Disclaimer: All canon characters, scenery and plot references are the property of J.K. Rowling. I do not own or profit from this story in any way.
Rating: M for language and eventual sexual content
Summary: Dani and Bill have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember. They've also butted heads for as long as anyone can remember. Throw in a lost king, a team of curse breakers and a good mystery, and you've got yourself a story.
Author's Note: Posting chapter two because apparently when I have a chapter done, it's really hard for me to not post it. I probably should make a schedule, so that I have some sort of rules for myself, but seeing as you all don't know what this story is about yet….well let me attempt to garner your interests by posting another one.
Under The Desert Sun
Chapter Two: You say party, we say…"Okay, yeah, sounds like a good time."
The world I love, The Tears I drop,
To be part of, the way you can't stop,
Ever wonder if it's all for you?
Can't Stop – Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Oi, Dani, are you ready yet?" Bill called from where he was lounging on the leather sofa of the flat that they shared. They'd been best friends since they were 12, and the flat in Cairo was a lot cheaper with the two of them paying rent on it, especially considering how many nights that they both spent in their tents at the dig site.
"Hold your hippogriffs, I'm coming!" Dani shouted back, pulling her hair into a quick bun and securing it with her wand and a few pins. It was a trick that she'd learned from Kate, their Boss. It looked stylish, but was easily accessible; most dresses didn't come with pockets.
She glanced over her reflection, nodding in approval. Dani had never really been one to dress up unless necessary. She chose instead to stick to her dad's old leather jacket and the airy shirts and tank tops that she wore at the dig site. Her hair was too curly to deal with most days, so she usually clipped or braided it back, anything to keep it out of her face. It was stupid to wear makeup in Egypt, with the sticky and humid air, and Dani knew from personal experience that she'd sweat it off in minutes.
Her hair, a dark shade of brown, was usually a mop of curls which spanned past her shoulders, wild and untamable, and slightly reminiscent of a lion. She kept it as a reminder of her Gryffindor days. She was slim and athletically built, with rather delicate features, though the fire that was reflected in her blue eyes, and the way her jaw was set grimly quickly put off anyone who would call her delicate.
To be perfectly honest, fashion and makeup weren't her strong suit. That wasn't to say, that she didn't know how to dress up, but there was something that had always seemed pointless to her about wearing nice clothes when you were just going to play in the dirt all day.
For benefactor, bank or museum events, she had made a definite exception. She'd learned long ago that dressing well earned her points, and benefited the dig. It was worth dressing up to fund her dream.
Now, she was done up in a strappy black dress that reached her mid-thigh, and heels that she wasn't overly fond of due to the limited mobility that they offered. She wore a silver bracelet and a matching necklace, and carried a bright red clutch to match the red headband in her hair. Her makeup was light, but accented her green eyes and olive skin, and decided that she looked good enough, she emerged into the living room to find her roommate. "Okay, ready," She spotted him, reading the paper on one of the two leather couches in the room.
He dropped the paper down on his lap, and promptly wolf-whistled, "Damn, you look good."
"I'll admit," She smiled coyly in response, "It's nice not to be covered in a layer of dust for once." She shrugged, pulling Bill to her feet and grabbing the edges of the loose tie around his neck. He looped it for him easily. There would be both wizards and muggles at tonight's event, and so they had to dress the part. Few of the people that would be there tonight would actually know the full extent of the dig site, and Gringotts was in no hurry to tell any of the muggle benefactors and backers that supported them.
Bill smiled, and reached up to brush a stand of loose hair out of her eyes, and behind her ear. "I know you hate it," He said warmly, and then looked her over with a sly grin, "But you really do look amazing."
"Thanks…so do you, for the record," She shot back, grinning at her friend. She was reminding, not for the first time, just how much she cared for her best friend. "Are you ready to charm the pants off of them?" She asked, offering him her arm.
Bill slipped his arm through hers and laughed, "I'm ready," He nodded.
Together, they disappeared with a crack. The reappeared seconds later inside a room, labeled as the VIP hall. VIP in this situation meant wizards, much to the annoyance and confusion of some greatly offended muggle donors. Regardless, Dani and Bill exchanged a look before heading down the hallway to the ballroom beyond.
The ball room was lit fantastically for the evening. Twinkle lights hung in clusters from the ceiling, masking the entire ceiling with an ocean of stars. There were dozens of people filling the room, voices rising above the cacophony of gentle music from the live brass band near the front of the room. Tables lined with white cloths were clustered near the center of the room, covered in elegant centerpieces and calligraphied place cards, candles and floral arrangements.
There was a bar along one of the walls, with half a dozen men in black button-up shirts behind it, and more milling around with glistering silver trays that caught the dimmed light of the chandeliers above. Bill and Dani joined the foray of people, smiles on their faces as they tactfully scanned the room.
