Daisy Hookum

“Oh.” Daisy let out a sheepish laugh even as she followed him. She hadn’t noticed her slip, but the question was a perfectly fair one in her opinion. “I can do that, but then you’ve got to tell me what you’ve been up to.” If he was allowed to ask what she’d been up to, it didn’t feel out of line to ask him. Though there was a small part of her that worried, as it always did, when she told someone about what she’d been up to, and she looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment. Tilden seemed far from dangerous, but sometimes it could be hard to tell. And she was very much alone with him in his garden, but if he was one of the unsavory sorts it was most likely there would have been more than simple curiosity in his voice when he questioned her. The worst case here, she decided, would be that he didn’t want to be associated with her, and if that was the case it was better to find out sooner rather than later. “I spent the past year living in Manchester. In the muggle world,” she added, in case it wasn’t immediately clear. “I just got back a couple of months ago, actually. I was studying muggles. But – not from the wizard perspective. All the books are from the wizard perspective, which always seemed silly to me. I mean, how are we supposed to learn about an entire group of people without getting their point of view? So – anyways, I wanted to get that point of view. So I spent the year living like a muggle. I wrote for a local newspaper and I didn’t use magic once for the whole year, and now I’m writing a book about it. Oh – that’s what this is. I just finished my first draft.” She couldn’t keep the pride from her voice as she held up her stack of parchment, though a moment later she realized she’d probably gotten a bit carried away in her explanation. Oops. Old habits and all that.

Tilden nodded at her words. “That sounds fair enough to me.” He had no problems talking about his work, though he was more interested in hearing what she meant right now. And she didn’t disappoint, getting right to it. At first he didn’t quote understand what she was saying. Even got prepared to say something about the whole studying muggles thing, he’d been friends with Doc far too long to let that go. But Tilden waited and listened. Something he’d learned in his two years recruiting wizards was how to listen instead of jumping straight to conclusions. He turned to look at her as she kept talking his interest peaked more and more by what she was saying. “A book, wow. You went without magic at all? None? Merlin, that’s impressive.” Tilden was seeing there was a lot more to Daisy then just a pretty bird who randomly showed up at his place. Aside from the good sense of humor and the lack of a fear of dirt that was. She was just getting more and more impressive. Daisy had to be pretty brave too, writing a book about muggles, that sounded pro-muggle, right now. Tilden couldn’t help being skeptical that it’d actually get published but he kept that thought to himself. Raining on people’s parades wasn’t his style, especially not birds he was planning on going on a date with.

Daisy was glad for his agreement, but what he’d been up to was quickly forgotten -- at least for the moment -- as she became caught up in explaining her own work. Those who were familiar with Daisy knew better than to bring up anything muggle around her without expecting her to talk their ear off, but Tilden did not yet have that luxury and all she could hope was that she hadn’t bored him. Or worse -- that he was one of those who wasn’t behind what she did, either out of stupid blood-purist ideals or simple fear. That wasn’t what happened, though. Rather -- he seemed genuinely interested, genuinely impressed, and her sheepish grin turned to a much wider one. “Oh, I -- thank you,” she answered, surprised, before she got to his question. “Nope, no magic at all. It’s -- well, it wasn’t really as hard as it seems it would be.” The truth was, Daisy had done a whole lot better with things the muggle way than she ever had with magic, but Tilden didn’t need to know that about her, yet. “I mean,” she continued unprompted, as her mouth often seemed to have a mind of its own, “I’m not stupid. I know right now things are...it’s not a great time to try to get a book about muggles published. But -- I think that’s why it’s so important to try, you know? There’s so much false information out there -- and that’s where there’s any information at all, really, because there’s hardly any -- I just think maybe if people knew the truth they would be less likely to believe the lies. Or -- I don’t know, maybe not, but it’s always a good thing just to have the truth out there. I mean, at least I think so,” she tacked on quickly, suddenly realizing she’d gotten carried away again, only this time it was with something that hardly made for casual conversation. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to -- sometimes I start talking and my brain can’t keep up with my mouth.” Case in point? She’d just said that out loud. Bloody hell.

