magically insane

Ch. 12: planning the trip

"Elaine!"

"No." Elaine rolled over in bed after mumbling her response.

"Elaine!" A pause. Elaine began to breathe slower. "ELAINE!"

"WHAT!?" She finally sat up, glaring at the red head in her doorway. George grinned at her, Fred behind him, smirking. "Leave, I'm sleeping."

"You don't look like you're sleep, Lanie," Fred observed, walking past his brother to stand beside her bed.

"Yea, I think you look wide awake, frankly." George nodded, walking to stand beside his brother.

"Go away, you two are annoying me." Elaine then lay back down, placing a pillow over her head and turning over on her side.

"Elaine, dearest," George said sweetly. "We have stuff to do today. Including work. You do have a job, you know."

"I'm calling in sick."

"We're your employers. We know  you're not sick," Fred said, flicking her leg.

"I didn't ask for your thoughts on me calling in," Elaine replied. It was muffled from under the pillow, and George yanked it from her grasp.

"We have to plan and book flights and hotel rooms and pull money out, Lou. Time to wake up," he told her, sitting beside her. Fred sat on the other side and Elaine just pulled the covers over her head.

"I can do that tonight, it's not that hard. I'll just call from my ph- oh."

"Exactly. You haven't got a phone," George reminded her, patting her head.

"Get up or I'll pour ice water on you," Fred said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not joking."

"That's because you're Fred," George and Elaine said together.

"Did you two plan that?" Fred asked, raising a brow at his twin. George began playing with Elaine's hair again.

"Nope," George replied. "We just are that good."

"Yea, that good at annoying me."

"Can you two take it somewhere else?" Elaine groaned, leaning into George from under the blankets.

Fred then left the room, and Elaine really should have known what was coming.

"I did warn you, Lanie." Then he poured a bucket of ice cold water on her bed, not only soaking her bedding and getting her hair wet, but soaking his brother as well.

"I'm going to kill  you." Elaine was out of bed and chasing Fred throughout the flat faster than you could say 'Ice Bucket Challenge'. George joined her, and they didn't pause until Fred was also dripping with ice water, standing in the kitchen.

"I hate you both. That's no fair; two against one."

"Who said anything about playing fair?"

---

After a day's work in the shop, filled with many, many, people, Elaine and the twins walked into a muggle library. They walked in, and Elaine sighed happily at the smell of books and the quietness of the building. Being a reader, she had always loved libraries.

"Okay, so we find a computer, do some research, and then get it done. Yea?" She said, turning to face the twins. The both nodded, clad in muggle clothing Elaine had picked out.

An hour later the twins were peering over Elaine's shoulder to see the computer. She had found the place to stay for the first few nights, and booked a room, which was actually like a little house on the resort with two rooms and five beds.

"So we stay here for a few nights, then what?" Fred asked, now taking a seat beside her. George remained where he was, a hand on her shoulder.

"I was thinking of a hotel, but an airbnb may be better, considering your normal voice levels at night." Elaine shrugged. She booked the resort room, and then opened a second tab to a house they could stay in with four rooms and four beds. It was on the beach, and had good ratings.

Elaine had a credit card and paid for both, eventually. Everyone agreed they would pay her back as they went to get muggle money from Gringotts after dinner tonight. Which, by now, the three at the library were late for.

---

"Thanks for dinner, mum," Fred and George said when plates were put in front of them. The bank closed in three hours, so they had some time to eat and talk before they had to leave.

"Yea, thank you," Elaine added. Ginny and Harry were nearly done, having started eating 15 minutes before the rest, as they were late. "Hey, where have Ron and Hermione been? I feel like I haven't seen them in literally forever."

"No one told you?" Harry asked, looking around. Everyone shook their heads, probably figuring someone else would have told the girl.

"No. That's why I'm asking," Elaine said, smiling.

"Oh. Well they moved in together, and have yet to come for dinner any nights you three are here. They kinda just show up without warning, honestly," Ginny answered.

"They moved in together?!"

"Yea, that's what she said, Lou," George nodded from beside her, patting her back.

"Lou?" Ginny asked, looking between the two.

"It's what my mother has called me since I was a baby. Her mom's name was Lucy, but everyone called her Lou. So when my father suggested Elaine, and Lanie, my mother insisted. It stuck, I suppose." Elaine shrugged.

"Oh, so it's a nickname. How'd George get to using it?" Ginny questioned further, seemingly investigating.

"Probably from eavesdropping on calls with my father."

"Have you told your father, dear? That you're all going to stay?" Molly asked, changing the topic.

"Not yet. I was planning on doing it tonight, before I go back to our place," Elaine said. Ginny raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Tell you later. Eat your food, it'll get cold."

"Yes, mother." Elaine rolled her eyes, and then did what she was told, because the food was so damn good.

---

"You know, that was a lot harder than I thought it would be," Harry said, walking out of the bank. Elaine had stayed behind, with George, because she didn't like the looks she got while in there. And George had offered to stay because Fred and he shared an account.

"Why?" Elaine asked, looking at the three. "What happened?"

"Nothing bad, don't worry," Ginny said, looping her arm through Elaine's.

"They just asked loads of questions as to why we needed it, It was interrogation like. Real creepy, to be honest," Harry told her.

"They're always creepy, I don't know why you're surprised," Fred said.

"Maybe they're still mad about the dragon you cost them, Harry," Elaine suggested, grabbing George's hand as they walked. Ginny smirked at her, and Elaine gave her a look.

"Maybe, yea."

---

"What's with the looks, Ginny?" Elaine sat on the bed that used to be hers in the girl's room, sighing.

"You like George, don't you?"

"What?" Elaine felt her face flush up, and she shook her head slowly. "Nah..."

"That's a lie! Oh, I don't know if you caught it, but when you called the twins' place 'our place', George looked like he just won a load of galleons. Honest."

"It just slipped out. I am living there now, anyways. Why's it a big deal?"

"Because you said 'our' which implies you call it home, in a way. And guess who lives at your home? George. And guess what? You like George."

"No, I don't. Thanks, though."

"You can't lie to me, Elaine. Ginny Weasley knows all."