Happy Together (Elliot)

[Ingrid Regan]

(I was in the mood for a new thread between these two....)

It was the first time Ingrid had received a message by owl other than the messages that came from the school every year. Aunt Bonnie didn't send owls, probably out of the mistaken belief that Ingrid couldn't read. She was just there when it was time to pick her up at the train station.

She knew immediately who it was from, and it made her blush to think that Elliot would go to the trouble of sending her an owl, instead of just bringing her the message in person. It was cute and romantic and sweet.

When she opened it, the message simply said to meet him in the entrance hall, and that he was going to take her somewhere special, but he wouldn't say where it was.

That day, she got ready, wearing the nicest muggle dress she had, which was a soft green and white flowered sundress. The weather was nice enough to go out without a cloak, but she did grab a moss-colored sweater to match, just in case she got cold. She had her hair pulled back into a long braid, which made her look even more young and innocent than she already did.

Now she was waiting in the entrance hall, her heart pounding with excitement. Where was Elliot taking her?

[Elliot Lyons]

Wanting to surprise Ingrid, Elliot wrote her an owl. He woke up that morning and didn't feel like remaining at the school all day. He wanted to slip away for a bit and wanted to take Ingrid with him. It wasn't very often that he was seen without her. She knew more about him than he would really tell anyone other than Cameron. Ingrid had become close and Elliot knew he felt strongly for her.

The Gardens seemed like it would be a perfect place to go. It was quite, and then there was the little shops nearby as well if they wanted to go there. Scribbling down on a piece of parchment, Elliot told Ingrid to meet him down at the Entrance hall.

Getting dressed for the day, he wore a pair of muggle jeans and a nice t-shirt. Losing a little track of time, he ran down the stairs from the Ravenclaw dorms and slowed down a little when he neared the Entrance Hall. Regaining his breath, he entered the hall only to have his breath gone again.

A smile etched its way across his face as he approached the red head in front of him. "Hello," he said stopping in front of her. "Glad you made it down."

[Ingrid Regan]

The way he smiled at her made Ingrid's pale cheeks flush a soft pink. Because she did not speak, she was very good at reading people's body language and facial expressions, and the way he looked at her made her feel pretty. No one had ever made her feel as pretty as Elliot did when he smiled at her.

She returned his smile and nodded softly. There wasn't anything that could have stopped her from coming with him today. The truth was, she would have done anything that he asked without a question. She trusted him completely. He was the first person since her father that she had ever trusted that completely.

She placed her hand in his and gave him a little tug, letting him know that she was anxious to see where he was planning to take her.

[Elliot Lyons]

Feeling Ingrid tug on his hand caused him to laugh. "You'll know soon enough." It was almost strange that he knew most of what Ingrid was trying to tell him. Maybe it was because he mainly watched people before and learned their body language.

Elliot's laughter faded but his smile didn't. "You look really nice today," he complimented her. He wasn't sure what Savannah's plans were today but he did mention to her that he was taking Ingrid out for the day. Today was just a day to relax and have no worries.

Squeezing her hand, Elliot was ready to make their way to Hogsmeade. "Are you ready to go?"

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid couldn't stop smiling. When Elliot told her that she looked nice, it reminded her of the outspoken, carefree girl she had once been, before her father's death. People would stop in the street and tell her what a "wee pretty lass" she was, and it had always made her feel so special. Elliot made her feel that way again, and it was exhilarating.

She nodded and pointed at him, letting him know that she thought he looked good, too. And he did. His clothes were casual, but he looked very good in jeans, and the blue t-shirt brought out the color of his eyes.

In answer to his question, she threaded her arm through his and started to walk toward the door. She was more than ready for an adventure, and she knew that it would be a good one, with Elliot by her side.

[Elliot Lyons]

"Thank you," he said with a wink.

Once Ingrid started to walk toward the door, almost hurrying them out, Elliot laughed. "Okay, okay, we're going." He was teasing of course. Walking with her out of the school, his smile widened. "I thought we could ride the carriage and then I'll take you to the place where I think you'll have a great time."

