To Love a Twin

Chapter 6: In Diagon Alley

George parked the motorbike in an alley near the Leaky Cauldron, casting a disillusionment charm on it. Then, he led her to the front door of the portal to the wizarding world.

"Well, here we are," he said.

Kira merely stood and looked, obviously confused.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot; you can't see it. Sorry," said George. He reached out and took her hand in his, watching as her expression registered wonder at her sudden awareness of the ancient pub's existence.

He pushed open the door and ushered her inside. Taking a deep breath, he looked around. He noted the usual assortment of witches and wizards, among them, more than a few Ministry employees. He wanted to attract as much attention as possible, especially from them. He kept hold of Kira's hand as he walked through the taproom, stopping to greet people he knew and even a few he didn't.

Kira became aware of a sudden silence in the pub as they made their way through it. She could feel all their eyes on them, no, actually, on her. When they came to an empty but dirty table, George held out a chair for her. Then, he pulled out his wand and waved it at the table. The soiled glasses vanished. Everyone in the pub gasped.

"Tom," George called out to the barman, "the lady and I just had a long journey from my parent's house. How about a pint for me and a cold glass of milk for the lady?"

Tom brought the drinks over to them and placed the glasses on the table. He leaned toward George and whispered, "Are ye daft, man? Bringin' a Muggle inta here? An doin' magic in fronna 'er? Yer askin' fer trouble."

George smiled at the older man. "Not askin' Tom, countin' on it," he said. He smiled reassuringly at Kira, who was obviously confused.

They didn't have long to wait. Two wizards sitting at a table near the stairs made their way over to them.

"Mr. Weasley isn't it?" asked the elder of the two.

George smiled up at them cockily. "Yes," he said, "George Weasley, and you fine gentlemen are...?"

"I am Merkel, and this is Sam Jorkins," answered the man. "We're with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Well, I'll not hold that against you. Everyone's gotta have a livelihood," quipped George.

"Would you and your...friend please accompany us to the private parlor?" asked Merkel.

"Well, awful nice of you to want to get acquainted," said George, "but the lady and I've had a long day of it. I really need to get her home and into bed. She needs her rest, you understand."

Kira might not have known much about the wizarding world, but she definitely knew that these two guys didn't look like people you could trifle with. She watched as their hands inched toward their robes where, she was sure, their wands were secreted.

"Um...George," she said, "maybe we should just do what they want?"

"If you're feeling up to it, love," George said, standing.

Once in the private parlor, the two wizards got down to business. "Are we correct in our assumption that this girl is a Muggle?"

George draped his arm over Kira's shoulder and smiled. "She sure is," he said.

Merkel and Jorkins looked at each other. They knew that his twin brother had been killed in the Battle of Hogwarts. Maybe his mind had been affected?

"Surely, Mr. Weasley, you're aware of the Code of Wizarding Secrecy?" asked Sam Jorkins.

"Well, of course," said George. "But that doesn't apply to close family members."

"Are you alleging that this young woman is a close relative?" asked Merkel.

"Well, she's going to be," said George. "Do you mind if she sits? She's in a delicate condition, if you get my drift."

Understanding lit the faces of both men.

"Ah, we see," said Jorkins, "but surely you know that performing magic in front of her is illegal until you're married."

George adopted a surprised expression. "Really?" he asked. "Well, can't we make an exception here? After all--"

Kira jumped up from her chair. "Are you saying that he's in trouble?"

"Unfortunately, Miss," said Merkel, "The law does not allow exceptions. We're going to have to place Mr. Weasley under arrest and take you in protective custody until his case is adjudicated. Not to worry though. Usually, in these cases, the Ministry will drop all charges as soon as you marry."

Kira began shaking and crying. "No," she said, "you can't arrest him." She threw her arms around George. He held her, trying to calm her down.

Sam Jorkins looked at Merkel, who, if he had a first name, nobody knew it. Merkel was his immediate supervisor. The older man was definitely not happy about having to arrest Weasley for something this stupid, but his hands were tied.

Sam was beginning to feel bad for the young couple. The girl was really upset. "Listen," he said, "maybe we could work something out here. I mean, when were you planning on getting married?"

"Getting married?" asked Kira. She wondered what in the world he was talking about.

