Now is the time (Aase)

Freddie could see it in front of his inner eye 'Freddie likes Aase', Freddie + Aase', and so on. He felt that his smile was always a bit wider when Aase was around. She was so lovely! Freddie felt strangely excited whenever he saw her even if it was only from afar. He would recognise her in a crowd at once. The boy wondered how she felt about him. He knew that she liked him, they were friends, after all. But was there more on her side? He surely hoped so.

Being at a camp now, away from Hogwarts and their everyday life, Freddie thought that it might be the right time for the next step. Asking her for a date seemed like a big next step but it felt less scary here than it did at school. Maybe, just maybe, she'd say yes. Freddie wondered how she'd like a candlelight picnic by the lake. It seemed like quite a romantic gesture… was it too much? Or was it quite on the point because it made clear what his intentions were without him having to spell them out word for word?

With trembling fingers Freddie took a piece of parchment and a quill which he held over the parchment for a while, unsure what to write. Some ink was already dripping off the quill and onto the parchment. How could he invite her? He didn't want to waste too many words because he didn't want to overwhelm her. Should he write it like a love letter or simply an invitation? He would have liked to ask someone for advice but he wasn't sure whom to ask. Therefore, he just began to write…

Dear Aase,
would you join me for a picnic by oak tree at the lake tonight at 7 pm?
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Freddie

He stared at the note. Was it sufficient? Nice enough? At the same time neutral enough so that he wouldn't make a fool of himself if she decided she'd rather not want to come? The boy decided it was now or never. He folded the parchment and went to look for Aase. It didn't take him long to find her and he greeted her with a warm smile. He tried to inconspicuously hand the note over and then hurried away, not waiting to watch her read the note. He hoped she'd do so in private anyway.

Freddie wasn't entirely sure if Aase would come but that didn't keep him from trying to arrange everything in the best possible way – he had found a blanket in light blue with pink flowers on it – it would not have been his first choice but for the lack of alternatives he took it anyway. He also found some tea lights and had begged for food and juice in the canteen. With a basket full of things he made his way towards the oak tree at only just past 6 pm. Feeling both excited and scared as he went there.

When he had prepared almost everything he wondered if he should light the candles already. It was not yet dark outside and the tea lights would not hold forever… He hesitated. Sitting down on the blanket, Freddie became rather nervous and restless. He got to his feet again. What if this was too much? What if Aase saw this from afar and decided she'd rather not want to join him? He tried to calm himself by skimming stones across the lake, not even looking into the direction of the camp anymore.

@Aase Trickett-Cassoway

He’d hurried off before she had a chance to properly recognize what he’d offered her – but once she read it, she understood. Aase had heard from her cousins that boys could sometimes be… squirrely… about being in the vicinity when you were reading a note that they wrote you – though the Wizengamot was out on why exactly this was. Some of her cousins argued that it was the boy’s way of giving you some space so you didn’t feel pressured to react and reply right then and there; but others insisted it was because the boy was either embarrassed or a means for him to ‘save face’ in case you turned him down.

Either way, Aase wasn’t quite sure what to believe (though she much preferred to think Freddie was simply being respectful and perhaps a little nervous, as she herself would probably be in his position) – but in retrospect she supposed she was glad she’d had a moment to herself just then. Truthfully, she hadn’t expected anything like this; she was simultaneously surprised, flattered, nervous, and excited. Aase was notoriously terrible at masking her emotions in-the-moment, and she was worried she might have accidentally given him the wrong impression if the surprise and nerves took over. Was he asking her on an actual date? It sure sounded like it. Did she like him as ‘more than a friend’? In all honesty, she hadn’t consciously thought about that… but she did genuinely enjoy spending time with him, and did find herself subconsciously looking for him in crowds.

After processing this initial reaction, she’d gone straight to her friend and cabin-mate, Fiora MacCrae (who – as it happened – had been trying to seek Aase out anyways to ask her to sit for a portrait), to confer and discuss. It was difficult to imagine sitting still when her nerves and excitement made her feel so jumpy, but nonetheless she’d agreed. The pair of fifteen-year-olds had started with the impending date and Aase’s feelings as the focal point, eventually broadened their scope to boys in general, and ultimately segued into family dynamics.

