Forever Lost in Your Smile
I'm hoping this story will turn out perfect, even though I'm only on the first chapter, I have great expectations for it...and for the author! Eeek, new stories are always so exciting! With this story, I hope to update more frequently, and make the chapters more...um...interesting...yeah, interesting. Well enough chit-chat, onto the reason you clicked on the title.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other characters associated with the books. If you did not know this...well...all the more power to you, I guess?
Summary: Post-Hogwarts. Katie Bell isn't lucky. Perhaps that was why she just happened to stumble onto a murder scene. Now, George Weasley is being framed for a murder Katie knows he didn't commit, and she has taken it upon herself to follow a faint trail to solve the mystery, involoving lots of opposition from her friends and one handsome, mysterious auror known by the name of Oliver ;)
It was only when my fist connected with the man's face that I realized what a stupid decision I had made. As he stepped back, bewildered, blood began streaming forth from his nose. Tenderly, he began feeling his face, and that's when it hit me that it was probably time for me to leave if I wanted to remain 'intact'.
"It's been a pleasure." I searched my pockets, managing to find a knut, and threw it onto the table. Without looking back, I calmly walked to the door, threw it open, and raced out into the street, with extreme resemblance to a banshee.
You're supposed to think before you act, dumb-ass, the words kept echoing through my head as I headed up the heavily crowded streets of Diagon Alley.
Sure, he may have pissed you off, but were you a calm, mature adult, you could have shrugged off the conflict in a business-like manner, and accomplished your mission. Now you have to explain to Margie why she's lost another investor, and I'm sure she'll be happy about that.
I stepped rather forcefully in a puddle, at this though, soaking my robes with the rather disgusting substance. I cursed, looking up angrily at the dark clouds that had unexpectedly released a large amount of rain in the amount of time that I had been in Charlie's Charmed Cloth.
I sighed, shaking my robes, hoping it would help, as I slowed my pace on this dreary autumn day. I glanced around the shops that I had been passing, their shelves littered with school supplies, as I decided that a delay in going back to work would probably be in my best interests. Besides, it had been a long time since I had meandered the streets of Diagon Alley, losing myself in the crowds. I began to veer to the right, my eye catching on a shiny golden cauldron, when a voice rose above the crowds jumble with,
"Katie!". I instantly grimaced, Charlie's broken nose swimming into view, and I sped my pace up in hopes of losing the unwanted follower.
"Oi, Katie." Merlin, I'd know that voice from anywhere...
I turned, smile broad on my face, searching the crowd for familiar faces, finally finding instead two large heads matted with flaming red hair.
"Fred?!" I screeched, scaring the people passing by, who were so desperately trying to advert their eyes. "George?! Oh Merlin, look at the two of you!"
"Every morning." Fred winked.
"In the mirror, of course." George added, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, then nuzzling his head under my chin. Taken aback, I shoved him off, gaping.
"All these years, and you two are still the biggest ass-holes that I've ever met, by far." I laughed, hand on hips.
"That hurts." Fred placed his hand over his heart in mock-hurt, and it definitively would have been more convincing if he hadn't been grinning madly.
"Why don't we find someplace we can talk for a bit?" I yelled over the top of the mob of people that were passing us.
"I know just the place!" George's eyes brightened as he grabbed my elbow, dragging me in a direction that wasn't back towards my job, that's for sure.
"Are you serious?" I whispered, leaning forward to sip on my vanilla shake at Madame Eileen's Ice Cream Parlor. It was located on the furthest bend of Diagon Alley, just off of Knockturn. We had just spent the last hour catching up on the last four years, since the last time I had seen the twins. Both my stomach, and my conscience were heavy, one with too much ice cream, and the other with large amount of guilt in regards to my employment. The most recent news was that of Hermy Baudern's switch of positions; Keeper to Beater on Puddlemere United.
"Yes, it's very sad indeed, how the team has gone downhill." George looked down at his strawberry shake, and chocolate frogs with disgust plain on his face. His flaming hair covered up his eyes, far beyond the help of a simple haircut, and he was still as tall and gangly as on the day of his graduation from Hogwarts. He had a small silver loop that was laced through his ear, with he had gotten based on Bill's advice, as he had explained earlier to my inquiries. Fred, on the other hand, had bulked up a bit, his hair neatly spiked upward, face piercing-less, but a circular tattoo circled his left arm, the results of a rather unusual night, he explained sheepishly.
