Coming Out of His Shell (Annabelle)

[Martin Bishop]

Martin arrived in the Entrance Hall, where he'd agreed to meet Annabelle, though he'd gotten there a few minutes early. Being early was much preferable to being late. He was wearing his best Hogwarts robes, on account that he didn't have a budget for anything fancier, though he did add a grey sweater-vest, and he had a white rose in his breast pocket, a little something to give his date.

He was a bit nervous, though he knew he had no real reason to be. He contemplated how lucky he was to have met Annabelle. She was a year his senior, so not in any of the same classes. She was sweet and wholesome and energetic, and every time she got excited about a geeky idea, it always brought a smile to his face. He'd always been the quiet bookworm who rarely got pulled out of his comfort zone, and girls had always been a low priority for him, something that he would get around to later. But he had to be honest with himself, his mood had markedly improved over the past 19 days, ever since that chance encounter in the library when they'd needed the same book for an herbology essay, and then decided to collaborate on a project in the greenhouses. He'd caught himself looking forward to every interaction with her, hoping to see her in the library or the corridors or the Great Hall. And now he was going to have her for the whole evening as a dance partner!

As he waited, he happened to glance down and noticed some lint on his sleeve, which he brushed away. Then he noticed the stone floor tiles, something he'd never really paid any attention to before. He glanced around, and backed up a few steps, as he tried to determine whether there was a repeating pattern or if it was purely random. It was yet another puzzle to him. It would look as though he'd dropped something and was trying to find it.