Fiora had said she expected a full report whenever she returned to their cabin; Aase knew that Shelby would probably want to hear all about it, too, (not to mention analyze their star charts for compatibility… which meant she’d need to somehow discretely and non-creepily ask Freddie what his birth time was because she knew that would be her younger cousin’s first question…) and so she made a mental note to seek out her cousin in the morning – in case she didn’t get back until lights-out. The thought had given her nervous butterflies all over again.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

She’d spent more time than usual in choosing an outfit and getting ready. Something nicer than her usual shorts-and-t-shirt was in order; but at the same time nothing too fancy, either. In the end she’d settled for one of her favorites: a plaid-print cotton dress with brown sandals. She’d even tried something different with her hair (with some help from friends, of course).

Then, at quarter-to-seven, Aase waved goodbye to her Yearmate and made her way down to the lake. Freddie’s note had asked her to meet him at “the oak tree by the lake”, which sounded exceptionally vague and nondescript to the outsider – but she could picture the spot exactly. They’d spent a few free afternoons underneath it since arriving at camp, and it had become a sort of go-to for them. Just like in April, when they’d started hanging out more frequently. They hadn’t planned that or anything – things had just sort of… happened… organically.

Once she arrived, her gaze was immediately drawn to a neatly-laid-out blanket, a basket, and a handful of tea lights. Nerves and excitement seized her again, and her chest felt strangely tight. Freddie was nowhere to be found at first glance, – was she in the right place, or had she stumbled upon someone else’s date? – but as she cautiously proceeded she realized he was down by the water’s edge, skipping stones, his back to her. Her quiet footsteps slowed and then stopped as she deliberated. Should she call out? It hardly seemed necessary… almost disruptive, even. At the same time, though, she didn’t exactly want to sneak up on him.

Smoothing her dress unnecessarily with barely-trembling hands, Aase walked as noisily as possible without being downright obnoxious, choosing a path that would put her in his peripheral vision. Once he seemed to have noticed her she waved, and came to a stop beside him.

“Hi,” she greeted simply, a soft smile on her face.

Hi. Two letters, one syllable, one word and yet so much more than that.

Freddie spun around, a nervous smile spreading across his face. She had come. She had accepted his invitation. It felt like a little dream come true and yet it didn't, because it still felt very much like a dream.

He felt a strange urge to pull her into a hug but it felt like overstepping boundaries. The boy waved back, feeling somewhat awkward doing so. “Hey,” he finally said, his voice slightly feeble. “I'm glad you came.” It was an understatement for sure – he was not just glad. He was relieved, excited, thrilled, overjoyed, delighted… there were many terms to express better how he felt but he thought that it might be better to hold back that information for now.

He looked at her from top to feet and smiled some more. She looked absolutely adorable! He wanted to pay her a compliment but, again, the boy decided to tread carefully. “You look lovely,” he, therefore, simply stated. While the boy had put effort into arranging everything in the best way he could imagine, he realised he had not paid his own looks any attention. The realisation brought a soft blush onto his cheeks. He should have chosen his better pair of jeans instead of the worn out blue jeans he was wearing. Besides, he could have chosen his best shirt instead of the navy blue one he was wearing now. He could curse himself for having been so thoughtless.

Stepping over to her, he lifted his hand, first thinking about pulling her into a hug but then deciding otherwise in the last minute, running his fingers through his hair instead. He renewed his smile and gestured at the blanket. “Shall we go over and sit down already?”

Suddenly the boy wondered if Aase had maybe come to tell him that she didn't want a date. He had, after all, not given her a chance to immediately react to his invitation. However, this seemed a little far fetched… She'd have got a note to him then or sent a friend or… He took a deep breath. This was so much harder than he had expected it to be.

