Murray loved hearing Meredith joke around with him. It really did brighten his day up in ways that he couldn't explain, not even to himself. "Okay well maybe a little bit spoiled," he offered with a wink, letting himself relax a bit further in Meredith's company. She seemed to be over it, or at least for the moment. He had obviously acted too quickly in kissing her, even though at the time he really thought it seemed like the right thing to do. Murray wasn't regretting it, but he would need to tread more carefully in the future. He wondered whether there might ever come a time that she would want to kiss him?
When she reached across the table to squeeze his hand after he'd finished talking about Fraser, Murray was more than pleased. He smiled warmly up at her. He knew Meredith had more empathy than even she was aware of, and at this moment he was grateful for it. Murray was usually the one who did the comforting, not the other way around. But then, he never let himself be as vulnerable as this in front of other people. He freely expressed his emotions to others, sure, but those emotions were rarely negative or sad. It was refreshing to know that if need be, Meredith was able to comfort him in return. His insides felt warm as he thought about it. And her hazel eyes...
He nodded up at her as she finished describing her family's indifference towards muggles. It made sense. Even Murray's family didn't go out of their way to befriend muggles or have any sort of communication with them. And it made sense to the badger when Meredith continued, explaining that even though her family couldn't be described as prejudiced, there were a lot of other families in their inner circle that felt differently. I think you're great. Murray actually snorted into his butterbeer, setting it down and swallowing firmly before allowing himself a moment of laughter. "Well I'm glad you would treat me nicely if I were to show up at one of your Pureblood parties," he offered with a grin. He momentarily imagined what it would be like to attend one of those parties with Meredith. Murray had no idea what to expect, so even trying to picture the situation was strange. The only thing he was sure of was that there would be fancy dress robes and expensive rugs on the floor. He hoped those wealthy people could take a joke.
Then talk came back around to Fraser again, and though Murray was well aware that he bore no responsibility for his brothers actions- it was hard to let himself believe that to be true. His entire character was built around building other people up, trying to see the good (and humour) in humanity even when there may not be enough to go around. And so he had to take it personally when someone that close to him defected so far away from his family values, even if Meredith was right in saying that it wasn't his problem.
He smiled back at Meredith. "I'm glad the evasion of your mother was successful," he laughed. He knew even if he tried to look through the grimy shop windows of the Hog's Head out onto the High Street he wouldn't be able to discern anything beyond, so he didn't even bother. Murray watched her swallow the last of her butterbeer and glanced down at his own glass, which was still one quarter full. "Good thing that wasn't cider," he pointed out. "You'd be feeling the effects right now even more than me," he mimicked her and picked up his own glass, swallowing what remained in a single sip.
"I've still got to get to Honeydukes before I head back, my stock of chocolate frogs is dangerously low," Murray grinned across the table, standing up slowly and waiting for Meredith to do the same. He grabbed her empty glass along with his own and took them up to the bar, setting them on the dusty bar top before hurrying back to the door of the shop to hold it open for the Head Girl. He immediately noticed that the High Street was quite empty of students, but when they stepped out onto the cobblestone street he knew why. A strong wind had picked up so everyone must have retreated inside. "Don't blow away on your walk back to the school," Murray said with a warm smile. "And thanks for today, really," he stalled, unsure of what to say that would sum up how he felt about spending time with her.
He wanted to add something along the lines of, don't be a stranger, but he decided against it. If Meredith wanted to continue hanging out with the badger after this, she'd have to be the one to let him know. Murray knew the difference between a joking leave me alone, and an actual you shouldn't have done that. And there was no way he was going to attempt that again without being certain of Meredith's response. He watched her walk away from him as he followed slowly, taking a different route to Honeydukes. He shook his head fervently when she disappeared from his view. How Murray could feel so bewitched in her presence was boggling. But he liked it.
[end]
