I'm So Fancy

Lottie couldn't help as her eyes widened when Marcus led her into the foyer of the restaurant. She knew that Follies was the hottest new wizarding restaurant in the city, but she was not prepared for actually experiencing the grandeur of it. For a brief moment, she doubted her choice of attire for the date, fearing it might not be dressy enough. But then she reasoned with herself that a little black dress worked for many occasions. Including the incredibly ritzy, art deco-inspired restaurant that they were walking into located at the top of a skyscraper in downtown London.

Not to mention, she happened to love the way the dress made her bum look and how it accentuated her body. From the wide-eyed look Marcus gave her when he picked her up from her flat, he appreciated the dress as well.

Though part of her couldn't help as her stomach started to clench slightly in worry.

"No, Lottie," she scolded herself firmly. "You can do this. Just breathe."

"Reservation for Flint," Marcus said smoothly to the hostess, who then smiled and asked them to follow her.

Lottie openly admired the restaurant interior as they walked through, Flint's hand on the small of her back. The earlier nerves started to dissipate as she focused on the space around her. The walls and lighting gently shifted colors from a vivid red to a royal blue, with gold accenting everything. The soft murmur of conversation filled the space.

They then stepped into another room with a glittery black wall that looked like the starry night on one side and solid windows on the other that looked out over the city. Lottie couldn't help as her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat at the view. Thankfully, the hostess led them to a small table just next to the window.

"This is amazing," Lottie murmured, stepping over and drinking it in. Merlin, she had missed London, but never had she gotten the opportunity to see it like this. Marcus chuckled softly as he walked to her chair and waited.

"Thought you might want to see the skyline since it's been awhile," he replied. Lottie turned to him and smiled, appreciating the sentiment. Marcus pulled the chair out for her as she walked over and then sat. She couldn't help but add another point in his favor for being a gentleman. That was on top of the several she had already given him for choosing a spectacular restaurant, even if it was a mite fancier than she was used to.

The night certainly was revealing surprise after surprise. And to think part of why she had said yes was out of pure curiosity.

He then took a seat across from her.

"Just how did you find this place?" she asked, reaching for her menu. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if he took all his first dates here, but she refrained. For the time being, she was willing to give Flint a chance to prove that he had changed from school. While he wasn't nearly as flighty as Adrian Pucey, Marcus had his own way with the witches in school. At the time, Lottie couldn't understand the attraction, though now she could see it.

"Ehm, friend of mine suggested it. You remember Adrian Pucey?" he asked. Lottie nodded as she looked over the menu, fighting off a snort. That figured. Seemed like a place Pucey would take his dates to.

"How could I forget your crew? Took particular joy in knocking my books over in the corridor," she replied, glancing up at him with a small smirk. "Think Pucey was rather partial to sticking flobberworm mucus in my hair during potions. When he wasn't trying to get me to blush with his innuendos, that is."

"Suppose we were a bit… horrible," Marcus replied, not meeting her eyes. Lottie continued looking over the menu, though she was slightly surprised to see him appear uncomfortable about his actions from back then.

"What's the saying? A bit of bullying builds character and all? Or… what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" she replied casually, chuckling slightly when she saw him gulp. She surprised herself a bit, finding it far easier than she thought it would be to make light of how they treated her in school. "Don't worry, I'm not upset by it. Not anymore, at least."

Lottie found it entertaining how much he was now squirming. She hadn't intended to give him a hard time about school - really it was all in the past and she had long ago made peace with that part of her life - but this was turning out to be a bit of fun.

A little bit of payback wouldn't hurt, would it?

"How was work?" he asked, regaining his wits after the two had ordered and a bottle of wine and glasses had appeared at the table.

"The usual," Lottie said with a sigh. "I'm working cases and all, but they've got me with an auror-in-training, so they aren't as challenging as what I'm used to." She took a small sip of her wine, reminding herself not to drink too much before the food arrived. While she appeared calm and collected on the outside, she was still jittery. Getting tipsy on an empty stomach would likely only make that worse.

It was then that Lottie wished she had dated more. Perhaps she wouldn't be so nervous right now. It was all she could do to keep from messing with her dress or shifting in her chair, finding it hard to resist resorting to her old habits now that she was back home. All those years of hard work to move past her insecurities and here she was on the edge of letting them overcome her again. All because she was out in a place she had never been before with an unfamiliar person. Bloody hell, she was not going to do this now on a date with Marcus Flint.

