Clancy and I stumbled out of the fireplace and into the small lobby of Trenthide Downs. Lara and Toni were sitting in two overstuffed and worn armchairs while Sean stood at the desk to check in.
Lara perked up and nudged Toni when she saw who had a firm grasp on my arm.
"Well, hello, stranger," Toni drawled in her thick Southern accent.
Clancy smiled, "Toni, Lara, nice to see you two again."
"Same," Lara chirped, her eyes flitting between me and Clancy and finally to the ring. Her eyes widened.
Toni seemed to have been watching Lara and cleared her throat, "Sean was worried you wouldn't show."
"'Course he was. I'm a better employee than he gives me credit for."
"Yeah, I know," Toni said.
Clancy was about to say something when Sean approached us, clapping him on the shoulder and appraising me. "Nice of you to show up there, Rue," Sean boomed. His voice echoed off the walls and low ceiling of the establishment.
"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled and held my hand out expectantly for a key.
"I only got five rooms for us and the photographer, so, Clancy, to keep things professional, I think it best if you shared a room with me-"
"That's alright, I can share a room with Rue," he said, turning to look at me. "Right, Rue?"
"Actually," I began slowly, "it's probably best you do share with Sean. I get right awful when I'm on assignment. I don't want to put you through that."
Clancy's brows furrowed, but Toni jumped to my aid.
"Yeah, she's nasty. Kinda like when she's got her peri-"
"Alright, alright, I get it," Clancy said, shaking his head. "I'll just get my own room."
I mouthed a "thank you" as he left our little group to go to the desk.
"You, ma'am, have some explainin' to do," Toni said darkly as Sean handed us our small, golden room keys.
I shrugged, "We're dating again."
"Since when?" Lara whispered harshly as Clancy glanced over his shoulder at us, his silver eyes studying me curiously.
"Erm, a few minutes ago, actually."
"You're kiddin'," Toni deadpanned.
"This isn't just a ploy or something you two are pulling for Witch Weekly, is it?" Lara asked softly.
"Bloody hell, no."
"Good," Toni said, gathering her cloak in her arms. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad you're back with your beau, and you better treat him right. Or I might just take 'im from you!"
And with that, Toni turned to climb the stairs. Lara followed suit, and I was left standing awkwardly waiting for Clancy to get his room assignment. Sean was standing by the door, anxiously looking between his watch and the small window. I supposed he was waiting for Robbie to turn up.
Clancy eventually turned, a triumphant smile on his face as he waved a key. I smiled when he joined me, and we made our way upstairs to our respective rooms.
Sean was leading us on a late afternoon tour of the wizarding hamlet, Piddle Twitten. I had changed into a black jumper and a more fashionable coat. Clancy was walking close beside me as we trailed behind Sean and Robbie, Lara and Toni bringing up the rear.
"That over there is the back of All Saints, the muggle church that serves as a gateway to this hamlet here. I'll have to show you lot tomorrow morning how to pass through it since we have to go into Piddletrenthide proper for the crash course," Sean said, his eyes never leaving a tourist pamphlet the concierge had given him.
I sniggered at the name of the town.
"And, oh, that's one of the oldest manors in Dorset," Sean continued, looking around, trying to decide if the small home with a thatched roof he was staring at was indeed the one the pamphlet spoke so highly of.
I felt a tug on my elbow and turned to see Lara guiltily staring at me before throwing a look at the back of Clancy's head. I rolled my eyes before turning back around, slipping my hand into Clancy's and leaning against him. He smiled down at me, dark curls poking out from under his beanie, before reaching his arm around my shoulders, our gloved fingers remaining interlaced as my arm crossed over my torso. It wasn't the most comfortable situation, but I had to keep up appearances.
I could hear Toni snickering behind us.
"Hey, Sean," Lara called in a whiney voice some time later as he continued leading us down the apparent one major street in all of Piddle Twitten. "D'ya think we could get some food? I'm starving."
