Title: First Date
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Own none
Part: 4
A/N: I know the last chapter was a bit PWPish but this is nice G rated. It gives me warm fuzzies.
James was in a major hurry. He threw his tie around his neck, pocketed his wand and took a last glance at the mirror before rushing out of his room as quickly as possible. The last couple days had been a bit stressful from so many people at his house that he had hardly been able to talk to Cissa about what had happened. When the chance presented itself, it was usually awkward and James made excuses to leave. The date, which he was late for, was looming closer and he realized that he would have to face the music sooner or later in the night.
He finally arrived at Narcissa's door, gave a loud knock and stood back, waiting for her to open it.
Cissa jumped, when the knock came, her stomach a little tight with nervousness. Smoothing any wrinkles in her blue sundress, she grabbed her sandals and strapped them on. Cissa had begun to think he wouldn't show, due to the fact that every time she tried to speak with him, James became rather speechless and ran off.
Another look in the mirror and Cissa turned the knob and opened the door. "You're late." She said in way of greeting.
He had been concentrating on tying his tie when she opened the door. Technically, with what he had planned, he didn't really need a tie. In reality, he thought it was cool and flashy. His head snapped up and he grinned sheepishly. His tie was lying on his robes, in a knotty mess with his finger stuck somewhere inside. "Erm, sorry. My tie isn't working," he said lamely. He gave a pitiful last tug and finally gave up, thinking he must look incredibly silly. "Think you could help? It ate me finger."
She shook her head and carefully extracted his finger from the knots, then quickly retied it. "6 years of wearing a tie in school and you still can't tie one on your own." She tightened it just enough so that it wasn't choking him and stepped back, admiring her work. "So, where are we going?"
He looped her arm through his and smiled as a thank you for tying his tie. As the walked down the stairs, James picked up a basket that was sitting on the landing and said, "We're going on a picnic! I've packed us a nice dinner and we're going up to the park," he explained, hoping she would like the idea.
Cissa grinned, rather impressed. "You packed a lunch?" James nodded, swinging the basket slightly. "How do I know you won't poison me?" She squinted in the bright afternoon sun as they left through the side door.
"You won't know until your writhing on the ground, clutching your stomach," he said, laughing. They started walking down the road, idly looking around and enjoying the sites and sounds. By the look of the setting sun, you could tell that night fall was going to be perfect for picnics.
Cissa giggled at that, tentatively laying her head on his arm as they walked. It was still rather warm, and she wondered briefly if she should've brought a cardigan or something. "So how have you been lately?" She asked as he looked around for a spot to set up.
"I'm been good, if a little busy," he commented. "It's a hassle housing so many kids, you know?" Ahh, he thought. And the awkward conversation starts.
"You sound like your mother." She teased, poking him in the side. "And yes, you have been busy. Especially when I try talking to you and you get that look on your face." Like you're terrified to be around me...
He scratched his head a bit and said, "What look? There's no look, trust me. Everything's fine! We're here to have fun," he reinforced. Get a hold of yourself he chided, silently. it's not that big of a deal.
He took a deep breath, shook himself mentally and continued walking, having a different perspective on the date.
Sighing, Cissa did not continue the conversation at the moment. She didn't want to say anything stupid or ruin the date. Instead, she focused her gaze on a pair of children racing to see who could get across the obstacle course faster. Two little boys with sun bleached hair and dirty denim overalls. "So... what fun are we going to have?"
He laughed evilly, but quickly stopped when he started getting evil looks from Narcissa and some random kids. "We're going to have lots of fun. We'll be eating, and drinking and running around. And some other things I can think of," he hinted, winking a bit and nudging Cissa.
She rolled her eyes. "Your laugh is an evil laugh." Cissa said jealously. "Curse your sudden yet inevitably acquired talent. Is inevitably even a word?" They stopped by a rather large maple tree near the abandoned playground. Some of the swings still swung, their riders running off not that long ago.
"Obviously it's evil. I should of been sorted into Slytherin, eh?" he joked. "And yes, inevitably is a word." He then noticed the reason for stalling and grinned childishly. Grabbing Narcissa's hand, he dragged her over to the swings and plopped himself on the nearest one.
Shaking her head at the childish look in his eyes, she walked behind him and pressed his back. "You're too heavy, you worthless lump." She laughed, walking back in front of him. "What are you going to do now?"
He covered his mouth in mock offence, but promptly started swinging his legs, the swing and him getting higher and higher with his pump. "Take up a swing, Cissa!" he yelled.
Another roll of her eyes and she plopped on the swing next to him and pumped her legs, pushing off the ground every now and then. "You're such a kid." she called as their swings went past on another.
"Aww, you're just jealous of my cute demeanor. You secretly wish you can be as cute as me," he teased, ruffling her hair as they passed each other once more.
"Me jealous of you?" She squeaked, chuckling. "Jealous of your family, but not of you." She ducked her head when he tried grabbing her hair again.
