[gravesend] a half written story without any ending || isaac

Magnolia did not make a big fuss about him paying for their meal although she did find it incredibly romantic for him to do so. Did it mean that they had gone on their first official date? Was that something that they should discuss first as part of their middle ground rules? For once, Magnolia decided to not give it too much thought, realizing that things had been significantly better between then when she hadn’t anticipated anything but had rather let it happen on its own. Of course that thought itself was fleeting for just as she had considered it, the first thing that popped into her head was trying to figure out when they might spend more time together since they were basically like a couple…right?

When they had finally reached the counter, Magnolia kept her distance, politely waving at the woman behind the counter and giving her a smile but not venturing into giving her more information than that. It was fun to embarrass Isaac from time to time just as much as he enjoyed doing it to her but he seemed to be particularly sensitive about topics relating to family so it seemed inappropriate to say anything. And he hadn’t even introduced her so maybe that meant that they were not as close as she had just considered? But at this point in the night, things felt a little hazy, it was hard for her to really think things through, and she had grown a little more quiet than usual.

“She’s really nice,” Magnolia said as soon as they stepped out into the cold weather, her exposed legs feeling it almost immediately, her hands disappearing into those nice pockets again as she wondered how she might get home from here. Was he going to walk her to the ferry? Was he going to ride it with her? Was it too much she ask that he did? Taking his open arm as an invitation, she snuggled into him, her arm almost automatically reaching around his waist as it had earlier. It was quite comfortable here, she decided, and maybe for a second thought that she really did not want to leave things like this. They had to fight, they had to label this, something. “You don’t have to cross the river, it’s pretty late, plus there’s no point in paying thrice right?”

"Yeah, I suppose," Isaac said with a shrug, not giving much thought to whether or not Magnolia liked his Aunt Cheryl. Honestly, Isaac didn't even consider his feelings for the woman often. The family didn't mean much to the Slytherin; they were just more people who were perfectly positioned to let you down. Thankful, they didn't need to spend more time talking about Cheryl, Isaac fought back another shiver as she moved against him. It was warmer this way, and because Magnolia was the perfect height, it wasn't even awkward to walk this way.

"I don't mind," Isaac's words were flat despite how he felt about it. He would ride the ferry back with her to Gravesend, and he wouldn't let her talk him out of it. The more he thought she might protest, the more strongly he felt about it, and it was enough to spur him into speaking again. "There is no way I am letting you ride back to Gravesend alone, Magnolia, so just drop it," While he had meant as a nice gesture, his words were as rude as always.

The idea of letting her go alone irritated him, not just because it was unsafe but also because she had no idea how muggle things worked. It was like putting her in the middle of the freeway and letting her figure it out. Isaac was mean, but he wasn't that cruel

Magnolia liked Isaac when he was sweet like this, but she quickly decided that she found this stern, more authoritative side of him a whole other level of attractive. Now she saw it, that thing that made all the girls crazy in the novels she liked, ignoring the fact that it wasn’t really that cool for someone else to tell you what to do. Maybe it was that whole bossiness in her that wanted a break once in a while from always feeling the need to tell people what to do and how to do it. Maybe it would explain why she had a thing for boys like Isaac.

She looked down at the ground, her hair falling into her face and she smiled a little, now she knew why all the girls were after him all the time. Looking straight ahead she was quiet for a moment before speaking again, “Fine, do whatever you want,” she said but it was more encouraging than dissuading, her tone of voice making it obvious that she was perfectly content with his conclusion and intended to make him see it through no matter what.

“We should hang out again,” she said finally, kicking at some pebbles on the path to the ferry, trying to play it off as much as she could but secretly hoping he’d say yes. What did he have to lose anyway? He had made it pretty obvious that he didn’t care what his friends did or didn’t do, he didn’t seem to be working or doing anything else that break, plus she figured that until this point (at least apart from the time she had asked him to go to the party with her and all their fights) they had been getting on rather well. “I mean,” she quickly felt like a coward again, “if you want to,” she added.

