February 1999

George was still in a rut of being quite useless at the store, but he did give Verity detailed instructions on how to brew their WonderWitch brand of love potions in time for Valentine's Day. It had only taken her an entire morning's worth of nagging to get the recipe from him last week and luckily she got top marks in potions during her Hogwarts days, so it only took a weekend to complete enough stock to hopefully get them through the romantic holiday.

She honestly didn't agree with the idea of selling love potions, and even told the twins they were absolutely mad when they first brought up the idea of creating their own love potion products years ago.

After learning about Amortentia in their seventh year from a book they somehow got out of the restricted section of the library, they were convinced that they should make their own version. Being friends with the twins taught Verity from an early age that it was usually best to not ask questions, so she never asked them how they got the book. But she thought seventeen year olds teaching themselves how to brew the strongest love potion on the planet was a disaster waiting to happen, and their twisted idea of selling their own version only confirmed her thoughts.

No matter how much she tried to persuade them to not attempt making their own version and no matter how many times she tried to remind them that there was a reason Snape refused to teach love potions, Fred just told her it was because Snape was a bitter and lonely git and they promptly continued their experimentations.

But she simply couldn't deny that they were the number one selling item every February, as sad as it was. If the twins were anything other than mad geniuses and masters of chaos, they were incredibly talented businessmen who knew exactly what the people wanted.

The only issue Verity ran into while brewing the potion over the weekend was that she had to finally face something that she had been trying to avoid for months. Amortentia's key characteristic is smelling strongly of things that you find most attractive and George's version still held on to that characteristic, though not as powerfully. But she couldn't deny the fact that she smelled the faint scent of leather and smoke the entire weekend, and it certainly was no coincidence.

Verity was in the midst of stocking the main display with the small vials of light pink liquid when the familiar scent wafted next to her.

"Morning, love." Charlie greeted her with a warm smile.

It wasn't a new nickname he had for her and she knew it didn't really mean anything to Charlie. The way it so casually fell from his lips made her believe there was no way there could possibly be any affection behind it.

"You're late." she replied, shooting a sly smirk at him before flicking her wand causing more bottles to float to the top of the display.

"Only five minutes, plus you're not my boss missy." he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well your boss locks himself in his office for days at a time, so I suppose I'm the next best thing."

"Whatever you say, Ver." he chuckled lightly.

"Get that other box of love potions for me, would you?" she asked, pointing to the box on the counter.

"Why can't you get it yourself?"

"Do you work here or not?" she rolled her eyes.

Charlie gave her a smile before turning to retrieve the box for her, "I didn't realize we had this much left in storage."

"We didn't, I spent the entire weekend brewing it all." she replied, grabbing the box from his arms.

"You did? Why didn't you ask for help?" he asked as his face fell into a frown.

She raised her eyebrow at him, "Were you even any good at potions during school?"

"Well... no not really, but I reckon I still could have helped!"

"Always the gentleman, Charlie. It really wasn't that big of a deal."

Charlie leaned against the shelf behind him, watching Verity meticulously place the vials around the display, wanting everything to be perfect. Though she had said several times that working in the store wasn't her dream job, she really was passionate about it. Whether that was because of her loyalty to her friendship with George or because she truly loved working there despite her complaints was up for debate.

"What do you think?" Verity asked as she set the final bottle on the display and took a step back to stand next to Charlie, admiring her work.

The towering display of pink bottles was surrounded by a purple mist and pale pink roses that were charmed to grow and rain down their petals before blossoming again indefinitely. It was truly a sight to behold. The entire shop's decorations for the holiday was done by Verity, and she really had an eye for it. But the love potion display was her magnum opus. It was set up right in the middle of the sales floor and you couldn't miss it, the romantic aura was eye-catching from the moment anyone walked into the store.

"It's perfect, Ver." he praised as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Thanks." she responded, blushing lightly at his touch.

Charlie had never been shy about his affection with Verity, but she always assumed it was just a game he was playing with her. It was a routine they had become very used to, she would say something sarcastic or snarky to him and he would respond flirtatiously, trying to catch her off guard in the only way he knew how.

"What are you doing next Sunday?" he asked, glancing down at her.

She took a step away from him, narrowing her eyes, "Working, just like you are."

"I mean after work, Ver. You don't have any Valentine's Day plans?" he smirked.

"Nope, just going home to my cat, like every other night."

"Oh, so you do already have a date then." he put his hands in his pockets and rounded the corner of the self he had been leaning on.

Verity knew better than to chase this particular conversation, she really did, but curiosity took control of both her feet and her mouth.

"Are you trying to ask me out?" Verity asked, following him around the corner.

"What gives you that idea?" he asked with a laugh as he kept walking.

"If you're asking me out then just say it." she demanded as she stood her ground.

