Who We Are?

With a drink in his hand he turned his back to the bar scanning the room and trying to find a table. He wasn't in the mood for sitting on one of the bar chairs, they were uncomfortable, yet he didn't want to push his luck and leave the one he is sitting on just to spend the rest of the night standing there. However, earlier today, when he decided he could go to the Leaky after the work, he couldn't imagine that the bar would be that crowded. Maybe if he knew, he would skip it, nah, probably wouldn't.

Nothing. Every table he could see was already taken, not that that surprised him, it would be oddly to find free one now. He turned back, offering another flirtatious smile to the waitress who immediately ran to the other end of the bar, blushing. Louis chuckled at her reaction and took a sip of his drink, keeping his lips on the glass a little longer then usually as his eyes found waitress' once more. Reddish liquid burned his throat and he gazed away. Maybe it's time to stop disturb the waitresses, he chuckled again and stood up, with a drink still in his hand. Yes, it's definitely the time to stop doing that, especially if he wasn't sure if they're still students.

Louis made his way to the center of the room, weaving between other wizards and witches, apologizing when he trampled over someone's feet. He didn't know what's he going to do here, he just needed to change his previous position, and this one was as good as any other. He turned around and spotted a table with a girl who sit alone. Louis made his way to her table, impulsively deciding to join her, and sat down on the chair across from her. He put his glass on the table and tilted his head. "'Evening love.“ He greeted with playful smile hovering on his lips.

The entire day had been a laborious one. It hadn’t been until she’d actually gone home again, just before things began to get busy in lieu of the evening, that she realised just how bored she had been. After washing the stoic placidness from her skin and rubbed it out of her muscles with mango-scented body cream after drying, she donned some new clothes that were caught somewhere between wear for home and appropriate clothing to go out and she made her way downstairs with a book in hand to enjoy the sounds and smells of the Leaky Cauldron as night wound through.

Truthfully, as Eleanor Williams took her seat having fetched a rum and coke from the bar, she remembered she hadn’t expected to end up here. She rubbed absently at her ring finger, wondering where, not for the first time, things had gone wrong for her. She shook her head and opened her book, glancing absently at the list of dates, her mind turning to who may have had the book before her, and she decided to ignore what her thoughts were rumbling on after. She wanted to find some sort of answer in the glass of rum but she knew she wouldn’t, she wasn’t stupid. So, instead, she put it out of her mind, content simply to read.

The pub filled up quite quickly and soon places were having to be found in order for people to sit down as music began to play and the endless poker game in the corner began to heat up. Ellie had ordered another drink and was sipping at that when the nature of her table changed completely. Bringing her finger to rest upon the word she’d been reading, Ellie looked up and found herself staring at a man. Not just any man: a complete stranger. She opened her mouth, unsure what she was supposed to say to him, in truth.

“Good evening,” she considered after a moment. “I’m sorry but … do I know you? I’m usually better with names, I must admit. I’m sorry.”

After she lifted her head he realized he has never seen her before, he was good at remembering faces and hers was completely new. His smile widened as he watched her confused expression. "I believe you don't." He answered on her question like his behaviour is completely normal and people do that every day and glanced down at the book she had in her hands. From his current position he couldn't read the title on the front page, but he was sure he didn't read it. He wasn't a person who enjoyed reading belles lettres, he found that extremely boring and never could concentrate on that, so he always somewhat envy of people who can do that.

"Is it good?" He pointed at the book, realizing he needed to speak loud if he wanted to be heard, cause others were just too loud. Not that Louis was particularly interested in a book, he just needed something to start the convestation with dark haired woman opposite him. He started to spin his glass in his hand while waiting for her answer, an annoying habit he couldn't rid of, no matter how many times he tried he would ended doing the same again, so he simply stopped trying.

"Oh, and I'm Louis." He added, studying the nearest group of people that speak louder and act more silly with every sip they took. Is that because of alcohol or that silly behaviour is written in their genetic code? He usually had nothing against alcohol but kind of despised excessive use of the above. With a sigh he returned to the woman.

“Then why…?”

Ellie trailed off, her brows lacing together over her narrowing eyes as she tried to work out what it was that this man wanted from her. She sidled an absent-mindedly look towards the bar, wondering if she could fabricate a reason to escape and retreat to her room. She adored company and loved speaking to different people but this only ever took place when she invited it. She was now more than a little bit thrown by someone actively seeking out her to talk to. Anxiety and a little bit of self-consciousness coupled together to make her wonder why he wanted to talk to her at all and she felt pathetic for it.

Her eyes fell to the glass he was lightly turning and she brought her lips together, trying to find an answer for him. She looked down at the book. The book. He’d asked about the book. Her eyes flickered upwards again and she spread her lips outwards, letting words bubble up from her chest and into her throat. She had no idea what they were going to be and that half-terrified her. She had no opinion on the book. It was alright, she supposed. Merlin knew she’d read worse in the past and she would no doubt read worse to come but it was alright and she summarised as much with a simple, concise:

“Yeah.”

Wonderful, Ell, a voice that sounded eerily like her sister’s went off at the back of her head and she closed her eyes, lowering her head ashamedly as she realised that she wasn’t going to get any high marks for being talkative or sociable tonight. She wondered to herself: had it been so long since she’d actually spoken to another human being, another man, who wasn’t basically family? She supposed the people that came into her library who she exchanged with the barest minimum of words didn’t really count. ‘Have a nice day’ was the closest she got to a meaningful conversation. She had to try harder.

“Well, I mean,” she juddered out hesitantly, “it’s actually … well, it’s crap really,” she looked at the cover, her brows furrowing again as she conceded that she did in fact have an opinion and it wasn’t a favourable one. She’d elaborated at least and shown in some capacity that she was alive and there was a brain behind the gormless staring she was doing. It really had been too long since she’d spoken to another human being, another man, who wasn’t basically family. She decided she needed to spend less time drinking with Declan and chatting to Keiran and actually go out and remember what it was like to talk to strangers – even flirt a little bit. Actually no. No, that really wasn’t a good idea.

Putting the book down with more reverence than she should have treated it with given her derision, Ellie extended her hand for her glass. She curled her fingers about it and shivered a bit from the chill of the outside. She bobbed a finger against the icy floating at the top of the dark liquid and for a few moments studied the popping coca-cola before looking up again as the man announced who he was. Louis. That was a good start. She half-wished he’d started with that to begin with. ‘Hi I’m Louis, can I sit with you’ would’ve been a better beginning. She probably would’ve been star-struck all the same and given up her table for him.

“I’m Ellie,” she replied gradually, managing to grasp for a smile. “You’re … um … you’re a regular?”