Blair with narrowed eyes, barely glancing towards Jasper who nudged his head against his shoe before slinking back through Blair's legs.