Part One: Stayed Out
I whipped around upsetting the beer mug; thank goodness it was empty. I had only been half-serious about the tapping shoulder thing, but here I was face to face with…
"Shut your mouth and put your eyes back in your head, is that any way to greet your best friend's little sister." Ginny, I had thought the drummer looked familiar. Moody would have been ashamed by my lack of perception.
"Oh, hello," I said rather awkwardly. What do you say when you see someone who you haven't seen in so long that you really don't feel you know them anymore, not that that was how I felt exactly, it's just so hard to describe these things.
"I don't see you for almost two years and all you can say is hello…" She looked half let down half embarrassed, but certainly as confident as ever she'd been in Hogwarts. I had seen her at Charlie's wedding two years ago, that year she had missed Christmas at The Burrow and last year I wasn't able to make it either. Since her graduation I had really never talked to her, not a real conversation and now here she was standing right in front of me looking more than a little peeved.
"Sorry Ginny, I thought I recognized you when I say you playing but I couldn't be sure…" I trailed off, she looked as if she were expecting, something, a hug? Would that be to forward? Too much of what a 'friend' would do?
"I guess I can forgive you. I haven't seen you in forever. How are you doing?"
"Oh, well I'm fine." I struggled to form a description of my life and found that all I could come up with was Paper-pusher which didn't sound all that great. "I work at the ministry now." I said lamely. "When did you start playing? No one ever told me you liked music." Anything to get her talking so I didn't have to.
"They took me in when I graduated, I've always liked music, ever since I listened to the Weird Sisters I guess. They first inspired me to become part of a band, it all seemed so glamorous. Plus…" She was interrupted by the lanky man I had seen earlier. I got up to go and retrieve my broom and she followed.
"Gin! There you are. We're all packed up and ready to go and I think they want us to clear off so the rest of us are leaving; you'd better hurry if you want a ride. Who's your friend? Does he need a ride anywhere?"
"Ok Nick we're coming, this is Harry I had the biggest crush on him while I was at Hogwarts." She gave me an impish smile and I couldn't help smiling back with all the Boyfriends she had popping in and out of her life it was a wonder Ron hadn't exploded.
We shock hands in a jovial 'let's be friends for Ginny's sake' sort of way. He seemed to be quite a nice guy, in his thirties with a rather protective streak and an air of command. I found myself being lead by him and Ginny to meet the rest of the band. There was Mac the guitarist who had also done the vocals, Sev the dirty blond whose instrument I couldn't remember, and Paul a rather long faced man that didn't look anything like his famous Beatles namesake. I guessed a life filled with brothers had made Ginny fit in perfectly. She introduced them to me one at a time and I shock hands, listening, trying to relax. Dragons, quests and big bad evil lords are my specialty not hobnobbing with my best friend's sister's adopted second family, but I managed well enough.
We all made our way out into the front and stood waiting for Nick who had apparently gone off to drive the van around. Sev, after explaining that his real name was actually Boric and that he had changed it for 'reason of publicity', started rambling on pleasantly about the band. I was left to wonder if he had ever taken potions at Hogwarts, probably not. Professor Snape is one of those people I don't like to be reminded of.
"… And so Ginny said she didn't like that name so I asked her 'well what in the name of blue blooded bats do you want' and she came straight out and said Euphoria Goop…" I nodded smiling in what I hoped was a chummy way; Ginny looked up glaring at him.
"It was a great name…" she shot in before Sev could resume his story. Apparently he didn't like to leave gaps in his monologues for the conduction of normal conversation.
"No it wasn't, but anyway Paul said it didn't work for our sound, what was it you said Paul? It sounded too tacky? takey?" Paul might have moved to say something if Sev had given him the chance but Sev just plowed ahead. "And we all had to listen to what Paul said because at the time he was the only one with enough Galleons to pay the rent."
"So we ended up calling ourselves the Felly-Tone Cords. You remember how those Muggle talking things became popular about three years back…" Ginny broke in again, pouting at the name.
