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Padma Patil (ravenclawpatil) wrote in wished,
@ 2009-11-29 05:20:00

Entry tags:

!1997: 11, !incomplete, justin finch-fletchley, padma patil

Who: Padma Patil, Justin Finch-Fletchley
When: Hogsmeade Saturday.
Where: Hogsmeade
What: Date?
Rating: TBA, tame I'm sure.
Open/Closed: Closed

Padma hadn't told anyone but Parvati about Justin's owl. Mostly because she was sure that she'd sound completely idiotic on the topic. She'd said yes - of course she'd said yes. He was a friend, and nice, and it was always better to have someone to go with. Parvati would probably spend most of the day with her friends, and Padma tended to spend an hour or two in Hogsmeade, and then just go back to school to work, these days.

Therein lie the problem though - Justin was a friend. And Padma was entirely unsure if this was actually being asked to Hogsmeade as a date-like ocassion. . . or just a friendly thing. She would have known how to plan better if she knew that, but she didn't, which just left her nervous and doing silly things like worrying over what she'd wear - which was usually Parvati's territory, not hers!

And Padma felt ridiculous being fluttery and unsure over a date - or not-date - in light of everything else that had been going on lately. But. . . no one could be serious or worried ALL the time and it seemed like everyone else was making the time to date too.

If it was a date.

Parvati had really been very unhelpful on clarifying that point.

Padma finally settled on not wearing her school robes, no matter if they made the decision much easier. Parvati probably would shove her back into the dorm and refuse to let her out unless she changed anyway, even if she tried. She wore a casual, long blue wraparound skirt she'd always liked and a matching jumper and her lotus necklace, leaving her hair down to keep her ears warm and wrapping a scarf around. She looked perfectly normal. Which just made fussing over it seem MORE silly.

Books were much easier to deal with. And she said the stupidest things whenever she tried to talk to Justin anyway!

Still, she headed down to meet him outside on the path to Hogsmeade, as they'd agreed. She thought that if nothing else they could stop in at the Three Broomsticks for drinks for Lisa's birthday, since a few others had mentioned going there. Which would save them having to talk if she couldn't stop babbling about Charms or something again. She waited, hands buried in her coat and chin tucked into her scarf against the wind that made the chilly air feel cooler. She tried to keep from making a list of points for and against the idea of this being a date while she waited.

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xenial
2009-11-29 01:20 pm UTC (link)

It was a date. It was definitely a date. What if Padma didn't know it was a date, though? Maybe he should have been more clear in the owl. Maybe he should have... now Justin was all a bundle of nerves, because he was second guessing what he'd wrote and what he'd not wrote and what if she thought this was just a friend thing? He didn't mind doing friend things with her, but the truth was that he rather fancied her and he wanted this to be more than a friend thing. He just, for all his usual charisma and charm, could not seem to figure out how to be smooth around Padma.

That said, it had taken him hours to decide on what he was going to wear. He'tried to be stealthy about it, having told no one - not even Ernie or Susan - that he'd asked Padma to be his date to Hogsmeade, but it was probably obvious to his dormmates, at least, when it took him an age to get ready and he kept changing his mind on what to wear. He finally settled on a comfortable pair of trousers and a blue jumper, adding a coat, scarf and hat to keep him warm.

By some miracle, he managed to arrive at the path relatively on time and he grinned brightly when he saw Padma waiting for him.

"You're very.. you look pretty today," he told her, only stumbling over his words a little. He wondered if he should hold her hand or kiss her cheek or something, but he decided against it for now. Standing there feeling awkward sounded like a much better plan, yes.

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ravenclawpatil
2009-11-30 09:36 pm UTC (link)

Padma smiled at him and brushed her hair back with one hand. "Thank you. So do you. Well, handsome? I suppose it's not as much of a compliment if you tell a boy that he looks pretty, even if they do." She was no less awkward than he was, and wished for a moment that some of the others in their houses, or the D.A. were there. Or just Parvati. But then Parvati would probably just elbow her and hiss that he was flirting. Her sister always did that and Padma NEVER saw whatever it was she insisted was flirting.

"Ready?" she asked, starting down the path and focusing on not tripping over anything, since it at least gave her eyes somewhere to be.

She decided that telling her she looked pretty was a check in the column for this being a date. If he'd said she looked "nice" or something similar, then it would be more friendly. But pretty was. . . well maybe it was.