“Yeah? I’d love that – I’ve missed magical plants.” While she certainly wasn’t up to Tilden’s level, Daisy had gotten an NEWT in Herbology and found it a very interesting subject. She’d missed a lot of the magical plants that couldn’t be found in the muggle world. A giggle left her lips when he went along with her joke, silly as it was, and she found herself laughing again at the next thing he said. The longer she stood here speaking to Tilden, the less it felt like a true accident that had brought her here. “Apparently so. Let’s see this good dirt, then, shall we?” She asked with a wide smile, taking a small step back and hoping the offer of showing her around had not just been one made to be polite. It certainly hadn’t felt like that, though; maybe it was just Daisy being overly optimistic about the cute bloke she’d just met, but Tilden seemed genuine.

Her words had him confused, missing magical plants seemed a bit odd considering they were everywhere. Tilden didn’t have a chance to ask before she was speaking again. “Let’s. While I’m giving the tour maybe you can tell me why it is that you’ve missed magical plants. I know I haven’t been in England a lot lately but they seem to still be everywhere.” He smiled down at her while moving to show her the rest of the garden. Maybe it was a bit nosey of him but saying something that bloody weird seemed an invitation to ask to Tilden so he wasn’t worried about it. Besides if she was gonna get upset now was a great time to do it, before he was out any money.

“Oh.” Daisy let out a sheepish laugh even as she followed him. She hadn’t noticed her slip, but the question was a perfectly fair one in her opinion. “I can do that, but then you’ve got to tell me what you’ve been up to.” If he was allowed to ask what she’d been up to, it didn’t feel out of line to ask him. Though there was a small part of her that worried, as it always did, when she told someone about what she’d been up to, and she looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment. Tilden seemed far from dangerous, but sometimes it could be hard to tell. And she was very much alone with him in his garden, but if he was one of the unsavory sorts it was most likely there would have been more than simple curiosity in his voice when he questioned her. The worst case here, she decided, would be that he didn’t want to be associated with her, and if that was the case it was better to find out sooner rather than later. “I spent the past year living in Manchester. In the muggle world,” she added, in case it wasn’t immediately clear. “I just got back a couple of months ago, actually. I was studying muggles. But -- not from the wizard perspective. All the books are from the wizard perspective, which always seemed silly to me. I mean, how are we supposed to learn about an entire group of people without getting their point of view? So -- anyways, I wanted to get that point of view. So I spent the year living like a muggle. I wrote for a local newspaper and I didn’t use magic once for the whole year, and now I’m writing a book about it. Oh -- that’s what this is. I just finished my first draft.” She couldn’t keep the pride from her voice as she held up her stack of parchment, though a moment later she realized she’d probably gotten a bit carried away in her explanation. Oops. Old habits and all that.

“Oh?” Daisy didn’t try to hide her grin as he glanced around the garden pridefully. In only a few minutes of conversation it had become immediately apparent how into herbology Tilden was, but Daisy found it endearing. She’d spent much of her life being teased for being so open about her passion just because it was different, and it was nice to meet someone who wasn’t afraid to express his own. “Well, whoever’s it is, it’s seems great.” She’d love a chance to explore the whole thing, but Daisy wasn’t quite forward to the point that she would invite herself on a tour, especially seeing as it didn’t actually belong to Tilden. She grinned once more when he took her up on her suggestion – and asked about tomorrow. Daisy wasn’t keen on waiting, either, and she nodded. “I sure will be. Maybe I’ll even learn something about Tildens.” The joke was cheesy, maybe, but Tilden didn’t seem like he would mind, and as she spoke Daisy made the decision to forget the dirt and take another small step closer. Much too close to a bloke she’d just met, but Daisy had never let that stop her, and she found she didn’t mind at all that he smelled faintly of dirt. It was the good kind, the fresh, earthy smell that reminded her of the greenhouses at Hogwarts, and she reached out to brush a little dirt from his arm. “If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were trying to plant yourself here.”

“Yeah? I’m glad you like it. I can show you around some if you like.” Giving someone a tour of a garden, any garden not even one he had any claim to, was not something Tilden would ever shy away from. Especially if that someone was a pretty bird who had no issues flirting with a bloke covered in dirt. His smile grew when he found out she was available tomorrow as he chuckled at her joke. “I’m always happy to spread a little knowledge.” While he didn’t step any closer he didn’t step back either. A girl who wasn’t afraid of getting al little dirty, not to mention who was very outgoing, was a great thing. Tilden laughed again at her comment, she had a good sense of humor too. “Not here. I’m currently in the process of finding somewhere to plant my roots. This is where I grew though, first dirt I dug into, long before the greenhouses at school. I’m very fond of the dirt here. Obviously.” The last word was said with a sheepish grin as he looked down at himself. “It’s good dirt.”

