Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter and I make no profit.
NOTE: You don't have to read my other stories in order to read this. If you have not read those, then just note that Alec is his son.
Alec sat on the edge of the chair, swinging his legs back and forth as he watched his father getting ready. Severus was wearing black slacks, a white dress shirt, and a black dinner coat. Since he did not own any eloquent muggle attire, both wizards made a stop at a clothing store that sold exactly what they were looking for. Luckily Severus brought plenty of muggle money to afford the clothes along with the Rolex watch that the service clerk recommended to complete the outfit.
The reservations were at eight o'clock at Le Bistro, which rather was a fancy restaurant. Severus was dressed and ready and it was only seven eighteen, according to the clock. He sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed.
"I feel like a teenager again," he muttered and Alec laughed.
"Don't worry. It will be fine as long as you remember everything I told you. Do you need me to go over it one more time?" Alec asked.
"No. I am a Chemistry teacher who teaches High School students in Scotland. I am on vacation with my eleven-year-son, should she ask," Severus recited.
"As long as you don't say you are a potions teacher, then it will be fine. It's not like a muggle would understand potions but I'm sure Chemistry is just like potions. If she asks specifics--"
Alec's father interrupted, "Then I'll inform her that I teach students theory or some nonsense before allowing them to experiment."
"Okay. Well I think you've got it covered. If she asks you about some muggle thing that you haven't heard of, then just change the subject." The young boy added.
"I am well versed with the art of discreetly changing the subject. I am a Slytherin after all." Severus informed his son, who was enjoying this whole thing.
Alec rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. It's almost seven thirty. Perhaps you should get a head start even though it only takes fifteen minutes to walk there."
Severus stood, "I suppose I will leave. I would rather not leave you here alone but it seems that I have no alternative. If you need me, the restaurants telephone number is on the table. Behave and do not stay up too late." Alec nodded in agreement and watched as his father left.
Severus arrived in front of Le Bistro early. He went inside the restaurant to make sure that their table would be ready as soon as Anne arrived. Once assured, Severus went back outside to wait for his date. He turned his head and saw her walking towards him.
Anne was wearing a silky dark red strapless dress that flowed down just past her knees but stopped short of reaching her ankles. Her strawberry-blond hair was wavy and her sea blue eyes made contact with Severus' onyx ones.
"Good evening," Severus greeted and lightly kissed her outstretched hand. He then moved to open the door for her.
"You are certainly a proper gentleman," Anne replied as she entered the restaurant.
"You look very nice this evening," Severus added.
"Thank you." Anne smiled at him.
The waiter led the way to their table located in a quiet corner. "My name is Michael and I will be your waiter for this evening. Is there anything I can start you with?"
"I would like a glass of Merlot wine, please." Anne requested.
"And for you sir?" Michael asked.
"I will have the same," Severus replied.
"I will be back shortly with your wine." Severus and Anne looked over the menu in silence, neither quite sure what to say. Michael returned with their wine and placed a glass in front of Anne. He went to place the Severus' glass down as well but stumbled and tipped the glass onto his lap. The waiter immediately began apologizing and grabbed towels to clean it up.
"I am so sorry, sir. If it is acceptable, I would like to pay for your dry cleaning bill." Michael offered.
"That will not be necessary," Severus replied, wondering what dry cleaning was. "If you will excuse me for a moment, I would like to use the restroom." Once Severus was in the restroom, he stepped into a stall and spelled away the mess. Since his pants were black, it made it difficult to see the red wine stain that he just removed. He washed his hands before returning to his date. The waiter had cleaned up the mess and supplied Severus with a new glass of Merlot.
"Are you ready to order, sir, miss?" Michael asked. Severus looked to Anne for confirmation and received it.
Anne ordered first, "I would like your salmon le bistro grilled with meuniere butter."
"Would you like a soup or salad with that?"
"Salad with ranch dressing, please."
