As Joseph steered Clara towards the man, she realized that he wasn't exactly a "man" at all. He was around her age, maybe a year older than her, and had dirty blond hair that had been combed and neatly parted to the side, and was sitting in a slouching, yet oddly graceful position. As Clara slowed to a stop in front of him, her back rigid under her father's touch, she saw that he had eyes the colour of russet, and a jawline sharp enough to cut through glass. She had to admit to herself, she was attracted to his looks. But, she had to remind herself, looks could be deceiving.
"Daniel, this is my daughter Clara," Joseph introduced, suddenly tuning into a warm voice. "Clara, this is Daniel Lewis."
Daniel looked up and rose to his feet with ease, a drop dead gorgeous smile painted onto his face. "Hello, Clara," He greeted kindly, sticking his hand out for her to shake. Clara took his hand gently and was surprised when his hands were rough. She let go, maybe a little too quickly. If Daniel noticed, he didn't show it.
"I should be going now," Joseph announced, letting his hand slip from Clara's shoulder. "I've got an important meeting with the ministry. Daniel," He held his hand out, and Daniel took it, shaking it twice, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Campbell." Daniel said, a light smile on his face. To her surprise, Joseph looked impressed.
They dropped hands, and Joseph turned towards Clara. "Now, Clara, behave." Was all he said to her. Clara's cheeks reddened; part of embarrassment, part from anger. She had been told to behave as if she was an irresponsible three-year old.
"I'm not three," She mumbled under her breath, and immediately regretted them. Joseph's eyes hardened, and from the look on his face, she would be reprimanded for it later.
He opened to say something, but seemed to remember that Daniel was there too. With a painted smile, he nodded and apparated out of the Three Broomsticks. The moment he left, Clara allowed herself to relax.
"He's a pleasant man." Daniel perceived.
Clara rolled her eyes inwardly. "Yes, he's real pleasant," She muttered sarcastically.
Her comment slid past Daniel, who stepped behind one of the chairs and pulled it back for her. Taken back, Clara stared at him for a second before slipping into the seat. "Thank you," She murmured slowly, keeping her confused eyes on the table in front of her.
He smiled widely, flashing her a glimpse of his straight teeth. "Don't mention it, love," He sat down on the other at of the table, looking excited. "I ordered us some drinks," He said. "Do you like iced butterbeer?"
"It's good," Clara mumbled.
"That's great." Despite her behaviour, he seemed to be actually trying to make an effort to impress her. He could be acting, Clara assumed, this could all be an act.
A slight awkward silence passed before he spoke up again. "After our drink, I was thinking that maybe we could take a walk around Hogsmeade?" He told her, "If you want to, that is,"
Damn, he's a good actor.
Clara smiled softly. "I think it's a great idea." She agreed. A waiter stopped at their table and softly placed their drinks in front of them. Clara wrapped her hands around her cup, letting her hands cool off before she rose the cup to her lips. She took a sip and shivered slightly.
"So, Daniel," She began, setting her cup down on the table again. If he was giving this date a shot, she should at least attempt to get to know him as well. "If we're going to do this, you're going to have to tell me about yourself." She tried, forcing her voice to above a whisper.
Daniel's face brightened, and as much as Clara hated thinking this, it made him look even more stunning. "Well, for starters, I just turned nineteen. I went to Hogwarts up until my fourth year, then I moved to Durmstrang. I'm currently training to become an Auror, and my favourite colour is orange." He ended off randomly, causing Clara to laugh. "What about you?"
"I'm sixteen, almost turning seventeen," She began. "I'm in Gryffindor, and my dream is to become either a professor at Hogwarts, or an Auror. Reading is my passion, it's all I ever do. Also, my favourite colours are red and blue." Daniel chuckled deeply, and took a sip from his iced beverage, obviously pleased that she was making an effort.
"What do you enjoy reading?" He asked.
She hesitated before responding. "I mostly enjoy mystery and fantasy."
Daniel nodded, his eyes sparking with interest. "That's fantastic! Mystery books are one of the greatest genre's in literature," He said excitedly. "It's so much fun to piece together the clues,"
Clara nodded eagerly. "Exactly!" She grinned. "Finally, someone who understands."
Daniel chuckled, causing her to blush lightly.
"Sorry," She apologized sheepishly, "I didn't mean to explode like that,"
"No harm done. Besides, it was cute," He assured, flashing her a dimpled smile.
Okay, he's an amazing actor.
Clara took another sip from her drink, relishing the taste. After her drink was drained, Daniel stood up. He extended his arm out for her to take, smiling. "I believe we have a date to start,"
With a grin, Clara took it, smoothing down her skirt before she did so. "Then let's not waste any time,"
Outside, sunlight shone through scattered clouds and onto the cobbled-street, causing Clara's curls to shine a bright bronze. In his mind, Daniel vaguely wondered if it was even possible to have hair as curly as Clara's. She seemed incredibly kind, despite her cautiousness towards him. To be honest, he may not know her all that well, but he had high hopes for this arranged marriage.