"Breathe, Lottie. Take in your surroundings," she told herself, remembering one of the coping methods that her instructor had taught her all those years ago to overcome her social anxiety. She quietly scanned around the room, noting all the exits and studying the few other couples around her. Thankfully, it worked and she felt calmer almost instantly, returning to focusing on Marcus.

"Doesn't sound fair," Marcus said, frowning slightly. "You've been an auror for years now. Why'd they make you a trainer?" Lottie just waved her hand in the air.

"It's not so bad, and it's only until he finishes up in a few months. To be honest, he's more my partner than a trainee," she said. "Got good instincts, though I suppose I should have expected that considering his previous experience… Nothing to worry about. I'll get assigned the big cases soon enough. And I wouldn't mind keeping him on as my partner afterwards."

Marcus appeared a bit more interested as he leaned on the table a bit, reaching for his glass.

"I have to admit. Found it surprising that you became an auror," he said. "Not that I think you couldn't do it or anything – you were really good at class and such," he added quickly. "Just… didn't seem like something you'd be interested in when we were at school."

"Truth be told, I wasn't interested at first. Bernie, my older brother, is an auror and he always told me terrifying stories about the work. Made me think it was something that someone like me should never do," Lottie said. She winced slightly, thinking back to the things her brother had said back then. "But then I met some of the MACUSA aurors and they somehow convinced me to sign up for their training academy."

"What was it that convinced you?" Marcus asked, looking genuinely interested. Lottie looked out the window and sighed, a soft smile coming over her face.

"Not completely sure, to be honest. But when they talked about it… there was something that just drew me in," she said. "And I knew that I wanted, rather needed, to do something different. Something to challenge myself. Something… to push me out of my comfort zone." She looked back over at Marcus. "So, I signed up, was accepted and the rest is history."

"Well, you've certainly changed," Marcus said. Lottie looked down at her glass, blushing slightly. And then reeling from the fact that Marcus Flint was making her blush and it wasn't out of embarrassment. "Not just your looks, mind you. It's like I'm sitting with someone completely different."

Lottie looked up at him, noticing he had a slightly awed look on his face, which nearly dumbfounded her. If you had told her in school that Marcus Flint would not only ask her on a date someday, but would appear openly interested in her, she likely would have died of laughter. Also over the fact that she would actually be enjoying the fact that she was out on a date with him.

This was the bloke that had given her the nickname Smelly Bells, after all. She had spent more time running away from him at school than getting to know him on any level. Didn't help that it had always taken her a long time to open up to people.

But then again, people grew up and changed. It shouldn't be so surprising that Marcus Flint, former Slytherin bully, might decide to turn a new leaf. Not to mention, she was the prime example that you didn't always have to be who you used to be.

"So, Mr. Big Quidditch Player… how's it been playing in the League?" she asked playfully, settling firmly into New Lottie. The Lottie that flirted with handsome quidditch players in fancy restaurants. "Everything you hoped it'd be?" Marcus chuckled, a faint blush painting his own cheeks. Lottie nearly gaped, surprised it was even possible for him to do such a thing. And that she would make him blush.

"It's been good," he said. "Though, I was certainly grateful when Puddlemere offered me a contract for first-string that I couldn't turn down. Even if it meant I had to play with Wood."

Lottie choked slightly on her wine but managed to cover it up. She was hoping Oliver wouldn't come up. But somewhere in her head, she heard Penny reminding her that it was just a first date. Marcus didn't need to know about her upcoming meeting with Oliver. Besides, wasn't that just spending time with an old friend?

"I was curious as to how that would go when I read the news," Lottie said smoothly, happy that her acting abilities had improved since becoming an auror.

"You heard about it?" Marcus asked, appearing surprised.

"Just because I was in the US didn't mean that I stopped following quidditch," she scoffed. "Read all the articles and listened to as many matches on the wireless as I could. Even went to some American games, though it wasn't the same."

"Right… nearly forgot you were a fan," he said. She chuckled, knowing that he was putting up a good front. There was no way that Marcus Flint could have known she was a big quidditch fan.

