*******
Wordlessly, Tori knelt by her suitcase at the end of the couch. She automatically pulled out a pair of flannel pants and a long sleeved top as Harry walked past her and down the hallway. She watched him blankly as he went into his room before ducking into the bathroom to change.
When she came back out, Harry was sitting on the edge of the couch, massaging his temple with one hand, his glasses in the other.
Tori sat down at the other end, and crossed her legs beneath her while Harry sat up and put his glasses back on. They looked at each other, but neither spoke.
Curiosity won out, and she spoke first. “So,” she managed.
The briefest of smiles flitted across his face as he watched her struggle with what to say next. She hadn’t run away screaming, nor looked at him like he was, well, different, but she was obviously having difficulty understanding.
Tori didn’t know where to begin. Questions were popping into her head like popcorn. What the hell should I ask first?
“What are you thinking?” he said, his face serious once more.
“It sounds absurd.” she blurted out. Before he could reply, she continued, “But—you’re so…serious. I mean, when you told me, you were serious…I think.”
“I was. I am.”
Tori blinked, still confused, and decided to ask something else. “Why did you tell me this?”
“I hate lying,” he stated sourly, “and sooner or later, you were going to have questions. I thought you deserved to know sooner, since you’re part of the band.”
Tori pulled her legs out from under her and stretched them, mostly to have something to do. “So…you’re going to be doing m—magic? On the tour?”
“No, I probably won’t. But most of the others on tour probably will—stagehands and whatnot,” he admitted as her mouth dropped; quickly adding, “It won’t be going on around you, or us, every second,” Harry said. “But it may come up from time to time, because it can help things…move faster.”
“Uh-huh,” Tori murmured unconvincingly. So it wasn’t just him…there were others…
“I thought it would help the tour run more smoothly, also, if you knew sooner.”
Tori stared at him. He was serious. Or a really good practical joker. And from what she had learned about him these past eight weeks, he wasn’t a practical joker.
She swallowed. “Can I—can I ask a question?”
Harry nodded, wondering if this meant that she was starting to believe him.
Tori bit her lip, unsure of what to ask first. After a pause, she asked quietly, “How do you--do magic?”
“With a wand.”
Her eyes traveled over him momentarily, as if she expected to see one.
“It’s in my room; I don’t have it on me.” he answered.
“Oh.” Another pause, then: “Where do they live? Where did you live? In a certain place?”
Harry scooted himself further back onto the couch. “Wizards live everywhere M—regular people do. Well, there are some places that are specifically wizarding places, but for the most part, we live…wherever.”
Tori raised her eyebrows. “W—wizarding places? Here? In Plymouth?”
He nodded. “Quite a few places, actually, in London, but they’re pretty well hidden. You’d have to be a wizard to know where they are.”
She looked thoughtful. “Why are they hidden?”
“Because then more of the everyday world would know about wizards and witches.”
“They…don’t know about it?” Tori asked, before realizing how silly she sounded, she apparently hadn’t known.
“No, there are a few Muggles who know—”
“Muggles…oh, non-magic people.” she interrupted.
He nodded. “But for the most part, they don’t know, and the wizarding world generally prefers it to remain that way.”
She didn’t ask why, because she could guess the reason plainly: people who could do magic would be sought after, expected to use it to solve the world’s problems, as influence, to satiate a perpetual greediness that would never be fulfilled…she’d used those exact words in her junior high essay on Ella Enchanted.
Tori started suddenly as something occurred to her. “Is—is Chanel a—one?”
“A witch?” Harry asked, and she nodded. A strange look passed over his face, before he said, “She doesn’t do magic.”
Not noticing, she exhaled, relieved for an unknown reason. “How did you learn that you were…one?”
“I got a letter when I was eleven, from the wizarding school in Britain.” Harry suppressed a smile. Well, it wasn’t exactly one…
“There’s a…school for that in England?”
“Yes,” he replied, leaning back into the couch, readying himself for more questions.
***
August 28th.
Tori’s eyes fluttered open briefly, registering the fact that it was morning. She turned on her side, starting to readjust the blanket, before she bolted upright, as last night’s events flooded her memory.
Harry…wizard…magic…Oh… She decided to lie back down.
She rubbed her face, trying to wake up and remember. The one ‘question’ had turned into nearly three hours’ worth of questions. Wait…Had it just been a dream, that I had asked Harry about Muggles, and he had told me that he was a wizard?
Now she sat back up, wondering. No, I don’t think it was a dream. The conversation had happened; she remembered it clearly now, but it still seemed surreal.
Tori looked around, wondering what she had gotten herself into. She didn’t feel scared—well, maybe a little—but it was mostly confusion. Like she hadn’t heard Harry right.
What was strange that he had just explained it so calmly, like a normal conversation topic. He hadn’t revealed that he was a wizard who was going to take over the world before evilly laughing, nor said that he was a wizard saving the world from the clutches of evil and then brandishing a sword—no, wand—to make his point.
No, he had just said it quite plainly, as if it was an everyday-something she needed to know while on tour that he had forgotten to mention. “Keep your sheet music with you…equipment will be here….most of the people on tour, and myself, can do magic, by the way…oh, and don’t forget, rehearsal starts at five…”
Tori shook her head, trying to clear it. She couldn’t back out, even if she wanted to; she had signed a contract. Not that she wanted to go back home anyways. The concert last night had been amazing, a huge rush, she was doing something she loved, it was new and exciting.
She sighed, and a piece of paper on the coffee table caught her eye. She picked it up and read:
Tori--Press junket cancelled. Leaving for Cologne instead. Harry
“What?” she said, standing up, forgetting all about her previous thoughts. “Leaving when? Today? ”
Although she figured the note was left because no one was there, Tori went to knock on their doors anyways. After not getting an answer, she picked up her cellular off of the ground near the couch and flipped it open. She dialed Chanel’s number first.
“Yeah?”
It took her a second to answer. “Chanel, it’s Tori.”
“I know. What is it?” Her reply was short, causing Tori to stumble over her words.
“I—the press junket was cancelled?”
“Mm hm,” came the reply, sounding preoccupied.
“Why?”
“Don’t know. Just happened. Found out this morning.”
“Oh.” Tori paused, then asked, “When are we leaving?”
“Day after tomorrow, as scheduled. We do have another concert.”