I couldn't help but to nod in agreement. Sean sighed, "You are seriously a bunch of eight year olds."
Robbie laughed beside him. "There's a pub that we passed on the way out of the inn."
"Sure, sounds great," Sean grumbled. "Lead the way," he gestured.
Robbie shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, straightened the lapels of his cloak, and began leading us back the way we had come. He had a bit of a Napoleon complex.
"I've got to go to the bathroom," Lara said suddenly, perking up in her seat.
"Me too," Toni nodded eagerly in agreement.
I had rather been enjoying the in-house brew in front of me and was about to tuck in to the fish and chips when I felt their pointed stares.
"Oh, yeah," I said, standing, "I suppose I fancy a trip to the loo as well."
Their chairs screeched across the floor as they stood and pulled me after them to the back of the pub. I gave a quick wave to Clancy, Sean, and Robbie before they disappeared from view.
As soon as Lara quietly shut the door behind us, she and Toni exchanged a glance and rounded on me. I backed into a corner, obviously a very poor defensive move, but there was little room to spare.
"Rue, you're going to tell us what's going on this instant," Lara said sternly.
"And none of that 'Oh, we're datin' again' shit that you tried to pull earlier. Neither of us believed ya for a second."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why ever wouldn't you believe me?" I asked innocently.
"Because," Lara started, "we've did some research while you were home this weekend."
"And we didn't like what we found," Toni continued.
"And if we didn't like it, chances are you absolutely hated it," Lara reasoned.
"So, what's this research, then?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Your Oliver, the one who gave you the ring, is dating someone else for the first time since the two of you broke up."
My jaw dropped. "How-"
Lara held up a finger to silence me, "Ah, ah, ah, not done yet, honey."
"As Lara was sayin'," Toni continued, "this chick that Oliver's datin' is a chaser on Puddlemere United- weren't you a chaser?"
I blanched.
Lara spoke up, "And it would seem, dearest Rue, that they've been dating for a few months."
I was silent for a little while, weighing my options. Was it worth it to tell them what I was really doing, or had they already figured it out? And if Lara and Toni had managed to work it out in such a short amount of time, surely Clancy would have too...
"We went through a lotta Quidditch magazines and Witch Weekly articles. Plus, we talked to your Weasley friend," Toni said softly, finally backing away from me.
Lara took a step backwards, too. "Look, Rue, if you're just gonna use Clancy to show Oliver that you're strong and don't need him or whatever, we aren't gonna stop you."
I furrowed my eyebrows, "You... You aren't?"
"Heck no!" Toni barked. "It's gonna be a riot watchin' y'all."
"But, on the other hand, you're probably hurting Clancy," Lara said softly.
"And Oliver," Toni added.
"And yourself," Lara finished solemnly.
I scoffed, "I'm not hurting myself. Quite the opposite, really."
I sighed before continuing, noting their melancholic looks, "Clancy's a big boy, he's getting exactly what he wants out of this. And I want to hurt Oliver."
"Because he's hurt you?" Lara asked meekly.
"No," I snarled, "because he's gone and royally pissed me off."
Lara rolled her eyes, and Toni shook her head, "Hell hath no fury like a Rue scorned."
A few hours later, Clancy and I stood at the bar taking Firewhiskey shots. Lara was being Toni's "wing woman" as she chatted up some semi-attractive bloke. Robbie was talking to one of the Puddlemere United players who had come in for a drink with his wife. He'd said they'd gone to school together or something, I hadn't really been paying attention.
As I downed another shot, Toni's laughter floated above my head. I was so smashed I could almost quite literally see small balls of yellow bouncing off of the ceiling and laughing. Why in Merlin's name did I imagine laughter to be yellow? I shook my head to clear myself of the vision and almost tipped over, but Clancy grabbed a hold of my arm to steady me.
"I think you've had a bit too much there," he laughed.