"Kind of hard not to be when you've got three brothers who love the game and all played at Hogwarts," she replied. "They'd make me practice with them when we were home."

"Is that so?" Marcus asked, appearing once again surprised. "Did you ever consider trying out in school?"

"Heavens no. I love the sport but was nowhere near good enough to play on the house team," Lottie replied with a laugh. "Nah, just play for fun and that's good enough for me. A bunch of the aurors I worked with in New York would spend nearly every weekend we had free playing quidditch in a park…"

Marcus couldn't help but get a bit lost in Lottie's voice as she continued talking about playing quidditch with her co-workers and friends in New York. Her blue eyes lit up with excitement and he noticed a dimple in her cheek that appeared when she grinned. A dimple that he had never noticed until now, though probably because he had made her cry more than smile in school. Another twinge of regret flew through him, but he pushed it aside for the moment.

She was an animated storyteller, that was for sure. Had she always been one, he wondered.

He had been rather nervous about tonight. After it sunk in that he had asked out Smelly Bells, he worried that the only reason she said yes was so she could get back at him for being a bully in school. And then when she brought it up, he worried the night was going to take a sharp turn for the worse.

But then they settled on a neutral topic - quidditch - and he breathed a bit easier. Even though he was still kicking himself. Just how had he managed to miss so much about Lottie? He had never known that she was a quidditch fan at Hogwarts. Barely remembered her two older brothers. Had also never known she had a wicked sense of humor.

Then again, he was so focused on other things at Hogwarts it wasn't really that much of a surprise. And well, he had thought she was dumpy Smelly Bells back then. A girl that was scared of her own shadow and far too fun to tease.

Now, she was Lottie Bell. Confident auror. Weekend quidditch player. And one hell of an attractive woman on all fronts.

"How did you manage to cover that one up?" Marcus asked, chuckling as Lottie paused in her story to take a sip of her wine. Their food had arrived, though they were taking their time working through dinner, both seeming to enjoy the conversation.

"You forget we were mostly aurors. We were able to petrify the woman and then oblivate her rather quickly," she replied. "And from then on, were far more careful with our charms. Though she really shouldn't have been able to come across us in the first place…"

"Perhaps playing quidditch in Central Park wasn't such a great idea," Marcus offered. Lottie rolled her eyes, though she was still grinning.

"Perhaps not our best one. But really, between all of us we should have been undetectable," she replied with a sigh. "Damn cocky aurors slacking on their charmwork…"

"Heard they're almost as bad as cocky quidditch players," Marcus said before taking a bite. Lottie laughed.

"Suppose they are," she said. "Especially those from Slytherin… or so I'm told…"

Merlin, was he really sitting here flirting with Smelly Bells? Marcus nearly couldn't believe it. Wait, no. He needed to stop referring to her old nickname. In fact, he probably should apologize for that…

"We are known for our arrogance at times," he said. "And stupidity. We have a penchant for sticking our feet in our mouths and unfairly bullying students from other houses with horrible nicknames." Lottie's eyebrows rose.

"Is that so?" she replied, seeming eager to see where he was going with this.

"Oh, yes. But we're also known to learn from our mistakes at times," he said. "For example, I am truly sorry for the entire Smelly Bells bollocks. I hadn't expected it to spread so far or last so long."

Lottie stared at him a moment in surprise, then slowly smiled and started laughing.

"That's not necessary, but I appreciate it. You're forgiven. As long as you promise to never call me that again," Lottie said.

"I promise," Marcus vowed. The two ate for a few moments before he looked up at her. "What sort of cases were you on in New York?" Lottie raised an eyebrow at him.

"Started out mostly working robberies. Small cases. A little old witch reporting her neighbor for stealing magical plants from her garden and such," Lottie said. "Everyone starts with small cases, you know. But before I left, I was working on a task force looking into a trafficking ring for magical creatures. They were bringing them into the US through the ports in New York, then shipping them all over North America from there." Marcus' eyes widened. "We were working on the network in the US, but had counterparts in Thailand, Africa and Europe working it from that end as well."

"Bloody hell," Marcus replied, noticing the slight blush in her cheeks. While she spoke confidently and sat straight in her chair, he could see a bit of the old shyness creeping into her eyes as she looked down at her plate. Had seen glimpses of it all night before she would somehow regain her confidence.