That’s what Harry must’ve meant, Tori thought, feeling silly. “Okay, then, I’ll see you…”
Chanel cut her off. “So I ran into Sharon this morning.”
“Oh?” Surprised that Chanel was continuing the conversation after sounding obviously busy, Tori sat down. “Is that who told you about the junket being cancelled?”
“Uh huh. She told me she had heard it last night, but was running an ‘errand’ at the time and didn’t have a chance to tell me.”
“An… ‘errand’?” Tori asked, mimicking the way that Chanel had emphasized it.
“I saw Draco last night.”
“Oh.” Now Tori understood why Chanel seemed preoccupied. Although she alternately cursed his arrogance, it was apparent to Tori that she had an interest in him. Whether it was reciprocated or not, Tori didn’t know, he wasn’t around much, nor did he talk to Tori much either. He didn’t speak to Tori at all, but if they crossed paths, he’d merely glance at her uninterestingly, as if she were a bug on the wall, which irked Tori and caused her to agree that Draco was quite arrogant.
And Tori could tell from Harry’s glares and muttering under his breath that he and Draco didn’t get along. All four of them had been in the same room only twice in the past month, but the conversations between the two had been…
“…apparently when I saw him, he was on his way out.”
Tori blinked, realizing that Chanel had been talking. “On his way out?” she repeated blankly.
“Yeah. His…'visitor' was unhappy with the hotel accommodations and was demanding that Sharon move her into the villa where the Veelas were staying.”
“He had a visitor?”
“Pansy.”
“Who’s Pansy?” Although Tori could easily tell by Chanel’s tone that she didn’t like whoever Pansy was; she was obviously connected to Draco. Girlfriend? she wondered.
Chanel didn’t answer the question, but continued, “Sharon accidentally spilled the beans; she looked like she regretted telling me. Guess Pansy is getting on her fucking nerves because Sharon said, ‘I don’t recall being Pansy’s house elf.’”
House elf? Tori decided not to interrupt Chanel’s flow, and started to ask what happened when she heard a knock through the phone.
“Hold on,” Chanel grunted, setting the phone down and crossing the room to open the door. “I don’t know anything about the sound problem, M—” she stopped, stunned speechless. She pulled herself together quickly. “Draco,” she said coolly.
“Were you on the phone? I don’t trust them -- Muggle devices.”
“No,” she said plainly. “Can I help you?”
“Yes." His eyes slipped down towards her partially exposed bra.
Chanel indignantly snapped the loose ends of her blouse in her fist.
He continued. “Sharon told me about the press junket being cancelled. So I came to see what your arrangements were for the next stop.” He coughed, his eyes were twinkling.
“Thanks, but we already know. And we’ve made arrangements.” Chanel replied huffily.
Draco leaned against the door frame lazily. “So does that mean you won’t be joining us on our flight?”
“No. We have our own arrangements.” she repeated firmly, and glanced at the phone. “I’m expecting a call soon, so…”
Draco glanced at the receiver. “I believe you usually need them hung up to work, don’t you?”
Chanel scowled at him. Satisfied, Draco smirked, which only irritated her more.
“Is there something you wanted?” she snapped, ignoring the comment about the phone.
“Yes, actually, there is,” he answered, smoothly gliding back into the room without asking. “I wanted to extend a few passes to you — and your band —
during my performance in Westminster.”
Chanel frowned. “We'll already be there.” Arrogant ass.
“Yes, backstage. It really is more of a credit to my abilities if you could see me work from the front.”
Her mouth tighted against the strangely lewd insinuation. “We’ll be busy.”
Draco blew out a puff of air. “You’ll be rehearsing for life; the Veelas are on after me.”
She considered it briefly. “I’ll see if my other band mates are available.”
“You do that.” he nodded, grinning slightly.
Chanel suppressed the urge to look at the phone; she wanted to know if Tori was still there. However, she noted that Draco was comfortably posed against the wall. “...Was there something else?”
“No,” he replied lightly.
“Well, thanks for the invite. Don’t want to keep you from anything,” she said tersely.
“I’m in no hurry.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ve got something to do.”
Draco straightened suddenly. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.” And he started striding over to Chanel.
Chanel didn’t move, trying not to look defensive. He stopped a few inches away from her, and she stared up at him, attempting to ignore her pounding heart. He slipped his hand into his pocket, casually brushing her hip as he pulled something out.
She was afraid to look down. Noticing this, Draco lifted three concert passes into her view, his hand grazing her shirt as he did so.
“Can’t get very far without these.”
Chanel snatched the tickets from his hand. “Thank you, Draco, and good-bye.”
He casually sauntered towards the door. “See you then.”
She drew in a tight breath. “Perhaps.”
Draco smirked. “Mm. Later then, Sweet.”
She shut the door so hard she heard it splinter.
“He. Is. Such. An. Ass.” she muttered, picking up the phone. “Still there, huh? Get a good earful?”
“Uh, yeah, sorry. I thought you were going to be back on sooner.”
Chanel exhaled loudly. “He is such an ass!”
So you said. “So he wants us to watch his portion of the show from the audience?”
“Yes,” Chanel snorted indignantly, although she felt a tad bit quivery, and hated herself for it. “Who does he think he is?”
Tori could hear a ripping sound, and she guessed that Chanel had torn up the passes.
“The nerve,” she muttered. “Stupid Pansy -- who the hell does he think he is?”
“Don’t you think you’re setting yourself up?” Tori ventured cautiously. “He’ll just find you after the show to see why you didn’t go. If you went, maybe it would show him that he doesn’t…affect you like that.”
There was a brief silence, and Tori wondered if she was about to get chewed out for vocalizing something she didn’t know anything about, really. Chanel had never come out and admitted to liking Draco.
But either Chanel didn’t care or didn’t really hear her. “He thinks he’s Merlin…or something close. I really don’t like her.” she muttered without thinking.
Tori remained silent, and Chanel seemed to have remembered her comment. “No. I’m showing that arrogant prick who’s boss. He cannot compel me to do something if I choose not to. So good luck to him and his part of the concert.” she huffed.
“Okay,” Tori replied, not really knowing what to say.
“I’ve got to get; I’m working on something for HP.” Chanel smirked, as she remembered. “Hopefully it’ll get him to loosen up and relax.”
