This Boot Was Made For Walking

Terry Boot at your service. Need a potion?

[breezcs]

Rose’s smile grew wider the more Terry talked. He seemed to have very strong opinions of coffee. “No, no, I take absolute offense with what you just said,” Rose said with a wide grin. “I can’t believe the rudeness!” It was easy to joke around with Terry, mostly because he seemed to match her rambling with his own version. 

“Sorry, I didn’t see that there was only one chair.” Rose felt bad when Terry offered her the only seat, but didn’t want anyone else to claim the table. “They put them on the side counter when they’re done,” Rose replied and pointed. “If you go get them I’ll keep an eye out for another chair?” she offered.

[terrybootus-blog]

Growing more red as she teased him, Terry decided the best course of action was to shut his mouth. He’d only dig the hole deeper, although Rose probably wanted to keep joking around. “My apologies,” he said. “I’ll take that into consideration the next time I degrade the beverage.”

“It’s fine. I like standing.” Besides, if he was standing there was more of a reason to get out of here and just drink as they walked. He didn’t enjoy the idea of being in the crowded restaurant any longer than necessary. That option was taken when she offered to find him a seat. “Sure, thanks. I’ll be right back.” He went and got the drinks and returned. “Do you at least take sugar in yours to make it taste better?”

[breezcs]

Rose pretended to think it over for a second. “Well, at least I won’t have to fight you for it,” she said finally. “I think I can accept that. Even though your taste is appalling.” The last part was said with a teasing smile. “And it’s not too bad, I mostly just talk more. More than this I mean, but you probably got that already.” Stop talking, Rose.

When they got up to the counter Rose quickly told the barista her order, not wanting to hold up the line more than she had to, and opened her bag to find her purse. Terry interrupted her and she looked at him in surprise. “Oh, thanks.” Rose stopped digging through her bag and smiled widely at Terry. Something caught her eye and she grabbed Terry’s arm. “Wait, I think I see a table in the corner.”

[terrybootus-blog]

“That’s true,” Terry agreed. “We’d make practical friends, I think,” he said with a smile. “Appalling? I’ll have you know that that pure bitterness you call coffee is nothing special. At least you don’t have to grow accustomed to tea,” he huffed. Then he realized she must be joking because Rose wasn’t the kind of person to be rude about beverages. “And obviously when I talk too much I manage to make a fool of myself. Please forget what I just said,” he pleaded, shaking his head at himself.

Towed along in her wake, he found himself at a little table shunted to the side, one chair stolen from another group so that only one remained. “Go ahead,” he offered. “You found it. Do they bring the drinks here, though? Or do I need to go get them?” He really didn’t spend much time here.

[thco-blog1]

chemistry of romance // theo & terry

[thco-blog1]

“it depends –” theo smirked at the man, “are you mister hardworking and genuine?”  they teased, gesturing for them to sit. they took in the other, who looked a bit familiar, though, truthfully, that was a moot point. theo struggled with placing faces to names, and this was no difference in this case.theo had mostly kept to themselves in school, for all intents and purposes, a self proclaimed loner of sorts.

 “ah–introductions, then?” they said, rubbing their neck with a sigh.

[terrybootus-blog]

Wishing for the thousandth time that he could socialize acceptably, Terry settled for a nervous grin and sat down. “I suppose that would be me,” he said lamely. When he’d created his profile, he’d wracked his brains to figure out which two words described him best, and he was happy with the words he’d chosen. However, when he heard them from others he felt they just made him sound boring.

“Sure,” Terry agreed, a little nervous due to the sigh that accompanied his date’s question. It didn’t sound like he had much interest in being here. “I’m Terry Boot, former Ravenclaw.” Terry didn’t recognize the wizard, so he assumed he was from Slytherin.

[thco-blog1]

chemistry of romance // theo & terry

@terrybootus

verdant wasn’t terribly crowded, given it was a weeknight. the mystery of who their date was had long worn off. theo had settled themselves at the bar, sipping on a small drink. there was no potion in it, though theo had debated it. they had instead gone for a beer, much to the disappointment of the bartender.

as a man entered the place, they looked up, offering a smile, he looked about the right description for it. they gestured the other over, trying not to seem too nervous.

[terrybootus-blog]

Here we go again, Terry thought as he entered the bar. The familiar scent of potions and plants filled his lungs, which calmed him a bit, even if his heart still stubbornly beat too quickly. As nervous as he was, he didn’t think drinking would be a good idea, yet he wasn’t sure he’d be able to go without ordering something. If he could have avoided the bar that would have been best, but in his experience most people looking for a date sat down there. So Terry made his way over.

