Yay, many people are viewing my story! Mwahahaha! Hopefully people like it, yeah? Here's the next little chappie... I have a big plot climax thingy so the next chapter and a couple or so will be fillers I guess. Enjoy the fanfiction! Yay!

Chapter 5: Making Progress

Surprisingly, Seamus's response came the next morning over breakfast for Gabrielle in her little home.

Dear Gabrielle,

Our chance meetings do indeed seem to take place at weddings a lot... fate maybe?

She could picture him giving a cheeky little wink to accompany this statement, and carried on reading with a soft smile on her face.

I'm at the Ministry, Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Cool that you're teaching at my old school, though it's strange to imagine anyone but the two foot tall Flitwick teaching Charms. I would love to meet up sometime, how about this coming Saturday night, 7 o'clock, the Three Broomsticks?

Write back! Sincerely, Seamus.

Gabrielle smiled widely, though no one could see, and scribbled back her response with haste. Um, DUH! Of course she would be there!

Finishing her oatmeal, Gabrielle cleaned up the kitchen and went back to her bedroom, flopping down on the bed with a sigh.

In the hours preceding the date, Gabrielle debated how best to dress for it. She fluffed her hair this way and that, finally deciding on letting it drape over her shoulder in a low side ponytail. She donned a deep blue fitting dress that she felt really made her eyes pop.

She was just finishing with her make-up when she caught sight of the clock, 6:55.

"Oh, cauldron scum, I might be late!" she cursed to herself, strapping on some silvery heels before apparating to Hogsmeade.

Hurrying down the cobbled street, which was no easy job in her heels, Gabrielle turned quickly into the cozy pub, and saw Seamus was already waiting for her there.

He was wearing a button up green shirt with some lovely khakis.

See, this is what happened to Gabrielle when she became nervous. She started using words like 'lovely' to describe KHAKIS.

He pulled a chair out from a table and she slid into it, giving Seamus a small smile. He sat in the chair across from hers, and seemed to be at a loss for conversation when a waiter came over.

"What... Seamus?" said a female's voice. I looked up and saw the same girl with the plait and large butterfly accessory from the night of the wedding. Only, she wasn't wearing the oriental butterfly now.

"Oh... hi Parvati..." Seamus said, attempting to look anywhere but at the waitress. Gabrielle furrowed her brow and ordered two butterbeers, with some ginger in hers.

"You can look up now, she's gone," Gabrielle said to Seamus. It came out colder than she had meant it to.

Seamus looked up and quickly noticed the reserved expression on Gabrielle's face. "She's just an old friend from school is all," he mumbled.

"Right, because typically one would cower before an old school friend. Or is that a Hogwarts tradition?" Gabrielle replied with a scoff.

God, she was turning into her sister.

Seamus looked torn between something, and Gabrielle supposed he'd decided what to do, because he moved closer to her.

"Here are your butterbeers, and I suggest you drink them, but of course Madame Puddifoot's is just down the street if you'd like to do something OTHER than drink." Parvati returned with the drinks, and gave them a knowing look as she walked away.

Seamus sighed and turned back to Gabrielle. "Back at Hogwarts, I used to go out with this girl, Lavender. Parvati and Lavender were best friends. Parvati's sister, Padma, was really good in Transfiguration, and I wasn't, so she tutored me. Both Lavender and Parvati suspected that the tutoring sessions weren't just tutoring sessions, and they spread rumors throughout the whole school about it. Even Dean, you met him, believed them for a bit. Parvati still hasn't let it go, and Lavender is... well... dead..."

Gabrielle's mouth fell slightly open. She hadn't exactly gotten the nicest vibe off of Parvati but... REALLY? It seemed awfully schoolgirl of her.

Then again, she had been a schoolgirl. And to hear that Lavender died...

"How?" asked Gabrielle softly.

Seamus looked into her eyes before answering, "Werewolf attack... Battle of Hogwarts..." he seemed unable to continue, and Gabrielle understood. She reached across the table and took hold of his hand, rough and large, into her small and delicate one. Sipping quietly on their butterbeer, they continued the night in silence, holding hands like there was nothing else to say in the world.

And there it is, the next chapter. I feel like adding more right now though, so I'll post another pronto. And I have to admit, it was hard to imagine how Seamus would feel about Lavender's death. they were always close.