is it cool if i hold your hand?

[GRACE WILLOW ANDERSON]

The dragon research and restraint bureau had been quite busy lately. It was all due to some idiot starting to breed and sell them and they were beginning to spread around Britain with some ease. Grace had been placed on the job along with some of the other team members which was taking up a lot of her time as of late. And yet in all that rush of work and trying to stop dragons on the black market, Grace had managed to land herself a date.

Nothing serious. Something rather casual. Ice cream during their lunch break. The date itself was not making her nervous. She was quite social and enjoyed spending time with people. It was who the date was with. Anthony Shacklebolt. A member of the Auror department. Son of Kingsley Shacklebolt. Absolutely stunning bloke. And yet those reason were not why she had agreed to meet up with him during her lunch break. Tony was a sweetheart and came across as a gentleman and that was what Grace liked about him.

She moved down Diagon Alley, weaving through the other witches and wizards about. Her dark green robes trailed behind her and the embroidered badge showed that she was part of the ministry. Eventually she managed to make it to Florean Fortescue’s. The shop was quiet and Grace looked around to see that Tony was there. Nope. Not yet. Grace fiddled with the end of her short blonde hair nervously. Surely he’d show up, right?

[ANTHONY EZRA SHACKLEBOLT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #7a9aa9; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Is it cool if I hold your hand? Honest, let's make///This night last forever///Forever and ever Tony opened the door to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour. He was meeting Grace Anderson, dragon research specialist, for ice cream during their lunch break. Tony and Grace had talked a few times, mostly in the hallways. After their second encounter, Tony knew he liked her. He was nervous, fidgety even, whenever they talked. After a few more awkward meetings, he asked her out. Surprisingly, she said yes. This was Tony’s first time dating someone inside of the work place. The Ministry didn’t say employees couldn’t date each other, they were welcome to do it. However, Tony was always worried about his father finding out about any girlfriends before he was really to tell his parents. He knew meetings any parents was never racking, but meeting The Minister? That just made it one hundred times worse. Grace was standing a few feet in front of the door, looking as beautiful as always, Tony smiled. Walking up behind her, he touched her shoulder lightly. “Fancy meeting you here,”

[/b]he joked.[/div][/left]

words: 175 --- tags: Gracie!

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[GRACE WILLOW ANDERSON]

Grace felt the touch on her shoulder and turned around quickly to see Tony standing there. She couldn’t help but laugh at what he had said, “I know. It’s such a coincidence.” she said, playing along. She felt some relief that he had actually turned up and so she wouldn’t have to quietly leave. Grace realised she was still playing with the ends of her hair and dropped her hand.

“Since we both happen to be here, did you want to get some ice cream?” Grace asked him. She gestured over to the counter that was displaying various different tubs of coloured ice creams. Grace glanced at Tony and could feel the heat in her cheeks that she could not get rid of. This had been one of the first dates she’d been on since having Harmony. Well, the first date she had had any interest in.

[ANTHONY EZRA SHACKLEBOLT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #7a9aa9; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Is it cool if I hold your hand? Honest, let's make///This night last forever///Forever and ever “Of course! What kind for you like? Call me boring, but I do love vanilla. I used to take my little brother and sister here, but then they got to busy to hang out with me. I can’t even remember the last time I was here. Do you come here often?”

[/b] Tony tended to ramble when he was nervous, and right now? He was rambling.

“So, what do you do in the dragon research and restraint bureau? I’d imagine it’s a very exciting department, fast paced and such?” [/b]Tony winced slightly as he absently mind-idly traced his most recent scar. The long scar, running elbow to shoulder, was mostly healed by now, but it was still slightly pink and gave him trouble sometimes. Tony was just waiting for the chance to cover it with another tattoo. He didn’t mind the smaller scars, but the large ones? The large ones drove Mum and Vi crazy, so he preferred to cover those.
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[GRACE WILLOW ANDERSON]

Grace couldn’t help but smile as Tony rambled on. It seemed that maybe he was just as nervous as she was, which calmed her down. “Vanilla is always good.” Grace said to his choice. Yes, slightly boring but definitely a classic. Somehow she could see vanilla suiting Tony.“I like the bubblegum.” It was a flavour that was confusing for the senses. Cold and creamy for ice cream and yet the strong bubblegum flavour made her mouth want to chew. When asked if she came here often Grace replied, “Every now and then.” She had popped in with Harmony but kept the visits rare as a three year old on sugar was very hard to handle.

