MATES RATES <3

"Okay, so, I'm trying to look like I'm working, so keep ordering drinks or something," Louis told his cousin with a nod and a grin. "But you know, I bet you could drink all of them. Lucky sod. Anyway, how're things?"

Louis hadn't seen James in quite a while, what with James being a Quidditch extraordinaire and everything and Louis being busy with his slightly more mundane job, but now was a good time for catching up with his best friend and cousin, he thought. Pouring James a drink (with a slightly sneaky "mates rates" deal going on), he grinned at his cousin and shrugged. "Anyway, got anything really interesting to tell me? Please tell me something or I'll die."

James rested his chin on his hand, his other hand wrapped around his glass. It was a good thing that his best friend worked at a pub. It made life slightly better. Also, it was a good place to catch up at, when Louis wasn't too busy with other costumers.

"I have no problem with ordering more and more drinks," James told Louis with a bright smile. "Things are…" How were things? He wasn't so sure. "Alright? I don't know," he replied. "Things are busy, I guess." Busy and complicated, with jobs and missing fathers and weird-acting mothers and absent siblings.

It wasn't like James missed Albus and Lily or something. That would be stupid. It was just a bit… empty… at home right now. "I've got nothing, really." James said, frowning at his own dullness. "And I think that's your fault for always working, we haven't gone out to do anything fun in ages." he shook his head before taking a sip from the drink. "I've just been wasting my time. Mostly outside, doing exactly this - maybe with a hint of more females and dancing though-" he held up his drink. "-when I'm not flying. What have you been doing?"

"You order more and more drinks then, and order me one while you're at it, yes? Because I am so thirsty right now. And by thirsty I mean I want alcohol so so so badly. And I don't even like it that much." Louis grinned and whacked a tea towel against the counter like a whip - knocking a pint glass onto the floor as he did so. "balloon, shit, no! I am so graceful it actually hurts me."

He listened to what James was saying as he began to sweep up the shards, before smirking at what he said. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I have nothing either. I feel like I'm middle aged or something. I can't believe we ever used to have social lives. I'm not even nineteen yet and I already feel like, dead. Ugh. I am not working my birthday in this shithole." He raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Females and dancing? Well, well, Jimmony, I am impressed. Naughty boy. Why don't you come drinking here more often? I'd have someone to talk to."

Louis shrugged. What had he been doing? He didn't think he'd done anything worthwhile since his results had come back. In fact, had he done anything other than what he was doing now? "Working really. Pouring drinks and then smashing them. My girlfriend's at school, my sisters are working, my best mates both have busy busy important busy jobs and I cry myself to sleep every night in misery! Boohoo!" He grinned and shook his head, before pulling a serious face. "That was a joke by the way. I don't cry myself to sleep. I don't cry, damn it, man." He smirked and rolled his eyes. "So anyway. How's your mum? She comes in here sometimes but she's like, well like, I think she avoids me."

"If I order you one, do I get to drink it as well?" James asked. "When do you have a day off? Or more like, a night off. We need to do something fun." James laughed loudly as his cousin, ever so graceful, knocked a glass over sending it to the floor. "Oh, Louis..."

James raised his eyebrows. "Lou, I have to ask you this. Since when did you become a muggle?" he gave him a look. "You knock down a glass and you don't use reparo? Are you not allowed magic at work, or what?"

"So basically, you're a middle aged muggle and I've been a Quidditch player, for what? A few months and I already want to retire. What has life come to?" he grinned a little. "Well, I've been wasting time. Do you know what Fred has been up to? Like, what the hell is everyone doing? I've no idea what is going on with the outside world. And by outside world I mean the magical world because I spend my time drinking at muggle bars. Because I've heard the people working here," he gave his friend a look. "Keep breaking stuff and the service is rubbish!" he knocked back the last of his drink. "I need more."

"Awwww, do you miss Miss Summers?" James grinned. Though, he felt kind of bad for his friend. It was bad enough to miss the school, but having to miss the people at school was worse. "Aw, well. Haven't you made new friends at work? A few drunken buddies?" he grinned, but it didn't last long. "What? My Mum? Why does my Mum come here?" he asked, slightly terrified. Why was his old mother out drinking? "And now I'm never coming here again."

"No, if you order me one, we call it an early birthday present stroke a present for me being an awesome best friend to you like all the time and then we drink them together and the natural balance of the world is restored, comprendez?" Louis grinned and folded his arms, before looking darkly at him. "Never. I can't afford a day off. Maman wants rent, I want money, landlord wants slaves pretty much. Solution? I work my arse off for peanuts and then everyone's happy. God I have to stop moaning. I'm starting to sound like Uncle Percy."

