Another Round of Drinks (Alaric)

[amelie]

Seventh year Amelie Celeste Sparks made an effort to make her normally big strides longer as she searched the pocket of her long casual grey coat for her pocket watch. The girl eyed it and sighed as it told her that she was fifteen minutes and fifty seconds late as of that second. She still remembered clearly her promise to Alaric to turn up at the Three Broomsticks thirty minutes after class. She sighed as she opened the door of the infamous pub. She loved her little brother but he can be a pain in the ass more than half the time.

To her surprise, after surveying the pub for a while, Alaric was nowhere to be found. Amelie was aware that it was either he was still not around or she was incredibly stupid for not finding a person in a relatively small pub. The seventh year could only hope that the case was the former as she settled down on one of the tables located near the bar.

It was only after a while that she became conscious of the bartender’s presence. “Sir Ernesto! How have you been?” Amelie grinned at the bartender who looked really delighted to see her. “Amelie! I’ve been good and business is booming so I couldn’t be more content. Let me guess, you’re waiting for another boy?” The kind bartender’s delighted smile turned mischievous and playful. Amelie could not help but roll her eyes. “Sir Ernesto, we both know those days are over. Behold the one man young lady me.” She smiled brightly at the bartender. The bartender just chuckled, shook his head and gave her a glass of butterbeer. “This is on me. It’s been a week since you last visited. How have you been?” The bartender asked. But before Amelie had a chance to reply, someone poked her on the shoulder.

[alariclarsstouner]

Back at the dorms, Alaric put down his telescope and bag and rummaged through his closet. He really wanted to look his best for his meeting with Amelie. Not that he was looking to impress her; he felt that it was the right thing to do at that moment. He then chose a white button down shirt and a black tie. After dressing up and fixing his hair, he then strode out of the dorms and made his way to The Three Broomsticks. As he walked, he suddenly recalled their first meeting at that very same place and how she had managed to save him from being drunk. And the rest they say is history, he then thought, smiling.

After a few minutes of walking, he finally arrived in front of the door of the said pub. He first checked his watch and realized that he was already later in the scheduled time. He just sighed audibly and opened the door. He saw that the pub was still full of people but one quick glance around enabled him to find the person he was looking for. He then walked towards her casually and gently poked her on the shoulder. "Hey Amelie, sorry I'm late. Had to drop my things at the dorm and I did not notice the time," he then said to her, smiling apologetically. He then caught the bartender's eye and he winked at him in greeting. He then settled himself on a chair opposite her.

[amelie]

Amelie turned and found an apologetic neat-looking Alaric and she smiled. “Oh hello Ric. Nah, don’t worry. I arrived a second earlier than you. A couple of people thought it was funny to make me tardy.” Amelie saw the kind bartender tried and failed to wink back at Alaric and she laughed. “Sir Ernesto, I’ll just be over there with Ric. We’ll catch up tomorrow. I promise.” She smiled apologetically at the bartender as she slid off her high chair, her heels made a soft clicking sound. “Alright. You kids have fun.” The bartender smiled and Amelie rolled her eyes when he referred to them as kids. “Come on, Ric. Nice outfit by the way.” She smiled at him before she led him to a vacant table on the side of the pub.

She settled on a chair opposite Alaric and waited for him to do the same. She observed him, wondering how successful he had been in asking mystery girl out. Amelie did not want to be negative but she had a feeling that he had not been successful at all. His expression spelled some kind of failure and Amelie found herself excited to hear whatever it was he said he was going to share with her. “So what is it that you were excited about to tell me?” Amelie smiled at him and waited patiently for him to speak.

[alariclarsstouner]

Alaric just smiled as Amelie told him that she just arrived a few minutes before he did and that his outfit looked nice. “Thanks, I guess I just have to look presentable tonight. I was practically drenched in sweat back at the towers,” he then said, smiling. He just let her lead him to a vacant table, and when she sat down, he also did, opposite her. He then called for the waiter and asked him for two mugs of butterbeer. The waiter returned later with two large mugs of butterbeer and settled it on their table.

