Chance Meetings with Disaster

Finn laughed as she pushed the cart down the aisles, listening as Katie ranted about some of the players she worked with. While she didn't recognize any of the names she was throwing out - seriously she needed to attempt to look up the team at some point just to show she was invested in learning more about her roommate - Katie's stories never ceased to entertain her.

"Oh, god, and then the git is like, 'Uh… I thought it was supposed to do that,'" Katie said with a laugh. "I seriously worry what would happen to them without a full medic team on hand."

"I never realized football was so dangerous," Finn said as she stopped and looked at a display of tomatoes, completely missing grimace that flashed over Katie's face.

"I mean, not usually. But it can be. Most sports are to an extent," she explained quickly. Finn glanced over at her and chuckled then turned back to put a few tomatoes in a plastic bag. She tossed them in the cart and pushed forward.

"Either way, I can tell you care about them. Even if they drive you crazy," she replied with a smile.

"I do. They make me barmy half the time, but at the end of the day, they're good blokes," Katie said with a happy sigh. Finn just chuckled.

"Now… to the wine..." Finn replied.

The two women continued on, chatting about this and that as they walked, occasionally stopping to grab things and put them in the cart. Katie had to admit that she was enjoying it. She had always tried to get Roger to go shopping with her but he never did, claiming he was too tired from practice.

They had just gotten to the wine aisle when suddenly Finn froze, staring straight ahead with a stunned look on her face.

"Finn, you okay?" Katie asked. Finn didn't respond, so Katie looked ahead, seeing a tall, handsome man with dark hair standing a few feet away, studying the wine bottles. He was dressed rather trendily with hair that looked effortlessly styled, but probably took an hour. Before Finn could say anything he looked over and saw the two, freezing a moment with a look of complete shock on his face. He then looked to the ground and grimaced, before looking back up and starting towards them, a tense smile on his face. Finn seemed to come out of her trance, though her jaw was clenched tightly.

"Finn… good to see you," the man said. "You look… amazing."

"Didn't know you were back, Ryan," Finn said curtly. Katie's eyes widened as she looked back at the man. This was the fiance. Well, ex-fiance. He glanced at Katie and then focused back on Finn.

"Yea… got back a few weeks ago," he said.

"How's Gwen?" Finn asked, shifting her weight to the other foot. Ryan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"She's alright," he said. "We're, well, we're engaged, actually." Finn didn't react, save for the clenching of her jaw yet again. She then offered a strained smile.

"Good for you," she replied. "Well, we just… we're getting wine." She turned and started grabbing random bottles, putting them quickly in the cart. "And yea, got things to do. Good to see you."

She then started pushing the cart back down the aisle, not looking at Ryan. Katie studied him a moment before quietly following Finn, who was now going straight for the check-out, the list shoved into her pocket even though Katie knew they still had a few more things left to get.

"Finn… you alright?" Katie asked.

"Perfect. Fine," Finn said tersely, tapping her foot impatiently as they waited in a queue. She kept her eyes trained forward.

"Was that-"

"Yes," she said, cutting Katie off. Before she could respond again, they were at the counter and Finn started roughly putting their items on the conveyor belt. It all happened so quickly that Katie didn't even have time to figure her half in it, but as Finn roughly accepted the receipt and shoved it into one of the bags, she figured they could figure it out at the flat. It was apparent that Finn wanted out of the store as quickly as possible.

Katie watched nervously as Finn poured herself another glass of whiskey and downed a good portion of it. They had been back at the flat for about an hour and she had spent a good amount of that time wildly ranting about her former fiancé and his new fiancée, drinking the entire time.

She had then sat and cried for a good 15 minutes and was now sitting at the table silently staring despondently at the bottle. Katie had tried talking to her, wanting to repay the favor, but she wasn't sure if any of it had sunk in.

"Honestly, from everything you've said, he's an ass. Not worth being upset over anymore," Katie said. Finn looked up at her, the look on her face so morose that it nearly broke her heart.

