8PM


Charlotte glazed a fingertip over her lips, tracing her facade for makeup that might leave a mark. But her hands were clean, and the mirror proved faith in the beauty charms she’d invested in for the evening’s events. Events which were sure to be eventful.

Turning away from the pristine, reflective glass and marble set sinks, the young woman floated to the washroom door. She peaked through it, allowing herself a prime view of the small, straight-laced corridor and the dining room beyond. She could see the back of her date’s head, and wondered when the other pair would arrive. She couldn’t imagine making her entrance until they were seated.

Sam knew, Charlotte was fairly sure-- the younger cousin had more or less given it away in an exchange of owls. But Jason couldn’t have known. Charlotte was the little surprise to be presented on his brother’s arm. How else would the Healer have agreed to show up this evening? Surely not kicking and screaming. Not in such an elegant place.

Closing the door again, Charlotte leaned against it with a sigh. Her large blue eyes found a handsome clock, and she wished very much for a drink to quench her thirst.

Felix sat drumming his fingers on the table, much to the annoyance of the waiter who cast a stern look in his direction. Snapping his hand back from the table he smiled sheepishly before checking his watch and glancing nervously to the door. It was just after 8pm - trust Jason to be late! It would definitely have been Jason, not Sam. Jason was late for everything.

"Come on," he hissed under his breath, catching a sneaky glance of Charlotte peeping through the door of the women's powder room. This was most certainly going to be a surprise for Jason. Sam, not so much. She would probably already know, since Charlotte could seldom keep secrets to herself. Not that their relationship (if that was what it was?) was a secret.

---

Arriving outside of the restaurant, Sam cast a supportive glance in Jason's direction. Poor guy didn't know what he was getting himself into...

"Don't worry! I'm sure whoever Felix has chosen to be his latest...girlfriend-" (Did Felix have girlfriends?) "-will be lovely." She smiled and placed her hand gently in his for support. "We're going to have a lovely night. It'll be nice for you to spend some time with your brother." She raised an eyebrow half-chastisingly, accusing him of not spending enough time with Felix.

Jason felt better about his disappointment after the night before. Smirking as he thought of it, he took a little longer to reminisce. Then he reminded himself what he was doing, and he focused once again, frowning slightly—right, Felix. Jason still wasn’t sure how he felt about Sam and Felix knowing each other when they were younger. Just friends though, right? He wondered who it might be, this new girl in his brother’s life.

Thank goodness someone was able to babysit the boys at such a late notice as well. Not that they weren’t easy to watch of course. Standing outside the restaurant now, Sam next to him, he wondered if he’d dressed up enough. Or was he dressed too much? Glancing up at the name, trying to summarize what type of establishment it was, he let out a slow breath. Then his eyes moved over to Sam’s face, a soft smile coming to his lips at her words.

“Don’t worry!”

Sounded too easy. But he nodded in agreement, smiling a bit more convincing as she held his hand. Rubbing his thumb gently to remind himself she was there, he shrugged a little. “I guess I’m just glad it’s a girl.” Grinning at that, he winked at her before standing up a little straighter. Did his belt match? Surely Sam wouldn’t have let him leave the apartment if it hadn’t… With his free hand, he moved it to the buttons of the dinner jacket, forcing it out of the button hole.

“We’re going to have a lovely night. It’ll be nice for you to spend some time with your brother.”

“I spend time with him!” A slight look of shock filtered over his face before he gave her a suspicious look. Merlin knew they’d been out doing a few adult activities together. Keeping that brotherly bond tight. Or… or was it loose? Regardless of the correct terminology of what they’d been doing… they had ‘spent time together.’ Though not as much since he stopped moping around and got back together with Sam—Jason supposed she was right.

“He’s just not as much fun as others.” Winking at her, he gently pulled her along, opening the door and letting her in, following in behind. His hand moved from holding hers to lightly holding her side, allowing her to lead. Then he spotted his brother, glancing around like he was eight. Smirking, he gently squeezed Sam’s side. “There he is.” Stepping to the table, he glanced at the empty seat, raising an eyebrow. “Is your imaginary date showing up, Felix?” Waiting until Sam sat down, he finally took a seat and felt more relaxed—he could joke with his little brother without the awkwardness of someone he didn’t know.

