_{[OOC: Yes, I like that movie very much =)]}

What a strange week! Una thought it would be happier, but the Full Moon and the awful little accident[1] she suffered made her feel quite bothered. Books became her second home instead of her potions station - her first home would always definitely be between her plants, both at her place and at the Ministry. In the middle of questions without answers and a most certainly unrequited concern, Sidney’s invitation came to her; and she settled their meeting to that Saturday after work without thinking much.

But when she stepped out of the lift to the Atrium, her mind caught her with some urgent questions referring to that. What the hell are you doing? was the most loud of them. She was about to meet an almost stranger that was likely nervously flirting with her - and she was going to cook with him. In his place. Alone. Err…

Not that she found him suspicious of anything; somehow she was pretty sure that Sid wasn’t able to harm her by any means. But for as much as he - and now she, while arguing with her mind - insisted that it would all be a friendly meeting, just to cook as buddies, nothing more, etc.; Una got that sudden sensation when she put herself searching for him at the Atrium that they were about to go out on a date.

So when her eyes found him, there was a serious and unsure shade hovering over them. A deep breathe, and she was able to smile at him and shut her mind while walking in his encounter, but the feeling of have a stone inside her stomach just grew up in each step she took until she got closer enough to say a shyly “Hey… hi…” and look down, feeling awkward. Oh, in addition to all, she just realized she should be wearing a higher heel boots…

1.	Referring to this

Was this a date?

Sid didn't know. It seemed like centuries since he last went on a date and it wasn't like his track record was much good as reference. Trina hadn't been like other girls in school and their relationship evolved in a different way then most others. Una was also quite unique and he had a hard time discerning whether she was even interested. Maybe it was best that he just play it safe and be friends for now. If she wasn't interested, acting like a horny teenage boy, as men were wont to do, would only make her never want to date him let alone be his friend. But then, if she WAS interested, acting like he didn't care would make her feel silly and unattractive, which he didn't want either. Merlin, what was he supposed to do??

“Hey… hi…”

"Oh... H...Hey!" He managed to stumble over the simplest of greetings when she appeared out of nowhere and interrupted his internal debate. "You look... great... I mean, very nice." He tried to toe the line between flirtacious and platonic without insulting her either way. She did look great though. A bit old fashioned, with the long gloves and lace skirt, but the look fit her. It was so understated and elegant that he felt rather underdressed and even a bit sloppy in his jeans a simple button down shirt. It wasn't rumpled or dirty or anything like that, but it was so plebian next to her. Maybe he should change when they got back to his home, or was that even more desperate?

Realizing that he was completely spacing out on her while she stood there, looking uncomfortable, Sid flushed "S-sorry... I was thinking about... recipes?" He ruined the lie by making it sound like a question. Smooth. Running a hand through his thick hair, Sid smiled as reassuringly as possible "Uh well.. we'd better get going... I don't have a floo connection, so we have to walk" He said that a bit apologetically before adding "... It's like a taboo in my family." Offering her the crook of his arm, he nodded towards the exit "Shall we?"

"You look... great... I mean, very nice."

She raised her eyes to his for the first time that day, a tad surprised. “Ah… thank you!” A compliment about her look was something rare. Una was aware that she dressed a little strange; something like… a 17th century hippie if there were any. Truth is that she didn’t mind go shopping for new, fashion clothes. That wasn’t really a concern to her.

“You’re quite fine, too.” She added sheepishly. He was simple, indeed, but Una thought that being simple was something natural and even desirable when it comes to Muggle’s fashion. Maybe she should be simplest too. She had those jeans somewhere on her wardrobe, that Septima gave to her for Christmas - why hasn’t she thought about that earlier?

Anyway, she got quiet and he got quiet. She shifted her weight from heels to sole, than heels again, a few times clumsily while looking around. Most of the people passing through them couldn’t know her, she was sure, but that was still strange. Would they think she and Sid were a couple? Quite awkward to think about that.

"S-sorry... I was thinking about... recipes?"

