Time For a Change

Anthony felt his shoulder blades rising and falling in a nonchalant shrug when he heard her speaking. "That's the way to be." He agreed with a small half-smirk playing with his lips. "More like a double take." He corrected her with another wink, his smirk growing into a cocky grin without him being able to help it. He did have high self-esteem and a great deal of confidence, but the only difference with him was that he knew how to limit it. Of course he made egotistical remarks like the one he'd just made, but he said it all in play so that the person he was talking to would never think he was too full of himself. It was just the way he was.

He couldn't stop himself from the laughter that slipped past his ajar lips when he heard her muttered words. "Didn't ever think about that one." He said in an amused sort of way. Beautiful, intelligent, loved to eat and had a sense of humor? Slowly but surely she was showing him how wonderful she truly was, and he was beginning to be very glad that he hadn't been paying attention those few hours back, causing him to run into her.

He nodded when she repeated his words. "But of course, all of my father's recipes!" He said proudly, before promptly taking another bite of his cheesecake. "I know I'm lucky. But now you know this is here, and can come back any time." He said with a satisfied smile. He took a sip of his drink, halfway done with his cheesecake by now.

"You seem very sure that it was a double take," Elizabeth teased. It was of course, the man was very good looking! How could it not be! Of course it was more than that, mainly the fact that his company just made her feel like she'd known him her entire life instead of a day.

Noticing his laughter, she realized that he'd heard her muttered words. She chuckled at them as well. They were funny now that she could hear them inside her head. Anthony's laughter was just another point in his favor. Attractive, intelligent, loved to laugh/prank, and knew where to get excellent food? Never before had she been thankful that she'd run into someone.

"Well now you have," she pointed out still chuckling. She took another bite of her cheesecake, noticing for the first time that she was about halfway done. Merlin, how was that possible?

"Your father is an excellent chef," she told him. "And I might do just that." she promised. How could she stay away?

Anthony once more shrugged his shoulders casually, a sort of lazy half-grin devoting itself to his features. "I'm sure of a lot of things." He replied, not at all minding her teasing. It was amazing how quick he'd taken to her, and just how well they got along. To him, they were acting as if they'd known each other ages instead of just a night. He could only imagine how it would be if they spent a few more nights together like this one. Wait, what? Seemed as if his mind had already been made up of what he wanted to do, and he hadn't even been aware of it until now. Well, that decision was fine by him, he decided.

"Yes, now I have." He replied in agreement. "If I use it sometime, I'll be sure to give you credit." He said in his joking tone, taking another bite of his dessert. He wished that it would just continue to multiply itself so that it would never be finished. While he realized he could have it whenever he wanted by just asking his father, it was just something about the delicious, creaminess of it that made him want to continue eating without a pause.. even after all these years, he'd never quite gotten over the shock of how amazingly good it was. Talented, his father was. "Thank you." He replied with another proud grin when his father was mentioned. "Maybe if you meet him sometime you can tell him yourself."

The suggestion was a subtle one, because he wanted to see how she'd react to the idea of having to be around him again in the future. Testing the waters before venturing out, that was what he was doing. Nothing wrong with that, right? "Good, something for me to look forward to." He said with a wink. The fun of flirting.

"Well, being sure of things never hurt anyone," Elizabeth said with a smile. Her mind, while not enraptured in the cheesecake, was saying that it was sure that Anthony was a very nice man who she wouldn't mind the company of again...

Huh? Somehow her mind had itself wrapped up in the idea that they might be able to see each other again. How? He was an Auror and she taught History of Magic up at Hogwarts. Their schedules were completely jumbled.

"Why thank you kind sir," she said back in the same manner. When he said that if she ever saw his father she could tell him the praise she'd passed along, her cheeks found their subtle flush that had been on them when they first met but she said with a smile, "I hope to get the chance."

"And what makes you so sure I'd come back for you?" she pondered teasing him. "This cheesecake for one is certainly comeback worthy."

"This is true." He replied with a slight nod to her words. "Until you're wrong, then it hurts." He added with a chuckle, because he unfortunately knew the consequences of that. Of course there was nothing wrong with being sure of yourself, just as long as you're ready to look idiotic if the chance that you're wrong ever presents itself.

He hadn't exactly figured out yet how he was supposed to see Elizabeth again, considering he clearly wanted to. Being an Auror and working at the Ministry sort of clashed with her schedule of being a Professor at Hogwarts. He was sure they could find some common ground though.. shaking the thoughts from his head, he decided to worry about that when the time came. Even if it was soon, which he could see it was probably going to be.