When the discussion had taken a turn into dealings with my appearance, I just had to smile and laugh at their flattering comments. At the age of 22, it was only earlier this year that I began to be concerned with my appearance. Tomboy, since I could remember, I had never really taken a care on the subject of my appearance; sports and friends was enough for me. It was only in December when my mother openly laughed at my apparel that I realized it was time to change. I traded the breeches for skirts, and the t-shirts for dresses. I bewitched my hair into a more natural brown, and I was still rejuvenating from getting up earlier every morning to magically enhance my hair and my make-up so that I didn't resemble a baboon.
"Everything sure is different." I sighed as both Fred and George nodded slowly. My gaze wandered down to my watch, and I yelped as I saw the time, Aunt Margie would probably have me hung for the amount of time I was missing.
"Jeez, sorry guys, but I seriously need to go," I jumped up grabbing my purse, as they leapt to their feet also, probably frightened by my overreaction.
"We have to go anyways, don't worry about it. This was really quite fun, we should get together again sometime, soon." Fred said, fishing some galleons out of his pocket, and dropping them onto the table. I stopped rattling my coat, and gawked at his apparent disregard for the cheap bill.
"Business is going quite well." George shrugged knowing that the last time I had seen them, they had less money that a box of rocks.
"I see." I proceeded to pull a scarf out of my bag, and wrap it around my neck, chilled from the early winter breeze. "Yes, this was fun, I totally agree we should do it again." That sounded smart.
"Tomorrow night, eight o'clock, Leaky Cauldron, sound good?" I raised my eyebrows at George's quick response, and then nodded my head.
"Sure, I'll try to get in touch with the girls." I pushed the metal chair beneath the table, and smiled when the twin's faces brightened. Aha, I see that some feelings don't fade very easily.
I gave them both hugs, promising to see them the next night, and headed off back to work, knowing that at least I had something to look forward to...
"Two hours?!" Margie's voice had passed the highest sound I had ever hear, and I thought for sure here eyebrows were going to travel right on up into her receding hair line. Not that it would be all that tragic to her appearance.
"I was a little...er...delayed." My palms were sweaty, making my hold on my purse somewhat difficult to maintain as I sheepishly looked at my Aunt.
"Delayed?" Margie stopped searching through one of her boxes, turned towards me, and glared menacingly, "delayed does not account for two freaking hours. Especially on your pay check." she said coldly.
I shifted my weight, uncomfortable with her piercing gaze, and adverted my eyes to the numerous amount of boxes that littered the stock room's floor. There was only one light in the minuscule room, and it accentuated the room's dreariness perfectly.
I had been working at Margie's Mystifying Robes for a year now, and I hated it even more than I had back on my first day, which was surprisingly possible. My mother had gotten me the job when I had shown no initiative for getting any other job, at least not in her idea of a respectable amount of time: two weeks. I reluctantly agreed, acknowledging the facts that I couldn't make my monthly rent for my gaudy apartment disappear. Sure, I could make my entire head disappear without a second thought, but money was an entirely different situation.
Marge sniffed loudly; apparently aware of the fact that she had lost my interest, and I took this as a cue to get back to work.
"We're closing early today, so you'll have to make up your 'lost' hours at a different time." Marge threw over her shoulder as I turned to leave. I nodded, and headed back to the front of the shop, hoping there was something I could do to get out of Marge's sight permanently. The woman scared the hell out of me. Whose skin gets wrinkled that early in life anyways? She's only forty-eight!
I walked out into the storeroom, frown plain upon my face, contemplating possible skin diseases, as Amy, my cousin, ran up to me.
"So did you get fired?" she hissed, her snakelike features brilliantly displayed on her face. She wanted me to get fired so she could get a raise, or at least that's what she thought her mom had in mind.
"No. I just have to make up the hours." I began folding some of the leftover material that hadn't been used, hands itching to strangle something.
"Oh, that's too bad." Amy shuffled away, looking thoroughly disappointed. Dumb ass.
I never did quite understand why my Aunt needed two people to 'assist' her anyways. I always ended up doing all the work, while Amy got to smile and sell the merchandise. It was just another downfall in my perfect job.