"Naw," I said, pulling what I hoped was an American accent, "the fun hasn't even started yet, dude!"
"Rue," he gave me a knowing look as he swallowed a shot, "you've got an early morning, and it's gonna be difficult for you as it is. You really wanna add a hangover to that?"
"Hell yes," I said, reaching for another glass and bringing it to my lips.
After the cool, stinging liquid ran down my throat, I turned my attention towards the table where Robbie sat. Another couple had joined him and his mate. A young woman, probably near my age, with long dark brown hair, alabaster skin and freckles was smiling and shaking hands with our photographer. My eyes slid up and over to the man at her side, and I felt my stomach drop.
Messy brown hair that was a bit longer than when I'd last seen him, the same dark brown eyes, those lips now framed by scruff...
I saw Robbie turn as he gestured toward the table Lara and Toni were sitting at, saying their names, and I panicked, knowing he would point me out next.
With a pounding heart, I whipped my attention back to Clancy. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him to me, immediately slipping my tongue into his mouth. He remained frozen for a second before reciprocating and wrapping his arms around me. I leaned further into him as my ears strained to hear Robbie.
"And over there is Rue Von Straussburg, oh, uh," I could barely hear his nervous laughter, "well, yeah, she's not usually attached to her boyfriend's mouth, but, you know..."
For show, I pulled a breath away from Clancy and looked up at him with half-lidded eyes.
"Would you want to take this back to my room?" he asked huskily.
I flashed him a wicked smile as I curled my fingers around the fabric of my cloak on the back of my seat and allowed Clancy to lead the way out of the pub.
I saw Oliver staring up at me out of the corner of my eye, completely stunned, as Clancy and I passed his table, Clancy's arm thrown over my shoulders.
I didn't chance a glance at Oliver over my shoulder as we left the pub, but I could feel his cold, hard stare on my back.
Clancy and I had stumbled up the stairs and into his room. We'd spent a fair amount of time snogging when I suddenly pulled away from him and grabbed my stomach, laying back in his pillows.
He leaned over me, his shirt hanging open. "Rue, you alright?"
"I'm not feeling so well," I moaned.
He sighed before rolling over onto his back and sliding a hand over his face, grumbling to himself. "I told you not to drink so much."
"I'm sorry," I whimpered.
He sat up and buttoned his shirt before turning towards me, "C'mon, let's get you upstairs."
I probably should've felt worse than I did for using Clancy so obviously, and I knew Toni and Lara were right about this hurting him if and when the truth was revealed. Yet I was convinced that Clancy maybe knew more than he let on, especially if Lara and Toni had managed to figure out my scheme in such a short amount of time. But if Clancy was just going to play along, then who was I to stop him? Really, the arrangement benefitted both of us, in my humble opinion.
I buttoned my pyjama top and began to peel off my trousers when I heard a soft clink as something distinctively metal hit the wood floor. The all too familiar silver ring rolled lazily in three small circles before it finally wobbled and fell on its side. I strode across the room in my knickers and bent to pick it up.
I held it up to the candlelight between two fingers, rolling it between them and checking for scratches on the stones. Rose must've slipped it in my pocket without my noticing, the little minx. I sighed, my eyes crossing over the familiar inscription before I set it on the bedside table. My hands reached for the clasp of the chain I wore, and I pulled it from my neck. I slid the silver length through the ring and returned it to its place around my throat, making sure that it fell far enough down my chest that I'd be able to cover it with clothing. I pulled my pyjama bottoms on and crawled into bed, not at all looking forward to the following morning.
Woo, long chapter, just for you, lovely readers! And I told you Oliver would show up, even though it was just a cameo. Bet you can't wait for Day One of Hell Week, can you? So, I figured I'd be nice and post this sooner than I said. I think the meds I've been given are doing a wonder on my writing. Anyway, as always, J.K. Rowling owns the Harry Potter Universe; I only own that which you don't recognize. Be wonderful and review, review, review! Yours.
