What can I say? It's been two years since I updated this story. I was thinking of re-writing it and cleaning up some small inconsistencies that have occurred but they're not major plot flaws, just minor mistakes. If I feel like it I might re-write it all after I'm done, but for now I'd rather just push on.
Thanks to all reviewers and sorry about having to wait.
I managed to weave my way through the crowds, until I stumbled across a pair of unmistakable red heads.
"Lost Ellen. Some idiots were flirting with us, so I pat them on the shoulder to show them they're obviously worth less than me and moved on." I explained to Fred and George, shrugging my shoulders to emphasise that it was no big deal.
"Uh, okay?" George replied, casting an uneasy look at Fred who only put a smirk on his face.
"Lee went to find you girls. Well, I think he went to go find Ellen more specifically." Fred explained, adding a wink at the end of his statement.
"Meh, let them find each other naturally. See what happens." I replied, waving my hand.
Time seemed to speed up after we lost Ellen and Lee. We kept ordering rounds, and chatted in our corner by the bar instead of socialising with the hordes of people around. I got a text message from a high school friend, and after replying was when I realised what the time is.
"Guys wow! It's already 12:30. This place is absolutely packed, do you want to go somewhere a bit quieter before other venues lock people out due to it being late?" I asked Fred and George.
My statement was correct. This was a very popular venue, and it was so full you could barely move. It was also hard to get a drink, although we were in the corner of the bar area we still had to rejoin the line every time we wanted a drink.
"I'm with you there. We only ever go to the Leaky Cauldron really, which is usually pleasantly filled. I don't think I can hack this much longer." George stated, wrinkling his nose.
"Alright. Let me go find Ellen and Lee, give me a moment." I said to the twins, patting them both each on their arms in my semi-intoxicated state before departing through the crowds.
The usual happened to me as I made my way through the crowds to search the bar for the two I was looking for. A few disgusted guys glaring at me as I accidentally bumped them (usually after getting shoved) because I wasn't a petite blonde. Even more guys trying to feel me up or start flirting with me. Bitchy girls jealous of the attention, purposely shoving into me.
I just rolled my eyes and continued with my search, it was the best way to handle these morons. I could not find a happy medium.
I then bumped into someone familiar. Joey.
"Sorry." I bluntly replied, not bothering to make conversation as he had blown me off before.
"It's okay. Come dance with me for a while." He smiled at me, trying to grab my waist.
"Urgh, no thanks. Especially after you completely blanking me before." I replied, wrinkling my face up at him in disgust as I removed his hands off me.
He ignored me, as he went to put his hands back on me.
"Come on baby, let's make up for lost time." He grinned, obviously very drunk.
"I said no you idiot, I'm here with other people, and you're a fucking idiot." I scowled at him, giving him one last shove as I stormed off.
As I was storming off I ran into the chest of someone, which only happened because they saw me storm off and pretty much grabbed onto me as well.
"Come on let's get out of here, George will find Ellen and Lee and meet us outside." Fred grinned at me, and I cocked my head but didn't protest as he grabbed my hand and led us through the crowd, swearing at people who glared at us. I smiled, following his lead.
We ended up outside, and it took a few seconds for the cold to hit me, but it eventually did.
I pretended to ignore the cold, but my body's instincts kicked in and I began to shiver. I tried to cover it up, but Fred was too quick for me. However, I was a step ahead, too quick for him.
"Don't say 'cold?' and don't say 'if I had a jacket, I'd offer it to you' because that's just cliché, and we don't do cliché." I winked at him, becoming a bit flirty in my tipsy state.
"Wouldn't have offered it to you anyway even if I had one," Fred joked, sending me a wink back "I can warm you up in other ways though?"
"No, that's even more cliché. You can't do that!" I protested, laughing and taking a step back from him.
"Yes, I guess so." Fred agreed, giving me a nod.
I then looked at the ground and began to feel a little bad. Did I step away from flirting because it's wrong on two grounds, the fact I have a boyfriend and Fred is his brother or was stepping away a flirt in itself? Argh, I need to shape up when I get tipsy. No more flirting.
Soon after George emerged with Ellen and Lee. I thought I was flirting with Fred? Lee had his arm all around Ellen and even gave her a cheeky snog as they were exiting, George behind them rolling his eyes.
"Lee and I were thinking of going back to his place to watch a movie." Ellen giggled to Fred and I, obviously she had already told George her plans.
"Oh, a movie?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, then we'll probably go to sleep…" Ellen said slowly to me, indicating she knew she wasn't going to his place just to watch a movie.
"Wait, you can't go back to his. You live too far, there's only one way to go…" Fred said to Lee.
"He said he's going to show me some magic!" Ellen said to him.
"What are you doing? Ellen may be my best friend, but she's still a muggle. She hasn't been given legal clearance in the Wizarding world to find out about us, so I haven't told her. I won't preach from a pompous law student's point of view, but as someone you can now loosely refer to as a friend, please be careful." I said to Lee.
He sighed, and sent me a small smile, grabbing me by my shoulders and pulling me away, with Fred following us away and George telling Ellen to wait for a second and coming to join us soon after.
"My girlfriend and I broke up not too long ago, she cheated on me and I lost all confidence. So I guess I thought I'd show off a bit because that's my edge over Ellen, she's a muggle and I'm a wizard and I can impress her that way. I'll stop it, I promise." Lee smiled at us.
"Here mate, take this. These are the keys to our shop, there's a spare bedroom in our apartment above. You know we've created secret passageways below Diagon Alley so you don't have to take her through and risk getting caught. No one will tell on you." George said to Lee, handing him a large set of keys.
"Even if we did, it's a gray area in the law. It's illegal to take a Muggle through Diagon Alley yes, but not under. Shops are considered private property so it's not illegal to take a muggle inside, just through the alley. So you're not technically breaking any laws should you take her through the passageways there and back." I smiled.
Lee smiled at George, Fred and I, accepted the keys and walked over to Ellen.
"So, would you like to go on an adventure?" Lee winked at her, offering his arm to her.
"You two boys look after Carly, okay?" Ellen said to Fred and George but then turned to me "I believe you're in good hands."
She then took Lee's arm and he led her off, and we all watched them disappear around the corner.
"Let's go to a real bar. Come on, you're in for a treat." Fred said to me, grabbing me by my shoulders and began to lead me off, with George hot on our trail.
I stopped for a second and turned to face him, with only one question for him.
"How in god's name do magic keys work? Especially magic keys for a joke store?"