"So why really were you late?" Amy pressed, her eyes bulging out of her fat forehead, as she counted the money greedily at the cash register. It wasn't that I hated Amy, it was just that she was too nosey, resembling Margie far too much for my liking. Besides, when we were kids at family gatherings, Amy was the one who was always accredited with being smart, pretty, and most likely to succeed, and she wasn't afraid to remind me of it. Now she was just ugly, her light brown hair frizzed to an entirely new horrifying level, her clothes clashing more often than not, and her glasses always appearing crooked. Believe me, I know I'm not any Cinderella, but she's not exactly Snow White either.
"That's for me to know," I raised my wand, magically forcing black material scraps to fly to the garbage, " and you...um...not to care about." Right.
"Fine," she wheezed, "be that way, Bitch." I wanted to believe that she had meant to mention that last part underneath her breath, but intelligence got the better of me.
"Watch it, wh–," before I could finish, Margie walked into the room, stopping the immature dispute instantly with a cold,
"We're closing. Now."
"Tomorrow, at eight? That's kind of short notice." After I had left work, smoke coming out of my ears, I decided that I should get in touch with my best friends, knowing that if I were to show up at dinner tomorrow without them, the twins would find interesting ways to mutilate me.
"Well, at least it's not tonight." I sipped on a hot chocolate, looking across the desk at my best friend, Alicia, who rolled her eyes, but still nodded. Since school, Alicia hadn't changed much, she was still drop dead gorgeous, blonde with model-like characteristics, and her teeth were still perfectly straight. Oddly enough, the only physical flaw that she had was that she was missing her pinkie toe on her left foot. I was of course shocked to find this out, and my jealousy ebbed away a bit after finding this out. She had taken a job at the Daily Prophet right out of Hogwarts, and she had been employed ever since. A photographer. Not any type of photographer, she took pictures of unusual witches and wizards. So, say if you lost your head in a magical experiment; Alicia would be the biggest bidder to have the privilege of taking your picture.
"Do they still look the same?" Alicia leaned forward, curiosity getting the better of her usual unresponsive nature. We were sitting in her cubical on the fourth floor of the DP building, bewitched memo's soaring over the walls every few seconds.
"Bloody hell, Alicia, it's only been four years, how much can a person change in that amount of time?" I raged, knowing that I would have asked the same exact thing had our roles been reversed. Hypocrite.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Alicia crossed her legs, and began twirling her hair between her fingers, deep in thought. I smiled, knowing that Alicia was inwardly trying to hide her excitement for seeing George again. It had been awhile since that had been dating, but I'm sure that their break-up wasn't based on lack of feelings.
"What?" Alicia's eyes focused on my smile, and she waited for me to justify my cheery mood.
"Nothing. Anyways, so that's a yes from you, now I just have to go see if Angelina can come..." I changed the subject, sipping on my still hot, hot chocolate.
"Oh yeah, by the way, your mother called here earlier, looking for you. I have no freaking clue how she got my number, but I told her that you weren't here, but instead hard at work." Alicia frowned. "I hate to say it, Katie, but I'm really starting to believe you when you say your mother's insane."
I laughed. " I've only been saying it for ten years now. I think it's an only child syndrome thing, but for the parents."
"Oh, that makes sense."
"Indeed." there was a brief silence where we both sipped on our drinks.
"So do you think they're going to bring anyone with them? Two guys verses three girls, doesn't sound like very good odds." Alicia began twirling a quill between her fingers, watching me. Hell, I never thought of it like that. Oh my god! The twins are going to hook up with Angelina and Alicia and I'll be stuck there sitting, watching...
"I hope so." I gulped, and Alicia's lips quirked up into a smile, enjoying my displeasure. We have such a nice relationship.
"Yes. Me too." Two's a party, three's a crowd...three's a crowd...maybe I shouldn't go? "Would you like to see some of my most recent pictures?" Alicia perked up and began scavenging through a bunch of photographs, when the silence had grown too much for her, and I quickly shook my head. No way in hell I'm going to see another freak show. Puked at the last one.
"No, I better get going." I choked down the drink, scalding the back of my throat and stood up, Alicia looked somewhat disappointed. "Maybe later, though."
