Magical Hogwarts

"Do you want some tea?" Madeline asked as she pulled the floating silver tray across the water to the edge of the pool where she sat, her long legs lazily moving in the water. It was a stunningly beautiful hotel they were staying in and they were making the most of the warm desert nights. The swimming pool was in the middle of the courtyard beneath a cloudless starry sky that seemed to stretch for miles. A private oasis in the middle of the medina, seemingly miles away from the hustle and bustle of the vibrant city.

She and Graham had arrived yesterday and the Moroccan sun had already caused Maddie's freckles to appear, her exposed skin erring on the side of sunburnt. She was sure Graham had been humouring her when she insisted they go to the market for no reason at all (the riad had all food and drinks included) but he'd let her haggle. She hadn't gotten a very good deal, honestly, but he still said she'd done a good job. And she'd come back with a cute but slightly lopsided fridge magnet.

Her fingers wrapped themselves around the delicate cup as she took a sip, her face upturned towards the sky, fascinated. "Isn't it just unfair that we don't live here?" Maddie asked her boyfriend with a lazy grin, holding out the cup for him to take.

It wasn't late, just after eleven at night, and the soft glow of the lamps illuminated the pool. They had the place to themselves. It must have been expensive, unless Graham's friend had something to do with it. Maddie had met the cursebreaker once before, she was tall and blonde and seemingly full of life but she was nice enough.

"I just a bunch of stuff," Maddie admitted with a sheepish grin as she slicked her wet hair back from her forehead, wiggling her toes in the still-warm water. "I'm starving."


@Graham Kerr

Graham was having the time of his life. It had been awhile since he had had a lucrative job somewhere, and he had celebrated his cursebreaking success by taking his girlfriend on a well-needed vacation somewhere warmer than the chilly Scotland air. He had been to Morocco several times by now, and was comfortable there–as well as having connections for a great place for the two of them to stay. They had the whole property to themselves, including th private enclosed pool where they had recently indulged in the privacy and the warm water with a exhibitionist-like romp. Now, they were relaxing and cuddling and talking, and Graham felt very calm and at ease.

“Tea? No. I’ll take a beer though, or some whiskey? You want me to fashion you a drink?” He asked, not moving far away from her despite offering to get out of the pool to get her what she wanted. “We could order in, too, if you wanted?” He offered. “There are some fantastic things around here that we don’t get a lot in Scotland, if you are up for something adventurous. Of course, it’s not off the table for us to get dolled up and go out–the night is young.” That was a slight overstatement, as the night was nearly over.

“I love you.” He said, basically out of nowhere as he looked her over. She was shimmering in the moonlight, and he wanted to take a picture with his mind so he would never miss the moment. He smiled at her fondly. There was a part of him who had considered making this trip their engagement trip (assuming she’d say yes) but he was having a little cold feet about proposing, given that they had never actually talked about furthering their relationship. He loved her and knew she was the one, but he was worried she was not ready to take that step. They really ought to discuss it, first.

“I wish I could capture this moment forever.” He confessed. “You’re shimmering in the moonlight, looking like a ethereal goddess, and I am not worthy.” He teased. Luckily, the moon was not full. “You think you’ll still love me in 20 years?” He wondered, breeching the subject carefully. “When I’m not as handsome as I am now?” He joked.

"You're missing out," Madeline responded with a playful tut and shake of her head as she sipped her tea, her fingers wrapped around the delicate cup. "Beer?" She asked with a thoughtful frown. "That might be nice," she offered to Graham before she lazily looped the robe of her plush bathrobe around her waist and nuzzled into it.

 "Define adventurous," she asked her boyfriend with trepidation clear on her pretty face, her nose wrinkled playfully. "Absolutely no calamari," Maddie shuddered, reliving the one and only time she'd had it and she likened it to chewing a car tyre. "We can do that tomorrow," she assured him. "Let's stay in tonight. You can drag me around for food tomorrow," she grinned and it soon widened.
"I love you too," the blonde replied, reaching out to Graham to briefly slide the pad of her thumb across one of his cheekbones affectionately. Soon after, however, she burst out laughing. "Gosh," Maddie responded with a blush that made her sunburn tingle. "That's quite a compliment. That last shag must have altered your brain chemistry," she teased, playfully splashing some water at him with her foot.

Glancing at him, she grinned. "What on Earth has gotten into you?" Maddie wondered, fixing him with a bemused expression before she softened it. "Of course I will," she responded without missing a beat. Graham was literal perfection at any stage but that wasn't why she was dating him. If someone painted him white, people would swear that he was carved out of marble. "I'd even love you if you were a worm," she joked with a grin that made her dimples appear.

