Written for the Quidditch League, Caerphilly Catapults Chaser 3

Task: Write a story inspired by Lady and the Tramp

Prompts: clandestine, tea leaves, 'Okay is wonderful'

Word count: 2924 (according to googledocs)

A Taste of the Muggle World

The kettle whistled loudly from the hotplate.

"Pass me the tea leaves?" Mrs. Fitzherbert said to her husband, removing it to pour hot water in the three cups waiting on the table.

"What is it with you and tea leaves?" Mr. Fitzherbert placed the cardboard box next to the cups. "Can't we just use regular tea bags?"

"It's a magic thing," his wife replied evasively.

Feet thumped quickly down the stairs as their son, Curran—or Curly, as he was known to his friends—barrelled into the kitchen.

"Just in time for breakfast," Mrs. Fitzherbert said, smiling brightly and offering him one of the cups.

"No time, Mom," Curly replied. "I'm gonna be late and Rose will kill me." He reached for the cup and took a swig, only to shove it back into his mother's hands. "Hot, hot, hot, hot! Mom, are you trying to kill me?!"

Mr. Fitzherbert laughed behind his paper. "Yes, honey, you don't want him to die before going on his very first date with Rose, do you?"

"I told you before, Dad, it's not a date," Curly said, reaching for the back door. "We're just friends."

"Riiiiight. Have fun on your 'friend' date, then." Mr. Fitzherbert lowered the paper to smirk at his son. "Your hair looks different today. Did you try to style it?"

Curly didn't dignify that with a response, but his face did flush suspiciously as he flung the door open and ran out.

~oOo~

Rose waited patiently by the blinking amusement park sign where Curly had told her to meet him. It took a bit of convincing for Rogers, her private tutor, to let her do this without supervision, as she wouldn't be able to use magic outside of school for a few more weeks. But Curly had his birthday in February, so she made the argument that she would, technically, be with an adult (though that would probably be the last word she would choose to describe him).

He was right on time.

"Hi, Rose. You ready for a taste of the Muggle world?" Curly said, greeting her with a wide smile.

She nodded and slowly spun around so he could get a good look of the dress she was wearing.

"What do you think? Did I do this right? I've never worn Muggle clothes before."

He smiled warmly. "It's very pretty. Pink really suits you." Rose beamed at him, and he inclined his head towards the gate. "Shall we?"

She gave him another excited nod, and the two of them entered the park.

"Wait…" he said, glancing at her as they walked, "If you don't have any other Muggle clothes… then what were you wearing when you bought this?"

"My robes," Rose replied simply, a bit confused by the question. "The woman at the register was really nice; she even offered to call someone for me in case I was lost. I told her that she would have to yell very loudly if she wanted to be heard, because Rogers was waiting for me way down the street."

At this point, Curly made a strange choking sound, then coughed a few times.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah, fine," he said, quickly. "Er, let's go on rides!" he exclaimed suddenly, pulling her through the crowd. "That's what we're here for, right? Right. This way!"

ooo

After a few hours, darkness slowly enveloped the park like a blanket, but the different lights and sounds made it feel nothing like night. Everyone around them seemed to be having fun, but a crowd this big unnerved her, and she walked as closely to Curly as she could.

Suddenly, he stopped walking, and she almost bumped into him. He turned to face her, eyes shining with excitement. "Ever been to an arcade?"

She stared at him blankly.

"Oh man, then you've never lived!" he exclaimed, grabbing her wrist and pulling her through the sea of people to a flashy building, shining with a million different lights.

Rose had no idea what they were doing here, but allowed him to drag her along to buy tokens and approach a tall, odd-looking yellow box.

"This is an arcade game," he explained, putting a token in the slot.

The square in the middle of the box came to life, and she watched curiously as Curly played for a bit, explaining the rules and mechanics of the game. He let her try it, but as it turned out, Rose was pretty bad at it.

"Is there a place I can buy a drink from?" she asked, letting him take over again.

"Yeah, sure." Curly reached into his pocket and gave her a piece of paper. "Get whatever you want and give this to the guy. It's Muggle money."

Rose inspected the currency, but before she could ask more questions about it, the game started beeping again, effectively absorbing Curly's attention.

Not knowing what most of the Muggle drinks were, she chose an item at random when she reached the food court.

"Hey, not to pry or anything, but are you here with Fitz?" asked the teen handling register.

"With who?" Rose asked, confused, and he nodded to the machine Curly was playing at. It dawned on her that 'Fitz' was short for Fitzherbert. "Oh, you mean him? Yes, he brought me here."

"For real? I didn't know he was back from his fancy boarding school yet," came another voice from behind her, and she turned to face a small group of teens. "Hey, Greg," the boy who had spoken said, bumping his fist to the food court guy's. Then he turned to Rose. "So, you Fitz's girlfriend or something?"

"No," Rose replied. "We are friends, though."

