I'm nervous. Sitting in a café, alone, in Diagon Alley, I sip my London Fog. It's too creamy. I shouldn't have ordered a London Fog. I'm only an adult legally; I've got no idea what I'm doing.

Other than the fact that I am going on a proper date with a certain Fred Weasley, I know nothing. A boy, or I guess, a man now, who I've nearly kissed on a few occasions, but only managed to do so while bewitched by a rotten potion. I'm going on a date with a man who hated me for so long before he finally came to at least try to understand me.

He walks in. He's wearing a collared shirt and khakis, styled haphazardly. Like he forgot that people would see him today. Meanwhile, I spent a good hour staring at my clothes in the closet. It's too hot for a cloak, but I look most fashionable in a cloak. Instead, I opted for a skirt and a t-shirt. I hope I don't look over-dressed now.

Fred orders at the counter. I try not to look at him, and instead, I look out the window. Wizards and witches alike pass us by. I try to catch their faces, see if there is anyone I know. So far, I haven't run into anyone I went to school with. I hear a few of them are trying to make their way in the Muggle world. Others are trapped back home, applying for jobs.

I wonder what Silas and Bronwyn are doing. Certainly, Elora is working for the Prophet. I haven't seen her around the ministry, but then again I stick to myself. My coworkers don't even know my last name. I have yet to see my brother.

"Hey," Fred sits down across from me. "Do you mind if I join, or are you busy?"

"I'm not busy," I say, a bit too quickly.

He smirks and sits across from me. He brings the coffee up to his lips before he recoils and sets it down. "Too hot. Like you."

"Oh shove off," I say, but I want him to do anything but shove off. I can feel my blush on my cheeks, though hopefully it stays hidden behind my makeup. "How're you?"

"I'm fine, thanks," he says. He looks me over. "So, what have you been up to?"

I explain to him how I've moved in with Robbie, and that my parents would probably both drop dead if they found out. Then, I discuss my job at the ministry, and how boring it is to be doing the same, mundane tasks day in and day out. He nods along and asks me questions here and there. Even if it's boring, it seems like what I have to say matters to him.

"What about you?" I finish.

"Oh it's always a blast at the shop," he says with a smile on his face. "Something's always going wrong. Like yesterday, a batch of Wildfire Whiz Bangs got too hot, and they exploded. It was a disaster."

"Same ones I heard you used on Umbridge?" I ask.

He nods. "Too bad you were in the hospital wing. You should've seen it. Maybe I can show you sometime."

"Maybe," I smile. I lean in closer to him and get a good look at him. He does smell more musky than usual, which probably can be attributed to the fireworks.

By then, our drinks are almost finished, but I can't stand to leave.

"Want to go on a walk?" he asks.

I nod. I quickly finish off my tea and stand up. We walk out of the store together.

"Does George have something against me?" I ask.

Fred furrows his brow. "Nah, George is too polite to hold anything against anyone. Why do you ask?"

I shrug my shoulders. There is no use explaining that I just get a certain vibe off of him that makes me think there is more to it than a simple grudge. "Maybe he thinks I'm stealing you away?"

"George isn't like that," Fred insists. As we walk, he straightens out his hair. It's calmer today, and the freckles on his cheeks seem to pop in the sunlight. "Trust me. The only girl we've ever fought about is Angelina, and he swears that they are soulmates."

"What's she up to now?" I ask.

Fred continues walking. "She's working as a barmaid for now. She's trying to get a job at the ministry as a monster hunter. Alicia Spinnet's mum got her in, but Angelina wasn't so lucky."

I guess I better count my lucky stars that I'm employed then. It's hard to find a job, especially so soon after graduation. Now I feel bad for complaining.

"Do you know what your friends got up to?" he asks.

I shake my head. "Again, they weren't my friends."

He goes on to protest, but I'm distracted. I see someone in front of us, who catches my eye just as I catch his. Landry.

He pulls out a wand.

I grab Fred and turn us around, forcing us to dart down an alleyway.

"What are you doing?" Fred asks.

"My brother," I'm panting, but I want to offer him some sort of explanation.

An explosion crackles against the cobblestone of the building just above our heads, taking down some rubble in a dusty storm. Fred covers my head as we duck around, just down the path of another building.

We continue to zigzag, but I can hear my brother trailing behind us.

Fred tries to launch a spell at Landry, but it misses. My brother casts a curse at him, and I throw up a shield charm. It ricochets off me and on to the wall next to me, blasting a hole clean into the room. I peer inside, noticing a clothing store.

I grab Fred and we keep running. My brother isn't gaining, but he certainly is a decent way behind me.

"We need to fight him," Fred points out.

I shake my head. "He's too dangerous."

Fred stops and tucks me behind him. "Stupify!" he shouts.

My brother flings backwards.

With my brother temporarily disarmed, I grab Fred and apparate.

We appear back in my flat. Robbie isn't home, leaving it to just us. Fred's clinging on to me, looking over my face.

"Are you alright?" he asks, before pulling me tightly against him.

"I'm fine," I point out. "Nothing unusual."

"Nothing unusual?" he asks, looking me over. "You're covered in rubble. Your brother was flinging the expulso curse at us. We could've been reduced to ashes."

I nod since I know. I bring my hands up to my hair, trying to shake the rubble out of it. Then, I lean forward and grab Fred's hand, bringing him closer to me. He doesn't make eye contact with me, Instead, he stares at things around my flat. His shoulders are heaving, as is his chest, and his face is as red as his hair.

"Hey," I say, grabbing his shoulder, "look at me, Fred."

"He was trying to kill us," Fred says. "He can't come anywhere near you. Absolutely not."

"He doesn't know how to find me," I say. "He just got lucky."

"What if he comes around my shop and fights me. Or worse, George?" Fred asks.

I don't think that's my brother's style. "Just make sure to apparate home instead of walking. He wouldn't attack you where people could see. It's my fault, I shouldn't have run down the alley."

"Don't let him evade responsibility," Fred says. He finally looks at me and sighs. "You're alright though, yeah?"

"I'm fine," I insist. I wipe some dust off his cheek. "We just both need a shower."

"We need to talk to Mad-Eye," Fred argues back. "He'll know what to do."

As in Moody? This is way below his head. I can see that Fred is seething though. "Alright. I'll think about it."

"I can get you in," Fred tells me. "He's a family friend."

~~~~~

Welp. I like this quite a bit indeed. I hope that you do as well. I feel behind, but that's just because I'm procrastinating the next chapter. It should be exciting, hopefully.

Well, I shall see you soon.