TBAY: George's Bar is Safe

[amy_marblefeet <amy_marblefeet@yahoo.co.uk>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50242

There was a distant flash of lightning from the approaching storm 
and Amy started her stop watch.  She had done the tourist thing and 
lurked around the bay for a while, bought some badges and visited the 
boats but now it was time to enter George's Tavern.
 
She pushed the doors open hopping to make a dramatic entrance but 
there were precious few people inside.  Many were out storm proofing 
their vessels and making room for (hopefully) some new and shiny 
cannon.
 
However, there were some important looking figures in the corner 
discussing the storm on the horizon.   They seemed extremely 
confident that they were perfectly safe and Amy had to agree, one of 
them was, after all, Captain Cindy and it was quite inconceivable 
that the next book would not bang.  Amy took a seat at the bar and 
waited for George to come over and server her.  While she was waiting 
she couldn't help over hearing the tail end of the conversation.

> Cindy had leaned in closer to her companions and lowered her 
> voice. "Now as for *that* guy," she muttered, jerking a thumb at 
> George, busy polishing glasses behind the bar, "I'm not taking any 
> bets on *him.*"

Amy sat at the bar of the Royal George and tried not to smile at 
the Captains last remark.  She turned her head from the rather 
interesting SHIPping conversation that was going on so Cindy wouldn't 
see her roll her eyes as well.  Amy didn't think that it would be 
very wise to insult one of the biggest characters in Theory Bay, and 
the owner of the Big Bang Destroyer no less.

George looked worried, but finished cleaning his glasses like the 
professional he was and came over to serve Amy.  Amy however had got 
a little distracted by the site of George bending over to remember 
why she was there.

"Are you Ok?  Can I get you a drink?" George asked her.

"Who me," Amy mumbled, wowed by the effect the Snape theory was 
having on her (was it like this with all newbees?).  "Oh, me I'm 
fine.  And I am completely not worried about you either."  Amy 
suddenly
realised that last sentence had not made any sense, so she decided 
to elaborate.

"It is quite ridiculous to suggest that you, George, are in any 
trouble at all, well, at least from the fifth book that is.  What was 
that quote from OoP again?  Dumbledore telling Harry what he should 
have told him five years ago because he has a right to know 
everything now.
 
"Harry ,however did not ask about Snape five years ago.  He 
asked "but why would Voldemort want to kill me?"  five years ago.  
Five years ago, the only mention he made of his Potions Professor was 
to ask if it was true that he hated his father and if they were in 
the same year at school.  It was in his last year that Harry asked 
Dumbledore what made Snape turn to the side of light and what made 
the Headmaster still trust him.

"Oh, JKR has plenty stored for the man who "has a past with a capital 
P" and she doesn't want to, and probably wont, tell us till book 
seven.  If the only reason book five is so thick is because the 
entire back story of Snape is revealed form birth to bang" -George 
looks a little worried about this word so Amy quickly moves on-" 
prank and past, Vampires to Voldemort, love, loss and possibly 
LOLLIPOPS, Deatheaters and ... and ..."  Amy searched for a word that 
began with a 'D'.  "What the hell you get my point.  Besides, 
everyone knows that Snape is the most three dimensional character 
in the whole series.  Why would JKR suddenly throw light on the 
shadow, turn grey to light, transform darkness into..." George coughs 
subtly but Amy gets the hint.

"Treat 'em mean keep 'em keen," Amy finished.
 
George still looked a little worried.  And even better looking ,Amy 
thought, now that he had a vulnerable streak and even larger puppy 
dog eyes.

Outside there was a distant rumble of thunder.  Amy looked down at 
her stop watch and did some quick calculations on the back of a 
coaster.  "Hmm, twenty two weeks and counting," she said to herself.  
George looked up from the bar. 
 
"Don't worry.  You and this fabulous bar here is going to be quite 
safe till at least book seven.  The character you are a theory for, 
however, is quite another story," Amy smirked and tossed her hair 
behind her shoulder. "And, yes, I would love a Brandy."

Amy
(Who, when she first tried to post this was deeply ashamed to find 
out she had spelt George's name wrong in the title.  Oh the shame!)