Thankfully, he did break the silence, and she smiled at him for that. “Oh, me too… Italian… pastries… definitely… you said you would make me some!” She blushed when noticed that what she just said could sound like a charging. “Not that you’re obliged to, though.” Una corrected right away.

When he told about the Floo connection and offered his arm she found both things… unusual. “Why would a Floo connection be a taboo? It’s so useful…” she commented, while creating courage to take his arm. Oh, the eternal right arm/hand issue. As she was knowing and interacting with people, that thing was starting to tire her. So she delicately accepted, too carefully touching him so he couldn’t feel at all what was under the leather.

“Ja, let’s go. It will be good to walk a little… I don’t know London much.”

She seemed apprehensive about taking his arm and Sid felt his face grow a bit hot in response. He wasn't coming on too strong, was he? She took his elbow so gingerly that he wondered if he smelt bad or something. Afterall, she was about armpit height. Very discretely, he turned his head when she wasn't looking and quickly sniffed himself to see if his deodorant wasn't holding up its end of the bargin. It seemed alright, but maybe her nose was super sensitive. It didn't dawn on him that her reason for discomfort was anything else but his fault, so he didn't press the issue. He just hoped that he didn't do anything else to make things awkward.

“Why would a Floo connection be a taboo? It’s so useful… Ja, let’s go. It will be good to walk a little… I don’t know London much.”

"It's a beautiful place if you know where to go... and the weather is rather nice this evening...Quite a clear sky and the wind is fairly... um... calm." He tried to smile as confidently as he could. Merlin, he was already talking about the weather. Wasn't that a bad sign on the first date? Or, rather, the first 'platonic dinner'? As they left the building and for the first several feet or so, Sid fell into an awkward silence, trying to think of something to say that didn't sound contrived or just weird. Then he recalled her earlier question about his family and Flooing.

"To answer your question..." He said suddenly, shattering the looming silence "... My family is... really into brooms." Oh yeah, THAT didn't sound weird. He should elaborate, "... You know Dervish and Banges right? The repair shop in Hogsmeade? My family owns it, hence the Dervish part... Anyways, my great grandfather started it to fix brooms and gradually went on to fixing anything magical, but brooms and broom racing in particular runs in our blood." Running a hand through his hair nervously, Sid added with a deprecating chuckle"... Not that I have the aerodynamics to race."

"Anyways, my parents see anything other than flying as a waste of good magic, except for rare cases like trans-atlantic trips, but uh... yeah ... That is why I don't Floo. Besides, I live so close to work that I don't really need to." With that, he stopped at a worn down yet neatly kept building "Speaking of which, here we are!" Glancing around, making sure no muggles were in sight, Sid pulled out his wand and tapped the knob leading to his apartment.

There was a click and the door swung open. However, it didn't get far, for the moment the creak of the door sounded there was a tremendous bark of excitement and a skittering of claws on old wood floors. A heavy body slammed against the door and nearly crushed Sid's foot as he tried to stick it in the door "Kirk... KIRK! Stop it... DOWN BOY!" He shouted over the barking as he slowly pushed open the door wide enough to slip through. Grabbing the large bulldogs coller, he tried to hold him back from tackling Una "I'm so sorry... I don't have a lot of guests and Kirk doesn't have any manners. He is a good dog, though, I swear! He'd sooner lick you to death then bite you..." Not that death by slobber was really more preferable.


((Sorry about all the talking, I just wanted to get them to the apartment.))

“Yes, it’s a great weather today… I like June.” She said, not really judging the kind of conversation. Anything at that moment, while they’re leaving the Ministry to step at the Muggle London streets, would make her fall in silence. Una, once uncomfortable about feeling that like a date, got uncomfortable rather for be walking between Muggles now; especially when one or other looked at her, as she wasn’t really discrete with her gloves and clothes. So that she grabbed Sid’s arm with her other hand and walked all the way closer to him.