“Do I strike you as imaginary?” Charlotte mused aloud, bending to kiss Sam’s cheek. She walked right past Jason, whose back had been to her while she lingered in the washroom, and rounded the table to stand beside her chair. She looked down at Felix, smiling with a certain witchiness in her blue gaze. After a moment, she turned her attention to his older brother. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Sinking into her seat, Charlotte spread her napkin in her lap. She took a sip of water from the clear glass on the table. She then settled, shoulders straight, hair falling behind her. She grinned at the happy couple across from her, her mind already jumping with delight at the giggly story Sam had shared the previous afternoon, their heads pressed together in some Diagon Alley cafe.

Leaning toward Felix, she whispered in his ear, making a show of their new-found relationship-- a weird word to describe them, but with a basis of truth nonetheless. “This is going to be heaven,” she assured him in confidence. She meant it, too. Showing off in front of the brother who disliked her seemed rather innocently gleeful. Her hand disappeared from the stem of the class, beneath the table. It found its way to her date’s thigh, where it rested comfortably.

“So Jason, how’s work? Are the shifts... quick?” Her eyes moved to Sam, and she tried her damnedest to keep a straight face. Luckily she was practiced in this art.

As they spotted Felix and made their way to the table, Jason's quip almost made Sam laugh out loud. Oh, if only he knew...

Suddenly the sound of a very familiar voice filtered dreamily through the air. Sam's lips curved up at the corners as Charlotte sauntered to their table, looking as gorgeous as ever. Biting her lower lip, Sam looked awa from Jason as much as possible. She had the ability to be read like a book, and a total inability to lie. Some would consider it a good thing. Sam saw it as an acute interference with her personal life.

Mirroring Charlotte's actions, Sam picked up her napkin and spread it out over her knees, following it by pouring herself and the others around the table a glass of water from the jug. Picking up her glass, she decided that taking a drink would allow her time to compose herself.

“So Jason, how’s work? Are the shifts... quick?”

Water, everywhere. Sam spat the water out in shock, uncontrolled and unable to stop herself before it was too late. She coughed and spluttered, some of the water going down the wrong way. She caught the sly glance Charlotte cast in her direction, and her own eyes widened in Charlotte's direction, warning her to keep her mouth shut.

“Do I strike you as imaginary?”

The voice seemed familiar… Glancing towards it, his mouth opened in surprise as Charlotte greeted Sam. He quickly closed his gob, pursing his lips as he tried to figure out why she’d be there. She had nearly ruined his relationship with Eddie. Drumming his fingers on the table top, he glanced to Sam, to Charlotte, and finally settled on Felix. “You can’t be serious.” He swore he felt a twitch starting in the corner of his eye.

Perhaps it was just because Charlotte grated on his nerves as of late. Her constant feigned innocence and gossip queen reputation had clashed one time too many for him. Watching as she leaned in to Felix, he gave his brother a peculiar look before glancing sidelong at Sam—who seemed to be focused on everything else. His eyes narrowed—she must have been aware of Felix’s date. So they were having a laugh? Was that all it was?

“So Jason-”

Glancing to Charlotte, raising an eyebrow, he waited. He didn’t want anything to drink yet—he was still getting over the shock and slightly bad taste in his mouth. When she asked how work was, he once again frowned, unsure of what she was doing. “Ah…” Work? She really was asking about work?

“Are the shifts… quick?”

Jason had long enough to open his mouth and frown in confusion before being sprayed with water. Shocked, he glanced at Sam. “Are you all right?” Leaning towards her, he gave her a gentle pat on the back. Seeing her once again not look in his direction, he pulled his hand away and grit his teeth. Jason finally picked up his napkin to dab at his speckled face. “Quick? Depends on how busy it is, I guess…” He gave his brother a questioning look before focusing once more on Charlotte.

“When did this happen, then?” Glancing down at his shirt, he dabbed at the few spots before giving up and letting the napkin fall into his lap. His good-natured attitude was slipping away the longer he felt like the only one not in on something.

“Oh, he’s very serious,” Charlotte, said, tilting her head with a slight frown in Jason’s direction. They would have to get him up to speed on the goings-on of their new-found relationship. Merlin knew that Charlotte was privy to all the details of Sam and Jason’s soirée.

Feigning innocence with a striking expertise, particularly compared to poor Sam’s attempts to lie a moment earlier, Charlotte set her gaze on her cousin. Giving her an endearing once-over, she reached out, offering the white linen napkin from her own lap.

“It can’t be all that busy this time of year?” She asked, taking his queue. “I mean, all the kids are in school...” The ex-wives and extramarital affairs were properly discarded. “So where’s the stress coming from, then?” She leaned forward, looking intrigued.

