Monday evening took forever to arrive. Kathryn spent the entire day swooning over a short 'Merry Christmas xoxo Oliver Wood' that I had forced him to sign the night before. Alice spent the entire day glaring at me. Meanwhile, everyone at Witch Weekly was going berserk with the last issue of the year, which was due by Thursday. Of course, having our fashion editor locked up in la-la-land and the booking editor too jealous to do her work right, the day was a ruddy mess.
"No, no, no, the photo-shoot with Emiliana D'Anore goes after the 'New Year's Eve attire' section. Kathryn specified this last week," I found myself shrieking to Ceres Hurst, the fashion copy editor. "And it this isn't how you spell coalescence. It is 's-c-e-n-c-e-' not 's-s-e-n-s-e'," Ceres yanked the prototype from my hands and strolled away with a huff. I threw myself on my chair and cradled my head with my arms. At this rate, I was not going to make it to dinner with Ethan, and that thought made me downright depressed.
"Where is Kathryn Wotton?" an exasperated voice said. I lifted my eyes up, a snarky comeback already rolling out of my tongue, when my eyes landed on Miranda Winterstorm. She was standing by my desk, holding a large parchment in one hand, the other one resting on her hips.
I stumbled up, hitting my knee against the edge of my desk. "She's having lunch."
Mrs. Winterstorm's steel-grey eyes looked into mine. My knee was aching and my heart was doing summersaults. "Very well," her voice was barely a whisper; a whisper that contained all the power in the magazine world. "Since you know how to properly spell coalescence, I presume you won't' have any difficulties with this," she handed me what she was carrying, and I took it with trembling hands.
I nearly squealed when I read the title. It was Miranda's own New Year's column – she wrote one for every edition, always about a topic that elevated the magazine further. This month's, it was about the closing of a year of death and rebirth. And I would be the first to read it!
"What is your name?"
I looked up, aware that glee must have shown in my face, and I blushed. "Elizabeth Montieth."
"And you are-?"
"Kathryn's personal assistant," my cheeks heated up further.
Well, Miss Montieth, I expect that proofread and edited by four o'clock. Miss Small will leave it on my desk," with a flippant gesture of her hand towards Alice, Mrs. Winterstorm sauntered away. I watched her leave not believing my luck. She trusted me to edit her column! And what was more, by the way Alice was fuming, this was a big deal.
Mrs. Winterstom's column took me two hours to edit, because I wanted to ensure it would be done correctly. Kathryn was gone from the office and Alice was busy sorting out owls and preparing some of the models for next month's shoot. Unlike most of the other departments, which published large articles weekly, the fashion department did a simple 'how-to' and newest buys weekly, and a large photo-shoot which took two weeks to organize on the last edition of the month. Seeing as we were scrambling to get it in order before the year finished, not having our chief editor before it went to the Editorial Department for a final approval was a downside.
But I didn't care. Because I was personally editing Mrs. Winterstorm's column – a privilege that only chief editors got. Word had spread, so that Diana and Primrose took some time of their busy day to come and see. Diana squealed and gave me a hug, congratulating me (such a Hufflepuff) while Primrose looked red in the face.
By three-thirty I deposited the finished parchment on Alice's desk. I had made sure to stamp the time it was finished with my wand so Alice couldn't sabotage me. Kathryn had come back from her extended lunch by then and thought the whole thing was brilliant. "I'm so proud of you," she said hugging me. "I knew you were a good hire. What did Miranda say when I wasn't here? Not that I mind, I hate having to proofread, it's so boring. I much rather do spreads…"
The last two hours of work flew by, and at five thirty I was home searching through my wardrobe and coming up with nothing. I had sent Willow an owl two days ago, but she said she was too busy to help me get ready. Gwen was stuck at St. Mungo's until ten, which rendered me girlfriendless. I grabbed three dresses, one black, one white, and one blue and stormed out of my room.