When he started to talk about his family’s business and brooms, she took a minute to answer. “Oh, I’ve been in Hogsmeade once; but I can’t recall this shop, sorry… and, ah… at least you can fly on a broom… I can’t even stand in one for thirteen seconds without falling apart.” She shrugged. How stupid could she look assuming that? But that was the truth - at least she was good with Apparation.

Una was thankful when they got at his apartment, and when she was about to tell that and how lucky he was - she lived pretty much in the middle of nowhere - she discovered finally who was Kirk. “No, Sid… don’t shout at him…” she said, not in an accusative tone though, but smiling; she was already assuming that childish voice used to talk with animals.

As soon as he slipped through the door, she went right after him, unafraid of kneeling on the floor and pet Kirk. “No collar too…” she stated as she could, letting he free to attack her with his excitement and drool as he wished; not even a hint of discomfort on that. On the contrary, she seemed to have fun. Una was really fond of dogs, but unable to have one because of her garden - it would be a dilemma between letting the pet free and keep all her plants whole and safe.

“Schönes Kind, Kirk…[1]” She said to him, all silly before finally looking around; remember where she was and what she was doing there. “Oh, sorry Sid, but he’s really a beauty. And so is your place… so… clean…” Una didn’t knew if that was the right word, but what she could see so far of his apartment seemed very visually clean to her; very opposite to her kinda kitsch house. “I mean…” she stood slowly, but still a little bowed to continue pet Kirk. “Visually pleasant… not much information, you know… ah, and clean too, but I could expect that already!” By her smile, that was an evident compliment.

1.	Lovely kid, Kirk...

"Yeah... I am a maintenance man after all...It's not always this clean, though... I fixed the place up for the occassion" He chuckled, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, all while staring at Kirk, who was slobbering all over Una's gloves as she petted him. Sid was actually getting a bit jealous of Kirk right now. Jealous.  Of a dog. A fat, slobbery lump of wrinkles and droopy eyelids that just ate, pooped and slept all day. Who was also, apparently, an adorable chick magnet. Actually, now that he thought about it, Sid was jealous. Not only did Kirk get to ride a skateboard instead of walk and eat all of Sid's leftovers, he also got the hugs and kisses from the girl Sid was trying to woo. As she petted him, Kirk looked over her shoulder at Sid and, for a moment, Sid could swear that he was smirking.

"Allright, you big lump..." Sid said affectionately as he tugged Kirk away, giving him a meaningful look out of the corner of his eye. He was not going to lose a girl to his dog. That would just be too much of a blow to his already fractured ego. "You want a treat?? Huh boy?" He said in his best excited voice and slapped his legs. Kirk forgot all about flirting with Una and barked, his entire rear end wiggling as he shook his stub of a tail. "I bet you do... Go to the kitchen!" Kirk didn't have to be told twice. Spinning around, he dashed in place for a moment as he tried to get a foothold and then skittered down the hallway to the kitchen. There was a loud thump as he barreled into the wall, causing Sid to wince. One of these days that dog was going to put a hole in the damn wall, running full sprint like that.

"Right this way..." He turned to Una and smiled as he motioned her towards the kitchen, his favorite part of the house. It was much brighter and more colorful then the rest of the house, mainly because he spent a good part of his time there when he wasn't playing video games or working. "I have quite a few ingredients here, but you might want to make a list if I am missing anything." He said as he wrangled a large glass jar off the top of the fridge and tugged off the lid. A wave of liver wafted out from the depths and Kirk went literally insane. He offered a chunk of the homemade liver jerky to Una "Want to give it to him? He will be your best mate forever if you do."

"Yeah... I am a maintenance man after all...It's not always this clean, though... I fixed the place up for the occasion"

“Oh, how sweet, Sid… but you shouldn’t have worried about it!” Still she turned to look at him with a pleased smile on her lips. Una relaxed considerably just for being there those couple of minutes. Away from the Ministry, from the Muggles looking strangely at her and with such a cute funny dog all happy on her arms; Una was able to be a lot less bothered with the idea of being on a date. Let it be as it may, she thought to herself, something her father always told her and she would say to anyone in her position. Something she respected all the time about nature - time to see the theory working in other level.

