Promised [F.W.]

Chapter 44

Singing

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"Fred," Aster called behind him after the shop had closed down.

"Yes, love?" He turned around on the stairs.

Aster played with the sleeves of the cardigan she had taken from Lupin. "I was wondering," she stuttered, "I wanted to show you something, George can come too if he wants, I just didn't really think I could hide it from you." Aster fiddled with the cardigan making Fred awe in her cuteness.

"Come, we can ask George before we leave," Fred nodded upstairs. "Should I change, is this suit too much?" He asked looking down at his pinstripe suit.

"Whatever you feel comfortable with, Fred," Aster smiled. "It'll be a Muggle thing, so nothing too over the top, and no pranks," she warned him, he nodded and walked off to his room to change. She walked into the living room and greeted George, "we're going somewhere, want to join?"

George looked up at her with a smile, "where?"

"Just some Muggle place I wanted to show you guys," Aster shrugged, George nodded and set down the notebook he had in his hand. 

"Sure, I'll change," he muttered happily as he walked into his own room and Fred walked out wearing a jumper and jeans. Soon George came out in a sweatshirt and jeans.

"Come on, it's a ways away," Aster took Fred's hand and George's arm and apparated into a small town.

"Where are we?" One of the twins asked behind her as they exited the alleyway.

"A town near Surrey," Aster told them, leading them down the street and nearing a lit up bar. "We're going in here," she told them, heading into the bar. She smiled at the bartender and waved, "my boyfriend I've been talking about," she told him and turned to the twins. "This one's Fred," she pointed to her twin, "that's George, boys, this is Paul, my boss." Aster smiled as they shook his hand gently.

"She's been talking loads about you, Fred," Paul grinned, "and you too, George, but seems she's in love." Aster blushed before leading them to a table near the front of the stage.

"What are we doing here?" Fred asked, leaning over the table towards her.

"Wait, I wanted to show you what I've been doing for a job," Aster told him as she watched the lady walk off the stage. "Stay here," she told them as she stood up and clumsily walked onto the stage.

Aster took a deep breath and waited for her song to play.

"Oh no, we're all tied up
Oh no, our stars got crossed
Got you in to my world on a string,
and started building knots

I love your eyes, like stars
And all your thoughts on fate,
And everything you are
And how you radiate, and all I want"

She closed her eyes for a few seconds before opening them and looking at the twins.

"Is my fingers in your hair,
And I'm tangled up as tightly as I dare
And I know you're just another life away
And they say if you want something bad enough you'll wait, but I'd hate to be wrong
So I tangle me in strings,
Cause I'm strung out on the way we're spiralling
I'm a cyclone and every revolution's confused, it's a shame that you seek resolution
When I wanna stay tied up,
All tied up,
All tied up

You say the universe, has a ways
Of cleaning all this up
But I miss your funny face,
And you know I don't miss much
And all I want
All I want is"

She took a shaky deep breath as Fred stared at her with wonder.

"My fingers in your hair
And I'm tangled up as tightly as I dare
And I know you're just another life away
And they say if you want something bad enough you'll wait, but I'd hate to be wrong
So I tangle me in strings,
Cause I'm strung out on the way we're spiralling
I'm a cyclone and every revolution's confused, it's a shame that you seek resolution
when I wanna stay tied up,
All tied up,
All tied up

And everything is not, everything it marks my love
But everything is not just like you want
And all I want
All I want is
All I want is you"

The twins looked at her with the utmost curiosity and marvel as she sang. It was truly beautiful to Fred.

"And my fingers in your hair
And I'm tangled up as tightly as I dare
And I know you're just another life away
And they say if you want something bad enough you'll wait, but I'd hate to be wrong
So I tangle me in strings,
Cause I'm strung out on the way we're spiralling
I'm a cyclone and every revolution's confused, it's a shame that you seek resolution
When I wanna stay tied up,
All tied up,
All tied up

In knots my love"

Aster took a deep breath as everyone clapped like they usually did when she sang, but Fred sat motionlessly. She jumped off the stage and sat with the twins, waiting a second for one of them to say something. But once they didn't Aster grew nervous, "so?"

"So," Fred echoed, "so, that's amazing, you said you couldn't sing."

"I don't really like hearing myself sing, I was kind of tempted to," Aster scratched the back of her neck as Paul walked by and handed her her regular small glass of Fireball whiskey, along with two others for the twins, and thanked her for singing, placing an envelope with her name on it next to her. Aster sipped her drink and saw the twins look at it weirdly. "It's like Firewhiskey," she told them, "try it."

They hesitantly took a sip and nodded in approval. "How long have you been working here?" Fred asked curiously looking around.

"Just a few days, I also played my violin once," she told him. Aster laughed as George asked why Paul was shaking tow metal cups together before explaining that it's how Muggles hade drinks. Then Fred asked if he could try a drink and watch him make it. "Sure," Aster giggled, getting out of her chair and walking them to the bar. "Hey Paul," Aster smiled as he finished serving a customer with a fancy drink. "My friend's never tried a fancy drink before," Aster told him, pointing to the twins, "can you make a whiskey sour for George and," Aster paused and looked at Fred, debating on what he would like and Paul started making the first drink. "And a screwdriver for Fred," she decided, "not too fancy for them."

The twins watched as Paul carefully poured the drinks into its glasses after shaking them. "Here you go," Paul grinned, sliding the two drinks towards the twins.

George took it and sipped it, tasting the lime juice and liking its odd flavouring. Then Fred took his drink and took a bigger sip than George did. First, he was surprised by how low tasting the vodka was. The twins smiled, "wicked." They echoed each other before drinking more of it.

"Thanks," Paul grinned, "they're not from around here?"

"No," Aster shook her head, "well, they actually live near me, they just don't get out much."

"Where you from anyway?" Paul asked as he wiped the counter with his rag.

"A town over," Aster told him, "in Kent, but the border, so it's quite easy to move around."

"Interesting," he said as Fred and George place the cups down, finishing their drinks. "That is also interesting."

"Yeah," Aster sighed looking at Fred who put his hands in his pocket as he looked around again, admiring the lighting and cosy setup of everything.

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