An Outing

[Katalina Harker]

Kat had gotten up a little bit earlier today. Today was the day that she and Sumner were supposed to go to Brightstone together. She was shaking from head to toe with nerves and excitement. She had spent hours the night before fretting over what she was going to wear which was not within her norm. Kat hurried down use the prefects bathroom to get ready for her day out. She had actually put on make-up and fixed her hair so that it wasn't pulled back into her usual ponytail. All giggles was the only way to describe her mood today. She was absolutely floating on cloud nine.

Waiting at the courtyard just outside the front doors of the castle with everyone else Kat kept looking around anxiously, desperately hoping that he hadn't changed his mind.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner resisted the urge to run his hand through his hair again. He didn't want to show up looking like some puffed up rooster. He'd paired some jeans with a tee shirt and a blazer. His chucks were scuffed up, ones he'd bought with his own money since his mum tried to force dress shoes on him. His eyes roved over the crowd gathered and suddenly he spotted her.

His heart leaped and he loped over to join her. "Hey,"he smiled, his eyes crinkling. He thought she looked really pretty with her hair down.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Hi!" she said with a bright smile. Kat looked him over. He of course looked extremely cute, but he wasn't your average everyday cute like Bruin, Chace, and the other guys at this school...this was a different kind of cute and she was fascinated by it. Sumner held her attention in a way that no one else ever had. "So, umm anywhere specific you want to visit today?" she asked, not really caring where they went just as long as they had some time to hang out and get to know each other.

 

[Sumner Drage]

He shrugged a shoulder, his hands in his pockets. "I have to stop by Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes to get something for my younger brother," he grinned. "Other than that, ladies choice,"he winked. He thought he would feel nervous or stumbly around her this morning but he didn't. He felt excitement churning his blood in his veins.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Weasley's huh? Might have to see what they have in there for my little sister as well." she said with a crooked grin. Kat was excited about today, but as always her nerves got the better of her so when he winked at her it sent her into a short bout of nervous giggles. "So...quidditch and reading! What else does the mysterious new transfer student like to do in his spare time?" she asked curiously. For some reason she wanted to find out as much about him as possible.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner chuckled and liked their steady unhurried pace. Kat was easy company although he thought his gut was going to burst from all the damned butterflies pile driving each other in there. He hummed slightly for a second then began thoughtfully, "I like to play guitar a little. My mum made us take piano and violin lessons." He slanted a glance at her, humor on his face. "Took up guitar because she thinks it's inappropriate."

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Musical talent. I'm impressed! Maybe you could play for me sometime!" she said with a bright smile. "Mum made me and Serena take piano lessons, but that didn't last too long. Then there was the dreaded ballet lessons...not such a good idea for the uncoordinated!" Kat laughed remembering the numerous amounts of sprained ankles she had endured over the six months that she took dance. It was disastrous. "So what is your favorite professional quidditch team?" she asked curiously, wondering if they would have any rivalry as far as their favorite sport went.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner rubbed his nose before putting his hand back in his pocket. "We escaped ballet thankfully," he laughed. His laugh was quirky. "By the skin of our teeth. Dad found the enrollment papers and tossed them in the fire. He earned my undying loyalty that day." He liked listening to her talk about herself. When she asked about Quidditch his eyes lit up. "Hands down it'd have to be Falmouth Falcons! You?"

 

[Katalina Harker]

"I don't think we can be friends then. Chudley Cannons all the way!" Kat said as she crinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out slightly at him. "They are brutal on the pitch though which I guess gives them a bit of an edge. You think you might like to play professional quidditch once you get done here? Or have you even thought about what you want to do?" she asked, wondering what his goals and ambitions were. She was having a nice time being around him...his company was nice.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner fell into a relaxed state as only talking about Quidditch could do. He scoffed laughingly, "Yeah right! Falcons would eat the Cannons alive." He playfully nudged her shoulder with his. "But if it'll get me your friendship I could admit to having one of their posters," he said slyly. "Professional Quidditch," he mused. "Yeah I rather would, for a few years at least. I'd like to go into law or police work as a career though. What about you Kat," he grinned.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"What a coincidence I have happen to have one of their posters in my dorm!" she said jokingly with a cheesy grin. "Well if you play then I'll come see your games...even if you do play for the stinky ole Falcons!" Kat said with a wink and a smile. Bring around Sumner was easy and made her just about down right giddy. She thought for a second and added, "Police work? You mean like an auror? That's pretty intense stuff! I have a few ideas of what I might like to do, but my main goal is to teach Herbology. I absolutely love that class, but if that doesn't happen then maybe a job as a healer would be just as nice. That's what my mum does!"