And Sid was someone that so far proved to worth a chance. His clumsiness was something she could find on herself in some level and there were a lot of things interesting about him. A lot of things she would love to hear about, like Star Trek and strange Muggle devices she could saw from there. Also, she certainly didn’t feel that irrational crush on him - which was great. A bit of rationality was always appreciated and he wouldn’t make her feel stupid after all.

She finally stood when he called Kirk and the dog passed to ignore her, but still on a way that made her laugh at all his excitement to Sid’s offer. Una took off the drooled glove from her left arm - then heard the thump with a slightly painful expression, looking at Sid and murmuring “Ouch…” - and brushed her clothes briefly. Sid guided her to the kitchen and she went there naturally, making herself home even if he didn’t told her so. It wasn’t needed.

“It’s beautiful here as well, Sid.” She said, looking around before leaving her bag and her glove over a chair. “Ingredients? Hmm… you’re the chef and it’s your kitchen. You tell me what you’re planning to do!” Una leaned against the sink worktop, then looked at him with a kinda funny accusative expression. “Besides, you are the one supposed to teach me magic formulas today, so…” she smiled, shrugging. “But I guess I can, maybe, make Apfelstrudel for dessert if you have flour, eggs, butter, sugar, apples, cinnamon and raisins… ah, and cream, if you like.”

She laughed once again at Kirk’s enthusiasm, and when Sid offered her the liver to give to the dog, she considered a while. “Are you sure you want to lose your dog to me?” Una smiled open and finally took the liver, bending over Kirk. “Do you want it, boy? Come give me a kiss then…” she offered her cheek for him to lick and laughed widely, standing quickly to give him the treat. “Ew, more than deserved!” She turned to Sid, trying to clean the drool from her cheek with her left hand. “Bathroom? Just to clean this mess…”

Mentally listing out the ingredients, Sid begin to dig through his cabinets as she played with Kirk. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her snuggle the big oaf and his lips curled into a soft smile. It had been so long since a girl had been so friendly with the old boy. Hell, it had been quite a while since one had been so friendly with him. His home was always his sanctuary, but having her there made it seem... more comfortable. Brighter maybe. Definitely softer and less sparse. He sincerely hoped that this wasn't the last time she graced his kitchen.

“Bathroom? Just to clean this mess…”

Sid pulled away from the cupboard, arms full of various ingredients. "Ah yeah, Across the hall. Let me know if you need anything..." He called after her, so focused on making sure he had everything that he didn't realize how natural he sounded. Usually he was stuttering and stumbling over his words, always worried he was saying the wrong thing, but once he was in his kitchen he was in a zone.

Smashing a garlic clove, he tossed it in a pan with some olive oil and left it on the stove-top to sauté. He had just started to mix the ingredients for his mum's favorite pasta dough when he thought he heard her returning to the kitchen "Oh hey, I don't have any apples in the pantry, but I think there is some ripe enough in the greenhouse..." He called over his shoulder.

"Ah yeah, Across the hall. Let me know if you need anything..."

“Oh, I guess I’ll be fine, don’t worry!” She smiled open, staring at him for a moment, nicely surprised. When they first met at the DoM she had the impression that she couldn’t really talk with him directly, without passing through layers of insecurities and fears. Cooking together turned out to be a good idea, in her mind, to let him more comfortable. Una just hasn’t foreseen that it would happen so quickly, which was really great - and a good sign to her. She was enjoying that new (truer?) aura around him a little more.

Without wanting him to step back and regain the insecurity, though, she got her way to the bathroom quickly, but not before taking her bag with her. Just a couple of minutes later she was back, a little mesmerized with the wonderful smell of garlic and olive oil. “Oh Gott, Sid, I want to eat it already…” She got closer; deeply interested even aware that he still wasn’t doing anything special. Olive oil was one of the reasons why she loved Italian cuisine so much.