The chat had moved onto work. “It can be. It’s rather busy at the moment. There’s a ring of people breeding dragons and selling them on. We’re trying to get a a hold of all of them but it’s harder than it looks. They are absolutely magnificent creatures though.” Grace told him. It was easy to see that she loved what she did. Dragons had fascinated her since she was young and to be working with them now was the cherry on the cake.

Her eye caught him tracing his scar on his arm. Without a thought she reached out and touched it gently. Does it hurt?” Grace’s eyes flicked up from the scar to his face. Her eyes full of concern. She hated anyone in pain. “I take it you got that from work?” She knew a few Aurors and they always seemed to have some new battle scar. It was a job they had chosen but she often wished they would try to be more careful.

[ANTHONY EZRA SHACKLEBOLT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #7a9aa9; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Is it cool if I hold your hand? Honest, let's make///This night last forever///Forever and ever “I remember one time, I believe I was fourteen at the time, I brought my little sister and brother here. They were seven and five at the time at the time. My mum was getting some bits and bobs, and I was in charge. I was supposed get lunch started, but Logan begged for ice cream. I folded, and brought them here. I thought my mum was going to kill me. Logan and Vi were bouncing off the walls for hours.”

[/b] Tony paid for the ice cream, and gestured towards a table.

“I love dragons. If I could, I would love to work with them. But, alas, I love being an Auror far to much,” [/b] Tony took a bite of his ice cream. Vanilla, in a waffle bowl. An oldie, but a goodie. “Yeah, it’s from work. My idiot old partner, he froze up. It doesn’t hurt that much anymore. It took almost sixty stitches to close. Tattoos are worse, and I’ve got two of them. I’ve had worse,” [/b] Tony shrugged.

“So, tell me more about you! I’m trying to remember you from Hogwarts, but I don’t remember you. What house were you in?”[/b] Tony tried to picture the children in his grade, they were all twenty four now. Several of them had children, or were working.
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[GRACE WILLOW ANDERSON]

Grace listened to him intently. She thought it was cute how close he was with his siblings. ”I hate being an only child at times.” Grace said to him. Growing up she had felt lonely, apart from her father and mother doting on her. Of course now her hands were full with Harmony but she wasn’t sure whether to tell Tony about her daughter yet. After all they had only started talking properly now and she didn’t want him to think she was some sort of useless girl who had opened her legs and ended up with a child. Grace cared deeply about what people thought of her.

She followed him to a table and sat herself down. “Thank you.” she said to him, for buying the ice cream. A small tub of bright blue bubblegum ice cream. She stuck the spoon in and took a bite. “You should drop by the department at some point and I’ll introduce you to the few we have down there.” Grace told him. They had a few dragons always passing through the department before they were given to proper handlers.

“Sixty stitches?” Grace asked, her eyes widening slightly. She looked at him before asking, “What tattoos do you have, if you don’t mind me asking?” Grace was interested in what people chose to ink their bodies with. She was toying with the idea of having one done but her pain threshold was not high. Labour had taught her that.

When Tony asked about her she bit her lip and said, “I was a Gryffindor. I kept to myself by the last year. You’d already graduated by then.” Charlize said to him. She vaguely remembered Anthony from school but never really spoke to him because of the gap in their years. There was never really a need to speak to anyone in the years above her. And for that matter, the years below so it was no wonder why he didn’t really remember her.

[ANTHONY EZRA SHACKLEBOLT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #7a9aa9; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Is it cool if I hold your hand? Honest, let's make///This night last forever///Forever and ever “Sometimes I wished I was an only child. But, at end of the day, I love my siblings. My sister, Vi, is probably one of my best friends. We write letters daily, and sometimes I go visit her at school,” Tony said, thinking of the letter that he would write when he got home. Vi would be waiting to hear how the date went. “Oh, really? That’d be so cool! When I was about six or seven, I used to beg my dad to take to meet dragons. He would say ‘I’m not going to abuse my power as Minister to take you to see dragons’, and I’d sulk for days!”

[/b]Tony smiled at the memory. Like any boy, he was in love with dragons. He had considered working with dragons, but he ended up following in Dad’s footsteps.

