He had a toothy grin that any dentist would have envied for its pearl coloring. It seemed too large for his thin face, but it added to his sincere expression. His grey eyes glimmered with a hint of blue that seemed to be a reflection from the lake before him. As he stared into his own image in the pristine surface, he was not thinking about the face, but rather what the face had experienced only moments before.
She had pulled him away from the dining hall with a sly smile that brought out the slight dimple in her left cheek. It was not a look she wore often, although she always radiated that same exuberant confidence. There had been an extra spark of fire in her face as she gently pressed her fingers to his wrist, urging him to follow her. The intrigue had been impossible to resist.
Even his long legs could barely keep pace with hers as they seemed to float through the stone hall and down the entryway stairs. His surroundings blurred together as they whirred through the gardens, only her auburn braids in focus.
As abruptly as she had begun to lead him, she came to a halt. There seemed to be nothing of interest in the meadow before him. A second glance revealed a green gingham blanket that blended in with the grass.
The two approached the blanket, the girl with a knowing smile, and the boy with utmost care. He partially expected a prank of sorts to lay in wait in the bed of grass before him. Instead, he found a wicker basket containing two simple meat sandwiches, a package of crisps, two bottles of butterbeer, napkins, and a small container that he assumed contained a desert of sorts.
"Alice!" he had delightedly exclaimed. "This is wonderful. Thank you."
She blushed almost imperceptibly in response but said nothing. She lifted her head up so her eyes could meet his before she broke out into a giggle.
"Why do you look so serious, Frankie?"
"No one's ever done something so nice for me before. What's the occasion?"
"We're celebrating you asking me on a date to Hogsmeade today, of course!" Alice said with a look that seemed to admonish him for asking such a foolish question.
"But I haven't asked you on a date to Hogsmeade," Frank said, confused for a moment before finally understanding the implications behind her statement.
"Well then I suppose there is no cause for a picnic or celebration," Alice teased. Her eyes grew larger and beckoned him to muster up the courage to say what he had not dared to say for so long.
"Would you like to go with me to Hogsmeade?" he asked after a cautious pause.
"This is so sudden, Frank! Why, I need some time to think about it."
"You can't lead a mate on like that, Alice!" Frank said, worried that he had been tricked into embarrassment. "No games. It's unfair."
"Yes to Hogsmeade then, you silly boy. But I shall play games whenever I want." She grinned, and a look of triumph washed over her face as she took a bite out of a small cupcake.
"Your little games are what got us into this limbo. Or don't you remember?"
"I don't, dearest. I only remember the best of times."
"So it's 'dearest' now, is it?" Frank asked, pleasure building up in his stomach at the thought that he could be correct.
"It's always been 'dearest.' You're just too much of a gentleman to catch on."
"Don't most young ladies want a good gentleman? I was under the impression that every Gryffindor girl was reading those muggle Jane Austen books now. Isn't that all the rage? That Mr. Darcy and such?" Alice could barely contain her laughter at his genuine concern and confusion.
"Mr. Darcy! It seems the Gryffindor boys have been reading some as well."
"Only to see what the girls are up to! You're a handful enough without muggle literature to keep up with on top of it all."
"Games aside, let me be perfectly clear, Frankie. You're a thousand and one Jane Austen men, any day. Don't you ever forget it." For the first time that afternoon, she spoke without a smile on her face. Sincerity shone through her eyes. He could truly appreciate that this girl, typically so cleverly guarded behind her witty remarks, was opening her soul to him.
A mumbled, "Thank you," was all he could muster. His cheeks were flushed red and his stomach had long surrendered to the fluttery sensation brought on by the rushing emotion of young love. He wanted to remember this moment, this very feeling, even in his old age. For an instant, he saw himself with graying, receding hair, telling the story of his young love, Alice, to his grandchildren. He promised himself he would remember every detail, recite the entire conversation from memory.
Just then, Alice broke the silence with a fairly common gesture. She held out her hand. Within it were two sticks of neatly wrapped gum. She didn't even speak, instead simply raising her eyebrows and extending the hand as a sign of offering. Frank accepted a piece, and she in turn took the other.
"Mmmm, apple," he said, feeling lucky for having selected a normal flavor. Gertie Bott, Bertie's great-granddaughter, had followed in his footsteps, creating the newly popular Every Flavor Gum.
"Mine's the new flavor, granola. Want a taste?" she asked. It seemed innocent enough. Still, there was an air of adventure in her voice.
Frank made no answer, confused as to how exactly he was going to sample her gum, when Alice leaned over and kissed him full on. In that moment, there remained no more question as to how exactly Frank was to try the newest addition to Gertie Bott's Every Flavor Gum.
After a few moments, the two pulled appart, having shared their respective flavors, along with their first kiss. Alice didn't hesitate to break the silence, and proclaimed, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occured, "Sweet! Together they taste like apple pie!"
Frank laughed and couldn't help but agree that he had never enjoyed gum so much as he had in that moment.
"Well," said Alice, now noisily chewing on the apple-flavored piece of gum, "I'm going to be late for charms, even though staying with you would be more...charming. Get it?" She giggled, gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, and skipped off to class, looking back only to shout, "Hogsmeade this Saturday, and don't you forget!"
He genuinely doubted that any boy of his age, after such an experience, would ever forget a date with the quirky, yet lovely, Alice. He lay on the picnic blanket, reliving the past half-hour, when he noticed their gum wrappers laying in the grass.
He held them in his hand as he stared at his own reflection in the lake, more specifically focusing on his lips. After some time had passed and Frank could no longer convince himself that it would be acceptable if he skipped potions that afternoon, he eventually stood up and gently placed the gum wrappers in his pocket.
"A souvenier," he thought to himself. "So I'll never forget."