they say i'm walking on freedom [casey]

"Geroff me, you pansy!" Danny grumbled as his friend Greg tried to wrap an arm around his neck and give him a noogie. It was Greg's way of saying 'good luck' and also of saying 'if you mess this one up, you'll never live it down'. The Gryffindor pushed his friend away with a laugh and a haughty look, watching as his friends retreated to the quidditch shop across the way.

Danny shuffled his feet with hands shoved deep into the pockets of his well-worn jeans as he stood outside the Three Broomsticks. When Greg and a few of his friends started making faces at him through the window of the shop, Danny made a rude gesture at them before turning his back toward them. He knew his friends would be on his case for the rest of the month with what was going down  today, but he didn't mind too much. Today was his date with Casey Regan.

It was a chilly afternoon in early December that Danny had finally settled on and asked Casey to meet him there. He had wanted to ask Finn for help in the 'dating' department, but knowing Finn and his brother Edmund, he hadn't wanted to chance it. It was already bad enough that his stupid friends were watching them from the shop across the street. Danny was nervous and anxious and he just wanted Casey to get here already. He glanced up and down the path for what felt like the thousandth time. Still no sign of the blonde-haired Hufflepuff.

The Gryffindor shuffled once more and pulled his jacket tighter to his body, trying to think of the best thing to say when he saw her.

Today was the day. The day that Casey had a date with Danny Willbond. That made the blonde both excited and nervous all at once. Even though she was a seventh year this was the girl’s first real official date. It was funny, to her how all of this, even though in reality it was very little, could have come from a simple game of spin the bottle. But somehow it was all really happening. Those were the kinds of thoughts that floated through the Hufflepuff’s mind as she made her way down from the Castle to Hogsmeade, where she was supposed to meet Danny in front of the Three Broomsticks. But regardless of the nerves and not knowing what the day had in store. Casey really was looking forward to the whole thing.

She had talked it over with Kerr, who was likely one of her best friends, not to mention her family. Plus, it wasn’t really like the girl had that many girlfriends to talk to about things, her friends were mostly boys, and had always been. But on a day like today, she hoped it would help her to not say too many stupid or silly things once she actually met up with the tall brunette boy that was her date. Pushing all the jittery thoughts away, the seventh year rounded the corner and found herself making her way into the crowds that gave Hogsmeade it’s holiday cheer like buzz. She could do this, and she would be just fine. It was just Danny, and just a little harmless date, after all.

It didn’t take Casey long to spot Danny standing with his back to her, and an idea immediately wormed it’s way into her head. Grinning softly to herself, the Hufflepuff took advantage of the crowds that were seemingly everywhere. Slipping into one, Casey waited till she was behind the Gryffindor boy, before standing up on her tip toes and placing her hands over his eyes and whispering in his ear playfully “Guess who?!” She didn’t wait for Danny to guess, knowing it wouldn’t be a challenge for him to figure out who it was after all. Dropping her hands back to her sides, Casey did her best to ignore the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach, and gave him one of her best smiles, biting her lip ever so slightly as she looked up at him “Hi...” While she tried to think of something witty to say on top of that, the blonde rocked on her heels slightly, and stuck her hands in her coat pockets to stave off the chill that was in the air. Coming up with nothing witty to say at all, the blonde grinned again “How’re you?” Merlin, She really was lame, wasn’t she?

She really hoped her cheeks were warm because of the chill, and not because she was blushing. But something told her that she was blushing, and that it was entirely Danny and their dates’ fault. But there were firsts for everything, right? 

Danny's mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts that didn't quite make sense. He was trying to figure out the best thing to say to her, wondering why he was so bloody nervous, why the word 'date' seemed to make his hands sweat, what his friends in the window across the street were thinking, and most of all, what Casey would think when she came. He yearned for that chill, laidback attitude he had with almost everything. Why couldn't he get that back?

The Gryffindor was getting annoyed with himself as he stood there, stamping his feet lightly to keep his toes warm against the cold, his hands burrowed into pockets of his jacket. It was a busy weekend for Hogsmeade and there were crowds of students coming down the path, yet he still didn't spot the Hufflepuff.