She was really just utter rubbish at this.

"I'm glad Hogsmeade wasn't canceled. Getting away from the castle for a little while is a relief," she offered. It was a step better than talking about Charms, she thought.

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xenial
2009-11-30 09:52 pm UTC (link)

Justin felt decidedly awkward, but he was glad that there was no one else there. For one thing, he would be a lot more embarrassed right now if any of his friends (or hers) could witness this somewhat awkward exchanged. As awkward as this felt now, he felt sure that having witnesses right now would make it WORSE.

Nice.. pretty.. beautiful. Justin didn't see a big difference between the different words he could have used. Any of them could have applied, but they generally did. As far as Justin was concerned, Padma nearly always looked pretty. Today was just the first occasion when he'd been bold enough to say so.

He smiled as she babbled a little while she returned the compliment. Pretty wasn't exactly a manly term, but he'd take it from her. Either way, it meant she thought he looked okay, right? That was probably a good thing.

"Thank you," he managed with only a hint of a blush. He nodded when she asked if he was ready, again wondering if he should try to hold her hand, but deciding against it for the moment. Like her, he focused on the path and not tripping. Justin wasn't usually very uncoordinated, but something about being near Padma seemed to throw him off.

"Me, too." He looked over at her again and smiled. "I thought it might be with everything that's happened, but I think everyone needed this and I'm running low on sweets. I don't know how I'd cope without a chance to visit Honeydukes."

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ravenclawpatil
2009-11-30 10:24 pm UTC (link)

"I think the whole school would go into withdrawal and there would be fights in the halls over the last chocolate frog or ice mouse if everyone couldn't get into town to restock," Padma admitted with a laugh. "We're all sugar addicts. And the desserts and pastries and things that the elves make are all wonderful, but it's just not the same as a good sugar quill."

Which made her worry a bit about what would happen if Honeydukes closed up the way some shops were. They could always order things from other shops by owl of course, but it wasn't the same.

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xenial
2009-11-30 10:37 pm UTC (link)

"You're probably not wrong. I can just imagine the chaos that would ensure." It wasn't the most intellectual thing he could have said, but at least he wasn't prattling on asking about homework. That had to be an improvement.

He would have kicked himself if he could have read her mind, though. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Padma think of how screwed up things were in the world outside. Today was meant to be a good day. An impractical as it sounded, he didn't particularly want to think of the war of You Know Who or any of that today.

"Are sugar quills your favorite, then?" he asked, trying to make conversation and kicking himself inwardly for how lame that probably sounded.

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ravenclawpatil
2009-11-30 11:40 pm UTC (link)

"If Honeydukes every closes, I'm just handing over my Head Girl badge to Pansy and retiring before the insanity ensues," Padma told him with a rueful smile. "The last thing I want to do is calm down second years in withdrawal!"

She tilted her head, stepping around a little dip in the path. "I think they're the ones I eat the most often since they're good to suck on when you're studying. But I don't know if they're my favorites. I think I'd probably have to say something chocolate if I had to pick one," she admitted.

It was an easy enough conversation topic at least. "What about you? What's your favorite?"

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xenial
2009-12-01 12:22 am UTC (link)

"Second years? I bet there are plenty in our year who would be just as out of control if their sugar supplier cut them off!" He laughed at that. He could just picture Pansy trying to deal with the younger students all going through sugar withdrawals, though a part of him suspected she'd just hex the lot of them or something.

"I think I probably like the chocolate frogs the best. They're entertaining." Justin grinned. This was nice, actually. Now that they'd started talking, it was a little less awkward and even if it was only about sweets, it was something. It gave him something to focus on besides his own nervousness.

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ravenclawpatil
2009-12-01 06:43 am UTC (link)

"Yes. But the ones in our year I can hex if they're too annoying!" Padma answered with a laugh. "I feel badly about hexing second years, or first years. Third and above I start to feel justified though." Not that she really ever would, but there were a few who made it almost a genuine temptation.

"I'm always worried when I eat a frog. That I might miss when it hops and it will land on someone's head," Padma admitted, looking up at him and smiling sheepishly. "And I hate catching it because I worry about getting chocolate all over my hands. So I like my chocolate less. . . mobile."

