you'll be in my heart [theoren]

"Theoren! It's so good to see you!" Aline beamed at her tall friend and pulled him into an embrace before she opened the door further and let him in. "Come in and make yourself comfortable, I'm almost done with baking." Before he could say anything, the brunette shook her head slightly, the happy smile still on her face. "And no, you're not early. It just took me longer than I thought. There's some water, juice, coffee and beer on the table. Feel free to take whatever you want." And with that she hurried over to the oven. Phew. The muffins still looked good.

With a few practiced movements she got the hot baking tray out of the oven, placed it on the kitchen counter and with a flick of her wand, she summoned the raspberry cream out of the fridge. The witch muttered another spell to cool the muffins down a little and then she began to put the cream on top of them. Soon she was done and after adding some chocolate sprinkles the cupcakes looked absolutely perfect. Aline put two of them back in the fridge for Zephir and carried the rest to the small table in the living room. "See? They're all done now. I hope you like them."

The former Gryffindor sat down on the carpet, her wavy brown hair hanging over her left shoulder. "Sooooooo," she said with a cheeky grin. "Are you prepared to lose today? The Harpies will totally kick Puddlemere's ass. Have you seen Gwenog Jones' latest interview? Damn, that woman really wants to win." Aline popped one of the small almond cookies that were in a bowl on the table into her mouth and poured herself a cup of coffee. Or, as she liked to call it, the elixir of life.

The wireless was standing on the table right between drinks, cookies and the cupcakes but so far only quiet music was coming out of it. The match would begin soon, though. Aline briefly checked the clock on the wall before she looked back at her friend. "Ten minutes left until Puddlemere gets crushed. You know what? We should make a bet. Any suggestions?" A mischievous smile played across her lips while she looked expectantly at Theoren. This was going to be fun.

flat - outfit

Merlin, she was beautiful.  Theoren returned her smile with a wide grin of his own, pleased that she seemed happy to see him.  “Smells great.  Can I help you with anything?” he offered, latching the door behind him.  There was something very comforting and almost familiar about the atmosphere – the warm, sweet scent filling the air, the music playing quietly in the background, Aline working in the kitchen.  It was very pleasant.  As she invited him to make himself at home, Theoren stepped over to the table, setting down the unopened bottle of Firewhiskey he’d brought with him beside the other beverages she had set out.  It wasn’t much; a small gesture of his appreciation for her.  What he had really wanted was to give her flowers – somehow he thought she would have enjoyed them more, but feared she’d think wrongly of him in some way.  It wasn’t exactly the sort of gift he’d bring to McLaggen, for example, and that was enough to deter him.

They’d known each other since their first year of school, and Aline remained one of Theoren’s dearest friends.  He was happy they’d reconnected.  They had lost touch in the years since graduation, but after running into her at the hospital several weeks ago, they had started to meet up regularly for lunch or coffee.  Everything seemed to fall back into place so easily.  Conversation was as effortless as it had ever been, and he found himself remembering just how much he enjoyed her company.

A couple of years ago, maybe, he would have tried convincing her how right he was for her.  In that sense, perhaps he’d grown up a bit.  He respected her.  He wanted to be considerate of her feelings, rather than forcing onto her the glaring truth of his own.  He genuinely valued her friendship.  But it was more than that.  There had always been something about Aline – he held her in his highest esteem.  She was one of the few people that could make him question himself, his decisions, his intentions.  He cared very much what she thought of him.  He wanted her good opinion, her trust, her confidence.

Not long after that first meeting, Theoren had asked her to come with him to the Fundraiser Ball – not completely seriously, lest she refuse him and injure his pride – and she managed to surprise him by saying yes.  Theoren had really enjoyed spending the evening with her, dancing with her, letting the champagne take the blame when the boundaries of their friendship were blurred ever so slightly.  Although, in the end, the night had been somewhat soured by the sight of their younger siblings together at the ball.  Theoren wasn’t sure he liked Lorin with Seth.  Then again, he wasn’t sure he liked her with anybody.

