The Order and The Ravenclaw (A George Weasley Love Story)

A Vacant Storefront

After successfully escaping Mrs. Weasley, Lyra took to the shops. She bought her books, restocked her potions supplies, and placed an order for her to be restocked later in the year. She also got a new set of robes, some Christmas gifts, and a Congrats gift for Hermione.

It was leaving a small bookshop with Hermione's gift in hand did she fall upon an empty storefront. It stood on the very corner of the row. Tall, with big windows and a large for sale sign in one of them. She rushed forward and grabbed the door to see if it was locked. To her surprise, it wasn't. She pulled it open and entered the large space.

It was very dusty and not super open. Most of the furniture and shelves were covered in off white sheets and much like the rest of Diagon alleys architecture the space was much more vertical than horizontal. What really drew her in though, was the large winding staircase and narrow halls above. There was just something about it, something that felt right. Almost like she could almost feel George and Fred's presence already here.

"Hey!" A gruff voice called snapping her out of her thoughts.

Lyra turned panicked, she had forgotten in her excitement that she was currently trespassing. An old gruff-looking wizard stood on the stairs. He glared at her accusingly.

"There's nothing to steal in here kid now scram!"

"How much?" Lyra asked without even thinking. Her heart raced in her chest as panic still gripped her, but she knew that this place was it. Her confidence rising out of sheer desperation.

The old man stopped, perplexed. "E-excuse me?"

She pointed to the window "It said outside the storefront that this space was for sale, that's why I came in."

"Oh," he faltered still a bit confused. "It is for sale, but you couldn't possibly be looking to buy it." Lyra could tell the last part he said was more to himself than her.

She thought about George, what would he do? In an attempt that was far more successful then she would ever know, Lyra adorned her best Weasley twin smile.

"Technically no, I wouldn't be buying it. I'm here on behalf of the company I work for. The owners are currently looking for a space, and I just so happened to stumble on your storefront while out shopping for supplies, and I think they'd be very interested."

"Oh." He said again, and Lyra relaxed as she felt his mood shift. He believed her.

"If I could just have some contact information to give to the owners, You'd probably hear back from them in a day or two. This seems like the perfect location. Are there any other buyers interested?" She jumped back in before he could think about it too much.

He looked up at her sternly again. His eyebrows knitted together, she could sense him debating something.

She smiled warmly now, sincerely, not with a prize-winning grin of the Weasley twins, but one that was all Lyra. Her hand subconsciously touched the counter in front of her. She thought of George and Fred here, their dream a reality. How happy it would make them.

His brows relaxed, but she was no longer looking at him, lost once again in her excitement. "It's not just the location, to be perfectly honest. I have a knack for reading a place, as silly as that may sound. I think it's the reason they trusted me to look. This place just.... fits."

"There aren't any other buyers." The man said, snapping her from her trance "you're sure they're serious about buying?"

"Deadly serious."

He didn't reply, instead, he walked down the rest of the stairs and around the counter. He pulled out a piece of paper and quill and scribbled some information on it. Then handed it to her. She took it eagerly.

"You have them reach out right away. Understand?"

"Of course! Thank you so much!"

Lyra began to grab her bags from the dusty floor and start towards the door. When the man called out to her one last time. She turned, smiling. "Y-Yes?"

"These owners, they anything like you?"

"No, " she replied in an instant, "They're far too confident, and will do everything in their power to try and swindle you out of your money. But, they're good people, sometimes you just gotta put them back in line."

He nodded with a grunt and she was out the door. Only one place left to go before she met back up with Mrs. Weasley.