Una was definitely slobber free now, but she was also with a different glove on her right arm only - a blue, latex household glove, slightly loosed on purpose. She should thank her mother for the unusual length and fit of that. “Ah… Sid… I’ve suffered a magical accident when I was child and that’s why I insist in wearing these silly gloves.” She said before he got the chance of asking and by the look in her eyes, that was all he would have from it. “I can only swear that there is a hand here, not something bizarre, though it’s far from something beautiful, ah…” she twitched her lips, nervous. Maybe that wasn’t really great information to add. Yeah, she felt kinda stupid…

“Greenhouse, you said? I’m sorry,” she recalled what he said before she plays that awkward scene. “Do you have a greenhouse here, in the middle of Muggle London? I told you should be a great caretaker! Wanna go there? I watch the pan… ah, four apples if they’re big or six if they’re not.”

“Oh Gott, Sid, I want to eat it already…”

"Well... good! Then I am doing my job." He gave her a broad smile, pleased with her praise over such a simple achievement. He had to agree though, the smell of olive oil and garlic was intoxicating. Reminded him of his childhood. Glancing over at her, he saw that she had on a new glove, a weird blue on that looked as though a doctors latex glove had mated with an evening glove. His eyebrow must have hiked up against his will because she seemed to notice him staring.

“Ah… Sid… I’ve suffered a magical accident when I was child and that’s why I insist in wearing these silly gloves. I can only swear that there is a hand here, not something bizarre, though it’s far from something beautiful, ah…”

"Uh... Okay..." He said slowly, debating whether or not to press for more information. He wanted to know more, of course, since it had to to with her, but the look in her eyes made it clear that she wasn't looking to explain. "Well whatever you have to do to feel comfortable is fine... I understand..." He offered with his most comforting smile, adding in the back of his mind I hope one day you will feel comfortable enough to tell me what happened. Today was obviously not that day because she abruptly changed the subject, her lips twitching nervously.

“Greenhouse, you said? I’m sorry, Do you have a greenhouse here, in the middle of Muggle London? I told you should be a great caretaker! Wanna go there? I watch the pan… ah, four apples if they’re big or six if they’re not.”

"Actually..." Sid paused to give a firm punch to the dough he was kneading "... I need to stay here and work on the dough, so could... you grab them?" He knew that she loved plants and would likely appreciate the little set up that they had outside, more-so than most. Realizing she might think he was being bossy, he added "It's just that, I am really not as good with plants as you are, so I am sure you will know what apples are the best... Most of the plants out there are my neighbors work, I just provided the fertilizer."

He chuckled at the thought of how excited the two woman were with the strange fertilizer that he had given them, since it did such a wonderful job of keeping the plants healthy and fresh all year long. It was almost magical, in fact. "It's just outside the door here... it takes up most of the yard actually, so you can't miss it. Could you grab me some spinach while you're out there as well?"

“Alright!” She didn’t seem to be bothered by his request, and patted his shoulder before turning to the door. “Apple and spinach coming!” Una wouldn’t deny that she was curious to see his communitarian greenhouse. The idea of having neighbors was something interesting by itself to someone who lived away from anything. So the idea of working together with them as well, growing plants and sharing the results was something fascinating.

She came back after some minutes sneaking around there instead of simply taking what were needed. “Well, your fertilizers and the neighbors’ work are making a great team! You have some beautiful babies out there.” She said smiling, while gently putting the apples on her side (or what she was already assuming as her side). She went to his after that, handing him the spinach and stealing some of his ingredients with playful mischievous eyes, like someone actually stealing something in front of the owner.  “Do you mind light a fire for me please? I’m gonna need warm water…” She asked, smiling  sweetly at the end.