After a moment, Aline returned from the kitchen, plate of cupcakes in hand.  “You made these?” Theoren asked, impressed.  Possibly more impressed just because it was her.  He took one before sitting cross-legged on the floor near the table.  The match would be starting soon.  It was Puddlemere versus the Harpies – both of their favorite teams pitted against one another.  Although he would have been happy to root for the Harpies any other day, Puddlemere was his team.  His father’s team.  He would loyally defend them until the very end, no matter the outcome.  “I’m sure she does,” he responded with a nod.  “Doesn’t mean she’s going to.”

Theoren gave her a challenging smirk, taking a bite of the cupcake as an announcer’s voice spoke from the Wireless, declaring that the match would start momentarily.  “This is delicious,” he said of the cupcake.  “Tell me, is there anything you can’t do?”  He grinned at her playfully before placing the rest of the cupcake in his mouth.  The announcers had started discussing the lineups of the two teams, and one was placing the odds heavily in favor of Puddlemere, while another scolded him for underestimating the determination of the Harpy Captain.  Theoren listened with interest, pouring himself a cup of coffee.  It was going to be one hell of a match, either way.

Meeting her eyes, Theoren was intrigued by her mischievous smile, and raised an eyebrow at her.  “Well,” he began, grinning slyly as he reached for a second cupcake.  “That depends.”  He leaned in, resting his elbow on the table, and lowered his voice slightly when he spoke again.  “How far are you willing to go to defend your beloved Harpies?  Keep in mind that you’ve chosen the losing side, so I’d think twice before setting the stakes too high, if I were you.”
 
 

"Nah, I'm good. But thanks anyway!" The brunette flashed her friend a wide smile when he offered her his help before she turned around again, focussing on the cupcakes. Out of the corner of her eye Aline noticed him putting a bottle of Firewhiskey on the table, wondering if he wanted to drink some of it later. She definitely wouldn't mind. It didn't happen very often that the former Gryffindor declined the offer to drink a glass of the golden liquid. Alcohol could always be found in the apartment and it happened quite often that she and Zephir came home and drank a bit before going to bed; alone or together.

Hmm, somehow it felt weird to think about their relationship, or lack thereof, while Theoren was sitting only a few feet away. The wizard knew she shared the flat with someone but as far as she could remember, she had never shared any more details. Did he even know that her room mate was a guy and not a girl? Aline thought she had mentioned something about Zephir being a guy but she wasn't sure. It wasn't that she'd kept it a secret it was more because the topic hadn't really come up during the last few weeks. Theoren wouldn't mind anyway, why would he?

"Yes, I actually did. It's not that difficult. I bet you could do it as well. All you need is the right recipe and voilà, perfect little cupcakes." He looked impressed and the witch had to admit that it pleased her. She hadn't wanted to show off or anything but a little praise was always nice. "Oh but she totally will." Actually Aline had no idea which team would win the match, they were both amazing teams, and chances were even. Still, she was a positive thinker and therefore she'd root for them as long as the match wasn't over. Her friend tried one of the cupcakes and apparently they didn't only look good, not that she had ever thought they wouldn't taste absolutely fantastic.

The healer-in-training looked back at him, pretending to think for a few seconds, before she returned his grin and shook her head a little. "I can't think of anything right now, no. I must be perfect." Aline winked and laughed softly. Theoren knew her well enough to know that she was only joking around. The brunette witch was many things but she definitely wasn't arrogant.

They were quiet for a while, listening to the announcers, and Aline nodded every now and then. If a game could be won by determination, they wouldn't even have to play this one. Unfortunately that wasn't everything. After suggesting the bet, the young woman observed her tall friend and she was reminded of the last time they had spent more than half an hour during lunchbreak together. The Fundraiser Ball had been a lot nicer than she had expected it to be and Theoren had been the reason for it. She had thought it would be utterly boring but they had talked and laughed and danced so much that the evening had been over in no time. Next to that they had met their siblings there and it had amused her a lot to see that Seth's date was no one else than Theo's sister.

