A long-awaited meeting [Louise]

Sam couldn't remember the last time he had felt this nervous, and for the fiftieth time that evening, he reminded himself he was being silly. He looked fine, he was in plenty of time, and he was fairly confident that nothing terrible was going to happen at Hogwarts while he was away. Because this evening he had a dinner date, one that had been arranged almost six months previously, but was only now actually happening.

When he had unexpectedly met Louise Ellington in her gallery way back in the autumn, Sam had been surprised by the strength of the connection he had felt with her. While they'd been at school they had been friends, but he hadn't ever thought of her in that way, and once he'd graduated, they'd quickly lost touch. So to meet her again as a successful photographer and gallery owner had been a very pleasant surprise, though of course fate had a way of intervening, and he couldn't even claim to have forseen it. Just a few days after their meeting circumstances had meant he couldn't get to the restaurant for their planned dinner; nor was he even able to get a message to Louise to explain. Because nothing could get in or out of Hogwarts, and it wasn't until some months later that he had learnt that the Daily Prohpet had been full of news and speculation about the dome that had covered the school, so the woman had at least known there was a reason for his silence.

So it was that they had rearranged their dinner engagement, and because of his work at Hogwarts and Louise's latest gallery exhibition, it was already April and only now were they going on their first...dare he call it a date? Yes, he decided that was okay, given what they had said to each other and the looks that had been exchanged at their last meeting. Sam had looked through his wardrobe and dismissed almost everything as unsuitable; his jeans (all of which were paint-spattered) were no good for a dinner date; most of his robes, while comfortable, were decidedly ethnic in origin and he wasn't sure Louise was quite ready for him to turn up in something bright and eyecatching that might make it seem as though he was part of the entertainment at the Moroccan restaurant where they were meeting. In the end, he'd chosen a comfortable white shirt and purchased a new pair of black trousers. True, he was wearing a deep blue cloak over the simple outfit, but as they were venturing no further than Diagon Alley, that was entirely appropriate. He'd even remembered to comb his hair!

Now Sam was walking from his father's shop, to which he'd taken the Floo network, down the street towards the restaurant. He knew he was a few minutes early and that made him happy, and it was a warm evening, just past dusk, with the last few shops just closing. He'd just passed a florist's when he suddenly turned on impulse, went in and purchased a single rose. He wasn't quite brave enough to choose a red one, instead picking out a magically-enhanced one that shimmered royal blue, the colour of their former school house. As the restuarant came into view Sam felt his heart leap, and the nerves returned with a vengeance. Louise wasn't waiting for him, which was a good thing because it meant he wasn't late, but once he reached the threshold where they'd agreed to meet, his mind began racing.

What if she wasn't going to turn up?

The last months had been a bit of a emotional challenge for Louise. Ever since she had met Sam at her gallery months ago she had felt the desire to see him again and they had already decided on a meeting when unforeseeable circumstances prevented them from being able to meet. She had not known what was going on. She had only read it in the Daily Prophet and she had been worried sick about Sam although she would never admit that openly. She was not a weak woman who sat at home crying her eyes out because of some guy.

However, the more time passed without a sign of life from Sam the more worried the witch had been. When the dome had finally collapsed and Sam had got a note to her, Louise felt angry. It felt somehow like he hadn't written enough, hadn't written the right things although Louise had no idea what the right things were. She had drunk some wine after reading the letter, had started a few letters back to him herself until she finally just agreed that they should have their dinner date now.

It was good to have it now, wasn't it? Better now than never anyway. Once the day arrived, Louise felt like a teenager again. She was unsure what to wear, how to style her hair, how much make up she should put on... The young woman was just entirely lost. She didn't want to do too much, fearing it would send the wrong signals. Yet, not styling herself at all seemed wrong as well. It was not his fault. It was not hers either. Things like that just happened...

She decided to wear a simple midnight blue knee length wool dress and black high heel boots. Even though she spent several minutes to style her hair she made it look like it was just coincidence that it fell down on her shoulders in soft waves. Since she wanted to steal a proper kiss from him later, she had applied red lipstick that should take his attention to her lips. Her eyes were only a little accentuated and she didn't need rouge or anything. Her cheeks were slightly reddened with nervous anticipation anyway.