But then he felt cool hands over his eyes and somebody at his back. The sixth year stilled, then smiled big, then reached up with his own hands to pull down the hands that were over his eyes. He looked over his shoulder with that same big smile before turning fully around, saying "hi" back. For some reason he couldn't explain, he always got caught up in her smile and the prettiness of her silky looking hair so it was a few long awkward seconds before he remembered she had asked him a question. "Good. I'm good. Goodgoodgood...you alright?" he asked after another pause.

He glanced behind Casey at the Three Broomsticks and heard Finn's words of advice echo in his ear. He wanted this date thing to be something that would be fun for Casey and honestly... it that moment, he was rethinking his 3B plan. "Did you want to walk someplace else?" he blurted out without thought. He shrugged as he looked at the Three Broomsticks again and pulled a face that said something like 'it just wasn't cutting it' anymore. Danny nodded his head down the path and he wasn't really sure where they would end up or if this was a good idea, but he really didn't think being cooped up at a table would be good for him right now.

So with a smile, even though he wasn't sure of his plan, he extended an elbow to Casey and said, "This way, milady."

She hadn’t thought it was possible, but when Danny turned and smiled at her, the witch felt her own smile grow even bigger. She was terribly giddy, and very unsure of what to do with herself other than stare at him and smile, she wasn’t even sure she could help herself really. She was so caught up in her own awkward moment that Casey completely missed the awkward pause that passed between them. Pausing for a moment herself, the witch thought her answer over for a second “I’m great” She said happily, winking at Danny playfully before continuing “ So, what do you feel like doing?”

But before she got an answer to her most recent question, the Gryffindor boy had asked her one of his own. Somewhere else? As long as it wasn’t Puddifoots, and Casey didn’t and hadn’t pegged Danny for the type to want to take someone to Puddifoots in the first place. So, shrugging, she nodded “ I’m always up for a walk. Have anywhere in mind, or  just feeling like a wander?” Either would be fine by her. It was a chilly but nice day, and a walk was a lot less more intimidating than being surrounded by the noisy crowds that tended to populate Hogsmeade on a weekend like this one. Honestly, the witch was just glad to have finally made good on their talk of a date more than anything else. 

It wasn’t hard for Casey to put two and two together when Danny answered her question with a face and a shrug. Wander it was then. Glancing in the direction he’d nodded, Casey couldn’t see any reason to object but before she could say so, he was offering her his arm. Casey took it without a second thought, glancing up at the taller boy as she did so “lead the way, good sir..” She teased him as they began walking down the path.

After a few more moments of silence Casey figured there was no better time to break the ice “So, what have you been up to besides meeting me here?” It was going to be exciting being on this date, but the Hufflepuff was honestly glad to actually get to just talk, too. Danny seemed like a pretty cool guy, after all.

The Gryffindor smiled even wider when she winked at him and bit his bottom lip with his teeth. A zing shot through him when she did that and he couldn't help himself from stupidly smiling back at her. Her question earned another shrug. "Maybe we can just wander for a bit?" he answered her question with another question. And then he wanted to smack himself. Nice going, Willbond! Sounds like you really planned this one out.

But then she took his arm and he liked the way she was looking up at him so he smiled once again and began walking through the little town of Hogsmeade. The whole 'date' thing made him unexpectedly nervous. Her being so close made him almost giddy and he tried not to squeeze her hand in his excitement. At her question, he glanced sidelong at her and smiled. "My idiot friends were watching from the window across the street," he said with a nod back toward a shop they had passed. "So you'll have to tell them this was the best date ever." Danny was joking and he laughed a little at his own humor.

When a chilly breeze swept past them, Danny tugged his gold and red scarf closer around his neck and glanced at her. "Are you planning on heading home for the holidays?"

