Louis Jolicoeur was the absolute last person that anyone would expect to be heading out on a blind date of all things on a Friday night. Louis, the middle child of the Jolicoeur clan, was renowned for his high intelligence and dedication to his studies â but not his social prowess! Whilst Leon and Lara Jolicoeur lived for the party, the twins giggled and gossiped together, and his youngest brother Luke enthusiastically helped Hagrid with some of the more tame magical creatures, Louis was more likely to be found with his nose stuck in a book - or studying some of the various maps that he kept in his Gryffindor Sixth Year dormitory. It wasnât that Louis didnât like to go out and spend time with people, nor that he didnât yearn to be half as sociable as the rest of his family, it was just that the middle Gryffindor boy lacked the confidence that seemed to come easy to the rest of his family. It wasnât that Louis wasnât bad looking. In fact, he was tall, handsome, with thick waves of blonde hair alike to his sisters and a charming grin. He was just⌠different. But despite his shy exterior, once he had got to know people Louis had a sense of humour to rival even Leon and was a fiercely loyal friend. Either way, sometimes Louis found that it was easier to drown out the world in books than to try to enter it fully despite yearning for a bit of companionship and friendship.
It was Lara who had first come up with the idea. His elder sister had first decided to take him out with her and be his wingwoman, but that had been an absolute disaster. Louis had hated the taste of Firewhisky but had been forced to gulp it down anyway and had ended the night throwing up in the boyâs bathroom much to his embarrassment. The next morning Lara had simply laughed and described him as a lightweight who couldnât handle the sort of lifestyle she lived. Louis had agreed wholeheartedly. Lara, never giving up on finding Louis the perfect girl, had instead insisted on setting up this whole affair, confidently spouting that she would find just the girl for Louis to spend an evening with who shared his interests and would put him at ease. At first, Louis had fervently refused. But he trusted his sister, the Jolicoeur family were a tight-knit one and he knew deep down that she would never try to embarrass him in that way. She was just trying to help. And thatâs how he found himself sat in front of a small table in a fancy restaurant called âThe Witchâs Cauldronâ. The menu had looked very fancy, and Louis was glad to find that he had at least dressed appropriately. His navy suit accentuated the baby blue of his eyes, and his thick waves of blonde hair had been coiffed into an appropriate style. He had shaved, tucked away his reading glasses and even worn cologne. In the middle of the table, a candle burned giving an almost sensuous light over the entire scene. The chair opposite to his was still empty. âPlease turn up, pleaseâ he thought, as time passed. He would be so mortified if the girl didnât arrive and he was forced to leave. Every time the door opened, he would glance towards it and scan the entering customer; he did this a few times in disappointment, before he saw a girl walking in who was obviously his own age, or at least close. Louis stopped slouching, and sat up properly in his chair. His heart started to race. âOh Merlin, this is it!â his nerves tormented him, but luckily the female appeared not to have spotted him yet and so Louis had just enough time to compose himself before she started walking in his way. Heâd already been on one date, last week, and though that had gone better than he had expected and he had even liked the girl, Lara had insisted he go on another. âYou never know,â she had insisted. âYou might like this girl better.â Apparently dating was about meeting as many people as you could. Louis had no idea about the whole concept, but he was finding that the second time was just as nerve-wracking as the first.