best friends

chapter 13. the date

Their feet met solid ground in what appeared to be someone's back yard. The fence surrounding the area was at least seven feet high and dark green vines covered every single inch of it so no-one could see inside. A small white table with an umbrella sticking out from a hole in the center stood near the back door with a single chair completing it. The grass was overgrown and in desperate need of cut.

"Uh, where are we?" Fred muttered as he took in the scene before him.

"We," Luna squeezed his arm and started to drag him towards a gate at the side of the house. "are in a muggle town by the name of Little Whinging. This is the backyard of Arabella Figg who Dumbledore once assigned to watch over Harry when he lived with the Dursley's. This place serves as a safe zone for apparition."

"Okay..." Fred drawled. "So this is what a Fair looks like?"

"No." Luna chuckled. She stopped before she opened the gate and turned to face him. "Do you even know what a Fair looks like?" She questioned. At the shake of his head confirming that he didn't know, she explained for him. "A Fair is a place where there are muggle games and muggle carnival rides. There's arts and crafts you can participate in and later buy and there's loads and loads of greasy food and sugary sweets!"

At the mention of food and sweets, Fred's eyes lit up like a child's would when told they were going to the town Fair. "Let's go then!" He grabbed her hand without a second thought and pushed open the gate, dragging her along. "Lead the way, m'lady!"

Luna giggled and squeezed his hand deciding that she'd better get used to it now rather than later. The smile on Fred's face never wavered and he couldn't keep his eyes on one thing for too long. He was from the magical community and even though he was an 'of age wizard', he hardly ever wandered into muggle territory.

They were walking down a sidewalk and luna knew they were getting closer by all the families who were also walking in the same direction as them. The children who lived in the town were all excited and tugging on their parent's hands as they tried to get them to walk faster.

Fred was no different. He seemed to have picked up his pace and Hermione noticed the excited bounce in his step. She was suddenly very grateful that Harry had mentioned Little Whinging held a Fair every year just a few blocks away from where he used to live. Of course he was never allowed to go but he always heard tales of it from Dudley when he would brag non-stop.

The sun had just set behind the hills and the stars were coming out to shine. The Fair was finally in view and Luna was surprised that Fred hadn't ran full force towards it without her. She looked up to see him smiling broadly at all the screams and yells coming from the inside and his eyes twinkled with the lights that flashed on and off.

Luma spotted an old Oak tree with it's branches hanging low and casting a dark shadow that could come in handy for a moment. She dragged Fred off to the other side of the street and when he whined in protest, she gripped his arm harder and picked up her pace. Once they were under the privacy that the Oak tree gave off, she turned to face Fred and opened up her beaded bag.

"Put your wand in here. We won't need them for the night."

Fred's hand instantly rested over the right pocket of his muggle jeans and his fingers traced the faint bulge of his wand. A wizard separated from their wand makes one very uneasy. "Um, can't I just keep it with me? I promise not to use magic unless it's an extreme emergency." He pleaded.

"Sorry." Hermione grimaced. "If we get on any rides, there's a possibility it might fall out of your pocket and I won't be held responsible if you lose it."