After closing her gallery she apparated to the location of the restaurant but as she was early, she took a walk around the block of houses. She did not want to be the first to arrive, after all.

When she came back, Sam was standing there in front of the building, holding a rose and looking just too cute to be true. How came it that she had not seen him this way when they had still been at school? Without even being aware of it, she moved faster towards him. Once she reached her friend she flung her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm so glad we're finally meeting again," she said, a smile spreading across her features. It had not been her intention to make the first step, to tell him first that she had been waiting for this date for too long but she felt the need to say it out loud now anyway.

He'd only stood there for a couple of minutes, probably even less than that, but it was long enough for Sam to really start to worry. Not just that she might not turn up, but what if something terrible had happened? Perhaps she'd splinched herself whilst apparating and was already in St Mungo's, or maybe she'd met with an accident whilst crossing the muggle areas of the city? Sam was just wondering what he would do if any of those things had actually happened (whilst giving no thought to how he would find out) when suddenly she appeared, walking towards the restaurant, and despite telling himself repeatedly to play it cool, not let on that he was too interested, he took first one and then another step towards her before he could stop himself. Even then he knew he was smiling in a way that showed he was delighted to see her - oh, what the heck! He was glad to see her! It was one of the things that had kept him optimistic during those months shut inside the school.

When she threw her arms around his neck he instinctively hugged her back, but with only one arm as the other hand was holding the rose and he didn't want it either to be crushed or to somehow damage her dress. To the best of his knowledge nobody had yet managed to create a magical rose that didn't have at least a couple of thorns on the stem. "It's so good to see you" he responded, and then, noticing her outfit, added "and you look great. I mean..."

He meant it. She did look great, and he realised with a pleasant jolt that her dress and his cloak were almost the same colour. We look like a couple he thought, and while that thought brought a great deal more happiness than he would have expected, he also felt a little uneasy, as if Louise was somehow able to tell what he was thinking.

"Shall we go in?" he asked. They were a few minutes early but if their table wasn't ready they could get a drink first and he knew he wouldn't mind waiting. The house band would be playing this evening, not loud enough to be distracting but a comfortable presence for couples if there was a lull in conversation. Sam somehow didn't think there would be. They had several months to catch up on...and before that, a couple of decades. "Oh - and this is for you" he added, handing her the rose before holding the restaurant door for her to go in.

They were greeted with effusive smiles and then apologies that their table would be another five minutes, and Sam said that was fine, they would wait at the bar until it was ready. "What would you like to drink?" he asked Louise as the bartender approached.

It felt like a big relief to see the smile on Sam's face, to see the proof that he, too, had been looking forward to this date. Louise did not even try to hide her beaming smile now. Why should she anyway? They had been waiting for this way too long. It was like countless pieces of a puzzle were suddenly coming in their right place, offering the sight of a picture after being just a colourful bunch of little pieces. It was not only that their date came delayed after their last coincidental meeting, Louise felt like they had wasted years not seeing each other although she had not felt like that about Sam before that fateful encounter at her gallery.

When he hugged her back with just arm, Louise felt ever so slightly discomforted. Was he not ready to give in to his feelings? Or worse, did he not quite feel the same? But no, this was stupid, entirely silly. Those were thoughts of an insecure teenager not of a grown woman. Nonetheless, as they pulled away, she searched for his gaze, searched for a hint that this was not just an illusion. Maybe she had been alone for too long. Maybe she was just secretly seeking a relationship... but no, she didn't want to allow these thoughts that would soon spoil everything.

He complimented her on her looks and Louise smiled at him, grateful not only for the compliment but mainly for how he delivered it. It sounded sincere, flattering and sweet. "Why thank you," she said, looking down briefly."You look great too," she said softly, "I like the colour of your cloak." A grin spread across her face again.

It was weird how this brief moment of their reunion was all relaxed and exciting at the same time. The fact that he gave her a single rose made the young woman realise that this was a real date and that he was really putting in some effort. She already felt that she'd keep the flower as a reminder of this date for the years to come. Magic made these things possible. "Thanks," she whispered, taking the flower from him and holding it up to her nose whilst closing her eyes for a brief moment. This was how a date should begin, wasn't it?