"Yar, your family's not that great, is it? That's ok. You're part of my family now, whether you want it or not." Looking off to the horizon, he started pumping harder, trying to see over the trees.
She smiled, letting herself just swing for awhile. This was nice, just swinging with the birds beginning to quiet down and the sounds beginning to fade as the sun set. It was quiet that she was beginning to miss. The Potter House was far from quiet and she finally began to appreciate the quiet. "So... what do we have to eat?"
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm a terrible cook. Therefore, we have simple ham or tuna sandwiches, a stolen pie that was supposed to be for dinner and magically cooled ice cream," he listed off, making sure he got everything.
"Ooh, ice cream." She raised a brow, looking at him. "You should be able to say the right name this time, right?" Laughing at the bewildered look on his face, she jumped off the swing when it was slow enough for her not to go tumbling across the ground. "You coming?"
He nodded fervently, and leaped off his swing, landing on the ground with a catlike grace. Arriving at the basket, he quickly spread out a blanket and unpacked all the food. He chose a tuna sandwich and poured himself and drink and waited for Cissa to choose something before starting.
She peered in and grabbed a tuna sandwich for herself before plopping down on the blanket across from him. "Ducks." She pointed out, biting into her food. "Over there. Two by two." What the hell are you talking about, you psycho? she scolded herself. Ducks!
"Ducks?" He started laughing and threw a piece of bread at her. "You're bonkers, you know that? You're the only person I know who would start talking about ducks walking two by two."
She blushed and polished off half of her sandwich rather quickly. "But there are ducks. Walking. Two by two." She turned back to where they were moments before and frowned. "And now they've gone into the pond."
"You've gone crazy. It's cute," he said, smiling teasingly. He waved at the ducks to show that he could be just as crazy and then finished off his tuna sandwich. Pulling out the ice cream, he foraged for two spoons and handed one to Cissa.
"I'm glad you enjoy my waning sanity, Mr. Potter." She laughed, sticking her spoon into her mouth to warm it up before stabbing it into the ice cream.
They both sat there in silence, enjoying each other's company and the cookie dough ice cream for a couple minutes. James really didn't want to break the silence, since it was so comforting. He glanced at Cissa and smiled inwardly, knowing how much she loved cookie dough.
She sighed, sucking absently on her spoon after her ice cream had melted and gazing at the purplish clouds, a signal that night would be falling soon. The crickets had ever so gradually begun to chirp and the birds had fallen silent nearly 10 minutes ago. "It's so quiet here." She whispered, as if afraid to break the silence. She spooned some more ice cream in her mouth and lay back against the blanket.
He also lay beside her, not touching her or looking at her. He just gazed up at the sky, catching the first stars of the evening, which were slowly appearing like little light bulbs. "Yeah, It's nice, isn't it?" he whispered back, taking a deep breath and inhaling the earthy goodness.
Sighing, Cissa toed off her sandals and sat up, pulling her legs to her chest and laying her head on her knees, looking at him. It was now or never "Are you scared of me?" she asked gently, hating that she was ruining the wonderful evening.
"Why would I be scared of you, Cissa?" he asked, concerned. He frowned and sat up, waiting for her answer.
She shrugged. "Ever since... that night, you've been busy and every time I try to talk with you, you run away." She looked at him. "Far away. Did I freak you out or something? If I was being too forceful..."
He chuckled and hugged her, encircling his hands all around her and bringing her close to him. "I was just afraid I was too forceful. I didn't want to make it more awkward. I mean, I took it too far, right? And I was afraid I had ruined it and didn't want to face it."
"No, you didn't take it too far. You were fine. I just stopped you before you got too far." She sighed again and they lapsed back into silence for a few minutes. "I actually enjoyed it." She offered, turning a little so her back was pressed against his chest. "It was nice. As far as I'm willing to go for right now. Which I guess is really far."
"Almost far enough not to be able to turn back. But I enjoyed it too and I respect that it's the farthest you're willing to go right now," he said softly. He placed his chin lightly on her head and stared off into the distance.
"Thanks." Cissa replied, looking toward the playground. "I bet I can get to the top of the jungle gym before you."
"You're on," he said loudly. He quickly jumped up and pushed her down (not too harshly), running as quick as the wind to the jungle gym, laughing like a maniac the whole way.
Cissa jumped up and ran as fast as she could after him. She was smaller and more... aerodynamic than he was. She cackled in a rather evil, Slytherin way her father would be proud of as she got in front of him and dove at the ladder, scrambling up like a monkey. She was thankful she had taken her shoes off earlier.
Ah, the shoes are what made him lose. He was obviously stronger then her and could probably beat her in climbing. But as soon as he got on the third step, he slipped and toppled down. Recovering quickly, he tried climbing up as fast as he could only to realize that Narcissa was already sitting up there with a smug look upon her face. "Damn you, woman. You beat me. Now I shall crush you..."
