5:00 PM
Harris Home

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Chloe paced nervously in the large entry hall, her hands sliding over each other. Heinrich was coming for dinner, then leaving the next day. The problem wasn't Heinrich. The problem was her family. Chloe's family were stuck up rich people, who tried anything to be popular. Everything they had was large. A large house, large parties, large friend groups, large paychecks. Bigger was better in this house. They tried to pretend Chloe wasn't magical. It didn't go with the whole "perfect family" kind of look. So, they said she went to an art academy. An expensive art academy. Anything to keep the envy of the town on them.

As she waited for her boyfriend to get there, she could hear Sandra, the live in "house helper" (as her mother called her) in the kitchen preparing the lobsters for dinner. Chloe was nervous. What if her parents said something weird? What if they embarrassed her? What if they embarrassed Heinrich? What if Heinrich left her because of it?

"Darling, I'm telling you, everything will be just fine." Her mother reassured her, sipping daintily her tea from the expensive china. "We won't be strange, and I bet he'll love us. Most everyone does." Chloe rolled her eyes, as the mother walked away into the other room, as Chloe continued to pace.

The doorbell chimed at that moment,  announcing the arrival of their guest. Heinrich was dresses in a crisp black suit, complete with black shirt and black tie.[1]  Only Chloe would recognize the symbol on the tie clip as the Durmstrang coat of arms.  He smiled and held out a bottle of wine.  "I'm told that a 2007 Solter Riesling Brut Sekt goes well with lobster," he said.  "Merry belated Christmas.  It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Harris.  I'm Heinrich Faust.  I had the pleasure of meeting your daughter at school."

His English held the slightest hint of German.  He was dressed to impress.  There was no trace of wizard in his appearance.  The fact that he had his wand tucked inside the sleeve of his left arm would not be revealed unless there was dire need.  "You have a lovely home," he said.  He wasn't trying to make a stellar impression.  He was just being polite.

1.	http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdnxahcVJC1qkyvbso1_400.jpg

Chloe was relieved when Heinrich joined them. He looked stunning as usual, and she couldn't contain a smile from escaping her lips. "Well thank you, Heinrich. Don't you look dapper!" Mrs. Harris said, taking the bottle of wine. She called Sandra who came scuttling in, smiled, took the bottle, and ran back into the kitchen.

"You know, you're much more attractive than the other men Chloe used to bring home!" Mrs. Harris joked. Chloe put a palm to her face in embarrassment. "She doesn't like to talk about the guys I've set her up with. We don't want our only daughter to die alone, now do we?" Mrs. Harris continued.

Chloe put a hand on his arm with a smile. "We're going to go say hi to Dad, alright?" She said, guiding him slowly to the living room, where her father was smoking a pipe. He jumped from his chair, extending a hand to Heinrich. "This is Heinrich."  Chloe introduced.

"I'm certain that you will have no fear of Chloe dying alone, Mrs Harris,"  Heinrich said, stealing a quick kiss from Chloe.  "And thank you."

Heinrich took Chloe's father's hand, fully prepared for the man to try and crush his fingers in a display of dominance.  He would resist if necessary but surrender after an appropriate struggle.  It wouldn't do to win on his first visit.  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Harris," he said.  "Thank you for inviting me to dinner."

Mr. Harris shook his hand firmly, not looking to compete. He never did, as he didn't see it as important to assert dominance. He felt his wealth meant that he didn't need to assert any dominance. "Heinrich, how nice to meet you. Chloe has told us so much about you." He said nearly expressionless, looking the german over.

Chloe stood awkwardly to the side, as they shook hands, looking at her feet, and her eyes darting around the room. This was too awkward, her tight pants of a father meeting her boyfriend? Awkward. She then heard Sandra shuffle into the dining room and ring a bell, signifying that dinner was ready. She once again placed her hand on his arm, leading him out of the living room and into the dining room, where her older brother, Harry, sat, his arms behind his head, rocking the antique chair on it's hind legs. John[1] also walked into the dining room, sitting down in a chair, his iPhone in his hand, tapping away at something. When he finally looked up, he scoffed at Heinrich. "Who's the dude who needs a haircut," He remarked rudely.

Chloe gave him an angry look, calming herself before responding. "This is Heinrich. He's my boyfriend."

"So he's weird like you?" John replied looking back to his phone, only half listening.

1.	Yes, i do realize I just used Justin Bieber as an NPC avatar. There is just no other way to capture john in his full, egotistical way.

Heinrich couldn't help it.  "You didn't tell me you had a younger sisters,"  he said with a smirk.  He knew it was going to be an inflammatory statement but he'd developed an instant dislike of John.  Likely the boy was used to dishing it out but had a thin skin himself.  "She's almost as pretty as you are.  And for the record, I prefer the term 'ausgefallen'.  Same meaning but it sounds better."

Chloe took a seat at the large dinner table, smoothing her hair out, as her mother and father joined the family. They all sat down, as Sandra set one salad in front of each person. "I hope you like salads, Heinrich!" her mother squeaked with a smile. "Sandra makes the best salads." She continued. Chloe picked at her cranberries slowly, her mind elsewhere.

Harry finally decided to speak up to break the silence. "So, Heinrich. You're German right? Not like a Nazi or anything?" Harry asked honestly. He was never the brightest kid in the family, and was honestly wondering if the guy sitting across from him was a Nazi. Chloe put one hand to her face as she peeked through her fingers.

