I went and got a box of books from out the back and started to put them on the shelves while waiting for my coffee to get… I mean for the boys to come and give me a hand. It was definitely Harry and Draco I was waiting for and not the coffee.
Who am I kidding?
It was the coffee I was waiting for.
Definitely the coffee.
I had finished the box of books and served three customers by the time my coffee turned up with the too idiots coming in behind it. I walked over and took my coffee of them and skulled a third of it before even saying hello.
"Oi. How did you even know that was yours?"
"Because, Malfoy, you and Harry both have smalls. And if you got me a small, I am sending you both back to fix the mistake you made."
Harry let out a laugh at Malfoy's scowl, "You will learn eventually; do not mess with Hermione and her coffee. She will hurt you." Harry rubbed the back of his head and winced, "Trust me, I know."
I grinned at them. "Listen to Harry. Don't mess with my coffee." I went and sat at the front desk, "There are boxes out the back with books in them. Bring the boxes out here please. Then we will start shelving them."
"Wait. You were serious about that? Us actually working for you?" Draco said.
"Yes. Now. Boxes. Go."
"I came to annoy you at work. Over the phone just doesn't cut it. I don't want to work." He finished by sitting on the chair next to me. I raised my eyebrow at him and pulled my wand out of my hair, aimed, and shot a stinging curse right at his side. "OW!" he yelled, shooting up out of his chair while Harry collapsed laughing.
"Go. Boxes. Now."
Draco grumbled as he rubbed his side, walking out the back to get the boxes. Harry grinned at me, "Getting better with the wand."
"It's Malfoy. He annoys me to the point of accuracy. Even after all these years."
He laughed, "Yeah. I get that."
Draco walked out with a box, dropping it next to me, "How come Harry isn't doing this?"
"He is. He was just congratulating me on a well-aimed spell." I said, smirking at him. "You two finish getting the books, I'll start to stack the shelves."
They both headed out the back to get the rest of the boxes while I opened the box and started to scan them in before putting them on the shelves. I somehow finished the twenty books before the boys finished bringing out the eight boxes. Once they were done, I set Harry up with the duster and taught Draco how to scan the books in, figuring we could get this all done quicker this way. Before I walked away, I taught Draco how to run up a sale with both cash and card. I thought it would be vastly entertaining, but apparently Harry had been teaching him how to use muggle technology… which was vastly disappointing.
There was one box left when my phone rang, "Hi Emma, what's up?"
"What are we doing for dinner tonight?" She asked, no hello, no nothing.
"Well, I was thinking of a quiet night in the bath with takeaway. But I should probably feed the guys. They have been helping me out for the last hour or so."
"The guys?"
"Yeah. Harry and Draco pissed me off earlier with their text messages, so I told them they had to come in and help me in the shop. They have been a big help. Draco and I have one box left to shelf and Harry has dusted the shelves and is currently washing the windows."
"So, take out for us four?"
"Yeah, why not?" I said before an idea struck, "How about we go out for dinner?"
"Where at?"
"Meet us here at closing and we will go. My shout."
"Sure. Where at?"
"Just… It's a surprise. Meet me here at closing."
"Fine. Fine. Bye." I hung up the phone and sat it back on the desk before I picked up the last stack of books.
I went to walk off when Draco said "So, you are shouting us dinner are you?"
"I am shouting Emma and I dinner; you can fend for yourself."
"Oh really? And what if I can't fend for myself?"
"Starve." I replied, and walked off, leaving Draco gaping after me. I finished stacking the shelves and took the boxes out to the cardboard compactor. I walked back inside and brought the vacuum out with me.
"Draco, you can either vacuum or go get the mop and bucket ready?" I said.
"I'll vacuum." He replied, coming over and taking it off me so I went out and started getting the mop and bucket ready. I left it next to the door, not wanting to mop until I could lock the door in twenty minutes.
"I finished the windows. Did you want me to do anything else?" Harry said.
"No, it's just the last bits now. I'll do the till now and by then Draco should be finished with the vacuuming. I'll mop and then we can go."
"Alright. I'll Just sit and watch him work then." He smirked as he sat on the swivel chair and spun himself around. I laughed as I went and flipped the closed sign over. I balanced the till, getting it ready for tomorrow. I put the money in the safe and grabbed my things out of the back room. I put them on the counter, waiting for Draco to finish vacuuming, apparently, he was slower than I thought. I sat down and started flicking through my phone when the door opened. I opened my mouth to tell whoever it was that we were closed but stopped when I heard. "Should we get him a French maid's outfit?"