Adrian, Oliver and Corey were watching some muggle sport. "Oi you lot, I need help," I dumped the dresses on top of Adrian who called me a nasty name. "I can't decide what to wear."
"If you are dressing for a bloke," Adrian pulled the dresses off of his head and threw them over to Corey. "Then I suggest go starkers; he'll like it more."
I wacked him in the head, and grabbed the first dress, talking only to Corey and Oliver. "Blue?"
Oliver shrugged. Corey stood up and walked over me, taking the dress from my hands and laying it vertically over my body. "Good color, but the fabric looks worn out," he threw it over his head; it landed on Adrian's. "White and black are a no-no. You want to impress this bloke, not blend in," he grabbed me by the shoulders and steered me towards my room. "But worry not, Elizabeth, we shall find something that'll make you shine in that massive closet of yours."
It took Corey two hours to finally settle on an old red dress that William had given me for Christmas. He had it magically altered so it didn't look like a sack of potatoes, and I had to admit that it looked classy and sexy; just the right thing to wear for a first date. "Leave you hair up, put some earrings on and some red lipstick," he said, waving his wand and making all my clothes re-arrange themselves neatly on the closet. My mouth hung open. I needed to learn that spell. "Then come outside and dazzle them all."
I twisted my hair into a bun after Corey left, and fished some earrings from my jewellery box. It hadn't really been updated since my Hogwarts days, and a fair percentage of it had been thrown out since they had been presents from Terrence. I grabbed a pair of heels and checked the watch. It was seven thirty-eight; Ethan should be here in two minutes, and I was hoping to meet him outside of the flat so Adrian wouldn't have time to embarrass me.
The doorbell rang the second I put a foot out of my room. I saw Adrian grin from the corner of my eye. "Don't bother, I'll open," I grunted.
"Elizabeth wait," Corey was jumping off of the sofa and running towards me. He grabbed my hand and twirled me around so I was standing in front of him; he looked so small, I never imagined he was this strong. His arms were holding my hands away from my body, so the renovated dress could be seen. "Opinions? Comments?"
"You look like a tomato."
"Burn in hell Adrian," I snapped Corey's arms away from me and walked past him, my cheeks felt warm. Oliver had taken one look, and then returned all his attention to the telly and I was unsure how I felt about it. How are you supposed to feel when an old flame prefers watching muggle football rather than checking you out? I pulled a long, black wool coat from the hanger and checked that I my handbag had the essentials, mainly, emergency make up and my wand. "See you lot later," I called out before opening the door.
Ethan was holding a single red rose. If he didn't look damn handsome in a dark set of navy robes, I would have snorted. Cliché much? "You look beautiful, Elizabeth," he said before placing a chaste kiss on my cheeks. "You can probably throw this inside your handbag; my flatmate insisted I bring you one, but I always thought they became cumbersome after the first three seconds."
I laughed. "Indeed they do," I took the rose form him and smelled it; then I threw it inside my handbag. Ethan helped me put my coat on. I relished in the hearty smell of pine emanating from him. He offered me his arm to take after I had finished buckling the belt and I took it.
"Let's apparate now," he said, "And save your feet the staircase. That thing is monstrous."
"It keeps me in shape."
Ethan chuckled and I tightened my grip on his arm. I had only a vague idea of where the Queen of Pentacles was located, and I really didn't fancy splinching. I wanted him to look at my body whole, not torn into pieces. "Ready?" I nodded and we turned to the left in unison. We were engulfed in the familiar sensation of asphyxiation before being released onto the cold street. My feet landed on the cobblestones a bit uneasily, and Ethan caught me. "It's just a block away from here, shouldn't be too much of a hassle."
I arched an eyebrow. "Let's go then," I pulled on his sleeve towards the street. We had apparated to one of the many crooks in London, so if muggles were to see us they'd just think naughty. My cheeks flustered, and I was thankful it was dark and cold and I had an alibi.