That was a point. Louis paused midbend and put a finger up thoughtfully. "Ah. I was just testing." Gosh, he kept forgetting about the whole magic thing. "Do you know what though, I think I'm turning into a muggle. How the hell did I ever get any NEWTs? In fact, how the hell did the three of us do anything? Cos I swear all I did at Hogwarts was lark about and play Quidditch." He grinned at James and replaced his last drink with another. "Oi, be careful. I don't want to have to take you home to Auntie Gin, 'specially if it's technically me who gets you pissed."

Louis rolled his eyes at the teasing tone and shrugged. "Yes. I miss you more though, obviously, since I'm in love with everything you do and stuff. Of course, any friends I may have made are nowhere near as cool as you." That was true actually. That was very true. Though he had made more friends, none of them were quite as cool as James. He wasn't going to admit that in a serious tone though. He didn't want to give James an ego. Or well, more of an ego.

"She comes here to knit," he said with an amused grin on his face. "What do you think she does? She comes here, gets smashed and has a laugh with her... friends. And don't you dare not come here again. You're my only source of entertainment like ever."

"How much does she make you pay?" he raised his eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure I could get away with not paying Mum anything. Sometimes she request money for food. But like, I waste all my money right away. On alcohol. And food. And more food. For me. Not her. I'm not the best son."

"Well, at least playing Quidditch got me somewhere," James shrugged. "And I think it's because all the Professor love us. And miss us. I'm quite surprised they haven't cracked yet and sent us owls begging for us to come back. At least you know if some cloaked figures show up to kidnap you, it's probably some professor's doing." he nodded his head, before knocking back most of his new drink. "I'm not sure Mum would be surprised if you showed up with a drunk me, I reckon she's getting used to it now."

"You've made friends? I'm impressed! What did you do? Flash them your teeth? Play with your hair? Send them smoldering looks?" he grinned. "Obviously none of them could match up to me in coolness, why do you even bother? You'll just disappoint yourself cos you'll never be able to replace me!"

"Why do you let my mum get smashed?" James demanded. "She's… She's! She's old!" he deadpanned. "Like, there must be a rule against serving alcohol to… to old people! To mothers! To my mum!" the thought made him a little sick. "I'm sorry, but you serve alcohol to my ancient mother, I'm not sure I can drink here."

"Like, I don't know. Like, twenty galleons and a bit every week? Lot of money, considering I only get like... I don't even know. 1500 galleons a year? I am actually skint. I can't afford to live anywhere else, that's like fricking a hundred and sixty galleons a month. That's like more money than I own. That's like... bloody hell, I'd have to sell my broom. Or Dom. Or something. Ugh I hate work I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate."

He grinned at James and laughed a little. "Poor Auntie Gin. You know though, if you pay her, you're indirectly paying me. I'll get it all back through her booze intake. So maybe you should pay her rent, and you could be helping out your mate! Yes. I like this idea."

"Obviously it's my teeth," Louis replied, smirking. "And no. They're nowhere near as cool or spunky or just beautiful as you. You are SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PERSON COME HERE AND HUG ME." He grinned and wiped his hand across James's face, laughing as he did so. God, he'd missed having people to torment and tease. He missed nice people, to be honest.

"Oh, I did make a new friend though, this girl named Bea," he told him, nodding. "Beatrice Abbot. Do you remember her, like? We never really talked to her. Or I didn't. She's a total cutie anyway. She took me to a hospital." He paused. "Okay I think I just lost even more of my masculinity upon that confession. Shall I make it a really manly injury? Like... I saved her from a murderer. Let's go with that."

James reached over to pat his friend on his blond head. "Maybe we should run away." he grinned. "Take our brooms and just fly off somewhere, away from work and responsibilities and money. We could squat. Find an empty house, open it with a simple spell, it'd be cosy!" even if that was a joke it did sound really tempting. "Sleep in," he added. "Stay out late. Drink. Party. Blow up stuff."

"You don't get ot call my Mum 'Poor auntie Gin', bastard." James gave his friend a look. "Not afer you've been serving my elderly mother-" he wasn't going to be able to let this go. "You don't deserve the pay you're getting, traitor."

James moved away from Louis hand, but laughing loudly. See, he missed them. Being crazy. Was that too sentimental? "I'm kind of hurt you'd even think about replacing me. YES I AM A BEAUTIFUL PERSON!" he held his hand to his heart and sighed. "Wait, is this you admitting I'm prettier than you? Fiiiiinally. I thought I was going to need to owl some Ravenclaws to come and decide."