"Well, any friend of Fitz's is a friend of ours!" the boy said. "I'm Reggie." He offered his hand, and Rose shook it hesitantly. "Listen, we were just about to head out to The Hub. Why don't you come with us?"

"What is that?" Rose asked.

Reggie shrugged nonchalantly. "It's a place my family owns. It's technically for over twenty-ones, but I've got a clandestine way in." He winked. "You interested?"

"Erm… I don't know..." Rose said, looking over Reggie's shoulder at Curly, who still seemed absorbed in the game.

"He's playing Pac Man again?" said an older girl with long, blonde hair, following Rose's gaze. "Ah, let him finish it, he loves that game. Greg, tell him where we are, will you?"

Greg grinned. "Sure thing, Peg."

Rose didn't know what to do. Was this a normal Muggle thing? Would she get in trouble if she resisted?

"Come on, pigeon," the girl named Peg said, smiling warmly. "I promise I won't let these hounds harass you."

The teens laughed. Seeing little choice in the matter, Rose went along when they filed out of the arcade.

ooo

'The Hub' turned out to be a Muggle dance club. There were neon colors everywhere, the music was loud and thumping, the lights—bright and throbbing. Reggie and the others settled down in a booth, which made hearing each other easier.

"What will it be?" a pretty waitress asked when they were all seated.

"Erm..." Rose looked around hesitantly.

Peg giggled next to her. "We'll have two cherry Budweisers, Claire." Then she leaned back into the seat and turned to Rose. "So, how'd you meet Fitz?"

"At school," Rose replied vaguely.

Peg chuckled. "He didn't prank you, did he?"

"Erm… not me, no. He was throwing water balloons at people from high above. I walked in on him, and he was so startled he almost fell out the window. I helped him get rid of the balloons and… we've been friends ever since." Rose said, absentmindedly accepting the bottle she was being handed by the waitress. "What is this?"

"Beer," Peg replied, popping the cap on hers, then assisting with Rose's. "Classic Fitz. Bet your friends all love him too, don't they."

Rose didn't know what beer was, but everyone else was drinking it. She inspected the contents as best she could—it kind of looked like coloured Gillywater—then raised it to her lips."Well, actually… he was the very first friend I've ever made," she replied. "I'd never really thought about friends as being all that important before. I had my books and my responsibilities; I didn't need pointless distractions." Rose looked at her reflection in the bottle, her face growing serious. "But he's different. He's just so… kind. And open. I still don't know why he hangs around me at all, but I'm glad for it."

"Oh, honey." Peg put a sisterly hand on Rose's shoulder. "It's written all over your face, but listen, I don't want you to get your hopes up too high. Take it from someone who's been there—he's like that with everyone."

Rose stared at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Peg smiled sympathetically. "The simple truth of it is that Fitz loooves being a White Knight. He sees a person struggling and immediately offers them a hand, tries to fix things, fix them. It's just how he is. I know it's easy to think that you're special to him, but you aren't his first pet project." She raised the beer to her lips, took a sip, then chuckled softly. "Ah, but he's so dense. Breaks a new heart every day, and doesn't even notice. He means well, but it makes people, girls especially, feel like there's more to it than there really is. You must've noticed it yourself by now, seen the looks he gets. Hell, even I have got it pretty bad. But do yourself a favour, pigeon—don't take it to heart. He'll find another person to help soon enough."

Rose remained silent, staring unseeingly at the foaming surface of her drink. Her fingers tightened slightly around the cold glass.

-oOo-

Leaning on his knees to catch his breath, Curly stopped right under the big neon sign of The Hub. He'd only taken his eyes off Rose for one minute! How could he have lost her? Chest heavy with guilt and worry, he approached the bouncer and made to speak, but the guy just waved him through.

"Hiya, Fitz. Reggie said you'd be coming by. They're all waiting for you in there."

Mumbling a thank you, Curly rushed inside, his sight and hearing instantly assaulted by the loud music and throbbing lights. It didn't take him long to spot the others—they always sat in the same VIP booth. Making his way there through the sea of dancing bodies, the young wizard found Rose surrounded by his old schoolmates.

"Fitz!" a few people exclaimed when they saw him.

"Hey there, stranger!" Reggie said, offering him a beer. "Sit down, have a drink!"

"No thanks, Reggie," Curly said, fixing his eyes on Rose. "I'd love to catch up, but now's not really a good time."

An arm snaked around his neck, and he almost jumped. A girl he vaguely remembered from his old school—Trixie or something—was hugging him. "Come on, Fitz! We haven't seen you in forever!"

"Sorry, can't," he said, removing the arm. "Let's go, Rose."

Rose was frowning. "I don't want to leave," she said. "I like it here."

Curly raised an eyebrow. "Says the girl whose favorite pastime is reading." He reached for her wrist.

Rose wrenched away from him, surging to her feet. "Don't tell me what to do! I don't need you to look out for me, and protect me, and fix me! Go find your next project!"