Turning once more to Felix, she grinned at him knowingly, and looked back this brother. “We bumped into each other on a train,” she explained vaguely. “And then he had me to dinner at your parents house...” And quite a dinner it had been. "I love that photo of you on the table by the sofa."

A smug smile settled on Felix's face as Jason's expression fell. Sure, there was no love lost between Jason and Charlotte, but his expression was simply priceless. He lounged back slightly in his chair, stretching his legs out carefully to avoid playing footsy with his brother under the table - that was an unwanted physical contact that went against their terms of brotherhood, and Felix could most definitely do without Jason's whining over that too. He simply shrugged nochalantly at Jason's suggestion (plea) that Felix wasn't serious. Keep them guessing, that's what Felix said.

Picking up his glass of water he watched the awkward conversation unfold around them, casting a cautious glance over to Sam momentarily. It was returned with a small sympathetic smile. Felix didn't need sympathy. He had Charlotte sitting next to him (by choice, nonetheless), and his brother was feeling a bit antsy in his seat; this was turning out to be a good night already.

The usual chit-chat was offered, with his date asking Jason how work was. But an unusual thing happened. Felix raised an eyebrow as Samia sprayed a gobfull of water over the inhabitants of the table, much to the displeasure of the concierge standing at the door.

Then Jason asked the question he had clearly been itching to ask from the start; when did this happen? Felix smirked as Charlotte began talking about the train. That was one train ride he would certainly never forget. Felix snorted slightly as Charlotte praised Jason on his photo at their parents. "Yes, the photo of teenage Jason in the bathtub is quite endearing." He grinned again, loving every minute of this. It would be so ridiculously uncomfortable for Jason - just what the healer ordered. Getting Jason back for his moping ways during the period of incertainty in his relationship with Sam, seemed to be coming easy to Felix.

Charlotte was answering for Felix now? That was certainly a bit different. His gaze waned between the two, shifting, unsure, between the two, frowning slightly as he considered this. It was definitely a surprise. Jason felt a tick at the corner of his lip and he lifted a napkin to rub over them in an attempt to quell it. For now, it worked.

“It can’t  be all that busy this time of year?”

It was the time of year they started to get slammed, as a matter of fact. Weather changing, people getting sick, mingling with animals they shouldn’t… Well, perhaps his floor wasn’t as widely effected as others, but they still saw a good number in for all sorts of things. When she asked about the stress, he couldn’t help but frown in confusion, once again glancing to Sam as if she might be able to translate for her cousin. She still wasn’t quite looking at him… “I’m not sure what you mean, Charlotte.”

They met on a train. How picturesque, for two wizards to meet on a train. Drumming his fingers on his thigh under the table, his other hand moved over to take Sam’s, wanting to rest it on her thigh. Something to keep him calm as he took all this information in. His lips pursed at the mention of dinner at their parents; really? She saw photos? Which one could possibly be the one she was referencing?

His hand stopped searching for Sam’s at the remark of the bathtub photo, pulling back quickly to his lap as he scowled at Felix. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he smoothed out his napkin over his lap and picked up his water. “I still had some clothes on. Mum wouldn’t have snapped it otherwise.” There had been alcohol involved. It was not one of his prouder moments, certainly, but his parents insisted on keeping it. “Did you show her the one of you dressing up in mum’s closet? Heels and lipstick?” If it was going to go like that… Jason would bring out the fire he had on Felix and lobby back.

Charlotte's little digs were making Sam feel nauseous. If that blabbermouth wasn't careful, Jason was going to find out that she had told her cousin their deepest - and according to him, darkest - secret! Once again, Sam shot a warning glance across the table at her cousin, wishing for the first time in her life that she could actually shoot daggers out of her eyes. Not really sharp ones. She didn't want to kill her cousin. Just hurt her. Maim her a little.

Sam watched as Felix smirked at the mention of the bathtub photo. Sam hadn't seen this one, and probably for a reason. She assumed that Jason was keeping things like this secret from her until she had no backing out. Sinking lower into her seat, her face turning paler at the thought of the situation blowing up if Jason found out, she pulled her napkin off the table and debated whether to bury herself underneath it. Or eat it. She was pretty hungry.

“Did you show her the one of you dressing up in mum’s closet? Heels and lipstick?”