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xenial
2009-12-02 01:54 am UTC (link)

Justin laughed. "That's the difference between you and Parkinson. She'd hex the littles, too, if they annoyed her." Okay, so he didn't actually know if that was true, but it sounded about right to him. Not that he thought Padma would hex anyone over such a thing. He had a hard time picturing Padma losing her temper at all, let alone over something as understandable as sugar withdrawals.

"Oh, that's half the fun," he flashed her another grin. "I like having to work for my chocolate, even if it can get a bit messy at times."

Justin knew that he should feel completely stupid talking about something so trivial, but it was better than discussing schoolwork. Things felt definitely less awkward than they had before and he was going with it, even if he didn't think there was any way he was impressing her with talk about working for his chocolate.

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ravenclawpatil
2009-12-02 03:19 am UTC (link)

"She probably would. And enjoy it," Padma agreed, and then wrinkled her nose a little and added quickly. "I shouldn't say that. She really does a very good job as a Prefect." Most of the time. Even if Padma thought she could be a lot nicer.

She laughed. "Well. I might like it more if I could catch better. There's a reason I never tried out for Quidditch." Despite loving the sport. She just wasn't an athlete.

It was a little easier to talk now that they at least had a topic. She wasn't lecturing him, so Padma thought that was a step up, at least.

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xenial
2009-12-02 03:54 am UTC (link)

Leave it to Padma to have something nice to say even about Pansy Parkinson. That was pretty much why he adored her, though. Well, one of several reasons. It was also why he had a hard time picturing Padma throwing a hex at anyone, except maybe a Death Eater or someone who'd hexed her first.

The conversation seemed to make the walk to Hogsmeade go a little faster than it normally did and Justin almost couldn't believe it when he saw that they were entering the village already. It seemed like they had just left!

"What do you want to do first?" he asked his companion. He thought of suggesting Honeydukes since they'd been taking about sweets, but maybe they should do that last so they wouldn't be carrying a big supply around with them all day. In the end, he decided to see what she wanted to do before voicing an opinion.

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ravenclawpatil
2009-12-02 04:18 am UTC (link)

Padma wasn't a saint. She did have a temper, it was just hard to spark - and usually manifested more in an icy rage and a long standing grudge than it did in hexing anyone or yelling - though she had her moments.

"Honeydukes? We were talking about it. . . but then we'd have to carry everything around. . ." Padma mused, echoing his thoughts without knowing it. She smiled shyly. "Really anywhere is fine, though. I did want to pick up a few new quills, so we could go there first, if you don't mind? Or do that later and just go to the Three Broomsticks first?"

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xenial
2009-12-02 05:56 am UTC (link)

Justin was actually perfectly happy to do any of those things, whichever she wanted to do first. He didn't want to waffle about or be indecisive, though, so he gave it a few moments of thought, trying to work out whatever sounded like the best plan of action.

"A butterbeer does sound nice," he mused out loud. He doubted he'd order anything stronger, even if Lisa's brother was buying. "Unless you really want to get the quills first. Or some sweets. I mean, I don't mind, if that's what you want to do."

So much for being smooth and decisive. It appeared Justin was back to moderately awkward. It was funny how the earth never opened up and swallowed you when you wanted it to.

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ravenclawpatil
2009-12-02 06:09 am UTC (link)

Padma wondered if there was some kind of inherent test at work here. Pick quills, and it was definitely just a friendship. Pick sweets and it was. . . actually she didn't know. But it made sense to shop last, so she went with the sensible option. Sensible was usually Padma's default reaction anyway.

"Butterbeer it is," she agreed, giving him a smile and pushing her hair back as the wind blew it over her face. She started toward the Three Broomsticks. There were bound to be a lot of people there, but she hoped that there was at least room for them to sit together.

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xenial
2009-12-02 05:38 pm UTC (link)

If there was some kind of test here, Justin was oblivious to it. Then again, he knew today was meant to be more than just friendship. Whether Padma knew it or whether that was what she wanted might have been something different altogether, but it was possible that he'd find the courage to make it a little clearer before the day was over with.

"Okay!" It felt good to have it decided and he moved with her, maybe half a step behind, though he rushed forward to open the door for her once they'd arrived at The Three Broomsticks. He wondered who would be there already. Was it too early for Lisa's thing? Oddly enough, he'd completely lost track of the time.

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