When he told her that his mates had been watching from a shop window across the way, Casey couldn’t help but laughing along with him “Mmh.. They were, huh? I suppose I could do that...especially if it’s true.” And as far as Casey knew it would be. She’d never been on a date before, but so far, things were pretty good. As for his friends watching them from across the street, it was no surprise to Casey. Boy’s were worse than girls in that way, but Casey thought it was kind of endearing rather than odd or irritating. It seemed to mean that they cared about one another, even if they would be using it to primarily to give each other crap, at least they cared in some way.

The witch hoped to go home for part of the holiday break, Kerr had been pulled out of school for a few months now, and she was missing her cousin like crazy. She was glad that Trevor was okay, and that so far the whole ordeal had seemed to fall into obscurity. Mulling this over for a moment Casey nodded as she spoke “ I am, at least for part of them. I want to see Kerr, and the rest of the Clan, but other than that I’m not really sure what I’ll do. I’d like to find a few things to do, you know?” After a short pause she added “How about you? Any plans?” Holiday breaks were one of the highlights of the school year, but they were always bittersweet for Casey.  Yes, she loved going home to see her family, but she always ended up missing her friends, too. She wondered if she could convince any of her friends that they should do something over break, without the demands of school defining what they could and couldn’t do.

The other thing that suddenly came to the Hufflepuff’s mind was the whole issue of christmas presents. She had most of hers already picked out and wrapped. But was she supposed to get Danny something? The witch really didn’t know. She was so nervous and excited all at once, she couldn’t really focus on one thought at a time. Brushing the question off for a later time, Casey turned her attention back to the Gryffindor at her side “Hoping to get any really awesome presents this year?” Casey was pretty easy to please, from books, to Quidditch or pranking supplies, she was happy. As she waited for his reply, the seventh year pulled her coat around herself a little tighter to fend off the wind that seemed to be picking up as they made their way through the narrow streets.

Suddenly, a small shop advertising hot chocolate caught her eye. Maybe it’d help her feel less like fidgeting with excitement if she was holding onto something, and it was pretty chilly. Bumping Danny gently with her hip the blonde gestured to the little shop “Fancy a cup of hot chocolate to share?”

"Yeah?" Danny asked with a smile as she agreed to his joking statement, eyes gleaming with a playful but hopeful spark. "If I just happen to drag Greg along while you're chatting to your friends about how awesome this date was, I'd probably go down in school legend," the Gryffindor continued to joke. Because when in doubt, this Willbond resorted to jokes, even at his own expense. He knew he now had a lot to live up to but Danny was the type of guy to take on a challenge like that.

Danny nodded along as she spoke of her holiday plans. Her mention of Kerr had his mind going off on a tangent though. Kerr was one of his roommates and he and Trevor had been one of the first few to find out what had happened, seeing as they were the first to notice he hadn't returned to his dorm that night. His thoughts swirled around Kerr and hoped his friend was better and the fact that they still didn't know who had done it needled him. It was a few moments before Danny realized Casey had stopped talking and he glanced at her quickly, blurting out "what?" before he tried to rewind the conversation in his mind and figure out what she had last said. Oh, his plans?

"Lot of the same," he said quickly, trying to cover the fact that he had gotten distracted. "Holiday with the family. I think the Willbonds are almost as big as the Regans," he said with a smile. There weren't nearly as many Willbonds at Hogwarts as there were Regans, but he guessed they were still pretty big compared to most families.

"'Course!" he said with a big grin. "What's Christmas without some really good gifts! I"m expecting my mum to make me some socks, which would be great!" Danny had a thing for socks. He was so unabashed about his favorite thing he even moved in front of her and hitched up his pants so his socks showed from underneath. He never stopped moving though. He took steps backward as they continued down the path and waggled his brows at her. "Come on now. Aren't these great? Don't be jealous," the sixth year said, doing a little jig in front of her that obviously best showed off his neon bright socks that had stripes that changed colors every now and then.

"And then Jeremy and I are hoping to get some sickles so we can buy some prank things from Zonko's," he added as he continued to walk backward, not even looking over his shoulder to make sure he wouldn't run into anyone. That was half the fun. "Don't worry though. I'll make sure you aren't on the list of targets," he said with a wink. "What about you? What are you hoping to get?"