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid felt a tiny little thrill run through her. Elliot was taking her on a date! Sharing her room with as many girls as she did, Ingrid had seen many girls getting ready for dates, trying to look just perfect. And she'd heard those same girls talking about their dates afterward, describing every little detail. She had never really thought that she would meet someone like Elliot, someone who didn't mind that she didn't talk, and would like being with her. She never thought she would go on a date. She hadn't expected it to happen, so she hadn't spent hours agonizing over her appearance. And even if she had known, she probably wouldn't have, anyway. Because this was Elliot, and he liked her just as she was. She didn't have to work to impress him.

She couldn't stop smiling as he led her outside to the carriages. Even the sight of the thestral--one of the only creatures that truly frightened her--didn't bother her today. She wondered briefly how he had arranged the carriage ride, but she figured he would tell her later. Or maybe not. Maybe she could just enjoy the mystery of it all.

[Elliot Lyons]

"I talked to Hagrid about this," he admitted as he helped Ingrid into the carriage. "So he agreed. I figured we would get there faster." Elliot smiled. Of course, they could have walked, but he was a little impatient for the moment.

The ride to Hogsmeade did seem to take a little longer, but then again that was just because of Elliot's impatience. For the first time, he was almost fidgety. Then he started to wonder if Ingrid would really like where he was taking her. However, he pushed that all aside, because Ingrid would like wherever he took her, he could see that on her face.

Arriving at Hogsmeade, he helped her out of the carriage and held onto her hand. "We just have a small ways to walk."

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid couldn't believe that he had gone to so much trouble for her. No one had ever done anything like that for her before, and it made her blush to think that Elliot thought she was worth so much effort.

During the ride, she leaned against his shoulder, just enjoying the feeling of being next to him and the steady beat of the thestral's hooves against the ground. At this point, it didn't even really matter where they went. Just the fact that he had thought to do this for her was special enough. Anything else would be icing on the cake.

When the carriage came to a stop, she reluctantly sat up and let him help her out of the carriage. She smiled and held his hand as they began to walk to where ever it was he was taking her.

[Elliot Lyons]

They were headed in the direction of the Botanical Garden. Elliot knew that Ingrid liked nature, and he thought that the Garden would be a perfect place to take her. It was usually a quiet place that held more flowers and other plants than Elliot could really name. Hopefully, she would like where he was taking her.

In all honesty, Elliot was a little nervous about their date. It was the first date that he had ever been on. So far it was going smoothly, but he hoped that it continued that way.

Arriving at the Botanical Garden, he led her inside. "Here we are," he said as soon as the plants came into view.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid's eyes lit up when she realized where they were. She had never been to the gardens before, but she knew they existed, and had always wanted to go there. And it was a beautiful day to be walking outside in the gardens. The sun was warm, but the air was still cool, which made it comfortable walking weather. And it seemed that all the plants were blooming to celebrate the start of spring.

The gardens held all kinds of plants, both magical and mundane, co-existing in harmony. Right at the entrance was a stunning display of different colored crocuses, including some rare rainbow-colored ones that Ingrid had read about in her Herbology book. Beyond them were daffodils, tulips, and some beautiful magical flowers. The effect was amazing, as though she had just come from a drab, gray world and into one blossoming with brilliant colors. It was like that movie she had watched with her dad when she was a little girl... the one with the horrible green witch...

She turned to Elliot, her eyes shining and her mouth curved up in a wide smile. Even if she could speak, she wouldn't have been able to do it right now. She was just stunned and so happy. She threw her arms around him, holding him close and kissing him on the lips.

[Elliot Lyons]

Instead of really looking at the flowers in the Garden, he was more concerned with Ingrid's thoughts of him bringing her here. Elliot watched her expressions and then he felt his worries disappear by the look on her face when she turned to him.