"Hurt me, make me feel cheap." She chirped, wiggling her toes at him. "And you, a seeker. Aren't you supposed to be small and fast?" The air had begun to cool slightly as night began to descend and she shivered. But whether it was from the cold or something else, she wasn't sure. Looking down the tube slide, she contemplated how she should go down if he were to tackle her.
"No, I'm not supposed to be light and fast because I'm a bloody chaser. Seriously, why doesn't anyone know that?" he asked, making Cissa wonder if he was being serious or not. "I'm joking," he finally said, cracking a grin. You don't pay attention to Quidditch much, do you?"
She shook her head. "Can't play. Don't really watch any games. I did see the final one of the year though. I've just been busy trying not to fail."
"You're failing?" he asked, heaving himself to a sitting position on top of the jungle gym. "Nice view," he said to himself, looking around
She popped her head up over the side railing, looking at all the park. She couldn't see as much as James. "I finally got the hang of transfiguration and I'm doing rather well. I've got Sev helping me with potions. I'm horrible at Defense though. Getting better but not by much."
"I can help you with Defense. It's easy for me," he offered. "Well, mostly everything is easy for me. But I have the most fun in Defense."
Cissa smiled and looked up at him, leaning against the opening of the slide. "I've noticed that it's all easy for you Gryffindors. Urge to defeat the ones that cause a ripple in their perfect lives."
"My my, someone is stereotyping us. We're not all do gooders who obey rules and get good marks," he said, looking at her, impassively.
"And not all Slytherins sit in a dark room stirring a cauldron wearing a pointed black hat thinking about hexing people." She frowned then. "Well, most do, in my year anyways. But I don't."
"Hey, we all wear the dreaded black hat. It's in the uniform," he said, sniffing arrogantly. "I'm sure Slytherins are very nice..." he said, trailing off, not being serious.
She shrugged nonchalantly and put her arms back on the top of the dirty orange plastic, looking up at him critically. "I would like to think so. But I'm sure you already know by now how nice we can be."
"Oh yeah, because so many of the Slytherins have been nothing but nice all my Hogwarts life. I get used to it." He then climbed over to the slide, and slid quickly down, creating a ripple affect in the sand.
Rolling her eyes, she climbed in and slid down herself, her leg getting shocked by the static electricity. When she reached the end, she looked around. James was nowhere in site. "James?" She called, looking around.
James had run over to the picnic area and started to gather everything up so they could head on home. He covered the uneaten sandwiches and placed everything inside the basket. Throwing it over his shoulder, he walked over to Narcissa and pulled her hair lightly. "Hey, I think we should go now," he said, softly.
Looking at the rapidly darkening park, she nodded, shivering slightly, but she doubted that it was from the chill. "Yes, I suppose you're right." Cissa smiled gently. "I had a nice time tonight. We should... do it again sometime."
He grinned boyishly and threw his free arm around her shoulders, dragging her towards the path. "Definitely. It was fun and I think it was exactly what we needed."
"I do too. Now you won't be avoiding me again," She teased, leaning into him. "Do you think your mother missed the pie?"
"Everyone missed the pie. I blamed it on the garden gnomes. Grr, those damn garden gnomes," he role-played, trying to put on an upset face. "They're always stealing stuff, you know? I have no idea why we let them stay."
"Because your father thinks they're entertaining? And you have too much throwing them." She added, remembering how he and the other boys had gone gnome-cleaning. James hadn't been wearing a shirt. It was quite nice.
"That's an excellent point, darling." They suddenly stopped and realized they had reached their destination. The couple looked up at the large house, each pondering their own thoughts. "Well, we're here at last. Haha, the funny thing is this is both our stops. So I can't give you an awkward goodbye kiss and run off the porch going 'yes yes yes!'"
"Mmm. You can run up to your room instead going 'yes, yes, yes'." She giggled, looking up at him. "You need to shrink," she complained.
He apologized and went comically on his knees, standing at half of Narcissa's height. "Can I have my kiss now?" he pleaded. "Pretty please? I'll be good."
Cissa laughed again, pushing his hair out of his eyes and pressing her lips gently to his. She could taste the cookie dough sugar dry on his lips and sighed.
James shuffled a bit closer and brought his hands up to stroke her hair. It wasn't a heated kiss, nor was it very passionate. It was a sweet, end of date kiss and James liked it just fine. This is how it should be he thought to himself, finally separating their lips and looking into her eyes.
She smiled down at him, glad that the kiss had been kept sweet and simple. She didn't think she was prepared for another one like the previous night. "You're looking at me funny," Cissa commented lightly, taking the picnic basked from him.
He snapped out of his trance and quickly stood up. "That's because you're funny looking," he kidded, poking her in the ribs. "Come on, let's go inside. It's late."
Cissa followed him, smiling and closing the door behind her. Perfect.
Looking at her with a wide grin, he ran up the stairs yelling 'yes yes yes!' and bounded into his room, shutting the door right behind him.