A wizard smiling at him caught his eye, so he raised his hand in greeting. Hopefully this was his date or he’d be too embarrassed right at the start to even consider trying to find the correct person. “Hiya,” he greeted, holding out his hand. “Are you, umm, waiting for someone?”

[breezcs]

At first Rose was confused about what Terry was referring to, but when she felt his hand in hers she blushed heavily and dropped it quickly. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I wasn’t…” After taking a deep breath she tried to smile confidently toward him, despite her red cheeks. “Good to know.”

“You don’t want coffee?” she asked in surprise. “I feel I should warn you that I’ll might become very hyper all of a sudden.” The line moved forward slowly but surely and Rose looked at the full tables. “I can stand,” she said with a nod. “Maybe something will be free after a while.”

[terrybootus-blog]

“I’m more of a tea person,” he said, making an apologetic face. “Actually, I absolutely loathe coffee. Can’t stand the taste of it, much to the annoyance of my mates.” Especially Michael and Anthony, who practically lived on the stuff. “How hyper, exactly?” Terry wasn’t sure he was properly equipped to deal with a suddenly supremely energetic Rose. “Let’s hope,” he replied to her thought.

When they finally got to the counter, he pulled out some coins and motioned for Rose to keep her money in her pocket. “I’ve got it,” he told her unnecessarily. Obviously he had it if he motioned for her not to pay.

[breezcs]

A sense of relief filled Rose when her rambling didn’t make Terry want to run and hide, but was quickly replaced with yet another blush when she realised he’d implied that they’d spend more time together. “Well,” she managed to get out. “At least there’s conversation topics to be covered in case we can’t think of any.”

Rose couldn’t help but giggle at his resigned reply. “Well, that’s not too bad,” she replied. Without thinking about it she grabbed his hand to pull him further into the café. “Come on, before the line gets even longer.”

[terrybootus-blog]

Feeling himself pulled along, he followed Rose without hesitation, although his mind still wondered what was happening. Sometimes the things that happened to his body didn’t quite reach his mind, yet this time it didn’t bother him. “I’m not going anywhere,” he responded, grinning. It felt nice to hold someone’s hand.

“I just hope their tea selection is better today than usual.” He’d drank of cup of coffee earlier in the week and still believed he could taste its remnants when he took a deep enough breath. “Are you okay with standing?”

[breezcs]

Rose could tell that Terry was trying to humour her and make her feel better. A part of her was grateful, but mostly she was wishing for a time turner to fix this mess. “Sorry,” Rose said, still feeling mortified. “I tend to ramble a lot. Did I mention that? Whenever I don’t know what to say I just say everything at once until I realise what I’m doing and just-” She snapped her mouth shut and stared wide-eyed at him. “Do that,” she finished awkwardly.

The heat in her cheeks were still there when they walked down the street together. Rose was thankful for the change in subject and, for once, didn’t mind being asked a question. “You’re right,” she told him. “There is an awful lot of people here.” The coffee shop they’d chosen was filled with people as well, and when they entered Rose mumbled, “Hopefully we’ll get a seat.”

[terrybootus-blog]

He couldn’t help but laugh at her expression. “Don’t worry,” he smiled good-naturedly. “I’m pretty much the exact opposite, so at least I know that there’ll be some sort of talking going on with you around.” Although he doubted his ability to flirt, he believed Rose would react positively to his teasing. “But I can go on and on about potions, so unless you’re ready for a five day conversation, maybe we should save that topic for later.”

Wonderful. Finally, they reached a decision, only for that decision to possibly disintegrate due to unknown circumstance. “We could always try. Even if we can’t sit down, I’m sure the line would only take roughly half a century.”

[breezcs]

Rose nodded and laughed slightly at his own confession. “Remind me to always wake you up after seven hours then,” she replied, then blushed heavily. “I mean…” When she couldn’t think of anything to save herself from what she’d just said, Rose felt like sinking through the floor. Whenever Rose felt embarrassed she just shut down completely until she, or whoever was talking to her, found some way to save the conversation.

Fortunately Terry was a bit more relaxed than her and seemed to have no problems with her rambling and exessive blushing so far. It made Rose feel more relaxed as well. Even with the slightly awkward silences between words. “Roasted. Exactly.” She hurried up to the front desk and paid for the books she’d picked out. “Thank you,” she said to the girl at the counter and turned back to Terry.

