Personal: The Changing Times
Title: The Changing Times
Date: August 1st, 1998
Time of Day: 1:15pm
Characters: Verity Thruston
Location: Weasley's Wizard Wheezes
Status: Personal
Brief Summary: Verity's thoughts while working
Completion: Complete
Warnings: None
It was quiet in the shop. Too quiet, though Verity knew the week would only pick up, what with the Hogwarts letters being sent out that day. She kept an eye fixed on the middle aged wizard browsing the shelves, his large forehead crinkled in concentration as he picked up boxes and held them close to his eyeglasses to read the warning labels. She liked to stay near to the customers, should they need information regarding the merchandise.
She waved her wand about, watching the dust disappear from the counters and shelves. The stock was put away, the floors sparkling, the new orders finished and sent off. Verity had nothing else to do but wait. Glancing at the wizard again, she was disappointed to see him replace the box in his hand and meander off toward the exit. She very nearly called out to him, determined to get him to at least buy a box of Exploding Snaps, but what use would a man like him have for them?
Perhaps a Bath Time Bobby? she thought quickly, mentally reciting the sales pitch. Guaranteed to fizzle and tickle, heightening your bath time pleasure!
She stammered after the wizard, but the front door had already clicked shut behind him. Sighing, Verity leaned over the counter, resting her chin in her palm. It had been an uneventful summer within the shop, which was understandable, given most people had been too afraid to step outside into their own gardens while You Know Who was out there.
The Wizarding world had become such a dismal place in every sense of the word. No one trusted each other anymore, and no one smiled at strangers. People had gone into hiding, or fled the country, fearing persecution by the Ministry for their bloodline. Verity had received a letter herself from Dolores Umbridge regarding her own trial date to determine how she had, in fact, become a witch. No matter that her parents were both magical, her mum was a Muggle-born, and that was all that they had needed.
You Know Who had attacked Hogwarts before Verity ever had a chance to respond to the charges being brought against her.
But that wasn't the worst of it for Verity. No...the worst part was that anyone who found the courage to venture into Diagon Alley walked into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes looking like a frightened rabbit about to be pounced upon by the big bad wolf. No one laughed anymore.
Verity had hoped that after Harry Potter had defeated You Know Who that things would return back to normal, but she was quickly finding out that the definition of normal had changed, along with everything else.
Rounding the corner, Verity walked to the corner of the shop to straighten up the boxes the wizard had been examining, lost in her thoughts.
Frowning, Verity stared at the merchandise before she returned to straighten the Nose Biting Teacups. Despite everything that had happened over the past two years, George had changed the most. In one day, in one instance, something had snapped inside him. He rarely laughed anymore, and his jokes were short and often full of subtle bitterness. His brother, Ron, who had just begun to help out at the store, never mentioned it, and never bit back when some of George's crueler comments were directed at him.
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had once been Verity's sanctuary away from her demanding parents and lonely flat, but she was beginning to find she preferred the mouse in her kitchen cabinet to the vacancy this place seemed to hold.
She missed Fred, his outgoing personality and constant smiles. She missed the store being filled to the brim with children and adults alike, eager to see what new, insane invention the Weasley twins had conjured up that day. She missed George, often quiet and thoughtful, but always ready with a smile and laugh, especially during the darker days.
Verity stepped back from her work, biting her lower lip as her gaze swept along the teacups. She reached out to move the last one slightly to the right to line up perfectly with the others and felt a small sense of accomplishment.
Returning to the counter, she returned to leaning against the counter and shifting her gaze to the front door, waiting and willing the next customer to arrive soon, or perhaps Ron to come in for a shift. She needed some sort of human contact, and it seemed obvious that she wouldn't be getting it from George.
Date: August 1st, 1998
Time of Day: 1:15pm
Characters: Verity Thruston
Location: Weasley's Wizard Wheezes
Status: Personal
Brief Summary: Verity's thoughts while working
Completion: Complete
Warnings: None
It was quiet in the shop. Too quiet, though Verity knew the week would only pick up, what with the Hogwarts letters being sent out that day. She kept an eye fixed on the middle aged wizard browsing the shelves, his large forehead crinkled in concentration as he picked up boxes and held them close to his eyeglasses to read the warning labels. She liked to stay near to the customers, should they need information regarding the merchandise.
She waved her wand about, watching the dust disappear from the counters and shelves. The stock was put away, the floors sparkling, the new orders finished and sent off. Verity had nothing else to do but wait. Glancing at the wizard again, she was disappointed to see him replace the box in his hand and meander off toward the exit. She very nearly called out to him, determined to get him to at least buy a box of Exploding Snaps, but what use would a man like him have for them?
Perhaps a Bath Time Bobby? she thought quickly, mentally reciting the sales pitch. Guaranteed to fizzle and tickle, heightening your bath time pleasure!
She stammered after the wizard, but the front door had already clicked shut behind him. Sighing, Verity leaned over the counter, resting her chin in her palm. It had been an uneventful summer within the shop, which was understandable, given most people had been too afraid to step outside into their own gardens while You Know Who was out there.
The Wizarding world had become such a dismal place in every sense of the word. No one trusted each other anymore, and no one smiled at strangers. People had gone into hiding, or fled the country, fearing persecution by the Ministry for their bloodline. Verity had received a letter herself from Dolores Umbridge regarding her own trial date to determine how she had, in fact, become a witch. No matter that her parents were both magical, her mum was a Muggle-born, and that was all that they had needed.
You Know Who had attacked Hogwarts before Verity ever had a chance to respond to the charges being brought against her.
But that wasn't the worst of it for Verity. No...the worst part was that anyone who found the courage to venture into Diagon Alley walked into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes looking like a frightened rabbit about to be pounced upon by the big bad wolf. No one laughed anymore.
Verity had hoped that after Harry Potter had defeated You Know Who that things would return back to normal, but she was quickly finding out that the definition of normal had changed, along with everything else.
Rounding the corner, Verity walked to the corner of the shop to straighten up the boxes the wizard had been examining, lost in her thoughts.
Frowning, Verity stared at the merchandise before she returned to straighten the Nose Biting Teacups. Despite everything that had happened over the past two years, George had changed the most. In one day, in one instance, something had snapped inside him. He rarely laughed anymore, and his jokes were short and often full of subtle bitterness. His brother, Ron, who had just begun to help out at the store, never mentioned it, and never bit back when some of George's crueler comments were directed at him.
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had once been Verity's sanctuary away from her demanding parents and lonely flat, but she was beginning to find she preferred the mouse in her kitchen cabinet to the vacancy this place seemed to hold.
She missed Fred, his outgoing personality and constant smiles. She missed the store being filled to the brim with children and adults alike, eager to see what new, insane invention the Weasley twins had conjured up that day. She missed George, often quiet and thoughtful, but always ready with a smile and laugh, especially during the darker days.
Verity stepped back from her work, biting her lower lip as her gaze swept along the teacups. She reached out to move the last one slightly to the right to line up perfectly with the others and felt a small sense of accomplishment.
Returning to the counter, she returned to leaning against the counter and shifting her gaze to the front door, waiting and willing the next customer to arrive soon, or perhaps Ron to come in for a shift. She needed some sort of human contact, and it seemed obvious that she wouldn't be getting it from George.