You Make It Easier When Life Gets Hard | Brandon

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Rosie had jumped at the chance to meet Brandon again. A second date! Eek! They had decided during their first date that they wanted to go out again, and she had butterflies in her stomach whenever she had seen him since that magical night. Dinner on a boat, a sunset kiss and an offer of a second date. What could have gone better? As far as the Hufflepuff was concerned, it was more than perfect. She had gushed to her best friends and dorm-mates about their date all night and she was almost counting the days until their next date. 

Rosie had never dated before, which was fairly obvious given her excitement over this guy. But, to be fair, Brandon was an exceptional man. He was someone whom she had considered a best friend for many years and who had randomly come back into her life after she had thought that she might never see him again. He was good to her. He was someone that she knew that she could trust and someone that she did trust. He was there for her.

Rosie Williams walked up the stairs to the great hall where they had agreed to meet. She was fairly sure there were going to go to Hogsmead, the place in which they had reconnected last month and had become friends again. So much had changed since then. 

@brandon

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Brandon was excited. A part of him felt surprised during their first date when Rosie agreed on a second date- did he move too fast by kissing her on their first date? He wasn't sure. However, she said yes, so he found himself once more in the planning stages of another date. Not that he minded. He was glad to be doing that. 

When the day finally arrived, Brandon was in the Great Hall plenty early. He was too excited and energetic, having planned quite a few things for them. His idea was to eat and then let her choose what they did. They could go to the Shrieking Shack, or Honeydukes or the music shop- really wherever she wanted to go. He didn't care the venue. What he really wanted tonight was to show her a song that he wrote just for her. 

The song came to him the night after their first date, in his dreams and ever since that day he'd worked on cleaning it up, making it perfect and he was finally ready to show it to her. What would be a better time than this? Right before he asked her if she wanted to be his girlfriend. Once again, Brandon wasn't sure if he was moving too fast or not, but he couldn't help it. He knew Rosie, had for years, and this just felt right.

When he saw her approaching from the stairs, he grinned and waved his hands at her. "Over here, Rosie!" he called. No, it wasn't very dignified, but hopefully it would let her know where he was, so she could come towards him and he wouldn't lose her in the crowd. Man, he was excited about tonight.

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he waved to her when she came up to the main floor. She smiled and walked over. Rosie was glad that he had got there early again. He had been early the first time too. And seeing him already there and waiting for her ensured her that he wanted to be doing this as much as she wanted to. She thought about their first date everyday. Her stomach still jumped when she thought about their first kiss. She was completely smitten with this boy. She had never thought that she would meet someone quite so sweet that also liked her. She knew she was a bit of a handful. She knew that she was naive about a lot of things that involved dating. She had no idea what was right or what was acceptable, but she was excited to learn. And her friends had helped her a little. She had got their advice about what to wear and how to act and what was deemed appropriate on a second date.

"Hey Brandon." she smiled once she made it over to him. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to hug him or kiss him or something. She decided to play it a little safe and went in for a hug, her cheeks already deeply red. She really needed to work on that. "How are you? How have you been since the last time I saw you?" it had been around a week since their last date. And she had seen him around since, of course, the castle wasn't big enough to avoid seeing most people. But she hadn't really talked to him much since. "Should we head to the village?" she asked. 

@brandon

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Rosie seemed a little hesitant when she first approached him, but then she was giving him a hug and Brandon wrapped his arms around her quickly to hug her back, releasing her easily when she pulled away. She was blushing. While he didn't comment on the fact, Brandon couldn't help but smile. He loved that he could fluster her so easily, without really doing anything. "I'm doing great," he told her honestly. "School is starting to come to a close, which is exciting and nothing major has happened over the last while." Except for the fact that he wrote a new song, just for her. He was hoping that he'd be able to show it to her sometimes tonight, if things worked out the way he hoped they would. "What about you? How are your classes and how's everything else?" He extended his arm to her when she asked if they should head to the village, not really needing to say anything, but wanting to be closer to her. She'd been on his mind so much the past week it was a little hard to believe he was with her right now. After a little while, he started talking. "So I was thinking we could start off somewhere to get a drink to warm us up, like the Three Broomsticks, or somewhere else. Then I'm really game for wherever you want to go. Any ideas?" He asked with an easy-going smile on his face. If she didn't know, they could figure it out while they warmed up.