Louise could not stop smiling as they walked into the restaurant. Louise's smile did not even fade when they were told that their table wasn't ready yet. The young woman liked the idea of waiting at the bar as that gave her the opportunity to stand close to him and maybe touch his arm without having to reach out like she'd have to when they'd be sitting vis-à-vis. Standing close to him, Louise could feel the warmth of his body and was actually tempted to lean against his shoulder. However, she refrained from doing so.

"Maybe we should have an aperitif? A glass of champagne to toast our reunion?" Louise suggested.

Sam hoped he wasn't imagining things. reading too much into signals that weren't really there. Because it felt to him as if there was a real chemistry between them, even though they'd only just begun the evening. He watched the way Louise held the rose, inhaled the scent, and then found he had to look away because he was suddenly entranced by the shape of her nose, the curve of her lips and he was already starting to have thoughts that really weren't appropriate so early on a first date. Later, you can think about kissing her he told himself, and was shocked at the way his heart seemed to leap at the thought.

"Champagne... great idea!" he agreed a little too quickly, before his brain could process what had actually been said. He wasn't too keen on it, had always found the drink too fizzy and not particularly delicious. Oh, what the heck, she could have suggested troll juice and he'd have drunk a bucketful and enjoyed it just then. He ordered a half bottle and two glasses, hoping she wouldn't think he was being ungenerous by not getting a full sized bottle. It was brought to them on a small, round silver tray, the cork already removed so he would be spared the embarrassment of accidentally spilling half of it across the restaurant. Of course, the wretched stuff bubbled up in the glasses so what had looked full to begin with was now barely half full. He raised his glass anyway, opened his mouth to speak, then paused for a brief moment.

"To us" felt too forward, too presumptuous, too...intimate. "To friends" felt like he didn't want anything more to come of this evening, and now he felt he'd paused to long already, though it had been less than a second. "To this evening...and the future" he said, with just a hint of a hopeful question at the end of his words. Then he took a sip, carefully schooling his face so it pretended that he was enjoying what he was drinking. After this, at least he could switch to a nice wine, or perhaps he should stick to fruit juice so she didn't think he drank too much? These weren't the sort of thoughts Sam usually had, and once again he wondered why this evening felt so important.

"Have you had a good week?" he asked "How's the gallery?" it was a bit lame, but he wanted some sort of normal, light conversation before they sat down at their table. He also wanted to reach out and touch her arm, hold her hand, brush that small strand of hair away from her eyes... his hand had actually begun to move before he placed it firmly onto the bar. Hopefully once they started to eat he would start to feel more relaxed...and brave enough to risk holding her hand.

Louise smiled at Sam when he agreed to her idea of having a glass of champagne. It was good to know that he appreciated a toast with a glass of champagne just like she did herself. She did not even consider that Sam had only agreed to please her. It was a perfect start for a perfect night. The woman felt like she could not stop smiling anymore. It was just so great to finally have this date with Sam.

When he raised his glass, Louise raised hers too, curious to hear his toast and hoping it would be good, a promise of some sort. She looked from the fizzy drink to Sam as he spoke. Her smile became even wider than it had been before. "To our future," she responded. Maybe she wanted to hint at the possibility of a shared future, maybe she just meant that she hoped that both of them would have a great future. Both could be read into her toast and yet, for Louise the first option was the one she hoped for and the second one was the back up plan.

The champagne tasted very well indeed, it was dry but still fruity and it tickled a little in her mouth. Her gaze rested on Sam's features, examining it closely like only an artist would do it. She wanted to make a mental picture of it, a picture she could envision when he was not around. Every line of his face seemed perfect to her now. He had an interesting face anyway, one that was not easy to forget.

"Yes," she replied, "my week has been good, thanks. The gallery has been going pretty well. I intend to set up a new exhibition for the summer but I haven't got very far with the planning yet. How has your week been? What has been going on at Hogwarts? I've heard so much and yet it feels like I know nothing at all about what really happened there during the past weeks, even months." Louise had to stop herself from talking. She was getting nervous and had lots of questions on her mind, one of those that she did not ask was if he had missed her. While she might be less careful about what she said or asked, Louise did not dare to ask a question to which she might not like the answer.