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner glanced down at her hands then back up. "Herbology is interesting," he said with a lopsided grin, although he couldn't see himself in such a profession. "Your mum's a healer? She must be a smart woman." He couldn't imagine his mum ever working. The only thing she worked out was her wrist while drinking large amounts of sherry.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"It's definitely one of my best subjects. That and transfiguration." she said as they walked along, occasionally she'd stop to glance in the windows of a few of the shops. "Yah. She works at St. Mungo's and dad work for the Magical Creatures Regulation office. What does your family do?" she asked as they continued to walk through Brightstone Village, completely lost in their conversation.

 

[Sumner Drage]

"My dad's a politician," Sumner shrugged. "Mum doesn't work," he stated evenly. It wasn't a source of embarrassment nor did he ever hedge around his mum's 'condition'.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Like a muggle politician or does he work for the ministry?" Kat asked. She had heard that politicians were a little crooked in the muggle world and she knew that her father had some 'interesting' ideas of the ones that ran the wizarding world, but she kept that little thought to herself so as not to offend Sumner. "So you're mum stays at home raising your little brother? That's neat! My mum had to take some time from work a few years ago when my sister got spattergoit so that she could stay at home and take care of her." Kat thought back to when Serena had to leave school when she'd gotten sick. It had sucked majorly, but Rena was doing much better now though she hadn't been able to return to school.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner sighed. "Muggle. I wish he were a wizard and dabbled a bit. Maybe then he'd be a step above boring." And maybe mum would have a reason to stop getting blotto before noon every day. Like that would happen.

Sumner grimaced. "Ah poor kid. A mate back home had that once." He hunched his shoulders a bit. "My brother takes care of himself mostly. Mum's a drunk," he said matter of factly.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"I think it would be interesting. Knowing how muggle politics work and such, but I'm a bit boring like that at times," she said with a bit of a giggle as her face flushed at how extremely dumb that had sounded. "Mum's muggle born so you think I'd know a bit more about muggles than I do, but no such luck. The magical world has had me in it's grasp and I guess I honestly find it more fun than the muggle world." Kat didn't know if that had sounded snotty or not, but it was how she felt. She loved her muggle family just as much as she did her witch and wizard family, but fact of the matter was that she herself was a witch and she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

"Yeah it's a nasty little disease. Several students here have had it so I guess I'm lucky to have not come down with it too seeing as how Rena had it and she and I shared a room while she was here." she said feeling guilty yet relieved at the same time. Guilty that her sister had had to leave so soon after coming to Hogwarts, relieved in that she herself had not also had to leave. Kat's eyes went wide with shock when Sumner stated plainly that his mother was a lush. "I, urm, well, I...sorry. If I would have known then I wouldn't...sorry." She was mentally kicking herself in the butt for even bringing up the subject.

 

[Sumner Drage]

"I'm the same way." Sumner glanced at her through his lashes. They seemed to have more than a little in common. He really liked her. "After experiencing everything that magic has to offer, going back to the muggle world would be torture."

When Kat became flustered and started to stammer he stopped walking and took his hands from his pockets. He touched his fingertips to her cheek. "It's alright," he spoke in a lower tone. "It's not something I hide; it's just part of who she is." Her skin was soft to the touch. The pad of his thumb brushed her jaw before his hands resumed their place in his pockets.

 

[Katalina Harker]

A feeling like an electric current went throughout Kat's entire body when Sumner stroked her cheek. Little goose bumps pricked up all over her arms and down the back of her neck. Kat sucked in a sharp breath and closed her eyes, secretly hoping that he wouldn't have pulled his hand away so quickly. She was lightheaded and slightly enamored at the moment and had to take a second to catch her breath.

She looked up at him, the sunlight dancing in her blue eyes and a gentle pink tinge on her cheeks, and she smiled. Butterflies were really doing a number on her stomach so to try and distract herself she started walking again. They walked in silence for a fair bit when she noticed that most of the students were starting to head back towards the direction of the castle. She lightly grabbed his elbow and said, "You think we should follow them back up?" Kat didn't want this day to be over, but all good things must come to an end.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner watched the emotions play across Kat's face in fascination. She was beautiful. He was relieved yet oddly disappointed when they began walking again. For a split moment in time he could imagine pressing his lips to hers. He had never kissed anyone before. His arm tightened involunarily as her fingers gripped him. "Sure," he grinned.

 

[Katalina Harker]

They walked in silence back up to the castle, every now and then Kat taking a glance at him and then shyly turning back quickly. When they reached the school Kat stopped and looked back at Sumner. "I had a really nice time with you today. Umm, maybe we could talk again soon? After class one day maybe if you want to." Without giving him a chance to answer her immediately she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and then turned on her heel and ran up to Gryffindor house, her heart fluttering a million beats per minute.