“I have two so far. I’ve got the Whomping Willow on my rib cage, and a king’s crown on my shoulder. When I got them, Mum freaked out. I think she cried for days.” [/b] Tony rolled his eyes, remembering Mum’s reaction to his first tattoo. “Sorry, I’m talking about myself, and my family alot. What is your family like? You said you’re an only child?”[/div][/left]

words: 208 --- tags: Gracie!

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[GRACE WILLOW ANDERSON]

“No seriously you don’t. It’s so boring and lonely.” Grace told him when he said he sometimes wished he was an only child. She couldn’t help but smile, “It’s sweet that you’re close to your sister. What about your brother?” Gracie asked him curiously. It got her thinking about whether she would ever want to go through the pain again for Harmony to have a sibling. Perhaps in time she would find someone and feel happy enough to try again.

She couldn’t help but laugh thinking of Tony sulking. “Aww. Well I have no problems showing you the dragon and we’ll just keep it a secret from your Dad.” she teased. His Dad was a good leader though. Her own father had been happy when Kinglsey came into power and things had been much better in the wizarding world from what it once had been as far as she knew.

“You’ll have to show me those tattoo’s at some point.” Grace said to him taking another bit of her ice cream. It was cold and made her mouth feel numb and he soon asked about her family. It took Grace a moment to fully decide she would keep her daughter to herself, partially because she didn’t want him to run and partially because she didn’t want to share her daughter with anyone. “My Dad works at the ministry. He’s part of the courts. And my Mum gave up work to look after me when I was born. She’s never gone back. I was kind of spoiled when I was little. They’ve looked after me through everything and I love them to pieces.” There was a smile on her face as she spoke about her parents. They were her heros.

[ANTHONY EZRA SHACKLEBOLT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #7a9aa9; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Is it cool if I hold your hand? Honest, let's make///This night last forever///Forever and ever “My brother, Logan, is a bit of a punk. He thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips. He’s cocky, and rude. I’m nine years older than him, so we’ve never had anything in common. We never really bonded, he was two years old when I left for Hogwarts. Logan is what you would call the black sheep of the family,” Tony shook his head. Logan didn’t seem to care, he didn’t try with his school work, he didn’t try with his relationships and Tony didn’t care. Tony and Logan had never, ever, been close. They never played together, they never exchanged letters. Tony could remember his first year at Hogwarts, Vi was four at the time. Tony received letters from Vi, letters that Mum would write for her. “Tsk, tsk. Already breaking rules. You must like me,” Tony winked. Here they were, half of a date in, and Tony was smitten. All he wanted to do was get to know her better. Tony wanted to know everything about her, and he wanted to spend all his time with her. “You’re close with your family, aren’t you?” Tony knew Mum would love Grace. She was sweet, true, and kind. She loved her family, and would fit in nicely with the Shacklebolt’s. “Not to freak you out, but I think my sister and Mum would love you. They’ve been after me for months to get back out there, and you’re the kind of girls they’ve always dreamed for me.” words: 249 --- tags: Gracie!

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[GRACE WILLOW ANDERSON]

Grace was interested in what he was saying. She was slightly surprised that he and his brother weren’t close but she could understand. Sometimes members of families just didn’t get on. “Oh I have an aunt who is a bit of a black sheep. She’s mad as a hatter.” They all loved her but avoided spending time with Aunt Gertie as much as they possibly could. She shook her head thinking about her and decided maybe she would go pay a visit to her soon.

Her cheeks flushed pink when he said she must really like him. It was true and he must have known that or she’d have never have agreed to a date with him. ”Either that or my dragons are getting hungry and I am going to make you their lunch.” She shot him a grin. Dropping her voice to a whisper she then said, ”But between you and me I think your assumption is more likely.” Grace laughed and then straightened up.

”Very close. I went through some tough stuff and they just were so brilliant to me through everything.” Grace told him simply. When he spoke about his mother and sister liking her Gracie went red again. She chipped in though, ”I know my parents would like you. I mean, you’re sweet, funny, have a career.” Her father would be ecstatic that she was seeing someone that wasn’t a creep. ”Do you want a family?” Grace asked nonchalantly. ”Considering you come from a close one yourself.”

