Gah, it's scary to publish a new fanfic! This one is originally written in Swedish - my native language - but I've spent a day or two with translating this into English. Hopefully you'll like it, 'cause my Swedish readers did. So, yeah, if you find any spelling mistakes or grammatical error please point them out!
The story line is very basic; boy meets girl. But what happens when he's a wizard and she's a muggle? Can she handle his secret?
It's only three chapters, and every chapter is around 1000 character, which was sort of a challenge my friend gave me.
Enjoy!
The crowd around him smelled of sweat, cigarettes and beer. He usually didn't wandered around in pubs on Friday nights, he didn't feel like he belonged there. The loud roar and the lack of respect visible on the dance floor just made him uncomfortable. Tom had lured him out with the promise that he probably would meet a nice girl, which he once again had succumbed to. He couldn't count all the times it had failed, and most likely it would do it tonight. Again.
Being a magician had, of course, its advantages, but it required that you were on your guard and accepted the fact that you, for ninety-eight percent of the worlds population, had to lie about your true identity. Although he never would reveal the world of magic for a stranger he had met out in London's nightlife, the secret was big enough for him to withdraw from the muggles, because he simply did not like lying. Admittedly, some of the people he encountered was friendly, but by choice he never saw them again. The charade he otherwise had to play was unbearable, and sooner or later he was nonetheless forced to break with them.
Eliaz drew his hand through his hair and tried to stifle a yawn. The bar was crowded and the dance floor as well. Somewhere in the chaos his friend was discussing some muggle subject with a girl. At first he had tried to participate, but Tom who was half-blood had grown up in both worlds and was therefor used to the charades that followed. He, on the other hand, was pure blood. The very first time he had been in contact with muggle world was when he started at Hogwarts, and it was only through the stories his classmates shared. He had and would probably never fit into this world either. People noticed this and therefore created a distance, almost as if he had a sign on his back that read: "Dangerous object".
"A beer, please." He shouted to drown out the music and raised the empty bottle he held in his hand to make sure that the bartender didn't misunderstood what he said, as a brief nod confirmed.
"Oh, one for me too?"
He was amazed by the beautiful laughter that followed the request, and turned to the right to see that same girl who had talked to Tom had settled down on the barstool which stood beside him. She pulled her hand through her hair and he saw how her whole face wrinkled up in a funny grimace.
"You get so sweaty from dancing!" She laughed again and uncovered a near-perfect row of teeth. One of the front teeth overlapped the next, but Eliaz could not prevent himself from liking this defect. Before he could reply she continued by stretching out her hand:
"Savannah," he shook her hand, "Tom said your name is Eliaz. He was not kidding, right? "
"No, he didn't," he tried to answer her smile with one of his own, but just thought it felt forced and stiff, "where did he go anyway?"
"The toilet."
With a thud the bartender put down the two beer bottles, which gave him an excuse to not look her in the eye anymore. Sure, he was often influenced by beautiful women. But there was something special about this one, how he got butterflies in his stomach when their eyes met and how her laughter caused goose bumps on his arms. It was difficult for him to discern whether it was the beer or her appearance which suddenly made him giddy.
"So," she interrupted the silence, "what do you do for a living?"
Now he had to do it again. Lie.
"I work at an insurance company," Tom had prepared the reply for him. Not that he understood what he actually said, but no one ever asked questions, "and you?"
"A bank. The most boring thing ever, but I will survive. "
He studied her while one of her hands played with the now half-empty bottle of beer. With a tight grip on the bottle neck, she let her fingers move it around in small circles. Suddenly the movement halted and the sound of a chair drawn back reached his ears. Savannah stood up and seemed to be looking for something in one of her jeans pockets. Where he got the impulse from he had no idea, but when she found what she had been looking for - money - and stretch out her hand against the counter to pay, his fingers clutched a hold of her wrist. Surprised she turned her gaze to him, and an excuse came out from his mouth before he even had time to think about it:
"I'll pay."
"It's very generous of you, but ..."
He let go of her wrist before he replied:
"I insist."
He gave the money to the bartender before a response came. A blush formed on her cheeks and she mumbled out a shy and grateful "thank you". Suddenly he realized that she was not at all as confident and cocky as she first seemed, in fact, she was equally confused and uncomfortable in this environment as he was. He could see it clearly when a guy tried to pass her and she did everything she could to avoid being touched by him. For some strange reason this got Eliaz to wonder if it was possible to love someone after only a few minutes. And at that moment he was ready to say yes.
"I'll walk you out," he said and smiled.
She nodded gratefully, and they managed to get through the crowd. The second the door slammed behind them the loud music turned to a low throbbing.
Although it was past midnight it was brighter outside than inside the club, and it was wonderful to breathe the fresh air. He just knew that this was a night he would never forget, and wanted more than anything to just stay in this moment forever. But he was snatched from his thoughts when Savannah soft voice broke the silence:
"Here's my number. Call me."
He took the note from her hand.
The note which meant that he from now on would be forced to play a charade.
AN: Read and review, and I'll publish the next chapter! :)