Danny moved to return to her side, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Should have remembered your gloves, Willbond! he scolded himself. But then like the angel she was, Casey pointed ahead and his eyes lit up. "Hot chocolate! Say no more, let's go!" He wrapped his arm around hers and tugged her forward with a smile. A tinkling of bells rang overheard as Danny pulled the shop door open and waved Casey on ahead of him before bringing up the rear. He approached the counter and smiled politely at the waiting barista, ordering the hot chocolate Casey had mentioned. "Want anything else?" he asked, glancing back at Casey.

Continuing to play along Casey grinned and nodded “Oh definitely. I can see it now, they’ll give you a plaque in the trophy room and everything. You won’t even have to try and make Greg jealous.” She teased lightly. Light banter like this was easy for Casey, and it helped her forget her nerves for more than a second at a time. The witch was also glad that Danny was up for joking around, it was something they were both good at and she would have hated to quit just for the fear of making him uncomfortable.So far, things were going better than Casey could have even imagined. She was having fun, and she didn’t feel pressured to be anything but herself.

When Danny finally responded to her question Casey nodded, not stopping to think twice about his obvious distraction. If she had to guess, it would likely have been that her date was thinking about Kerr, too. Had she not just mentioned Kerr, Casey was sure her nerves would have been incredibly touchy. She’d be spending the rest of the date wondering if she’d said the wrong thing, but thankfully this time, so thought anyway, she was okay. As comfortable as she felt, there was an element of guessing that she wasn’t sure she’d get used to before their date was over.

The witch nodded when he told her what his plans were. That tended to be the norm for most students “ Oh you think so? You might be right. I think the Regans, Tricketts, and the Willbonds are probably the biggest families at Hogawarts right now..” She trailed off for a moment before adding with a laugh “But I don’t know if you Willbonds know how to throw a holiday party quite like we do..” Casey was sure that Christmas at the Willbond household was similar to theirs, with all the people, presents, and fun. There was nothing quite like holidays with a big family, but Casey wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

“Exactly!” the blonde exclaimed, joining in on the Gryffindors excitement. Good gifts, no matter how silly, or serious were the best. Raising an eyebrow at Danny’s socks Casey grinned happily, finding the boys enthusiasm infectious. She also made a mental note concerning his love for socks, in case she ever needed it “I’m terribly jealous. I don’t know what to do with myself! I’ve the worst case of sock envy.” Pausing, Casey pulled up her own pant leg to show off her plain white socks “Try as I might, I think I’m quite jealous of you, Danny”. Truth was, Casey had some colorful socks back in her trunk, but nothing quite like Danny’s. She admired the sixth year for his unabashed willingness to be himself, even if that meant liking and wearing neon striped socks that changed color. He was so easy going, it was easy to enjoy just their walk together.

The sight of Danny doing a little jig had Casey chuckling, as someone who’d grown up learning Irish tap and other traditional dances, she had to admit, he had his own version down pretty well. But when the tall brunette mentioned going to Zonko’s over Weasley’s the blonde fixed him with a faux serious look “You can’t be saying that you think Zonko’s has better stuff than Weasley’s, can you?” she shot him a grin to let him know she was only giving a hard time in jest. In all honesty, Casey bought from both proud establishments. Simply for the fact that sometimes one had products the other didn’t, and the fact that combining their products was sometimes the best way to prank someone. To each their own, as far as the Hufflepuff was concerned.

At his next remark Casey stuck her tongue out at the younger boy “Right you will, or you’ll be facing some serious retribution.” After another beat she added “But if you’ve got any really good ones, you’ll let me know right?” There was really nothing the girl liked more than a good prank every now and then. And, Danny, Jeremy and the rest of the gang were quite good at executing their ideas. What did she want for Christmas? The sappy answer was a healthy Kerrigan, but she kept that to herself, instead answering " Sickles for pranks too.." She laughed softly before continuing "And maybe a new used broom if I'm really lucky, for pro tryouts...but other than that I'm just hoping for little odds and ends. Personal gifts from family, I don't need anything special." Just the thought of the tryouts looming ever closer, along with graduation, made Casey glad she could look forward to mostly sentimental and thoughtful gifts from her family.   