It turns out the Queen of Pentacles was located in the middle of a small suburban park. Ethan marched through the snow covered ground without hesitation. I had to hold onto his shoulder not to trip. He came to a full stop in front of a big tree. I watched him press a finger against the bark. I scrunched my eyes and managed to catch a glimpse of a small pentacle etched on it. "Reservation for two, under the name of Sweeting, please," he said.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the tree opened up like the doors in my wardrobe. There was a steep wooden staircase inside. "Ladies first, or would you rather I go first, so if you fall I can soften the blow?"
"Number two, please."
Ethan walked inside the tree and turned around to offer me his hand. I took it and carefully stepped in. My feet were frozen, and it was hard to manoeuvre the stairs with my heels. I placed both hands on Ethan's back to steady myself. "Careful, we are almost done," he said after three minutes of concentrating on not falling down.
I could hear the clinging of glasses and the murmurs of people. Ethan stepped off the staircase and waited for me at the bottom. I tried not to blush and imagine myself a princess, but it was hard not to. The Queen of Pentacles was a cave beneath the park; you could see trees roots on the ceiling from where thousands of small lamps were handing in crisscross. The effect was like being inside a fairy hollow. "It's beautiful."
Ethan smiled and clasped my hand in his. I followed him while he spoke to the matron, but my attention was still focused on the room. The smell of earth intertwined with food was succulent. And the dim light from the ceiling seemed to create dancing shadows across people's faces. Ethan and I were led to a small table towards the middle of the room. Each table was on a different level, as if the floor wasn't properly even, with moulds of earth surrounding it to give some privacy. Ethan pushed a chair back and offered me the seat.
I was shrugging my coat off when a waiter came in. "Anything to drink?"
"How about some elf-wine?" Ethan asked. I nodded. "A bottle, please."
"So if I recall correctly," I said playing with my wine glass. The waiter had returned with our bottle so fast I was certain he had been apparating. "Last time you were telling me about your Quidditch days."
Ethan chuckled. "You say it like it's all in the past." I arched an eyebrow and took a sip of the wine. "Well, yes, they are mostly. I do play with some friends from time to time. How about you? Ever played?"
I placed my glass down, leaving my hand halfway down the table and close to Ethan's own. "I was terrified of flying until seventh year, actually. Failed flying lessons in first year and all."
"And what happened during seventh year?"
"I blackmailed Adrian Pucey to teach me to fly."
Ethan's eyes bulged. "As in Puddlemere's chaser Adrian Pucey?" I nodded, giving him a coy smile. "Blimey. That move he did against the Magpies was brilliant."
"I wouldn't tell him that though, it may go over his head. His ego is big enough as is," a small bell chimed nearby. I craned my neck to try and see where it was coming from, but nobody else seemed to have heard it.
"It means the food is about to appear," Ethan said, bringing his hands to the side of his empty plate. "I suggest you take your hands back, or your salad will appear on top of dress."
I sprung backwards, bringing both hands to rest on my lap. A second later, the food appeared on our places. Ethan grabbed his glass and raised it. "For a lovely dinner."
We eat about half of our meal, mostly because we spend the entire time chatting. We spoke of Hogwarts fiascos, of Quidditch. "I hear Puddlemere is being reckoned as the most likely candidate to win the United Kingdom Cup this summer."
"They are having one hell of a season."
He was in the middle of telling me a really funny story about one of the first patients he had seen as a trainee (an old witch who had squid tentacles coming out of her head) when the waiter arrived. "Would you like any desert?"
Ethan and I looked at our half-empty plates. "They do make a brilliant chococlate-volcano cake if you'd like to share." Share? Chocolate cake?
"Yes, please." Our plates were cleaned by magic, and disappeared. I was not sure what time it was, only that the room had grown quieter and I could make out some of the music. "And what happened when you tried to remove the tentacles?" I asked before finishing the wine in my glass. Ethan topped me over with what was left in the bottle before answering.
