Closed Dinner Together

[Maria Madison]

Maria knew it wasn't her who should be feeling especially nervous about tonight's dinner, but the butterflies in her stomach showed no sign of heeding that wisdom. Given Charlie's secretive tendencies, she had considered it a serious sign a year or so ago when Charlie had mentioned a girlfriend, and she had paid quiet attention, frankly a little awestruck at how long this relationship was lasting. She hadn't had the opportunity to meet the girl yet, but anyone who could get past Charlie's walls for this long struck Maria as a good influence for the closed-off girl to have.

It had been a much bigger surprise when Charlie had told Maria that her girlfriend's father was inviting them over for dinner. After more than a year together, it seemed logical that the girls should meet one another's parents, and the fact that Phoebe's parents would be so thoughtful as to invite them over was a good sign. When Charlie had explained who Phoebe's mother was though, the evening had gone from a hopefully pleasant dinner to something a bit more nerve-wracking. Though Maria had seen Charlie and Phoebe together while chaperoning school dances, she had never put the pieces together that this was one of the Minister's daughters. Dinner with the Minister of Magic was an intimidating prospect, even if the subject was something as casual as their children dating. Maria had voted for the woman, but only barely, and if they had been meeting under different circumstances, she would have had definite questions for Mrs. Holland. It wouldn't be appropriate to raise those concerns in this setting though, and as Maria reached out and knocked on the door in front of them, she tried to push aside her worries. Mrs. Holland's job had nothing to do with tonight, and she knew she should simply see it as a meeting of families, and focus on getting to know Charlie's girlfriend and her family. Stepping back after she knocked, Maria glanced at Charlie, smiling fondly at the girl nervously fussing with her hair. "You look lovely." She reassured Charlie gently. "This will be fine."

 

[Charlie Madison]

Charlie didn't think it would be possible for anyone to plan an event that would make her more uncomfortable than this one. Mum meeting her girlfriend was a terrifying prospect. Meeting her girlfriend's parents was a terrifying prospect. Both of those things happening at the same time was doubly terrifying, and only amplified by the fact that her girlfriend's mother was the Minister of Magic. Charlie's experience with the government had been largely unpleasant in the past, though that had been in Australia, dealing with social workers struggling to figure out what to do with her. She didn't know what a Minister would be like, other than probably pretty serious.

The fact that Charlie had agreed to this, had gone ahead and told her mum, had dressed up nicely and showed up on time without backing down really spoke to her. She was in love, really deeply in love with Phoebe, and she wanted the Ravenclaw to be in her life for a long, long time. And Charlie was willing to step up to things that scared her to try and make that happen. So she stood by as Mum knocked, fussing with the unruly curls of her hair in a failed attempt to make them look neat. She wanted to be presentable, and likeable, and so many things she had never wanted to be before. Anything, to help Phoebe's family accept her. When Mum spoke she glanced up and sighed, lowering her hands sheepishly. No matter what was going on, at least Mum was always able to help her feel calm, find her center. "Thanks." She mumbled, waiting for the door to open.

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe wasn't sure how she had gotten into this situation. One moment she was simply telling her family very casually that she had a girlfriend, the next they had arranged to meet her and her mother over dinner. Phoebe's family was so embarrassing sometimes, and while she liked that they were invested in her life, this felt a bit too much. But it was too late to back out now, and Phoebe had even dressed up a little. It was a dress she had worn to the yule ball last year, but she thought it would fit for this occasion too. It'd have to, she didn't have a ton of dresses. Phoebe had been restless as she waited for Charlie and her mum to arrive, pacing up and down in the living room. She ignored Diana's comments about it, waving her away dismissively. She had more important things on her mind than her little sister. Like, what if it all went wrong? What if Charlie's mum hated her? What if her own mother being the minister now made all of this weird?

Soon there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it!" Phoebe shouted, making a beeline for the door before either Alice or Diana could. Both of her little sisters were so nosy, and she knew they would have loved to welcome Charlie in while bombarding her with questions. But it wasn't until she opened the door, that Phoebe remembered Charlie was with her mother, who she was meeting now immediately. Phoebe smiled at Charlie first, then looked to the woman by her side. She looked familiar as Phoebe had seen her at Hogwarts before, but she didn't think they had ever spoken. "Hello! Welcome!" She said, her voice sounding unnatural to her own ears. "Please come in. Hi Charlie, you look cute." She added, a small smile on her face. She did look cute, and it deserved to be said even with a parent present. "Come in, I think dad's nearly done with dinner." She hadn't heard her mum come home yet, but knew she would be there soon. She had promised. "Oh! And it's nice to meet you." She added to Charlie's mum, giving her her best polite smile.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice hadn't been able to stop giggling at the idea of Phoebe's girlfriend coming over for dinner. Phoebe was clearly not very pleased, and that only made Alice more giddy about the whole thing. She was excited to meet Charlie's mum, and to see Charlie again. It was a shame Emily wasn't coming, but Alice had promised her friend a detailed account of the evening. When the doorbell rang, Alice wasn't far behind Phoebe on the way to the door. She peeked out from behind her older sister, waving at the two in the doorway. "Hi! I'll go tell dad you're here!" She said cheerfully, before she dashed off to the kitchen. "Dad! They're here!"