For a moment, Curly was completely stumped—he'd never seen Rose act like this. His gaze moved to the bottle in her hand, then to the assortment of empty ones on the table, and his eyes narrowed. They gave her alcohol?!

Trying to keep his focus on what was important, he simply set his jaw and said, "Rose, this isn't like you. We have to get you out of here, for your own good."

"You heard the lady, mate," a voice rumbled behind him. "She wants to stay."

He turned around slowly, coming face to face with three tall, burly men in their early twenties who he only knew in passing, but had seen enough of to know what was going to follow.

"Listen," he said, raising his palms in a pacifying gesture. "I'm not looking for a fight. I just want to take my friend and leave."

A rough fist caught the front of Curly's t-shirt, and he could smell the alcohol on the other man's breath as he said, "Then why are you causing such a racket?"

"Hey!" came Rose's shout from behind. "Let go of him, you Muggle!"

Curly's head snapped back, and he nearly groaned, seeing Rose brandish her wand. One spell and she could be expelled from Hogwarts!

"What did you call me?" The guy let go of Curly, his hand reaching down his pocket, where the edge of a thin piece of wood peeked out of his jeans.

Uh-oh.

Not waiting to see what spell he would use, Curly drew his own wand and aimed a Reductor curse at the lights overhead. There was a crackling explosion, and the club was plunged in darkness. People stomped about; shouts rang through the air as confusion and panic quickly spread. Curly grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her through the crowd, adding to the startled shrieks of the patrons. Running past the bouncer at the door, they didn't stop to answer his shouted questions, bolting down the dark street.

It took about ten minutes of a mad dash, but Curly managed to get them to a quiet park. They nearly collapsed on the first bench in sight, panting heavily.

"Sorry I had to drag you out of there," he said when he could breathe freely again.

"It's okay," Rose replied. After a moment, she added, "I'm sorry I said those things to you at the club. I don't know what came over me."

Curly leaned back against the bench. "It's fine." He looked to Rose. "What did they tell you?"

She sighed. "Nothing I didn't already know."

He turned to face her fully, elbow resting on the bench's back. "I'm gonna need more than that."

Rose gathered her hands in her lap. "They said you like to help people. That I'm not your first project. That I shouldn't take it personally when you move on to the next person."

The last bit irritated him for some reason. "You are not my 'project'. Is that why you said I wanted to fix you? Rose, you know it's not like that, don't you?"

Rose smiled slightly, glancing at him. "It's alright, I don't mind being your project. It's better than not knowing you at all."

Curly was not happy with that answer. "Look, I… it might have started with me wanting to help you out, but it's different now. I don't hang out with you because I want someone to fix. I like being around you. I like being your friend. It's true that I'm friendly with everyone, but the people I actually call 'friends' can be counted on my fingers, and you are on that short list. I know there's nothing I can do to prove those aren't just words, but I guess you'll just have to… trust me."

Something changed behind her eyes. Rose looked at him, and he knew he had done something right.

"I do trust you," she said simply.

And that was enough.

The tension in the air eased, and they both turned forward again, sitting in silence for a minute.

"Curly?"

"Yeah?"

"What is Budweiser?"

"Uh… it's a brand of beer."

"Yes, but what is beer?"

"It's Muggle alcohol."

"Oh…" There was a small pause. "I think I might be a little drunk, then."

"Yeah, I kinda figured." He gave her a sideways glance. She looked a bit dizzy. "Come on," Curly said, getting ready to stand. "I'll take you home."

"Actually… can we stay for a minute? I don't think Apparition would be… good for my stomach at the moment."

"... Sure."

Silence settled over them as they just sat next to each other on the bench. Cars whizzed by occasionally, illuminating the scene for a few seconds at a time. The summer breeze rustled gently in the leaves above them. Rose leaned on him; Curly glanced down at her, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"My head is spinning," she said.

"Alcohol does that."

The air in the park was pleasantly warm. Some sort of sweet, flowery scent lingered in it, but Curly couldn't tell where exactly it was coming from. Her blonde locks moved slightly with the wind.

"Thank you for showing me the Muggle world today," Rose piped up again. "I had fun."

He huffed a laugh. "Did you?"

"With you around, I think I'd have fun in the Sahara Desert."

Curly shook with silent laughter again, leaning his cheek on her head. "Really? I'm off to buy a camel for our next trip, then. I've always wanted to ride one."

Rose chuckled too, then went silent for a bit.

"I don't know how to explain it, exactly," she said quietly. "I just sort of feel like... no matter what happens or where I am, if you're there, everything will be okay."

"Is okay… good?"

Her arms coiled around his waist. "Okay is wonderful."

I had to butcher this fic beyond belief to fit it within the word count, so if anyone wants to read an expanded version with a couple more scenes, you can now do so on my profile, the one-shot title is the same. Rose and Curly are OCs that are sort of crossing over from my Fairy Tale fic, The Swan Princess, and Curly is the creation of Gally (Gallonsof the Stuff). So this is sort of a fanfiction of a fanfiction. Fanfiception! XD