-1Disclaimer - As my attempt to steal Jo's identity did not work, I still do not own any part of it. Except Chloe, she's mine. Mine!
Just Another Phoney Girl
Chloe didn't see George Weasley again until the day she qualified as an auror, a year later. Her parents had insisted on taking her for a meal to celebrate, which she enjoyed, and Fred, along with her friends Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, insisted on throwing a party at his flat to celebrate, which she dreaded, knowing George and Rachel would be there. She could hear music playing from halfway down Diagon Alley, and had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't going to be the small gathering that Fred had promised. As she threw open the door of the flat, several people turned to look at her, and yelped in excitement. Hermione and Ginny launched themselves at her, and she couldn't help but feel a little cheered.
"Maybe it won't be so bad," she thought to herself, "I'll just get horribly drunk!"
Fred was the next person to congratulate her, scooping her into one of his trademark hugs, which involved picking her up and spinning her around until she begged him to put her down.
"Congratulations, Chloe Thomas!" He cried, planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Thanks Fred, and thanks for all this too. You didn't have to." Fred smiled.
"I know, but we never see you anymore, and we figured this would be a sure-fire way to make sure you turned up." Chloe laughed, waving when she spotted Angelina and Alicia across the room, deep in conversation with Lee Jordan.
"So who's here altogether?" she asked Fred, genuinely interested.
"Everyone," he replied, "Me, Angelina, Alicia, Lee, Tonks, Lupin, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Mad-Eye, Dung, Charlie, Bill, Fleur, George, Rachel…" he trailed off, noticing the look on her face. "Oh, and mum and dad are going to pop in for a bit to say hello and well done. Kingsley might be coming too, all the Order are dead excited."
At that moment, Angelina ran towards her, and pushed a firewhiskey into her hand.
"Remember Graduation Night?" she asked with a wink, before she and Chloe threw their arms around each other.
"What happened Graduation Night?" Fred asked, as he and George had dropped out before they finished Hogwarts. Chloe and Angelina smiled at each other mischievously.
"Well, we all went down to Hogsmeade, completely allowed to though," Angelina began.
"And we all got a little bit drunk in the Three Broomsticks," Chloe interrupted.
"Then when we got back to the tower Lee pulled out some firewhiskey, some butterbeers, and we all just partied. All the seventh years, except the Slytherins, obviously, in Gryffindor tower." Angelina finished. Fred cocked an eyebrow.
That's it?" The girls nodded. "I get the feeling there's more to it than that, and I intend to find out what!" he exclaimed. Chloe and Angelina laughed.
"You'll never find out Fred, what happened in the tower, stays in the tower!" Said Angelina, exchanging a look with Chloe. Fred rolled his eyes, and Angelina dragged Chloe off to talk to Alicia.
Chloe managed to last an hour, and a considerable number of firewhiskeys, without seeing George and Rachel. Just as she was starting to relax, he came over to say hello.
"Chloe. Well done, knew you could do it." he mumbled, with his eyes fixed to the floor.
"Thanks George," she said, "Thank you very much!" she added sarcastically, exhaling loudly when George flashed her a bemused look. "Nev'r mind George, don' matter."
She fiddled with the muggle stereo Fred had hooked up, and rifled through the pile of Cds next to it, finding the one she wanted.
Am I more than you bargained for yet?
I've been dying to tell you anything you wanna hear
'Cause that's just who I am this week
"Ooh, I loves this song," slurred Angelina, who had drunk about the same amount of firewhiskey as Chloe. "Makes me wanna sinandance."
"What?" Fred asked, joining the group to see what was going on.
"Sing-and-dance." Alicia translated slowly, before collapsing into giggles as Angelina and Chloe threw their arms around each other's shoulders and began to sing along at the tops of their voices.
Lie in the grass next to the mausoleum
I'm just a notch on your bedpost
But you're just a line in a song
Chloe threw a particularly dirty look at George as she sang that line, and Fred immediately understood Chloe's reluctance to visit the Weasleys.
Drop a heart and break a name
We're always sleeping in and sleeping for the wrong team
We're going down, down in an earlier round
And sugar we're going down swinging
"We listened to this alla time, Freya an' me did," Chloe was drunkenly explaining to Alicia, Hermione and Ginny, all of whom were as drunk as she was. "I misses my Freya friend. She's probably drunken now though, an' I am not. I am just having a firewhiskey now, see?" Hermione nodded seriously.
"I know Clo, I knows. I'm not drunk either, but I have had more than one firewhiskey drink!" Hermione was the next to succumb to the drunken giggle fits that were overcoming the girls.
"Hey Gin, you'd better not be drunk!" George remarked. Ginny tried her best to look serious, before beginning to giggle.
"No, no!" she sing songed, "I've been drinkin' pump-in juice and milk!"
"Mixed with the whiskey of fire!" Angelina cried, before stumbling and falling, pulling Chloe down with her.
"M'on the floor." Chloe said, unnecessarily, looking up at Fred and George, before bursting into song again.
I'll be your number one with a bullet
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it
Is this more than you bargained for yet?
Oh don't mind me
I'm watching you two from the closet
Wishing to be the friction in his jeans
Chloe suddenly burst into tears, but carried on singing loudly through her tears, changing all the appropriate 'him' to 'her'.
Isn't it messed up
How I'm just dying to be him
I'm just a notch in your bedpost
But you're just a line in a song
"I'm just tired," Chloe sobbed whenever someone asked why she was crying, "I'm just very, very tired. It's been a very lon' time since," she paused to hiccough, "since I been so tired!"
It was perfectly obvious to everyone there what it had actually been a long time since, and why Chloe was really crying. Lee came over and muttered in Fred's ear,
"You reckon we should take her home mate? She looks wicked drunk. And having George and Rachel here flaunting their perfect relationship is clearly not making it any easier."
We're going down, down
Take aim at myself
Take back what you said
Fred made the decision in a split second. He picked the still sobbing Chloe up from the floor, and carried her into his bedroom.