Status: Active.

Thicker Than Blood

Chapter Seven.

Lavinia bit her lip slightly as they began their way down the stairs, her mind racing at top speed as she over-analyzed everything. She worried that her outfit was too girly, if she was being too quiet, if he thought she was a strange girl for being so nervous, and the list just kept going. A small sigh escaped her and George looked down at her with his eyebrow slightly raised.

"Bored with me already?" he asked, his brown eyes twinkling merrily. Lavinia's cheek blushed scarlet as she shook her head quickly.

"No!" she insisted, already feeling like a failure. "I'm just... well- I..."

George neatly cut in, saving her from stammering, "Just keyed up?"

She breathed out a laugh, and smiled up warmly at him. "Yes. Is it that obvious?" He gave a small shrug, and she laughed a bit ruefully. "You're just being nice, now."

"Were you expecting me to be mean? What a horrible date you must have been imagining!" George said with mock horror, slapping a hand over his heart. Now she burst into genuine laughter and he smiled widely at the sound.

"Not exactly," she said, now proceeding with the most truthful answer. "But this IS my first date." She peeked at him shyly, but to her surprise, he seemed shocked. He stopped walking and she halted, gnawing on her cheek.

"No one's ever asked you out before? A beautiful, smart girl like you?" he asked sweetly, brushing his hand over cheek. Too stunned to respond, she merely nodded. He gave a small chuckle, and shook his head in disbelief. "I must be the only sane bloke around then, but I am also extremely lucky. I'm going to make sure I deserve that luck by showing you the best time possible. That sound good to you?"

His hand was still on her cheek when she smiled, and it curved to fit her face gently as she did so. Her blue eyes had more feeling in them than he had seen so far, and he felt his breath catch.

"That sounds perfect, George," she replied sweetly, and he grinned at her, before letting his hand drop. He quickly took her small hand in his.

"Well, let's get going then! I apparently have a lot of impressing to do," he said cheekily, and asked her, "Ready?"

Or not, here I come, Lavinia thought silently, thinking of apparation as an evil entity set on making life difficult.

"Ready," she confirmed, and they turned into darkness. Lavinia gasped the second she could draw air into her lungs; she felt faint and blinking white dots filled her vision.

"You alright there?" George asked, gently rubbing her back. She nodded and blinked rapidly, trying to concentrate on where they were. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to place their location. They stood in a deserted alleyway; the only light was a fading streetlamp, and the nearest door was quite curious: it was all black with a sliding panel of wood near the top.

"Where are we?" she asked, and he smiled mischeviously.

"You'll see," he said loftily, and raised his right hand and knocked three times. The wooden panel slid back to reveal a pair of eyes.

"Password," a voice barked.

"Mischief managed," George replied serenely. The panel slid back with a smack, and the door swung open to reveal Lee Jordan who grinned broadly. Now that the door was open, music, voices, laughter and all sorts of noises burst forth.

"Long time no see, Weasley," Lee greeted happily, before glancing at Lavinia curiously. She barely refrained from sighing; she knew he didn't even know who she was.

"Sorry it's been so long, Lee; the shop keeps Fred and me swamped. But, this has been my first time to stop by and I figured it'd be a good place to bring Lavinia. You remember Lavinia Farrow, right? Lavinia, Lee, Lee, Lavinia," he gestured between the two and Lavinia smiled politely.

"I remember Lee; you always commentated during the Quidditch matches," she said and Lee nodded, smirking.

"That I did, and you..." he trailed off, obviously not coming up with any recollections. George tsked and squeezed Lavinia's hand.

"She was a quiet one, a model student unlike ourselves," George finished with a broad grin. "Now let us in so we can have some fun!"

"Right you are! This way," Lee instructed, waving them forward into the darkness. Lavinia held tighter to George's hand as a wave of nervousness washed over her.

As her eyes adjusted, she saw that they stood on the edge of a dance floor; young witches and wizards thronged together, all dancing enthusiastically under enchanted lights that changed with the beat. On the outskirts of the floor, there were clusters of booths and tables. Lavinia could even make out a bar in the distance. Sound assaulted them on all sides, but Lavinia soon recognized the song being played.

"The Weird Sisters?" Lavinia asked in an almost shout to Lee.

He nodded and leaned down to her level, "Yeah, we just booked them! We've been trying for weeks; it's good for business to have someone popular. The little cover bands and such are nice, but this really draws them in."

"The Map is awesome, Lee!" George complimented loudly. Lee grinned widely, bobbing his head with the rhythm of the music. It literally pulsed through the building, making standing still impossible. But it was infectious; Lavinia already felt like dancing, and that was something she hadn't done in years.

"Well, I better get back to it, Georgie! Have fun! Nice to see you again, Lavinia!" Lee told them, before dissapearing through the crowd. George led her over to a booth and waved over a waitress.

"What would you like to drink?" she asked Lavinia. She almost said butterbeer, but on impulse, she decided on something else entirely.

"I'll have The Phoenix," she replied naming off a popular alcoholic drink, and she saw George raise his eyebrows and grin in bemusement. She smiled back at him, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"Alright then. I'll have The Snitch, thanks," George told the girl and she nodded before dissapearing.
George gave a small laugh and said, "I would've pegged you for a butterbeer."

She smiled and said, "I figured I'd try something different."

Just then the girl came back and handed Lavinia a tall, curvy glass that was all colors of red, orange and yellow; it almost seemed to glow in the dim atmosphere. She tilted her head and admired it, while George took his cylinder shaped glass that was completely golden.

"Anything to eat?" the girl asked, and Lavinia shook her head.

"Maybe in a bit," she answered. When the waitress was gone, George lifted his glass.

"To different," he toasted and Lavinia smiled widely.

"To different," she echoed, and they clinked glasses.
♠ ♠ ♠
I was so inspired by Weasley's comment and message that I typed out this chapter in an hour. I hope you guys like it, and don't hate me for taking so long; full time student and work SUCKS up your free time. Comments are MUCH appreciated! <3

P.S: Think hard about the password and the name of the club. Clever Harry Potter nerds will get it.