rose harriet granger-weasley

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School was starting to come to a close and it was exciting, he told her after their hug. "It's scary too though. I have no idea what to do." she admitted. Working for the daily prophet wasn't the right fit for her, she could tell that much already. She was almost entirely sure that they would never allow her to write about muggle sports, it might lower their ratings, especially with the pure blood population who had absolutely no idea about any other sports and didn't have any interest in learning. A muggle news paper seemed like a better fit. But, that would mean she couldn't write about Quidditch. Unless she found either a more liberal Wizarding publication, or took on a job at multiple journalism firms, there was no way to get a solid compromise and be able to do everything that she wanted. At least not at this point in her life. She didn't even know where to begin looking for muggle newspapers to apply to. "My classes are fine, drawing to an end, also." she agreed with a shrug. Besides studying for the NEWTs, she didn't have a lot going on in any of her classes. He outlined his rough plan for the afternoon and Rosie smiled. She liked that he had thought about it and wasn't just winging the whole thing. Yes, some amount of spontaneity was great, but it was also nice to have a plan. Something that showed that he had remembered about their date and hadn't forgot about it until an hour ago. "Sure! Butterbeer sounds great, actually." Rosie agreed with her well-known enthusiastic smile and expression. The two of them began walking out of the castle on the course towards the village. "So do you have your summer all figured out then?" she asked. She knew the last time that they talked, he hadn't quite figured out life after Graduation yet, but it was drawing nearer and nearer with each day.

@brandon

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Brandon nodded when she said that it was scary. "Yeah, I can see that too. I mean, I know what I want to do, but I don't know exactly how to get it to happen. Do you know how to start getting into writing for sports?" Brandon asked, remembering that she wanted to write and she liked muggle sports most. Did she have a plan for that or an end goal. He wasn't sure. She started talking about how her classes were drawing to an end, going find and he smiled. At least she wasn't super stressed about that, right? Being worried about classes didn't help one get ready to graduate, he thought. The more you worried, the more stressful the situation would be, the poorer you might do on your exams. He was sure Rosie didn't want that. 

His smile widened when she agreed with his plan. She seemed excited and he was glad. "Good. We'll start there and then figure things out." This was great. Things felt so comfortable with Rosie and he liked it. Being with her felt like breathing, natural and he appreciated every moment of it. She asked about his summer and he shrugged. "Not really. I'll probably work harder on my music and try to get a recording contract somewhere ... or I'll try to get some performances out there so people can start to get to know me. What do you think about it?" He asked curiously. 

rose harriet granger-weasley

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He asked if she had any idea where she would get started with her ideal career as a sports journalist and she shook her head. She had no clue. She knew that there was the safe option of getting hired at the daily prophet, for which, she knew she couldn’t write about muggle sports. So that was her choice, she could go and intern at the prophet this summer, or, she could figure out how to get a starting job with a muggle newspaper, either in London or maybe back in Dublin. “No, I have no idea. I’m pretty sure my first steps involve moving home.” she sighed. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but it was better than nothing and her parents were pretty cool anyway.

We'll start there and then figure things out, he agreed. As they began walking from the castle towards the village, Rosie pulled her sweater a little tighter around her, crossing her arms to keep warm. It wasn't particularly cold out, and Rosie liked the cold, but, the sky promised rain later and the wind was giving it an extra chill. She probably should have brought a bigger jacket. He explained that he would be working on his music, obviously and either try to get a contract somewhere, or, try and perform a bit and get his name out there. “Still planning on London... or?” she asked. She knew he had thought about going back to live with his dad in… whatever country his did lived in. That was something to ask. She didn’t know too much about his family life, actually.

@brandon

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Brandon smiled understandingly when Rosie mentioned that the first thing she would probably do was move home. "I can understand that. Moving home is a pretty logical thing when you're trying to figure things out." He paused a moment before adding, "I'm going to move on my own though," he commented. He didn't want to go back and live with his dad and he didn't want to bother his mom either, so Brandon was planning on finding somewhere cheap. He would probably need to find some places to play to earn money, or borrow some, but he'd make it work. 

At her next question Brandon nodded, "Yeah, I'm staying in London. I don't want to go anywhere else. My friend Zander and I were going to start a band here ... I have a few contacts in London. I'll just need to find somewhere to stay and some way to get my music out there so I can start earning my keep," Brandon chuckled a little. He wasn't really one for living on the edge and not knowing how his life was going to turn out, but music was one thing he had complete confidence in. With his music, things would work out. Even if he didn't know how or when. 

rose harriet granger-weasley

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“Oh yeah, well my parents and I are really close anyway so I’m sure they’ll be glad to have me back home for a bit.” she admitted, but she couldn't help but feel like it was a lame thing to do. Moving home with her parents felt like defeat. It was true, she felt like she could take to both of her parents about anything, but, would she still feel that way feeling like a bum living back her in childhood bedroom? Rosie had a good work ethic, she knew that she’d be searching for papers to write for and wouldn’t just be lounging around for more than maybe a day to recover from the trip home and create a plan of attack. Would she search for papers in Dublin and live at home to save money? Or, would she want to go a slightly crazier route and try to find a job in London and move there hoping that she would make enough to support herself?

Brandon was going to move out on his own. He was going to be brave and support himself on his own in the city. He was going to start a band with his friend and they were going to play music and try to get their names and their sound out there. She wanted to get her writing out there, but she knew that she wasn’t brave enough. “Well you’ll have to let me know when you play, I’d want to come see a show!” she insisted with a smile. She hadn’t heard him play for years, but she remembered him being good. “Maybe I’ll come visit you in London.” especially if she ended up there for work.

