magically insane

Ch. 6: the ginger and the mentally insane find dinner

"So what are you gonna say to your family?" Harry asked her, walking by her side. They dodged a forgotten ice cream cone on the pavement. They were currently trying to find a phone that Elaine could use, but their 20 minutes of searching had them sweating with the effort and crowds.

"I don't know. If I told them I got thrown into a lake they'd just laugh and ask what actually happened, because they think Freya is my only friend and that she wouldn't do that," Elaine replied. A big group of people wearing leather with knives in their belts were approaching them, and Elaine grabbed onto Harry's hand. He looked up at her, surprised, but her stare was on the group of men before her. When they passed, Elaine's grip tightened and Harry pulled her closer.

"You okay?" Harry asked her, not letting go of her hand, even after they were gone.

"Yea, sorry. I got into a mess with a group like that one time and it wasn't pretty..."

"Don't worry, I would have placed a nasty hex on them before they could place a finger on you," Harry said, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Thank you," she whispered. She looked up at his face, about to continue, but her eyes flickered behind his head. "I FOUND ONE!"

"That was loud, El," Harry winced and his free hand rubbed at his ear that was closest to the large sound waves.

"Sorry," she smiled sweetly before dragging him across the street through traffic to the phone. "Oh. I haven't got any money, I left it in Ginny's room!"

"I have some change," Harry said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out some gold coins before Elaine shook her head.

"I think it needs muggle money, Harry."

"Oh. Right."

"So we could either go back h-" Elaine paused, unsure of what to say. "We could go back to the Burrow and get my wallet or we can ask someone on the street for their phone."

Harry gave her a knowing look. "I can always imperious a phone out of someone."

"No, don't do that, Harry," Elaine shook her head. "Didn't fake Moody try it on you?"

"Well, yea?" he gave her a confused look.

"Did you like it when he did that?" Elaine knew she sounded like her mother, but Harry smiled nonetheless.

"No, I suppose not. Back to the Burrow it is then."

And then they vanished, surprising a dog that was waiting by a tree nearby.

---

"Back so soon?" George waved hello before returning to his meal. How they were still consuming food, Elaine didn't know. They'd been gone like 30 minutes, with all that walking around.

"I forgot money," Elaine replied before running upstairs. She came back and Harry was gone. "Where did Harry go?"

"Oh, he left. Wanted to go say hi to Dudley, it seemed." Fred smiled innocently at her, but it didn't look innocent at all.

"Yea, sure. What'd you do to him this time?"

"This time?" George exclaimed.

"Yea, what have we done before?" Fred asked, hands on his hips.

"Lots." Harry came into the room, soaking wet with blue goo in his hair.

"Oh my word, Harry." Elaine burst out laughing, she couldn't help it. The goo clung to his hair and glasses like water drops, and he looked positively pressed.