✧A PROPER DATE IN HOGSMEAD✧

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"Oh come on Ari, you look beautiful!" Aria turned to look over her shoulder from her position in front of the mirror. "I feel awful borrowing your clothes Clem, it's—"
"It's your trench now, it looks better on you anyhow."
"I couldn't possibly affor—" Aria was starting to feel the cloth burn her skin and so she started to shrug the damn thing off her figure before Clemintine yanked it back onto her friend.

"Love it's not my style, you look like a potion mistress in the making, now go snog the bloke and drink some butterbeer! And try the apple pie, it's great!" Aria hadn't realized, but she was suddenly pushed out of the comfort of her dorm room and into the hall, clutching the small pouch of coins that she had saved up.

This would only result in another year of not being able to purchase her broom, she just knew it.

With the coat buttoned and her gloves on, she readily make her way down towards the courtyard where most—if not all people met their dates at.

She peeked out into the yard to see that there were only a few small sets of groups that were awaiting more members of their posse to join.

That is when the nerves started to set into place.

Aidan always knew to come a few minutes early or pick her up from her house, here it was difficult because him or her would be the one awaiting on the other.

Without seeing him in the courtyard she let out an unsure breath as it was then decided that she'd take a small lap before returning in case— "I believe the courtyard is the other way kitten." He noted that her shoulders were hunched and her hand was just mere inches away from twirling the end tips, causing him to frown.

"I—I didn't see you, so I was just going to take a lap around." He blinked in confusion before reaching out to lightly pull her twiddling fingers away from this obsessive tick of her.

Only making her lack the confidence she had this morning waking up, sweet merlin was she nervous.

Perhaps it was the best idea she's ever had in not dating in Hogwarts, her small adolescent heart couldn't take much more of these rushed childish emotions.

"Well I'm here now, shall we get going?" He hadn't sounded an ounce mad at her explanation in not seeing him, nor did he connect the dots that she was worried he simply ditched or forgot.

It was not the first time that Aria was forgotten.

"We don't have to wait until—"
"Nah, we could've gone at eight in the morning if we so wished. Prefects get that advantage." She nodded, having never rightly understood what the big deal was and so she squeezed her interlocked hand with his and off the two went.

Having been so concerned about her comfort he hadn't gotten the chance to take in her appearance, but now he had the chance to just drink her in.

Merlin did she look adorable. In the modernized coat with a Ravenclaw scarf featured on the outside that she's already thrown over her shoulder to cover her once exposed neck.

The only downside to this was that her plump arse was away and covered. Good, he thought, don't want anyone else taking a look at what's—

"I guess it's the tour before the potion ingredients? It all looks like bulk to me."
"Bulk?"
"It's potion ingredients for the whole school Raba, they buy in bulk. One class can't manage with just a dozen beatles. I don't think it'll take much time, Slughorn usually picks what he the fresher than trusting the store clerk." He smiled down to his little bird, had she not seen the premises on which he asked for this task?

Perhaps not, but he wouldn't downplay his luck at all, he was still riding high from having Aria out of her element and out of Hogwarts. The poor gal looked in desperate need of a breather, even if she did just return from an extended vacation.

"Is there anything you wish to do otherwise?"
"I don't know...I hear there's honey dukes and all that, but Clem's given me loads already."
"That how you've managed before? Through Clementine?" Aria smiled and nodded, then proceeded to swing their conjoined hands. "Maybe I am a lil excited."

"I would be worried if you weren't, I am a handsome bloke, as I've been told." He was rewarded with a widespread gawk before being lightly smacked with her free hand.

"I think that's one narsasstic comment to many for today Lestrange." He chuckled, smiling up to the beginning building of the town and Aria soon followed in pursuit.

Aria had to admit, he was a very thorough tour guide. Nor was he afraid to hold her in an attempt to keep her warm. The spring weather seemed to be unforgiving still, not that it was a normal treck for Aria.

