The Autumn Leaves

Aidan was completely out of breath when he reached the ground floor of the palace, but he still had a long way to run. He had to make it there before she did! He sprinted from the entrance of the castle all the way to the lake, saw the Quidditch players practice. Merdes, she didn't have practice right now, did she? He didn't really watch the bird after it flew out of the room... He sat down and tried to catch his breath. He didn't really see anyone just yet, except from the mermaid. Since he couldn't really get his clothes all soaked right now, he shouted over "Sorry, can't talk right now, I'm expecting someone. I'm going down again next Wednesday!"

He waited there for a little while. Was she going to come?

Isobel had just gotten done with practice for the final game of the season. She was playing Seeker for the game, since theirs had sustained an injury. She was a little rusty, but she already knew that she wouldn't be catching the snitch, so she'd rather not over extend herself. It was going to be an excellent game, regardless of whether or not she practiced. She had foreseen both outcomes and they were the same.

Suddenly, a bird landed in her locker and turned into a note. She picked it up, hoping the other girls hadn't noticed it and turned it over. She read it carefully before grabbing her school bag and heading out. "Bye guys! See you guys soon! Remember, one more practice before winter break, the night after the dance!" she shouted over her shoulder.

She didn't have a very far walk, but the lake was on the opposite end of the grounds, so she walked quickly. She doubted Aidan had been waiting too long, but she didn't want to be rude to her friend.

When she finally made it out to the lake, she saw Aidan standing alone. "Hi! Sorry. I was practicing," she said looking down at her green and yellow uniform, embarrassed  because her statement was pretty obvious. She blushed, but recovered quickly. "So what's up?"

Aidan wasn't really sure how to bring it up, so he just began talking about something else while he thought it over. "So, how did it go? I heard there were new teams or something?" He looked at the lake. So, Winter Ball... I think your eyes would look way better with the falling snow... Where was he even going with that? He'd read in a book before Maybe everything ends, but we are just beginning... Aidan nodded at Isobel, not really hearing what she said. Think, think, think... Aidan interrupted her as she was talking. It didn't really matter how he asked it, anyway, right? "Hey, Isobel, would you like to go to the Christmas dance with me?"

Isobel sighed. Aidan definitely saw asking about Quidditch as a formality rather than being genuinely interested. "I call bullshit. What do you really-" she stopped because she had been interrupted. Being interrupted was her pet peeve. It pissed her off to no end. She crossed her arms and was prepared to chew him out for it after he was done speaking, but she wasn't expecting an invitation.

"Sure. I'll go to the dance with you. But the interrupting thing can't happen. It's annoying," she said, trying not to sound bitter.

Well, yeah, it was bullshit. He didn't care in the slightest, but it made her happy, so he just listened to her rambling on about things Aidan had no idea about. Something about Beaters bludgeoning a Seeker, which were terms Aidan just got confused by. He passed the flying exam last year, but only because it was really, really easy. And he barely passed. 

Was she really that annoyed by that? Aidan laughed. "Turn that frown upside down, demoiselle Vert. If you wanted to talk more about how uninterested I am in Quidditch, just tell me anytime. I'll pretend I'm listening. But seriously now, we're going to the dance together! In my head, it always resulted in you saying no. So, you know, I'm kind of hyper right now. Uhm..." Aidan looked around. He grinned when he saw what he wanted. "Want to take a dive? I really need to cool down." He didn't really wait for her to answer, and shouted "Accio swim trunks!" The cold wind was rushing around them, but he didn't really notice. She said yes!

Isobel felt a twinge of guilt. Why would he think she'd say no? Did she really come off as that much of a bitch? She thought she had been seeming more approachable but maybe not. "I can teach you any time. It's complicated, but not impossible," she said, shrugging. It was fairly straightforward. One didn't need to know every single foul to play the game, but she was sure that Aidan wouldn't see it that way.

"Um... Aidan," Isobel said, touching his arm, "You realize it's winter, right? It's cold. You should probably rethink that. We can do something together in a little while, if you want."