Aline mirrored his movements and placed  her chin on the palm of her hand. "And if I were you I wouldn't be so sure about Puddlemere. Don't start crying later if they get crushed." She smiled sweetly before continuing. "Whoever loses pays for dinner the next time we meet and…" at that she raised a finger "not just in some random restaurant but in a fancy one. The winner chooses the place." Aline leaned back again, looking challengingly at Theoren and stretched out a hand. "Do we have a deal?" She didn't have to remind him that it would be dinner between friends, did she? The brunette dismissed the thought quickly. What else should it be?

Theoren made a noise of disagreement and waved a hand at her.  “I think you overestimate me,” he said with a laugh.  He’d never baked anything before, and generally speaking wasn’t much of a cook.  There were a few dishes he could prepare, but usually if he wasn’t eating with his family he’d go out with friends.  Lorin was much better at that kind of thing than he was.  That had been one of the great things about having her stay with him over the summer – it was wonderful to wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking, or to come home and find dinner already on the table.

Laughing at her response, Theoren nodded along in approval, his eyes full of praise.  Even if she was joking, he’d always appreciated her self-confidence.  As far as Theoren was concerned, if perfection existed, she’d found it.  He might have said so if his mouth wasn’t full of cupcake just then, and the next moment they were distracted by what the commentators were saying.

Theoren smiled challengingly when she leaned in, resting her chin on her hand.  “Well, I can’t guarantee that won’t happen,” he conceded when she warned him not to cry.  Aline went on to name her price, and Theoren’s smile widened.  It sounded like a win-win to him, but he tried to wipe the grin off his face long enough to pretend he needed to think about it.  “Alright,” he said finally, and he extended a hand toward her so they could shake on it.  “But mark my words, I’ll hold you to it.  And I’ve got expensive taste.”  Dinner with Aline?  Suddenly Puddlemere losing didn’t seem like it would be the worst thing.

The match started momentarily, and typical of professional Quidditch, things began to happen very fast.  In the first moment or so, the Quaffle changed hands twice before the Harpies scored a goal.  Theoren made a noise of protest, but a second later, the Harpy Seeker narrowly dodged a Bludger from one of the Puddlemere Beaters.  Both teams were playing hard.  Theoren looked up at Aline to see her reaction, a smile still present on his face from before and only prolonged by the excitement.
 
 

"I'm pretty sure I don't." The brunette smiled warmly at her friend before she focused her attention on one of the cupcakes. As a young student she had thought he could do absolutely everything and her opinion still hadn't changed. Theoren was one of the kindest and bravest human beings she knew and she hoped that he knew how much she thought of him. Sometimes the man was too humble for his own good.

Aline wasn't surprised when her friend played along. The banter between them had always been something she enjoyed and it was another thing that hadn't changed over the years. Nice. The thought of the tall man breaking down and crying like a baby was amusing and it took all her will power not to start laughing out loud. The two shook hands and the witch noticed how warm Theoren's hand was. "Expensive taste? You know my parents. It can't be as expensive as theirs, believe me." Her smile widened into a grin. "I'll make sure that I know what their favourite restaurant is." Maybe her name would even get them a discount there.

Usually the young woman wasn't really keen on using her parents' status for something, hence why she was living away from home with a roommate, but every now and then she tried to swallow her pride to get some advantages out of it. Gettign a discount at a restaurant couldn't hurt, could it? Especially if she wouldn't even get it for herself but for a friend.

The match began and from the first second on it was exciting. The former Gryffindor cheered loudly when the Harpies scored a goal and swore even louder when the seeker almost got hit by one of those nasty Bludgers. She remembered just too well how much it could hurt. Another loud swear escaped her lips when Puddlemore managed to score twice within minutes and she looked at Theoren out of narrowed eyes. "I don't like what your team is doing." A little frustrated, the witch took a large bite from another cupcake. The Harpies had to do better if they wanted to win.