For some reason, I find it a lot easier to write Audrey chapters O.O I guess I'm just really scared I'll write the Weasleys OOC :P Anyways, here's the next chapter!
ALSO: I have started a blog for updates and character info concerning the story. It is linked on my profile, and maybe I'll even open it to oneshot requests :)
10. Audrey: Joy to the Brooms
"Wake up, nénette!"
Audrey groaned. Surely, Erin could think of better ways to wake her up.
On the bright side, she never needed to remember setting up charms to wake her up in the morning.
Suddenly, Audrey's bed lurched as Erin jumped on it with all of her weight. Audrey groaned in response and threw her pillow at Erin.
"Bloody hell, Erin," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
"It's Christmas shopping day, Audrey!" Erin exclaimed happily. "And you're sleeping in? Get up!"
"Erin, please, we have all day," Audrey said as she slowly sat up and rubbed her temple. She had a splitting headache and couldn't remember for the life of her how or when it started.
"Well, I'm not going to let my day go to rubbish just because you got drunk," Erin pouted.
Suddenly, it came to Audrey. "It was my last day of Auror training before the holidays. Of course I went drinking," Audrey argued. "And please, for the love of Merlin, quit shouting."
Erin got up from the bed and crossed her arms. "Fine."
She walked out of the room and slammed the door behind her. The noise reverberated through the room and Audrey swore she could feel the vibrations in her skull. She winced as her head pounded a little harder and groaned into her pillow when she heard Erin laughing from the kitchen.
Downright evil.
While London may not have been Audrey's favourite place in the summer, it certainly was beautiful in the winter.
Diagon Alley, especially, was nearly all white and frosty. The cold was something Audrey was practiced in dealing with, so she felt in her comfort zone. She was bundled up to the tee with wool argyle socks peeking from her boots, a warm coat, knitted mitts, a black toque, and her Slytherin scarf wound around her neck. Audrey hadn't worn her scarf out since she moved to London, but despite her hangover, she was in a good enough mood to feel confident wearing it.
"Do we have to split up?"
Audrey turned to look at Erin's pouting face. She had a habit of acting like a little girl when Christmas rolled around. Most thought it was adorable; however, Audrey had to live with her, and as a result it was less adorable and more... obnoxious. That would be putting it nicely.
"Erin, you're the only person I could possibly be getting a gift for," Audrey argued. "It's not fair. I'll lose the element of surprise."
Erin crossed her arms with a humph. "Fine. Party-pooper."
Audrey rolled her eyes. "How about this: let's meet up at Rosa Lee at one for some tea and scones."
Erin's frown softened slightly. "All right, I'll see you at one, then."
With that, they said their goodbyes and Audrey waited for Erin to round the corner. As soon as she was out of view, Audrey made a beeline for Broomstix.
Erin competed in flying races and Audrey wouldn't hesitate to assume the mantle of a proud friend in that respect. She was quite good, and the speeds at which she flew were fast enough to make Audrey queasy by just watching. Anyways, that also meant she ruined her gloves and broom clippings quite easily, and they didn't exactly come cheap.
Broomstix, as expected, was just about as crowded as it could possibly be – if not more so. The idea of stepping inside a loud, cramped shop made Audrey's stomach roll and her headache worsen. However, once she was inside, the store didn't seem so bad. It was quite warm, which helped Audrey's headache, so she took off her mitts, toque, and scarf and stuffed them into her purse.
Audrey skimmed the shelves and got a couple pairs of Erin's favourite gloves and the newest broom clippings she could find. Then, a wall of flying goggles caught her eye. Most of Erin's races were in Scotland, and in a few months the region would be going into a rainy season. Erin would definitely need some spare goggles.
"Audrey! Hey, Callaghan!"
Few people would still call Audrey by her last name, and being the pessimist that she was, the worst came to mind first. Flint. Pucey. Nott. Greengrass. Malfoy. Each name nearly made Audrey shudder. However, as she turned to face who had called her, all fears dissolved. A smile graced her lips and she walked across the store to join the young man that had called her name.
"Well, well. Look at what the cat dragged in."
It was none other than George Weasley. She had first met the Weasley twins when they pulled a very traumatic prank on her and a couple other Slytherin girls in their third year. To make a long story short, it involved some sort of slimy substance of which, to that day, the contents were unknown. Anyways, while her friends fussed over their hair and clothes, Audrey chased down the two culprits and threatened to hex them into next week. Clearly surprised by the Slytherin's courage, the three of them struck a deal: the twins would leave Audrey alone, if they gave her access to the Slytherin dungeons when necessary. It proved a helpful alliance in seventh year.