“Yeah? I’d love that -- I’ve missed magical plants.” While she certainly wasn’t up to Tilden’s level, Daisy had gotten an NEWT in Herbology and found it a very interesting subject. She’d missed a lot of the magical plants that couldn’t be found in the muggle world. A giggle left her lips when he went along with her joke, silly as it was, and she found herself laughing again at the next thing he said. The longer she stood here speaking to Tilden, the less it felt like a true accident that had brought her here. “Apparently so. Let’s see this good dirt, then, shall we?” She asked with a wide smile, taking a small step back and hoping the offer of showing her around had not just been one made to be polite. It certainly hadn’t felt like that, though; maybe it was just Daisy being overly optimistic about the cute bloke she’d just met, but Tilden seemed genuine.

While she’d had a good feeling he would most likely be receptive to her flirting – not that fear of rejection had ever stopped Daisy from putting herself forward, regardless – her grin widened all the same when he stepped a little closer to her. She’d have gone for closing the distance even more, and probably a hand on his arm, had he not been covered in dirt, but she thought better of it for the time being. A laugh escaped her lips at his answer; he was quick, and this was probably the first time her being compared to a flower had not felt cheesy and entirely unoriginal. “Good to know. Though I can think of worse gardens to be stuck in.” She chuckled, but it was true; as far as she could tell, the garden she’d accidentally popped into was a very nice one indeed, and she was even more glad she hadn’t landed on top of some flowers or anything. Her grin widened even more at his question, and she paused a moment to think it over. “He could come find me at Flourish and Blotts. I get off work at 5 and sometimes I get a drink after. You’re welcome to come observe, or if you really want to immerse yourself in the experience you could even join me.”

It was a little disappointing that she didn’t move closer but given they’d just met he wasn’t expecting it really. The fact that it might be his dirt covered self that stopped her didn’t cross his mind. Tilden had spent so much of the last few years in the same state he often forgot how dirty he really was. Not that being dirty would stop him from flirting with a pretty bird, he was dirty, not dead. “I’m glad you approve of the garden. Not mine, but I’ve done a lot of work in it.” Yes that’s right, in the middle of flirting with a pretty bird Tilden Toots was stopping to look around his mum’s garden with pride. What’s more he didn’t see anything wrong with that. Tilden hadn’t expected the line to work as well as it had, the most he’d been going for was an opening to ask her to get a drink. Which he got but he also got more. “Flourish and Blotts? That’s fantastic, a spot I’ve been meaning to get reacquainted with actually. I’m more of a immerse yourself into the experience person myself. Strictly observing is terribly boring especially when there’s pretty flowers and drinks involved.” He couldn’t resist giving her another wink. “I don’t suppose you’re gonna be at work tomorrow?” There was no time like the present.

“Oh?” Daisy didn’t try to hide her grin as he glanced around the garden pridefully. In only a few minutes of conversation it had become immediately apparent how into herbology Tilden was, but Daisy found it endearing. She’d spent much of her life being teased for being so open about her passion just because it was different, and it was nice to meet someone who wasn’t afraid to express his own. “Well, whoever’s it is, it’s seems great.” She’d love a chance to explore the whole thing, but Daisy wasn’t quite forward to the point that she would invite herself on a tour, especially seeing as it didn’t actually belong to Tilden. She grinned once more when he took her up on her suggestion -- and asked about tomorrow. Daisy wasn’t keen on waiting, either, and she nodded. “I sure will be. Maybe I’ll even learn something about Tildens.” The joke was cheesy, maybe, but Tilden didn’t seem like he would mind, and as she spoke Daisy made the decision to forget the dirt and take another small step closer. Much too close to a bloke she’d just met, but Daisy had never let that stop her, and she found she didn’t mind at all that he smelled faintly of dirt. It was the good kind, the fresh, earthy smell that reminded her of the greenhouses at Hogwarts, and she reached out to brush a little dirt from his arm. “If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were trying to plant yourself here.”