I really didn't care either way but Ginny did look sweet when she pouted and she was my best chance at an interesting evening so I figured I had best slide with her on that one. But before I could think of something to say the barman came out to shoo us off the premises just as an immensely heavy old microbus lumbered into the yard, it lurched to a halt and looked sullenly as if it were about to go to wreck were it stood as Nick jumped out. Lank-legged, he stalked over too us and waved his thanks to the bar tender.
"Alright you two that's enough I doubt Harry cares either way, come on everybody into the van now. You coming then?" he asked looking quickly over at me. I really didn't know until Ginny grabbed my arm pushing me towards their dilapidated van.
"'Course he is."
We all squished in with the various instruments and stage equipment; the bus seemed cramped despite obviously being charmed to accommodate more. Nick appeared to be driving and with Paul riding shot gun a large map on his knees, while Mac, Sev, Ginny and I squeezed in the back. Sev continued to ramble on about how they had formed interrupted occasionally by Ginny as they drove. I found I had nothing to say and that combined with the fact that Mac was staring at me in an all too intense manner was making me intensely uncomfortable. They were embroiled an argument over some Muggle group I vaguely remembered and if John Lennon was really a Muggle or whether he had been a wizard when Mac finally turned to me and spoke.
"I hear the canons are doing better now that the war is over." His gaze was intense and his voice and urgent whisper as if he were affirming the presence of Voldemort.
I was so taken by surprise at the mundaneness of the topic combined with the incredible drama with which he spoke that I was thrown for a loop and merely stammered.
"Er- yes much better." I had forgotten all about them.
"You play Quidditch much any more?"
"A bit"
"Remember the faithful are always rewarded in the end." He said with a deep brevity, I just nodded and tried to look grave. A second latter Mac had sunk back in his seat and was giving off the impression that he had never spoken. Weird bunch. I started regretting having consented to come along.
"Gin here, you see, well she's a big fan of that group, what's their name again Gin? We played one of their songs tonight."
"The Beatles" Ginny replied punching Sev's arm in a aggravated sisterly way.
It always makes me feel a little out of place when I see people acting like that. I never really had siblings and well, I miss not being able to have that kind of closeness even with Ron. He's my best friend, but I don't think I could ever think of him as a sibling.
We drove on, all of us crashed in with the equipment and chatting. Well, Sev and Ginny seemed to talk enough for all of us, until I felt the smooth roll of tarmac give way to the rougher grind of shoddy gravel. Then the bus made a desperate swerved fast right and all of us in the back were tumbled on to the floor on top of each other.
"'ay a bit a notice would'a gone a miss you blood buggers!" Sev yelled sounding from his sprawled state on top of an affronted Mac. I really wasn't about to complain about my current position. Ginny had landed in my lap, if at a bit of an odd angle. This was something I had not had in a while, and my stomach was clenching nervously at the possibility of things I would rather not mention.
"We've only done this ride a hundred bloody times, you'da think that some of us would get the hang of the road and maybe put on their belts." Paul said.
"Well if I were riding shotgun and able to see what's going on I would have had the common decency to say that the turn was coming up." Sev responded having finally disentangled his foot from a pile of wire and pushed back to his seat. We lurched to a terrific halt with more grinding of gravel and he was thrown again back on top of the unfortunate Mac.
"You're getting off here so I wouldn't be complaining, at least Nick gets you back in one piece unlike some people" was Paul's reply
"Enough." Nick, short and to the point. "Are you getting out or will you three be staying on for the ride."
I didn't follow this but assumed that the ultimatum had been set because Paul in the front had turned back to his map and Sev and Ginny were disengaging themselves and making their way towards the doors.
"Good night then." I said following suit not exactly knowing what to say. "Thanks for the lift." Paul grinned at me through the side window; something about his look made me wonder what I was letting my self in for. Oh well it was too late now and well I am a man and all that…
The van screeched out of the yard with a spray of gravel and the three of us headed towards the farmhouse, our feel crunching. I got a stone in my shoe; I really don't like gravel. A lamp with an enchanted light bulb that hovered just above where the socket should be eliminated the door. I wondered where we are but no one seemed to be talking so I was not one to break the silence, but I found myself more and more uncomfortable. What was I here for, romance? Adventure? I didn't know what if Ginny was going out with this Sev character already and she just invited me along for old times' sake in typical Ginny fashion. I was making my self feel quite nervous.