A funny feeling crossed through Tori’s stomach; Chanel’s tone sounded familiar, like when she had caught Tori glancing at Harry at the studio. “Loosen up? What—”
Chanel smiled. “See you later,” and hung up before Tori could ask anything else.
***
After having tromped angrily up several flights of stairs, Chanel stood in the hallway of their flat blinking stupidly for several moments.
She briefly squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. The two monstrous burlap sacks and the overstuffed container did not disappear from in front of the door.
Royal Mail.
The emblem on the bags and bin were unmistakable. She peered cautiously at the stacks of letters bound together by ribbon and rubber band, stamps of every creed and color adorning the envelopes.
The Boy Who Lived. Mr. H. Potter. T.B.W.L.
Holy shit --
"Fan mail," she murmured.
A strange lightheadedness hit her just then. She blinked again, just for effect.
They really were out there now, known to the world. And it was just a matter of time before the --
"Owls," she whispered. "Oh my god, the owls."
Quickly darting a look around, she set about dragging the conspicuous deliveries from the hall, making a mental note to set up a post owl box post-haste.
Chanel arrived back at the group’s flat late in the afternoon. No one was in the living room, but she heard the hair dryer going in the bathroom, so she knew Tori was home. Chanel trudged to her room, where she flopped down on her bed.
Seconds later, she lifted her head and squinted at her dresser mirror. There was something stuck in the frame, a small piece of paper. Curious, she got off the bed and snatched it off the mirror, reading:
The boys and I are going out on the town for a bit, around five. Care to join?
There was no name, no signature, but the tone of the hastily scrawled postscript immediately tipped her off:
P.S. See you then.
Chanel looked at the clock. 4:50. Shit.
She left her room, and found Tori on the couch, her notebook in her lap. She had been studying a page intently, but looked up upon Chanel’s entrance. “Hey.”
“We’re going out.”
“What?”
Chanel tossed the note onto the notebook, which Tori promptly picked up and read. “Is this from Draco?”
“Yep.”
“And you’re going?” Tori asked curiously; she had been hoping to ask Chanel questions about the whole magic–thing. She wasn’t sure what to call it, and any time she tried to find five minutes to sit down and think, something would come up, or one of them would have something for her to do. She never got to think about the conversation for very long.
“We’re going.”
Before Tori could answer, there was a knock at the door. There was a pause, and an unusual look crossed Chanel’s face. Tori sat there, her face blank. There was another knock, and Chanel motioned for Tori to get up and follow her.
Tori tossed her notebook on the couch and stood up, smoothing out her jeans and tugging on her blue sweater. “Oh, this is going to be fun.” she mumbled. Draco hardly liked to look at her, much less even say hello, and now she was going to be dragged along while Draco and Chanel snarked, or, sorry, flirted with each other.
She stood next to the couch as Chanel opened the door a tad. “Draco.”
“Good. I was beginning to think someone had put a Laggard Hex on you…” he stopped, and cast his eyes lazily upon her breasts. “Nice sweater.”
“Thanks,” she replied flatly. “Tori will be coming with us.”
Draco frowned slightly. “Klug? Your Muggle keyboard player?”
Still concealed by the partially opened door, Tori rolled her eyes. Can’t I just stay here?
“Yes,” Chanel answered coolly. “Her name’s Tori.”
“Hm,” Draco pretended to give this some thought. “I just thought her name was BB, you know from that…stage name.”
“No, it’s Victoria, actually.”
“I see. I believe this country once had some grand witch she’s named after.”
Chanel pursed her lips together to prevent them from twitching with laughter. “Yeah, something like that.”
Tori snorted quietly.
Chanel stiffened, her eyes suddenly narrowed at Draco. "How did you get that note on my mirror?"
He blinked. "Your landlord. Though he didn't actually allow me in -- these Muggles, ridiculously suspicious lot."
“We’ll meet you outside in two minutes.” Chanel growled, closing the door. She then turned around to Tori.
“If I go, this is going to be a long night. I don’t think I can hold my tongue for that long.” she said seriously, hoping for a reprieve.
“I think it’ll be all right,” Chanel said, opening the door; Tori hesitantly following after.
Chanel was surprised to see Crabbe and Goyle standing next to Draco, looking so, well, normal. Almost. Goyle's dark, brooding look seemed to be locked squarely on her. She checked it with a defensive glare of her own.
Tori nodded at the two others. She was busy staring at the stretch limousine just behind the three men. Crabbe opened the door, and Goyle went in first. Tori followed, with Chanel just behind her. Draco got in next, followed by Crabbe, and with a quick rap on the partition window, the limo took off smoothly.
Chanel frowned briefly. Five people in a huge limousine, and she ended up sitting next to Draco. Tori, however, was trying to make herself smaller, remaining silent and looking out the window. She didn’t like Crabbe and Goyle much; they treated her the same as Draco did, minus the arrogant eloquence. They reminded Tori of Beavis and Butthead, and therefore she tried to stay out of their way as much as possible.
Now she found herself wondering if they were wizards too. Harry hadn’t exactly taken the time to point out who was and who wasn’t.
“Nice charm, Klug.”
Tori turned her head away from the window to look at Draco. Then she looked down at the necklace, and nodded. “Uh, thanks. It’s a tiger’s eye.”
Draco nodded also. “My gran has something like it.”
Chanel pictured a platinum haired tot bouncing on an elder witch's knee and nearly snorted.
Crabbe turned to Tori. “So what does it do?” he asked.
Apparently it means I’m going to be a grandma of someone like Draco… “It gives me special powers,” Tori answered seriously; they all knew she wasn’t magical, even if she didn’t know their status yet. “To see what other people are thinking.”
Crabbe snickered, and Goyle joined in. “What am I thinking, then?”
Immediately, Tori answered. “Nothing. Not a damn thing.”
Chanel snickered inwardly. “You, uh, sure that’s working?”
“It’s working.” Draco said, openly smirking. Goyle shot Tori a withering look, and Chanel cleared her throat to change the subject.
“So…where are we going?”
“Penny Lane. You’ll love it.” Draco turned to Tori, who had resumed looking out the window. “It has something the Muggles call Karoacking.”
Tori narrowed her eyes at the passing scenery. One thing she had figured out after her conversation with Harry was that if he wasn’t a Muggle, or someone who couldn’t do magic, that made her a Muggle, and apparently, Draco didn’t like them. Which explained his actions around her, and why Crabbe and Goyle would snicker at her during their onstage rehearsals. So maybe they were wizards, then.