Daisy felt her eyes widen slightly in surprise at the direction Tilden when with his answer to her question. She certainly hadn’t expected him to have actually picked up on the fact her name was Daisy, but she also hadn’t been prepared for the impressive slew of information he gave her. Though that was quickly explained; he was a herbologist, and Daisy let out a chuckle. “Your favorite, is it? I’ll keep that in mind.” Again her eyes sparkled with amusement; he would catch on soon enough, and sure enough he was laughing after she finally introduced herself. “Really,” she answered whim with another laugh, and she couldn’t help the thought that maybe there was a reason she’d ended up here of all places. “Maybe not. Never too late to study up, though,” she took the smallest of steps closer to him, not enough to encroach on any personal space but just enough to be perceptible. Tilden may not have been trying to flirt, but Daisy wasn’t about to let whatever powers that be that had landed her here go to waste.

For once Tilden was actually slightly speechless. The bird who’d just popped into his garden was named Daisy. That was a bit wow…. “Wow.” Tilden chuckled a little. Her flirting did not go unnoticed though and his surprise was quickly forgotten. He took his own step towards her, skirting just on the edge of encroaching in her personal space. “I would never pass up an opportunity to study a new variety of my favorite. No worries about me trying to plant you over there with your cousins. Studying plants in their natural habitat is far more educational.” They were in a garden and her name was Daisy, the garden jokes were just too easy. A fact that made him like her even more. Bloody hell so far she was pretty perfect which probably meant she was nuts but she was hot enough that he’d take his chance. “So if a herbologist wanted to study your natural habitat where would be a good place to do that?”

While she’d had a good feeling he would most likely be receptive to her flirting -- not that fear of rejection had ever stopped Daisy from putting herself forward, regardless -- her grin widened all the same when he stepped a little closer to her. She’d have gone for closing the distance even more, and probably a hand on his arm, had he not been covered in dirt, but she thought better of it for the time being. A laugh escaped her lips at his answer; he was quick, and this was probably the first time her being compared to a flower had not felt cheesy and entirely unoriginal. “Good to know. Though I can think of worse gardens to be stuck in.” She chuckled, but it was true; as far as she could tell, the garden she’d accidentally popped into was a very nice one indeed, and she was even more glad she hadn’t landed on top of some flowers or anything. Her grin widened even more at his question, and she paused a moment to think it over. “He could come find me at Flourish and Blotts. I get off work at 5 and sometimes I get a drink after. You’re welcome to come observe, or if you really want to immerse yourself in the experience you could even join me.”

Daisy let out another chuckle at his assertion of being an expert on daisies, wondering if he’d picked up on the fact that was her name or not. Her gaze moved to the bouncing bulb that seemed determined to prove the bloke’s point, and she giggled as he stopped it in its tracks with a flick of his wand. “A daisy expert, are you?” She asked, glancing back up at him with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, unable to resist adding, “What else do you know about daisies?” It was most likely he hadn’t caught that was her name, but once he learned it she could have some fun with what he said. And it seemed he’d be learning very quickly. It was nice, how entirely unfazed he seemed by the fact she’d shown up out of nowhere, and she grinned widely when he introduced herself. Tilden. Daisy had a very good feeling about him. She chuckled when he wiped off his hand, reaching out to shake it despite the fact it was still smudged with dirt; it wasn’t as if he didn’t have a good reason for it. “I don’t mind a bit of dirt,” she told him with another laugh. “Besides, it looks good on you. I’m Daisy,” she tacked on, just in case he hadn’t caught it yet.

“I know a lot. There’s seventeen varieties, in four different families, the majority are in the same family though. Bellis perennis are my favorites. Bellis, pretty; Perennis, everlasting. At night the petals curl up like they’re sleeping and open back up in the morning when the sun comes out. Shall I go on?” Tilden chuckled a little before tacking on, “You should never challenge a herbologist on his knowledge of his favorite flower. We could be here all day.” At his core Tilden was nothing more then a plant nerd and he knew it, embraced it, loved it. He’d never understood people who tried to hide their passions, what a waste of effort that seemed to him. No hesitation only cute laughter, that was a really good sign. And a compliment, nice. Before he could react to it though her name wiped all of that away. “No fucking way. Daisy? Really?” Tilden laughed again, now her comment about it being a daisy thing actually made sense. He’d just assumed it was some shot at garden humor. “That’s a very nice name, Daisy. Maybe I’m not as expert on daisies as I thought since I didn’t notice a new variety popping up in the garden.” Tilden gave her a wink, though he was still too amused and surprised by her name to really be trying to flirt.

