Tea and a Laptop

A cute little Lupin/Ginny fic I whipped up for a friend. You know who you are.

'A laptop?' screeched Ginny, going red in the face. 'You want me to go into the middle of London, disguised as a Muggle, go into a Muggle party, saying I'm there to join some society and collect a laptop from someone called David?'

'Correct,' said Dumbledore calmly. 'Go in, make friends with them, then mention that you had also been looking for a David who is selling a laptop. When he says that's him, give him the money, take the laptop and then discreetly take your leave. Afterwards, go into the alley, find the Portkey and come back here. It seems like a fairly simple mission to me,' he smiled.

'Remind me why I'm doing this?' said Ginny sulkily, flopping into an armchair.

'One of our sources tells us that an agent of Voldemort is using that laptop computer to store information on Voldemort's whereabouts. We need it.'

'Since when do wizards use computers?' Ginny moaned, clapping a hand to her head.

'They happen to be very useful. And, really, who would expect it?'

'Alright, alright,' grumbled Ginny, getting up and snatching the address from Dumbledore. 'I'm going.' She stomped from the room, muttering furiously under her breath. 'Must be Thursday. I never got the hang of Thursdays...'

No longer grumbling, Ginny slouched along a quiet London street, dressed in a pair of extremely fashionable enormous pants and a tight black t-shirt. Checking the piece of paper in her hand one last time, she tripped (literally) up three flights of stairs and knocked on the door of a small apartment from which the sounds of lively conversation issued.

A tall boy of about sixteen, wearing an oversized Star Trek shirt opened the door and grinned. 'Oh, hello. Are you here for the society?'

'Er, yes. Hi.'

'Right,' he said, turning away and yelling into the next room. 'Hey, everyone! The new girl's here!' Turning back, he motioned her into the flat. 'Come on in.'

Feeling very uncomfortable, Ginny stepped inside. Coming into the small, cramped room, she was confronted by five people, all between fourteen and sixteen, seated around a large round table strewn with cards. The only other girl present, a pink-cheeked girl with long dark hair twisted around to watch as Ginny entered. 'Hello,' she said, half-smiling.

'Hi,' said Ginny.

'Come sit down,' said a boy with violently purple, spiky hair. Ginny sat down at the table and gazed around at the teenagers at the table.

Also seated at the table was the boy in the Star Trek shirt, a pale boy in black with obviously dyed black hair and badly applied Goth eye make up, an Asian boy with glasses, short black hair and a wicked grin and, directly across from Ginny, a boy who, though he looked fifteen, was quite clearly Remus Lupin.

Ginny, needless to say, was a bit surprised.

'Um,' was all she managed to say. 'I'm Caitlin,' said the pink-cheeked girl, helpfully. 'I'm fourteen. This is Alistair,' she pointed to the pale boy in black, 'He's sixteen.' Alistair smiled cheerily. 'Hello,' he said. 'Would you like a cup of tea?'

'I'm Thomas,' said the boy with purple hair.

'David,' said the boy with glasses.

'Nicholas,' said the boy in the Star Trek shirt.

'And I'm Re- I mean, I'm James,' said the boy who was, quite clearly, Remus Lupin, looking at her curiously. Ginny looked away quickly.

'I'm, er... I'm Lily.' The boy who was quite clearly Remus Lupin looked at her again, reproachfully. She shrugged subtly. 'I'm fifteen.'

'I'll go make some tea, then,' said Alistair, going into the kitchen.

'He's a bit obsessed with tea,' said Caitlin. 'Want to play cards?'

One and a half-hours, several games of Bartok and quite a lot of cups of tea later, Ginny glanced up from her cards and cleared her throat. 'You know, I was actually supposed to be finding someone called D. Thomas about a laptop. He lives on this floor- but he's probably gone to bed by now.'

Thomas and David exchanged glances. 'That's us,' said Thomas. 'We bought it from someone, but we can't get it to work properly.'

'Brilliant!' said Ginny, feigning surprise. 'Do you suppose I could...?'

'Oh, right, sure,' said David. 'It's at the repair shop right now. Would you be able to get it next week?' He looked at her expectantly.

'Oh, all right,' said Ginny, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

'I'll make sure I bring it,' he said.

'Groovy!' said Caitlin, putting down a card. 'What time do we have to be out by tonight?'

'Nine,' said Alistair, handing round yet more tea. Everyone grudgingly took a cup.

'It's eighty forty-seven,' said James/Lupin. 'We should probably start cleaning up.'

'Bartok!' cried Nicholas triumphantly. 'Alright.'

The seven teenagers quickly whipped round the small flat, clearing up cards and teacups until it was reasonably clean. 'So, will you be joining us next week, -?'

Ginny, who, though on a mission she had taken grudgingly, had rather enjoyed herself, shrugged and said 'Yes, probably.'

'Wonderful,' said Caitlin, smiling widely. 'At least I won't be the only girl next week. Same time, same place?'

'Er, no,' said David. 'Mum's having one of her parties.' Everyone groaned. When Ginny looked puzzled, Alistair explained: 'David's mother holds housewife parties, where they drink badly made cocktails, gossip in irritating voices and get rather sloshed. And,' he added sadly, 'there's not a speck of tea anywhere!'

'My place then, all right?' said Nicholas. 'Oh, here,' he said, scrawling his address on a scrap of paper from his pocket and handing it to Ginny. 'There you go.'

'Thanks,' she said.

'It's pirate movies next week!' cried Caitlin, jumping up and down gleefully. 'Every second week we have movie nights, and next week's is pirates. I love pirates.'

'Right. Anyway, I'd better go' said Ginny. 'Mum goes spare if I'm late.' Everyone nodded sympathetically.

Ginny was just leaving the lobby of the apartment building when someone grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around.

'What the hell are you doing here, Ginny?' hissed Lupin, who was now looking as he usually did- greying, young, tired and sad.

'Mission for Dumbledore,' she said defensively. 'Anyway, what are you doing here?'

'It's something to do,' he said tiredly, flapping a hand. 'Look, let's get out of here, shall we?'

They left the building. 'Look,' said Lupin. 'Could you not mention this to anyone back at Grimmauld Place?'

'Course I won't,' said Ginny. 'Our little secret.'

Lupin smiled a little. 'Thanks,' he said softly.

With a crack, he disappeared into the night.

END PART 1

Notes-

Bartok- A game rather like Uno. For further details, e-mail me.