Isaac smirked triumphantly when she didn't fight him on the ferry ride, like he had won the battle, and pulled her closer to him. It wasn't often she let him win, and even though she had to get in the last word, he was still counting it as a victory. "We should hang out again," The wizard sucked in a breath when he heard it and hoped she wouldn't notice. The cold air burned his lungs, and he coughed to clear it, covering his mouth with his hand, "Uh, yeah," He began, but when she added a little apprehension in the end, the teenager spoke again.

"When?" He asked because saying 'we should hang out' meant nothing unless there were a time and date involved. He didn't know why; he couldn't explain it really, but at that moment, he wanted Magnolia to realize he wanted to hang out with her again and that he wanted to be around her and spend time together even if that sounded sappy. So making legitimate plans seemed like a concrete way to prove that to her. "When do you want to hang out again?" He repeated after waiting for about two seconds.

Isaac was thankful that the walk from The World's End to the ferry docks wasn't long because it was cold outside. And soon enough, they were back on the rickety dock waiting for the boat to pull in. Only this time, they were the only people around. It was four am; most everyone else in the world was safe and warm indoors by now. With the hand not around her shoulders, Isaac fished his wallet from his pocket and used the motion to flip open the bi-fold; he held it toward her, the same plastic card she had swiped earlier in the front pocket, "Do you want to swipe it again?" It was a little offer, but he had found it cute how excited she got before, so he couldn't resist asking.

We should? the thought came to her mind almost immediately, just as doubtful as she had been when she had added an extra line to her earlier invitation. Magnolia had grown so tied to the idea that she would have to defend her stance that instead of a time and date, which would have come in handy in times like this, she had come prepared with the idea that he was going to tell her no anyway and she was prepared  to argue with him on it. Now, Magnolia's entire plan had fallen flat. Had Isaac enjoyed the time they had spent together? Even though much of the night pointed to an obvious answer, the girl couldn't help but to think that she was reading things incorrectly. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"I've got tennis tomorrow afternoon…" she started tentatively, wondering if there was some unwritten rule about how long they ought to wait before they were in contact again or if he might not have actually meant to set a time and date even if he had just said he wanted to. Her mind was starting to wander into all sorts of weird spaces. "But maybe this weekend?" she tried, "I can always owl you…?" she asked again, her hand around his waist squeezing a little tighter. Magnolia was grateful that she couldn't see his face from here but rather could keep staring at the ground, a part of her suddenly very worried about things not turning out how she expected them to go and becoming very embarrassed by it.

But before she could keep wishing that they didn't have to talk so much, especially now when she felt so much more exposed than she had hours before, they had arrived at the dock again. Taking the piece of plastic out of his hands she giggled a little, completely delighted, “Might just have to buy one of my own,” she added, swiping the card once and passing through before turning to swipe it again and letting him in. It wasn’t comfortable to walk like this but she wasn’t keen on the thought of letting him go just yet. Just a little longer, she reminded herself. The good thing was that he didn’t seem to mind but if he did, he wasn’t letting on to it.

"Why am I not surprised that you play fucking tennis?" Isaac teased her; it seemed like just the kind of sport someone like her would play. She didn't like Quidditch, or so he had gathered, so tennis was the next best preppy thing he supposed. Her family probably had a whole tennis court in the yard for her to practice on, he thought absently, not that he was jealous or anything. And the teenager certainly wasn't complaining, not when her body looked like that in her dress; tennis was a Godsend.

"Yeah, maybe," Isaac said with a shrug, going from warm to cold in seconds, but it was his insecurities at fault. He had thought making an effort would bring them to a specific time and date. He thought she would like that, which is the only reason he had said it, but she seemed to shrug it off, and suddenly he felt like their roles were reversed. Isaac wasn't about to beg her to hang out with him, so he let it go, looking ahead and finding himself thankful that the dock wasn't far. She'd owl him, whatever, he wasn't going to sit around and wait for it.

As they reached the dock and pulled out his wallet, the wizard had assumed they would let go of each other. The turnstiles were built for one person at a time. When she didn't and somehow figured out how to swipe the card, enter, and swipe it again for him, he laughed without losing her grip. It was an awkward way to walk, and to be honest, it was uncomfortable, but Isaac didn't let go either. Instead, he shimmied through the turnstile and squeezed her shoulders on the other side. He supposed it was kind of cute if he thought about things like that.