Well, if that’s what we call it, what’s your name for it? Tori coughed and answered without looking. “Uh, yeah. Karaoke.”
Chanel gave a strangled cough and Draco glanced at her, catching her slightly amused expression. He sounded out the correction distastefully. “Karaoke.”
“How exactly do they make that?” Crabbe said suddenly.
“What?” Chanel asked, looking at him curiously.
“The…Kerry thing.”
Tori bit her lip so hard, she was sure it was about to start bleeding. “Any way you like. I prefer well done.” she offered generously, rolling her eyes at Chanel.
Chanel threw a look back at her, but Draco spoke just then. “How exactly did you get mixed up with Potter, anyways?”
Tori shifted her glance to Draco to avoid the look from Chanel, and her eyes narrowed again. In the two or so times that Harry and Draco had been in the same room and started arguing in front of her and Chanel, Tori had noticed that they only called each other by their last names. She really didn’t like the way Draco said, “Potter.” The way he said it just sounded so…hateful. She couldn’t really explain it. “What?” she asked, not quite sure what he meant by the question.
Chanel smiled thinly. “Harry found her in a music store. She —- she’s an excellent songwriter.”
Tori managed to twist her scowl at Draco into a surprised sort of smile at Chanel.
“Yes, that Snitch song. Upbeat.” Draco offered.
“Draco doesn’t let us write any of our songs.” Crabbe said.
Draco eyed him critically. “I didn’t know you could write, Crabbe.”
Goyle sniggered darkly.
Can he even read? Tori thought to herself, as she bit on her lip to keep the thought to herself.
Draco continued without missing a beat. “Got anything else penned?”
“Sort of. It took a lot to get Erised out.” Tori frowned momentarily as she realized she had never asked Harry what Erised meant.
“Something inspire you?” Draco asked.
Nothing I’m going to tell you. “Uh, yeah, I guess.” Tori answered, and looked back out the window, signifying the end of that particular line of questioning.
The limousine pitched suddenly, throwing Chanel into Draco’s lap and slamming Tori into Goyle. Tori jerked herself away from Goyle quickly, as Draco spoke softly. “Perhaps I should ride these more often.”
Chanel bolted upright, and Draco looked out the window as the limo slowed. “Good. We’re here.” He looked at Chanel and Tori. “You both up for this?”
Tori glared at Goyle, as if he had caused her to fall against him. “Sure. Let’s go.”
As they walked into the restaurant, Chanel’s stomach rumbled irritably. She tried to ignore it. “Smells good in here.”
Draco nodded. “I come here for the kippers.”
Tori wondered what the hell kippers were as the waiter escorted them to a semi-private area, where there was a table with two bunches of roses. Chanel turned to Draco, her eyebrow raised. “What’s this?”
Draco laughed. “Come now. I’m sure even Muggles know what flowers are.” Chanel murmured a thank you to Draco as she studied her scarlet roses.
Yes, we…’nonmagical’ people know what flowers are. It’s a really hard subject, but we get by. Tori managed to smile thinly. “They’re…nice.”
Draco turned to her without looking at her. “The florist suggested roses. I asked if they had the flower of your homeland, but he said they weren’t seasonal.”
Tori resisted the urge to snort. She wasn’t even sure there was a national flower. “It’s the…thought that counts.” she said, glancing at Chanel, who shrugged lightly.
“Glad that will do,” Draco said as they took their seats. “We’ll need some bread while the ladies order.” he said to the waiter hovering just over his shoulder.
Chanel spoke. “I’ll order now. I’d like Beef Wellington and a baked potato.”
“You haven’t even looked at the menu.” Draco said.
“Nearly every country has beef.” Chanel retorted smugly. “And if they don’t have a potato, then they need to give Ireland the boot.”
Draco chuckled as Goyle ordered the lobster bisque and Crabbe ordered the…”Karaoke.”
There was silence as Chanel blinked once at Crabbe before looking at Tori.
Tori was already biting her lip again, but she couldn’t hold it in. To the waiter, she said, “He’s not from around here. He means the chicken.”
On the pretense of picking something up from the ground, Tori discreetly scooted her chair closer to Chanel and further away from Crabbe, hoping that the stupidity wasn’t contagious.
Draco was speaking to the waiter. “Has my shipment come in?” The waiter nodded and he answered, “Just that, then.”
The waiter scurried off and returned almost immediately, handing a large, beautifully ornate bottle to Draco.
Chanel glanced at the bottle curiously. “Is that…”
“Firewhiskey,” both Crabbe and Goyle said excitedly.
“I thought you’d like to play a small game while we wait,” Draco proposed, looking pointedly at Tori. “Are you in?”
Inwardly, Tori snorted, even though she had no idea what Firewhiskey was, figuring it was just a type of whiskey. “Of course,” she answered disdainfully, hating how he insinuated she wasn’t up to what the rest of them were.
Chanel was impressed. “In,” she added, as another waiter deposited a large basket of bread at the table.
“Good,” Draco said, looking at the bread. “We’ll need this. The game is called ‘Earnestness or Repercussions.’ I’ll start by asking a question. Whomever I ask must give a straight answer. I’ll know if you’re lying. I’ll keep going until one of you manages to tell me something truthful. We’ll start with one shot of Firewhiskey as the consequence.”
He poured a shot and looked at Tori. “Klug, what are you doing in England?”
Tori was taken aback momentarily. Oh no, you don’t… “Playing in a band.” she retorted indignantly.
Draco scowled heavily. “Very well. Goyle. Did you jinx Potter’s sound equipment?”
Chanel turned sharply to Goyle as he remained silent. Tori glared at Goyle, remembering all the fuss about the speakers, which was where Harry was right now.
“Ah, that’s a refusal. Repercussion!” Draco added a bit more to the shot glass and pushed it toward Goyle, who stoutly plugged the shot, but shuddered as well. Tori felt slightly worried, wondering how different Firewhiskey really was.
Draco eyed Crabbe, but passed him over. “Sweet.”
Chanel met him with a steely gaze.
“Why didn't you attend Hogwarts?”
Chanel’s mouth tightened, her chin rising defiantly. Draco grinned and pushed the potent liquid towards her. She tipped the glass back slowly, feeling her throat burn.