Sev was fumbling for keys when Ginny took my arm. I was so surprised I started. When I looked down at her I could feel my face burning read and hoped to hell the shadows covered it, they must not have for she was grinning at me in the most impish manner possible, a true Weasley. Oh well Sev didn't seem like the overly possessive type and it wasn't as if I was going to do anything. The door swing open and a yellow pool spilled out into the courtyard.
"SEV! You Useless Git. I told you to floo! Remember, we have to be up for Beth's wedding tomorrow." Sev seemed to cringe as a figure that I could have sworn was Molly Weasley only twenty-five years younger and without the trademark red hair huff her way into the vestibule towards us.
"Yes dear, I would have only, but… look. Here Sally, Ginny brought a friend with us." The newly arrived Sally shot a menacing glare at Sev, and then turned on me her mood seeming to turn as she did. Magic how women can be raving one minuet and all smiles the next, it's quite disconcerting.
"Oh hello dear, you must be Ginny's friend. I'm so sorry for the state of the house. We've been so busy what with the wedding and all." she rambled on kindly for a few minutes going though all those comforting common courtesies to which one always knows the answer and isn't required to think.
Smiling in her roly-poly way the light warm around her she lulled me out of my social ineptitude. There is always something disarming quality about these portly paragons of the home that can't help but put me at my ease. A tug on my arm reminded me of Ginny's presence. Turning away I looked around at her standing at the foot of the stairs looking young and pretty and dangerously female and I felt once more a rush of uncertainty. Both women, and kind ones, but with such opposite motivations, the juxtaposition of the two was unnerving.
"You want to come up for some tea?" Ginny was still grinning, her eyes sparking with an electric enticing mischief. Fred and gorge would have been pleased.
We hastened though our goodnights Sally bobbing up and down then dragging away the unfortunate Sev by the ear as he babbled protests. I watched in wonderment and with something akin to jealousy until Ginny's tug on my arm pulled me up the stairs after me.
"I have the room over the garage, this way." She led me on along the landing and though a door. It was dark as she pulled me in after her, only a faint yellowish light filtered though the windows from the lamps out side. I caught her in profile.
A sudden impulse flashed thought me; she turned with an air of mystery about her something unknown, some deep sensual attraction I couldn't understand. The way she had opened the door, her hips had swayed in just that way, a silent language of the body, and I knew what was coming, she faced me in the dark and I quickly I could feel her breathing, it wasn't a long drawn out moment but I knew as she pulled me down towards her that we would…
The kiss miraculously landed on my lips, and it flashed in my mind that she must have had much practice indeed. For all my fumbling, I was not about to complain when she coaxed my lips apart and darted her tongue into my mouth mumbling something I couldn't catch. I did jump when an instant later the sudden brightness of a lit lamp made my eyes ache as the struggled to adjust.
***
Random Minion's Reviewing Made Easy™
I'm really looking for your opinion on my OCs. As a general rule I don't like OC's and anything resembling the accursed Mary Sue, or worse the Gary Stew (hope Sev and Sally don't fall into that categories,) so don't be afraid to tell me what you think about them.
( ) Good, Great (blah blah blah) just update soon.
( ) Wow something finally happened!
( ) Contact me when you update next (if you ever get around to it you lazy ass)
( ) The band members are cool.
( ) The band members seem to flat.
( ) Why did you take up so much time talking about characters that aren't even in the cannon?
( ) I like Sev, Mac scares me and Paul looks like a horse.
( ) Sally is such a Molly remake, can't you think up your own characters?
( ) Mundaneness and takey aren't words.
( ) You can't do accents, pleases don't try.
( ) For all its faults I still like your fic, glad to see you updated.
( ) Do I get a prize if I scratch three and find three of the same prizes.
( ) Yah!, I think I won a free cheeseburger at Wizdy's!