"You know… I was a lot more fun before… this," Finn said, motioning wildly with her arms. "I miss Fun Finn. That's another thing he did. He stole Fun Finn. How dare he steal Fun Finn?" Katie sighed and looked down at her watch, noting that she was going to be late for Oliver's party if she didn't start getting ready soon. But the other part of her mind wondered if it was a good idea to leave Finn on her own, lest she drink herself into a stupor. She supposed she could always bail on the party, though she had been looking forward to it all week.

It was then that the idea popped into her head and before she could really think it over, it came tumbling out of her mouth.

"Say Finn… you want to go to a party?"

They were about halfway to Oliver's flat when Katie realized exactly what she had done. She was silently cursing herself for acting so recklessly. She was taking her muggle flatmate to a party with witches and wizards. With no warning to anyone. And she couldn't even text ahead to warn them as not one of her friends had ever gotten a mobile.

This was going to be a disaster.

All she wanted to do was to make Finn happy. Finn's face had lit up as she nearly ran to her room to start getting ready, frequently knocking on Katie's door to ask her opinion on this outfit or that before Katie finally went over and told her what to wear. She had even gotten caught up in the fun of it for a bit, joining Finn in her bathroom to do her hair and makeup.

Looking over from where she now sat in the cab, Finn was decidedly happy about going out and Katie knew that she couldn't possibly suggest they go back home now. She looked rather good, she had to admit, despite the fact that just 30 minutes prior to leaving she had been a sobbing, splotchy mess. Katie wasn't quite sure how she had been able to fix her makeup that quickly without magic.

So onward they went. Katie only hoped that there wouldn't be any overt displays of magic. Or that the Ministry would get word of this. While more people were marrying muggles nowadays, there were still very strict regulations on not telling them about magic unless absolutely necessary. Oh Merlin, this wasn't going to end well. But on the other hand, Katie had been feeling guilty about keeping the magical side of her life from Finn. Perhaps if the cat came out of the bag tonight, it could be for the best. Maybe she could get away with letting her in on the secret.

Or maybe she would be sent to Azkaban. Oh fuck. This was bad.

"We're here," the cabbie said gruffly as they came to a stop. Katie quickly paid him and they got out, walking into the building.

"Wow… your friend must be rich," Finn said, looking around the large, fancy lobby to the building as they walked in, her eyes wide.

"Yea… professional sport pays well," Katie said quickly, mashing in the up button. Thankfully, the elevator came quickly and soon they were walking down the hallway to Oliver's door. Katie took a deep breath and hoped he or one of her other friends answered the door. She pressed a button and waited. The door opened to reveal a grinning Oliver and Katie nearly kissed him in relief.

"Kates! You made it!" he said loudly, leaning out to hug her, though his eyes were on Finn, who seemed to have lost the ability to speak as her mouth dropped open. Bugger, she forgot that Oliver tended to have effect on people. Well, women, mostly, but nonetheless.

"Yea, ehm. This is my flatmate, Finn," she said quickly with a bright smile as she stepped back. Oliver whipped his head over to look at her, the shock evident. He then quickly replaced it with a smile and looked back at the muggle woman, though he shot a look at Katie that clearly said, 'What the hell?'

"Nice to meet you, Finn," he said warmly.

"You too. I mean. Same. Likewise," Finn replied. Katie sighed and led her inside as Oliver shut the door behind them.

"Wow, you have really good soundproofing," Finn commented, taking in the people and the loud music that hadn't been audible from the hallway before he opened the door.

"Ehm… sure," Oliver said, obviously having no idea what she was talking about.

"Ah! Drinks!" Finn said gleefully, already heading to the bar. Or one of them. Knowing Oliver there was likely to be a few set up around the flat.

"What are you thinking, Kates?" Oliver hissed when Finn had walked out of earshot.