~*~
"-and then she tripped me!" She burst out. Sirius jumped slightly and looked at her in alarm.
"She did not!" He exclaimed, even though he didn't have a clue what Hillary (or was it Hannah? He didn't remember) was going on about.
Hannah or Hillary nodded rapidly. "She did! So then, I fell and twisted my ankle." She ended off, sticking her bottom lip out.
Sirius forced himself to focus on her. It wasn't that Hillary - or Hannah - wasn't fun to be around with, because she was a great girl. She was just a little... over dramatic.
"That's unfortunate, love. Are you alright now?" He asked, feigning worry. Her sea-green eyes lit up, as if she was honoured to have him talk to her.
The same way that Clara's lit up when she was happy.
You're doing it again, something inside of him whispered.
"Oh, yeah. I had to go to Mungo's to repair it, though," She said in a baby type of voice. Sirius pulled on a fake smile.
"But it's all better now, isn't it?" He cooed, reaching across the table for her hand. He brought her knuckles up to his lips and kissed them quickly.
She blushed. "Yeah, of course it is. It happened a couple of years ago, silly," She giggled breathlessly.
"Oh, right," He sighed, dropping her hand. "Of course," Confusion clouded her eyes and she let her hand drop.
"Sirius, are you alright?" She inquired softly.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Thanks, Hillary," He mumbled, not really paying attention.
She recoiled, looking hurt. "It's Hadley,"
For the first time since their date, Sirius looked up and focused on her. "What?"
"My name," She repeated, her lips hardening into a thin line. "My name is Hadley, not Hillary,"
Sirius's eyes flashed guiltily, "I'm so sorry, Hadley, I wasn't paying attention and-"
Hadley sighed deeply. "I think that's it, you're not paying attention," She sighed again. "I think we should break up,"
Sirius looked shocked. "What?"
"We should break up," She repeated, "I just think.. I know you're not as willing to commit to this relationship as I am. And.." She faltered, looking shattered. "And I know that you have feelings for someone else, so what's the point?" She began to stand up, seeming to wait for him to stop her, and when he didn't, tears sprung to her eyes and she quickly exited Madam Puddifoots Tea Shop.
With a defeated sigh, Sirius leaned back into his seat, running a hand over his eyes.
~*~
"No, no, no! You're supposed to put it more to the right!" Daniel laughed loudly, directing Clara's outstretched arm slightly to the right.
She grunted. "I'm kind of blind-folded, Daniel. I can't see anything,"
" I know, but you're about to put the tail on the head of the unicorn," He chuckled.
Clara groaned and pulled the blindfold off of her head, her face set in a scowl. "I give up. I don't see how Muggles can play this," She huffed, crossing her arms. Daniel laughed again, and stuck the tail onto the horses behind.
"Don't take it too seriously, it's just a game." Daniel reminded, bending over to pick the blindfold off the ground.
Clara didn't say anything, but kept her jaw set stubbornly.
"Hey, Clara, your Gryffindor is showing," Daniel teased, bumping shoulders with her.
A small smile cracked through her bemused features and she turned around to grasp her clutch bag from a table nearby.
"Ha, ha, ha," She mumbled sarcastically.
"Oh, hey, look at the time," Daniel whistled, checking his wristwatch, "It's almost seven-fifty. I've got orders from your dad for you to be back at the castle by eight,"
Clara snorted quietly, "Over-bearing jerk."
"What was that?" Daniel called, putting on his coat.
"Oh, nothing." Clara sighed.
"Okay, I'm ready, let's go," He announced, holding his hand out for her to take.
As they left the little shop, Daniel kept continuously teasing her about losing.
"Daniel," She said finally, "if you don't shut up, I swear if you don't stop talking I'm going to push you into the Black Lake."
"Oh, come on now, that's not very nice," Daniel pouted. Clara just rolled her eyes, too tired to talk very much.
As her steps slowed down slightly, Daniel's arm found its way around her shoulders, pulling her petite body closer to his. She prayed to Merlin that he was oblivious to the red tint that painted her cheeks.
"Tired, love?" He murmured.
"Just a bit," She admitted.
He rubbed her shoulders. "Don't worry, we're almost there," By 'there', Clara assumed that he meant the carriages.
As the wooden carriages came into view, Clara slowed down. "Listen, Daniel," Clara began softly, "I had a great time today,"
"So did I," Daniel nodded, blushing lightly. "We should meet up again this summer," He suggested.
"Definitely."
When they stopped in front of the carriages, Daniel bent down and placed a kiss on her cheek, and this time, Clara didn't care if he saw her blush. A shy smile emerged on her face as she stared at her shoes.
"See you soon, Clara," Daniel mumbled softly.
Clara looked up and smiled, "I can't wait to see you again!" She said as he helped her into the carriage.
"I'll be counting down the moments until then," He replied cheesily. Just as Clara opened her mouth to reply, the carriage began moving forward and her words were lost in the wind.