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Sam hissed, sitting up a little straighter in her seat. "Jason, don't pretend you've never tried my knickers on for fun. And yes, at the time I said it was cute, but honestly it was just embarassing!" Felix's sniggers were almost uncontrollable across the table, as he tried to contain his bursts of laughter. Sam turned on him, her finger pointing at him accusingly. "And don't you snigger like you've never done anything embarassing! I caught you in a broom closet back in sixth year with that creepy little Eunice Bates, metal head and all!" She watched with satisfaction as Felix's face fell with horror. "Don't even think about trying to deny it - I have photographic proof, and it wouldn't take me long to fish it out!"

She picked up her menu and opened it, smiling smugly. "Now," she said calmly. "Can we order please? I'm starving."

Jason might not have known what she meant, but Charlotte knew what she meant. However, one look from Sam, and the more sinister cousin decided to zip her lips. For now. She was parched, and could do with an appetizer or two before she got down to the heart of the matter.

“I did see a few of you minus the clothes,” she promised. “Shame you were so young. I’m not really a cougar.” With the exception of a not-so-cougar-ish affair with one Finn Grosvenor.

When the brotherly bickering began, Charlotte did not know what to delight at first. Felix in drag? Jason in Sam’s knickers? (And not in the way most men wanted to be remembered for getting into womens’ knickers. This was a little too literal.) Or this supposed creature Felix had canoodled with in close quarters?

“I’ll have to see that one the next time I visit your parents,” she said simply, having weighed her options. She took a sip of wine and dabbed at her lips with the napkin in her lap. “I don’t suppose Sam took photos of your own experimenting...” She looked from Jason, to her cousin, a sparkle in her eye. “Did you, Sam?”

Agreeing that they should order, Charlotte perused her own menu. “The house salad looks nice. Eunice Bates, Felix? Was that the one who--?” She trailed off, not bothering to lift her eyes from the list of starters.

His mum loved pictures of her boys when they were young and little terrors. It helped that their dad was a photographer and always seemed willing to spare a few shots for his cheesy sons. Well. Helped their mum’s plight of never having enough frames. Still, he didn’t doubt Charlotte had seen a few without his clothes—they had grown up in a time where kids could run around in the sprinklers without their superman undies, after all. Jason spared Charlotte a tempered smile and narrowing of the eyes, catching her joke. Was she even a thought in her parents mind when he was that young?

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake!”

Jason startled slightly in his chair, frowning over at Sam. Felix had started it… Pursing his lips and raising an eyebrow, he quickly lost all color from his face as she accused him of trying on her knickers for fun. His mouth opened in shock, face betraying his disbelief, before he finally shut his mouth hard, jaw clenched. If he did that, he was pissed out of his mind. Which was always possible, because he enjoyed a good drink and believed in overindulgence. 

Still, it felt wrong for her to bring that up when all Jason was doing was defending himself in a situation he had no control over. He glared at his brother, considering a good kick under the table. The problem was he might miss and hit one of the girls, so he kept his nervously bouncing leg to himself. The heat in his face was uncontrollable and he wondered why he’d agreed to this dinner date. Jason merely raised an eyebrow at Felix, hearing about this Eunice Bates.

If Felix reacted like that, then it must have been bad. Good. Jason leaned back in his chair, feeling somewhat satisfied with the turn of events, though he still wasn’t keen on what Sam had shared. Whether it had happened or not. He did like that there were pictures to back up Felix’s embarrassing broom closet session at least. And he’d have to find out where they were later.

“I don’t suppose Sam took photos of your own experimenting… Did you, Sam?”

And the blush came back strong and Jason quickly exclaimed, “No!” before glancing uncertainly at Sam. Surely not. They would have been too busy with other things, if he’d… actually done that. Now he’d have to be more careful with how much alcohol he took in at one sitting. Picking up his own menu, still frowning as he looked down, Jason decided that a little wine was going to be necessary. House salad? Frowning and looking over at the youngest person in the party, Jason didn’t understand the point in going with something so simple.

“Eunice Bates, Felix? Was that the one who--?”

Rubbing the back of his head, Jason glanced at Sam and frowned at her, lifting a hand up as if to ask ‘what was that?’ He didn’t understand why she had to embarrass him in front of his brother, who would use that against him whenever he could, and Charlotte-the-big-mouth, whom he didn’t exactly care for (recently). The waiter appeared, however, and he had to pull away from the nonverbal conversation to turn his attention to the others. “A bottle of the house pinot noir, please, four glasses.” He picked up his water glass and took a deep drink so others could order whatever they wanted.