Draco turned suddenly on Tori. “Fancy someone?"
She stiffened momentarily, then relaxed. "Sure," she said, off-handedly.
He leaned in close. "Anyone we know?”
Tori’s eyes narrowed in an attempt to conceal the panic rising inside her. How the hell? Stricken, she grabbed the glass roughly and downed the shot. Immediately, she spluttered, her lungs seemingly on fire, burning horribly.
Draco smirked as Tori coughed, her eyes watering. “That was quick.” He immediately rounded on Chanel. “Now we do triple shots.” he continued before Chanel could react. “Sweet, the concert passes. The original ones. What's happened to them?”
Crabbe and Goyle leaned in, looking at Chanel curiously. Even Tori, thankful that the attention had been diverted from her, managed to focus her watering eyes on Chanel.
Chanel took a small breath. “Nothing. They’re on my mirror.”
Draco’s eyes held a strange gleam. “That's a refusal to tell the truth. Three shots.”
Tori wiped her eyes, still coughing, lungs still heaving. How the hell did he know?
Goyle frowned. “She won’t make three.”
Draco held up a hand as Chanel squared her shoulders and reached for the first glass. “She entered this game on a gentlemen’s agreement. Three shots.”
There was silence as Chanel gulped down her first shot. Draco poured another, and Chanel took a deep breath before bravely knocking back the second one. Her throat seared with flames.
“She’s done.” Goyle stated flatly. But Chanel’s fingers were already curling around the third and final shot, her head swimming, her body on fire, and she tilted her head back.
Tori wondered why Chanel didn’t just tell him she ripped them up. Or how she was surviving three shots of the horrible stuff, while her throat was still burning and her stomach churning. She watched apprehensively as Chanel slammed the last shot with lightning speed.
The three men at the table sat back, stunned and impressed. “My, aren’t you a wild one,” Draco murmured.
Chanel’s head was swirling, and she tried to focus on Tori, not sure if she was seeing one of two of the keyboardist. She swayed towards Tori, who steadied her and glared at Draco.
The food arrived then, and Crabbe rubbed his hands together as the chicken was placed before him. Goyle looked thoughtfully at Chanel before eating.
Chanel was feeling pleasantly goosed. “Well, that was something.”
“Yes, it was.” Draco considered her quietly, slowly sipping his Firewhiskey.
She hiccupped sharply, suppressing a snort of laughter.
******
Christ!
Even the explosive thought threatened to split what felt like only a delicate seam keeping her head together. Chanel pressed two fingers to her throbbing temples, massaging gingerly.
She had the vaguest memory of ordering dinner, the taste of the soft, creamy potatoes and tender beef eluding her...Did she really even eat? What she remembered very clearly was Firewhiskey. Lots of it. And Draco.
He'd slipped into a watchful silence as she began slurring and rambling on about gnomes or trolls or -- whatever. And the giggling! Why hadn't Tori stopped her?? She groaned, soliciting a fresh new wave of nauseous pain. Now, she most definitely felt like a prize idiot.
There was a brief, nearly timid rap at the outer door and she pushed carefully off the firm mattress, cradling her head. Tori was curled up on the living room couch, arms clutching her stomach, in what appeared to be a coma. Chanel jerked the door open on the second knock, startling a delivery man. What the fuck, mate? It's barely dawn. She hiked a brow irritably. He shoved a clipboard at her, offering an apologetic shrug.
In the hall behind him were dozens of blooms: brilliant purples, violets, and rich plums. Her eyes flicked to the man questioningly. He tapped the line requiring a signature. Her name was already stamped in thick block letters beside it. She gave the pad a hesitant, illegible scribble, waving the courier away.
Chanel stood for some time in the doorway, staring stupidly at the sea of flowers before realizing that she was only wearing an old ragged shirt Harry had attempted to bin years ago. She began hauling the delivery into her room, carefully avoiding the creaky floorboard in the living room.
Her bedroom door shut with a quiet click. Turning to the clutter of bouquets now jammed on her dresser, she arms crossed. Funeral? Early April Fool's? Stalker? She scanned the fragrant bundles, finally settling on a small white card, plucking it from the blooms. She immediately took in the slow graceful quillstrokes:
'A new friend is like wine; when it is old, drink it with pleasure.'
A shiver suddenly ripped down her spine and the card fluttered from her hand to the ground. She steadied the silly gallop of her heart, slowly backing away until her knees hit the edge of the mattress and she sank onto the bed.
Draco.
Angrily bundled herself in the threadbare blankets, Chanel shut her eyes.
The image of the limousine crept stealthily into her head. They'd shuffled quietly back into the sleek car, too stuffed with food and liquor to speak. But the drinking had not stopped between her and Draco.
At the table, she'd drunkenly blurted that Draco had slyly managed to avoid being questioned and it suddenly became an unspoken challenge. He took three swift plugs of Firewhiskey before slamming down the glass, his eyes sparking. She swiped his glass and added it to her three, smirking. He glowered, borrowing from Goyle to see her one and raise one. Somewhere along the line, she felt a sharp nudge from Tori and promptly ignored it.
Maybe she regretted it a little now, thinking of how she'd nearly fallen on her ass stumbling out of the restaurant. Two strong hands caught and steadied her until she was in the limo and suddenly the night sky was whirling past the windows and causing her stomach to churn. She'd closed her eyes and leaned into the solid unyielding jut of his shoulder, inhaling deeply.
Aspen.
Merlin, he smelled good.
She moaned wantonly into her pillow, awarded with a fresh wallop to the head.
*******
Tori painfully took off her sunglasses as she approached the keyboards. Chanel looked worse than her by far; her head was down and her sunglasses were still on as she shuffled slowly towards the drums.
Harry stood in front of them on the stage, watching the two of them fumble with their equipment. He had come home last night to find Tori out cold, barely on the couch, and Chanel’s door shut, as usual. It was when he tried to wake them up this morning that he had deduced that they had gone out last night.
Chanel had shouted loudly, and colorfully, for Harry to go away, both times he had knocked on her door. So he went over to the couch and hesitantly tried to wake Tori up. First by calling her name, and when that didn’t cause her to stir, he reached over and shook her on the shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, out of focus, as she tried to find what had woken her up.
Harry cleared his throat. “Rough night?”
Tori turned her head slowly to see Harry. “Oh, hi,” she whispered. He noticed that her face looked slightly green.