“I’m all ready to go,” she said with a small smile and tilted her head toward the exit. Rose didn’t know why, but despite their awkward first meeting and their currently slightly awkward beginning of a date. She wanted to see what would happen next, which didn’t usually happen. “Shall we?”

[terrybootus-blog]

“Umm.. sure,” Terry agreed, his face immediately bursting into flames at the thought of her needing to wake him up. “If the occasion arises, you know what to do?” he said, somehow managing to sound like he was asking a question instead of joking around. “Anything I should know?” Maybe knowing something like that about her would even the score and make it less embarrassing.

“Fantastic,” he exhaled, clapping his hands together quietly. “We shall.” Holding the door open for her, they exited the bookshop and tumbled into the suddenly crowded street. “I know Hogwarts starts back up in a couple months, but this is ridiculous. Shouldn’t it be this crowded the last week of August?”

[oldfashionedswift-blog]

“Here’s a menu?” Dean puts two glasses down in front of the other man. He fills one with water from his wand and the other with a small potion he grabs from underneath the bar. “Anti-nausea potion, just in case. Really don’t feel like being witness to you chundering all over the floor I’m required to clean.”

“Not to be your therapist, but are you sure you’re alright? You’re right pissed and it’s still pretty early….” He wasn’t quite sure what he’d be getting himself into, but it was fairly obvious that the person in front of him was in some kind of pain.

[terrybootus-blog]

Quickly ordering whatever looked like it had the most carbs, Terry watched Dean fill up two glasses. “Thanks, mate,” he groaned, his stomach doing a dance. The drunk man reached for the water, but at some point switched his target and went for the potion. Downing it in one go, he made a face at the bland taste and then chased it with the glass of water. “I don’t blame you. Besides, I’m sure there’ll be others who do that. No need for me to add my vomit to the mix.”

“I thought you said you weren’t my therapist,” he replied, wondering if maybe he’d imagined that part of the conversation. “Yeah, ‘m fine. ‘S honestly no big deal.” Terry knew that he needed to stop drinking like this, and some part of him knew that his mum would smack him into the next century if she knew he was behaving like this. But everything still just hurt. Everyone he loved was leaving him and he didn’t know how to stop it. “Maybe quarantine,” he mused, forgetting that he hadn’t shared all of his thoughts aloud.

[breezcs]

Rose nodded along to the suggestions he was making and deemed them acceptable. The Quidditch match would be a good way for them to spend time together but not necessarily talk if they didn’t have something to say. It was casual enough to not put that much pressure on them. “We can grab some coffee,” she said and nodded, even though he wasn’t looking at her. “I haven’t had caffeine in hours, so I should probably load up soon or I’ll be a cranky mess. Do you have something like that? You go without something for long enough that you get irritated at everyone.” 

She blushed slightly when she realised she was rambling. “Sorry, coffee sounds great. And the game too.” Merlin, she needed to calm down, or else this whole evening would be a nightmare. They were just going for coffee to get to know each other better and have a nice laugh about the eel incident. Nothing more. She could do this. The fact that Terry was being awfully cute and nice would not make her tongue tied or a blushing mess. It was merely an observation on her part.

After a few beats she realised that she’d have to act before the silence grew too big. Terry seemed like someone who could find things to talk about, but she didn’t want him to have a one sided conversation. Rose wanted to make an effort. She raised her hand so he could see the books she was holding. “Let me just pay for these and then we can go? Isn’t there a good coffee shop just around the corner?” 

[terrybootus-blog]

By the fact that she was nodding (which he only saw out of the corner of his eye), Terry was almost sure that she was okay with Quidditch, which was a relief because he honestly was out of ideas. “So you’re a caffeine person,” he noted aloud. “Good to know.” He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Rose being a cranky mess. It just didn’t seem to fit her. “Me? I’d have to say sleep, like most other human beings. I can handle it up to a point, but past that point there’s really no use in trying to hold a conversation with me. I may just kill you.”

For once, Terry was in the position of not being the one who rambled because he didn’t know what to say. It was a strange feeling. “Great. So we have a plan.” Terry wondered if he should sound a little more excited or if that would be going overboard in this situation. What he really needed to do was calm down. Again, this wasn’t a date. There was no pressure for her to like him any more than as a mate, someone to bump into every once and awhile. It would be good for him, especially now that all his school mates were so busy.