When the boy’s eyes lit up at the mention of hot chocolate, Casey felt herself grinning and biting her lip again. It wasn’t much, but it felt good to know she wasn’t blowing the whole date thing too badly. Following him to the door, Casey squeezed his arm in thanks as she went through “And they say chivalry is dead..” After walking through the girl paused to let Danny catch up before turning her attention to the menu. They had marshmallow filled chocolate frogs. The gooey frogs were a guilty pleasure of the hers, especially since they only came out during the holiday months.

She debated for what seemed like an eternity before she shyly pointed to the case where the frogs were kept “Maybe a frog for each of us?” She asked uncertainly. The blonde didn’t like to take advantage of others, and this was only compounded by the fact that she didn’t want Danny to think she was mooching off of him or anything. After mulling it over another beat, Casey had pulled out a few coins, enough to cover the chocolate frogs, and gently pressed them into Danny’s hand as she looked up at him hopefully “It’s the least I can do...” She wouldn’t put up much of a fuss if he really refused, but she had to give it a go. It just wasn’t in her nature to let someone else take care of everything without at least trying to pitch in herself.

He nodded in agreement as he thought about the largest families at Hogwarts. "We should have a Triwizard Tournament for all the Regans, Tricketts, and Willbonds," Danny said with an excited laugh, but then a twinkle gleamed in his hazel eyes. "'Course, it'd be pretty difficult to compete with the Bonds and our Will," he added as he lifted up an arm and flexed his (nonexistent) muscle, wiggling his brows for extra effect. The little jab she took at him about the family holiday parties made him raise his brows, a playful look about his face. "Well," he started, sarcasm evident in his tone. "I don't know if you Regans can compete with our holiday parties. Does your aunt knit itchy sweaters and make you wear them all night? Because you obviously don't know how to party unless you're dressed in hideous sweaters."

Danny felt like the sun shone a little brighter every time the blonde smiled at him and he felt compelled to keep making jokes to keep her laughing. Her commentary on his socks only made his smile in response and he shrugged casually as he moved back to walk beside her. He nudged her gently with his shoulder. "Don't be too jealous," he told her with a grin. "It's difficult to match my coolness when it comes to socks. But if you're lucky, I'll share mine with you and I'll make sure their clean first." And that last part was pretty much a miracle.

When she gave him a more serious look, Danny was a little embarrassed to admit his cheeks might have tinged with pink. He tried to shrug it off though. "Well it's not like Jer and I can go to Diagon during the school year to stock up on supplies," he said even though he was secretly pleased that this girl didn't scoff at his prankster tendencies like a lot of girls tended to do. The real reason was that he had really said Zonko's over Weasley's was because if his mum caught him with any WWW products, he would be grounded for a year. If not more. Parents these days.

The Gryffindor was slightly taken aback with her desire to get involved in one of his pranks and he could only nod in surprised agreement. "You like pranks?" Danny asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He knew he shouldn't be so surprised that Casey wanted in on the action (because honestly who wouldn't), but it was such an unexpected delight that she liked the same kind of jokes that he did. "You want to go pro?" the sixth year asked, curious. He knew that Casey was a great keeper, probably one of the best in the school and Danny's 'skills' did not compare in the least.

Her touch on his arm and the squeeze she gave him as she walked past made him smile even bigger. He was still grinning as he stood beside her, a little closer than usual. Danny felt as if there was electricity between the two of them and he wanted to stand even closer. He got a little distracted by that fact and ended up just nodding along to whatever she said as she looked at the menu. He told the girl behind the counter to add a chocolate frog for each of them to their order and then felt the cool press of the coins into his hand from Casey. He glanced down surprised before shaking his head stubbornly at her.

His brother Edmund had given him some (unwanted) advice before Danny had left for this date and one of the cardinal Edmund rules was to pay for meals. This didn't really count as a meal to Danny's way of thinking but he wasn't going to chance it. "Put your coins away, Case," Danny said with a smile. "I got this." He slid some coins across the counter to pay for their snacks and then a few minutes later, he balanced the drinks in his hand and then nodded toward one of the booths along the window.