Her awkward gesture softened any ice that had built up from not making real plans, and Isaac pulled Magnolia to him as he leaned against the fence. Just like before, but this time he was more interested in holding her close than he was keeping himself warm. Isaac watched the water, quiet for a moment until the ferry's lights began to break through the fog. "I'm glad you didn't go home with that guy," Isaac murmured into the hood she had pulled up over her curls. It was quiet; he hadn't meant to say it out loud or for her to hear it, but he didn't try to take it back either. In his backward sort of way, Isaac was admitting to enjoying the time they had spent together, and there was something vulnerable about the admission that he did not care for.

“What?” she whined, though with that smile on her face it was obvious that she had not taken offense to anything he had said. On the contrary, it felt like a compliment somehow, a very underhanded one but the only sort someone like Isaac knew how to give. By now, the girl had become used to them, so she rarely took offense, even if she pretended to. Magnolia had been playing tennis for years now, mostly because her father had wanted her to get into sports, especially when she had said she did not want to play Quidditch. The girl was average at it though her coach often noted that she would be much better if she practiced. But Magnolia never had it in her to pursue sports, no matter how good she actually turned out to be.

Yeah, maybe he had said and Magnolia wondered if in the small space of time between his response and hers he had changed his mind about wanting to spend time with her, and that thought made her a little sad. Ideally, they would get another chance to hang out but without the help of a party, midnight, and a lot of alcohol, was there anything else they would have in common? They had been spending time together until today, but things felt different now, they had (sort of) labeled them and Magnolia was dying to know what that “middle ground” meant exactly. Though based on parts of their conversation, she had an idea of what he would be expecting. Then again, he had not really made a move on her so maybe she was wrong, or he had changed his mind or something. Not knowing seemed to make it worse now that he had said it out loud.

As they waited for the ferry to arrive, Magnolia continued to wonder whether she ought to say anything, insisting that they reflect on what had happened and figure things out. But no, she was afraid to ask, last time she had asked him about anything related to relationships (on her birthday, she clearly remembered) he had called her desperate and the last girl he’d ever date (and probably anyone else). Even if he had been telling the truth it had hurt to hear it said out loud, at least like this in the silence she could imagine whatever she wanted and while it probably would only bring an onslaught of problems in the future, the teenager didn’t want to think about it. Not now, anyway.

She looked up at him when he finally broke the silence, smiling a little at his words, “I wasn’t going to,” she insisted even though that was probably not true, “But I’m glad too, I had a lot of fun, thanks for taking me ‘round,” she added. “If you ever want a tour of Gravesend, you know how to reach me,” she continued. It wasn’t a “plan” per say but it was a suggestion, a little reminder that she actually did want to see him again before Hogwarts and hadn’t just said it earlier to be polite.

Isaac smiled against the hoodie's fabric he already knew she was going to steal; she said she wasn't going to, and whether he believed that or not suddenly didn't matter anymore. She hadn't. That was the only thing worth thinking about. She had left with him instead, and despite some rocky patches, the night had been pretty entertaining. When they weren't generally annoying each other, they did seem to have some fun. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but not wanting her to leave yet, was not something Isaac had planned for. When the ferry pulled up the dock, near crashing into it again (was the driver drunk?) Isaac rolled his eyes and pulled Magnolia closer just for a moment before releasing her.

"Yeah, I will do that," He said sarcastically, giving her a smug look before adding, "Not," Isaac told her playfully before leading them back on to the ferry and stepping to the side so she could pick their seat. He always sat in the back, as far away from the rest of the passengers as possible, but at four in the morning, that wasn't an issue. They had been the only ones on the dock, and so long as there were no last-minute additions, they would have the boat all to themselves. He liked the idea of that; it was like their own little hideout or something. The ferry was quickly becoming the string that tied them together, his side of the Thames and hers, and he liked that too. It sounded like something out of a book.

When she picked, Isaac took a seat on the bench next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Gravesend is boring as fuck," Isaac explained, continuing the conversation from minutes ago like there had been no pause. "If we hang out this week, we should go somewhere better than that..." He trailed off, not knowing where to suggest, but not turning away from her either.