Daisy felt her eyes widen slightly in surprise at the direction Tilden when with his answer to her question. She certainly hadn’t expected him to have actually picked up on the fact her name was Daisy, but she also hadn’t been prepared for the impressive slew of information he gave her. Though that was quickly explained; he was a herbologist, and Daisy let out a chuckle. “Your favorite, is it? I’ll keep that in mind.” Again her eyes sparkled with amusement; he would catch on soon enough, and sure enough he was laughing after she finally introduced herself. “Really,” she answered whim with another laugh, and she couldn’t help the thought that maybe there was a reason she’d ended up here of all places. “Maybe not. Never too late to study up, though,” she took the smallest of steps closer to him, not enough to encroach on any personal space but just enough to be perceptible. Tilden may not have been trying to flirt, but Daisy wasn’t about to let whatever powers that be that had landed her here go to waste.

Daisy was vaguely aware of an exclamation from the person whose garden she was in, but she was much too worried about losing part of the manuscript she’d poured so much of herself into to look away from her task. Though it was quickly taken care of for her, a tidy stack of papers floating gently back into her arms. Oh. Right. Even after several months back in the wizarding world, Daisy still tended to forget she could now use magic to take care of things. Then again, had she taken a wand to her precious parchment it was more likely it would end up on fire; the muggle way had always worked better for Daisy.

Welcome. Tilden appreciated the fact that this bird had a sense of humor, obvious from laughing at his joke of course. His interest was sparked by her comment about being away as well but he didn’t pry either, instead laughing at her words. “A Daisy trend? Nope, I’m something of a bit of an expert on daisies and I can promise you there are not the plants I have to worry about running off to other gardens.” As if to prove his point one of the bouncing bulbs knocked itself out of the box and Tilden had to stick a charm on it to keep it from going anywhere. “Those now, they I could agree with.” Tilden grinned at her next words. “We Toots like it.” And with that Tilden held out his hand to introduce himself, “Tilden.” Realizing how dirty his hand was at the last minute he chuckled and wiped it off on his robes. “Sorry about that, gardening isn’t the cleanest job.” He held his now smudgy hand out to the bird. After many years of being covered in muck and dirt he’d learned that a bird’s reaction to that was a pretty good indicator of if she was worth his time or not. Maybe it was a bit soon to be testing a bird, he didn’t even have his own place yet. But fate, or whatever, had landed her here so who was Tilden not to take advantage of that.

Daisy let out another chuckle at his assertion of being an expert on daisies, wondering if he’d picked up on the fact that was her name or not. Her gaze moved to the bouncing bulb that seemed determined to prove the bloke’s point, and she giggled as he stopped it in its tracks with a flick of his wand. “A daisy expert, are you?” She asked, glancing back up at him with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, unable to resist adding, “What else do you know about daisies?” It was most likely he hadn’t caught that was her name, but once he learned it she could have some fun with what he said. And it seemed he’d be learning very quickly. It was nice, how entirely unfazed he seemed by the fact she’d shown up out of nowhere, and she grinned widely when he introduced herself. Tilden. Daisy had a very good feeling about him. She chuckled when he wiped off his hand, reaching out to shake it despite the fact it was still smudged with dirt; it wasn’t as if he didn’t have a good reason for it. “I don’t mind a bit of dirt,” she told him with another laugh. “Besides, it looks good on you. I’m Daisy,” she tacked on, just in case he hadn’t caught it yet.

Finally, finally Daisy had done it! A million trees’ worth of parchment and more ink than was in the Giant Squid’s entire body later, and she had produced her very first draft of her book. It was rough, she knew that, and it was going to require a good bit of editing. But it was done, a stack of parchment piled high on her desk, and that was an accomplishment in itself. So she wasted no time in gathering the parchment up in her arms and disapparating straight out of her messy living room to –

His mother’s garden had always been one of his favorite places. Even after seeing a good hunk of the world the past few years, especially after really. Naturally he’d told his mother he’d help her get it ready for the colder weather that would be coming soon. It had been a long, dirty day, just the kind Tilden loved. Made even better by the fact that none of the plants in his mother’s garden wanted to eat him. Maybe the Chomping Cabbage, but that was more like just a bite, completely different then the plants he’d been studying. Once his mother had left the rest of the gardening work to him and went shopping for dinner ingredients with his father Tilden had time to think. There was a lot to mull over now that he was back for good.