“You okay?” he asked cautiously.
She tried lifting her head up to speak. “Yeah, I—oh,”
The sentence was cut off as her hand flew over her mouth. As Harry watched in amazement, she bolted off of the couch and tripped over her feet in order to get to the bathroom. Tori slipped on the rug as she crossed through the doorway. Harry heard her curse and turned around in time to hear her fall as the door drifted towards the closed position, but not quite making it.
He paused at the door, not sure what to do. “Er, you all right?”
Her voice sounded strangely magnified as she answered. “Yeah. Fell on my good knee.”
Harry winced as her heard her gag twice. He knew he should probably leave her alone, but as Chanel wasn’t awake, he was curious. “Uh, what’d you two do last night?”
There was a pause. Tori coughed, then said, “Drank. But I don’t underst—”
He waited for her second bout to finish. “What don’t you understand?”
She pushed herself off of the ground, feeling a tad bit better, but grimaced at her reflection in the mirror. You look like shit warmed over. “I only had one shot. That’s it. Chan had, God, at least five or six…” she remembered, reaching for her toothbrush. “She was done for, that’s for sure. But I only had the one, and my throat is still burning.”
Harry rubbed the back of his neck absently while she brushed her teeth. “What’d you have?”
Tori winced inwardly; even the name was making her shiver. “Something called Firewhiskey.”
“What? You—really?” he asked, surprised. Where had Chanel taken her?
“Yeah,” she answered, using her fingers to comb her hair back into a ponytail.
Harry backed up as she opened the door slowly. She smiled thinly, her face no longer tinted an unusual color. He pondered what to say as she inched around the couch and sat down carefully. “That’s….uh, strong stuff, Firewhiskey.”
“You’re telling me. I didn’t know about it before, and I wish I never had found out.” she mumbled, her eyes closing.
Harry watched her for a minute, then looked at his watch. “See you in a couple hours, right?”
“Mm hm,” came the reply.***
Two hours later, they had just run through the first song, where Chanel lagged behind on the beat, feeling as if the drumsticks were banging on her head. Harry had turned around to say something, thought better of it, and just stared at Chanel to get the point across.
Tori didn’t fare well either; she missed three of her singing passes on the bridge, causing Harry to turn around again and look at her, his eyes slightly wide and concerned. This caused Tori’s fingers to slip off of the keyboard.
Chanel had snickered at that, but immediately regretted it as a sharp pain pounded through her head. She wondered if Tori had told Harry where they went last night—or with whom. She was hoping not, because what Harry didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. And she knew he’d be more than a tad upset upon finding out they had been out with Draco.
An hour later, Harry called a halt to the painstakingly-slow rehearsal; not one song had gone through its entirety without a mistake. Somewhat peeved, he mumbled a good-bye and took off, leaving Tori and Chanel to thankfully head back home, hoping to get some sleep.
Back at the flat, Chanel unlocked the door and headed straight for her room, where she fell onto her bed without closing her door. Tori was headed to the bathroom when she stopped in front of Chanel’s room, catching a light, fragrant scent. She peered into Chanel’s room and saw flowers sitting on her dresser.
“Those smell great,” she managed quietly, prompting Chanel’s head to lift of the bed a few inches. “They smell like the lotion you wear.”
Chanel blearily looked at the purple flowers. “Yeah,” was all she said, before letting her head fall back onto the bed.
“Are they from…Draco?”
“Suppose so,” came the reply. Suddenly, she thought of something and spoke as Tori was about to leave. “Remember Goyle’s repercussion?”
Tori thought, frowning. “No, I don’t.”
“The sound equipment? Speakers? Ring a bell?”
Tori’s eyes widened as she recalled the question Draco had asked of Goyle.
“The wonderfully engrossing time that HP’s spent with Mike from Sound and the copper wire is because of Goyle and his stupid jinx! What an ass!” Chanel grunted, laying back down but turning on her side.
“You can say that again,” Tori replied, upset. “For that, I hope they both wake up next month.”
Chanel opened her mouth to say something, but she suddenly waved Tori out. “Shut the door!” she hissed, turning her back to Tori.
Tori blinked, and automatically grabbed the door, pulling it shut. She heard why not one second later, as the front door opened, and Harry walked in, still looking grim.
Tori looked down, feeling guilty, and her stomach lurched; from him or the Firewhiskey, she wasn’t sure. 50/50 shot. Oh, god, don't think of shots... “Hi,” she said, letting her hand fall from the doorknob.
“Is Chanel sleeping?” he asked flatly, walking past her with his guitar case.
“Yes,” she answered immediately, now understanding why Chanel had wanted the door shut.
Harry continued on to his room, so Tori climbed back onto the couch, but didn’t feel like sleeping, so she opened her notebook and stared at what she had written.
Ten minutes later, she heard Harry’s footsteps and looked up. “We need to have another rehearsal. The concert’s tomorrow and we need to get it together.”
Tori nodded, wanting to say sorry, but not sound feeble. “You’re right. When?”
Harry looked at his watch. It was just after one. “How about four?”
“Sure thing. I’ll tell Chanel.”
Harry looked like he wanted to say something else, but decided not to. “I’m going back over there now, so can you make sure you’re both there by then?”
Tori nodded and spoke, her voice small. “Of course.”
“See you in a bit.” Harry said, before leaving.
***
At 3:15, Tori went and knocked on Chanel’s door, where she was greeted with a resounding, “No!”
Resisting the urge to back away, Tori opened the door a crack and said timidly, “Chan, Harry wants us back at the arena by four. We’re having another rehearsal.”
Chanel swore loudly and turned over, her eyes still closed. “God,” she said, and sat up. She opened her eyes and looked at Tori. “Damn taskmaster.” she muttered as she slipped on her shoes, knowing that he was right and cursing it all the same.
“Mind you, don’t go fumbling on back-up if he looks at you.” Chanel said half an hour later, as they walked down the arena hallway.
“That was because of last night!” Tori said indignantly, praying she wasn’t turning red. “I was toast.” And so were you, she thought, but didn’t speak.
Chanel rolled her eyes as they came upon the stage. She muttered something about being preschool, and took her place at the drum set. Tori flipped the switch on her keyboards as Harry walked up, slipping the guitar strap over his shoulder. Without looking back at them, he said, “Let’s warm up with Erised.”
