While it wasn't actually Valentines' Day, all of the students with older boyfriends or girlfriends could sympathize with having to fit in the date they were implied-obligated to go on over a Hogsmeade weekend. That was exactly what Reagan and her boyfriend, Finn, had agreed to do. She didn't feel obligated at all -- it was just going to be like a normal date as far as she was concerned. They were going to go into Madam Puddifoot's, have a quick cup of tea to laugh at the youngsters on their first or second dates, and what came after that was practically uncharted territory. They were both relatively spontaneous and hadn't really set a specific plan in place other than where they'd designated to meet up. Reagan briefly remembered the sentiments from multiple Dumbledore's Army students that it looked quite a bit like Professor Umbridge's had, with the excess mewling kittens and frills and rosebuds. A mental shudder passed through her brain.
She really hoped from the bottom of her heart that he hadn't gone to any extravagant lengths. He tended to be a little romantic whenever the opportunity knocked; she wasn't averse to this, but she certainly didn't want him taking more time out than he needed to think on it or plan it. He had Quidditch, NEWTs, and graduation to be concerned about. It was both exciting and nerve wracking that he was about to graduate from Hogwarts. Even though she'd only done it just a year previously, it felt like such a foreign idea even so fresh out of primary schooling. Getting into Dilys had been hard. Really hard, even with the qualifications she had from taking the right NEWTs, being Head Girl, and making sure her academic and social standings stayed almost pristine -- barring the nonsense from the Carrows in her sixth year. Ray knew that getting onto a Quidditch team would be just as hard, if not harder, but she had perhaps an overflowing amount of faith in her boyfriend. He was driven, hardworking, capable, and a bang-up Quidditch player. The momentary burst of worrywarting, she realized, had really been unnecessary. It was time to relocate into real time and to enjoy their date.
With an almost comical pop, she apparated onto the sidewalk in front of Madam Puddifoot's and staggered to a quick halt from the abrupt loss of -- well, moving through space, and smoothed out her
dress, shortly after checking to make sure that her ponytail was still intact -- and that all of her carefully-placed messy strands were where they were supposed to be. She'd thought seriously about wearing a pair of heels and then decided against it. Boots were much more comfortable for walking around in and since she had no idea what they'd be doing, she sacrificed the extra couple inches of height (that she really felt she needed, standing next to Finn,) to play it safe.
Reagan's face lit up with a grin as it always did when Finn was close. Whenever she saw him for the first time in a couple of weeks, it was hard to hold back the burst of affection and the strange sense of relief she felt. "Hey, you." She called, not bellowing or anything of the sort, but loudly enough for him to hear. The stiff posture she seemed to have developed from the jarring sensation of the apparition relaxed into her natural stance, knees bending slightly and shoulders shrugging gently forward. "Long time, no see." Reagan winked, knowing this could certainly fall under the category of exaggeration. In terms of life and other things, two weeks wasn't long, but it felt long when she felt deprived of alone time.
Her dainty hands reached out immediately when he got close enough to grab and she rocked up on her tiptoes to embrace him as properly as she could with her lack of height, tiny kiss pressing onto his cheek. "Hi. How are things? Busy?" She stepped back, brushing imaginary dirt off the sleeves of his jacket with a concentrated look. She wasn't carrying a big bag and thus hadn't worn a jacket, but it wasn't cold outside yet. She would live, surely.