"It's just that if you two could get married immediately, that would settle this once and for all," said Sam.

Merkel looked at Sam like he was a genius. "That's a great idea, Sam! Calm down now, Miss. We don't want you getting upset. After all, the only thing your young man did was jump the hex a bit. My brother is on the Wizengamut. He can perform marriage ceremonies. I can have him here in two waves of a witch's wand. What do you think?"

Kira turned to George. "What's he talking about?"

George stared at her, sending a nonverbal message for her to play along. "Well, love, it seems that unless you marry me, immediately, I'm going to prison and you'll be taken into protective custody until I get out, which may not be for a very long time."

"You're joking," she said, her voice rising with hysteria.

"We're with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Miss," said Merkel. "We do not make jokes. No offense now, but considering the circumstances, don't you think the two of you should be married as soon as possible anyway?"

Kira was dumbfounded. She looked from the two wizards back to George. "But I, you...I mean...George?"

"I think the wise thing to do, love, is let this man call his brother," said George. "Please?"

Kira couldn't believe this was happening. Poor George. He sure as heck hadn't planned on this. What if he had a girlfriend or something? Well, she figured, they could always get an annulment later. "Oh, right, I see...um...you mean like now?"

"Wonderful!" said Merkel. "I'll go get my brother and meet you three back here in an hour. I'm sure the young lady will want to change into something a little nicer. Sam, stay with them while I'm gone." Then, he Disapparated.

Sam and George took Kira back out through the taproom and into the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron. Kira was so upset over how her mere presence had affected George's life she was sick. She didn't even register surprise when the brick wall opened to reveal the most bizarre sight she'd ever seen. As if in a dream, she allowed herself to be led along the cobblestone street until they'd reached a shop. The sign on the front said "Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions."

Inside, George explained to the owner of the shop that they needed a nice set of robes for Kira for a special occasion, and that they needed them immediately. The woman, who wore mauve-colored robes, whisked Kira into the back and began measuring her.

"Now, take off those dusty things, dear," said Madam Malkin. "We'll have you all set in no time at all." Once Kira had slipped out of her clothes, the shopkeeper waved her wand at them and they were immediately folded and wrapped in a brown paper bundle. She began draping material over Kira, then standing back to assess the effect.

"Green, I think," she said. "It does enhance the lighter highlights in your hair nicely." Then, with a wave of her wand, the material turned a light blue. "But this, oh, this matches your eyes." Then another wave of the wand and Kira was draped in champagne gold silk. "But gold would look nice too. What is the occasion, anyway?"

"Um...it seems I'm getting married, I think," said Kira, who was secretly wondering if George was pulling some sort of practical joke on her.

"Married?" exclaimed the older woman. "Why didn't you say so? Then it has to be white, obviously."

"No," said Kira. "Not white. Actually, I love this one. Can I have this?"

"Well, of course, if you want. It does look wonderful on you. You're so lucky. With your coloring, you can wear nearly anything. Not orange, though. Never orange. And you have to be careful with pink too. If you don't mind my saying, dear, well, I know you're a Muggle. We can always tell, you know. I don't know how much your young man may have told you, but some people have nasty attitudes regarding mixed marriages. If you're planning on living here in Diagon Alley in Mr. Weasley's flat, then it might be better if you adopted dressing in witch's wear. Just so you blend in better, you understand. And it will make life easier for the little one, when he comes."

Kira looked at Madam Malkin and just nodded. She had just figured out that everyone thought she was pregnant with George's baby. The two wizards...were they police officers? They had assumed that she and George was a couple. It was lucky they had, she realized, or George would be sitting in a prison cell right now.

After a few waves of Madam Malkin's wand and the outfit was done. The golden silk fell to the floor in soft folds. It completely hid the bulge her baby made in her midsection.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she exclaimed. "Shoes! I have just the thing." Madam Malkin walked back out to the storefront returning a few minutes later with a pair of golden shoes. "Here we go, try these on and I can have them fitting you perfectly in a second. I spoke with your Mr. Weasley out there and he said that you're to have whatever you need. You are such a lucky girl. Those boys...well, I'm sure you know about poor Fred...that shop they started has turned into a gold mine."