Chanel softly tamped the cymbals as Harry strummed solemnly, his eyes closed. Tori focused on keeping her fingers in place.
Chanel caught Tori glancing up at Harry, and snorted lightly, causing her mind to slip momentarily. Chanel looked up to see Harry’s shoulders tense slightly, but continued nonetheless.
After the song ended, Harry turned around. “Chanel, everything okay?”
She smiled quickly and gave him a thumbs up. He turned to Tori. “How did that feel?”
He looked so serious that Tori didn’t want to say anything other than something good. “It sounds better than it did earlier.” she offered, smiling briefly.
Chanel snorted again, nearly falling off her stool. However, Harry had already turned around and started speaking. “Fine. Let’s pick up on the seventh bar of Tears of the Phoenix.” He looked back at Chanel. “Three-fourths.”
Chanel nodded, and Harry began the soft opening. As he turned around, she let her shoulders slump somewhat, thinking, What’s with all the slow, sad shit today?
As the last notes of the song faded away, a stagehand appeared and motioned to Harry from the side. “That was better, “ he acknowledged, nodding and lifting the guitar strap over his head. Be right back.”
Chanel dropped her drumsticks on the ground, sighing. “Gods, all this slow stuff is harshing my vibe.” Not that I could tolerate loud noise yet, but still…
“Your Firewhiskey vibe?” Tori asked, as Chanel stretched luxuriously.
Chanel raised her brow, and said, “I feel pumped for tomorrow’s concert.”
And with that, Chanel grabbed her drumsticks back up and burst into a wild drum solo as Tori watched, amused. “That must’ve been it,” she said dryly.
Chanel continued crashing the cymbals loudly. “Can’t hear you!” She executed a percussion roll and bashed twice on the cymbals to end her rant.
The momentary silence was broken by the sound of clapping from the front row. Slightly startled, Chanel glanced at Tori before blinking into the blinding lights. Tori returned the look with a blank one before she also turned to the front row, her eyes batting rapidly against the glare of the lights, and a second later she gasped.
Draco strolled up to the stage. “Nice, ladies.”
Tori gaped. She hadn’t seen anyone in the seats when rehearsal had started.
He turned to Tori. “Erised is becoming a swan song of sorts.”
Tori frowned. “Swan song?”
“Yes. It’s certainly something to be remembered by. You should consider playing it at the end.”
Chanel frowned slightly; she hadn’t thought of that. “Perhaps.”
Draco’s hands slipped into the pockets of his dark gray slacks. “Will you be playing Snitch?”
“That’s the plan,” Chanel said.
He smiled softly. “Mm. I like that song. Reminds me of when Slytherin beat Ravenclaw in the opening match of the season.”
Tori’s face drew a blank. Those…names?... sounded familiar. She made a mental note to ask Harry about them; she thought he might have mentioned something like that during the three-hour conversation.
Chanel chuckled mirthlessly. “I don’t think that’s what Tori had in mind.”
Draco shifted his penetrating gaze to Tori as he answered, “It’s a credit to your band, really. Despite the intentions.”
Chanel’s laugh died and she glanced at Tori.
“Thanks. I think.” Tori managed, watching the both of them.
Draco turned back to Chanel. “Had a pleasant sleep, I hope?”
“Something like that.”
“I take it then that you’ve received the flowers.” He suddenly looked down at his shoes, causing his hair to spill over his face.
“Yes. They were beautiful.” Chanel replied in an even tone.
Draco’s head tilted up, and he smiled through the curtain of golden hair. Chanel was taken aback, her breath catching in her throat. “Then all is forgiven.” he said.
Chanel glanced over at Tori. She wasn’t sure what he meant by that.
Tori didn’t know either; she shrugged helplessly.
“Yes.” Chanel smiled slightly, as the meaning of the flowers dawned on her. “Oh, yes…”
Draco swept the hair from his face. “Good. See you at the concert.”
“Malfoy.”
Tori and Chanel turned to look as Harry walked up behind them.
“Potter.” Draco replied, watching Harry bemusedly.
There was a swift silence before Chanel tapped on the snare lightly, to remind Harry that they were continuing the rehearsal.
Tori coughed. “Glad you liked the solo, but we’re starting up again, so…” Tori looked down as a slight smirk crossed her face, thinking good-bye. She glanced at Harry while she flexed her fingers and flipped through the sheet music. “What are we going over next?
“You might want to practice ‘Seal of Gryffindor,’” Draco intoned smoothly, as Harry looked up. “It’s a bit inflated.”
Chanel’s lips pursed as Harry glared down at Draco. “Run your own show, Malfoy,” he said stiffly.
“I was just suggesting,” Draco said, turning away.
“I’d suggest you try rehearsing more often with your band.” Harry shot back. “Maybe then you’d move from headlining to premiering.”
Draco stopped and turned back towards Harry, his eyes glinting. “Is that a challenge, Potter?”
Chanel stood up abruptly. “I have something for you to give Sharon.” she said, addressing Draco, who barely took any notice. “Now.”
Neither Harry nor Draco moved, and she cast an agitated look over at Tori.
Tori stepped out from behind her keyboards, watching Draco carefully as she moved next to Harry. “Harry,” she said, speaking to him quietly. “I need to ask you something… about Erised.”
Chanel slipped from behind her set and walked to the edge of the stage, hopped down and looked at Draco meaningfully. “It’s in my room.”
She reached out and gently pulled on his arm, but he didn’t move. “Next time, Potter.”
“Draco.” Chanel said, her tone firm, and Draco stopped scowling to look at her.
“Let’s go.”
Harry watched them go, struggling to control his breathing before turning on Tori. “What the hell was that about?”
Her eyes widened at his outburst. “With you and Draco? I don’t know.”
“No, your poor excuse for a distraction!” he said, incensed, causing Tori’s mouth to drop.
“Wh-what would you have me do?” she sputtered after a moment. “Sing and dance for you?”
The corners of Harry’s mouth twitched fleetingly, but he continued. “Don’t go off subject. Why did you and Chanel have to get involved?”
Tori made an exasperated sound. “Maybe because we are? We just started this tour, and you both are at it again.” Besides the few instances of friction between Harry and Draco that she had witnessed; there had been a part in The Conversation (as she referred to it now) in which Harry had said he and Malfoy had been enemies all throughout school, called him quite a few names and said that he didn’t trust him.