 

[James Holland]

Tonight was a night James couldn't quite believe had come. It still shocked him every time he saw them how old his daughters had gotten, and tonight was a true testament to that. He knew that at least most of the girls were likely dating by now, whether they told him all the details of their school lives or not, but this was the first time any of his daughters was bringing a date home to meet the family. And it was especially surprising that it was Phoebe's girlfriend who would be joining them. Though she shared her rebellious streak with his own sister, Phoebe had always reminded James the most of himself as an inquisitive youth out of any of his daughters. He had always sort of assumed Phoebe was far more interested in her studies than her romantic life, and he was eager to discover what kind of person she felt so seriously about that she had told the family.

It reminded James a little bit of his own youth, as well. The days he and Claudia had shared as school sweethearts were still some of his favourite memories, and James quietly hoped that whoever had been special enough to capture Phoebe's heart would also be special enough to make it last. He was eager to make a good impression on the girl and her mother tonight, as well as enjoying getting to see his own wife, whose busy schedule was something James was still adjusting to. He was so distracted in the kitchen, preparing a meal for the evening, that he didn't even hear the door at first. It was only when Alice called out that James realised now was the time. It worried him a little that Claudia hadn't made it home yet, but that was no reason to be a bad host. Setting his sauce to stir itself with a flick of his wand, James made his way out of the kitchen, apron still tied around him as he came over to the front door, smiling warmly at the pair who had arrived. James wouldn't have picked them as mother and daughter at first sight, but he had picked enough details out of Phoebe to know who he was addressing at least. "Hi, you must be Charlie and Maria, it's so good to meet you! Dinner won't be long at all, and Claudia should be back any minute. Come on in, please, make yourselves comfortable." He smiled warmly, extending a hand for the woman to shake.

 

[Maria Madison]

As soon as the door opened, Maria felt a little silly about the nervous part of her that had half expected to see the Minister of Magic standing right there. Instead there was a girl who Maria recognised at once... though she had made a point never to meddle, it was hard not to be curious about who her daughters were dancing with at school events Maria chaperoned. She smiled at the girl's obvious enthusiasm to see Charlie - Maria didn't think she remembered her daughter ever being so close with anyone but her siblings before. That was a definite good sign about this relationship. She returned Phoebe's smile, stepping into the house when invited. "Thank you, you must be Phoebe, it's very nice to meet you." She said warmly. "I've heard lovely things about you from Charlie." That was only a partial truth - Charlie could hardly be considered descriptive when it came to her life. The fact that Maria had heard of Phoebe at all was certainly a good sign though, and Maria was more than willing to take that.

Maria smiled warmly when a younger sister appeared, and ran off at once. Maria knew from the election coverage that the Minister had as many children as she did herself, and wondered how many of them she would be meeting tonight. Emily, ever the opposite of her sister, had told Maria plenty about being friends with one of the Minister's daughters, and Maria wondered if that was the one they had seen tonight. Her thoughts were interrupted though, by the arrival of another familiar face, a man she recognised from the papers as the Minister's husband. "Hi! Maria Madison." She introduced herself with a smile, shaking the man's hand firmly when offered. "It's very nice to meet you, thank you for the invitation. This was a lovely idea." She said sincerely, relaxing slightly at the mention that Mrs. Holland wasn't home yet.

 

[Charlie Madison]

The sound of the door opening sent Charlie's heart rate through the roof, but as soon as it opened she felt a wave of calm hit her, unable to help grinning at the sight of her girlfriend. She recognised the dress Phoebe was wearing from one of their dates last year, and she looked just as nice now as she had then. She couldn't help a small giggle at the formal tone Phoebe used with Mum, and was relieved to see she wasn't the only one nervous about making a good impression tonight. She grinned when Phoebe complimented her, blushing hotly as she replied, "You look pretty too." She said quickly in an undertone, completely embarrassed at Mum seeing her like this. The smile was washed off her face quickly by the arrival of Phoebe's dad, Charlie instantly standing up straighter out of nerves. She had to fight her every urge to slouch and hide and avoid, making a good impression on this man was the most important task ahead of her right now. She was relieved when Mum took the lead on the conversation, simply sticking close to Phoebe as she followed Mum into the house.