He laughed a little at her saying he was missing out. “I like a cuppa as much as anyone, but it’s not the appropriate environment for it right now, I don’t think. Not for me, anyway. You do you, lass.” He chuckled playfully at her, eyes smiling. “Maybe I’ll go grab the bottle of Firewhiskey we brought and you can put it in your tea, if ya can’t take it straight.” He challenged, playful.

“I just meant some food you might not have had a ton of. I want some like… real authentic Moroccan food, you know? Not the off brand shite we have in Glasgow.” He considered for a moment, though. “I can wait one more day, though for good food. Wanna order in some takeaway? I’ve found a few pamphlets inside in the kitchen I think. We can go look in a minute, I would rather hear about how much you’d love me if I was a worm.” He teased. He loved her dimples, and she looked so gorgeous grinning at him cheekily. He wanted to go right up to her and smack her ass. So, he did.

He gave her a playful swat on the behind, “Atta girl.” He teased, giving it a groping rub where he had just smacked to soothe it a little (not that it had hurt much to begin with). “You know, I’m serious, though.” He said, after a moment. “You ever thought about like… future stuff with us? Where we’ll be in 5, 10, 20 years?” He asked. “I’m nearing 30, you know. I ought to start thinking more seriously about settling in, you know? Wife, kids–maybe even, gasp, a stable job.” Honestly, that last one scared him the most.

“You’re doing so well with your bakery and we’re doing well. It’s been about a year together now, right? Didn’t we get together in December?” Maybe this was a sneaky way to remember his anniversary, but he was pretty sure he remembered it correctly. Did she count from the day they started dating or the day they met as adults?

“I’m not proposing right now, Maddie, so don’t get too nervous or excited. I’m just… you know, thinking. Is that something you’d like with me? One day? Or soon. Or one day far from now? What’s in your head, lass?”

The mention of firewhiskey made Madeline pull a face. "Pass," she laughed before she scowled, despite not being offended. She turned towards him on the edge of the pool. "Like what?" She asked Graham, intrigued. He was much more travelled than she was and a part of her was jealous but she was mostly awestruck. "Yes," came the instant response with an eager nod. "I'm starving. Go for it," she assured him, only to snort with laughter.

"I dunno," she shrugged, her head tilted back to see the stars from their courtyard. "I'd carry you around in my pocket, feed you bits of lettuce and stuff," she grinned, nose wrinkled in mirth. The playful smack made her jump in surprise and her eyes widened. She momentarily wondered if they could eat later on as she wiggled her eyebrows at him but he seemed dead-set on having this conversation and unease settled in the pit of her stomach.

"Of course I do," she answered Graham sincerely but she'd only ever done it in a oh-look-my-boyfriend-is-ever-so-dreamy sort of way.  It still didn't feel real, not really. Everything she'd ever wanted had happened in the past few  months; a successful bakery, superhot boyfriend, her own flat. She hadn't really stopped to catch her breath, let alone plan twenty years ahead. She was lucky if she could even plan her week.

It was a serious conversation but she couldn't help but laugh again. "You're almost thirty, not eighty," Maddie teased. "Goodness, heaven forbid," she played along, her honey coloured eyes wide in faux shock. The idea of Graham in a boring desk job made her feel sad but the idea of him being away from her made her sadder.

"New Year, yeah," Maddie filled in the blanks for him. The year had flown by at an alarming rate. She watched him, her pretty face calm but the hint of a smile threatened to break free. He wanted to marry her, apparently. She'd hoped he would but she wanted to know when he'd decided. Was it after their first date? Their first kiss? Or was it much later? Did it hit him like a lightning bolt of clarity at three in the morning?

Graham assured he wasn't going to pop the question tonight and an odd sense of disappointment washed over her as she looked down at her bare left hand. He was right though. They'd been together almost a year. They should be having this conversation. It felt very…grown up but not scary. Maybe scary in a good way.

She was silent for a couple of minutes. It took her fifteen seconds to realise that yes, of course she wanted what he was offering, but there was no harm in torturing him a little. He knew about her previous broken engagement that she barely remembered and how she hadn't dated anyone seriously when she was in Paris. He knew she was funny about certain things, that she'd been unable to open up properly, that she spooked easily. But Graham would make a fantastic husband and an even better father one day. And none of her flaws mattered to him.

"There's no one else I'd rather do this with," she assured him with a smile. There was a little bubble of excitement in her stomach that popped and fizzed like champagne. Her teenage self would have just died on the spot at the way things were working out. "Yes," she told Graham in no uncertain terms. There was a beat of silence.

"So," she began as she lazily swung her legs through the water. "You're pretty into me, then?" Maddie joked with a slow smile and raised eyebrows.