Before Kira knew it, the hour was up and she was being led back down the street, toward the Leaky Cauldron by George and Sam, who would not let them out of his sight for a second. She so wished she could have a moment to talk to George, just to see how angry he was over this mess. He was being so strangely quiet. He was probably kicking himself for coming after her, Kira thought.

George was doing his best to conceal his sense of victory. This had worked better than he had even hoped. He'd known that bringing Kira into the Leaky Cauldron would violate the law and everyone's sense of propriety. He'd figured that some busybody would have reported him to the Ministry and that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would be at his door the next morning.

Having two of them there, witnessing the entire thing, had been a coup. He knew full well that the Ministry would insist upon a fast marriage and that Kira would never let him rot in prison. He was determined to raise Fred's child as his own, with only the family knowing the truth. In time, he hoped to win Kira's heart as well as her hand.

When they entered the private parlor of the Leaky Cauldron, Merkel was there with his brother, who, if possible, looked even sterner than Merkel.

"Very well," he said as soon as the door had closed behind them. "I usually would not bend the law like this, but your family served the Ministry well during our recent dark times, and suffered a great loss. I know your parents and am loathe to see more worry brought down on them. They've already lost enough. You have a ring, do you not?"

George looked stunned. He hadn't even thought about a ring. He looked at Kira dumbly.

"Wait," she said, remembering her grandparent's rings tucked away in the small zippered compartment of her backpack. She ran over to the chair where she'd left it and retrieved them, handing the wedding bands to George.

"Very well," said the judge. He pulled a small book out of his robes and began speaking.

Kira stood there, numb. She still could not believe this was happening. After a few minutes, George nudged her with his arm. Kira looked at him, not knowing what to do. He mouthed the words, 'I do."

"Oh, I do," she said, hurriedly. Then, George was slipping her grandmother's ring on her finger, she slipped her grandfather's ring on his, and it was over. George gave her a fast, soft kiss on the lips.

The judge opened a scroll and signed it with a quill. Then, he called the two of them over to sign it. Kira saw that it was a marriage certificate. Finally, Merkel and Sam Jorkins signed as witnesses, and the three men left them alone at last.

Kira plopped down on the chair and burst out crying.

"Well," said George dryly, "I guess that'd be my reaction too if I suddenly found myself married to me."

Between sobs, Kira said, "I'm so sorry, George. I know you must hate me for this mess. I've ruined your life."

George sat on the arm of her chair and draped his arm around her. "Kira," he said, "you haven't ruined anyone's life, except maybe your own. If I hadn't wanted to marry you, I wouldn't have. Actually, the more I thought of it, it seemed the perfect solution. Now, there will be no question of the baby carrying our name. He'll be legitimate; you'll both be protected and loved. How is this a bad thing? Why would you think I hate you?"

"But, don't you have a girlfriend? I'm sure you want to be married to someone you actually care about. Oh my God! What about Debbie?"

"Debbie? Debbie who?" asked George, not sure what she was talking about.

"You know, Debbie! She works in the paper shop in town. You were going out with her. Fred told me so."

"I never went...well, maybe a few times, but it wasn't anything serious. I don't have a girlfriend. And I do care about you. We're friends, right? I'm willing to give this a chance. My father says that most people are happy because they choose to be happy. Maybe we can choose to be happy together."

Kira nodded, hoping he wasn't just saying this so she'd not feel so bad for him.

"Good, now let's go home," said George, standing and holding his hand out toward her.

When they arrived at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Kira's mouth dropped at the over-the-top window display. "U-No-Poo?" she asked, looking at him.

"Yes," said George. "You give it to someone and they get constipated."

"You should come up with a Hemorrhoid Hex or Diarrhea Drops," she said, her eyes lighting with devilment.

"That's bloody brilliant! The best idea I've heard since Fred died," said George, who immediately kicked himself when the laughter left her eyes.

Inside, Kira saw that the shop was staffed by several young people wearing bright magenta robes. They looked up as she and George entered and called out greetings to him. George showed her the various products he and Fred had invented. Like most girls, she was intrigued by the assortment of WonderWitch products, especially the love potions.

"Does this really make someone love you?" she asked.

"The name is actually a misnomer. It should be called a lust potion," answered George, who was charmed by the pink blush that had stolen over her cheeks. "The effect wears off in twenty-four hours."