To try and ignore the awkward silence hanging around them, Terry continued his fake perusal of the bookcase. Finally, she broke it (maybe he should have), and it was like the world stopped moving in slow motion. Glancing at the book too quickly to read a title, he did some sort of weird cross between a nod and a head shake. “Sounds good!” he said a little too loudly, hoping she hadn’t seen whatever the heck it was he’d just done. “Yeah, Roasted. It should just be a few stores down.”

[oldfashionedswift-blog]

“Aaaand we’re officially cutting you off.” Dean chuckles-though he didn’t really know the man on the other side of the bar, it was nice to see him loosen up “At least for a moment, you really should have some water but whatever, mate, I’m not your keeper.” 

“And I’m just tryina make rent, mate. It’s not easy out there.”

[terrybootus-blog]

A small pout crossed Terry’s face for a moment, but he knew that Dean was probably right. Still, he didn’t appreciate being told he couldn’t drink anymore. Setting his head on his crossed arms on the bar, he closed his eyes for a quick second. “Water would be good,” he groaned, the black world behind his eyes already starting to spin sickeningly. “And some food wouldn’t be unwelcome, either.”

If he could nod without fear of vomiting, Terry would. “I understand that, mate. You’re preaching to the choir here.”

[breezcs]

Rose had just about given up, shoulders slumped and forcing down disappointment, when she heard her name being called through the store. 

She lit up when she saw Terry hurry through, all nerves of being stood up gone. Instead the nerves of actually having to interact with someone she barely knew for the evening appeared. She smiled when he stopped in front of her and scratched her neck, wondering how she should greet him. Handshake? Hug? In the end she settled for answering Terry. “You did. I’m just glad you’re here after all.”

It was slightly awkward after that and Rose wondered what she was supposed to do next. This was her first date since some forced Valentine’s Day gathering during her 5th year. It had been spent with the guy she was with flirting with their waitress and Rose wondering when she was allowed to leave. She really hoped this wouldn’t be anything like it. Terry seemed nicer than that though, so she wasn’t that worried.

“Did… you have any ideas of where we could go?” she wondered, words stumbling out of her mouth quicker than she had liked.

[terrybootus-blog]

Terry had not come here on a date. That was not the point of this meeting. He was here to meet with someone who had helped him out and who’d been very nice about the whole thing. Someone who he thought he could be good friends with.

But tell that to his heart when she smiled upon seeing him. Maybe it was all that lack of sleep. Not that it would bad for him to go on dates, but he doubted she saw this as a date. After all, they’d met by picking up slimy eels together. “Yeah,” he responded breathlessly, half from the run and half from how cute the gesture of scratching her neck was. He did that, too, he knew. “Sorry if I worried you.”

Looking away quickly, he fixed his gaze on a bookshelf and pretended to be reading the titles until the heat in his face faded. “So,” he said, still not looking at her. “I was thinking we could get some coffee or tea. And then there’s a quidditch match tonight. Harpies against the Cannons.” Please let her be a quidditch fan, even if he wasn’t particularly. He didn’t know any of her interests, so he hadn’t really known what to do, especially since she hadn’t struck him as a drinker. Which he was slowly becoming.

“Unless there’s something else you’d rather do,” he offered.

[oldfashionedswift-blog]

“First one broke during school actually, well, you know.” He makes a vague gesture with his hand, not wanting to make the other man uncomfortable. He sighed at the mention of Terry’s Mum’s passing, getting two more glasses out. He slides one shot to Terry and takes the other one himself-Tom usually didn’t mind as long as they paid for it and didn’t get too shitfaced- “To your mum.” He clinks his shot glass against Terry’s and knocks it back. He scrunches up his face at the taste, still not a fan of the burning taste. “And that one’s on me, obviously.”

“What brings you around here tonight, anyway?” He figured a subject change was due, as talking about his dead mum was probably not a favorite hobby of Terry’s.

[terrybootus-blog]

There was not a thought in Terry’s mind as to what Dean meant by the gesture, but he was sure he didn’t want to know. Instead, he gratefully reached for the offered shot, clinking it with Dean’s before taking it in one gulp. At this point, he was well past the point of caring about the taste, feeling more like he was drinking sparkling water than vodka. “Cheers, mate,” he said as thanks.