"Turns out she was trying to turn herself into medusa for a Halloween party – she got parts of the spell right though, those tentacles tried to wrap themselves around my throat before I could finally get them burned off."
I placed a hand on my mouth to stifle a snort. "At least you didn't turn to stone."
"Yes, imagine what a pity that would be."
"Mmhm."
His hand inched forward to where mine was laying. I felt the now familiar wave of butterflies trapped in my stomach. Then the chocolate-volcano cake appeared, splashing molten chocolate on both our arms. "Bugger," I muttered and took the napkin off of my lap to dab at my arm. I saw that Ethan was doing the same. We looked up at the same time, and burst out laughing.
"You have chocolate on your nose," he said. Mortified, I tried cleaning it with my napkin, but he only laughed harder. "Here, let me do it," he rose up from his chair and leaned forward. Ethan took my napkin from my hands, making me shiver, and began dabbing at my nose. We were so close I could see the specks of green in his hazel eyes which were fixed down on my nose with the precision you could only find in a healer. When he sat back down, I felt all the contents of my stomach drop.
Sharing the chocolate cake turned out to be an adventure; it liked erupting chocolate whenever we were taking too long, which turned the whole eating into a messy race. "Now you have chocolate all over your mouth," I said in between giggles, still holding spoonful of cake up in the air.
"Mm," Ethan licked his lips. "Care to help me out?"
"What's in it for me?"
"Slytherins, always in it for the profit, aren't you?"
I looked at him over my fringe. "Maybe." He pouted and I laughed. Putting my spoon aside, I stood up and bent over the table, stealing his napkin. It had seemed a lot easier for Ethan to reach, as he was a couple of inches taller than me even with my heels, but I managed. His eyes were focused on some spot on my face that made me blush and my hands shake while I cleaned the mess that was his cheek. I was almost done when he placed some melted chocolate on the corner of my lips.
"Oh dear, what I mess I made," my eyes flickered over to his. They were rounded with mischief. "I suppose I'll have to clean that, don't I?"
I tried to mould my features into that of annoyance, but my mouth kept breaking into an insane grin. "Yes, yes you do."
He looked down at this guilty finger still full of chocolate, then back up to my face. My heart stopped beating in anticipation. I was watching him as if slow motion as he gripped my chin with his other hand, pulling me down. His own face moved upwards to meet me, and I closed my eyes as his lips brushed lightly against mine, making me shiver. Ethan pulled away, and I opened my eyes. He was smirking smugly. I sat back down and pretended to be affronted. "You just took advantage of me."
"Yes, what a ravisher I am," he laughed, and I joined in too. We played with the chocolate cake until it was finished and it was time to pay. I didn't bother to try and insist I pay and it didn't look as if Ethan cared as he put some gold on the table. He stood up before me and offered me his hand. As he had done at the entrance of my house, he helped me into my coat and we made our way up the deathly stairs.
The park at this time was empty. Ethan was holding my hand as we walked back down to the alley where we could apparate. There was a warmth in my belly that I had frankly gone unaccustomed to. I knew I was flashing a giddy grin that would make any fifteen-year old girl proud, but I didn't give a damn. When he placed a hand on my back so we could apparate back to my place, I sucked my breath in, savouring the closeness.
It began snowing, and neither of us moved a muscle.
"Aren't we going?" I asked, my eyes fluttering open. Ethan was staring right at me, one hand on my back, the other still clutching my hand. He let go of it and cupped my cheek. My breathing increased and I ceased to be aware of my surroundings.
"It's just," he said with a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. All my blood seemed to have coagulated somewhere around my chest, where it was constricting my lungs from proper breathing. "I don't know-"
"Don't know what?" I struggled to say. Ethan's eyes locked with mine again, and he pushed a strand of hair away from my face. My hand, resting on his shoulder, scrunched the fabric of his coat.