Audrey's mind immediately wandered to Fred. She had heard of his death, and briefly considered expressing her condolences. The one reason she dismissed the idea was because she hated talking about her parents, especially now with her first Christmas without them approaching. She could only imagine the pain George felt when people mentioned Fred. It would be better if the topic was left untouched.
The conversation was fairly cordial and generic, until Ginny asked how her older brother knew Audrey. Obviously, there was no way of avoiding the mention of her house. Audrey was not even the least bit surprised by Ginny's reaction.
"You were a Slytherin?" Ginny asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
Audrey rolled her eyes, but her smile remained. She wasn't terribly surprised by Ginny's reaction. "Okay, don't get your knickers in a twist. Merlin was a Slytherin, too, you know," she justified. Merlin was always the wizard to which she would refer when bragging about Slytherin. There were few others that she could brag about. "The house doesn't automatically turn you into a villain. I still have some pride for that house."
"That's because you have poor judgement," George commented. "Anyways, I didn't know you were a flyer."
"I'm not. Can't last more than five seconds on a broom," Audrey admitted. "My flatmate, however, is another story."
The smile that graced Ginny's feature in the next moment may have stilled Audrey's heart. That was the same smile she would see on the twins' faces whenever they were planning a horrible trick on someone. "So, is your flatmate a guy?" she asked.
Audrey frowned. That was a little more tame than what she was expecting. "No, not as far as I know, anyways," she answered jokingly.
"Hmm, interesting," Ginny said quietly. "You're very pretty, by the way."
Audrey's jaw dropped slightly, but Ginny's inquisition was finally starting to make some sense. "Thank you... I think."
"Well, if you do happen to need to buy a gift for a guy," Ginny continued, pointing to some item on the shelf next to them, "this is a good one."
"I'll keep that in mind, should the need arise," Audrey replied with a nervous laugh.
Her love life was touchy subject matter. Even when Erin brought it up jokingly, it irked Audrey. She could hardly make friends outside of work, so how in Merlin's name would she possibly be able to get a boyfriend? It was an endeavour she did not even want to try undertaking.
"Hm. Interesting," Ginny repeated.
"Honestly, Ginny, quit being so nosy," George teased. Then, he added, "But don't you have a brother? I think he played quidditch, from what I remember."
Audrey's face paled and her smile disappeared. The only thing she could think of doing was moving away from the topic. "Well, I've really got to get going," she replied. "I'm keeping my flatmate – who is in fact a grown woman – waiting. And you know, George, I think you have yourself to blame for that nosiness."
"It was nice meeting you, Audrey," Ginny said with a smile as Audrey walked away from the pair and towards the cash register.
When Audrey looked down at her hands, she realized they were shaking.
Audrey stepped back out onto the snowy streets of Diagon Alley and walked the short distance to the tea shop. She found Erin sitting at a table outside of the shop with two steaming teacups and a plate with two scones. Once she saw Audrey approaching, a wide grin spread across her face.
"How'd your shopping go?" she asked excitedly.
"Fine, and no, you can't guess what I got you," Audrey replied as she sat across from Erin. The grin soon fell off the blonde woman's face. "It's bloody cold, what are you doing out here?"
"Oh, shut it and enjoy the snow, Audrey," Erin commanded. "Here's your tea."
Audrey set the steaming cup down in front of her with a "thanks," and put on her mitts, toque, and scarf again. "So, you'll never guess what happened when I was shopping," she said, trying to pique Erin's curiosity.
"Surprise me."
Well, that certainly sounded less excited than what she had hoped for. "I ran into George Weasley, a former classmate, and his younger sister. It was nice to see familiar faces that don't have something against me," Audrey said, then added as an afterthought, "His sister, Ginny, was quite something."
"Oh? In what way?"
"She was nosing around to see if I have a boyfriend."
"And do you?" Erin asked with a wicked smile and an arched eyebrow.
Audrey paused before answering, "No."
"Hey, what's with the pause?" Erin asked immediately. "That pause is suspicious."
"Sweet Merlin, Erin, stop reading into everything," Audrey grumbled.
"Do you like someone?"
"No!" Audrey exclaimed. A smirk started to surface on Erin's face and Audrey sighed heavily. "Just... leave it, will you? I've had a lot on my mind lately, especially with that ridiculous witness testimony thing coming up next month."
The smirk on Erin's face disappeared. Her lips were pulled into a taut line and her eyebrows furrowed with sympathy as she said, "Right, the Lestrange Case. Sorry for teasing."
"No apologies necessary. I'm sure it'll be fine," Audrey said as she burrowed her face into her scarf and clinked teacups with Erin. "So, anything exciting happen while I was away?"
Yay for cheery chapters! :D