“So…” Una started, while walking here and there around Sid to prepare everything. “Your family business is in Hogsmeade; then I assume you attended Hogwarts.” She stood beside him, after putting the kettle on the stove, watching him working on the dough while waiting for the water to heat. “How was it like? Studying there, taking classes and living… with other kids?” Una realized that the question was odd, but she couldn’t formulate it better. She always wondered how life would be if she could have attended Hogwarts, but with really little basis, for it was the first time she could actually talk about the school with someone who studied there. So her eyes were a little dreamy while she waited for the answer.

“Well, your fertilizers and the neighbors’ work are making a great team! You have some beautiful babies out there.”

"Yeah well... Gertrude and Sophia are quite talented, so I am the lucky one. I get to reap the benefits." He grinned as he started mixing the ricotta and herbs. Gertrude was the octogenarian that lived with her Alzheimer stricken husband above him and Sophia was the middle-aged vegan hippie that lived on the top floor. He remembered how worried they were when he moved in, concerned that he was going to ruin the vintage charm of their brownstone with satellites and Frisbee golf, but they had been pleasantly surprised when all he added was a high speed internet line and later a greenhouse. They were an eclectic lot, but that just made it easier for Sid to coexist with them.

He noticed the spinach in her hands and smiled, "Oh yes, the spinach... Thank you!" Tossing it on his favorite chopping board, having put his second favorite on her side (Thats normal right? Having favorite kitchen utensils?), he begin to mince the rich green leaves with surprising speed, the knife inching dangerously close to his fingers. He wasn't worried though, this was natural for him. His mother believed that learning to use a knife properly was integral to learning to cook. That and boiling water. He paused only for a moment to light a burner with a flick of his wand, which he then tucked behind his ear, the knife barely slowing.

“So…Your family business is in Hogsmeade; then I assume you attended Hogwarts. How was it like? Studying there, taking classes and living… with other kids?”

The mood with her was so natural that he had almost... almost... forgotten that she was there. Not that she was invisible, not at all, just that he was able to zone out and forget all his insecurities while they worked together. It was just so comfortable. Her question sort of ruined it though, especially when she looked at him with such a yearning expression. How could he look into those misty, dreamy eyes and tell her that he had hated most of his years at Hogwarts? He assumed she hadn't gone there, since he knew he would have remembered someone like her if she had. Ruining whatever image she had of the place seemed almost cruel.

"Ah.. It was... okay..." He started slowly, after a few minutes of thought. His voice wasn't convincing though, "I wasn't what you would call... popular. I mostly kept to myself." There, that could explain his lack of happy memories.

"Ah.. It was... okay... I wasn't what you would call... popular. I mostly kept to myself."

He sounded so desolate that the misty in her eyes turned into concern. Una reached his shoulder and left her hand resting there, in a sort of symbolic embrace, since she didn't want to interrupt his work and neither knew if that was really the case. But she could identify in herself that kind of feeling and also, the perspective she always had in the end when thinking about herself attending Hogwarts, was end up just like him – nothing really good to tell about the social experiences.

“Hey... I think I would have joined you in the unpopular team! I mean, look at me...” she said that with a smile, trying to cheer him up. “I was weirdest when I was younger, not a soul would have interest in be my friend, I bet... but, well...” Una shrugged, watching the water for a second while considering. “I think that would be good in the end, you know. Every experience counts... today I would know better what to do in some cases. Socially speaking, especially.”

She took the kettle out of the burner before the water boils, going to her side to start working at the dough. “I was educated at home.” Una finally explained the reason to her curiosity, but just vaguely, seeming to be concentrate mixing the ingredients. “That's why I keep thinking about how different it is to attend a place like Hogwarts; take group classes and live with other people... stay away from the parents, these kind of things.” She laughed, before start to knead the dough, just to add right after like a silly confession, “I've been always curious to know to which house I would have been selected; but I have no clue about a thing inside there... much less about the houses. How was yours?”

“Hey... I think I would have joined you in the unpopular team! I mean, look at me...I was weirdest when I was younger, not a soul would have interest in be my friend, I bet... but, well...I think that would be good in the end, you know. Every experience counts... today I would know better what to do in some cases. Socially speaking, especially.”