"It's just – it's only the first date," his voice was low and rusty. Tremors were running down through my spine where his hand was making small circles. And they say Slytherin's are conniving. "But I really want to kiss you and- I know if I don't, I'm going to regret it."
I released a long breath I wasn't aware I had been holding. His eyes flickered down to my half-open mouth, before he bent down. My eyes closed tight, and I pulled him closer to me as our lips met. A small gasp escaped me, and he pulled away, taking his warm and moist breath away. I yanked him by the neck and forced his lips to crash on mine. I felt him smile against my lips.
"Well, that's one thing I can cross of my to-do list," Ethan said with a small laugh. I opened my eyes to mock him, but he interrupted me by placing another kiss on my lips, softer and gentler than before. I tangled my fingers amongst his mop of brown hair and pulled on it. "We could have done without that."
I rolled my eyes and kissed him again. He chuckled against my lips. His hand gripped my elbows and pulled me towards him. My feet caught with his, and I fell down; he caught me, his back crashing against the brick wall of the building. "Well if I knew you liked it rough..." I whacked his arm and kissed him again for what seemed like ages. By the time we separated, I couldn't feel my toes. Ethan bit his lower lip while he rearranged my fringe. "I reckon I should take you home before I can't stop myself."
"Drama queen."
He grinned wickedly. "You still have to learn just how much," he gave me a quick peck on the lips, before we both turned and disapparated. The hallway of my flat came into view much too soon. I was having a wicked time standing close enough to him that I could count his eyelashes. "And here is where I leave you." He leaned in to kiss me, and I took a hold of his neck, bent on not letting go.
"What if we miss work tomorrow?" I said in between kisses and lip-pulling.
"Tempting, but it isn't school. We won't just lose points," he replied, placing one last kiss on my lips before pulling apart. I tried pouting and my best puppy-face but he only smiled.
"Fine," I said, pulling away from him. "Bloody Ravenclaws and their sense of responsibility."
"You think we're just stuck up bookworms don't you?"
"And mental. Haven't you met my cousin?"
"Can't say the genetic connection doesn't concern me…" I closed the distance between us, still smiling, and had just managed to place my lips on his when the door swung open.
"Oh Merlin, my eyes," I jerked away from Ethan with all the speed of a bleeding Firebolt. Adrian, Corey and Oliver were standing by the door; the first one was trying to claw at his eyes, the second one looked like it was Christmas day again and the third one was pretending to stare at the crown moulding. I grated my teeth.
"Can I help you?" I said through clenched teeth, trying to keep Ethan behind me in a vain attempt for him not to see the idiots I had the misfortune of living with.
"You could try getting a ruddy room-"
"We thought we heard noises-"
"You have to come in for tea!" Corey screeched and squeezed past the two bigger blokes to yank on Ethan's arm. "We must meet you, and you know, tell you that if you hurt our dearest Elizabeth we'll have to chase you with beater bats and that sort of thing-"
"Corey-"
He eyed me for a brief second with the same expression of a deer. "What? Isn't that what friends are for?"
I wished I could kill him right on the spot. Thankfully, Ethan didn't seem too affronted. "Yes, well, I would say the same to any bloke who'd dared touch my sister," he said with a smile, prying Corey's hands away from him.
"They're not my brothers," I muttered, shivering at the thought of what those two would do.
Ethan's eyebrows rose. "Oh."
"These," I said, grabbing his arm and using my free hand to point at the two retards standing by the door and the one practically jumping with glee in front of us. "Are my flatmates. Oliver, Adrian, and Corey. You've met Oliver."
"Wotcher-"
"Nice to see you again, I guess-"
"So tea?'
"Um," Ethan mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "It's lovely to meet you, but I have to be at the hospital at six-"
"That's English for get lost."
Adrian and Oliver exchanged a mocking glance, before the former grabbed Corey by the back of his shirt and dragged him in. I waited until the door was shut to let a small frustrated scream escape my lips. I turned to face Ethan, humiliation tinting my cheeks. "I am so sorry."
