Comments | the_leaky: RP: Pleased to meet you

neville_inbloom in the_leaky

RP: Pleased to meet you

Jun 30, 2006 11:45

Date: 30 June 2001
Characters: Neville, Mandy
Status: Private
Summary: Neville meets his buyer, who isn't Ron, at the Leaky.
Completion: Complete

( Going all out for a near-stranger )

mandy, neville

Comments 10

mandy_lightful June 30 2006, 23:25:34 UTC

Mandy had been fidgetting with her purse strap, a tiny bit nervous about what amounted to almost a blind date, although without the date part.

The man standing in front of her wasn't terribly intimidating, though. The face was only vaguely recognisable, earnest blue eyes, and a mop of dark brown hair, but the expression was familiar. She didn't have to look very far upwards, either - he was only a couple of inches taller.

Mandy smiled at his greeting, holding out her hand politely. "Hi, Neville. Yes, I'm Mandy, and no, I haven't been waiting very long, thank you. This is really very kind of you," she added as he shook her hand gently.

neville_inbloom June 30 2006, 23:58:41 UTC

"Oh good," Neville said, releasing Mandy's hand. "It would have been terribly embarrassing if you hadn't been, erm, you. And it's no trouble at all. Ron thinks I spend too much time at the greenhouses anyway!"

He hopped up onto the barstool next to Mandy. She was pretty, and blonde, and seemed almost as nervous about meeting him as he was at meeting her. "Can I buy you a drink? A butterbeer perhaps, unless you'd prefer something stronger?" he asked. "Something to break the ice before we go?"

Something to settle the butterflies in their stomachs, at the very least, he mused, watching her fiddle with her purse again.

mandy_lightful July 1 2006, 00:18:23 UTC

Mandy smiled sweetly - Neville seemed every bit as gentle and uncertain as she remembered from shared school classes, and maybe he was nervous about this too? The very thought amused her, because she was the last person anyone needed to feel nervous about... unless they were likely to precipitate emotional outpourings, she concluded wryly in her head.

"Actually, I don't drink alcohol," she said gently, "but a real lemonade would be lovely, and I know they serve an excellent one here, if you would be so kind?"

She watched him give the order to the barman, and wondered what to say that might put them both more at ease. She tried to think back to school, and things they might have had in common, but all she could remember was exploding cauldrons and backfiring charms. The man before her didn't seem quite as likely to demolish the pub around them.

"Ron?" she asked with casual interest, looking for small talk. "Would that be Ron Weasley, from school? He was your dorm mate, wasn't he?"

neville_inbloom July 1 2006, 00:54:45 UTC

Neville nodded as Tom set a butterbeer and a tall glass of lemonade before them. "The very same. We shared a dorm with Harry, Seamus and Dean all through school. Ron plays Keeper for the Chudley Cannons now. I grow plants and sell them. We're both doing what we love most, so we're happy."

Uncapping the butterbeer, Neville took a long swallow before setting the bottle down again. "Strange thing with the auction results, wasn't it? I didn't think anyone other than Ron bid on me." He gave Mandy a sidelong glance and a self-deprecating smile. "I won't be offended if you didn't actually. I just thought it was strange. Ron didn't end up with me, either."

Thread 10