Charlie stopped at the end of the aisle and turned around with a smug grin, the same grin he would give her when he felt like he was winning their unspoken flirtatious games. Verity could feel her heart pounding in her chest, she just wanted Charlie to say it instead of playing around. But she wasn't going to let him win this time, her feet were planted firmly on the opposite end of the aisle and she wore a prominent scowl on her face, which only amused Charlie even more.

"Do you want me to ask you out?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh Merlin, forget it." she rolled her eyes and turned on her heel to exit the aisle.

Verity made her way to the front door to flip the sign to open, deciding to ignore Charlie's schemes and just focus on making sure the store would make it through the holiday. That all she should be doing, that's what she was there for - to make sure the store remained successful in Fred's memory. She wasn't there to give in and play along with whatever Charlie's games were. He didn't have feelings for her anyway, he clearly just liked to wind her up to get a laugh.

After flipping the sign, she turned around to see Charlie standing behind her with his arms crossed and that same insufferable smirk on his face. His sudden appearance made her jump and she pushed him away in annoyance for startling her. Though her small stature compared to his caused him to barely move, the only result of her shove was Charlie raising an eyebrow at her.

"You are so annoying, Weasley. You know that?"

"Then why do you adore me so much, Stokes?" he asked, nudging her shoulder lightly.

"I don't." she frowned, walking past him to find her place behind the counter.

"No need to lie, love."

The chime of the bell above the door came as a huge relief to Verity as it meant maybe she could finally get some relief from Charlie's merciless teasing. When a woman with curly blonde hair stepped into the store, Verity was even more excited.

"Eloise!" Verity skipped out from behind the counter and up to the witch.

"You look quite smart today, what's the occasion?" Charlie asked.

Eloise laughed lightly at his remark, "I just had a job interview at the Ministry."

"How did it go?" Verity asked.

"It went well! I have orientation next week then my first real day is at the beginning of March." she smiled brightly.

"That's wonderful, we'll have to celebrate! I'll tell mum and she'll probably cancel Ron's birthday in favor of a celebratory dinner for you." Charlie laughed.

"No, no, don't do that." Eloise waved him off with a laugh, her eyes diverted for a moment and fell on Verity's love potion display, "You really do go all out for Valentine's Day don't you?"

"It was all Ver." Charlie said proudly, causing the blush to return to her cheeks.

"It's incredible, Verity. Do these actually work?" Eloise asked, as she approached the display.

"Why? In the market for a lover there Eloise?" Charlie teased, causing Verity to elbow him in the side.

"Why don't you go restock something Charlie?" Verity suggested sternly.

Charlie threw his hands up in surrender at the short blonde witch but made sure to give her a wink before turning his back on the women and retreating into another aisle.

"Sorry about him, he's been a nightmare all morning." Verity sighed.

Eloise let out a laugh, "That's alright."

"But to answer your question, they do work. At least I hope they do, or I wasted an entire weekend brewing them."

"It seems a little questionable to sell them, doesn't it?" Eloise said quietly, as if saying it in a hushed voice would somehow make her comment less rude.

"Oh don't worry, I agree. When Fred and George first told me they wanted to make love potions I thought they were insane. But they sell well, so I can't blame them."

"Have you taken it before?"

Verity shook her head, "No, but Fred offered to give me a vial to test on a girl I had a crush on at the time. I refused though for obvious reasons, but she had also just gone through a lot the year before and had a crush on 'the chosen one'." she chuckled lightly, "Besides, no one other than Fred and George knew I was bi back then. It would have been a mess with or without the potion for me to tell her how I felt."

Verity's sexuality wasn't much of a secret to anyone anymore, she had spent so much of her time growing up fearing the judgement of others but being friends with Fred and George taught her that being herself would attract those who were worth keeping around.

"So you never told her at all?" Eloise asked.

Verity shook her head and shrugged, "I'm not the best at admitting my feelings. Plus it was just a silly little school girl crush, I got over it after a while."

"I'm not good at admitting my feelings either, don't worry."

"There is something interesting about it though, the potion I mean. It knows exactly who you are attracted to without drinking a single drop." Verity said, bringing their attention back to the display.

Eloise's brows furrowed slightly, "How?"

"The scent, it's different for each person. I had to deal with that all weekend when I was brewing it."

Curiosity was taking over Eloise's mind and Verity could read that in her eyes, so she grabbed a bottle from the display and opened it, holding it out to Eloise. With a slightly skeptical look on her face Eloise leaned forward to sniff the bottle, her bright blue eyes widened as she stood up straight.

A mischievous grin painted Verity's lips, "What did you smell?"

Her cheeks quickly matched the pink hue of the display, "My lips are sealed."

"What if we make a deal? I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Eloise bit her bottom lip nervously as she weighed Verity's offer, "Oh, alright. But you have to tell me first."

Verity looked over her shoulder, checking to see that Charlie wasn't snooping around anywhere before turning back to Eloise, "I smell leather and smoke." she said in a hushed voice.

