Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

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Chapter 10. The Package

3 years later…

I was writing furiously in the small dingy room, my face scrunched in concentration.

When we left the scene we found that our 'package' had…

I stopped writing when I heard the floorboards creak near the door. I looked up and said, "Oh, it's just you."

"Just me? Oh that hurts, Pansy, partner of mine."

"George, sorry to point this out, but you are hardly a partner. More like an assistant." I told him teasingly.

He rolled his eyes, and casually walked over to where I was seated.

"Hmm. Let me see that." He snatched the paper that I had been writing on from underneath my arm.

"We left at…blah blah blah…I shouted a spell at the..." He stopped, and glared at me.

"Trying to steal my thunder I see? I was the one who did that spell!" He growled at me.

"What! No! I did that spell." I objected.

"Ha. Yeah right. You know that you have barely even mastered that spell! How could you have possibly done it?"

"Well. I don't know. I just did it!"

"Somebody is being forgetful. Anyway, easily fixed!" He grabbed my quill from me, and scratched out what I had written, and replaced it with a messy scrawl that looked like it said 'and George shouted the spell…'

I rolled my eyes at him, and snatched my paper back.

"Okay, happy now?"

"Yes. Let's try and remember that I am your partner. You aren't the only one on these missions."

"Whatever you say George. We all know I do all the work. I'm the one with the brains after all." I smirked while saying that.

"I'm guessing that leaves me with the beauty and charm. Fine with me!" He grinned, pretending to vainly brush his fingers through his red mop of hair.

"You wish." I retorted.

"Hey, do you want to go get some ice cream or something?" He asked, watching me as I finished up our report.

"Um. Yeah, sure. Just give me a second." I wrote the last sentence, and then stuffed my wand in my pocket.

He cleared his throat and I frowned.

"If you dare bring up that ridiculous story one more time…" I threatened.

"Well, you are aware of the twelfth rule of wand safety, and, besides," he added, "that was entirely your fault and happened entirely because you ignored rule 12-H."

I glared at him. "Would you like that ice cream or not?"

He grinned easily. "Fine, fine. I'm coming."

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The next morning I woke up slowly.

I ruffled my extremely messy hair and shuffled to my door.

"Ugh." I said.

"What?" came the reply.

"It is way too early to see you looking this…this…" My words were slurring.

"Awake?" My very cheerful partner supplied.

"Yurg," I tried to come up with a proper sentence. "Go make me some pumpkin juice." I ordered.

"You need coffee," he insisted.

I nodded pretending that I had actually meant pumpkin juice when I had actually meant to say coffee. I was just glad he hadn't noticed. I don't think my tired brain could deal with repartee this early.

I went back to my boudoir and tried to make my hair more presentable.

I heard a sharp rap at the door and sighed, moving my weary body to answer.

I could hear the curiosity in George's voice as he casually inquired, "Well, what's in the package."

I frowned, still looking at the ordinary brown paper wrapping and glancing once more at the mysteriously empty hallway.

I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard his VERY loud and obnoxious voice right next to my ear.

"Sorry," he apologized very unapologetically.

"It doesn't make sense," my brain was beginning to function again.

"What?"

"Well, I definitely heard a knock. Why didn't they stay?" I could feel his frown.

"I mean, it's kind of odd don't you think?" I added.

George asked quickly, "Did the package come with any note?"

I shook my head.

Then I saw the paper. It turns out he did too. It also turns out that he, though I hadn't realized it, was extremely good at recognizing handwriting.

"Let me have that package!" He demanded.

"No!" I answered impetuously. I never got presents.

"It's my package!"

"You don't understand." He gritted out.

"You're just jealous 'cause you didn't get anything."

He groaned and tried to take the brown box from me.

I clung to it with the determination of a raccoon who had just discovered something shiny. Don't kill me. I was still waking up.

"Let. It. Go."

"NO!"

"Yes."

"NOOO!"

He finally tore it from my death grip and an ominous rip sounded in the suddenly very quiet flat.

"You ripped my present!"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he threw the package down the hall and into the tub and shoved me roughly behind the couch just as a loud explosion shattered MY flat. Literally.

Somewhat shaken. I looked at the wreckage that was once my beautiful newly done home.

"My beautiful newly done tub!" I groaned.

"And my expensive perfume that my cousin Layla gave to me! My gorgeous original painting by Van Gogh! My plum colored rug! My goose down, hand-stitched chair pillows! My chair!"

I looked at my smashed flat.

"My landlord is going to KILL me!"

I turned around and stared at my partner.

"What?" I asked grumpily.

He stared at me, gulping with disbelief.

"Spit it out. You look like a fish."

"You almost died!" He sputtered.

"So?"

Then his words sunk in. It was then that I did something that I never intend to do again.

"Oh." I muttered before fainting.

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The next thing I knew, I saw bright white, and I thought I had died.

"I'M DEAD!" I screeched.

"Hush dear; don't wake up the other patients."
I glanced at a woman in a strange white outfit.

"I'm not insane I swear! Don't let them put me away! I'll never complain about the bunnies again!" I whimpered.

The woman gave me a strange look. "Hold on a moment…" she said, and then walked briskly out of the scary room.

I heard a whispered conversation, and then a laugh.

Whoever thought my condition was funny, well, they would die.

Seconds later, a familiar figure strolled into my prison.

" 'Ello Love! Don't worry. You're just in the hospital." George grinned at me, winking.

I gasped. "You know I hate hospitals! How dare you take me here!" I hissed.

Then I thought. "Wait, how did you get me here?"

He smirked.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Have you been eating more than usual? Because honestly, it was quite a struggle to get you here." He tried to restrain himself from laughing.

"YOU COW! I'm not heavy! I'M LIGHT. As light as a feather!" I harrumphed.

"Can you contain yourself, young lady? I will have to ask you to leave sir, if you continue to upset her."

I smirked at him, and then frowned.

He had a funny look on his face.

"Well Pans, I have good news. You can go home!"

"Yay!"

He smiled at me suspiciously, before scooping me, blanket and all and carried me out the door.

That is until the nurse looked at us, shocked, and said 'I'll take that!' before snatching my blanket away.

I breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't going to keep me here any longer.

In fact, I was so happy that I gave George a big smack on the cheek.

"I loveeeeeee you!" I said, smiling.

He looked like he blushed, but I banished the thought.

"I thought you were going to drop me for a moment there. Why?"

"Uh. Let's go now. You've had too much medication. You're not acting normal." He chuckled.

I looked around awkwardly; making sure no one was listening, before whispering "Thank you."

He looked at me for a second, before saying "No problem."

I smiled.

"Well, it's the least I could do, seeing that you had a concussion."

"Wait, how many days was I out?" I said, peering at the dark circles under his eyes.

"Um…Now, don't hurt me…"

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Author's Note: And so starts the new part of their lives. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More romance will be in the following ones!

Thank you's to: samkay, Nocturnal007, arrrgghimapiratenow, Elle and What's This