He put his arm around her waist and he smiled after he pulled away. "I'm glad you like it," he said. "I couldn't really think of any other place that would be in Hogsmeade that would be a good place to go other than for something to eat. The Gardens reminded me of you, so I figured that you'd like to come here." Elliot smiled and then rubbed the back of his neck.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid felt like she could spend forever here, just sitting among the flowers and watching the birds and the butterflies flutter among the colorful blooms. In fact, this was kind of what she imagined heaven to be like... beautiful, colorful, and tranquil, yet teeming with life. She liked to imagine her father roaming a place much like this, waiting for her to join him one day.

She couldn't contain the look of sheer joy on her face as she looked over at Elliot. He was perfect. He understood her like no one else had ever done. This had been the perfect place to take her, and there was no one else she would have rather been here with than him.

She slipped her hand into his and gave it a light tug. She wanted to see everything, to just drink in the colors, and maybe to find a pretty spot in the middle of it all where they could just sit and watch.

[Elliot Lyons]

The garden reminded Elliot a lot of Ingrid once he thought about it. On the outside, it was just plain, no hint of what was on the inside. Someone who had never been to the garden before would see nothing but a building there. They would know that something was in it, but they would be unsure of what exactly. They could guess what was on the inside, but they wouldn't really know until they opened the door.

Elliot opened the door with Ingrid. Just like in the garden, Ingrid was full of surprises. The garden was filled with different plants and all sorts of different colors. Ingrid was the same exact way, she was completely different on the inside. She was full of life and Elliot realized that. She was just mainly waiting on someone to come open the door that had been closed for so long.

Elliot smiled as Ingrid tugged on his hand and he recognized the eagerness on her face. "There are a few plants in here that like to snap at you. They're something like a Venus fly trap I believe but they're nice looking."

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid was still amazed that Elliot had managed to see beneath the surface. So many of her fellow students avoided Ingrid because she didn't talk. When she was younger, some of the other girls (mostly Slytherins) would make fun of her and call her names. But because she never responded or reacted, they eventually gave up. It wasn't fun to pick on someone who wouldn't fight back or cry or anything else. Now they all just walked farther away when they saw her coming, and Ingrid was aware of the whispered comments they often made.

Although she didn't let any of this get to her, she still never expected to find someone who would understand her so well. It was like there was a silent knowledge between them, like their souls communicated on a whole different level from other people.

Here in this garden, with him at her side, she felt like this was heaven. The only thing missing was her father, but in this beautiful setting, it didn't feel like he was missing at all. He was all around them. If she listened very carefully, she could hear his laughter in the breeze and see his smile in a sunbeam as it reflected off of a flower petal.

A soft humming sound caught her attention, and Ingrid squeezed Elliot's hand, pointing to a small hummingbird as it hovered above a blossom in a nearby magnolia tree, sipping from the nectar.

[Elliot Lyons]

His attention was drawn to the direction Ingrid was pointing. Hummingbirds were amazing little birds. They were so tiny, yet they could move so fast. There were times they liked to stop to have a moment, just like the one that Ingrid was pointing to.

"There are several things other than flowers in here. There are butterflies and bees in here too. They have all the really colorful butterflies in here." It was amazing how many different types of things could be in one place and live peacefully. Elliot wished that humans could do the same. There were a few places that could be an exception but he wished it could be for the entire world.

[Ingrid Regan]

That was the amazing thing about nature. Different types of plants and creatures lived in harmony, even benefiting each other in many ways. Yes, there were predators, like the spiders that trapped insects in their webs or the birds that snatched worms from the ground, but they didn't do these things out of maliciousness. They did it to survive, and because it was the natural order of things. Human beings hurt each other simply because they could. They could be cruel and full of hatred and violence. Her father had been taken from her by such a person, and people were dying all around them for seemingly no reason at all. Like the girl who had been just one year younger than Ingrid--Katie Lawrence. It just wasn't fair.

Ingrid's smile had faded as she thought about these things, but she leaned a little closer to Elliot as she continued to watch the hummingbird.