"Is that- ?" Eloise asked, but cut herself off when Verity quickly put a finger to her own lips with a look of urgency in her eyes.

The last thing Verity wanted was Eloise to guess that she had feelings for Charlie, though it seemed rather obvious at this point. Who else wore leather boots each day and permanently smelled of smoke thanks to years of working with dragons, even though he hadn't been around them in months?

"You have to tell me yours now, it's only fair." Verity said innocently, as if they were two teenage girls sharing secrets at a slumber party.

"Parchment and firewhisky." Eloise replied in a near whisper.

To Verity, the parchment portion of her response didn't clearly point to George since she didn't know about his Christmas gift to Eloise. But she did know that firewhisky was his drink of choice. Though she already had a hunch for quite some time that Eloise had feelings for him, ever since her first visit to the store actually, thanks to Eloise's not so subtle staring at George the first time they met. It was probably clear to everyone but the two of them that they were quite fond of each other.

A knowing smile found its way to Verity's lips when Charlie rounded the corner and returned to the girls.

"What are you two up to?" Charlie raised his eyebrow as he spotted the open bottle of love potion in Verity's hand.

"Just explaining to Eloise, how the potion smells different to each person." Verity shrugged casually as she put the cork back in the bottle and placed it back on the shelf.

"Oh yeah? What does it smell like to you two then?"

"Oh no, no, no. That's between the two of us. We're taking that to the grave." Verity responded, locking an invisible key in front of her lips.

"What's the fun in that?" Charlie pouted.

Verity gave him a quick pat on the shoulder in a gesture of sarcastic comfort, "Somehow I think you'll live, love."

"You see how she treats me, Eloise? Bloody unfair."

"I don't see any problems here." Eloise said innocently.

"Oh, you've got her conspiring against me now too?!" he looked down at Verity in fake astonishment.

Eloise laughed, "Verity's quite persuasive, I'm now loyal to her cause. That means I have to give you a hard time, it's rule number one."

"How could you?" Charlie narrowed his eyes at Verity, trying to stifle the smile desperately wanting to form on his lips.

"I need all the help I can get dealing with you, Charlie." Verity said sweetly.

Eloise laughed as the two teased each other before glancing at the clock over Charlie's shoulder, "Is that really the time? I should get home, Fleur's probably been sitting waiting for me to get back for a while. I told her I would give her every detail of my interview."

"Are you sure? George should be back from Zonko's at any moment if you wanted to stay a bit longer." Verity offered.

But the curly haired blonde merely waved her off, "That's alright, with me working close by I'll definitely be stopping in more often."

"Well if you're sure, I'll tell him you said hello. We'll just have to face the wrath of him not seeing you." Verity teased.

"I doubt he will care that much." Eloise chuckled nervously.

"Oh, sweet, naive Eloise. He'll probably sulk and be a grump for the rest of the day knowing he missed you by a few minutes." she laughed.

"She's right, he won't even believe us if we told him we tried to stop you." Charlie winked.

Eloise rolled her eyes at them, "You two are crazy. I'll see you in a few weeks, okay?"

She waved to them kindly and turned to exit the shop, though if she was being honest she really did want to see George. But she had already been in the shop for twenty minutes longer than she had intended and told Fleur earlier that morning that she'd be home by noon. Though Eloise did have a well known habit of running behind schedule, with Fleur's new hormonal moodiness thanks to the pregnancy, she didn't want to push any of her buttons.

"If we're alive by then! George may kill us between now and then!" Verity called after her as she stepped out of the shop.

Then it was just the two Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes employees left in the quiet shop. Charlie leaned back against the counter with crossed his arms, looking to be deep in thought. Verity spun around to return to her spot behind the counter when Charlie expression stopped her in her tracks.

"What's going on in that twisted mind of yours?" she asked.

"How long do you think it'll be before they realize they are crazy about each other?"

Verity paused for a moment, thinking about how ironic it was for him to ask her about George and Eloise when the two of them had been flirting non-stop for months and yet made no effort to clarify what their own relationship was.

"I think it's not so much a question of them realizing it, but more so figuring out if either one will ever make a move. And to that, I wouldn't be surprised if it took years."

"You really think so?" Charlie chuckled.

"George is too oblivious and Eloise is too shy." Verity shrugged before finally continuing to her place behind the counter but was stopped when Charlie gently grabbed her wrist.

"I was asking you out, by the way." he said in a low voice, leaning close to her ear.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter even though there wasn't any Eloise and George interaction, I promise the next one will be all about them. I just really wanted to add a chapter that focused more on Charlie and Verity's relationship as well as Verity's developing friendship with Eloise. :)

Also I know that amortentia/love potion chapters can be cheesy, but I unironically love them. Every single time I read a fic and a character smells their crush I'm like 🦋🦋🦋 it never gets old to me lol