[ANTHONY EZRA SHACKLEBOLT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #7a9aa9; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Is it cool if I hold your hand? Honest, let's make///This night last forever///Forever and ever “Well, between you and me, I like you. In fact, I’d like to take you out again. Maybe a better date, go out for a real dinner. It’d be nice to not have a time limit, like thirty minutes for lunch.”

[/b] Tony ran his hand over his head, an old nervous habit. When he was younger, he had longer hair. Now, at the age of twenty four, he kept his head shaved at all times. He liked this look, it suited his face better.

“What types of tough stuff, if you don’t mind my asking?” [/b] The last thing Tony wanted was to make her feel uneasy, but he was honestly curious. He smiled when Grace said her parents would like him. Tony had a good track record with meeting parents, they had always loved him. “I do want a family someday, I always have. I grew up in a very family oriented style. My dad was close with Harry Potter, so we always spent time with the Potter and Weasley families. I’ve always wanted to have kids, several of them.” [/b] Tony paused, “I’m not freaking you out, right? Sometimes I can be a little too forthcoming.” [/b]

“What about you? Do you want a large family?” [/b] Tony was twenty four, he felt it was a normal age to start thinking about families. The more he thought about it, he didn’t know Grace’s age. He knew she was a few years younger, but how many years? “Wait, how old are you? I know I’m not supposed to ask a woman’s age, but I just don’t know.”[/b]
[/div][/left]

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[GRACE WILLOW ANDERSON]

Grace couldn’t help the grin that was coming out on her face. He liked her and wanted another date. ”I’d like that.” Grace said. Surely they’d be past the nervousness now and could go out on a proper formal(ish) date. She bit her lip before smiling at him again.

When Tony asked her what tough stuff Grace was partially honest with him, ”I had a rough time in school in my last two years.” Her brow furrowed slightly. When she had become pregnant she had had the whispers and rumours. Now she was in a better position than half her classmates so she was proud of herself and tried not to think of school too much.

Tony brought her back out of her thoughts when he answered her question. ”You aren’t freaking me out.” Grace told him. It was a relief to know that he did want a family. In time maybe if he was going to stick around she would introduce him to Harmony. ”I want a family. Maybe a child or two.” Grace then blushed when he asked how old she was, ”I’m nineteen.”

[ANTHONY EZRA SHACKLEBOLT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #7a9aa9; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Is it cool if I hold your hand? Honest, let's make///This night last forever///Forever and ever “Can I take you out for dinner tomorrow night?”

[/b] Tony was excited at the idea of a real date. Sure, ice cream was fun. He was truly looking forward to taking Grace out, and wooing her. After all, Mama taught him right. “Have you ever gone out to Muggle London? I was thinking we could get a bite to eat, and maybe see a film.” [/b]

Tony could tell Grace was holding something back. He hoped he would find out soon, hoped Grace would trust him with her secrets. Trying to make her feel more at ease, Tony dropped the subject.

“I’ve always wanted a lot of kids, maybe four of five. All boys, I could never handle a girl. Vi complains that I baby her too much, but I can’t help it! I’d drive any daughter I had insane!” [/b] Tony laughed slightly, tossing his empty ice cream cup in the rubbish bin. “You’re only nineteen? You seem to mature, I thought you were twenty three, or around there.” [/b] He was shocked, but this wasn’t something that would scare him away.

“I imagine it’s time we get back to work?”[/b][/div][/left]

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[GRACE WILLOW ANDERSON]

Grace took a second to think about it. Surely her Mum would look after Harmony and so she nodded and said, ”Sure you can take me out to dinner.” It gave her butterflies to know that they had another date lined up. She bit her lip and shook her head. ”I’ve never really ventured into Muggle London but I’d love to see what it’s like.” Grace had not really had much interaction with muggles but had a great interest in them and their world.

Soon she was laughing as she threw away her container. ”I’m sure if you have four or five kids you’re going to end up with a daughter. Daddy’s little girl.” Grace told him. But it made her think about Tony and whether he would actually accept Harmony as part of the deal if they got serious.

”Well thank you. If you saw me throwing a tantrum at my parents I am sure you would not be calling me mature.” Grace said to him with a smile. But it didn’t seem to put him off and about that she was glad. ”I think we should get back.” Grace was standing now. ”Thank you so much. I really enjoyed spending time with you.”