Muggle Magic – 3

A//N – Disclaimer – I don't own anything other than Ally, and even then it's debatable.

I'm being really slow at the moment – for which I'm sorry. Will try and get quicker now! Thanks to all my reviewers.

Chapter 3 – Ally

Ally frowned and shook her head. "Ok…do it again." She glanced up into Fred's twinkling eyes. "I'm going to work out how you're doing it."

He flashed a grin at her. "I really don't think you are." His fingers moved quickly again, and she groaned.

"Ok, so maybe I'm not going to work out how you're doing it." She frowned slightly as an almost relieved expression crossed his face.

"Well, that's a good thing. Because if you worked it out…I'd have to kill you."

Ally laughed, but there was a tiny part of her that wasn't a hundred per cent sure he was joking. "Really? You wouldn't hurt me would you?" She asked then, exaggeratedly flutteringly her eyelashes.

Fred lent over the counter so that they were almost nose to nose. "I don't know…"

Ally felt her breath catch in her throat. He was so close she could see each of the freckles on his nose, and the grey/green flecks in his blue eyes. He'd shown up at the shop at least once a week for the last two months, sometimes coming every other day, and yet he hadn't yet asked her out. She couldn't understand it. Surely he wouldn't come all the way to see her if he wasn't interested in her like that? But as each week passed she had to convince herself that he wasn't.

Kiss me, whispered a traitorous little voice in the back of her head. Just kiss me.

The bell above the shop door jangled suddenly and Fred stepped back abruptly. Ally meanwhile had to stifle the thoughts of murder now flashing through her mind.

"Alright, Ally."

Ally forced herself to smile back at the eighteen year old who had just come through the door. His parents owned the farm on the outskirts of the village, and Ally had known him as long as she could remember.

"Hey, Peter."

Peter grinned at her for a moment longer before shifting his gaze to Fred. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Um, you are…"

"Oh, this is Fred," Ally said quickly. "He's…he's a friend."

Peter was still watching Fred carefully. "You…your family lives outside the village doesn't it. Weasles, or Welkins or something…"

Ally saw a slightly panicked look cross Fred's face. "Weasley." He shifted his gaze to Ally and gave her a quick grin. "I ought to be going. I'll…I'll see you soon."

As the door closed behind him Peter turned to Ally with a frown. "You and him…"

"We're friends."

"Hmmm." Peter came and lent against the counter. "Listen, Ally, don't get to friendly with him. There are some funny rumours about his family."

"Funny rumours?"

Peter made a face. "Yeah. Think about it – supposedly there are like seven kids in the family – but how come none of them ever went to school with the rest of us?"

"Boarding school," Ally said quickly. "That's what Fred said. All of them went to some boarding school in the north."

"Well…okay…but how come they never come into the village? You never see any of them…it's all a little suspicious if you ask me."

Ally lifted one eyebrow. "Well, I didn't ask you. I like Fred. He's funny." The fact that he's really hot has nothing to do with it.

"Funny? Funny ha ha, or funny weird?"

"No need for that. You don't even know him." Ally felt her irritation growing. A tiny part of her was annoyed that he was echoing some of her own concerns – that Fred wasn't quite normal – but mostly she was annoyed that Peter wanted to stick his nose into her life.

"I'm sorry, Ally," Peter said suddenly, his expression contrite. "I didn't mean to annoy you." He smiled at her. "But you two are…just friends…right?"

Ally was about to reply when Peter's father came into the shop, shaking the rain out of his hair.

"What's the hold up, Pete? We need to get back to the farm."

Peter flushed slightly and hurried away to grab the shopping he had come in for. It was only much later, after Ally had locked up the shop that evening and was heading home, that Ally wondered why Peter was so worried about her and Fred.

All thoughts of either of them was pushed from her mind the moment she got home though. Most of the house was in darkness, only a single light in the living room and the flickering of the television to illuminate the gloom.

"Dad? Dad, I'm home." She came through into the living room, pulling off her jacket. Her father was in his usual place, in the armchair in front of the television. She crossed over to him and dropped a kiss on his forehead. "Have you had a good day?"

He looked away from the television, the darkness making his face look even more gaunt and haggard than it already was.

"How was the shop today, Allison? Were you busy?"

Ally shrugged as she picked up his blanket from where it had fallen and folded it across the arm of the chair. "Same as usual, Dad. I'll do us some dinner…"

She smiled a little sadly and headed into the kitchen. The fridge was practically empty, but she had brought home some fresh bread from the shop, and there was a tin of baked beans in the cupboard.

As she stuck the bread in the toaster something caught her eye. Stuck with a magnet to the fridge was a letter. Her acceptance letter for university. She had thrown it away a dozen times, and fished it out of the rubbish a dozen more.

She pulled it off the fridge and stared down at it. Edinburgh University. It was practically a world away from Ottery St Catchpole. She would have been there almost a whole term by now, just ready to come home for Christmas, full of the excitement of new places and new people.

Instead she was stuck working in the shop, trying to keep it going, trying to earn enough money to keep her and her father. Stuck with people like Peter, who would never leave Ottery St Catchpole as long as they lived, and her father. She loved him dearly, but he was a different man since the heart attack.

With sudden tears burning her eyes she crumpled up the letter and threw it in the rubbish bin.

It was time for her to accept it. Until her father recovered enough from his heart attack she was stuck in the village, looking after him.

And people like Fred Weasley, with his London business and his strange family, were not to be a part of her life.

A/N – ok, I think I'm finally starting to get somewhere now. All reviews welcome of course.