“I haven’t got work for once. I spend most of my tibe - time - at Mungo’s, so it’s nice to relaksh.” Well, shit, seemed he’d gone a bit too far. But there was still all that whiskey in front of him. His past self would shake its head at his current self. Alcoholic, it mouthed. He tossed back another mouthful in response. “And I am sufficiently pissed, I think,” he added in delight. “What’re you doing here?”

[oldfashionedswift-blog]

“It’s good you have friends, so you don’t always get stuck pouring your soul out to bartenders all the time. Kidding. It’s nice to see you.” Was he flirting? He might be flirting. Whatever, he needs the tips.

“I love my mum, and my sisters and my dad, but not doing the magic was killing me, man. And my little sister almost broke my wand again, I don’t think Mr. Ollivander would have been too keen to make me another one. Speaking of Mums, what’s up with yours?” He gets himself a glass of water, pouring Terry another shot. 

“And Nev’s great! Seamus, Potter, Weasley, Hermione, Gin-they’re all doing great.” 

[terrybootus-blog]

“True that,” Terry agreed, raising his shot to Dean’s words and tossing it back. “Sometimes I find that bartenders are better listeners, though, because I’m drunk and then it feels like everyone is listening.” He completely missed the flirtation in Dean’s words.

“I can’t even imagine not doing magic. My mum was always really cool about everything, especially when I was a kid and couldn’t help it.” She’d tell him off if he did something rude, though, even though he couldn’t help it when he was eight. He hadn’t meant to drop those boys’ pants! They’d been walking toward him threateningly and then quite suddenly they couldn’t move because of the mess of fabric at their ankles. “Again? Sounds like your sister is trouble,” he laughed, then sobered at the mention of his mother. “Umm...actually she died a few months ago.” Trying to ignore the pity he knew he’d find in the other bloke’s eyes, he lifted the firewhiskey to his lips and drank deeply.

“That’s swell,” Terry exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically after the subject of his mum and the mention of Seamus. “Glad to hear it!”

[oldfashionedswift-blog]

“That’s wonderful, mate. Truly, good for you.” He wipes down the bar as he speaks, antsy, like he always is at night now. “You mean other than becoming a fugative, getting captured, evading death and killing Death Eaters? Not much.” He chuckles, he’d been told he used humor as a coping mechanism, but he didn’t see it, he hid it so well.

“I tried to live back with my mum for a bit, that lasted about two weeks. It wasn’t just the muggle living, if you’ve never lived with three teenage girls I wouldn’t recommend it. Then I worked a few odd jobs here and there until Tom took pity on me, been here for about a year now?” He shrugs. “How bout those blokes you were always around…Anthony and Micheal, right?”

[terrybootus-blog]

“Thanks, mate!” Sometimes Terry forgot how fortunate he was to have gotten the internship. Already, the months and months of grinding study and pushing himself to get better at making potions was fading from his tired mind. “Well, yeah, other than that, I suppose.” His brain often skipped over the time from the war, refusing to acknowledge it had happened.

“I’ve never done that before, nor do I have plans to.” He couldn’t even imagine the drama of that. “Why’d the situation with your mum crap out?” Maybe that was too personal, but he was drunk, so did it really matter? “Is the job here nice? I don’t think I could stand having to talk to all the people.” He blushed as the irony of his words hit him. “Yeah, Anthony and Michael. They’re good. Keeping busy, as always.” Did he want to ask about Seamus? He decided he really didn’t. “How’s Neville and everyone?”

[oldfashionedswift-blog]

“I think that’s a requirement of drinking, honestly. Coming right up.” He waves his wand and the drinks pour themselves and float over to Terry. When the whiskey lands, another flick of his wand sets the alcohol on fire, causing a phoenix to rise out of the smoke as it puts itself out.

“How’ve you been Terry? Other than pensive and drunk, that is?”

[terrybootus-blog]

“I promise this isn’t a regular occurrence,” Terry said with a laugh. “I started working as an intern at Mungo’s a few months back. Living the dream,” he croaked weakly. “It can be a bit much, but it’s good work and it’s what I want to do.”

Terry had never spoken much to the tall Gryffindor until the DA, but they’d been good acquaintances since, he felt. “And you? Obviously I know you’ve found work, but what have you been up to since school?”

[oldfashionedswift-blog]

“Er, listen, mate, I’m your bartender, not your therapist.”

“So, what can I get you?”

[terrybootus-blog]

“Right, sorry. I just get sentimental about mum whenever I drink.”

“I’ll take a firewhiskey and a shot.”