...And she said exactly what he'd wanted to say, but hadn't dared. Yes, he knew she could have just meant for them both to have a good future, but it didn't sound that way. It sounded more like she was hoping that perhaps they would share in each others' future. Sam liked the way that sounded, but he was old enough now to be cautious, no matter how he felt. He knew from experience that people weren't always what they seemed, and that sometimes secrets were too great to be overcome. He couldn't imagine that Louise had any dark secrets that might affect their possible future, but he knew it was too early to tell. After all, they were renewing a friendship that had been suspended for twenty years; who knew what had happened in that time?

Then his thoughts were cut short because Louise was looking at him. Really looking, the way an artist looks at their subject...the way Sam looked at something before he painted it, studying from all angles. Often this sort of scrutiny would make him feel uncomfortable, but with Louise he felt mischievous instead. He stared back. Not in a bold, I-see-you-looking-at-me sort of way, but as if he was surprised by the attention, with a small smile playing on his lips. He managed to hold her gaze for several seconds before he glanced down and reached for the glass. Never mind that he didn't like the champagne much, it was something to do with his hands.

He was glad she'd had a good week, but really, it didn't matter what Louise said, Sam would have been happy to listen. If she'd brought out a textbook detailing the history of Albanian potion making he would have been fascinated, if only he could have listened to her reading it. He wanted to hear more about the exhibition she planned, what the theme was, which artists she planned to feature, how indeed one planned such a thing...but of course she would ask about Hogwarts. "It's been...busy. A difficult year" he said, after a pause. His fingers were wrapped around the stem of the glass, running idly up and down the textured surface as if to distract him form his own thoughts. "So much happened, I don't think many of us have even come to terms with it yet. The fire, the collapse of the lower levels, then the dome...some of the kids were only just starting at Hogwarts, and to..." he broke off suddenly and swallowed hard, then drew a deep breath. Louise didn't want to hear about the first years who'd died in the fire, or the aftermath of that.

His smile was forced when he spoke again. "I'm just glad it's all over now, and I can see...that everything can get back to normal again" he finished, silently telling himself to be more careful. While he had been thinking of her during the forced interment at Hogwarts, Sam didn't want Louise to imagine that he hadn't been spending his time taking care of the students and trying to find a way out.

She felt how her cheeks reddened slightly when Sam noticed that she had been looking at him. She saw his smile and smiled back, hoping to be able to recall this exact moment later on. She found his smile absolutely adorable. While she felt that it might be appropriate to turn her gaze away from him, she didn't want to do that yet. She kept looking at his face, her expression soft and thoughtful. In fact, she felt she could sit there all night, just examining every bit of his face.

Sam took his glass again and so did Louise, still peering at him over the rim of the glass as she took a sip. The cool champagne felt good and she hoped that it served to make her blush go away rather than make it stronger.

When he started to speak about Hogwarts, Louise's smile faded and her expression became rather sad. "Yes, from what I've read it must have been more than just difficult," the woman said, putting her glass down again and reaching out for his hand. She squeezed it briefly in what she thought was a comforting way and then retreated again, not wanting to go too far just yet.

"It seems like there won't ever be a calm and peaceful year at Hogwarts," the photographer mused sadly. "I'm sure you were a great support there though. Really, I think the students at Hogwarts are probably glad they have you there." Maybe this sounded a little too flattering but Louise really meant it. She knew that she'd feel safer and calmer with Sam around anyway.

Louise perked up briefly when Sam didn't finish his sentence. She had no idea what he had wanted to say but somehow her heart beat quickened anyway. "I'm glad it's over too," she said earnestly.

A waiter approached them now, telling them that their table was ready now and Louise emptied her glass of champagne and got to her feet. "Thank you," she smiled at the waiter briefly and then looked at Sam. "Since you know this place, I'm already dying to hear which meals you can recommend." She winked at him teasingly and smiled. Hopefully the waiter would lead them in a rather secluded area...

"What did the Prophet say?" he asked softy, toying with the stem of his champagne glass. Given that the school had been completely cut off from the outside world for months and then only very briefly allowing outsiders to enter, he couldn't imagine that any reporter would have managed to get much of a story out of it. So he was genuinely curious to know what had been said about the events at Hogwarts this year. He hadn't felt as if the students were pleased to have him there, more that they were just desperate for a way out and accepted any adult presence as unable to change their situation. Louise saying almost entirely the opposite made him feel warm and comforted but yet guilty, as if he was somehow lying to her.