Naturally, Tori’s next question had been ‘Why the hell are we touring with him if you two hate each other’s guts?’
Harry’s sour response was that it was the deal that Chanel had worked out; he himself didn’t know all of the details nor was he at all happy about it, but he trusted Chanel, and left it at that.
She had briefly wondered if there was more to it, but her head was already brimming with everything else they were talking about, and the next question she had asked had come out before she could get her thoughts together.
Now Harry looked down. “Maybe this isn’t going to work.”
“Well, it’s better to keep him close by, right? Friends close, enemies closer?”
He looked back up, surprised. “Uh, yeah, I guess you’re right.”
She shrugged indifferently. “It happens occasionally.”
“What does?” Harry asked, confused.
“Me being right,” she deadpanned, causing Harry to blink in surprise, and he smiled at her. Tori’s smile faltered and she quickly commanded herself not to wilt on the spot. “Let’s take five until Chan comes back, okay?”
Remembering why they were talking, Harry shrugged half-heartedly and strode off stage.
Tori amused herself by tapping rhythms on the keyboard for ten minutes, before Harry came back onstage, stopping by her. “She’s not back yet?”
She glanced at her cellular. Shit. “Uh, no, not yet. Has it been five minutes?”
“She didn’t have anything to give to Malfoy, did she?” he asked suspiciously.
Tori looked down at her shoes, giving him the answer. Without a word, Harry started to walk past her in the direction of Chanel’s dressing room.
Not thinking, she reached out and grabbed his arm. “Hey,”
Harry stopped and looked at his arm, surprised, before looking at Tori. Her own eyes widened, amazed at herself, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to speak. “She was just doing what I was…avoiding trouble.”
He held her gaze. “It’s been long enough. She should be back now; who knows what he’s up to?”
She bit her lip. “Alright, but let me go her. Please?”
Harry looked at her carefully. “All right, but first...”
Tori’s heart skipped a beat. “Yes?”
“If you’re getting her by yourself, you should probably let go of my arm.”
Stunned, Tori looked at her hand, which was indeed still attached to his arm. “Oh, sorry.” she said, slowly removing her hand.
“Uh huh,” Harry said, a small smile quirking on his face. Tori turned around, walked slowly off stage and then sprinted for Chanel’s dressing room.
Draco walked quietly by Chanel for a moment before speaking. “I don’t understand how it is you work for him.”
“Hm?” she murmured absently, lost in thought.
“Potter,” he nearly spat. “How can you stand to manage him?”
She rolled her eyes at him exasperatively. “What? As opposed to working for you?”
Draco lifted his shoulders in a casual shrug, smiling.
She turned her gaze forward, thinking. “The way I met him…it was fated. I knew from the moment I heard his guitar that he had something…this gift. I knew I couldn’t pass on him.”
“Mm. Isn’t that always the way with Potter?” he drawled darkly, his voice slicing through the silent hall. “Someone else poised to take the stage and along he comes, just in time to steal the show.”
Chanel turned, closely eyeing Draco as they stopped in front of her dressing room. “And would this someone be you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” he scoffed, looking away irritably.
Chanel considered a response, but opened the door instead.
Draco followed behind her. “Did you know that there were five types of purple hyacinths in your bouquet?”
“Really?”
He chuckled. “I couldn’t choose just one. And I couldn’t bare to leave any out.”
Chanel paused. “That was actually very…sweet.”
“Sweets for Sweet.”
Her face suddenly felt very warm. “I don’t have anything for Sharon.”
He snorted, crossing his arms as he leaned against the vanity. “I know. ‘Fraid Potter and I were going to tear each other apart?”
Chanel allowed a tiny smile. “Well, the thought did cross my mind.”
“Who would have won?”
She blinked. “What?”
“Between Potter and I. Who would you have liked to see win?”
Slightly thrown, she answered firmly, “Neither. Both of you are grown men. I shouldn’t have to play referee.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Come on. You must have a favorite.”
Chanel shook her head. “Draco, you actually want me to root against my bandmate?”
“I’m the best man. I’m just asking how you see things.” he said, shrugging.
“I’ve got to get back.” she said suddenly.
Draco pushed himself off of the dresser and moved towards her. “Yes, wouldn’t want to keep Hogwarts’ famous taskmaster.”
Despite herself, Chanel smiled. “Yeah, something like that.”
“I like it when you do that.”
“What?” she asked, slightly confused.
“Smile,” he answered, drawing closer. “When you’re not always keeping it prisoner.”
Chanel realized just how close he was, and it made her slightly breathless. “Well, I smile when I have good reason.”
“And do I…” he paused, pressing his body lightly against hers, “give you reason to smile?”
“…I suppose. On occasion.” She felt the tell-tale tremble in her knees and immediately locked them.
“It just won’t do to get a straight answer from you.” he mused quietly, watching her stiffen.
“I answer to no one.”
He smoothly reached out to run a finger along the curve of her jaw, chuckling huskily. “Not even Firewhiskey can bow you, little wild one.”
Before she could reply, there was a sudden pounding on the door. Draco slid his finger under her chin, tilting her head upwards to meet his. “You should ignore that.”
“It’s probably Tori,” she managed, a tiny breath escaping. “I should go.”
“Why do you always do the opposite of what I say?” he growled sulkily.
The knocking sounded again, more insistent.
Chanel snatched herself away from his feathery touch, her tone cool. “That’s why you have house elves for, Malfoy.”
His eyes narrowed. “Back on those terms then, eh?”
She jutted her chin defiantly. “There were no other terms.”
Draco wheeled around and angrily strode towards the door, snatching it open, causing Tori to stumble into the room. “She’s all yours,” he snarled, glaring briefly back at Chanel before storming out into the hall.
Tori blinked as he stormed out. Chanel took a shaky breath, exhaling slowly. Tori turned back to Chanel. “What happened?” she asked.
Chanel’s eyes widened briefly. She then snapped her gaze away, answering dully. “Nothing.”
Tori raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. “Harry wants us back so we can wrap up the session. Need a few more minutes?”
“I—I’m just really tired,” she muttered haltingly.
Tori watched her silently. “Okay, I’ll tell him. We should be fine for tomorrow.”
Chanel bobbed her head sharply. “Sure.”
Tori nodded in return and headed out the door.