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe was glad Alice was at least making herself useful if she was going to be nosy. But when her dad came out of the kitchen still waring an apron, Phoebe nearly hid her face in her hands. Why didn't parents understand those sort of things were embarrassing? He looked silly. "Mum's not back yet?" Phoebe asked as her dad mentioned she could be back any minute. It wasn't like her to ask questions to which she already knew the answer, but she hadn't been able to help it. The whole thing was making her nervous, and her mother arriving halfway through the meal definitely wouldn't make her feel more at ease. She glanced at Charlie as their parents shook hands, wondering if she found it as odd as she did. She walked next to Charlie as they headed into the house, and tuned out her dad showing the Madison's around a bit. "You okay?" She asked in a soft voice. She didn't quite dare to grab her hand, but bumped her own hand against Charlie's gently instead.

 

[Claudia Holland]

It wasn't like Claudia to be late on an important day, but her work wouldn't always permit her to leave whenever she wanted. Truthfully, she had half forgotten about the family dinner by the time she left work, as many other urgent things had appeared that day to take up space in her mind. It wasn't until she was on her way home that she remembered why she had been planning to get home early, and she quickened her pace to the fireplace to get home. Meeting Phoebe's girlfriend and her mother was definitely a milestone, and she hoped she hadn't ruined anything already by turning up a little later. She arrived at home and dusted off her robes. She wished she had time to change out of them, but could hear voices in the dining room and knew the guests were already here. Her Ministry robes would have to do for now. Claudia had a smile on her face as she entered the room where the guests were, as well as her husband and two of her daughters. She shot James an apologetic look and quickly gave Alice a kiss on the top of her head, then she addressed Ms. Madison politely. "I apologize for being late, a meeting went on longer than expected." She told the woman, extending her hand. "It's lovely to meet you, I'm Claudia Holland." While it was unlikely the woman didn't know her name, Claudia felt it was important to introduce herself. She wasn't here as minister, but as a fellow mother. She then turned to the daughter, noticing how close the girl was standing to Phoebe. She extended a hand to her as well. "It's nice to meet you as well, Charlie. Phoebe has talked a lot about you." She shot her daughter a slight teasing smile. "Almost constantly, actually." She added.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria tried not to be shocked by the sound of the floo, but it still sent her nerves through the roof. The minister was here, no doubt, and though they were only meeting as parents, it was still difficult not to feel as though there were some invisible set of decorum rules she should be following. She smiled quickly when the woman entered the room, recognising her at once from the debate she had attended. "No, it's quite alright, I'm sure it was important." Maria smiled, reaching out to shake the woman's extended hand. "It's nice to meet you too Claudia, I'm Maria Madison." She smiled, then stepped back as Claudia addressed Charlie. Maria worried a bit for Charlie in situations like this, knowing her daughter didn't have the easiest relationship with authority figures, but she watched quietly, letting Charlie choose how to handle herself.

 

[Charlie Madison]

This was all overwhelming for Charlie. She stayed quiet throughout the house tour, sticking close to Phoebe. It was some comfort at least, being close to her girlfriend in such a stressful situation, and it was a relief that Charlie could tell she wasn't the only one nervous about tonight. She nodded slightly when Phoebe asked if she was okay, standing a bit closer. "This is weird..." Charlie mumbled, not wanting to speak too loudly or too much. The amount of attention on the two of them was Charlie's nightmare, and she didn't want to make anything worse.

That fear only heightened when Phoebe's mother arrived. Charlie knew she had never met anyone so important in her whole life, both in terms of her career, and her influence on Charlie's relationship. This had to go perfectly, and Charlie knew she was going to mess it up. Knew it for a fact. She watched Mum greet the woman, making it look so effortless and easy to be so charming. Charlie didn't know when grownups learned how to just talk to people without worrying, but she didn't know if she was ever going to learn that herself. And then the minister was approaching her, and Charlie felt all the blood drain from her. She barely heard what Phoebe's mum was saying, heart thumping in her ears, but she managed to weakly shake the woman's hand, mumbling out something that she thought was along the lines of, "It's nice to meet you too."

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe had to agree with Charlie when she said this was weird. As happy as she was to make things more official between her and Charlie, she definitely couldn't wait until the awkwardness was over. It felt like everyone was uneasy, including the adults. Maybe especially the adults. Phoebe was glad her mother had been on time, but immediately wished she had been late when she started teasing Phoebe. "Mum." She complained, frowning at her as she blushed. Did she really have to make her sound like she was completely crazy over Charlie? She was, but there was no reason to let them know that like this. Phoebe watched as Charlie's mum and then charlie introduced themselves to her mother, and wondered if they would be more at ease if her mother hadn't been the minister. Charlie especially looked nervous and pale, and Phoebe wished things would be a bit smoother. "Is it time for food yet?" She asked, hopefully glancing at her dad. At least eating would give them all something to do.