"I don't know," Katie lamented. "It was a rash decision! We ran into her ex-fiance today and she was such a mess. And then I had to leave to get here and I… sorta… just invited her along to cheer her up…" Oliver sighed and shook his head, looking back over at the red-headed woman as she bent over to peer down at the labels on the bottles.

"You better go help her. I'll try to somehow spread the word that a muggle's here," he said, walking off. Katie walked up to Finn and reached for a cup and a bottle, pouring the liquor. Then she searched for some sort of mixer before realizing it might be better if Finn remained firmly in drunk territory. In case she saw or heard something that couldn't be explained rationally. She then held the cup out to Finn.

"Here," she said, smiling. Finn smiled and accepted it.

"Thanks," she replied. She then looked around the party as Katie poured her own drink. "This is some party. Is everyone a pro athlete?"

"Most," Katie said, looking around and recognizing a fair amount of quidditch players. Even her team was there, the whole lot of them watching her and Finn then speaking together, likely trying to place Finn.

"By the way, Oliver is hot," Finn said, turning to look at Katie. "Why didn't you tell me that your friend is hot?" Katie stared at her a moment and then chuckled and shook her head.

"Suppose I never really noticed," she replied. Finn nodded slowly and started looking around the flat again. Katie was silently thanking Merlin that Oliver's place was more contemporary and there weren't any magical objects around. But then she saw a large, framed poster of Puddlemere on the wall with the players' robes blowing out behind them and groaned softly. She was going to have to help Oliver quickly take down whatever photographs and posters he had up and quickly before Finn saw any of them.

"Katie… and this must be Finn," Angelina said as she and Alicia walked up to the two, both of them wearing slightly shocked expressions.

"Hey girls!" Finn said cheerfully, stepping over to hug them. "Take it you two are the Angelina and Alicia I've heard so much about."

"What?" Alicia mouthed over her shoulder, scowling at Katie as she and Alicia awkwardly returned the hug. She just shrugged and smiled weakly.

"Seriously, this place is amazing. You need to introduce me to more of your friends," Finn said, stepping back and looking over at Katie. "And this is exactly what I need tonight. Just… letting loose and… having fun. I really want to be Fun Finn again. Can I be Fun Finn tonight?"

"Yes, you can," Katie replied with a chuckle, happy to see that her cheerful side had returned. Even if it was because she was drunk. Finn started bobbing her head to the music as she took a drink.

"What is this band? I've never heard them before. And Oliver must have a kick ass stereo system," Finn continued, looking around the flat, likely trying to locate it.

"Ehm, why don't I take you to find him and you can ask," Angelina said, starting to guide her off so that Alicia could get the full story out of Katie about exactly what was going on.

"Oliver is so hot," Katie heard Finn say to Angelina, which was followed by a loud snort on the chaser's part.

"Oh, so much to tell you there..."

"Okay, is she drunk?" Alicia asked. "And what the hell is she doing here?"

"Yes, but there's a reason. We ran into her ex-fiance at the shops," Katie said, carefully watching Finn. "I just wanted to cheer her up, so I... invited her along and… really should have thought this through more."

"Damn straight you should have," Alicia nearly shouted. "There are no other muggles here! Seriously, Kates!"

"I know," Katie groaned. "But at least she's drunk… maybe she won't notice anything?" Alicia just rolled her eyes, but even she had to chuckle at the situation. She knew Katie had a kind heart and this was exactly something she would do if it meant cheering up a friend. Not to mention, even if she was currently three sheets to the wind, Alicia had a feeling this Finn was going to be fun to have around. She had been wanting to meet her, after all.

"Let's hope," Alicia replied. "And that she doesn't jump Oliver before the end of the night." Katie looked over, seeing that Angelina and Finn had located Oliver. He had a friendly smile on his face, though it was rather clear from his posture that he found whatever she was saying entertaining. That or he was appreciating the low-cut dress she was currently wearing.

"From that look, I don't think he'd mind too much," Katie replied with a laugh.