Daisy was vaguely aware of an exclamation from the person whose garden she was in, but she was much too worried about losing part of the manuscript she’d poured so much of herself into to look away from her task. Though it was quickly taken care of for her, a tidy stack of papers floating gently back into her arms. Oh. Right. Even after several months back in the wizarding world, Daisy still tended to forget she could now use magic to take care of things. Then again, had she taken a wand to her precious parchment it was more likely it would end up on fire; the muggle way had always worked better for Daisy.

Being friends with Daisy meant being prepared for anything. Including meeting two blokes she didn’t know for drinks because Daisy had apparated into one of their gardens. And really this was much easier then wearing muggle clothes and trying to figure out how to talk to a muggle boy. Though that hadn’t happened as often since Meg had no phone and Daisy had sworn off magic for a year. Much harder for spur of the moment plans that way. Still being whisked away to have drinks with strange blokes was such a Daisy way to celebrate her finishing her book that Meg found it all funny, which helped with the nerves thankfully. As did seeing who they were meeting, slightly. Meg wasn’t sure if it was less or more embarrassing that she knew her date. That’s why the name Tilden had seemed so familiar, Doc’s friend. Meg thought about telling Daisy that she knew them, or at least one of them, but if Doc didn’t remember her that would be terribly embarrassing so she settled on just greeting the blokes. “Hi.”

Doc wasn’t sure why he’d let Tilden talk him into a double date with a bird who’d accidentally apparated herself into his mum’s garden (she was probably mental, though seeing how excited his best mate seemed to be over the whole thing he’d kept that to himself), except that he was trying to distract himself from the new low he’d hit last night. He was a mess, and now bloody MacFusty of all people knew that, too. But he was trying his best to stay in good spirits, to focus on his curiosity over this bird he’d heard about a good month ago. Writing a book about muggles, and even if she was mental that was still something Doc could respect. He greeted her with a pleasant smile, though it quickly turned to a look of surprise when she introduced her friend. “McCormack?” Bloody hell – at this rate he was going to run into everyone he’d gone to Hogwarts with. But at least tonight he looked as put together as he ever did these days, and at least McCormack was a housemate – a former teammate, even – he’d liked well enough. And the years since Hogwarts had been good to her, though there was something very weird about being set up with his former housemate without realizing it. Still, she was better than the ugly former Hufflepuff he’d been expecting to be stuck with, so he let a bemused grin settle across his face as he stood up. “Small world, huh? Good to see you again.” He extended a hand to shake before he turned to Daisy and did the same. “I’m Doc, it’s nice to meet ya.” Sitting back down, he explained to her and Tilden, “Meg and I played quidditch together at school.” 

Tilden too stood up when the girls got to the table. “Oh a Ravenclaw! Thought I recognized ya. Good to meet you.” He shook Meg’s hand. “Glad to see you made it,” he said turning his attention the Daisy and giving her a wink. Her friend was thankfully not ugly but Tilden felt he had the better of the two. Sitting back down he gave Doc a smile, this wasn’t gonna be too bad. If nothing else Doc and his bird could talk quidditch. Probably good for him to be around someone he semi-knows. “We went ahead and ordered firewhiskeys but if you gals want something else please don’t be shy. You can order it when she brings us round our drinks.”

Daisy looked back and forth between Doc and Meg in bemused surprise for a moment. So that was why he’d looked familiar -- Daisy had seen him in quidditch matches. At least he didn’t seem put out by the fact his date was an old housemate, and Daisy just hoped the same could be said for Meg. After greeting him cheerily, Daisy was much too busy turning her attention back to Tilden to worry too much. “I let Meg handle the apparating this time,” she answered him with a grin as she slid into the seat next to him. “Firewhiskey sounds good to me.” She’d missed it, after a year in the muggle world. “So -- are you telling me I’m surrounded by a bunch of Ravenclaws, then?” Daisy asked, lifting a brow but mostly just amused; and curious, too, as to what house Tilden had been in. 

