The Date Chapter 7

Saturday dawned bright, crisp, and clear. Neville walked down to Hogsmeade a little early and stopped by Honeydukes to pick up some chocolate fudge.

Ellie met him at the gazebo. She had Ginger with her.

"Hey, how are you," said Ellie, hugging him. He hugged back.

"I'm wonderful," said Neville. "I brought you some more herbs and some chocolate fudge."

"Fudge is my favorite. Thank you for the herbs. I thought we'd drive over to Grove Hill for lunch. There are some great places there to eat. What kind of food do you like?"

"I'm not picky. I'll eat anything," said Neville

"Great," said Ellie, she opened the door to a light blue Toyota.

"Have you had Japanese food before?" asked Ellie

"No," said Neville, but I'm up for anything."

"Good, there's this great sushi place. I think you'd like it. There's also a castle museum open or visitors and I think there is a music and craft festival going on there, so we could check that out."

"That sounds great," said Neville. Even though visiting a castle might not be first on his agenda- he lived in one, he didn't care what they did as long as it mean he could spend time with Ellie.

"I figured we can decide when we get there. It's only about thirty minutes away," said Ellie.

"Neville, put on your seatbelt," said Ellie.

"Where is it?" asked Neville.

Neville fastened the belt.

"Sorry, most magicians just apperate or use the Floo network," said Neville.

"What is apperating?" asked Ellie

"This is fun," said Neville.

"Let me guess- you haven't been in many cars," said Ellie

"No, I haven't," replied Neville, "but I like it. You get a chance to see the scenery and a chance to talk. It's much nicer looking at landscapes than it is looking at chimneys."

"What do you mean chimneys?" asked Ellie

"So that's how she did it," said Ellie, smiling. "No matter where we were going, even I know she left later than we did, Aunt Rosmerta always got places before we did. Now I know how. It would be very handy to be able to just magically go from one place to another."

"True, but I like this, too," said Neville

"Only because you've never done it before- it's new," said Ellie. "Do you think you take through the chimneys one day?"

"Yes, I think so. But we'd have to be very careful. I don't want to get in trouble for violating the Statute of Secrecy."

"That ship sailed when I figured out you were w wizard. Were you ever going to tell me?" asked Ellie.

"I would have, but it would have taken awhile."

"Anyway, I don't think that's an issue. When I turned 17, Rosmerta needed help and I needed a job. So, she hired me for the pub. I'd known that Rosmerta was part of the Magical branch, but I'd always thought it was a joke or something that my parents made up. It wasn't. before starting work, she made sign this document about the Statute of Secrecy. She said if I ever told anyone, there would be consequences-and she made it sound very painful. So, I've never said anything."

"That's interesting. Out of curiosity, what did she say would happen?"

"She said I'd be marked for life with painful boils on my hand and other things."

"Yes, I think that is kind of standard in some magical contracts. It makes them very hard to break," said Neville.

"Of course, it does," said Ellie, "No one wants visible marks that announce, "I broke a contract" to the world."

"Yes, what do Muggles do about broken contracts?"

"You can be sued- which means lawyers, court fees, time, and money. Cases can drag on forever."

"Interesting," said Neville.

"How is that interesting?"

"It is interesting to see how different and how similar Muggles and Wizards are."

"Prepare to be surprised- you get to see a lot of the Muggle world today."

"It should be interesting. But surely our worlds aren't that different, are they?" said Neville.

"Let's find out. And see if I can find parking," said Ellie

The managed to find a parking apace about two blocks from the restaurant. As they walked down the sidewalk, Neville reached out an took her hand. They walked together and Neville felt that he had to work to hold himself to earth. He'd never felt quite this happy before. All of a sudden, so much seemed possible. Maybe he could build a life with her. He certainly wanted to try.

"Here it is," said Ellie, stopping beside a black door.

Neville opened the door to a small vestibule and Ellie opened the next door. The host asked if they wanted something called "Hibachi," or the dining room. In one section of the restaurant, there were large flat top grills with seats around them. A man stood cooking things in a flamboyant way. The host led them into another room with booths and a few tables. He places them in a booth and handed them menus.

"This is interesting," said Neville, "What kind of food is this? I always thought that the restaurants cooked the food and brought it to you. But here, is it cooked in front of you?

"If you order Hibachi, then the chef cooks it in front of you. In the dining room, you order. I just thought this would be better and I love their lunch boxes," said Ellie.

"I have no idea what to order," said Neville.

"I really like their teriyaki chicken, the salmon, or the katsu chicken," said Ellie.

"I'm thinking about the teriyaki salmon," said Neville.

"Do you want to split a sushi roll with me? This one with shrimp is amazing," said Ellie

"Sure," said Neville. He wasn't quite sure what sushi was, but he had no problem trying it. Plus, Ellie seemed to love it.

"What exactly is sushi?" asked Neville. "I'm not sure that has made it our world yet."

"Technically speaking, it is raw fish. It is usually served with rice and vegetables and put into a roll and chopped in pieces. It is really good. Though, the roll we ordered is made with cooked shrimp."

"Who wants raw fish?"

"It is very good if it is fresh and prepared this way," said Ellie.

"Well, I'll try it." Said Neville.

"I can't believe you haven't had it before. Don't wizards eat like people."

