1103
River Forth, Stirling, Scotland
ISO: Brice
The day was warm and sunny, and there was a heavy torpidity in the air. The summer was at its end, and everyone around her was feeling lazy with the August heat, Dahlia included. Her steps were slow and unhurried as she followed the worn path out of her family’s garden and through the lawn to the stone wall separating the Bishop property from the Burke property. There was a stile there which facilitated easy crossing if one didn’t want to go all the way around to the front gate. The Bishops and Burkes had long been friends, so the stile was well worn, and it was usually the meeting point if an excursion was planned. Dahlia was pleased to see Brice there waiting for her, and her gait quickened a bit at the sight of him.
Slipping her arm through his, she greeted him with a quiet “Hello, darling,” but that was all. They were still in something of a dangerous proximity to both of their homes, and it was hard to predict when someone might want to have a wander about the lawns. Lately, it had been easier, with Finn in France and Daisy off at Quidditch camp; there was less interruption, but it was better to be careful. Besides, they would soon be off on their own, which was something Dahlia should not be doing: spending time alone with a young man without a chaperone, but she would just add it to the list of other things she shouldn’t be doing and examine it later when she had more time to feel guilty.
The summer was simultaneously easier and more difficult for Dahlia to spend time with Brice. On the one hand, she had access to him: he lived very close, and it was not considered strange for either of them to drop by the other’s house of an afternoon. She did not have to be back in her common room by a certain time or have any homework that drew her attention away from him, but there were an awful lot of irritating relatives hanging around, which put being alone difficult sometimes. Daisy seemed incapable of taking a hint and buzzing off when she clearly wasn’t wanted, and Darnell was even more clueless. Her mother seemed intent on improving Dahlia over the summer and kept setting up events where Dahlia would be forced to interact with the Warwicks; those were a huge drag, and Dahlia tended to spend most of her time hiding behind tapestries at those events. She couldn’t help it; her fiancé seemed to spend most of his time drinking lately, but that didn’t improve his conversational skills any. They had to be the dullest couple ever.
As the twosome reached the bottom of the hill, past the wards, and out of sight of both of their homes, Dahlia began to run, tugging at Brice’s hand to keep him there with her. She wasn’t an athlete, so it wasn’t a fast run, but her hair and skirt fluttered out behind her, and she laughed. There was always a sense of exhilaration to be off the property, doing what she wanted to, having no responsibilities to anyone but herself, to be free from all obligations… if just for a little while. It made her feel a bit wild, and she had sometimes wondered if that was how Daisy felt all the time. The river was not far, and she could feel the cooler breeze before she could see the water. She skidded around a copse of trees, and the River Forth came into sight, its waters low and tranquil for the time being, the Old Stirling Bridge in the distance seeming miles and miles away. This part of the river did not have much traffic, as there was not much of interest in this area of the countryside (which is why there were two pureblooded Wizarding families living there), and aside from the occasional small craft heading towards the sea, it was deserted.
The small boat hidden in the underbrush at the shore had been abandoned for some time when it had been discovered, but it was serviceable, especially with a few charms. Now Dahlia was considered an adult, so she could perform those charms legally, and as soon as she caught her breath, she cast a cleaning charm on the seats. This wasn’t the first time this summer that they had used this boat, so it wasn’t that grimy, not like it was at the beginning of the summer. She cast a sealing charm over the leaky place and stepped aside so that Brice could move it into the water. Catching his arm, she took advantage of the freedom and solitude to press herself close to him and steal a kiss. Or five. “I’m going to miss this when we have to go back to school,” she said softly.