"There's Jake and Ted," Dani spotted two of the members of their team, and two of their closest friends. She smiled, catching Ted's eyes with a warm smile. Ted, or Theodore Campbell, was loud and outspoken, and sometimes came off as kind of an asshole, but he was a genuinely great guy, who was a lot nicer than he let on. He was tall and muscular, and had black hair and grey eyes, and an ever present grin on his face. He had a tendency to come off as cocky, but Dani loved him anyway.
"Will shit Dani," Ted said as they approached. He had a drink in his hand, and probably at least another in his system already. "I always forget how fit you look in a dress until you show up for one of these things" He smirked, looking her over. Bill made to say something, but Dani beat him to it.
"Well shit Teddy," She grinned back, "I always forget how much of an arse you are until you open your mouth," She quipped. Bill, Jake and even Ted laughed, though Ted clutched his heart dramatically. She was the only one who ever got away with calling him Teddy, and she took full advantage of that fact.
"You wound me," He said, though he was grinning.
"Baby," Dani quipped, brushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear. She turned to Jake, "So what's the plan boss? She asked. Jake always seemed to have some sort of plan.
"Why do you just assume that I…" Jake started incredulously, and then shook his head at her mischievous grin, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer. Somethings were best left unknown. "Oh never mind." He shook his head. "Kate's here, so we all should check in with her at some point before the nights over," He grinned, they'd already had a long chat with Katie earlier in the day when she'd appeared at the dig site, and she'd been just as excited about their discovery as they were. "She'll probably want to show of us to some of the Banking folks, so be charming," He looked at each of them pointedly.
"Always," Bill quipped cheerfully, and it was true. The oldest Weasley had enough charm in him for all of his 6 siblings.
"Other than that," Jake continued, turning his attention to Ted, "Bruce McAllen's daughter is here, rumor is, he'll invest in anything that she approves of, but she's much smarter than she looks."
"Luckily so is Ted," Dani interjected.
"Oi!"
"However," Jake took the drink from Ted's hands, "She's a muggle, so best behavior, and no more drinking. We don't want a repeat of what happened last time." He said pointedly. Last time, Ted had gotten drunk, and dissipated his date to a more…romantic location from the middle of the ball room. It had been a mess, the ministry had gotten involved, Ted had got a heavy fine, and dozens of memories had to be wiped.
"I'm never going to live that one down, am I?" Ted groaned.
"Nope," Dani grinned, taking a sip from Ted's drink that Jake was certain had been in his hands only seconds ago. He wasn't entirely sure how she had gotten it without him noticing.
He shook his head, "Dani," He turned to her, "What do you know about Shawn Allistor?"
"Rich, handsome investor," Dani shrugged scanning the room for the man in question. "And dating what's her face." Everyone knew that Shawn Allistor was notorious for being in monogamous relationship with Stephanie Owens, a key member of a competing team. He'd always been out of the question before for that very reason.
"Word is, that he and Stephanie just went through a very harsh breakup, though they're trying to keep it all very hush-hush," Jake grinned at her. Dani wondered, not for the first time, exactly where Jake got his information, but she trusted him completely. "So…" He continued, "How charming can you be?"
"Was that a trick question?" She downed the rest of Ted's drink.
"What about me?" Bill asked curiously, wondering if he'd have a target tonight.
"Eh…" Jake shrugged, "There's some minor investors we'll can schmooze," He glanced around, "Museums and private collectors, but…for the most part, you are a free man."
"Lucky me," Bill said smirking, glancing sideways to Dani.
"Oi, want to trade?" She demanded, shooting a glare to her friend.
"Somehow, I don't think that I'm the sort of bloke that Shawn Allistor is interested in, but I can give it a go if you like," Bill said with a grin.
"Oh shove off," Dani brushed past her friend, and made her way across the room and towards the bar. She'd need another drink to pull this off. She scanned the room as she walked, and spotted Shawn a few seconds later, he was at one the white clothed tables, surrounded by people. At his table were pretty girls and men in suits, all talking to him, trying to strike up a business deal. Shawn looked bored.
Dani grinned confidently, walked right past his table and caught his eye, and then raised her eyebrows, jerking her head to the bar. Shawn smiled.
He was handsome, and the type of guy that Dani would consider to be her type. He was muscular and tall, and on their first meeting a few years ago, Dani had discovered that he was a grand balance between bookishness and athleticism, and he had a good sense of humor to boot. They had met several times since, and had always gotten along well, but he'd been off limits before now.
He met her at the bar, a warm grin on his face. "You," He said greeted with a grin, "have just saved me from several long and tedious conversations." He pulled her into a loose hug, surprising Dani. "Can I buy you a drink?