"Yes, of course wizards eat," said Neville. "I just haven't had a chance to go that many places. My parents are not well so I was raised by my grandmother. Grandmother is a wonderful person, but she is that adventurous when it comes to food. We had the occasional curry. And I've been at Hog-School since age eleven. And then there was the war. So, I survived on Hogwarts food and on food in Hogsmeade. Your Aunt Rosmerta is a very good cook. But the Crown's shepherd's pie is better."

"Well, I think I can help you expand your culinary horizons," said Ellie. "And yes, our shepherd's pie is better than my aunts. Both my parents are great cooks."

The waiter came and took their order- Ellie got chicken teriyaki and Neville got the salmon. She also ordered the sushi roll to split. They both got Diet Cokes to drink.

The sushi arrived first. Ellie took a piece with her chopsticks. Neville had used them only once when he went to visit the Changs.

"If you want, you can use a fork," said Ellie.

"No, I think I can do it," said Neville. He remembered learning to use them at the Changs and it turns out it is one of those things that you don't forget.

"That's pretty good for the first time."

"I've used them before when I went to visit Fred Chang. And sometimes, he used them at dinner just because he could. Also, I use a wand everyday- you learn to be quite adept with things like this."

"I'd never thought of it that way," said Ellie.

"How do you like the sushi?"

"I'm about to try it," said Neville, as he picked up a piece at the end of the plate.

"it's actually really good. I like the shrimp in it- it gives it a good texture."

"Do you like spicy things?" asked Ellie

"I like a little bit of heat, but not a lot," replied Neville

'Then you might want to steer clear of the wasabi—" said Ellie.

But it was too late. Neville had taken the entire dab of wasabi and ate it before Ellie could say anything.

"Wow! That will clear out your sinuses," said Neville, his face and eyes turned red.

Ellie ordered a milk from a passing waiter.

"Are you ok?

"I'll be fine. I've just never tasted anything as spicy as the wasabi," said Neville.

"Drink this, " said Ellie, as she pushed the glass of milk toward him. Neville drank it.

"Thanks," said Neville, "that certainly put out the fire."

"What is wasabi, anyway?" asked Neville.

"It's Japanese horseradish," said Ellie.

"I have a question. How is that you are not magical, but know about the Wizarding world?"

"Well, I have family that is magical. I told you that Aunt Rosmerta runs the Three Broomsticks."

"Yeah," said Neville.

"Well, that isn't our only establishment. My family also owns the Crown and several hotels in both the magical and wizarding world."

"Cool," said Neville. "What hotels do you own?

"Have you heard of Banks Bedsteads and Bell's Hotels?

"Yes," said Neville. "I've even stayed in them. Is that your family? You are a Banks! Cool!"

"Yes, I'm a Banks," said Ellie. "But I don't want that to change anything about us. I've had some guys totally freak out because of it."

"You don't have to worry about me. Your secret is safe. After all, you figured out mine in record time."

"So

"So, if you are a Banks, why are you teaching?" asked Neville.

"I'm sort of the odd one out in my family. I have two brothers= Will and Jamie and they both work for the business. Jamie is the house counsel. Will, loves hospitality and is over all the hotels in the South- Muggle and Magic. Dad really wanted me to go into hospitality, but I wanted to teach. So, I made a deal with him- that I'd teach for five years and then consider coming back. Only now, he wants me to come back sooner. I just love teaching. It makes me feel like I'm doing something good in the world."

"I know what you mean," said Neville, "I love it, too. I kind of think you have to love it to do it."

"Do you know why your dad is pushing so hard for you to leave teaching and come back to the business?" asked Neville.

"Yes," said Ellie. "Now, I know he will never admit it, but I think it all started when my uncle Jamie and cousin Nathaniel died a few years ago. It hit Dad really hard. He and Jamie were really close."

"What happened?" asked Neville

"I was told it was a car accident, but I'm not so sure," said Ellie.

"Was your cousin Nathaniel Banks?" asked Neville

"Yes," said Ellie.

"It wasn't an accident," said Neville, "They died in Battle at Hogwarts."

Ellie took a deep breath. "I'm glad you told me. I knew it had something to do with magic. I looked up all the accident reports when it happened and couldn't find one. Jamie was magical and my dad wasn't. Even though most of the family knows about both worlds, sometimes we still don't get the full truth."

"You aren't the only ones," said Neville. "The magical world has to go to great lengths to make sure that the two worlds stay separate. The problem is that the two worlds have become so intertwined that it gets harder to keep the secret. Still, the fact that humans see what they want to see and think magic is only a fairytale helps."

"Yes," said Ellie. "I'm just glad to know the secret and to know you."

"Tell me about your family. Do you have any siblings?" asked Ellie

"No," said Neville, "It has always been just me and my grandmother. I'm from an old Wizarding family. I kind of wish I had a family like yours. It might have made things easier."

"Don't worry, if it works, we will adopt you," said Ellie.

"Good," said Neville.

"Would you like dessert?" asked the waiter.

"No, thanks," said Neville, "just the bill." Evan had helped him convert Wizard gold to Muggle Money and even helped him get a prepaid card to pay with, as that is how muggles paid for things.

"I can pay for mine," said Ellie.

"Absolutely not. I've got this," said Neville. "If you really want to contribute, you can get drinks later."

"If you are sure," said Ellie.

"I am," said Neville.

Neville paid the bill and the two walked out o the restaurant.