"Either way, you might want to go make sure he doesn't slip up…"

"So… this is the team that drives Katie crazy," Finn said loudly over the music, looking around the tall lads surrounding her with round eyes and a grin. "Jesus, you guys are big."

"Goes with the game," the team captain - Richard White - said as he stepped closer to her with a grin. Bugger, Katie thought. Seemed she was going to be beating them back with a beater's bat. Though at least Oliver had been acting like the gentleman she knew him to be whenever around Finn. Granted Finn tended to blurt out random things whenever he ended up at her side from nerves. Seemed she really had been out of the game.

"We need size to play," White continued. An odd look came over Finn's face but she just shrugged and took another drink, wincing slightly. Katie had tried to warn her that firewhiskey burned a bit more than usual whiskey, but apparently the muggle woman loved it and asked which stores she could find it in. Katie mumbled something about it being a specialty item but she could try and bring some from a shop near where she worked.

So far, things were going well. No one had slipped up and mentioned magic. After a short, whispered argument with Oliver, she got him to take down the few photographs he had around and hide them in his bedroom. As of now, he was standing on the other side of the room talking to a few of his teammates, though he would glance over at Finn every so often.

This wasn't going to be a disaster, Katie thought. Finn wouldn't find out about magic, she wouldn't get sent to Azkaban, and everything would be fine. They would still be friends tomorrow.

"Holy shit. Did that photograph just move?"

Katie whipped her head over just in time to see Finn zeroing on a photograph that apparently she and Oliver had missed.

"Fuck," Katie muttered, rushing to catch up with her flatmate, who was now picking up the photograph and holding it close to her face.

"It is. It's moving," Finn said, an amused smile on her face as she watched it in delight and turned the frame around to better inspect it.

"Ehm, it's this new… tech thing," Katie said hurriedly, taking it out of Finn's hands. "Oliver's really into… new tech."

"God, he just gets better and better. I bet he's an amazing kisser as well," Finn gushed, causing Katie to laugh. She was apparently one of those that had zero filter when drunk as she was quickly learning. Already the ginger woman had asked both Alicia and Angelina how he was still single despite the fact that she got tongue-tied whenever the man in question was actually around. That is when she wasn't rambling about random facts that had no correlation whatsoever to whatever conversation had been going on before rushing away.

"I may have been told that once or twice," a deep voice from behind Finn said. The redhead froze, her mouth dropping open before she winced. She then turned, seeing an amused Oliver just behind her. She gulped and smiled sheepishly.

"I, um, cool photo," she said quickly as her cheeks turned red. "I, just… Angelina." She then did an about face and started off towards Alicia and Angelina, grimacing the whole way.

"She always so… talkative?" Oliver asked, stepping over to Katie and watching Finn scurry off.

"Not quite like this," Katie admitted. "But she does tend to say what's on her mind more often than not. Makes life more entertaining." Oliver chuckled as he continued to watch her.

"Why haven't you introduced us before now?" Oliver asked. Katie's eyebrows shot up.

"Haven't had the time, to be honest," she said, smiling slightly. "Only been living with her for a week."

"How did things end with her ex?" Oliver asked, attempting to sound casual. Katie snorted, then tried to hide it behind a cough as he shot her a look.

"Sorry, he cheated on her with her roommate from uni, who used to be a good friend. They ran off to South America. And apparently just got back. And engaged," she said, looking over at Finn. "But… she's a strong lass, I think. It won't keep her down for long."

"Merlin… can't imagine anyone cheating on her," he murmured. His eyes then widened as though he hadn't meant to say that out loud. Katie stared at him a moment as his cheeks turned pink. "I need a drink." He then turned and walked off. Katie put the photograph down and walked over to Finn.

"You guys are, like, really into football," she heard her say. "And I didn't realize that footballers were so big…"

"They come in all sizes," Alicia said, smiling. She seemed to have loosened up at bit about Finn being there. Seeing as there had been no disasters yet.

Of course that would be about the time there was the crash of glass against the wood floor. Katie looked over, seeing a couple of the Kestrals staring down at a broken bottle of beer.