"Hi Shawn," She smiled back, "Drinks are free."
"In that case," Shawn beamed, leaning on the bar next to her, "You can buy me one."
She laughed, forgetting how much she liked the man, "How have you been?" She asked, "I haven't seen you since…"
"That museum gala in London last spring," Shawn seemed to remember exactly when he'd last seen her. "I loved the article you wrote for curse-breaker quarterly last month," He continued, "The one with the translation of the Tsetu script that you uncovered in that Asian temple last year."
"Ah yeah," Dani remembered wistfully, "That was such an exciting discover, I was just really lucky to be a part of it."
"From what I hear, lucky didn't have all that much to do with it," Shawn countered, flagging the muggle bartender down. She ordered a vodka tonic, he asked for a whisky and soda. "Your team has quite the reputation."
"It's a really amazing group to work with," Dani admitted, affection for her team seeping into her tone. "They're practically family," She added.
"And I've heard a rumor that you're after the Lost King's tomb?" He asked eagerly.
"Hey now," Dani waved a hand absently in the air. "I don't usually make a habit of discussing my business with the enemy." She took a nonchalant sip of her newly delivered drink, looking him over.
"The enemy?" Shawn asked with a curious smile.
"From what I hear, you're an avid sponsor of Devin MarKay's team," She said smoothly, taking another sip of her drink. "I'm hardly going to be sharing insider secrets."
"Ah," Shawn's smile faltered for just a second. "Well, we've had a recent falling out," He admitted grimly.
"In that case," Dani's eyes flashed mischievously, "Buy me dinner first, then we'll talk," She quipped, not missing a beat. As much as she hated all the schmoozing and flirting that was necessary to support a dig, she was fairly decent at it. Though, to be fair, Shawn wasn't making it all that difficult.
"Oh yeah?" Shawn smirked. "How's tomorrow?"
"I think we'll be able to work something out."
…
The rest of the night went just as smoothly. Dani spent the better part of an hour talking to Shawn Alastair, who was unexpectedly fascinating to talk to. They had a lot more in common than Dani had remembered, and the subtle flirting woven into their effortless conversation didn't hurt. Last time that she had talked to him, he had been committed to his girlfriend, now, he was a free man, and openly flirtatious.
Dani did her best to ignore the glares from Marissa Summers, who was from a competing team (Stephanie's to be exact), though, some of the girls who'd been crowded around him before seemed to share the seething looks. She jokingly accused him of 'keeping her to himself,' and promised to see him the next night at dinner, before bowing out to look for her team. She didn't see Bill anywhere, but Ted seemed to be making decent progress with Trisha McAllen, and Kate and Jake were chatting away with some Gringott's officials.
Kate was the ideal boss. She made a point to know her team, and know them well. She knew their strengths and weaknesses, and just how well they worked together, after all, she had hand selected them herself. She loved the work as much as they did, and often wished that she was in the field with them, instead of the piles of paperwork and politics that seemed to be involved in keeping the dig sites alive. But still, she was committed and passionate, and damn good at her job.
But to Dani's eyes, she was the personification of sophistication, tall and slim, ebony skin and hair drawn up into a perfectly styled bun. She dressed well daily, suits and dress robes and what Ted called "all manners of fancy things." Tonight, she'd really outdone herself, wearing a sparkling blue dress, and strappy heals, clutching a black bag to her side, her makeup done just right to accentuate her blue eyes and crystal white smile.
She had taken Dani under her wing on one of their first meetings, especially once she realized that the younger girl didn't have much in the way of role models. Until then, the only older witch she could go to for advice was Bill's mum, and Molly Weasley had enough to do, raising 7 children. Kate and Dani had been close since, and Kate regularly sent owls to the girl, asking how she was doing, and just checking up on her. Dani couldn't be any more grateful for all the woman had done for her.
"We received an anonymous donation this morning," Kate surprised Dani by appearing in front of her, Jake at her heels.
"Another one?" Jake was the one to speak, his surprise evident. He scanned the room for anyone who might be suspicious. The team had been receiving anonymous donations for years now, backing their dig, and keeping the site alive when there seemed to be no other sources.
"Blimey, I wonder if our mystery donor is here," Dani scanned the room too. "And how they always know when we need money." She added, suspicious.
"Seriously, I'd like to buy this bloke a drink," Jake continued, sipping at his own drink. "Or maybe 20." He added thoughtfully.
"You seemed to be getting on with that Shawn Alastair fellow," Kate looked her friend over pointedly a wry smirk on her face.
"Yeah," Dani agreed. "I've got dinner with him tomorrow."
"Keep this up," Kate's eyes flashed in amusement, "And we'll never be hurting for money again."