"It was a large task force," she said quickly. "Certainly, wasn't the only one on it. Nor was I the lead or anything…"

"But still… that's something, Lottie," Marcus said, and really meaning it. "Taking down an international magical creature trafficking ring… I certainly haven't done anything that impressive…" He already saw Lottie in a new light, but now… his view of her shifted even more.

She glanced at him a few times before looking up and studying him closely. Marcus couldn't help but shift slightly in his chair, finding her dark blue eyes rather piercing. Not to mention he hadn't really had the chance to see them all that much at Hogwarts, considering how often she would look down or away or around.

"Sorry," she said looking away. "Just… still a bit… dunno. Guess part of me can't really believe that I'm on a date with Marcus Flint… and enjoying it…"

"You thought it'd be horrible?" Marcus asked, keeping his tone light, though he was partially worried. Lottie laughed softly.

"No, course not. Not exactly sure what I expected to be honest," she replied.

"Me neither. For a moment, I worried you'd only said yes to get some sort of revenge for the Smelly Bells thing," he said. Lottie laughed.

"Please, I'd be far more creative if I wanted revenge," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"No doubt that you would," he said, watching her. "You always were at the top of our year. Remember how angry Weasley would get about that." Lottie rolled her eyes.

"I was not at the top of the year - that was Penny and Percy. Still not sure just why he would get so competitive with me and not Penny. Suppose it was because they were dating at the time," she said.

"Fairly sure he was the only person I saw you get into it with back then," Marucs commented.

"A proper battle of the nerds," Lottie added. "Though I've long been standing up to my brothers. Be glad that you weren't in Ravenclaw. Charlie and I had some rather spectacular blowouts. And he's the brother I do actually get along with…"

Marcus leaned forward a bit as she launched into a story about her brothers, finding it fascinating. He wasn't sure how the rest of the date would go, but he knew one thing.

He most definitely wanted to see Lottie Bell again.

Lottie sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror a moment before continuing to remove her makeup. A small smile was settled on her lips and she was fairly sure it had been there since she walked into her flat after Marcus dropped her off from their date.

She had expected him to be charming. What she hadn't expected was for him to be genuine. And there was something about the way he looked at her that had her stomach fluttering in excitement. He had certainly set the bar rather high for their first date.

Suddenly, Lottie stopped, frowning slightly at her reflection. He had set the bar rather high in terms of impressing her. But now that she was alone in her flat, dressed in worn pajamas with her hair pulled up in a messy bun and her cosmetics removed, she wondered if perhaps she had set her own bar too high.

From the way he spoke and acted, how comfortable he was in the fancy restaurant all dressed up – she wondered if he was used to a higher caliber of woman. One that enjoyed going out like that all the time. Lottie had put on a good show tonight, but honestly, she preferred a cozy, small pub and her denims over heels, chic dresses and fancy restaurants. Surrounded by people that she knew and was comfortable with.

She didn't like having to put on a show all the time. If she was going to be in a relationship with someone, she wanted to feel comfortable. Open. Herself. Flaws and all.

"It's only one date… go with it…" Penny's voice floated around her head.

She supposed this was true. While both had mentioned wanting to meet up again, they hadn't set a date or anything. There was no use getting worried about a future that might not happen.

"Besides, Lottie girl, you've got a meeting with Oliver coming," she said to herself, feeling a flurry of butterflies in her stomach yet again. The woman in the mirror smiled in return.

She then turned and walked back into her bedroom, crawling under her blankets before turning off the lights. Best get some sleep - tomorrow was sure to be another busy day.

And now we get into the dates… and then stuff gets fun. Posting might slow down a bit. While I'm making decent progress on finishing chapters (up to chapt 9 finished and there are only about 15 in this one) I'm going back and doing some rewriting to better flesh out Lottie. And well, Oliver and Marcus since I've mostly just been trying to get something down on page.

But since I'm now working from home and on a partial, self-quarantine for the next 2-3 weeks (I live in South Korea – COVID-19 Central) I'll be able to work on this a bit more.

Aphrodite-Venus-u.k – Thanks! Been going back and working on that a bit more in my editing.

Thanks for reading and following!