"There is a costume shop down the road, we could go grab him one. The trick would be getting him into it."
"Switching spell, my favourite book worm, a switching spell will fix all our problems." Ginny said just as the vacuum turned off.
"I think that he could pull it off. The frill would suite his face. And the black and white would suite his skin tone." I replied.
"And then, we have to ask our self, do we get him a sexy maid's outfit or a straight hotel one?"
"Well, I mean, do we need to see that much of him with the sexy maid's outfit?"
"What on earth are you talking about?" Draco asked, looking between us while Harry started laughing at him
"You're right. I don't know if I want to see that much of him. Maybe just a straight one." Ginny replied. Harry, Dean and Emma roared with laughter, falling to the floor with tears running down their face.
"Seriously. What on earth are you talking about? And what's going on with them?" Draco said, getting more and more confused which just made the laughing worse.
I started nudging everyone towards the door, trying to get them out so I could mop and we could go to dinner, "We were discussing getting you a maid's outfit, trying to work out the best one for you."
"Excuse me!" Draco spluttered out, "A maid's outfit? How dare you?"
"Keep going and I am going to buy you one." I replied, "Get out so I can mop, and we can go to dinner."
"A maid's outfit. Seriously?" Draco exclaimed as I pushed him out the door, "Harry, mate, you were going to allow this?"
"Allow it?" Harry laughed back, "You don't 'allow' those two…" -ahem- coughed Emma, "Sorry, three, to do anything. You sit back and watch the show. Oh, and I would have bought the dress for you."
"Some friend you are." Draco grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
I finished moping and locked up the door, patting him on the back as I walked past.
"Dean and Ginny rocked up just before I left to come here, so figured I would drag them along." Emma said.
"That's fine. I was thinking of inviting them anyway." I said smiling, "I was going to take you to Quokka Alley, I thought Emma like to see one of the most magical places around here."
"Umm… yes. Let's go, now." Emma exclaimed, grabbing my arm, and yanking me down the road.
I let her pull me down 1-meter before stopping and laughing out, "I'd love to take you there, if we were going the correct way."
Emma stopped pulling at me and spun around to glare at me, "You couldn't have told me that sooner?" and began pulling me the other way, past the others who were again bent double with laughter, "You either come with us or I am leaving you behind. I want to see the magic place and eat the magic food!" Emma called out. The others straitened up and followed us, still laughing at Emma.
We walked down the street, me giving Emma directions as we went, and the others talking behind us. I tried to keep up with the conversation, but Emma was pulling me too fast, complaining that I was walking to slow, for me to be able to. I was too busy laughing at her antics and trying to screw with her that I almost missed the entrance. I stopped dead let out a choked laugh as Emma got yanked backwards.
"What on earth was that for? I want the magic food!" Emma exclaimed and whined at me.
"Because, with all your rushing around, I nearly missed the entrance." I said smirking at her.
"This isn't where we came in the other day?" Ginny said.
"This is a different entry way. There are a few different ways to get in as it is such a large place, they each led to a different section." I said, looking at Emma as I continued, "This one is near the book section, but it is also just around the corner from a couple of really good restaurants, sweet shops and an ice-cream place. I thought that Emma would like to try some of them."
"Yes. Magics sweets for dinner and leftovers for breakfast." Emma cheered.
"Absolutely not." Dean and I said at the exact same time.
"Why not?"
"You are hyper enough as it is. You have to work tomorrow, and I am not having you ruin my shop because you are jumping all over the place."
"Screw when she is hyper; have you seen her when she has a sugar crash?" Dean exclaimed, "She gets tired and childlike and throws temper tantrums and when she is really bad, she ends up vomiting everywhere."
"Yeah. No. You are so not having sweets for dinner, or breakfast. You can pick a couple, that's it."
"I am a grown ass adult thank you very much."
"Yes. Who has to run my shop tomorrow, and I do not want it covered in vomit!" I said.
"Fine. Spoil sport. Now, take me to dinner. I am hungry." I rolled my eyes as I pulled out my wand and tapped the spot, making a door appear. I opened the door and walked through, holding it open and gesturing for Emma to follow me through.
"Emma, welcome to Quokka Alley."