“Ugh,” Magnolia rolled her eyes at his decidedly ridiculous comeback as they boarded the ferry, a little peeved by the fact that he had once again led her on. “A no is good enough,” she added, just in case he didn’t get the memo that they were having a cute serious moment that he’d all put ruined. Even if he actually didn’t want to see Gravesend, and really she couldn’t blame him, the place was nothing worth looking at, it had felt like yet another one of those unspoken rejections.

Like an I will spend time with you when and how I like it rather than wanting to spend time with her all the time like she had suddenly decided she wanted to. But the heart of a teenage girl was a fickle thing and though these were thoughts she could have easily expressed in the empty ferry, she decided against it, and so she pulled them along to the very back of the ferry, the furthest from the conductor, and the most private. Even if they sat in silence, it felt romantic.

But it really wasn’t a date now was it? “Like me, you mean?” She had meant it as a joke but the delivery was more emotional than she had intended, but it was probably around four-thirty in the morning, it was times like this that the girl's feelings (both good and bad) were often at an all-time high. “Yeah, we can go to…” she trailed off in the same way that he had done so, “London? Diagon Alley?” she suggested, all viable options. Though on second thought, the second one would be replete with their school friends and that felt dangerous.

“We don’t have to decide now, right?” she said, taking the chance to interlock their hands together as she leaned further into against him, even managing to close her eyes.

"Not what I said," Isaac told her with another playful smile; he had been joking, well, mostly. Gravesend was boring, and he'd been there a hundred times. He supposed it would probably be more fun if they were there together, but he wasn't going to go to lengths to explain that to her. Instead, he just shrugged, his arm lifting from her shoulder for a second before setting back down. Her suggestions had him laughing and shaking his head.

"That is the best you can do? Diagon Alley?" Isaac wondered if she had ever been outside of the area besides going to Hogwarts. Her family seemed rich enough to travel, but family vacations were far different from what he meant. Absently he wondered if she would hop on a train with him with little warning and head somewhere unplanned. Isaac often rode the muggle trains in and out of London, when he was bored, when he wanted to go somewhere new, and his mum never knew it, not that she could have stopped him if she tried. He realized he'd been thinking of things to do in the future with Magnolia, and instead of finding it frustrating, it brought a little smile to his face.

"Suppose not," Before he had been bothered by the fact that he brought up specifics, and she had brushed it off, but this time it barely registered. She had looped her fingers with his, and even though it was a small gesture, it felt terrific. The teenager wasn't exactly the 'holding hands' and being cute type, but this was different. Her face was close to his as she spoke, and he was careful not to be too loud when he had replied. It was so late, or was it early? It was that space in-between night and day when it was so peaceful. He felt energized by the physical contact but also so exhausted like if they had a warm blanket, he could fall asleep right here holding her; the mix of the two made his skin feel tingly and his stomach flip.

Or maybe that was because he was thinking about kissing her.

Isaac had told her he hoped for some middle ground, but even as he said it, the wizard had had zero clues what he meant. He didn't want to date her, not officially, but he didn't want to date anyone, and Magnolia wasn't even a part of the equation. He hated seeing the sappy teenage couples at Hogwarts who forgot who they were around each other. Sure, the constant snogging seemed pretty great, but at what cost? Isaac knew what he didn't want, but the teenager was struggling to figure what he did want. He wanted to spend more time with her, especially like this, and Merlin knew he'd been thinking about kissing her for hours, so why not now? It was unlike the Slytherin to hesitate when he wanted something.

Magnolia was leaning into him, closer than ever, and he considered it for another moment before he brushed his lips against hers. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest as his thumb traced small circles on the back of her hand. With a smile, Isaac leaned forward to kiss her once more.

If there was a trophy to be won for making one Magnolia Hawkins feel equal parts square and dim, Isaac must have won it ages ago. Even when he talked about the things he did, it was so obvious that he had that much more experience than her and it made her feel like all her efforts to be this world, gorgeous girl who could get the attention of any guy she liked were completely useless. Is that what every other guy thought about her when she went on a tangent about her favorite apothecary in Diagon Alley?