"As much as I would have enjoyed your friendship back then..." he said, a small smile curling at the corner of his mouth despite his earlier angst. Tossing the chopped spinich into the bowl, he washed his hands and begin to mix the spinich into the cheese manually. "...I don't think you would have been unpopular at all... but maybe it is a good thing. Popularity changes people." For a moment, his gaze became distant and even a bit sad before he broke out of it and focused back on the ravioli's innards.

“I was educated at home. That's why I keep thinking about how different it is to attend a place like Hogwarts; take group classes and live with other people... stay away from the parents, these kind of things. I've been always curious to know to which house I would have been selected; but I have no clue about a thing inside there... much less about the houses. How was yours?”

Ah, his alma mater. That was something he could talk a bit more brightly about. "Ah... My house was called Hufflepuff. It is supposed to be the house for the loyal and hard working, but a lot of the students in the other houses thought we were the left overs..." He smirked at this fact, obviously a little amused. "My brothers always teased me because I was put in there, they said it was because I wasn't smart enough to get into the other houses... But the Sorting Hat--" he paused, realizing she may not know what the sorting hat was.

"Ah... the Sorting hat is this, um, old wizards hat that... I guess is sentiant. It reads your mind or soul or something and tells you what house you belong in." He suddenly felt silly explaining this since it seemed a bit odd, even for a wizard, to have a talking hat. "... Anyways, it told me I could be in Ravenclaw, which was the house for the witty and intelligent, but Donny, my older brother, was there and I wanted to be as far away from either of my siblings as possible, so it put me in Hufflepuff."

At this point he begin to roll the cheese into little balls and started to space them evenly on the layer of dough. "I liked it though. Hufflepuff is, in my opinion, the most diverse house in the entire school and the one that has the most fun. I may have been unpopular, but my dorm mates were nice to me at least, which can't be said for my brothers and their friends." Layering another sheet of pasta on top of the cheese balls, he begin to section out the pieces to cut. "... As for you, I would picture you there as well. Not because you aren't smart enough to be in Ravenclaw or anything -- just that you are so kind and sweet and wonderful..." He suddenly stopped, flushing. He sounded so desperate.

“No, I wouldn't be popular, and even if I would, I still would be your friend.” She stated as it were the most natural thing in the world. But well, maybe Sid was right and such experience would have changed her. From all the things she imagined – being the weird one, the unpopular or simply the normal one, what she desired the most –, figure herself as popular never got even close to her mind. Una didn't like the idea of having something changing her in that way. So in her imaginary world, that was a good thing indeed.

Una listened to Sid carefully while punching the dough with a surprising strength. Well, that was necessary to make the strudel correctly. “Ja... I kinda heard about the Sorting Hat already, don't worry. Hufflepuff sounds like a wonderful house to me, for the way you just described and, well... I like the unsuspected greatness the most.” She smiled, covering the bowl to let the dough rest and going to work on the filling now, washing the apples. “The most beautiful things are hid in what most of the people despise... that's because they are for few lucky ones, who got eyes to see them.” There she was, starting to ramble these kind of things again. But, well, Sid got her comfortable...

"... As for you, I would picture you there as well. Not because you aren't smart enough to be in Ravenclaw or anything -- just that you are so kind and sweet and wonderful..."

She was ready to start cut the apples when he said that, causing her to completely flush as well and softly laugh, like a modest teenager shy in front of a compliment. She kinda felt like that. But felt good, as well. “Danke, Sid, I, ah... I'm not all that but thank you.” Una stood in silence after that, chopping the apple carefully, but with agility – and a silly hint of a smile on her face. It took some moments for her to calm down and finally open her mouth again.

“So you have siblings, and you don't go along with them very well... ” she concluded, briefly. “I do have an older sister like this too. But what about your parents?” Una asked, finishing with the apples to mix them with the cinnamon, sugar and raisins in a pan. Well, she was there to know him better, right? So she figured there was no problem asking. “Oh, would you light a fire for me again, please?”