"You are welcome, though I really do not believe I deserve your thanks," Gwen sighed. "You would have eventually come to the conclusion yourself once you'd seen the dull ceiling. The room is grand but it just needed something a little special and this will be it! A tremendous gift from a talented young man," she insisted, adding a sincere smile, glad that everything had worked out.
She wanted to argue with him about waiting until after lunch to perform the spell. It wasn't as though his presence was necessary in her eyes, though (truth be told) it was rather desired. Still, Gwen could not be selfish. He had responsibilities around the school.
Unfortunately, from the sounds of things, it had been her brother that had likely sent him and if it was one thing knights were, it was faithful to each other. If Merrick had give his word to escort her, he would follow her all the way down there - whether she took his arm or not. It was simply the way things worked. While it was a great boon to have him along, though it just seemed a little irritating if he felt he was honor bound to do so because her brother had taken advantage of their friendship and requested it.
Men...so pesky. They could be worse than pixies sometimes, honestly!
Knowing that there likely wasn't a great deal of time for them to sit here and discuss the matter, Gwen finally just took his arm. "If you are going to escort me, then we had best go. I do not want to be late for our first date...day." Gwen nearly swore at the slip. Truly, she had meant to say day! Honest!
Merrick visibly relaxed when Lady Moore retook his arm and he gently placed his other hand over hers for a moment as if in thanks for her seeing reason. He nodded as she said they should likely make haste now and he led the way back through the path she had taken them until they were near enough to the Entrance Hall that they could leave.
"Are we waitin' fer the students 'ere o' down in Ollivander's?" he asked, unsure of just how this was going to work. He could remember the excitement of getting his first wand and he was sure he didn't want to miss seeing that excitement at play on others who would be touching one for the first time.
He was glad for her long legs being able to keep up with him and it was different that she was almost his height but he found he kind of liked that too. It would make it profoundly easy to kiss h--no, no, he mustn't think that way! She was the sister of Godric, his friend and employer. If he valued his position here and the position of his head on his shoulders, he would leave well enough alone.
Besides, this was his chance to see her teaching skills in action. How she handled different people in different situations.
Gwen allowed him to lead her back to the entrance hall, proud that he remembered the path they had taken to get to the kitchens. At least he now knew the way and she wouldn't have to worry about him wandering around, trying to find the right spot and get lost - forced to walk the endless corridors until something looked familiar. She had done that quite a bit when she had first arrived. (Truth be told, she still got a little turned around at times.) At least he could find the main places he would need for his time here at the castle.
"I believe that I am to go straight down to Ollivander's shop to wait for them there. The others will give them directions to find the place. I am merely there to make certain they all are supervised, as their guardians will have handed them over into our care, and to keep a tally of the purchases so that in the evening, one of the four can go down and settle the accounts." She explained, leading him out the door and into the brilliant sunshine. The birds were singing and there were naught but a few puffy clouds in the sky. There was a slight brisk wind but fortunately, her long sleeves were well insulated for the cold and thus, she didn't regret not going back for her cloak.
That was when she realized that they had been so caught up in his exciting news that she had forgotten everything she was supposed to have brought along to keep track of everything. Sighing, she looked back at the castle over her shoulder, wondering if she could keep track in her head.
No, not a chance. "Forgive me, Merrick but I need to return to the castle for but a moment. I've forgotten the parchment and my wand back in my room. If you'll wait here, it shan't take me long." She said regretfully. If he wasn't with her, she could pick up her skirts and run - which she would need to do if she did not want to be over-late.
"O' alrigh'," he said cheerfully as they began to make their way only for her to draw them up short and she once again let go of his arm with a sigh. He wondered if he had done something wrong to offend her or something until she explained. He offered her a kind smile of complete understanding and nodded. "Aye, I be righ' 'ere waitin' fer ye's return," he said with a nod, taking her hand in his for a brief moment and without thinking kissing the back of it before releasing it so she could go fetch her things.
What in the bloody hell are you doing? he thought to himself as she scurried off. He wanted to kick himself for being so forward and yet he couldn't help it. There was something drawing him to her in a major way. He had to be careful he reminded himself, otherwise, he'd lose his job and his head.
Merrick heaved a sigh and clutched one hand around the grip of his sword. His mind wandered mixing thoughts of Lady Moore with what he had to do this afternoon in the Great Hall. He just wouldn't let them down. He wanted Gwen to see the night sky that he created like a magical tapestry and if this was the only way, well he would do it big then. He wanted to impress her, to please her, though he knew he shouldn't.
Gwen smiled prettily as he leaned down to kiss her hand in farewell. She felt a flush of heat in her cheeks, though that sort of reaction was baffling. Men had kissed her hand similarly yet she never blushed like this whenever they had done so. Why was Merrick so different?
When he agreed to stay, she turned away and hurried back into the castle. Then, as thought, she picked up her bright red skirts and ran for the staff quarters. In her bedroom, she found her wand on the table where she had dressed Lora. The paper was on the little table that was likely meant to be used for meals but she had been using to plan her lessons. As she had none of those brilliant, self-inking quills that Lady Ravenclaw possessed (though she really did want one!), she could write with her wand. Two less things to carry around with her (ink and the quill, obviously.) Tucking her wand up the sleeve of her dress, sliding in next to the small dirk she always carried and carrying the roll of parchment in the same hand, she had to move a bit slower on her return.
She'd had her hand kissed before! Why was she so nervous to go back then - go back and face him after blushing from a simple show of good manners? Maybe there was something wrong with her - a fever or something.
Even as she thought it, she knew that it was nonsense. The reaction was simply that a very handsome young man was paying her some attention and it was nice, after a year of being kept apart from society, to be paid attention to. Was it so wrong to want to be pretty and happy and have a very handsome young man paying court, even as just a friend? Yeah, just friends. Obviously men and women could be friends - the founders of Hogwarts were surely proof of that. No romantic feeling between any of them and they got on well enough to organize the school.