“I should light the candles,” he muttered as he hurried to the blanket and lit a match which he then carefully moved across to the tea lights.

“Please, sit down,” he said still a little anxious that she might not want this at all. “I've saved you this spot here,” he gestured at the corner of the blanket that was closest to the tree trunk, “if you like you even have a back rest there.”

”Sorry!” she whispered. “Didn’t mean to startle you… thought maybe you’d seen me come over the hill.”
Perhaps she should have called out a greeting sooner. In any case, he didn’t seem terribly annoyed or anything – judging by his current expression – and so Aase had tried to let it go.

“I'm glad you came. You look lovely.”

The dark-haired Trickett blushed easily by nature; her cheeks warmed quickly at this, and she briefly deflected her gaze before returning it to his face. She forced herself to count to three before answering so she wouldn’t stumble over her words; Aase wouldn’t put it past herself to inadvertently combine a more casual ‘Why not?’ (as in a ‘Why wouldn’t I come?’) with ‘Me too’ to create something like a mortifying ‘Why me?’ and make everything super awkward before they even had a chance to get started.
She took a breath, and replied as confidently as she could: “I'm glad, too. That’s very sweet of you to say, thank you.”

He looked about as anxious as she felt, and she did her best to smile her reassurance for the both of them.
“You look really nice, too. Everything does!” she continued genuinely, truly appreciating the scene for the first time. Aase was impressed by how neatly everything had been laid out, even in the slowly-gathering darkness. She was always pleasantly surprised when boys made an effort to make something neat and tidy; most of her cousins were the polar opposite, and the only other boy she could think of offhand who seemed to have any semblance of order at all was Aldous.

“Shall we go over and sit down already?”

Aase bobbed her head obligingly and moved towards the blanket, pausing to look back at him when he’d mentioned he’d specifically laid out a spot for her at the base of the tree. As minor a consideration as it may have been, it was very thoughtful one. She smiled again.

“That sounds lovely, thanks.”

She could have laughed aloud at how formal she sounded to her own ears, but she supposed nerves tended to have that effect. There was really no need to be nervous, she knew – she was very comfortable around Freddie, and moreover enjoyed spending time with him. But her cousins had warned her about the ‘first date jitters’, and that they were totally normal; remembering this conversation already made her feel much better.

At least… assuming this was, in fact, a date. It felt an awful lot like one, though she had nothing really to compare it to. All her cousins that she’d talked to and Fiora all seemed to think so, at least.

To give herself a moment to collect her thoughts, she gazed out over the lake. The sun wouldn’t set on the true horizon until about 8:30pm, but the surrounding mountains certainly seemed to move that time earlier. They still had maybe a solid hour at least of good daylight before dusk settled more firmly upon them.

“Reminds me of Hogwarts,” she murmured absently, glancing back at him as she gestured to the lake before them against the mountainous backdrop. Unlike the Black Lake most of the time, though, the surface of this lake today wasn’t mirror-smooth. Ripples stretched about as far as she could see, and the edge of the water lapped gently upon the shore.
“I love how peaceful it is here. Have always thought of the States as being loud and noisy, because that’s all I’ve heard about it.” She laughed, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. “Rather silly of me, really.”

“Oh, don't worry, please! You didn't… well, maybe you startled me a little, but...” he stared at his feet now, feeling terribly embarrassed that he couldn't bring out a coherent sentence now. “It's okay, really!” he glanced up again, still unable to comprehend how he got this lucky that he had a date with Aase.

He grinned widely as the Hufflepuff stated that she was glad she came and thanked him for the compliment. He noticed that her cheeks were slightly reddened and felt how he, too, blushed. At least she smiled as well and Freddie was hopeful that they'd both relax and feel more at ease in each other's company soon.

When Aase complimented him on his looks and the nicely set up picnic, the boy averted his gaze, feeling that the slight blush had intensified now. He couldn't believe that she was sincere about his looks but that didn't the compliment any less lovely. He thought that it was super sweet that she was trying to make him feel better about himself and everything he had set up.