So he was relieved when their table was ready. As Louise got to her feet and was distracted for a moment as she thanked the waiter, he quickly tipped the remains of his champagne into the nearest plant pot and, by the time she was looking at him again, gestured for her to go first. The waiter led them towards the back of the restaurant, some distance from where the musicians would be playing a little later but still close enough that they would be able to enjoy the music. Here, there were tables separated by decorative drapes, making each one resemble an intimate tented area, though in reality the table wasn't really so distant from any other. Sam had never sat in this area before, having previously visited the restaurant with members of his family or groups of friends, and sat closer to the musicians for a fun, entertaining evening.

It seemed that this could turn out to be interesting in an entirely different way - at least he hoped so. As they took their seats opposite each other Sam thanked the waiter and accepted the menus, handing one to Louise. The menu was written on thick, pale brown parchment, extending to several pages and quite surprising in it's complexity. Sam turned straight to the final page thoughtfully, but gave Louise a few moments to glance through the choices. Once she'd had time to look at the various options (and possibly become thoroughly confused) he said "Has anything caught your eye yet? I must admit, I'm tempted by the Royal Feast menu, though I should warn you, I have an almost unlimited capacity for falafels..." he grinned as he said it, though it wasn't entirely a joke, because he knew the ones they made here were particularly delicious. 

Of course he had to ask. Louise looked down, remembering all too well the headlines that had made her wonder what was going on. She had been worried out of her mind. There had been no information on what exactly was going on and that had been the problem. The Prophet had offered extended reports on basically nothing. That had naturally made the reader worry and wonder what was going on. Louise did not really want to talk about that, did not trust herself to pull it off coolly. However, since Sam had asked she had to give him some sort of an answer. He had been at Hogwarts during that time. Certainly he and his student had gone through worse than a report that stimulated the imagination of the reader in an unhealthy way.

"Basically they just wrote that there was no way of getting into the castle and that nobody knew what was going on inside." she offered. "There was a lot of text with almost no content about it. You know the media... they had wild theories of what might be happening. They wrote scary reports which were mostly based on a vivid imagination. Nothing worth reading and yet everybody knew these articles."

When their table was ready they were lead towards the back of the restaurant and Louise smiled when she saw the area in which they'd sit. It looked like such a cosy place with the drapes separating their table from others. The decoration looked foreign but very pretty all the same. In fact, it was the foreign charm that made it so appealing.

Louise thanked the waiter for leading them there and smiled at Sam as they sat down opposite each other. The menu was extensive, making her wonder what she should take as she flipped through the pages. Most of the menu titles meant nothing to her and so it seemed to be quite a challenge to pick the right thing. Although Louise did not want to admit it she was rather relieved when Sam suggested the Royal Feast Menu. She turned the pages of her menu until she found it and read what exactly it was. To her it sounded good but so did most things she had read and yet she had no concrete idea of what she was really expecting.

"Alright," she finally said, a soft smile curving her lips, "why don't you surprise me and pick something for both of us. I'm sure whatever you choose will be delicious. As long as you don't just order a pile of falafels and nothing else it'll be perfect." She closed the menu and put it down. Hoping that Sam was okay with her suggestion and relieved that she didn't have to make a decision anymore.

It was about as he'd expected. The Prophet writing all sorts of vivid theories about what was happening inside the castle, simply because they had to write something. Sam was almost glad he'd been on the inside of the castle taking care of the students, rather than worrying what might have been going on. The parents must have been frantic. Even now, sat at the table with Louise he began to relive the events of past months in his head and had to force a smile. At least, when he looked at her, it was easier to take his mind of all the bad things that had happened and to hope that perhaps, at last, something good was about to happen.

He had a suspicion that she was less experienced with this type of food than he was, and he found it endearing. So many people seemed to have had so many more life experiences than him, and Sam suspected that Louise was one of them. So he was glad that she was allowing him to take the lead in this one small thing. And yet he couldn't help but laugh at her words, though in an affectionate way. "What, not even for myself?" he asked, pulling the sort of sad face that any wet dog would have been proud of "I never thought you would want to deny me a mountain of falafels..." For a moment he recalled a place he had eaten whilst actually in Morocco, and what had happened there.