"Not a problem, madam." He replied with a smirk, but soon after he noticed the subtle flush that he quickly found out he liked was back in place. The smirk developed into a grin, and he had to hold back a comment about how cute he thought it was. Not wanting to be weird, he successfully managed to keep his thoughts to himself. Hearing her say she hoped to get a chance.. well, that gave him the answer he needed.

"Why wouldn't you come back for me?" He replied easily, giving her a slight smirk in the process. "You can come back for more than one thing, you know." He added, taking one of the last bites of his cheesecake. Time seemed to be running out.. he'd better make his decision quick.

"True, being wrong makes you feel horrible," Elizabeth agreed. But where was the fun in living safely? If anything could be learned from reading former pranksters' mottos, it's that you've only one life to live. Why not live it doing something you enjoy?

Her mind was still trying to figure out how she could see him again with their schedules. It was still winter after all. Next break wouldn't be until Easter, if that.

She chuckled a little when he replied to her in the same manner to which she had replied to him.

"You're right of course," she nodded when he said that one could come back for more than one thing. "I think I'll be looking forward to enjoying your company again," she said. "If I can avoid knocking you over."

She chuckled at her tease to herself as she took one of the remaining few bites of her dessert. Merlin, she did not want to leave.

There really was no fun in living safely, if it was actually thought about. What was life with no risks? Boring, that was what. If life wasn't lived to the fullest every day, if days weren't treated like they were someone's last, how could that be called a life at all? Anthony knew how he planned on living his life, and he'd been doing it since about age fourteen. He learned to stop caring about what others thought about him, and became so confident and so sure of himself, that it was almost impossible to kick him down. He did what he wanted as he pleased, and even if a challenge was presented, he would stop at nothing until he accomplished it. He had this sort of ambition and love for life that he wished more people would have. After all, finding someone with a similar outlook as himself just made it that much more fun.

"I know I'm right." He said teasingly, but he hadn't been expecting her to come outright and say what she did next. He paused, knowing that if he had been easily embarrassed he might have even blushed slightly, but he settled for giving her a dazzling grin. "Knock me over, step on me, I really don't care if it means seeing you again." He said with a wink, not caring if it sounded too serious for them having only spent a night in each other's company. No other way around it.

He decided now was a good time as ever to propose his idea, considering they were both finished and the waitress was coming over to take the dishes away. "So.. I was just wondering.." He began, knowing she probably had a good idea of where this was going. "If you'd be interested in going out again with me sometime?" Asking her out wasn't hard for him, not in the least. He had an easy going smile on his face the entire time, though curious as to see what her reaction would be to asking her out on a date, basically. Hm..

Elizabeth shook her head good naturedly at his teasing. He was a man to which she could easily get along with.

She flushed a little, the same flush that had graced her cheeks so many times before, but yet smiled back at him when he said that he didn't care what she did as long as he got to see her again. She didn't even realize how serious that sounded for two people who had just met each other.

She had not been expecting the offer of a date, but the idea pleased her. A pleased yet surprised smile graced her lips and she said "I'd be very interested in going out with you again."

Inwardly, she was slightly freaking. She hadn't been on a date since her fifth year at Hogwarts for Merlin's sake! But that pleased smile stayed on her face without prompting. She was a little flattered also.

Anthony saw the surprised, yet pleased smile that appeared on her face, and in that moment he knew that the probability of his question being rejected was close to no chance. Her answer just caused him to grin at her in response, relief immediately flooding throughout his entire body. Even though he was no stranger to asking women out, and having his offers accepted more often then not, it still felt great hearing it happen again. "Great." He found himself saying, not bothering to hide his enthusiasm at her positive answer.

He glanced up just as the bill was dropped on their table, and he glanced at it before letting his attention return back to her. "I suppose this is our ticket to leave." He said with a chuckle, picking up the check in his hand casually before standing, wandering over to her side of the table as he graciously waited for her to join him in the walk back to the entrance. He didn't want to seem like he was in a rush, because he wasn't at all. He just didn't want to be keeping her from anything she had to do, and besides.. now he had a well.. date to look forward to with her. Fun.

Smiling back at him when she saw how happy he was that she had accepted his offer of a date, she nodded as he mentioned the bill.

"I guess it is," she said back with a smile. Getting up as he walked over to her side, she found herself hoping that they would do something after this. Granted, they still had that date to look forward too not to mention the Quidditch game in which she would whip his arse in!

