The Only Exception (George)

[Lisette Magdalena Weasley]

Well, business had picked up. Apparently, the Wizarding community of London was in agreement with Liz. Coffee and sweets were a very good combination. (Duh! Who didn't know that?) Her little cafe had even attracted some fellow transplants in the form of the Cavaliere. One of them, pretty blue-eyed little Pyre della'Rosa, was currently sitting at the counter and cheerfully chatting with Liz as she ate a plate of cannoli.

"Have you read it yet, Liz?" she asked pleasantly, referring to the book (The Picture of Dorian Grey) that she had been talking.

The girl had wandered in here looking lonely and found a kindred spirit in Liz. In Liz's time, Pyre was a lonely woman whose husband and children lived in England. Always cheerful, though. Liz couldn't remember Pyre not being cheerful.

"Ah, not yet," Liz replied as she handed a patron their order and their change.

"Pity. You should, when you get the chance," Pyre suggested with a smile.

[George Weasley]

George had decided to check out the other shops in the Alley, it wasn't like he hadn't been in any of them before. But there was one of them, he'd had the urge to go check out. He walked through the door and looked around. Three girls, one who seemed to be the shop owner, and two others. He stepped up to the counter to order a drink or something.

"Hi, um, I work at Weasely's Wizard Weezes across the street. Names George, George Weasley." he said itroducing himself.

[Lisette Magdalena Weasley]

Pyre smiled at George sunnily while Liz's other customer, Pyre's cousin Talon, mumbled a greeting under her breathe and retreated to a nearby table to sit with her older brother Alistair. The little dark-haired teen giggled softly.

"I'm sorry about her," she apologized. "Talon can be grumpy. I'm Pyre della'Rosa! It's nice to meet you, George!"

Liz smiled and reached across the counter to shake George's hand. This was awkward. Her dad's brother...post ear-loss, apparently. Odd way to finally meet one's uncle.

"I'm Liz Lafayette, the owner of this place," she introduced herself. "You own that joke store down the street, right?"

"Oooohhh! I bought those mints that turned Gabe's hair pink there!" Pyre remembered happily.

[George Weasley]

"Lovely to meet you both," George said shaking the girl called Liz's hand. They both seemed nice, "Yeah, my brother and I own it. Created everything ourselves." he smiled and stretched.

These girls liked their products? Well, he was going to have to sell some stuff while he was there. He looked up and scanned the menu, "What do you all suggest from this fine menu in this lovely establishment?"

"My brother and I take pride in those mints, you know you can set them to any color with a tap of the wand." he added to Pyre.

[Lisette Magdalena Weasley]

"I'm impressed," Liz admitted. "Pyre's been bringing me things from that store for a week, now."

"It's fun!" Pyre giggled.

Liz couldn't help but smile; Pyre was such a sunny, friendly person. Meeting the girl had been a highlight of Liz's little time-traveling adventure. She made everyone in her vicinity just a little happier.

Pyre smiled again when George asked what was good. Liz knew what was coming next...

"Cannoli!" she chimed then laughed. "Being serious, it's all good. Liz is very talented at what she does."

Liz flushed lightly. She'd never taken compliments well, ever. It was rare for her aunt to give compliments that she understood.

"Oh? I'll have to remember that," Pyre mused. "Maybe I'll turn Gabe's hair purple for his birthday...I don't think that I've done that, yet."

[George Weasley]

"It's good to know our coustomers like our products, keeps us going." George chuckled.

He smiled at the girls. They were rather pretty, and it made him laugh that one of them had the same kind of hair as him. It was almost as if she were related to him by some means.

"Well I guess I'm going to have to try one of these cannolies. And I might have to buy one for the two beautiful girls here behind the counter." George was such a flirt, him and his brother both. Fred and him had always flirted with girls together, and done just about everything. They keep thinking they'll always be together, but who knows what will happen..

"I prefer turning people's hair the color of envy, green. It's rather funny." he chuckled.

[Lisette Magdalena Weasley]

Liz laughed softly and ducked behind the counter to pull out the tongs she used for the cannoli. Pyre giggled softly again while Lisa brought out the requested cannoli.

"You're a flirt," Liz teased. "And you're very lucky to be funny."

Pyre just smiled at his suggestion about Gabe's hair and experimentally turned hers a shade of purple that she liked, watching her bangs to see how she liked the color.

"Oh, Gabe hates the color purple, that's why I was going to turn his hair that color," she explained. "For my last birthday, he painted my room the most wretched shade of yellow I've ever seen in my life; I have to get revenge."

[George Weasley]

"I try." George shrugged taking the sweet. "So you guys live around here or are you just visiting?"

He admitted it, being a flirt was in his genes. Although, Percy, Ron and Charlie didn't seem to understand that being a part of the family meant just this, being a flirt! Ah well, Ron was gone anyway. Percy was a prat, and Charlie was in Romaina with his dragons.


"Ah, although purple is a color we like to use at our shop. We've got a pair of robes in that color, even though we wear our magenta ones a lot of the time." George chuclked, "If you want real revenge, you might want to go after no only his hair, but his room too. It would be the best way to do so."

[Pyre Maria della'Rosa]

"I live here, but you'll be headed back to Italy once everything settles, right Pyre?" Liz asked, looking at her friend.

Pyre thought it over for a few moments before nodding.

"Si! I've got some time off that I intend to use," she explained.

It had to be rough, Liz noted. Sixteen and already a trained soldier, poor girl never stood a chance of living a normal life. Was it even something that Pyre had thought of? She was a Cavaliere. They were born to be the Curia's soldiers...

"Oh, I painted his room last year. It was very...pink, I think it was?" Pyre recalled.

[George Weasley]

"I see. So the food will still be across the street but one of the servers will be gone... Darn." George snapped. It was too bad, he was looking forward to talking to these girls more, they seemed like great friends.

"Go all out, make it the best revenge yet." George suggested, "Nothing goes better with purple hair than a sweet sweet plate of revenge served cold."

[Pyre Maria della'Rosa]

"Oh, she doesn't work for me. Pyre works down near the Ministry in the Italian consulate," Liz explained. "She comes here when she gets sick of her co-workers."

"They can be kind of....mind-numblingly, soul-drainingly boring," Pyre added. "I can't say that I'll miss them when I go home."

Being stationed in London was quickly turning into one of the most stressful assignments of her life; she'd he glad to be back in Sardinia, if only for a little while before she had to return to London.

"Hm. Maybe I'll braid his cat's hair..his reaction was funny last time," she noted thoughtfully.

[George Weasley]

"We'll call that one a part time." George shrugged, "If she'd come work for us, there is no such thing as getting bored." He gestured in the direction of his store.

"Then make it fun." he had a few of the stores tricks up his sleeve, litterally, and he did. He moved his one arm and sparks flew out of the sleeve of his jacket and they formed a rainbow with the sparks.

"Well, might as well right? Always go full out." he smirked.

[Pyre Maria della'Rosa]

"Sorry, but the consulate's my full-time job. I help with security," she explained with a laugh. "By the time my shift's over, it's usually around two in the morning, anyway."

Gabe had the next month off, lucky bastard. Pyre only got a few stolen days every now and then until she was allowed her month's leave, which she fully intended to spend sleeping back in her own bed. She missed Sardinia.

"Unfortunately, they don't really have much of a sense of humor around there, and the Minister keeps the ones that do locked up in meetings all the time," she pouted.