"You probably never thought of it, but did you know most restaurants here have charms so that customers can't magically increase the amount of food they're served?" he said "There was a place I went in Morocco, years ago, that hadn't thought to do that until the night a wizard brought in his entire extended family. Nearly thirty people, and he ordered a single bowl of chicken tagine. I thought there was going to be a riot when he started multiplying it so he could feed everyone...I don't know what happened, I got out before any curses were fired..." a wide grin had spread across his face as he described the situation and the hapless proprietor of that place "Anyway, they do a sharing platter here, so we get to try some of everything..."

He trailed off as the waiter arrived and he ordered their meal, feeling a suddenly surprised and rather pleased that Louise had trusted him to make the decision, and also asked for a bottle of wine. He ordered mixed grill skewers for himself and the moussaka for Louise, thinking that they could simply share those as well so she could try more of the menu. No sooner had he finished ordering than the waiter clapped his hands and, with a small flash, the table was covered with platters of vine leaves, hummus, halloumi and falafels, with a huge basket of pitta breads and a bowl of yoghurt. There was clearly plenty for two people (even when one of them had a weakness for falafels) and Sam couldn't resist a small smile to himself.

"Bon appetit" he said softly, wishing he knew how to say that in a more appropriate language.

"Oh, you can eat all the falafels you want," Louise responded with a smirk. "I just don't fancy facing a mountain of falafels and not be able to taste the other delicious treats here."

The gallery owner listened with interest as Sam spoke about the charms that were used in restaurants. She had never given the topic much thought but naturally there had to be taken precautions to stop customers from multiplying or enlarging the food they ordered. The Hogwarts professor's story sounded funny and yet the end was missing. Louise would have liked to know how the restaurant dealt with these thirty people Sam had mentioned. She smiled at Sam anyway, imagining a proper ending to his story as she looked at his wide grin.

"I never gave that much thought but I can see how these charms are needed. Such a shame you didn't stay at that restaurant to observe how the owner dealt with these people though. It might have been rather entertaining."

She nodded when Sam mentioned the sharing platter. "That really does sound like a great thing," she responded with a smile. Sharing food with Sam rather than having two separate dishes sounded more than great. She looked at him affectionately, thinking how nice it would be to make this a routine. She ate alone much too often these days and sharing her food with Sam was like a perfect alternative to that.

Sam ordered for them both and Louise gave him a warm smile in return.  She was quite certain that he had made a good choice. The waiter clapped his hands and from one moment to the next the table was covered with nicely arranged food. It looked like the tables in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, just a lot smaller and, of course, Moroccan. However, Louise couldn't hide her wide, almost childish smile. She was excited and glanced around the table to figure out where to start.

"Bon appetit," she echoed. "Looks like you have made a good choice. This is all looks amazing."

Sam couldn't quite believe how well the evening was going. Normally when he went on a date he could guarantee there would be at least one awkward moment before they'd even sat down, but this evening there was none of that. Indeed, it almost felt as if everything was going right, as if...fate wanted to help make this into a perfect evening. Of course Sam believed in such things, it would be rather odd to teach divination and not believe in future portents and signs, but when it came to his own life, he had a strict rule not to try and see what the future held. It was something he tried to impress upon his students as well, that they not ask questions unless they were sure they wanted to know the answer. And here, he had the delightful feeling that, while he would never ask the card or the tea leaves whether there was a future for him and Louise, nonetheless the signs would say that yes, there very likely was.

While there were knives and forks on the table, certain things were just made to be eaten with fingers. The pitta breads, for example, which were small enough that each one could be eaten in just four or five bites. No doubt Louise was expecting him to dig into the falafels first but he invited her to taste something first and only once she'd taken her first bite did he pick up one of the small pittas and dip it into the hummus. It was delicious, clearly homemade and he almost forgot himself and double dipped before resorting to the much more polite choice of putting a spoonful on the side of his plate which he ate with the rest of the bread.

Only then did he lift up his fork and spear a falafel, holding it a few inches in front of his face and addressing it seriously "oh, you have no idea how much I've looked forward to this..." before eating it in two bites. Yes, he was being silly, but it seemed right that he should try to make Louise laugh with inane humour. They ate some more of the starter, chatting and Sam poured out glasses of the tea that was provided with the meal, belatedly thinking he should have asked if Louise wanted more wine. Perhaps later would be better - he didn't want her to think he was trying to get them drunk!