Anthony found himself nodding in her direction slightly when she rose, and he casually began walking toward the entrance. Once he got to the front he casually dished out the galleons to pay their bill to his sister. Leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek, he said his farewells before turning back to Elizabeth. Wandering toward the door he pushed it open, letting himself back out into the cool atmosphere.

Waiting until she appeared next to him, he turned to her with an almost expectant sort of look. Now what was he supposed to do? Say goodbye, or perhaps suggest something else.. "Anywhere I can walk you to?" He realized how idiotic he must have sounded, yet for some reason he didn't wish to say goodbye to her just yet.

Bidding his sister farewell, Elizabeth joined him on the street. One did notice the cool temperature once out of the heated building.

"Not really," she said when he asked if there was anywhere he could walk her to. "Though if there's somewhere you want to go, I'd be happy to join you."

After all, there was only paperwork waiting for her back at Hogwarts. That and lesson plans. While she loved being a teacher, she did think the paper work was a bit annoying at the best of times.

He frowned slightly when he heard her answer, but didn't let the situation plaque his mood for very long. He shook his head a bit when she spoke once more. "I don't really have anyplace else I need to go.. but. I can certainly think of something." He said with a chuckle and a slight shrug of his shoulders.

He'd never been fantastic with thinking about activities that could be done on a spur of the moment, but he was getting better. Although he knew he had to be getting back soon, because unfortunately, a few work related things were already calling to him. They'd been ditched before, but now they were coming back to haunt him. Not that he minded, because he was pretty decently skilled in the rt of ignoring.

Besides, the idea of spending more time with Elizabeth was 100 times more appealing then that any day, no matter how much he loved his job. Unfortunately, it seemed as if that was where he was going to be returning to though if he didn't end up thinking fast. Hm..

"Well..." Elizabeth said thinking hard. She'd seen his disappointed look and wanted to rectify that. "We always find a place to get some flying in. You know, to practice for that game we've got coming up. Unless you just want to give in now?" she teased.

Seriously though, she would most defiantly spend time with Anthony than pick up another quill. She loved her job, especially the fact that there would be no changing colors if a product went awry, but Anthony was a human to interact with. Not that she didn't get that in her job or anything but it was nice.

"Or we could just walk," she smiled somewhat flirtatiously. "Nothing wrong with that."

Anthony noticed by the look on her face that she was thinking rather hard, and he felt somewhat bad about not being able to think of anything even remotely interesting for them to do. Hearing her suggestion he couldn't help but crack a grin. "So you can see what I can do so early on? I don't think so." He teased, all in play of course. "Besides, I never give in." He replied with a confident look sketched across his face.

He offered her a slight smirk when he caught her flirtatious tone, suggesting that they could just walk. After a moment or two of debating, he finally shrugged in indifference. "Sounds good to me." He replied, and moments later took a few steps forward in a random direction. "Now, what shall we talk about?" He said with a small grin. Still so much to learn, if only he could think of things to possibly ask..

"Worried that you might lose?" Elizabeth pondered playfully teasing him. While she was pretty good at Chaser, she still didn't know who would form her team. "There's a first time for everything," she said when he told her that he never gave in.

Walking in a random direction, Elizabeth wondered what on Earth they could possibly talk about. It seemed as if they had exhausted all form of communication back at the restaurant.

"Hmm, what's your favorite animal?" she asked knowing how lame that question sounded. It was the best she could think of though so it would have to do.

Anthony's brow arched slightly, an amused look settling across his face once he heard her words. "No, not at all." He replied with a smirk, watching her in amusement. Of course, he still had to find other people who would he interested in playing on his team, but until then.. he nodded slightly in agreement to her words. "That there is.. but there won't be a first time for me giving in.. not for a long, long time." He said with a grin, but he meant that. It just wasn't acceptable to give in to something he hadn't even tried yet.

He paused once he heard her question, and he considered it before shrugging vaguely. "I would have to say.. a lion. Brave and proud." He said with a chuckle. Glancing toward her, he decided it would only be polite to reverse the question. And while he waited for her to answer, he could hopefully think of other things to talk about. He still had their date to look forward to as well..

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "Snowy Owls," she told him. "Majestic, loyal, cunning as they use their white coloring to hide in the snow and smart. A living Hogwarts if you will."

That was lame Elizabeth! she thought to her self. Her cousin Fred would not be proud. Neither would Great Uncle George.

"Favorite Quidditch team?" she asked. If he said Cannons, she'd laugh. Only her Great-Uncle Ron and her Dad supported the Cannons.