Or her favorite clothing stores in London? The family was well-traveled but did not normally spend enough time in England, not like they might have had to in order to compete with this boy’s expertise. “Well I was going to say France but figured you wouldn’t just get on a train and travel out of the country,” she offered. Though knowing how daring Isaac was, he probably would and she wouldn’t be allowed to unless she took a chaperone.

The saving grace here was the fact that they were holding hands, and even if the witch might have otherwise shied away from the gesture had they been anywhere else, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. If this was what he meant by middle ground then she’d gladly take it, Magnolia had always wanted someone to cuddle with even if that someone refused to be her boyfriend. If anything it made her feel special, knowing that it probably wasn’t the sort of thing Allison wanted to do when they were alone together (or at least she hoped not!) and he was warm and smelled like her favorite thing in the world (though she was yet to figure out what that was).

It was perfect, like something out of a teen romance story, the ones appropriate for her age, and it made Magnolia wonder what awaited her in whatever adventure they took on next. At this point, it seemed odd to even think that they’d never see each other again. They had to, she’d make sure of it, even if she had to cross the Thames and find him in Tilbury herself.

It was just as she was considering where else they might go (she’d ask Rheya for advice, her big sis knew everything worth looking at in town) that she suddenly became distracted by a rather major if not ridiculously important thing: his mouth. On hers. As in, kissing. What? she wondered as her eyes shot open almost immediately, realizing that she had not been dreaming, it had not been a fantasy gone awry in her head, this was very real and it was happening.

Magnolia stood frozen in time unsure of what to do or what to say or whether he was playing a joke on her and if he was, why? It wasn’t how she had imagined her first kiss happening (though she did hear a little music in the hurried beating of her heart). Don’t be a square, don’t be a square, she reminded herself, reaching out for his hand, the one drawing into her skin, and gave it a squeeze, forcing herself to close her eyes and take it.

Because she wanted it, had wanted it for some time now but the fact of her inexperience remained the same: she was no good when surprised like this, hadn’t had the time to figure out how good of a kisser she wanted to pretend to be.

Magnolia's eyes fluttered open, and Isaac met them with a smile before leaning in once more. She hadn't pulled a face or pushed him away, and that was all the encouragement the teenager had needed. His arm slipped from her shoulders to behind her back, pulling her closer despite the odd angle of sitting side by side. His body shifted as well, turning inward toward her as he let go of her hand. His fingers moved to hold her face along her jawline as his lips moved faster. Isaac wasn't sure what he had meant by 'middle-ground,' but he desperately hoped that more of this would be part of the deal. 

Not fighting with Magnolia had seemed like a fantasy wish about ten minutes ago, like that was the best they could hope for, but nowhere they were. From the first time he'd seen her on the train, the thought had crossed his mind. More and more as they spent time together over the term. Despite how often they bickered, Isaac had consistently found himself replaying their banter in his mind. And looking forward to the next time he would see her. It had been annoying trying to hide it from his friends, they would make fun of him until Dumbledore returned from the dead, but he'd done it.

While he'd never admit it, the Slytherin had gone out of his way to find chances to see her. Landing Magnolia in detention so he could talk to her, forcing Allison to sit on the opposite side of him in potions even though they'd sat in the same seat for four years, and even making sure to be near the entrance of the castle on Hogsmeade weekends. Anything he could think of, he did it, and eventually, he came to terms with why he had been doing it. Something about Magnolia had captured him.

She was nothing like his friends or even like the witches he typically chased. He never had to try very hard with other girls; he was handsome, smart, and relatively cruel, which seemed to be some kind of wolfsbane for witches. Magnolia wasn't like them; she stuck up for herself. Even if she stuck her foot in her mouth sometimes, it was clear that she had her own set of values. She never backed down, which Isaac had respected, despite how angry it often made him. Magnolia wasn't like Allison, or Shauna, or any other witch he knew; Magnolia was better.

The girl had not considered that this would be how they’d be parting which only made it a much more bittersweet thought that was probably initially intended. Maybe it hadn’t been a complete surprise when one considered the entire night, the little things, her desperate need for physical contact and their conversation (which wasn’t entirely angry). But at the same time, when he had said a middle ground for whatever reason, she hadn’t considered that they might be kissing quite like this, in the back of an empty ferry at four something in the morning completely sober and extremely aware of what they were doing.