Once they were a good way through the first course he asked "So how's the gallery and the, um, shop going? Have you got any more exhibitions planned?"

Louise had known from the start that Sam liked Moroccan food but the woman soon found herself correcting her estimation - he clearly loved Moroccan food. While she gladly tried some food and really found it delicious, the witch observed her date while he was eating. It was a little like observing a child unwrap Christmas presents. Sam clearly enjoyed everything about this dinner. Louise paused, her plate still half full, just to watch him. It was not that she wasn't hungry or didn't like the food though. Quite on the contrary. However, his pleasure put a smile on her face and when he addressed the falafel she chuckled softly.

"You haven't had such a meal in while, have you?" she asked still smiling at him.

Now she took a sip from the hot tea and ate a few more bites herself. The taste was intense but not too intense. It was spicy but not too spicy. In short, it was just perfect. Louise curiously peeked at the plates, contemplating what to try next. Maybe she should go for a falafel herself? She picked up her fork and took one. Giving Sam a slightly challenging look. However, she didn't want to comment. The falafel tasted well, of course and yet, Louise was more eager to try the other specialties that Sam had picked for them.

"It's going fine. I just keep thinking that in the long run I should really divide these two things. The reputation of the gallery should not be influenced by the shop within. However, right now I do not have the means to do that. I mean, I'd need to rent a second shop and hire someone to take care of either the gallery or the shop or cut down the opening hours in a way that allows me to run both alone. It's nothing that I can do right now. However, it's a goal for the future. Then again I keep wondering if it really reflects badly on the gallery to have such a shop included..." she shrugged, "art is not always all that innocent either. Besides it might increase the value of the shop items if they're connected to art." She laughed nervously. "I really don't know. All I know is that I feel a little embarrassed when serious looking witches or wizards enter the shop and stare at me as though I'm hiding the devil in there."

Louise smiled and shrugged again. "Anyway, to answer your question - I have currently no new exhibitions planned. I always collect ideas but so far none of them is fully fleshed out. Either I like the theme but I don't have the right exhibits for it or I have some great exhibits that do not fit a certain theme. I might go for something generic in the end. I've been thinking about black and white for example. That includes many things and can be taken literally and metaphorically."

"I came here with my sister and her family for my birthday...last year" he admitted as he speared another falafel. With the situation at Hogwarts there hadn't been much opportunity to go out even after the dome had come down. Now though, he hoped to make up for lost time. There were other restaurants of course, but this was probably Sam's favourite. And then he started to wonder if he'd said something silly, that he shouldn't have admitted that he's spent his birthday just with family. Or would Louise be glad that he had evidently been single for a while? Or was he just reading far too much into what he was saying and should maybe just relax and enjoy the meal?

While Louise was talking he could relax. He enjoyed the sound of her voice, could listen to it rise and fall all night in fact, and being interested in what she was saying helped as well. Actually, he liked the fact that she had the shop with its adult items within her gallery, even though he'd been rather shocked when he'd initially discovered what it was that she sold. Of course he should just respond to her ideas for a new exhibition. He did like the idea of something solely in monochrome, it clearly had a lot of scope and would look very sophisticated. Hopefully she would be able to produce this exhibition in the coming months so he would be able to attend. But unfortunately, the greater part of his mind had now wandered to the contents of Louise's shop, and with that also meant he was thinking about the woman who designed the items that she sold there. Most of the starter had been enjoyed now and he sat with his fork poised, with thoughts in his head that really weren't appropriate for such a setting. Sam was wondering what she thought when she produced the items, and how she went about testing them to see how well they worked...

And he shook his head slightly, hoping she wouldn't have noticed that he had been staring, and hoping even more fervently that she didn't have any latent legilimency skills. But, as he didn't get his face slapped but rather she simply finished laying out her ideas for a future exhibition, Sam hoped his thoughts would just remain private. He took several sips of tea which was now at exactly the right temperature, and smiled thoughtfully.

"That could definitely work" he said "Perhaps with single colour accents for the decor? Small flashes of red could set off the exhibits nicely..." Sam hoped she wouldn't mind that he was making suggestions for her own future exhibitions. He reached out his fork and then realised there was only one falafel yet. He glanced at it, and then at Louise. "After you..." he said softly.