Kira picked up a box that had a picture of a young couple on the deck of a pirate ship. "Daydream Charm?" she asked, smiling. "How do these work?"

"Oh, you take one and you're guaranteed a fantastic thirty minute daydream."

Kira put it down. "Why would anyone need help to daydream?"

"Nobody does, but enough people think they do that they fly off the shelf like Firebolts," he answered.

"A tendency to daydream is my biggest fault," she said. "Sometimes, when I was minding the butcher shop, customers would come in and I'd be so caught up in one I wouldn't even notice them."

"What would you daydream about?" asked George.

Kira nearly said, "Fred." But, she realized that she was now George's wife and it didn't seem right to say it. She wondered if Fred would always be the proverbial elephant in the room, never acknowledged, never discussed, never dealt with, but there, standing between them. "I...I used to daydream my father would disappear, and that my mother and I were happy," she said, her eyes on the floor.

George knew she was lying. She really was a terrible liar. He also knew that Kira had immediately thought of Fred, but had not wanted to tell him. Well, at least she was concerned about his feelings. That, actually, boded well.

"Come on," he said gently, "let me show you the back room." George held a curtain aside to let Kira step through. When her eyes adjusted to the relative darkness, she saw a staff member in Magenta robes stocking shelves up near the ceiling. She was simply floating there, without benefit of a ladder. "We keep our more serious items back here," said George.

The young clerk started at the sound of his voice and dropped a box she had been shelving. It crashed to the floor. George looked up at her stricken face and said, "Don't worry, Verity, nothing we can't fix." Then he pulled out his wand, pointed it at the dented package and said, "Reparo." The box immediately straightened itself out and he levitated it back up to Verity, who safely slid it onto the shelf before slowly floating back down to the floor.

"You're back," she said, smiling up into his eyes. "We weren't expecting you until tomorrow. I'd so wanted to get the inventory completed, to surprise you." She gave Kira a dismissing look and pretended to pick an imaginary bit of lint from George's shirt.

George felt a bit uncomfortable. During the past several months, Verity had been becoming just a bit too familiar with him. He knew she'd developed a thing for him, but he and Fred had agreed, from day one, to never, ever, develop personal relationships with their staff. It was the quickest road to disaster. Once other employees suspected any favoritism, they became sullen and resentful.

Verity was a pretty girl, but George had been ignoring her increasingly blatant attempts to flirt with him for months. Although she had never yet crossed the line of calling him by his first name, she had let off calling him Mr. Weasley some time ago and found any excuse to touch him.

He cleared his throat. "Verity, I want you to meet someone. This is my wife...er...Mrs. Weasley. We were just married. Kira, love, this is Verity, one of my...I mean...our employees."

Kira could see that Verity was stunned. She felt sorry for the girl who, it was obvious, had not expected George to return from a visit home with a wife in tow. "It's very nice to meet you, Verity," she said softly.

Verity just looked from one of them to the other, blinking to keep the tears that were threatening at bay. "I...it...it is nice to meet you, Mrs. Weasley," she stammered. "If you'll both excuse me. I'm...I need to go...um...do something." Verity virtually ran through the curtain to the main part of the store.

"George, did you and she have...," Kira began.

"No, not at all," insisted George. "I would never get into a relationship with someone who works for me. No way. Yes, she had taken to flirting, but I ignored her."

"Oh, I feel sorry for her," said Kira. Then a thought struck her. "George, what would you have done if you had fallen in love with someone who worked for you?"

"Why I'd have fired her, of course, then asked her out."

Kira giggled. It was such a classic Fred and George thing to say. Sobering, she grabbed his arm. "George, if you ever meet anyone and want--"

George cut her off. "Kira, I am determined that our marriage be a real marriage. For now, I want to put on a public face of a regular happy pair of newlyweds. I do not want my parents worried about my happiness; I do not want our employees whispering about us, and I want to raise that baby as my own. Only our family will know the truth. We are married. My family takes that seriously, as a lifetime commitment. I take it seriously. Do you understand?"

Kira blinked and gulped. He was so changeable. On moment he could be like Fred, exchanging zany wit for sarcastic barb, the next intensely serious. "Yes, George," she said, "I understand."