"I know Bea!" Oh, James felt so accomplished. He knew a new person. That was so exci-balloon his life, what the hell was he doing with it? "I met her! And thingy," he tried to remember. "Hufflepuff thingy-KIVA! Yes. Them, I met them. I was going to tell you bout that! They're Hufflepuffs right and they were drinking. I was drinking with Hufflepuffs!" he giggled a little. "Wait, sorry back up. Hospital? What? Why?" Gosh, he sounded like this mother. "Why are you always at the hospital? This is it. We're going back to Hogwarts, where someone can keep an eye on you." he nodded his head. "balloon, I even miss the detentions."

"YES. That's the best idea you've ever had. Only I'd miss my chocolate. And my comfy things. And my Evra. Also I don't actually know where my broom is at the moment. I reckon I've put it somewhere stupid."

Louis laughed at James's reaction and sighed heavily. "Yeah, yeah. Well, Jimmy, your mum obviously drinks. I mean, how do you think you were conceived?" he teased his cousin, before flopping forwards and lying on the counter. "I'm knackered. I deserve your money for being so tired. I deseeeeerve love and attention."

He groaned, not moving his head up, and smirked into his arms. "Cos I'm as clumsy as hell, mate. I dropped like a shit tonne of plates and concussed myself like the twat I am. Ugh. Life. I really need to go back to Hogwarts. I need to pay attention and get a decent job!"

Louis grinned and made a noncommital noise. "Pffts. Yeah. Sure. You're so much more beautiful. Must be your genes. Are you part Veela or something?" He whacked James with the tea towel and rolled his eyes. "Still. Ravenclaw girls, man. Not gonna lie."

James pretended to throw up at 'And my Evra' and gave his best friend a look. "You're disgusting," he told him solemnly and shook his head. "Also, how do you lose your broom? How do you even live?" James gave him another look. "If I didn't know where mine was, I'd be throwing a fit and probably cursing Albus. He is a slimy Slytherin after all, first on the suspect list."

"I'll have you know, my parents had three children after me, obviously glad with my outcome." Cos that was possible. "So they made more. While you," he pretended to look disgusted. "You were supposed to be a reflection of Vic, Dom failed first so they tried again but ended up with you instead. What a letdown."

"I don't know why you'd take a job as a bartender, honestly, but okay you're strange, I get that, I can live with that." he nodded his head. "Besides, it's got to be better than to be stuck without pay training to be something. That sounds awfully lot like school, just not as fun because it wont be Hogwarts and it wont have Peeves."

James rolled his eyes and swatted his hand towards Louis's face. "I'll have you know, I dont need any veela genes to be prettier than you. Besides, like I said earlier, you came last so Vic and Dom probably took all the veela genes." he grinned. "You know Louis, if there ever wanders in a big group of ex-Ravenclaws, you must get a hold of me and tell me to get down here. If you don't, our friendship is over. Comprende?"

"I don't know, not all of us are famous Quidditch players James Potter," Louis replied, grinning. "Us lesser mortals don't notice shit inside of their houses when they vanish. It's probably something to do with Dom. Vic doesn't give a shit about flying, I don't think. And of course you'd be cursing Al. If I cursed Dom, she'd rip me apart, I think. She's really fucking scary. Veela, werewolfy-thingy and ginger. Not a good combo, mate. Not a good combo."

"Um, no, I think you'll find that I'm so perfect that my parents thought that they couldn't replace me," he said, smirking. "Youngest, only son, heir to the Delacour-Weasley throne, handsomest grandchild... I'm obviously just the jewel of the Weasley family," he teased in a singsong voice. "I understand you're jealous, but you must enjoy my presence."

Louis grinned before stifling a yawn. "It's cos I did shit at school, I can't fucking do anything else," he said, shrugging. "Piss off Quidditch boy. And I liked Peeves. He didn't like me, sure, but I liked him."

He dodged James' hand and laughed, whipping his teatowel towards him. "Dom always did say I was adopted. Obvs true, that."

"Je comprends," he responded, smirking. "I'll hold them hostage til you get there. You can fly down on your little broomstick super fast and we will have a drink at this fine establishment."

"Yeah, not that I'm almost famous and you're just a blood commoner, you do realise that I'm not going to be able to be friends with you for much longer, right? If I don't just completely forget about you I will just have to cut all bonds so my new popular famous friends don't realise how uncool my former best mate is. Though, if it'll make you feel better mate, I'll bring my new mates round here for a drink and you can be our personal bartender."

"You're so macho Louis, always saying how your sister could easily rip you a part. Then again, I'm pretty sure Victoire could as well." James grinned, tapping on his empty glass. "Do your job, Weasley." he paused. "Is my head bigger than it was when I walked in?"

James's grin widened and he nodded his head quickly. "I'd be so up for that. Louis, why are Ravenclaws so fit? What is it with Ravenclaws. Just, if someone tells me they're a Ravenclaw I'll most likely like them. Am I a bad Gryffindor?"