Surviving Hogwarts

To Find a Date for Hogsmeade

Later that night, Remus, Alan, and Jamie were in the common room after dinner, with their friends – Remus and Alan goofing off as usual. Jamie took a deep breath and looked across the room at Elise, who was sitting in front of the fireplace with her friends.

She was laughing at something, the glint of the fire catching in her straight light brown hair. He had always thought her dark brown eyes were warm and friendly, though they now seemed to glow slightly. Jamie finally stood and wiped his sweaty hands on the front of his trousers.

This was it. He was going to ask her out.

Remus tapped Alan and pointed to Jamie as he walked across the room. The two grinned and snickered together. Alan always had the best luck with the ladies. Jamie, on the other hand, was decidedly not as skilled in that department. He was also deeply self-conscious about this, despite putting on a front when the three were together in public.

Only Remus, Alan, and Daisy really knew how incredibly shy he really was around the opposite sex.

"Hey, Elise," Jamie said, hoping it didn't sound as lame as it did to his own ears. She looked up at him, smiling.

"Jamie! Wait... it is Jamie, right?" she asked. Jamie blushed furiously.

"Ehm, yea. It is," he said. Elise smiled brightly.

"Oh, good. Sometimes I get you three confused... Have a good summer?" she asked. He nodded.

"It was alright. Caught a few World Cup matches. How was yours?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Decent as well. Got to travel a bit, though spent a good chunk at home, bored out of my mind," she said.

"Right. Ehm, well... Hogsmeade is coming up this weekend... I was wondering if maybe you'd like to, ehm, maybe go with me?" he asked, stuttering a bit.

He mentally berated himself for sounding like an idiot. She would never say yes now. Elise thought for a moment and then grinned.

"I'd love to," she said.

"Ah, good. Okay. I'll, ah, meet you here in the common room then. We'll walk down together," he said, smiling.

"Alright then," Elise replied.

Jamie then turned and walked back to his brothers who were both grinning.

"Ehm... would you maybe, if you want and it's okay, like to, maybe, like, go to Hogsmeade with me?" Remus said, batting his eyelashes.

Jamie punched him in the arm.

"Knock it off," he said, blushing slightly as he glanced over at Elise.

She and her friends were huddled together, whispering furiously as she glanced up at him and smiled.

"It's a lot harder than it looks."

"No, it's not. You just walk up, ask, and then it's done," Alan said, standing. "Like this," he said grinning as he walked over to a pretty sixth year girl. "Hey, Marlene. Fancy going to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" She grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Good, meet you in the courtyard on Saturday, then."

He walked back over and sat next to Remus.

"See? Easy," Alan said.

Jamie stared at his brother and then looked over at the girl who was now excitedly chatting with her friends.

"Why is that so easy for you?" Jamie lamented.

"Because he doesn't really care that much," Remus said. "You, on the other hand, care way entirely too much."