Cecilia Jacobs : Date Night
George had hardly been able to think about anything else since leaving Cecilia's office at St-Mungo's two days prior. He'd come home to a flat that resembled a disaster zone more than a place where an adult person actually lived, but had since done little more to clean up after his blind rampage than to sweep the majority of the carnage aside with
( Read more... )
Especially when she relived that lingering kiss on her cheek.
She was now working on the final touches of dinner while fixing her hair - her wand working double duty as she did her best to get ready in time. She'd had to shower twice thanks to a young girl vomiting all over her shoes and as she worked a frizz-free potion through her hair, she hoped she smelled more like lavender than, well, puke.
When she heard the knock come at the door, Cecilia took one final glance at herself in the mirror. Her blond hair was styled in sleek, loose waves around her shoulders and she kept her make-up simple. The dress she chose ( ... )
Reply
She and Holden had their moments, though. When Cecilia was recruited into the Death Eaters, Holden fled to America not wanting to deal with it - not wanting to accept his sister's decision or his parents' allegiance. It was the longest she and Holden went without speaking. It hurt her more than anything else not to have her brother's support and he was a guiding force in giving her the courage to confess to Dumbledore. And since then, they were thicker than thieves.
"We're all we've got," she admitted.
She busied herself then with turning off the stove and getting the food ready to serve. It wasn't exactly the best date night conversation - Death Eater alliances. So, she grinned brightly as she put their plates together.
"I got her one of those Headless Hat things. It was a fantastic Christmas morning with my headless little niece. Are you ready to eat?"
Reply
"I'm positively starving, so yes, definitely. It really does look amazing," he responded, though his eyes barely actually grazed the food being plated as he watched her go about the kitchen.
For reasons he couldn't quite figure out, George could tell that the subject of family had suddenly gotten a bit touchy. He didn't push the issue when she aimed the conversation away (in part because he was, in fact, ravenous) but he made it a point to file away that bit of information, something to perhaps be asked about later, eventually, if things kept going well and the opportunity ever came up (bloody hell, was he actually thinking in a weird form of long-term here?).
Reply
"Well, if it is terrible, I've always got a load of take-out menus for back-up," she told him, laughter tickling her voice. "But this one I think I've managed to master-"
She sat down, finally, before grabbing the wine bottle and replenishing her glass and then doing the same for George. She held her's up in a toast and offered him a playful look, "To being very grateful for temporary blindness-"
Reply
He kept his eyes fixed on her over the rim of his glass and he tipped it up to take a sip - it really was all he could do to keep himself from staring without intermission. Thankfully working his way around his plate did require some eye contact to be made and he finally tore his gaze away to work his cutlery into slicing into his steak.
He moaned appreciatively around that first bite. "Oh yeah. Definitely as good as it looks."
Reply
But Cecilia found she really liked the ease that came with cooking and the fact that George liked it was enough for her. She beamed, certainly proud of herself, then.
"Brilliant," she said, before taking a bite herself. She savored her first cut before digging into the vegetables. "So, what exactly were you working on that needed squid ink?"
Reply
"New line of trick quills, of the exploding variety," George explained between bites. "Obviously, I went a bit overboard on both the explosion factor and the staining agent," he shook his head with mild embarrassment. Given his tendency to always go a bit too far with the boom-factor, it continued to come as a genuine surprise to both himself and anyone who knew him that, after all these years, he still managed to have held on to all of his extremities...
Reply
She dug her fork into the potato on her plate, as she looked back at George.
"Perhaps a bit," she teased. "But I suppose you deal with that a lot. I can't imagine what kind of trial and error you and your brother must go through."
Especially when she remembered Madeline with that Headless Hat. She nearly shuddered thinking about what could have gone wrong with that one.
Reply
"I can imagine it's all pretty minor compared to the stuff you must come across, though," he added, thinking back to some of the things he had seen in St-Mungo's emergency room on some of his previous trips (those actually conducted through the proper channels of care-seeking).
Reply
"Thankfully, my typical days are bruised bones and bloody noses," she said. "But on occasion I've seen some terrible cases of Vanishing Sickness and mis-Transfiguration... Though, it's incredibly hard not to laugh when you see a little boy come in with bat wings sprouting from his nose-"
She let a giggle pass through her lips at the memory.
Reply
"Right," he mumbled through his laughter, having finally managed to swallow his mouthful of vegetables. "I can't imagine anyone would keep a straight off in that situation."
Reply
She remembered the young boy's mother frantic with worry and more than slightly agitated that her son found the whole thing so cool. That had been the word he had said over and over again. Except it had come out nasally and squeaky. He had begged Cecilia to let him keep the wings.
"He loved them," she continued. "Thought they were bloody brilliant. He didn't even care that they were beginning to block his nasal passages."
She took a drink from the wine glass.
"Working primarily with children makes the day so much better, I'll tell you."
Reply
"As someone who also primarily works with children, I must say I agree," he grinned, raising his glass in a mock sort of toast before taking a sip. "Though I mean, I'm all for pleasing the kids and providing that necessary, misbehaved influence, but I'll admit that I get most of my amusement from seeing the parents' reactions," he continued, his grin growing cheekier by the second.
Reply
She grinned in that cheeky manner she found herself in when she was around him. She felt loose and relaxed when she was in his presence, it seemed. She did when they had first met and especially now, in the comfort of her own home. She knew she had loosened up since Hogwarts but this was different. This just felt natural.
"You and your brother are a bit legendary around the Ward, I must admit. I think you lot might be keeping us in business-"
Reply
"After all, what are a few temporary disfigurations in the grand quest for laughter?" Though it would be easy to discount the statement and implied philosophy as yet another lighthearted joke, a flippant remark, it was a conviction that had always been taken on with actual seriousness, something that George had certainly been reminded of given recent events - no matter what was going on, this was what he did. He made sure that people could still laugh. That twinkle in his eye was more than mischievous amusement - it was an ideology in action.
He finally put his fork and knife down, swiping a finger along the edge of his plate to catch the forgotten seasonings for the roasted potatoes and the last of the juice from his devoured steak. "Congratulations, I am properly stuffed," he said contently, leaning back in his chair.
Reply
"Don't they say laughter is the best medicine?" she said, almost rolling her eyes at the cliche line but knowing it to be true. "Which is absolutely something you would find on a postcard or something but it's still quite nice. We've got it written on the playroom in the Ward-"
She took a final bite of her steak, realizing that she had been hungrier than she thought. Her plate was nearly empty as well.
"Too stuffed for dessert?" she asked, eyeing him. "Because there is this rather brilliant bakery right around the corner and I couldn't help but pick up a few pastries on my way home today- But maybe you and I can settle on the sofa for a little and then see how we feel?"
There was a slightly mischievous gleam in her eyes.
Reply
Leave a comment