Who: Gabrielle Delacour & Percy Weasley What: Percy needs a distraction, and thinks taking a talkative French girl to an art exhibit will provide it. When: Friday evening Where: The British Museum Rating: G Status: Complete
Gabrielle was enjoying herself immensely. If there was one thing she missed about living with her parents, it was being able to do things like this. She could visit museums, since most were free or low admission, but her parents had always encouraged their daughters' interest in culture. Holidays from school had always included an event of some sort: a symphony, a lecture, the ballet, perhaps the opera. She'd usually been more excited over Christmas to hear what her parents had found to take her to than in what they'd gotten her for Christmas, even at a very young age. On a waitress' salary, she spent most of her extra money on her art supplies and contented herself with cheap or free events. And since her mother had always insisted on her being appropriately dressed, she'd already had an appropriate dress for a formal event. She'd pondered whether she should ask Percy about paying for her ticket, though; what were the rules for being invited out by a not-quite-family member? She should have thought to ask someone before the evening.
Dinner had been excellent, but hadn't left much room for conversation, at least between the two of them. Their table had seated six, and the four others had been quite interested in their two younger tablemates. Gabrielle was naturally much more talkative and had answered most of their questions for the both of them, though she'd naturally had to turn to Percy to let him answer the things she didn't know. She occasionally checked herself and tried to make sure she wasn't cutting him off, but he mostly seemed content to let her talk. Once the lecture had started, conversation had ceased, and Gabrielle had listened in fascination. It was interesting; she hated magical history and found it dull, but tell her the life story of an artist and she was enraptured.
After the lecture, they were turned loose to wander through the exhibit. With most of the crowd starting at the beginning, Gabrielle motioned for Percy to follow her. With a sweet smile, she asked the guard if they might start at the opposite end and work their way backward. After a few moments, he agreed and let them slip through the barricade to start viewing the paintings away from most of the group. She flashed Percy a brighter smile as they began wandering through. "It is nice to start in a different spot. It takes you away from the people who want strict silence and the the people who wish their opinion to be heard above all others."