Bless Clem for the coat then.

However Aria had stopped in her step and looked towards a shop that ultimately caught her attention. "Ah, that'd be Madam Puddifoot's tea shop, would you like to go in?" It wouldn't be the first time Barns or any of his other infatuations would coax him in to be dined and then...well that was besides the point, and for once since third year he didn't think it was all that daunting to go in with Aria.

He actually thought it'd be more romantic than a butter and so he stepped forward. Though her voice instantly stopped him.

"It's as ghastly as I imagined." Ultimately it was his turn to gawk at her opinion of the place, he had assumed so damn wrong that gals fancied this type of thing, but in the end he was swooning...Aria is the one who wanted the butterbeer.

It hadn't been all that long before Rabastan nicked his head towards one of the many bookstores the town offered. And sure enough he smirked at how excited she looked in this discovery.

"Now I know you want to go in there." She shook her head, leaning into his arm a bit further.

"No. It's probably not the smartest idea to let me into a bookstore."

"Why not?" He questioned, and that caused Aria to turn her attention the other direction—Attempting to look like she was thinking, but truth be told she didn't want him to know that she barely had enough for the rest of the month.

And she absolutely hated asking the Crawfords for funds.

Her lack of response caused him to assume that she didn't want to be a bother, but Rabastan had gone into this day knowing he was going to please her one way or another and thus—He took the leading steps into the store, and Aria hadn't put up much of a fight.

An in about half a minute had Rabastan managed to lose his little Ravenclaw to the rows of shelves, he wasn't surprised she wanted to deny the invitation to come in, but he knew what his little kitten was capable and thus he looked about the titles to determine which subject she would focus on.

Shocker, it was the mythology section.

Again, the two of them hadn't been in the store for more than a few minutes and already she was skimming through the pages. "Something tickle you darling?" She smiled before turning to look up towards him, and his felt absolutely lightened that his voice had managed to pull her out of reading.

"I might have to get this one." He nodded, it wasn't like Rabastan to look at the price and had he noticed that Aria had grabbed the used one in order to save a bit of coin he would've told her right then and there that he was paying.

But he had gotten distracted by his own interest—Law and potions.

Aria had soon caught him in his own thought and smirked with a risen brow. "Law is a bit tedious but I think the potion side is interesting enough. Especially when you dive into the illegal side of things." He hadn't even come close to thinking that way!

"Then I might have to get this one...Where's your mythology encyclopedia then?" She held up her bag and he frowned in realization that he hadn't been able to purchase it and instead went on his own to the register and purchase the new copy of a Law guide dealing with potions.

"I don't see why you didn't want to go in...We could've spent another hour in there kitten. Actually, I was almost expecting it." He chuckled, but then Aria had taken out her book in a set of regret. She did really want this copy, but was it worth the cost?

Aria was now down 2 Galleons 8 Sickles 12 Knuts because she couldn't contain herself.

"What the bloody hell happened to it?" Rabastan said, seeing the book's bindings starting to chip and bend. Aria had looked to him in confusion as he took the book from her hands. "What do you mean? It's old."

"Yeah, ten minutes old." He looked ready to fight the bloody clerk for scamming Aria but she held him by the wrist.

"I bought it used."
"Use—used?"
"I buy all my books used." Rabastan had looked between the book in his hands and then down to his girlfriend, what kind of parents let their child survive on their own allowance?

It wasn't that Aria wasn't working, if anything she wasn't meant to be getting paid. Not that McGonagall ever told her that portion. She started up the internship program after looking at Aria's financial struggles and decided that enough was enough.

Students should be able to make a bit of coin when they're students in Hogwarts.

Aria reached up to take the book back and let it fall back into the small bag. "Books don't cost more than ten Galleons..." He whispered out, and his little Ravenclaw licked her lips. My god had she turned uncomfortable.