"My bad! I've got this," the man shouted with a laugh.

"Don't ruin my floor, Martins!" Oliver shouted in return. The player pulled out his wand and started to do a cleaning spell as Katie whipped her head around to see Finn turning to look at the commotion.

"Finn! I should give you, ah, a tour! Of Oliver's flat!" Katie said quickly, keeping her from looking at the mess or blatant display of magic happening on the other side of the room.

"Is he okay with that?" Finn asked, blinking slightly as though she were struggling to focus on her face.

"Ehm, yea, I'm sure," Katie said, glancing over again. The mess was cleaned up and the player's wand was now back in his pocket. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Actually… I think I need the toilet," Finn said, a weird look coming over her face.

"Down the hallway, second door on the right," Katie replied. Finn flashed her a smile of appreciation and then handed her cup as she walked off, stumbling slightly.

"That was close," Angelina said.

"I should probably take her home soon," Katie said worriedly.

"Yea, she's thoroughly pissed," Alicia said with an amused snort. "But I have to admit… I like her."

Katie chuckled as she turned and walked off, looking for Finn. She knew that once they got passed the muggle thing, Alicia and Angelina would like Finn. Though now she needed to take care of her thoroughly sloshed roommate.

Finn took a deep breath as she leaned against the wall in the hallway, happy to be away from the crowd for a bit. She was having fun and grateful to Katie for bringing her out and introducing her to more of her friends and her co-workers. But she was much drunker than she thought she was. The world was starting to spin a bit. Fuck, she hadn't been this drunk in a long time.

And she couldn't help as a bit of the pain from earlier slipped back in. Once again, it was as though she would never be rid of it even if it had been a year. Taking another deep breath, she reached up and brushed the tears from her cheeks. She was not about to start crying at this party around a bunch of strangers.

"Finn… you alright?"

She turned, her eyes widening as Oliver walked up, a concerned look on his face. She flashed him a smile.

"Oh, yea. I'm good," she said. "Just… needed to get away from the crowd for a bit."

"Oh… good," he replied, seeming relieved. "Katie mentioned that you had a bit of a rough day…" Finn's eyes widened again. "Oh shit, I'm sorry… if she wasn't supposed to-"

"It's fine," Finn said, smiling tensely. "She said you two were close, so I get it. And I'm fine. It was… awkward, but I'll be okay. And I'm not angry that she told you." He nodded.

"For what it's worth, he must be a tosser," he said, stepping closer to her. Finn felt her heart speed up a bit. God, he was attractive. And he seemed to be a truly good guy. Had to be if Katie viewed him as an older brother.

"He is," she said. "Really, I should have seen it before."

"So, ehm… Katie tells me that you work in media?" Oliver said, fumbling slightly with what to talk about.

"Yea, at a magazine. Assistant editor - well, actually assistant to the editor," Finn replied. She was starting to get butterflies in her stomach as he smiled down at her. Christ, he had a gorgeous smile.

"Sounds really interesting," he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, yet somehow still leaning closer to her. "Ehm… I know things are a bit mad with the party tonight, but if you're free… maybe we could get coffee this week? Or dinner?"

Finn's mouth fell open slightly as the churning continued in her stomach. Was this gorgeous specimen of a man actually asking her out right now? There was no way with how embarrassingly tongue-tied she got around him all night. Taylor would probably be giving her so much shit about that right now. She never could play it cool around men she found attractive.

"I…" she started, forgetting words for a moment.

"Finn?"

Oliver turned to look over his shoulder as Finn gagged. Oh god, no. This wasn't happening. This would be so much worse than the verbal vomit she had been exhibiting all night. She clamped her hand over her mouth, looking around as she tried to remember which of the closed doors was the toilet. Oliver looked back at her, his expression immediately turning worried.

"Alright, Finn?"

She nodded, but that was a bad move. Because the next time she gagged, everything came out. And all over Oliver's shirt.

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