"So you live with three blokes?"
I shrugged. "You've met Oliver- he was Daisy's owner. And Adrian and I have been friends since the cradle-"
"Was that Adrian Pucey?"
I placed both hands on my hips and arched an eyebrow. "I thought you said you were a Puddlemere fan?" He shrugged. "Yes, that was Adrian Pucey; Oliver Wood and Corey Withers – you can say I am on good terms with the team."
Ethan nodded his head slowly, a hand scratching his chin. "You have an interesting set of friends."
"Yes well, Adrian and I bought the flat when we graduated from Hogwarts – and what with the war and-"
But Ethan had raised his hand. I eyed him with narrowed eyes. "You bought the flat with him?"
"Well, the papers say it's ours - although it's probably sixty-forty now, what with him having a much larger income and me not being in Britain during the war…" Ethan looked thoughtful for a moment. I felt my belly tighten up; if those idiots ruined this for me… then again, why should he care about my real estate investments? "Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes," he said with a smile that warmed me up. He grabbed my chin and pulled me in for a soft kiss. "I'm just tired, and I do have to get up in less than eight hours for a gruelling twelve-hour shift so…" I knew a goodbye when it presented itself in the form of a gorgeous healer who had just snogged me like we were back at Hogwarts. "I'll see you soon, alright?" he took a hold of my hand and kissed the back of it. I tried smiling honestly, but wasn't quite sure I pulled it off. With one last smile, Ethan turned to his left and disappeared with a loud 'pop'.
I stared at the spot where he had been, feeling deflated. Thinking that a good yelling match with my flatmates would be the way to cheer me up, I walked back into the flat. They were all sitting around in the same position I had left them couple of hours ago, and from where they shouldn't have moved. "He's cute."
"Thanks Corey," I muttered while shrugging my coat off and hanging it. Adrian was snickering and munching on some choco-balls, while Oliver was flipping channels.
"He seemed into you."
"He was until you lot had to come in and ruin it," I shooed Oliver over so I could sit down. He threw me a look which I replied with a glare. "You just had to go and scare him off after the first date? You couldn't wait?"
"If he's scared off by us, then he's not worth your time," Adrian said in between munches. I reached past Oliver to steal the bowl from him and began throwing choco-balls at him. "Stop that woman, you're wasting food!"
"Besides," Corey said from behind me. I looked over my shoulder, and Adrian stole the bowl of choco-balls. It wouldn't take too long before I got some tangled in my hair. "I don't believe your lipstick can hold its color for four hours, which means your lips are red for a whole different reason."
A choco-ball hit my cheek, but I ignored it. Instead, I felt my cheeks warming up. "I don't see you denying it," Corey said lying back against the sofa with a smug smirk. "So I guess your dry run is coming to an end, huh?"
Adrian snickered. "You know what?" I said, getting up; three choco-balls fell to the floor. "I don't need to report anything. I'm going to bet," whistles and catcalls followed me all the way to my room. I leaned against the closed door, trying to catch my breath. If the entire evening had gone amazingly, why did I have this nagging feeling that something screwed up had happened?
A small tap interrupted my thoughts. There was an owl tapping the window with its peak. I walked towards it and opened the window, letting it inside. The owl flew to my desk and extended its leg. Wondering who would send me a message at close to midnight on a Monday morning, I took it and read it. Relief washed over me.
"Dear Elizabeth,
I had a wonderful time tonight, and I hope you did too. I was wondering if you'd be free this Saturday? I have it off, and would love to learn more about you. We can do whatever you'd like.
Hoping you have nice dreams,
E.S."
I squealed and scurried to write a hasty note. "I'd love to. Sweet dreams, E.M." I attached the note on the owl's leg, and it flew before I could pet it. I closed the door and threw myself on top of my bed, hugging my pillow and sighing contentedly. Any trace of uneasiness washed away with new found delight.