"Yes, that would be wonderful." Alicia smiled distantly, and was still smiling when I left the room, and I couldn't help but think I knew what she was thinking about...
"Angelina Johnson?" the nurse sitting behind the desk, her blonde hair pulled back into a perfect bun, looked confused.
"Yes," I leaned up against the edge of the desk, "she works here." I added, hoping that it would give the woman a bit of a clue. I lost my balance, oddly enough, and had to grab the edge of the desk to remain standing. Idiot....
"Ah yes, now I remember...Angelina." the woman stifled a bark of laughter as I tried insanely hard not to let the red creep into my cheeks. "She's just down that hall. Third door on the left." she peered around the corner, and pointed to a door that was red.
"Thanks." I smiled, and walked away, and wondered why they would paint a red door, and why no one ever could seem to remember Angelina's name whenever I came here. My footsteps echoed on the tiled floor, and as I walked, I looked at the room numbers that were lined up outside the doors. 232....233....236...what the...
The red door I had been directed to was number 236, three numbers off of the last door, 233. I jerked my head in the direction of the front desk, to find the receptionist quickly turning away from me. Creepy...
I cracked the door open, and peered inside, and found my other best friend, Angelina sitting at a desk, quill moving vigorously across a piece of parchment. I cleared my throat, and she jerked her head up.
"Katie!" she dropped the quill and hurried to the door, ushering me inside. I turned around, and she slammed the door behind me.
"Uh, hi...Angelina." I raised my eyebrows, and hiked up my purse. Nervous habit.
"Come in, come in." she pushed me into a chair, that I sank down into without protest, and it magically moved me to where I was sitting directly in front of her desk. She raced over to the other, side and sat directly opposite me, and smiled quirkily.
"Now, then, Katie dear, why have you come today?" she folded her hands, laying them on her desk. I stared at her Healer's hands, wondering whether to laugh or run in fright.
Angelina had changed by far since the days of Hogwarts. First she went through an emotional phase where she did not have a clue as to what she would like to do in the future. Then one day it hit her that she wanted to be a healer. Ever since, she had been working frantically to make it in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and somewhere between studying and practicing I think she developed schizophrenia.
"Well, Angelina, dear, I came to tell you that I saw Fred and George at Diagon Alley today." I paused, waiting for a reaction, and Angelina calmly blinked, several times.
"Fred and George Weasley." I leaned forward, annoyed.
"Twins. Red hair. Tall...I don't know...five foot 11, both of them..."
"Ah yes!" Angelina shrieked causing me to jump back in alarm.
"Angelina, what the hell is wrong with you?" I lashed out. "You don't have to pretend to be 'hard working' with me. I am not your boss. Why don't you talk like you do when you're off work? As in sane?"
"Sorry?" she smiled apologetically. I stared at her suspiciously for a moment, then continued.
"Well, the twins asked me if I would enjoy spending an evening out on the town with them. You're invited too. So...?" I scratched my ear, waiting for a reaction.
"Bloody hell, yes! I haven't seen them in so long!" Angelina suddenly relaxed in her wooden chair and clenched her hands in excitement. "By the way, sorry about the wacko behavior, never can be too sure when there's someone watching." Can we say psycho?
"Yeah, ok, well anyways...I got a hold of Alicia and she's coming too, so I was thinking that we could meet up around her place around...say...seven, then split cab fare?"
"That sounds great." Angelina pulled her brown hair back into a pony-tail, and proceeded to stand up, "I better get back to work."
"Yeah, you never know when they're watching." I stared at her oddly as she glanced around the room in suspicion. "Well, then I guess I'll see you tomorrow night."
"Of course," she winked, and I couldn't help but smile at my friend's odd personality. At least she could always make me smile.
"By the way," I was halfway out the door, "the receptionist was acting really oddly today. Couldn't seem to remember your name until I almost fell over."
"Yeah, they only seem to know me as 'the clumsy one' around here." Angelina said, still smiling. Well, if it doesn't bother you, then by the gods it's not going to bother me.
"Bye." I waved my fingers as she snapped the door shut behind me. Uh-huh...
OK!..How to get home...how to get home... hmmmm....