Yes, just friends.
Oh for goodness sake! This was ridiculous. She was an adult enough to admit that she wanted more than just friendship from him. Now whether she could admit it aloud? That was another matter.
"Here I am," she said cheerfully, returning to take his arm once more before heading down the path towards the gates. "Hard to believe I was so forgetful this morning. You won't tell anyone, will you?" She asked hopefully, not wanting to give her employers reasons to doubt her capabilities. It had been a mistake that she would not make again!
When she returned to him, he smiled brightly and presented his arm just as she took it as if it was a well-practiced motion. Would that it could be he mused before mentally slapping himself. "Nae, m'lady. Me mouth be shut," he said before grinning brightly at her.
It was nice to have such a beautiful woman on his arm whose company he enjoyed. And he was enjoying it quite thoroughly. She was funny and smart and she seemed to appreciate what he brought to the table even if she didn't quite understand some of it. Plus she didn't mind his accent which was always nice. There had been a few girls who had scoffed at him because they couldn't understand him.
As they strode proudly down toward the marketplace he took in a deep breath of the crisp fresh air and sighed. Twas a nice day for a stroll and he was suddenly glad Godric had woken him at such an early hour. To think that he would have missed spending time with Lady Moore was almost tragic in his mind.
"I wonder 'ow many students will be needin' a wand," he mused out loud. There were bound to be several at least.
Gwen let out a small sigh of relief upon his agreement to stay quiet about her little error. She wanted to be taken seriously, not just considering the little tagalong sister, yet again, who had to follow her brother everywhere she was allowed (and some where she wasn't). No, she was going to be a good teacher and show them that she had earned her place here. Yes, there was no denying that Godric being her brother had brought her to their attention but she would earn and keep her place amongst the staff!
"Oh, that is a very good question," Gwen agreed when they reached the square and he popped the question. (Not THE question obviously but that bit about students needing a wand.) "I am not quite certain. As far as I know, there was no final count on how many students there would actually be. From the many gatherings we've had over the years, it's a bit of a memory game to remember how many people have children around the correct age. But how many of them will agree to trust us with said children? Plus then there are those from Normandy that Salazar sought out and then the many muggle-born that Godric went looking for...it is just very hard to say. Wands are very dear; I've often seen whole families sharing one between them because of it.
"But a personal wand is vital so each student must have their own..." She looked a bit worried, thinking of the price. And then she considered the girl that Godric had brought up to the trading post earlier this summer and how worried she had been about paying for her own way with everything. How many others might feel the same? Would the whole day be a fight, having to cajole these students into taking help in order to be properly outfitted for the year? She was hardly the most convincing person in the world. Perhaps the others will do the work so that she would not have to go through the fight every time but she must be prepared for at least a few.
Sighing, her arm tensing in his, she looked over at him. "Something tells me that it will be a rather long day."
"Aye, absolutely vital," he said in agreement with what she stated. Having your own wand meant living up to your full potential, at least that's what his parents believed. When she expressed it might be a long day he paused for a moment to place his hand over hers once more.
"Aye, per'aps, but at least ye d'nae 'ave te go through it alone," he reminded her. While he took his duty seriously, it also meant time spent with her which he was growing keener and keener on. Getting to see her managing students would be good for him, to get an idea of how to handle them. Was it going to be different than handling pages and squires?
Merrick left his hand over hers as they walked toward the trading post. He felt a warmth traveling up his arm and was unsure if he should admit it was because of her touch. It was a dangerous thought but he couldn't help it. Instead of swimming away from troubled waters, he seemed to be allowing the riptide to carry him away.
Gwen was grateful that he could understand the importance of the students having their own wands. While it was true, the less wands to be found, the safer everyone was, you had to look at the other hand of things. A finicky and unaligned wand in the hands of a poorly trained witch or wizard could be a great deal more damaging than just exposing the family to the muggles. And children that went longer without their own wands seemed to have more outbursts of magic for longer periods of time than those that had one.
"And I am glad you are here to help me keep an eye on things. Some of the young men coming might not yet be ready to take instructions from a woman. Godric was right to send you. I should have thought of it on my own of course but there he goes, seeing a problem and solving it before it can even become one." She smiled, looking around as they neared the edge of the trading post. It wasn't far to Ollivander's from here; their time alone together was coming to an end, unfortunately. But it was the first day of school. They had had last night to talk and now it was time to focus and be professional. "I can do this," she said softly to reassure herself, pulling her hand from his arm for a moment to smooth her skirts fully out. Then she took his arm again and they headed for one of the only solid buildings in the trading post. At least they would be out of the wind a bit.
"I seppose tha' be why 'e's in charge an' nae me," he said with a chuckle. The moment her hand left his arm he felt a little bit of a chill. Thankfully it was only temporary as she replaced it once she smoothed her dress. When she seemed to be pep-talking herself he smiled at her.
"Aye, ye can. Ye be very capable," he said encouragingly. He could see them growing closer to the sturdy building that sat almost alone in the trading post. The closer he drew the more excited he got to get started. They would be getting to witness students pairing with their wand for the first time, which was a special event.
"D'ye remember yer pairin'?" he asked curiously. "When me wand was set in me 'and, I felt warmt' an' a vibration up me arm. Strangest feelin' I e'er 'ad, but one o' the 'appiest I e'er been."
It was definitely a day to remember. He had been twelve and about to go away for his training when he got it. He hadn't wanted to leave his newly born baby sister behind and it wasn't until he got his wand in hand that he realized the best thing he could do for her was become a proper wizard and eventually a knight.