“I'm glad you like it,” he said, gesturing at the picnic. He almost wanted to add how much effort he had put into the preparations but figured that she'd appreciate it more if he just left the details out. Once people knew what kind of work it was to do something their appreciation changed from simple enjoyment either to admiration or – and that was quite scary – to them thinking that he was merely showing off and he certainly didn't want that now.

Freddie beamed at Aase as she thanked him again even if she was rather sounding like they had entered a posh restaurant rather than having a picnic outside. At least it seemed that his thoughtfulness paid off. Slowly he was regaining his confidence. He could feel how the blush faded a little and hoped that his cheeks weren't visibly reddened anymore.

Sitting down on the blanket, Freddie followed Aase's example and looked at the lake. “Yeah,” he said, nodding. “Looks a bit like at good old Hogwarts.” He smiled at the girl again. The sun was already standing low, painting the scenery in a warm golden colour. It all seemed perfect to him and the fact that the place reminded her of Hogwarts made him think that they could maybe repeat this at home sometime.

“No,” he was quick to say, sitting up a little straighter. “Not silly at all. I've felt the same! I mean, it's my first time in the States and I totally did not expect it to be anything like this. This gotta be the best holidays I've ever had.” He was absolutely sincere about this but he would have said that he felt the same even if he didn't, just to make sure that Aase wouldn't feel awkward.

“So, shall we raise our glasses in a toast to the perfect holidays?” he asked, his heartbeat quickening as he poured some juice into two glasses and held one out for Aase to take.

Once she was settled on the blanket, the solid earth beneath her was almost instantly both physically and emotionally grounding. It was almost uncanny. Habitually, Aase found herself focusing on the remnants of warmth from a full day of sun on the ground transmitted through the blanket, the rough bark of the tree now running along the length of her spine; the call of cicadas, the rustle of a breath of wind through the treetops, the tiny ripple-waves breaking on the shore. She felt her heart rate begin to slow; and her nerves begin to ebb, as though the very soil itself was absorbing all of her doubt and worries. Aase had always felt much more ‘at home’ when there was nothing but the wide open sky overhead and soft grass beneath her.

She hadn’t realized her eyes had involuntarily closed until Freddie’s insistence that her comment hadn’t been a silly one registered in her brain. Aase opened them, then – and the first thing they alighted upon was his earnest expression, his reassurance that she wasn’t alone in her thinking. She extrapolated beyond the direct reaction to this specific circumstance, though; saw his eagerness to identify with her, to offer solidarity. A slow smile made its way across her cheeks, and she accepted the glass with a polite dip of her head.

“To the perfect holiday,” she agreed, lifting her glass to touch it to his with a soft clink before taking a sip. She unbuckled her sandals, then, and placed them on the grass with their heels lined up neatly at the border of the blanket. Bending her knees and curling both feet around to one side, she smoothed the skirt of her dress over her lap.

She wasn’t entirely sure what to do from here, as she’d never been on a date before… but where she might have been nervous less than ten minutes ago she now felt only calm, and reassurance that all would work out as it was meant to. Inspired by his comment about this being the best holiday he’d ever had, Aase was very curious to know more about him… but didn’t want to make it seem like an interrogation. There was really only one way to find out, though, and she certainly wouldn’t know if she never asked.

“Would you… like to play a game, of sorts?” she asked, sweeping her hair over her shoulder and toying with the ribbon for want of something to do with her hands. One of her favorite games to get to know people was ‘Two Truths and a Lie’: it wasn’t as oppressive as a direct question, and let people pick and choose what they wanted to disclose (or not) about themselves. It seemed like a safe option to start with, at least.

Aase was a pretty girl, but when she smiled Freddie couldn’t avert his gaze and couldn’t help but smile as well. There was something about her that made him feel grateful that she was here, spending time with him. He just hoped that Aase would not for a moment tonight regret that she had followed his invitation.