"And this cost me less than three...Which is still a lot considering I—" He looked so utterly lost in the situation that he hadn't a clue what to say from there and thus she smiled sweetly up to him.

Reigning in the oddities between the two.

"That's where we're different Rabastan, I'm trying to save up for a new broom. And every Galleon starts to add up." He narrowed his brows together and realized what he had done, he had made her uncomfortable, again.

"I'm sorry love, I didn't mean to push that of you...I actually meant to purchase it for you before—"
"That's alright. I don't expect you to buy anything for me. And I have just enough for a butterbeer." She smiled, ready to move on.

But Rabastan snapped his head in her direction again. "You are not paying for anything."
"What? Why not? I can't expect you to pay for my drink." Had he heard her correctly?!

Rabastan couldn't fathom the argument he was having with her, any other gal would simply look at him at the register and he'd pay—Hell he wouldn't even look through what his infatuation were purchasing.

And here Aria wouldn't even let him pay for a drink?

He groaned into the air, allowing her the moment to think that she was right...However he smirked in victory as Aria hadn't a clue how the three broomsticks operated, it surely had to have been the American way to sit down, order and then pay.

But here they were quite quick on paying.

Though that might be because the crowd was usually filled with students.

Rabastan hadn't been all that long before he held two butter beers in his hands and placed one before Aria, who was already sitting in a booth—Judging by the look, she was itching to get on to reading the purchased book.

Thus he had to distract her.

"It's warm?"
"Hm, days like this it's better to drink it warm...Besides, I think I deserve a pat on the back for finally convincing you to come."
"I don't try to be difficult."
"No, but you don't go out of your way to do things either, I take it it's harder in America?" She shrugged at first then nodded, all before sharing the age in which she was allowed to drink in the states.

Causing Rabastan to choke.

"Nine—Nineteen? What type of nonsense is that?"
"It's not like I made the laws Raba, it's just simply how America operates. And if anything I've heard they were going to jump the age up to twenty-one." He looked positively dumbfounded for the second time, making Aria giggle in triumph.

He did look adorable when he was confused.

"It's probably for the better, for me I mean...I'm not the best with my booze."
"Or wine? Even at dinner?"
"Well that is an elder type of thing to do in the states, or for new years. But those our age take shots of vodka." He breathed out the word, vodka, before taking another humble sip.

Cautious that she not make him choke again.

It wasn't hard to keep the conversation flowing, and she looked positively enthralled with what he had to say and answering questions. Though technically they were selected as he wanted to ask a few, but was worried on how she'd respond to the sort.

"I've checked in with my apprenticeship when I was in America, he was impressed with my recommendations from Slughorn."
"A-and transferring to Ilvermorny? Is that still what you want to do?" Aria found herself looking down at her half-finished stein of butterbeer and the long finished slice of apple pie that they split.

This was definitely something she wanted to avoid in conversation.

"Depends if they accept the credits now, I didn't realize the curriculum is so different than it is here...Maybe it'll be easier to just wait out the two more years. Father suggested I get a tutor, but I don't want to give up my internship." Rabastan caught the mention of her father, how was this man not giving enough funds for Aria to purchase a new book but wanted to get her a tutor?

Or did she have to pay for such a thing?

"Will you be gone all summer then?"
"I don't know yet, sometimes I spent a week with Clem and her family...It depends how I do on my OWLS." She grinned and thus, Rabastan had a plan—Or two considering she had a small line of froth above her lips. And Rabastan wasn't at all afraid of swiping it away with his thumb before sucking it off.
All in one motion.

He caught the small shiver and squirm that Aria attempt to hide, but her blushing rose cheeks were all too easy to detect. "I think saying I had something on my lips would've passed just as well."

Rabastan found himself laughing at her sweet mumbling voice, and unfortunately for him he hadn't the chance to do it again as Aria learned from her mistake quiet easily.

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Date Posted: 05-09-2020

Time: 11:47

Words: 2567