Chapter 3 - A Different View
It was a quarter pass seven, and Ariel was excited and ready to go. She had got dressed and did her hair an hour before hand and was just waiting anxiously for time to pass. She was wearing a summer dress, it was white with different colored flowers floating down to the frills at the end. Her hair was in long swirls with a ribbon curled in.
She looked in the mirror and examined her face for any flaws.
"What am I doing?" Ariel said, quickly straightening upward. "I'm going to hang out with my brother and Mister I'm-So-Charming. Why does it matter if I look smashing or not?" She have a sharp nod to herself in the mirror before leaving the bathroom.
It was now ten till 7:30. Ariel grabbed her purse and wand, and went downstairs to find David. She looked around and it seemed that no one was home. Ariel assumed her parents were out and David was already with Oliver at the Three Broomsticks. She shrugged, took a deep breath, and with a loud crack, she disapparited.
She arrived in front of the of the shop in Hogsmeade and looked around for her brother before going in. It was crowded, and Ariel looked for them again, but still couldn't see them. She took a table in the back, but made sure she was still visible for when they would arrive.
"Can I get you anything?" Said a barmaid, startling Ariel who was looking around for her late company.
"Pardon?"
"What do you want?" She rephrased, looking to be in a hurry. She had a notepad hovering beside her with a pen ready to take an order.
"Um, three butterbeers will do. Oh! Not all for me, my brother is coming and his friend." Ariel added after seeing the barmaid raise her eyebrows in a questionable fashion. The notepad scratched down the order and the piece of paper ripped off and flew to the back. The pad continued to follow around the woman.
At last, Oliver walked into the shop. He looked around for Ariel with his hands half in his front pants pockets. He caught sight of her in the back and waved. He turned to talk to the barmaid and pointed in Ariel's direction.
"Pardon my tardiness, but unfortunately David could not make it tonight. He sends his sorrows and told me to tell you he'll try to make it next time."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear... " Ariel said rolling her eyes without Oliver noticing. Couldn't make it, that's rubbish, she thought. David's probably did this on purpose to get us alone.
"The git.." Ariel said aloud.
"Sorry?"
"I didn't say anything." Ariel said rubbing the back of her head looking away.
"How are you this evening?" Oliver asked.
"Alright. How are you?" Ariel
"Same, same. Glad to have a break from the games. I love Quidditch, but sometimes even I need some time off, you know what I mean?"
"Absolutely. Do you need a drink? I could get the barmaid." Ariel said.
"No, I'm fine. I ordered before I sat down." Oliver said, looking behind him to see if the woman was coming yet. "So, David tells me your parents are Muggles. What's that like?" He asked turning back around.
"Fantastic. It's the best of both worlds. No offense(take offense! she thought), but you, like most wizards without Muggle contact, have no idea about Muggle anything and likewise with Muggles to wizarding things. I feel that I have a more choices of - of careers, and houses, and - and Muggle and wizarding lifestyles. Its brilliant!"
"That does sound 'brilliant'!" Oliver said chuckling. "I have to say, I believe most wizard don't think about it that way. Kind of different, you know, for you to think about it. Really neat actually."
The barmaid then walked over and set Oliver's drink on the table. He said thanks and she replied with a "Mhmm.." before walking away to another table.
"Really?" Ariel said, genuinely smiling. "I have to say that it was pretty funny to see my parent's expression when my brother got his letter. They were rather surprised when an owl flew in through our window. My mother was cooking in the kitchen and my father was reading a newspaper. He nearly fell off his chair. I was only seven, so I was more disappointed that the owl flew away before I had to opportunely to pet it."
"Sounds like a good old time" Oliver said, laughing. "My parents are both magic folk, so I was waiting and dreaming of the day when an owl would come and give me my letter. I was thrilled when it finally did arrive, my dad did fall off his chair, but not because of it being a surprise. Trust me, we have strange owls filling in and out of my home all time. This particular one just happen to run right into my fathers head."
"Blimey, have pay a thousand Galleons to see that, I would." Ariel said laughing. "Hey listen, I apologize for what happen this morning.."
"No worries, mate. We all are clumsy in some way or another. You just happen to give people in your reach bruises." He said, smiling. "And if you think about it, if you hadn't, we wouldn't be having such a fantastic evening."
Ariel blushed at his comment, and pulled her hair behind her left ear out of habit. She was actually having a great time. Oliver wasn't bragging about how great he is in Quidditch, or seem self-centered in anyway. He was actually really quite charming.
When they finished, Oliver payed and they left. Oliver and Ariel walked around Hogsmeade, looking at the shops and people. Occasionally stopping and chatting with some witch or wizard that knew Oliver. When they continued walking, they walk out of the village and pasted the trees to the edge of the forest. Stopping and sitting on a large log, they looked out into the mountain view.
"Merlin's beard, these summer nights are getting chilly, huh?" Ariel said rubbing her arms.
"Are you cold? Here." Oliver began to take off his jacket, and put it around Arie's shoulders.
"T-Thank you." Ariel said in amazement. She really was completely wrong about him.
"Don't worry about it!" He then looked out to the mountain view. "So, what do you do now that you're not in school?"
"There's the question of the century." Ariel said looking down and scuffing her feet on the ground. "This may not said very ambitious, I want to be something simple, you know? Like a stay home mother, or something. I really just want to raise a family. I know before all that, I want to do something great. I just don't know where to start or what that great thing even is."
"That's alright. I consider myself lucky to be in Quidditch, I'd have no idea what I'm going to do afterward. I'm as lost as you are" Oliver said, putting his arm around Ariels shoulders. They both looked out at the mountains again.
"This is so lovely" Ariel said after awhile, gazing out. "Simply gorgeous."
"Yeah.." Oliver said, but not to the view. His face slowly began to move toward Ariel's.
"I'm having a great time, by the way." She said, turning to face Oliver. He quickly looked away in random directions while rubbed the back of his head with his free arm.
"Yeah - Yes, yes. It's been quite the evening." Oliver said, not looking her.
"You alright?" Ariel asked, noticing Oliver was basically talking to a tree.
"Of course, of course. It's just - uh" He looked into her eyes. "Just uh -" Their faces moved closer together gradually. "Just getting late." Oliver suddenly bailed on the scene, looking at his feet.
"Right.." Ariel said disappointed. "Oh, here's your jacket back." Ariel stood up, and started toward over to him when she tripped over a branch on the log, falling, once again onto Oliver.
Her hands landed on his shoulders, and he caught her around the waist. She stood up straight, but their grip on each other didn't let up. Oliver looked deep into her greens eyes which were only inches from his. Before Ariel could say anything clever to save her from further embarrassment, Oliver's lips were to hers.
A/N
How cute :3
I think I'm going to update Sunday afternoons, unless I have like writers block or my hands fall off..
Review and tell your friends ;D
Until next week! D.U.