At Danny’s suggestion of a Triwizard tournament for the three big families, Casey rolled her eyes lightly laughing as she did so “ Mm. That might be true, Mr. Bonds of will, but the Regan’s are an ancient Irish family, which means even your brave sort would struggle to defeat us warriors.” Casey found it both startling and shocking that they were joking about the tournament where Cedric Diggory had died a few short years ago. It felt weird, but it also felt good. Like maybe finally things could move on and everyone was beginning the long process of healing. It was a really good feeling, come to think of it.

The witch mirrored his raised eyebrow with one of her own. Itchy sweaters did sound pretty Christmasy, but the blonde had her own version of that kind of thing. Shaking her head no with a little grin on her face, Casey spoke up “No, I don’t, thankfully..” she paused “But I do have a Nan who make it a game to see how many times she can make us all pose for pictures, while nattering at us in Irish. But we’re all to  intimidated by her to say no. Love the woman to death, but she is scary.” it wasn’t quite as good as his itchy sweater story, but it was all she had. And her Nan, really was the most lovely and simultaneously terrifying woman in existence.

Bumping his shoulder in return the witch feigned surprise when the Gryffindor boy told her he’d make sure his socks were clean before sharing “You’d even make sure they were clean? I must be the luckiest girl on earth.” She finished with a wink. The girl was no stranger to the fact that most boys were pretty unconcerned about the cleanliness of their clothes, and his offer, no matter how playful, was rather significant. The Hufflepuff also enjoyed the fact that Danny wasn’t afraid to joke at his own expense every now and again, sometimes those were the best kind of jokes.

When the wizard explained his reasoning behind buying more Zonko’s products than WWW products, Casey nodded understandingly “ I suppose that makes sense. I’m used to my cousins mailing me some every now and again, but there really is nothing wrong with Zonko’s.” That was the one problem with not being able leave school grounds and needing pranking supplies. One had to do with what they had, for sure.

Did she like pranks? Of course she did. Shooting the boy a toothy grin, Casey laughed aloud and shook her head “Of course I do. Remember when Kerr’s hair kept changing color for almost a week a few months ago?” the girl paused for effect “That was me just getting warmed up. Living with those boys teaches you to be on your toes and think outside the box.” And wasn’t that the truth. The number of times her cousins had pulled something over on her were more than the witch would have cared to admit. Though now, years later, Casey had learned to hold her own.

At Danny’s question about her wanting to go pro the seventh year bit her lip nervously while nodding eagerly “ I do, yeah. I don’t know if I’ll make it, but it’s something I really want. Always have.” the blonde forced herself to pause before she blurted everything out all at once. Shooting the boy a apologetic glance, Casey started again “ Finn and I are hoping to go pro together..same team and everything maybe.” It was a pipe dream and they both knew it, but the Irishwoman was thankful to have her best friend in the same place she was.

Seeing Danny smile made her happy. That was something that Casey knew for sure. She’d almost missed his mile wide grin as she walked through the door, catching it just out of the corner of her eye. While they waited for their order to come up, the blonde, deciding she was feeling rather brave, and a little giddy, too. So rather than standing there and fidgeting like she was normally inclined to do, the petite blonde let herself lean into Danny ever so slightly, seeing as he was standing close enough to do so. The forward brashness that she’d had with him that time she’d confronted him in the Great Hall had deserted her along with her anger, leaving her feeling a little shy, but bold enough to test the waters, too.

Giving him a small, grateful smile the blonde reluctantly tucked her coins back into her pocket “Thank you, Danny..”. Deciding that if they decided they wanted to do this again, she’d get to do something for him, too. Turn about was fair play after all, good or bad. When he had their snacks in hand, Casey quickly spied a quiet, but not so secluded it would make things awkward booth and gestured for him to follow her. Sliding into the booth, Casey left the spot next to her open, just in case the brunette boy wanted to join her, but if he decided not to, that was fine with her too. She was simply glad that they’d done this at all.