He beamed at her as she lifted her glass and repeated his toast. It really was a perfect holiday. It was Freddie’s first holiday like this and he felt sure that he’d remember it forever and ever, especially if this date went well. As their glasses clinked Freddie looked into the girl’s eyes, unable to comprehend how he had managed to get himself into this perfect situation.

He felt thirsty now and took a few sips of his juice as he watched with pleasure that Aase got more comfortable on the blanket. After he put his glass down, he, too, slipped out of his shoes and shifted in his position until he sat there cross-legged.

So far, so good. They were both here now, sitting more or less comfortably on the blanket, watching the sunset over the lake and all that was left now was to find some topic of conversation so they wouldn’t end up silent. Freddie wasn’t a shy guy but he really didn’t know how to make conversation in a situation like this, never having been in any comparable position before. He didn’t want to spoil anything by making a comment that Aase might not appreciate.

“A game?” Freddie asked, surprised and also pleased that she took the initiative and suggested something they could do to avoid a silence that might, with the time, become a little awkward. “Yeah, sure,” he said but thought that he did not sound quite as confident as he’d have liked. “What kind of game would you like to play, though?” he asked, thinking of his game of truth or dare with Donna during the previous term at Hogwarts.

Their eyes met briefly over the rims of their glasses, and Aase smiled reflexively. He really had planned all of this out very thoughtfully.

Moments later, her expression brightened at his agreement to play.
“Right, so, it goes by a lot of different names, but I call it what it is: ‘Two Truths and a Lie’. It’s really just what it sounds like – one person says two things that are true and one that is not, usually about themselves, and the other person has to guess which is the lie.” She paused to take a sip of her juice. “There are lots of different ways to play… prizes for guessing right or total rounds won, having to do something silly (like hop on one foot while singing the school song) if you get it wrong or lose the total number of rounds… or no score at all,” she added, belatedly picking up on a hint of uncertainty on his end.

“Here, I’ll go first and you can decide if it’s something you want to do or not.”
After a moment of thought, she held up her index finger: “I like to bake,” – she put up another finger – “I have a sister,” – and then a third finger – “I have never broken a bone.”

She raised her eyebrows expectantly, another small smile on her lips.
“Which is the lie?”

Freddie couldn’t take his eyes off of Aase as she explained the game to him. He wanted to look elsewhere but he just couldn’t avert his gaze. He was fascinated by her eyes, by her lips… He realised that she could probably suggest anything and he’d happily agree to do it.

“Okay,” he said, nodding in agreement. The game didn’t sound too bad. However, he was aware that for him the biggest challenge would be to actually tell two true things about himself. “I like that and I’m all in there. You choose which way we’ll play.” He tried for a confident smile but his heart was beating way quicker now.

He watched her as she seemed to think of three things to start the game and then the game started.

Freddie grinned. “I’m pretty sure you like to bake,” he said. Baking suited Aase in his opinion and he hoped that he wasn’t wrong there. “Hmm…” he said as he considered the other two options she had given. “I know you have countless cousins,” he paused and ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t want to get this wrong. He wanted to say the right thing but he wasn’t sure if Aase had a sister. If she did, said sibling had to be a few years older or not yet of school age, he presumed as he wasn’t aware of a sister at Hogwarts. She played Quidditch and most students who did had had a broken bone at some point. He nodded to himself as he made up his mind.

“I think you don’t have a sister,” he offered bravely, hoping that she would not reveal to him that she had a sister he should even know.

“You choose which way we’ll play.”

“Hmm. Let’s… not keep score, at least for now,” she replied. Better to keep things low-stress, especially if he wasn’t quite sure about playing in the first place.

He began thinking through each of her statements aloud, and she did her best to keep her expression impassive (a very tall order for the Hufflepuff). Anyone who knew her even a little bit knew about her love of baking, and so she’d hoped to lull him into a false sense of security. She thought her second and third statements clever – it was well-known that the Trickett clan was enormous, but few people outside of the family knew exactly whose siblings were whose; and it was difficult to play Quidditch and not break a bone.