He then observed her expression and it became apparent that Amelie must have already sensed what had happened to him. He then took a sip of butterbeer and sighed. He knew that she had a right to know what had happened for she was the one who encouraged him. “Well, you see, a couple of weeks ago, she asked me to meet her at the towers. She wanted to talk about something important. And yeah, I figured out that it might be my chance. And yeah somehow in the middle of it all, I kind of confessed to her and,” he then was on the verge of gritting his teeth in frustration. “She turned me down gently. Well that was pretty much okay for me, I can take that,” he then added, sipping more butterbeer and looking wistful.

[amelie]

Amelie smiled and nodded. “The weather sure is changing. I was feeling sweaty too back up at the astronomy towers. Well maybe it wasn’t because of the weather at all. Maybe I was a bit annoyed because the professor gave us too much work load on the very first day.” Amelie’s mind was still on vacation mode. She found it quite hard to concentrate on her work a while ago. Luckily, she was able to finish early. Amelie smiled as two mugs of butterbeer landed in front of them. “The next round is on me.” She then grabbed one of the mugs by its handle and took a sip.

Amelie listened and her frown deepened as her suspicions were confirmed. She sighed and sipped her drinks. She and her complicated love life had been suffering extra bumps in its already rocky road. Apparently, Alaric and she were on the same boat. She reached out to across the table and gave his shoulder a couple of sympathetic pats. She then raised her mug and managed a sincere smile. “I promised you that we’ll drink together no matter what happens with mystery girl and I’m here to keep that promise.” It was hard to cheer Alaric up when she herself was having troubles. She eyed him for a while, seeing hurt and frustration in his expression inspired her to do what she wanted to do all the time, speak up to comfort people. “She turned you down gently, right? Girls do that when they care about the person they are talking to. She could have harshly done it but she did not. In other words, she cares for you. Don’t give up on her. I’m sure she’ll come around.” Amelie gave him an encouraging smile, hoping her words would help him.

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[alariclarsstouner]

Lars could not help but agree on the weather change. Normally, he would not mind if ever the weather gets all awry but at that particular day, he just felt like he had run a marathon. Not to mention that they were at the towers which meant that the wind blowing there was supposed to be cold, but at that particular class day, it was humid; good thing it did not destroy his concentration. “Well I guess the weather change couldn’t be helped. Good thing we managed to finish early,” he then said as he sipped from his mug once again. “Don’t worry about that, make sure though to include some cream puffs next,” he then added, laughing.

He then smiled as Amelie patted his shoulder and told him about her promise of drinking together no matter what happens with his meeting with his mystery girl. “Well, I guess we both had to fulfill that promise at some point. You seem to have some troubles yourself,” he then remarked. Despite her easy going personality, Lars could detect that even she had her own troubles to deal with. He was about to open his mouth to ask her about it when she suddenly launched into telling him that he must not give up on her since she managed to turn him down gently. “My feeling for her never wavered, not even for a bit. I’m still hopeful that she would finally give me the answer I am hoping for,” he said, suddenly looking wishful again. “As for her coming round, I don’t think that would be the case. I think I know why,” he added, remembering his death prophecy. He suddenly managed to think that Amelie might want to know all about it.

[amelie]

Amelie nodded in agreement. The weather was indeed out of their control. She smiled as she remembered how lucky she got for finishing early. It was a wonder since she used one of the rusty telescopes available in the classroom. “You’re lucky you had your own telescope. You should have tried using one of the telescopes provided in class. I think those should be either tweaked or replaced.” Amelie sipped her butterbeer as she thought about how rusty and ancient those telescopes looked.

Amelie eyed Alaric, pure surprise apparent on her face. People normally never noticed anything when she was troubled. It was either Alaric was just perceptive enough to see through her or she was losing her cool. Well, Adrian was probably the only person who was capable of doing that. Amelie had to smile at Alaric’s hopeful tone. “She is lucky to have someone like you. I can see that you really love her.” Amelie said sincerely before taking a sip once again. However, Amelie frowned at the way he sounded. “You sound so certain about this, Ric… You think you know why? Why?” Amelie asked, curious. He obviously discovered something about mystery girl and she could not help but be intrigued.

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars merely eyed her in surprise. She obviously thought that he used his old custom telescope during the Astronomy class. He just stifled a derisive laugh before he managed to speak. “Well you see, I haven’t used that old telescope of mine. I used one of the school telescopes so that we would be on equal footing,” he then explained, still laughing. “And I guess I should volunteer to fix up those telescopes, they are indeed old and rusting already. Well, some of them still work fine but still it wouldn’t hurt if they get an upgrade,” he added, making a mental note to ask Madam Ravenclaw for permission.