It was almost like Tilden had taken Felix Felicis with the way things were working out today. He’d actually remembered to go to his parents and work in the garden on the day he’d meant to. Daisy had accidentally ended up apparating into the garden before he finished up. And he’d been successful at getting Doc to come out and go on a double date with him. If he were thinking beyond having a drink with a cute bird he’d think maybe fate was trying to tell him something. But Tilden rarely thought of the future, and then only when it involved his herbology potions. All he was thinking about was how wonderfully things had worked out. He smiled widely when he saw the girls walk in. “Looks like our dates are here, mate.” Tilden waved them over to the table he and Doc had gotten. “Can’t see the other bird yet, I’m sure she’s a looker though.” Or so Tilden hoped or he’d be hearing about it later. But if his past two experiences with Daisy were indication it would be completely worth it.

For her part, Daisy did think fate was trying to tell her something -- and that something was that she was about to have a brilliant night! There was simply no other way to explain her ending up in Tilden’s mum’s garden exactly when he’d happened to be there -- and with her finished draft of her book, no less! This date simply couldn’t be a dud, it wasn’t possible. A fact of which she’d assured Meg over and over again when she sprung the surprise on her, though as always she’d been a good sport -- especially given they had reason to celebrate! Daisy beamed when she spotted Tilden across the bar, glancing back at Meg. “Told ya he was cute!” And he was even more so without all the dirt on him. She gave her friend a grin as she led the way over to the blokes. “Hi!” She greeted Tilden with a wide grin before smiling at his mate as well -- pleased to see he wasn’t bad looking at all. Meg was in for a good time too, then. “This is my friend Meg.”

Tilden shook his head and laughed at the smirk and look of mischief Daisy shot him. Merlin did this girl seem like she might be a bit much to handle, in a good way. “Something tells me you’re very good at keeping things interesting.” And he wasn’t really talking about her apparition mishaps there. At least not completely. A wink in addition to his comments helped make sure she’d know he wasn’t just talking magical mishaps either. While he’d only had one and a half conversations with her she had given him the impression of being someone who was very interesting. He’d certainly been disappointed when she didn’t owl him.

“I’ll let you be the judge of that,” Daisy answered easily, her smirk growing wider at the way he went along with her flirting. She knew she could come on a bit strong at times, but if that wasn’t what a bloke was into then they weren’t the kind of bloke Daisy wanted to be spending time with; it was as simple as that. She wasn’t going to change who she was to suit a bloke. Which made it even nicer that Tilden seemed entirely unperturbed by her apparating problems, even if he didn’t quite seem to realize their full extent. They were going for drinks, not getting married -- so what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“Shame we couldn’t come up with something for you to deliver.” He gave her a cheeky wink before breaking into laughter. There was no part of that come on that was serious, well unless she wanted it to be. Tilden nodded at her words. “There ya go, that’ll do it every time. Just don’t think about mummies or whisky before apperting and you should be good to go. If not at least you’ll have a little vacation.” While Tilden had never splinted himself he’d known a few people who had. It seemed to him if Daisy’s only problem was ending up in someplace she hadn’t meant to then she was doing pretty good.

“Maybe next time.” If he hadn’t been covered in dirt she might have let her fingers trail their way down his arm, but as it was she just settled for a smirk and a flash of mischief in her eyes that ought to leave him no doubt as to just what Daisy could deliver. But soon enough she was chuckling at the next thing he said. “Exactly! I like to think it keeps things interesting." Really as long as she didn’t splinch herself Daisy considered an apparation a success, but that was something she actually managed to keep to herself; she didn’t need Tilden thinking she was completely hopeless, assuming he didn’t already think that.

Tilden gave her a serious look, except his eyes betrayed his amusement, before speaking again. “You want me to lie to my mum? I can’t do that. If that’s the line you want me giving her I think you’d best deliver something.” Despite his efforts his lips twitched as he actively tried not to smirk. Though the effort was soon abandoned in favor of laughing at her next words. “Scotland? That’s not too bad considering we went to school there. Not like Egypt or even Ireland.”

Daisy had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from laughing at Tilden’s attempt to feign being serious. Merlin, he was cute. “I suppose you’ll have to tell her the truth, then, since all I’ve got is a stack of parchment.” She answered him with a laugh. His laughter at her admitting to accidentally apparating to Scotland didn’t seem unkind in the slightest, and she found her smile widening at his words. “No, I think I’d been thinking about school at the time, actually. But I wouldn’t rule Ireland or Egypt out yet, it could still happen.” She was joking, but if Daisy was being honest -- there was only truth to the words. Tilden didn’t seem overly put off by her failure to apparate properly, though, and that only made Daisy like him that much more.