I tapped my chin with my index finger glancing at the clock that rested on the opposite wall. 6:30. Surprised by the lapse in time, I began walking towards the elevator, knowing that it would be impossible to apparate to my apartment at this hour. I would be breaking several thousand magical decrees, and the Ministry would have my head. I don't see why it was such a big problem apparating to a muggle location when you knew for certain that no one would be there. My tiny apartment, one bedroom, one bathroom, living room, and kitchen, was on a deserted street in London, far away from the everyday bustle.
I pressed the first floor button in the elevator, and glared at the receptionist who sat at her desk smiling smugly. What the hell is her problem? I considered flipping her the bird, but quickly reconsidered when Charlie's bloody face came into view. Probably shouldn't break too many laws in one day, somebody might actually get concerned with me....
I decided to take the bus home, using my spare muggle money, and it was only after the bus was driving away from me, releasing poisonous fumes, that I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally home.
I quickly entered the brick building, the air outside revealing its winter-like qualities, and I waved at the landlord as I passed the front desk.
"Ms. Bell?" Earl, my landlord stopped me from sprinting up the stairs, "You have several telephone messages." he stuck his hand out, and he was holding sever slips of faded parchment, that had scribbled notes on them.
"Thank you, Earl." I reached to grab them, but Earl pulled them away, smiling.
"Gotcha." Earl sniggered, then proceeded to snort. Idiotic muggles....
"Oh yeah! You sure did!" I faked enthusiasm, then proceeded to rip them from his hand, turn shortly and walk up the stairs. I glanced at the papers and as I reached my door, I pretended to reach for my key; instead I drew out my wand and muttered a spell. Arrest me for that one, Ministry. All of the messages were from my mother, Jenny Bell. I'm sure Margie has already told my mother of my probationary status.
Opening my door, I walked inside, turning on the lights with a flick of my wand, and threw my coat on a rugged looking couch. I didn't exactly have the money to furnish my place, being in such close contact with a large number of muggles, magic was once again not a solution.
I threw my purse onto my kitchen counter, and sagged onto a barstool. My phone stared up at me, waiting for me to lose conviction, and pick him up and dial the number that was in the back of my head. Don't talk to inanimate objects...gotta remember that one....
"Arggg!" I picked up the phone with violently, and pushed the numbers roughly, frustrated with my sad life.
"Hello?"
"Hi mother."
"Katie, is that you?"
"No, it's your other daughter."
"I thought it might be you, I've been trying to get a hold of you all day."
"So I've heard. So why did you want to get a hold of me?"
"No reason." Right.
"Okay, that's perfectly normal."
"Are you being sarcastic."
"Me?! Of course not! How dare you acc–,"
"We're having dinner on Friday, can you come?" no, no, and nope.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"Sure, why not."
"Well, then I suppose I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah, I suppose."
"Goodbye."
"Yep." she hung up before I could say something obscene, and I slowly hung up my own phone, dreading a dinner alone with my parents. I walked over to my refrigerator and pulled out some left over macaroni and cheese, and salad.
"Yum, this looks delicious." I zapped the macaroni with my wand, and it instantly sizzled, looking ten times better. Good enough for me.
After finishing my lamentable meal, I glanced at the clock: 7:30, and decided I might as well go to bed. Once again, the social life of Katie Bell was non-existent, it was just another night at the ol' apartment, falling asleep with the TV showing black and white reruns.
So...what did you think? Please drop a review, and I will be entirely too happy with you. Since this chapter was kind of...blah, you know, routine...I decided that I'd put in a little teaser from the next chapter. Okay then:
....It was only after the hooded figure had disappeared that I began to breathe again. I turned to George, who also seemed stunned, and stared at him, waiting for some kind of reassurance that I was hallucinating. It, of course, would never come.
"What the–?" I began, but George silenced me with a look.
"Stay here." he whispered, getting to his feet. I watched his retreating figure as he wound his way around the garbage can, and finally disappeared. The only sound that plagued the night, was his feet slowly shuffling across the gravel. The sound suddenly stopped, and once again the air was still. I listened for a minute, and when impatience overcame me, I rose to my feet, noiselessly. I was just about to creep around the side of the can when I heard a high pitched scream followed by the words:
"Run! Get the hell out of here!" without a second thought, I took off down the alleyway, running for my life, scared to death, the image of a dead body permanently engraved in my head....
Thanx!