As he sipped his butterbeer again, he still could not help but think that Amelie does have troubles of her own. He knew that it would never be about studies because she does fairly well on them. He then wondered whether it could be about the boy she mentioned to him during their first meeting. “Oh, is everything alright with Adrian? My father sent me an owl and told me he himself went to the shop to request for a new watch. Apparently, he wants it engraved,” he then related, suddenly remembering the owl he received. He couldn’t help but nod in affirmation when Amelie told him that he did truly love mystery girl. However, he could not help but frown at her expression when she told him that he sounded so certain of the reason why she couldn’t answer his feelings. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt if she knows about it, he then thought.

Lars took a deep breath and sighed audibly as he prepared to tell her the reason. “You know, I was prophesized by my mother to die. Apparently, mystery girl was a seer and she helped me to know more about the vague details of my incoming death. Maybe the reason why she couldn’t answer my feelings is that if ever the prophecy comes true, I would die and that would break her heart all the more,” he finally said, his voice grim.

[amelie]

Shock was evident on Amelie’s face upon hearing Alaric’s revelation. She had been too determined to finish the load of work in Astronomy class that she apparently did not take time to look over at Alaric’s direction and notice which telescope he was using. “That’s a great idea. Those things badly need any form of upgrade. Seriously.” Amelie pointed out calmly, smiling at Alaric. He really was a talented guy.

Amelie observed Alaric for a while, he seemed to be contemplative that night. She was wondering what possibly could make him think that deep inside the pub when he suddenly surprised her by bringing up Adrian. Amelie frowned a little upon hearing what Adrian had been up to. “Great. He has time to order watches with engravings and have no time to answer any of my owls.” Amelie said in a tone that obviously indicated annoyance. “At least he is doing something productive other than purposely evading me, drinking and smoking his lungs to death.” She said in an exasperated tone, trying to be positive about it.

Amelie’s jaw almost bounced on the floor. What Alaric just told her seemed to be too ethereal to be true. She almost asked him if he had ripped that story from a book; but, the look on his face spoke legions and that alone stopped her from making a joke out of what he just revealed. She kept opening and closing her mouth for quite a while before finally speaking. “Possible.” Amelie managed to say, still at a lost. “But, then again, you have to focus on her dedication to help you. After all, according to you, she helped you to know more about your incoming death. She could simply shrug, Ric, and leave you alone with your umm… death prophecy but she did not.” Amelie told him calmly, trying to sway him toward the positive side of things.

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars laughed and took another gulp of his butterbeer. “Well, I was thinking if I would make another telescope, using some materials no one would dream of using,” he then said, remembering the plans he had. “However, I guess I won’t be able to push through with it. I’m kind of sucking up in ideas,” he added. “Honestly, those telescopes really need a good makeover huh?”

“Uh, I was kind of on the verge of asking you what your address is,” he said, shocked by the tone of irritation she was using. Now he knew that it was Adrian who was making her flustered like that. “I understand now. I guess he has his reasons for not showing up isn’t it? I heard it’s been all busy in the royal court right now,” he then added in almost a whisper. “Besides, I wouldn’t ask you your address if that watch isn’t meant to be given to you.” He just shook his head and sighed as he heard from her how he wasted his time on his vices and apparently have no time to answer her owls. “You know, I guess it’s not really my place to give you advice on such affairs but all I can say is that when you see him, throw a good punch on him. I’m sure he’ll come round,” he then said, smiling.

Lars was not surprised to see her expression. It was indeed the expression everyone wears whenever they hear his sad story. “I guess you are not the only one shocked here. Even I was shocked when I first heard it. Well, I just could not do anything about it, if not for her. She was the one who helped me, she showed me that there are many reasons to love life and I owe it up to her,” he then said, looking wistful, almost pained. “I know she could choose to leave me behind or I could choose to go to a more destructive path, but I guess both never happened. I think with that in tow, I could die happy or choose to defy death.” He then took another sip of his butterbeer and stayed silent.

[amelie]

Amelie looked approvingly at him when he said he planned to make a new telescope. “You can do it, Ric. I know you can and you kind of have to for this world is definitely in need of telescope makers like you.” Amelie said in a persuasive tone, kind of dramatically. “Uh huh.” Amelie accompanied her verbal agreement with a nod upon hearing him say something about telescope makeover.

