[2] The Great Orangenie | FRED WEASLEY

Chapter Thirty Two

"What do we do?" She asked, looking somewhat panicked, "I don't want to just stay - "

"Then we go, of course," Her eyes drifted longingly to Florian's selection before she nodded and they dashed off after the other two. They didn't actually manage to spot them but the man with blue hair walked precisely down an alley and suspected their friends were there too.

Their hunch was correct and when they turned the alley corner, Lee and George were at the end.

" - George, why did we walk down an alley?" Lee asked.

"Yes, why did you? You made my job so much easier," The blue hair man was advancing. His voice was odd, the intontation sporadic and random, "You are so ... easily - "

"Stay the fuck back," All three of them turned to see Fred with his wand out.

"Fred, I saw him before," George garbled, "That's why I was so jumpy."

"Saskia warned us..." Aubrey whispered eerily.

Weirdly, George and Lee looked far more shocked than the blue-haired man who still didn't turn to them although the corners of his lips curved upwards. "You think a wand can scare me? When I just want to talk?"

"Alright, talk but try anything else and I will send a bolt of fire up your arse," Fred said, his voice trailing off as the man turned to face them. 

"That sounded wrong..." Lee murmured, looking a little queasy.

Only now did Fred start to feel slightly afraid yet remained in front of Aubrey, the Gryffindor in him taking over. It wasn't just the blue hair that was off about him, it was everything. His eyes were fox-like, the colour shimmering and changing every few seconds and his eerily pale skin looked oddly taut around his bones, some parts randomly rippling as if something was underneath. 

His eyes drifting over to Aubrey who was weirdly smiling back, the strange half-smile of a girl's whose homemade mystery was all fitting perfectly into place. 

"A curse?" The man looked half confused, half amused, "No ... that won't work ... I believe you know what I want ... don't you?"

A silence fell between them. Lee was the first to reply, not as overcome by shock or (in Aubrey's case) fascination, "No."

"You were with her ..."

"Saskia," Aubrey breathed.

The blue haired man looked confused, "No, that's not it. We all sensed her though ... we just need to find her and when we checked ... you were the ones with her. Where is she? Is she hiding amongst you? We just want to talk to her..."

Even Aubrey seemed a little lost now. Again it was Lee who talked, "Um ... who's she?"

The man shook his head, "Aali did tell me but I ... I would know if I sensed her?"

"Um ... no," Lee murmured after a moment, "We have no idea what you're talking about."

The blue haired man blinked before doing a funny little bob and nod, "I must be mistaken then, you all look so alike."

"Two of us are black," Lee countered, "Well, half in Aubrey's case..."

"I don't see colour really."

"Explains the hair," Lee murmured.

The man clearly didn't recognise the insult," Sorry for having troubled you, it's been a while since I was around. Good day to you."

With that, he left, concluding the weird encounter. After he was gone, Lee gave a weak laugh.

"Well ... you sure do meet some weirdos in Diagon Alley," He laughed as George slumped against the wall. Aubrey emerged from behind Fred, her head turned back over her shoulder before it flicked back, "Why did he just leave though?"