He was sober, wasn’t he? Magnolia couldn’t decide if this was a desire to kiss her or a desire to kiss anyone, the sort of thing people did when they went to parties and hooked up with the first person that was available. She didn’t really want that sort of middle ground with him, especially when everything here onwards would mean so much more than that to her.

There was also the whole feeling of guilt that she was experiencing at the knowledge that he probably didn’t know that this was her first kiss, and even if she was a willing participant (and so was he if the feeling of his mouth against her own was any indication) it would always be the first of what she hoped to be many more kisses. The first anything was a heavy topic, but it made the butterflies in her stomach intensified. This entire thing, the sleeplessness, the drinking, the feeling of her boat rocking against the water made her feel a little lightheaded. But mostly, it was the kissing, and how the entire thing was making her feel.

Where did things go from here? Not in the future sort of way, that was something she thought about constantly, but here as in now. Kissing in the back of the ferry was just as well, doing anything else, however, felt like the sort of thing she did not want to be known for. Which only brought back the thought that he might tell his friends and they’d get a good laugh at her expense.

Before things in her head got too out of hand, however, she pulled back, taking the breath she so desperately needed before she laughed a little, “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” she said quietly, looking away when she felt her face get warmer, not that he’d probably be able to see the redness of her cheeks at this time of night. At least she hoped not. “Should’ve done that four hours ago, to be honest,” she teased, but it was a light sort of afterthought, something to distract from the fact that she had no idea what she was doing.

Isaac could have gone on kissing her for the entire ferry ride and be happy. It didn't have to be anything more than that, and to be honest; the teenager didn't want it to turn into anything more. At least not right now, and certainly not right here. As much of a reputation as he had, Isaac wasn't the sort to try to feel her up in this very public place. Things like that were only done with witches like Allison, who told him to do it, and the ones Isaac lost all respect for.

When she pulled away from him, Isaac sat back in his seat, smiling. His pulse quickened as she spoke, not because he was worried, but because he knew he would like whatever she said next. The sound of her laugh and the way she looked away from him timidly made him sure of it. This wasn't angry or annoying Magnolia, this was beautiful, kissable, quickly-becoming-addictive Magnolia, and Isaac was undoubtedly a fan.

"Yeah, suppose I should have," He chuckled, running his hand through his hair as he relaxed against the seat. Isaac should have done many things, but this was better late than never, and honestly, he thought it was better now than before. He was drunk and angry earlier. Possessive and judgemental was not a good reason to kiss someone. Enjoying each other's company and figuring out how to not argue every second was. Wrapping his arm around her once more, Isaac scooted toward Magnolia, closing any space between them, and smiled again.

"You could have too, though, you know,"

“Would’ve spent a much better time in your room too, I bet,” she added, though that part was just her acting like they’d be doing anything more than they were doing now. Magnolia wanted to think that she’d be much braver but knowing the nervously courageous Gryffindor, she’d find herself in a situation of her own making that she couldn’t quite figure out how to get out of. Though the boy probably wasn’t aware of it yet, he was surprisingly good at guiding her through this stuff, had been just as good at it when he was explaining how muggle technology worked, and would probably be just as good in doing it when other middle ground things came up, if they ever did this again.

But Magnolia didn’t want to ruin the mood with her constant need to pretend that she was much cooler or tougher than she was, especially not right now when she wanted to enjoy the experience and feel couply like she did every time he wrapped his arm around her. It wasn’t something he had been doing before tonight, but it was easily becoming her favorite thing in the world.

For a moment Magnolia wondered if they’d be like this at school if her friends would find it weird that she’d be wearing a hoodie that was obviously not hers, or that she’d be spending more time finding ways to kiss her new boyfriend instead of spending time with them. She was getting ahead of herself, as was her way, but it was hard not to when something this unexpected happened.

“I guess,” she started, not wanting to go into the millions of reasons she had for not doing it first, “but what’s the fun in that? Got a whole adventure to Tilbury out of it, totally worth it i’d say,” she snuggled into the crook of his arm, relaxing a bit in her chair, “but you’d expect that and I’m trying really hard here to be the element of surprise or whatever,” she said comically.