Michael nodded and turned to Severus, "And for you, sir?"
"I would like filet mignon with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. I would like a salad with ranch dressing as well."
Michael wrote it all down, "I will be back with your salads momentarily."
"Where are you visiting from?" Anne asked.
"Scotland," Severus supplied.
"Just here for vacation, I assume?" She surmised.
"Yes. I came with my son Alec." Severus replied and sipped his wine.
"I love kids," Anne said. "How old is he?"
"He is going to be twelve in October." Severus said. "What do you do for a living?"
"I am a Marine Biologist and I study the sea creatures and their habitats along the ocean floor." She informed him.
"That is a captivating career. My son and I recently explored the ocean and saw various creatures." He added.
"Since you can't breathe underwater, I assume you rented scuba diving gear?" She sipped her wine.
Severus nodded, even though he had no idea what scooba diving gear was. "How much schooling does it require to become a Marine Biologist?"
"It took me four years of schooling before I was able to learn all the information that I needed." She replied. "What about you? What do you do for a living in Scotland?"
"I am a Chemistry teacher at the local high school," Severus responded.
"I was never good at Chemistry. What is it like teaching?"
"I enjoy teaching if the students are willing to learn." Michael arrived with their salads.
"Is there anything I can get for either of you?" The waiter offered.
"No, thank you." Anne said. Severus just shook his head negatively and both began eating their salads. It was silent, with the exception of the clanking silverware and the chatter among people at nearby tables.
After their empty salad plates were taken away, neither quite knew what to say next. "Do you live here or are you visiting?" Severus asked to start a conversation.
"I have lived here for several years. This is a lovely town and I have constant access to the ocean for my research." Anne replied. "Is this your first time visiting here?"
"Yes. My son has never been at the beach before and seeing as it was summer vacation, I assumed he would like to visit," he responded.
"You son is almost twelve and he had never seen the ocean before?" She asked incredulously.
"I did not have custody of him until last June," Severus contributed.
The waiter came over to their table with their food and refilled the wine glasses. Both ate their meal with small talk every once and a while. Both declined dessert and Severus received the check. The restaurant was luxurious and expensive but he brought plenty of muggle money to pay for their meal. On their way out, Severus opened the door for Anne and they began to walk slowly down the street.
"Shall I escort you home?" He offered.
"That would be lovely," Anne replied with a smile.
The trip to her house wasn't very long but considering their small talk and slow pace, it took them twenty minutes. She was curious about the tall, dark-haired handsome man and made sure to ask plenty of questions. Most of the time his answers were short, one word responses, but as they grew more comfortable around each other, he replied with longer sentences. Their time together came to an end when Anne stopped in front of a small white house with a porch and a good-sized front lawn. A black Labrador came bounding towards them when she saw her master.
"This is Lucy. She loves going to the beach with me." Severus held out his hand and Lucy sniffed it.
"Lucy? Does that not mean light in Latin?" He inquired curiously as the dog inspected him.
"It does. I thought that was ironic when I named her that especially since she is all black." She smiled and gave her dog a quick pet on the head. "Go inside." The dog obeyed her and disappeared through the doggie door.
"Thank you for accompanying me this evening." Severus pulled up her hand and kissed it.
"It was my pleasure. Call me if you stop in town again some time." She leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Severus."
"Good night, Anne," Severus replied before beginning the walk home. When he arrived, he found Alec asleep on the couch with a Herbology book in his lap. He marked the page before setting it on the table and gently picked his son up. He tucked Alec in bed and kissed him goodnight before returning to his room.
Severus held onto Anne's number in case he ever worked up enough nerve to call her again. He changed out of his dinner clothes and crawled into bed. Just before drifting off to sleep, he muttered, "I'll have to ask Alec what dry cleaning and scooba diving are…"
So what did you think? Good? Okay? Bad? Should Anne show up later in my stories or should I create another character that Severus might like? Let me know what you think and reviews are appreciated!