But Freddie saw right through her ruse; Aase wrinkled her nose, pretending to be dismayed.
“Ah, thought I had you tricked for sure! I’m the only one of my countless cousins who doesn’t have a sibling,” she laughed. “I thought I’d picked some good distractors.”

She shrugged, grinning again as she resettled herself slightly on the blanket.
“Alright, then – your turn, let’s hear it!”

Not keeping score seemed like a fair plan and Freddie nodded in agreement. It meant less pressure and that was a good thing for sure.

Aase’s reaction made Freddie wonder if he should have deliberately picked a wrong answer just to please her. Then again, shouldn’t it please her more that he got this right about her? Didn’t that mean that he knew her a little? That he cared about her? Girls were so complicated to read sometimes…

However, soon after wrinkling her nose, Aase laughed again and a wide smile spread across Freddie’s face in response to that.

“You’re the only one?” he asked, feeling somewhat impressed for no reason in particular. “You picked great distractors!” he was quick to add. “I almost fell for them. I just thought that if you had any siblings they’d be likely at Hogwarts, too, and then I guess I’d know about them?” He gave a somewhat apologetic shrug.

“My turn… hmmm,” Freddie felt tense again all of a sudden. He had so often presented a lie as the truth that it felt really strange to play this game. He wanted to be entirely honest with Aase, though. He liked her a lot. He wanted her to like him for who he really was and not just because he had made up cool lies. She deserved honesty.

“One, I am an only child. Two... “ he paused and took a sip from his juice as he contemplated the other two choices he was going to offer. “A lot of the clothes I wear have been made by my mother. Three, I have tried firewhisky during my fourth year.” He offered a nervous smile as he waited to hear Aase’s thoughts.

“Well, I guess not the only one,” she backtracked, remembering Sorley (who would be getting ready to start school this time next year!), “but there are maybe only two or three of us that don’t have siblings… out of, like, a lot. So, close enough.”

But he seemed put-out by her reaction and hurried to reassure her, but she merely grinned again and flapped a hand dismissively.
“I'm not mad – I promise!” she insisted.

“Ooh, hmm…” she buzzed, considering. She thought the ‘only child’ one was true, using similar logic that he had to debunk her own lie. His mum making a lot of his clothes would be so impressive – briefly, Aase wondered if she might teach her, if it was true – but she thought it was more plausible that perhaps she made some of his clothes; it seemed awfully time-consuming. But the third seemed a bit more likely as a blanket statement: she knew quite a few of her peers had tried sips of their parents’ wine (and some even more than that) this past year – which had been, incidentally, their Fourth Year. Their time at school was more than half-over already, as it was…

“I'm not sure that…” – she began slowly, still deliberating heavily between the latter two and trying to stall for time – “…your mum makes a lot of your clothes…?”
Her voice had trailed progressively upward, with significant inflection at the end.
“It’s either that or the sip of Firewhiskey… but you wouldn’t be the only one to have tried that so I think it’s maybe the clothes.”

It was a wild guess, but now she was burning with curiosity to hear if she’d been right or not.

Nodding, Freddie wondered how it would be to have as many cousins as Aase did. Sometimes he wished there was someone in his family who he could turn to when things with his parents were too much to handle but he was alone, an only child, and he didn’t even have cousins.

“Good,” Freddie said, smiling at Aase as she reassured him that she was not mad at him. While he didn’t think she had had a reason to be mad in the first place, he feared that he might say or do something that she did not appreciate. He wanted her to like him so badly.

It felt to him as though Aase took her time to think about the three things and Freddie felt how his cheeks heated. It was awkward to have her think about him like that. He felt like she might stumble upon his secrets now and that made him feel defenseless but, at the same time, a part of him almost hoped that she’d discover the real Freddie and still stay.

Finally Aase made her guess and the boy grinned. “Wow, you’re narrowing it down to two options?” he teased, before he added “you got it wrong, though. I have never touched firewhisky. My mother does indeed sew a lot of my clothes.” Well, she usually bought second hand robes and made them fit him and only rarely sewed entirely new clothes but that was close enough, right?