@brandon

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Brandon smiled and nodded when Rosie said that she was close with her parents. That was definitely a good reason to move in with them ... at least for a while. He wouldn't judge her for that. "As long as you feel comfortable with it, that's what matters," Brandon answered easily. As long as I can visit you there. He didn't say the last part. They weren't even dating yet and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. 

His smile widened at her suggestion. "Of course I'll let you know! I'm going to give you back-stage passes, remember?" He teased her with a wink, even though he meant it. He wanted Rosie to come see him if he ever did perform, but it wouldn't be worth it if she just came and he didn't get to see her. Thus the backstage passes. He nodded, "You are definitely invited to come see me. Anytime you want." He couldn't imagine a time when he wouldn't want to see her, so Brandon felt comfortable saying that.

rose harriet granger-weasley

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Rosie wasn’t entirely sure how long she’d be with her parents, for the summer at the very least, she assumed. She’d be there for as long as it took for her to get a job and have enough of a savings to be able to move out and find her own flat close enough to where ever she got a job. London was ideal, but if a paper in Scotland or Ireland was hiring and would be willing to hire her on as an intern until she would be able to work her way up, she’d happily take it. She was in no position to say no to a job based on location, especially when it was so easy, as a wizard to get around.

He insisted that she’d get backstage passes and would be allowed to visit him whenever she wanted. That thought made her happy, she didn’t want to be without him, especially if their relationship kept up like this. “That’s good, I imagine I’ll be spending quite a bit of time job hunting in London.” she admitted. So she’d be able to see him whenever she was in the city, and it was only a few hours from London to Dublin the muggle way, anyway, so even if it ended up that she wasn’t very good at apparition, which she didn’t suspect she would be, she’d be able to get around. The two made it to the village and walked over and into the Three Broomsticks, the place he had deemed their first stop on their second date.

@brandon

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Brandon grinned when Rosie said that she thought she'd be spending a lot of time in London, job hunting. "Well, feel free to call on me whenever you're there. I'd love to see you," he told her confidently. He was positive that his feelings for her weren't about to change and was excited at the idea that he'd see her more frequently than just at any performances he might have. 

They were finally at the Three Broomsticks and he held open the door for her so they could enter, following behind her and leading her to a booth in the corner. "What would you like to drink? I can go get it for us." The place wasn't too busy yet, but Brandon wasn't really good at sitting around and waiting for someone to ask what he wanted. It'd be faster if he just got it, wouldn't it? He hoped Rosie wouldn't mind him leaving her for a minute or two ... maybe he should stay. "Unless you'd rather us just wait for someone to come and ask us," he amended, willing to do whatever she preferred.

rose harriet granger-weasley

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Rosie appreciated that he was willing to see her in London after they graduated. It meant that he was into her as she was into him, right? It meant that it wasn’t just a one sided thing that he was humoring so he didn’t hurt her feelings? Should wouldn’t be particularly hurt if he didn’t want to date her. She would feel worse if he was just going along with all of this to spare her. She didn’t want to be lied to and she didn’t like the idea of someone so close to her hiding something. So him agreeing with her and beginning to make plans with her after their school days helped her to realize that this could be something real. They entered and decided to take a booth in the corner. He offered to go get them drinks unless she wanted them to wait for a waitress and she shook her head. “No, you can get them. A butterbeer?” she asked with a smile, taking off her jacket and her bag.

@brandon

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Brandon smiled when Rosie told him that he could get her a butterbeer. "I'll be right back then," he said, shooting her a wink. He strode across the room toward the bar, ordering and getting the butterbeer as quickly as he could. Before long, he was making his way back to Rosie, his smile widening as he approached her. She was so beautiful. "So ... I was wondering," he paused, a little nervous. "Do you- would you like to hear a song I wrote?" He should drink his butterbeer first, to try and calm himself down, but he couldn't. He needed to get this out of the way, to show her his song and ask her to be his girlfriend. Hopefully she would say yes. He already thought he was unlucky with girls. If things didn't work out with Rosie, he'd be convinced.

rose harriet granger-weasley

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He winked to her and she felt her face go red. How could it not? Rosie, who had only ever been on a date once in her life, just a few weeks ago with this very same man, still felt the novelty in this whole dating thing. There was a boy standing with her who actually liked her. A boy who didn't think she was weird or silly or even if he did, he liked it about her. It wasn't something that scared him away. He made his way back to her with their drinks and she smiled as he sat down. He asked her if she wanted to hear a song and he seemed really nervous about it. She wasn't sure why he was nervous, he had played her a song before, well, not for her specifically, she guessed, but he had played for her. They had been friends before he moved to Durmstrang so she had heard him when he was still figuring out his sound and the whole music thing. "Yeah! Of course I want to hear a song your wrote!" she insisted eagerly. 

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