Amelie slapped her forehead with her hand rather loudly when Alaric asked for her address. Apparently her very absent secret boyfriend still knew her name despite evading her on purpose. However, there was something wrong with Alaric’s statement. If Adrian sent a watch with engravings to her house… Amelie shook her head. “That won’t be a good idea Ric. Dri was probably drunk when he went to your shop. People can’t know about our relationship… doing that would risk… everything.” Amelie sighed. She would have been really happy to have heard about this all if it weren’t for the things Vasilisa said to her just the day before yesterday. “You know what, maybe I will… although his face is too pretty to hurt.” Amelie grinned at Alaric.

Amelie felt shocked and down as she processed what Alaric was saying, however the younger student managed to light a spark of hope in her. But, apparently, he did not get any inspiration yet, judging by the look on his face. “Then choose to defy death. Do everything in your power to stay alive. Death prophecies don’t always come true, Ric. It can be stopped.” Amelie said in an encouraging tone, giving the younger student a warm smile..

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[alariclarsstouner]

Lars just flashed a brilliant smile and nodded at what she said about him making a new telescope. “I guess its back to the drawing board for me then. Still can’t think of a design and even the materials I should use,” he said, as he was making circles on the table with his finger. “And I guess Professor Ravenclaw would be more than glad to let me do a makeover on those ancient telescopes,” he then added for good measure.

Apparently, Lars did not realize the consequences of having the watch delivered to Amelie’s house until now. He failed to remember that she was indeed in a secret relationship with Adrian, a pureblood and a noble to boot. He just nodded in understanding at what she just said. “Oh yeah, I kind of forgot about that. Well I guess I should just have the watch delivered by owl here at Hogwarts, I will inform my father right away,” he then said, seriousness etched on his face. However, he thought that it was impossible that Adrian was drunk when he came to their shop. “Well personally, I don’t think he’s drunk when he stumbled into the shop. My father hasn’t smelled liquor on his, just the clove cigars,” he then commented in a matter of fact tone. He could easily identify the smell of his cigars, even from a mile away. “Hmm maybe a small black eye wouldn’t hurt his ego. Maybe it’s high time he gets a treatment from you,” he added, grinning at his own suggestion.

“Yes, I will defy the odds to stay alive. I can’t back down now. I will continue to wait for her, no matter what it takes me,” he then said in response to what she suggested. “I already have a few theories in mind but I guess if the inevitable comes, I would gladly take a killing curse for her,” he added, flashing a rather pained smile at her. He was already prepared when the worst case scenario comes.

[amelie]

Amelie beamed at him when he said something about drawing. “Oh I know someone who loves to draw. You want me to ask her to help you draft a design? Not that you need any help, of course.” Amelie knew Alaric was talented, however, she believed in the saying that said two heads are better than one. It was simple practical logic and Amelie loved practical logic. “Yeah, you do that. I’m sure she’ll be even more proud to have you in her house. Asking her about possible materials for the telescope is also probably a good idea.” Amelie added as an afterthought as she drained her mug of butterbeer.

As Vasilisa’s words the day before yesterday came back to her, she could not help but be a little bit unsure whether or not she should take her word for it. She just could not believe Adrian would not at least have the decency to talk to her if something that big happened. Despite the fact that Vasilisa’s words explained Adrian’s weird behavior and that the fourth year had nothing to gain if she fooled her, Amelie could just not let herself believe it. “Have it delivered in school. Throw it in the trash. Incinerate it. Give it to mystery girl or keep it for yourself. I don’t care. He’s probably giving it to me with an owl saying we’re done anyway.” Amelie said coolly, seemingly unaffected but the truth was, it hurt. Amelie just ignored Alaric’s comment about Adrian being sober; smiled at his suggestion; and, made a mental note to take it if she found punching her secret boyfriend on the face suddenly a good idea.