George immediately relaxed and smiled. He didn't want to rush her, but she had to know what he expected as much as he had to know what she expected if they were to get on together. It was best to start out as he meant to go on. "Come on," he said, "I'll show you our flat."

As he led her upstairs to the flat, Kira was unsettled by what he had said. What did he mean by a real marriage? Had he meant eventually or right now? She was too embarrassed to ask. It was, actually, their wedding night. Was he expecting...?

At the top of the stairs, he said, "Bat Bogies" to the door and it swung open. They stepped into a small vestibule with a closet to the right and an archway leading straight ahead. Through the arch was a decent sized parlor. Old copies of the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler were strewn about on the overstuffed sofa and on the faded rose-colored floral carpet. The sofa faced a fireplace that was banked by dirty, long, narrow windows. Directly across from them was a hallway. George led her to the hall and the stepped through the doorway on the right into the kitchen. It was filthy. Kira's feet stuck to the floor as she walked. The room had a tiny window over the sink, a few cabinets, a small wooden table with two chairs, an ancient stove that stood against the back wall on four legs, and an old icebox. Kira only knew what it was from old movies she'd seen on television.

"It's only for now," said George. "I was thinking that maybe you'd like a house in Ottery St. Catchpole. I could Apparate into the store every day."

"I hadn't really thought that far ahead, George," she said. "Ottery St. Catchpole does not hold many happy memories for me. And, the people there were always so cruel. I don't know if I want to live there."

"You won't want to live here on Diagon Alley for long. I need to buy us a Muggle house that I could modify with magic to suit our needs. I can adapt to the Muggle world much easier than you can adapt to mine. We have no need for things like electricity, or refriggerators. We accomplish all that by magic. We can get a place here in London if you want. I want you to be happy."

He led her down the hall and opened the first door on the left. "This is the bathroom," he said. Then, he opened the door a bit further on from it. "This is my bedroom."

Kira looked at the four-poster bed and grew visibly pale.

George couldn't help it. He had to smile. Her face was so expressive. He didn't need to be a Legilimens to know exactly what she was thinking. He deliberately let her stew in it a few seconds before saying, "I figure you can use Fred's room for now. It's right here across the hall."

George stepped out and opened the door to Fred's room. He hoped she'd be all right. He had not done anything with it. Fred's clothes were still in the closet, in the bureau drawers. He was carrying her backpack and the parcel of clothes Madam Malkin had wrapped up for her, so he threw them onto the bed while she set her purse on the bureau. "Fred's things are still in here," he said. "Would you like me to clear them out?"

"No, I'll do it," she said. "I never really got to do anything for him. Maybe it'll help me lay him to rest in my mind."

He glanced down at her stomach then back up at her face. "Oh, I wouldn't say that, Kira. Looks to me like you did plenty for him," he said dryly.

Kira's face flushed with embarrassment. "He was so upset and stressed out and couldn't tell me why. He...he told me he needed me. Do you think I'm a bad person?"

"Kira, I'm only joking. Of course I don't think you're a bad person. He was happy, Kira, happier than I'd ever seen him. I'm glad that he had the chance to love someone and be loved." George looked around the room. "Are you sure you want to do this yourself? After it happened, I came in here and, well, I just couldn't."

"I think I need to do it," Kira said. "Is there something I can pack his things away in?"

"His old school trunk is in the closet," he said. "It's empty. We were thrilled to toss everything that reminded him of that place. We had a huge bonfire in the back and torched all our old textbooks and assignments. We didn't exactly leave on the best of terms, you see. I'll send an owl to my parents telling them we're married and asking them to portkey the rest of your things here. Madam Malkin said she'd have some more robes sent here in a day or two."

"Thank you, George," she said. "You've been unbelievably generous and kind to me, considering everything."

"Kira, about the bedroom thing. I know you need time. It'll be up to you to cross this hall when you're ready. I won't pressure you. I want you to know that. But I'll not beg either. I care so much for you, and I already love the child you carry. We need to do what's right for the baby. But to do that, we have to make this marriage work. Just think about it."

With that, George walked out of the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Kira alone with her thoughts. She was relieved that he had realized, without being asked, that she needed time to get used to the idea of being his wife. But first, she had to put Fred behind her. She knew that, but had no idea how to do it.