"You all said you wouldn't ask weird questions!" She said, putting her hand down. Chloe looked over to Heinrich. "I'm sorry. Just ignore my family." She said, starting to get more aggravated by the minute. This was why she was so apprehensive about bringing him home. Because she knew her family wasn't too accepting of people from different countries nor those who were magical.

"Yes, I like salad.  Thank you, Sandra."  It was likely that Sandra very rarely given any kind of acknowledgement for her efforts.  It wasn't likely that it would change her life in any way but it let her know that he appreciated what she was doing.

Then Harry asked his question.

"It's not a weird question, Chloe,"  Heinrich said.  "It's quite common, in fact."   He did his best to keep his anger out of his voice.  "No, I'm not a Nazi.  My family is quite the opposite.  I lost a Great Grandfather, two Great Uncles and four other relatives who died smuggling people out of Germany, to save them from the Nazis."

Sandra blushed as she rushed back into the kitchen, and Harry put both of his elbows on the table listening intently. "So, you're like, german. But not a bad guy? Dude, you do realize that that contradicts everything I've learned in school about the German." Harry explained, trying to understand. "So, you're not a bad guy. Because my dad said that if Chloe dates a bad guy, I've gotta make him stop dating her."

Chloe put down her fork loudly. "Harry, stop being an idiot, okay? He's not evil, and not a Nazi. Okay? Is that good enough for you?" Chloe said. Harry then went back to eating his salad, and a silence formed around the table. When John looked up from his phone for a minute, he realized that there was food in front of him. He took a large bite, then decided to converse.

"So, Chloe. Is Heinrich really worth all of this trouble?" He said, as though Heinrich wasn't sitting at the table.

 "Yeah, he is worth it. He's kind, and protective, and all around a great guy." She said with a smile looking over at him.

John scoffed. "You should meet my girlfriend. She'd put Heinrich to shame. She may not be the smartest girl, but she's super hot. By the way, Mum, I'm going to London for a few days with her and her folks." John added.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that, John,"  Heinrich said.  "I generally don't try to compete with girls when it comes to hotness.  Enjoy London, though.  I'm inviting Chloe to spend New Year's Eve with me in Berlin.  It's not as foggy as London but it's seriously chill."

He leaned over to Chloe.  "I'm also quite capable of defending myself, even if it is kind of fun having you do it for me.  Your brother's aren't going to scare me away."

Chloe blushed, as Heinrich spoke to her. "Sorry, most people are scared off by them. It's kind of a force of habit." She explained, leaning in. As she finished her salad, Sandra hurried in, whisking the plates away, and carried out six plates of lobster. She then scurried back into the kitchen. Chloe cracked open her lobster, starting to pick out the meat.

"This is a lobster, Heinrich. I don't think you've ever seen one before." John stated, in a slow voice, with a smile. "You can't eat the shell, though I know your people probably have before." He joked. Chloe held her tongue. She was going to let Heinrich fight this one on his own.

"Served best when dropped alive into boiling water,"  Heinrich replied.  "With a side of butter for dipping.  Claws, legs and tails are be most edible parts.  Once considered a staple dish for the poor in the Canadian Maritimes and American New England regions."  He twisted off a leg and plucked out the meat with his lobster fork.

"Thank you for your concern, though.  I'm grateful for the advice."  He chewed thoughtfully for a moment.  " Maine, from the flavour.  Thin shell.  It's just shed the old shell.  Perfect for eating."   Heinrich was suddenly grateful for the time he'd spent in his brother's restaurant.  He hadn't thought he'd ever use any of the innumerable  things he'd learned about food.  Knowing not to eat the shell was one thing.  Being able to slam dunk lobster trivia into the face of Chloe's brother was something else entirely.

Bring it on, you narrowminded Muggle moron.  I'll wager I know more about your world than you do, let alone how little you know about mine.

John grumbled as Heinrich showed off. Chloe couldn't help but smile as her little brother was, as he said, powned. She knew he could handle himself. How could she not? John was trying to find a comeback, and Chloe knew it. John's brows always knitted together whenever he was thinking about a comeback. She continued to eat, and before long, each lobster was demolished and Sandra took each plate and hurried back into the kitchen.

"Well, that was filling." Mr. Harris said, leaning back in his chair. "Heinrich, I hope you're not too full. Sandra found some amazing strawberries and whipped some cream. It's not from a can that you're probably used to it, but it's Harry's favorite dessert." He said, as Sandra carried out several small plates of strawberries and whip cream. John went right into it scooping some whipped cream on to his finger and spreading it on to a strawberry before licking his finger.

Heinrich chuckled.  "I'm beginning to wonder what Chloe has told you about me.  From the sounds of it, she made me sound like somebody who has never experienced real food.  Maybe I can fill in any questions you have.  My family traces itself back to Johannes Faust, who in the the sixteenth century supposedly sold his soul to the devil for wealth and power.  It must have worked because my family has had both ever since.  I grew up on an estate covering over two hundred and fifty acres, including a sizable chunk of the black forest.  I'm the youngest of seven brothers.  I have no sisters.  My mother is a resort critic and I literally traveled all over the world as a child.  I speak three languages fluently and I hope to follow in my father's footsteps as a historian and a collector of rare books."

He winked at Chloe.  "These strawberries are excellent.  Is there anything else you'd like to know about me?  I'll gladly answer any questions you have and I'm sure you have many."