Love is Blind- A Blind Date

He nodded, his interest sparked as she continued to talk about Quidditch. Sticking on that topic meant he could talk about some of his greater victories and relive them by rehashing them blow-by-blow. Both he and his father were convinced that women loved to hear about men's athletic exploits and endeavors...

When she mentioned that her roommate was gay he felt both relief and a little bit of shock. Being a sheltered, spoiled teenaged boy, he was somewhat homophobic even though he had never actually met a gay person in his entire life. He nodded politely, though and then smiled. "Whew, I thought I had to worry about an angry brother or something." He decided not to say boyfriend, because that was sure to offend her if he had though she would be the type of girl to cheat.

At her words he struggled to find the perfect reply. He knew girls could be weird about appearance and stuff, but he had not really ever cared. He was more of a reputation guy and like he said, all girls were his type of girl. True he could be vain in his own ways, but he found Brienne to be pretty even if she was not toothpick thin.

"Men tended to be snobby to nice girls," he said smoothly, knowing that pointing out the faults of his sex always seemed to impress women. "You don't need to be anything for anyone else. At least your are one of a kind." He smiled kindly at her, finding that he actually meant it and it was not one of his fluffy, default compliments.

The food arrived and he picked up a fork, reminding himself not to be a pig as he slowly began to eat. "Mmm, this is wonderful," he said, after swallowing his first bite. "Cudos on choosing a divine dish," he said, nodding towards Brienne in appreciation.

Brienne swallowed her food, "Thank you for the nice things you've said to me". She smiled wider at him, "Well, thank you for that. I'm glad I could be of service there". She ate slowly in an attempt to impress Simon, normally she'd just cram the food in especially if she was hungry. This was a date, however, dates were different. She paused after swallowing, she was going to talk.

"Anyway, back to Quidditch. I really haven't watched many games of it because homework got in the way. How good are you at it?"

After asking, she continued eating, her ears were perked up to let Simon know that she was still listening.

Simon grinned widely. He seemed to be particularly excelling at conversation tonight; usually he managed, but he had always had some trip ups. Despite the minor hitch regarding the pronunciation of her last name, the night had gone very well so far with Brienne, throwing Simon's confidence into overdrive...

And then she asked how good he was at Quidditch. A dangerous combination, Simon's confidence and a question regarding his skills in...well...anything really. Though Quidditch especially was one of his sweet spots. It was in his blood. His father had told him all about his own success, even if he had never officially played for the school team, due to unfair circumstances.

"I'm quite exceptional," he said. He had never fully realized that this was not a desirable trait, nor was being delusional. He was adequate at best, but Simon did not know this, and if he did, he ignored it. "My father was an amazing Keeper himself, he even helped Harry Potter himself in his seventh year. Somewhat of a co-captain. And I take after him. I play most positions, and quite well. I'm very well rounded in it." Once you got Simon going, he would not stop until he crashed and burned.

Brienne smiled, "Impressive! Very impressive". She'd try not to slip up tonight, because she'd never forgive herself if she did. She had a desire to listen to him anyway, the Quidditch stories were quite entertaining. The food on her plate was getting a little bit cold, so she resumed eating, letting him know with body cues that she was listening and attentive.

She felt something troublesome; her tail had come loose from her leg, it made a slight tenting in her skirt where it was poking the fabric.

Simon felt himself brighten with enjoyment and slight smugness as she admitted to being rather impressed by the stories. He was not at all offended when she continued eating, the way he might have been had she not been responsive to his proud boasts, but since she had been, he, too, bent over his food and forked a few mouthfuls into his mouth.

He ate slowly, savoring the taste of the noodles. "Mmmm..." He swallowed and shook his head. "That is positively delightful! I must remember to leave a large tip for the cook, because that is some of the best fettuccine alfredo I have had." He smiled and then asked Brienne, "So, anything I should know about you?" He smiled.

"Well, Simon, I have a little sister of sorts. Her name is Luna-Lorrie, she's an adorable kid. She just started Hogwarts this year, and she got sorted into Hufflepuff. She's easy to recognize because she's dark-skinned and has heterochromia, or two different colored eyes. Nothing like me, I know, but her father was my mentor. Her father was white, and was killed on a plane. Her mother doesn't want anything to do with her anymore. Daniel and I have taken her in, encouraging her to do well in school and such" Brienne recounted. She was talkative, and hated being so because she knew that it was annoying.

"Her father was my mentor, and now I'm hers".

Simon listened to her, trying a little harder than he normally did because she had been so apt to listen to his stories about his Quidditch endeavors. It was still hard for him, because Simon had never been one much for listening to other people, unless subject was himself, in which his attention could not wane.

He nodded at the end of her story and said, "That's very nice. I'm sorry about your mentor, though. At least his legacy lives on through his daughter." He sounded somewhat pompous, trying to sound intellectual and intelligent as a Ravenclaw should, though he meant well, as well as someone like Simon could. He still needed to learn how to put others before himself, and then he would be golden. Though grace would be nice too.

"That's beautiful, Simon" Brienne said, wiping away a tear, "Absolutely beautiful. It is true, though. Luna is just like he was, but with more loyalty. Perhaps that's why she's a Hufflepuff instead of a Ravenclaw like her old man was". She chuckled a little, "Well, if she's a Hufflepuff, when she's a seventh year, she'll have a yellow lined robe to hang on the wall. It's a tradition in our little 'family' that we hang our seventh-year robes up on a wall of our cabin. Silas hung his up when he got the cabin way back when, Daniel hung his up two years ago, I'll hang mine up after this year is done, and seven years into the future Luna will be doing the same".

"Just tell me if I'm boring you, and I'll change the subject" Brienne deadpanned.

Simon felt his chest puff up a little with pride when she seemed so affected by his little speech of sorts, thinking smugly to himself that he had a way with words. She began to talk more about the people in her life and he poked his food around with his fork, trying to keep his mind from wandering like it so easily did. She finished and he looked up, saying, "That's intriguing."

She asked if she was boring him and he said, "Not at all, they all sound so lovely." He blinked a few times and took a large drink of water, it clearing his head. And though he had said he was not bored, he moved back into comfortable waters and changed the subject. "So, are you in any clubs?"

"Well, I'm thinking of starting a club for monsters like myself. Ones that go to Hogwarts like I do. Werewolves, vampires, Veela, you name it. As long as one is not human, then one can join" Brienne said, proudly, "I heard rumors that some students were trying to get the non-humans kicked from Hogwarts, and I won't bend that easily. I plan on finishing my seventh year, werewolf or no. Nobody, not any one, will ever take my right to an education from me!" She then blushed a little, "Sorry, got carried away there. Anyway, besides that, I'm not really in any clubs. Most of my time is spent studying, or reading about fascinating subjects, even going on an adventure if I'm feeling really brave. People have told me that I'm more Gryffindor than most Ravenclaws, in fact, due to my adventurous nature".

Of course, her rambling was a bit...unnoticed to her at the moment, but she'd pick up on it once more. Oh what a night! Not only was she dating someone, but that someone was actually not bored by her words, or so she thought. Inadvertently, she poked her plate with the fork, not realizing she had finished her food a few minutes ago before replying to Simon's question. She looked down in embarrassment. She'd seem like a pig now! She fiddled nervously with her pentacle pendant that was around her neck, stopping after a couple turns of the pendant on the chain.