..."May I... see him?" she asked hesitantly.
The sole idea of seeing George again made her heart skip a bit.
"He's not here," Percy said in a daring tone.
"Hey, drop the attitude, love. I think she has punished herself enough."
Angelina watched them in surprise, wondering how Oliver could tell off somebody without it sounding harsh at all. She also marvelled at the intimacy of the moment. They were barely touching, but as they looked into each other's eyes anyone could see they were having one of those inward conversations only lovers could have.
"Sorry, Angie," Oliver apologized in Percy's place. "George is actually not here. He is in a Muggle bar. He goes there almost every day after work. More than once one of us has had to go look for him."
Percy huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You can't imagine the times I have explained to him that alcohol won't solve anything."
"Yeah, well. Not everyone has the right person to help them stay afloat," Oliver told him with a smile, caressing Percy's cheek tenderly, making the latter blush, not forgetting Angelina's presence. Oliver laughed softly and leaned forward to plaster a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. "Embarrassed of me, Weasley?" he joked.
"Never," Percy whispered. Again, the intensity in their eyes made Angelina warm up inside. Moments like these, she really wished she had that.
Clearing her throat she recovered the men's attention. Now they were both blushing with apologetic smiles.
"So, where is this bar?"
"I'll take you," Oliver offered. With a wave of his wand, a heavy coat came flying into his arms. "I'll be right back. Are you gonna wait for me?" he asked before giving Percy a chaste kiss on the lips.
"Of course. I'll warm up the bed," Percy whispered back with a small smile.
The cold wind hit their faces as they walked on the almost deserted streets of Muggle London. Only an occasional passerby or a modern car would interrupt the deathly silence of that November night. Angelina walked next to Oliver at a slow pace, both with their hands deep inside their pockets and noses buried into the scarfs around their necks.
"So... you and Percy, huh?" Angelina asked in an attempt to break the silence.
She heard Oliver chuckle. "Yep. Me and Percy." The smile on his lips was practically tangible as he said the words. "Who would have thought, right?"
Angelina laughed. "That was actually what I was going to say!"
Oliver laughed softly. "That's what almost everyone says. I think George was the only one who wasn't surprised."
"Really? Why is that?" Curiosity gained the best of her. She flinched at how nosey she might have sounded. "If—if you don't mind me asking," she added.
Oliver gave her a smile before talking. "Nah... I don't mind. Well, let's see." He sighed. "Months before the Final Battle, I ran into Percy. I never really liked the guy. Not a bad man–he's a Weasley after all- But remember how he was at school?"
"Oh, yeah," Angelina said with a laugh. "The twins' worst nightmare and most coveted target all at the same time." Her smile faltered at her mention of happier times.
Oliver slipped a hand across her shoulders as they kept walking. "Exactly. Proper, strict, serious Prefect that spent his time between books and giving detentions. Anyway, it had been a long time since I saw a friendly face, so I invited him for a cup of coffee."
"And then you noticed he had changed?" she prompted.
"No, actually. He was even worse than I remembered." Oliver's tone didn't indicate that he was joking at all; contrary to what she expected. "He was a complete arse to his family. Turned his back on them for some stupid belief... anyway, when he told me his side of the story, I came to see the twins. Fred and George told me what a jerk Percy was and what he did to his father especially." Oliver chuckled. "Do you know what the funny part of this is? Percy's side of the story made him look even worse than the twins' version. He was beating himself up for what he had done in ways that were too extreme, even for Fred's taste. And that's saying a lot, right?"
"So what did you do?"
"Knocked some sense into him," Oliver said with a shrug. "Was there with him, helping him see things the way they really were. Like he likes to say... I pushed him out of the shadows."
Oliver smiled at her and stopped in front of a dark building. When Angelina was about to ask him where they were, the door opened, releasing a continuous booming sound and flashes of light. It looked like a battlefield. Tumbling her way out of the place, a blonde girl started throwing up mere feet away from them. The door quickly reopened as two other girls came running to the blonde's side.
"Are you okay, Kitty?" another blonde asked as she held the sick girl's hair.
"I told ya not to drink that shot. Even I know better than to take four shots in a row and then dance in the middle of the dancefloor to Britney Spears!" A brunette with far too few clothes for Angelina's taste screamed with very expressive moves.
"Okay, here's when I leave you," Oliver said, patting her back lightly.
"What? You're gonna leave me here? Alone?" Angelina asked desperately.
Oliver smiled sympathetically. "This is something you need to do by yourself," he whispered as he hugged her quickly. "George always sits by the counter! Good luck, Angie!" he screamed as he started walking backwards down the road, back the way they had just come.
"You bastard! How will I get us home?"
"Magic? I don't know!" Oliver shrugged, wearing his best innocent face and sending her a wink as he turned around the corner.
"You'll pay for this, Wood. Those poor acting skills won't save you next time," Angelina grumbled under her breath as she stepped around the three Muggle girls and pushed opened the door of the place. The deafening music made her instantly dizzy.
"Where do you think you're going, sugar?" A huge man that greatly resembled one of Malfoy's sidekicks barred her entrance.
"Inside. Do you mind?" she spat back, pushing the man's hand away from her body.
The man laughed. "With those manners, you're going to force me to be a bad guy and make you pay to get in."
Angelina understood what this guy wanted. He must have been working there. Waving her long hair over her shoulder she said as rudely as before, "Well, deal with it, big boy." However, the wink and mischievous smile on her face worked just like she hoped it would.
"Ooh, feisty! Hank likes that. You can come in, doll. Enjoy the dancefloor," he said with a wink as he took away the rope that blocked her way.
Angelina laughed despite herself. "Thanks, Hank!" she screamed, making her way through the crowded place.
Finding the bar was more difficult than she had expected. She worked her way there with evasive moves and polite rejections, and finally found a free spot between two men sitting with what looked like Butterbeers in front of them.
"What can I get you, sweetheart?" What was with these people and cheesy nicknames?
"Hi, I was looking for somebody. Ermm... maybe you can help me out?" she screamed back trying to make the tall barman hear her despite the loud music.
"Sure thing, doll. Jason! Need a hand, man," he instructed to someone.
Before she could anticipate what was about to happen, one of the men beside her grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up. Shrieking loudly, another set of hands pulled her by the arms up the counter. Letting the men guide her body over to the other side of the bar. She realized this was not the first time they had done this. Relieved when her feet hit the ground, Angelina rearranged her clothes hastily as the barman laughed at her, already opening a bottle and sliding it to a customer. Looking at the place from this new perspective, she could see the people's faces more clearly. It was nice to not have someone's back hitting your side anymore. She honestly didn't understand why people would actually pay to dance in a place like this.
"Alright there, honey?" Bottles spun in the air as the barman mixed different contents into a metallic glass. Quickly covering it with another metallic piece, the barman started shaking the thing around. It wasn't even five seconds later that he was pouring the red drinks into fancier, transparent glasses with little, colourful umbrellas sticking out the top.
"Yeah, thank you. Not what I had in mind, but..."
He laughed. "It's easier this way. You'll find your friend in a second. I'm Johnny, by the way," he said, extending his hand.
Angelina shook it briefly. "Angelina."
"Do you fancy a drink, Angelina?" He offered nicely, now mixing another set of drinks for a group of girls.
"No, thanks. I'll just-" Words stuck in her throat as she spotted the redhead on the other side of the long bar. "I found my friend."
A/N: Next chapter, Angelina's first encounter with George after almost two years! Don't miss it :) It'll be up in a couple of days. And don't forget tor eview! :D