Amelie just listened and couldn’t help but smile at him and the way he said dying for mystery girl so sincerely and so like it was an ordinary thing for someone to say. If people in the world were like him, the world would be near perfect. “You have a good heart, Ric. I’m almost positive that the death prophecy would fail. Even fate could not be that cruel.” Amelie smiled warmly at the younger student, quite speechless still after hearing his words. Seeing that his mug was almost empty and hers completely drained, the hufflepuff said with a smile. “And because of the goodness of your heart. It’s time for another round of drinks.” Amelie grinned at him before asking sir Ernesto politely for two mugs of butterbeer and a plate of creampuffs. In a few moments, Amelie found herself thanking the bartender; urging Alaric to take one of the creampuffs; and, munching on one herself.

[alariclarsstouner]

Upon hearing Amelie’s suggestion of having someone she knew to help him with the drafting, he laughed loudly then smiled. “I would really appreciate that a lot. I think you should know this, but I am terrible with drawing,” he said as he downed the contents of his mug and sighed. “My years with watch making made me realize that. That is why I had to hire assistants most of the time to help me. I supervise them though so they know what I like to see. Tell your friend I would like to see her and I would gladly appreciate the help,” he then added, still smiling now knowing that he would be able to work on it better now.

Lars then looked at her with a mixture of incredulity and shock. Surely those words from her were virtually unexpected. And the way the words rolled out from her tongue, it was indeed full of bitterness and hurt. Lars knew what it felt like; she might be able to hide it to others but not from him. “Easy girl, you make it sound like you wanted to kill him. And personally, I really think he’s serious. There must be some grave reason why he was ditching you, don’t just jump to conclusions,” he then said in a deathly serious tone. Now he could see that she would definitely take his advice on punching the guy on the face. “Well, I just don’t like to see a new watch incinerated just like that, that is quite harsh for us,” he then added, grinning.

“You know, if I had a good heart, I wouldn’t have hurt her at the very least, accusing someone she valued over something very trivial,” he then said upon hearing her words. Indeed, it would have worked out pretty well if and only if he uttered those highly accusation statements without a care. “And yeah I would appreciate that, thank you,” he then said as she ordered two more mugs of butterbeer and a plate of cream puffs. A minute later, Lars was already digging in. “The taste is still the same as ever, just the way I like it,” he then said, munching on one.

[amelie]

Amelie just nodded when he said he was weak in drawing. “I would have offered you my help if I was good. That’s fine, all of us have weaknesses.” Once again Amelie nodded, but this time, a smile was on her lips. She liked Alaric. He obviously acknowledges his waterloos and accepts help from other people. She knew some ravenclaws who did everything by themselves, always thinking that they did not need other people to help them because they were already oh so very wise. She had nothing against independence… however, she believed the no man would be able to survive alone. For Amelie, the whole world was a big group work. “I’ll tell her. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to help.” And it will be good for her. She needs to get a grip… She wanted to add but decided against it.

The hufflepuff stared at ravenclaw blankly. She was probably the most expressive person on the planet but she knew how to keep emotions out of her face. Obviously, boys were never going to get that girls are human beings like them with more sensitive feelings. Alaric was a nice guy but he was a boy… The way he said the words… He sounded too cool for her liking. “I wasn’t jum-” Amelie shook her head and sighed, feeling what was left of her patience slowly slipping away. When he said it incinerating the watch was ‘quite’ harsh, she lowered her gaze, feeling apologetic. “I’m sorry about all those things I just said about your watch. I got carried away.” She told him sincerely, however she just could not move on from what he said earlier. “You see, his parents arranged a wonderful wedding for him and some girl a few months after graduation a month ago. And guess what, I just heard about it two days ago. He did not so much as breathe a word about it. It was his little sister who told me. So excuse me for jumping to conclusions when I heard he wanted a watch with engravings delivered to my house.” She pointed out, sounding sarcastic. Her conclusions could be wrong if and only if Vasilisa lied to her or the young girl did not know what she was saying.

Amelie’s jaw almost hit the floor upon hearing his words. “You what?” She asked in disbelief, then shook her head. Apparently it was typical of Alaric to jump to conclusions. Just a while ago, he pissed her off by jumping to the conclusion that she was jumping to conclusions. She frowned at the younger student. If he did not quit the act, he would alienate a lot of his friends if not all. “I don’t want to be the one to say this but I think you are the type who jumps to conclusions without knowing the whole story. I’m telling you, it’s not a good habit.” Amelie told him, looking him in the eyes. “I’m saying this because I’m concerned.” She added, not wanting to alienate him.

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