Music for a Sushi Restaurant (Toby)

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

August 7, 2027

Although Penelope had agreed to go on a blind date set up by Blishwick Matchmaking, she wasn't looking for anything serious. It sounded like it could be interesting, and she had no reason not to do it. Of course, she had a few concerns about getting paired up with someone creepy, but she knew that Blishwick had a good reputation—for matchmaking and for pizza.

Luckily, her date wasn't going to be at Blishwick's own pizza parlor, which would have been a clever marketing tactic but definitely overkill. Instead, Penelope had learned that she would be going to the Hounds and Harriers. Although it was a pub in Godric's Hollow, which was where she had grown up and was still living at home, and maybe not the most exciting place for a first date, it wouldn't be overwhelming. She wouldn't have to worry about having to impress her date too much versus if they were going somewhere that was focused on a specific activity.

Not wanting to show up for her date with dirt up under her fingernails, Penelope went home from work to change into a dress and nicer shoes and make herself look put together. She didn't do anything outrageous, though; the goal was to look nice rather than like someone she wasn't.

It took Penelope a little bit longer than she would have liked to feel satisfied that she looked good enough, but she made her way to the Hounds and Harriers with plenty of time to spare. As luck would have it, she saw that Toby Watkins was already at the pub. That was good, she thought; she could go over and talk to him while she waited!

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Toby found himself on yet another Blishwick date. When he got the notification that he had a match, he couldn’t help but get a feeling of dread. These dates took a lot out of him, putting himself out there and being vulnerable with strangers wasn’t easy. However, when Toby saw that it was at a pub, he felt a bit of relief. Maybe that would be more fun. Toby recently learned he had grown rather keen of drinking. It was a nice feeling to lower his inhibitions and not care about anything, drinking definitely helped him stop overthinking every aspect of his life.

The gangly teen entered the pub, quickly finding his way to the bar to get a drink. He figured a drink wouldn’t hurt for his nerves. Toby stood at the bar as a blonde who he recognized to be Penny Bainbridge started towards him with a smile. Tobys eyes widened as he cocked his head to the side with a chuckle, setting his beer down on the counter quickly so that he could give her a tight hug. “Well, helloo stranger..” he greeted with a smile, noticing she was dressed nicely for a pub. 

Penny was in his same year as Toby at Hogwarts, as well as a sister to his best friend Kinsey. Sadly, he didn’t get to see Kinsey much these days since she was married and starting a life with Riley, but he understood people grew apart as they got older. Toby was happy as long as his friend was at peace. She dealt with a lot in their school years and Penny knew that first hand. 

Tobys eyes flickered onto the blondes ensemble with a little hand gesture, ”You look nice.” he praised with a smile, the comment wasn't meant to be taken as overly flirtatious but he meant it. There was a fine line between flattery and flirtation but since she seemed to make the effort, he thought she’d appreciate it since he noticed. Toby was happy to see a familiar face during such a nerve wracking time, maybe Penny would be able to give him some pointers or put his mind at ease about the situation. She was always good at those sort of things. Toby ruffled a hand through his hair to feign nonchalance, ”Are you meeting anyone here?" he asked curiously, " I’m meeting someone here for one of those..er, Blishwick dates.” he said with a more bashful smile, face going red hot since he was a bit embarrassed about using a dating service rather than swiping himself silly with those dating apps people used.

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

August 7, 2027

Toby was at the bar with a beer, but he didn't seem to mind her approaching him. He greeted her cheerfully and hugged her, even complimenting her on how she looked. That was nice of him, Penelope thought. He sounded sincere about it, too, like it wasn't something that he had said just because he felt like it was what he was supposed to say.

"Are you meeting anyone here?" Toby asked. "I'm meeting someone here for one of those… er, Blishwick dates."

"Yeah, actually, I—" Penelope paused mid-sentence and only then realized what Toby had said. He was there for a Blishwick date, too, but he seemed a bit embarrassed by it.

Maybe there were multiple dates happening at the same time? Penelope knew that she hadn't received anything from Blishwick to know which date would be hers, though. Maybe Toby knew more than she did?

Having a blind date was supposed to take the guesswork out of dating. At least, that was what Penelope had gone into it thinking. She would be paired up with someone who was (hopefully) compatible with her, saving her from having to go through the whole process of meeting people and hoping she might find a boyfriend in there somewhere. Besides, dating was sort of… scary.

"Er, Toby… I know this is going to sound really bonkers," Penelope said to preface the sudden thought that she had just had, "but if you're here for a Blishwick date and I'm here for a Blishwick date…" What were the chances of that? She swallowed a little and just knew that Toby would find her absolutely ridiculous.

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Toby cocked his head to the the side as Penny seemed to have a moment of realization flash before her eyes. His eyebrows quirked upwards, surprised to hear that she was there for a Blishwick date, too.

Swallowing, he processed the information, eyes glazing over for a nanosecond at the realization. The lanky teen craned his head back for a quick look around the pub, relieved he wasn’t met with a speed dating scenario. 

”Oh.” he chuckled, an awkward but happy smile spreading across his face. It was more of a surprise than anything. ”Okay. So, you’re my date!” he announced with a hint of excitement. Toby wasn’t upset about that, Blishwick knew what he was doing. Toby shrugged, feigning nonchalance.  ”Well, this was unexpected but Blishwick knows what he’s doing..” he tried to ease the situation. ”Do you fancy a drink?” he asked before gesturing to his half filled beer with a hint of shame, ”I meant to sneak this beer before my date got here…so I guess ya caught me.” he chuckled, face going slightly red.

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

August 7, 2027

"Oh."

By the way that Toby laughed as he realized what she meant, Penelope worried that he thought that she was out of her mind. It wasn't impossible that Blishwick could have arranged for multiple dates at the same time and place. It made sense, really. He could cut down on costs that way, Penelope considered, only to remember that the matchmaking service likely didn't have to pay a single Knut to hold dates at a pub. Somewhere fancier that took reservations might have been different.

"Okay. So, you're my date!"

Penelope breathed out. He wasn't upset, or perhaps he had just come to terms with the fact that she really was his Blishwick blind date. She hadn't anticipated that her date wouldn't be a stranger to her, though it did calm some of her nerves. Toby already knew her, and she already knew him. They wouldn't have to make small talk about the weather or Hogwarts in order to find some common ground.

As unexpected as Toby said it was, he also stated that Mr. Blishwick knew what he was doing. Penelope supposed so; Blishwick was always advertising what successful relationships had come of the various matchmaking services available.

Instead of focusing on the fact that they had been paired up because of a matchmaking service, Toby asked her if she wanted a drink and motioned towards his own beer. He had meant to drink it before his date got there, he explained.

"Erm…" Penelope considered her options, taking a seat at the bar beside where Toby was already seated. "Would a butterbeer be too boring?" She wasn't sure that she wanted to drink anything stronger, already feeling that she had made enough of a fool of herself.

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Everything was all starting to sink in. He was on a date with Kinsey’s sister. In a way, he could find comfort in that. He had also knew Penny from being classmates at Hogwarts. Blishwick paired him with Lusie years ago and they had already known each through being friends, so it wasn’t like he and Penny didn’t have potential if they decided to try things out. 

Penny asked if butterbeer would be boring and Toby shook his head from side to side. ”No, that's not boring.” he assured her with a laugh. ”Butterbeer is delicious.” Toby nodded, turning to face her as she sat down. ”I’ll order one too.” he finished off the remnants of his beer and ordered them two butterbeers. Toby passed over the cash and two foamy beverages appeared in icy mugs in front of them.

Toby turned to a small assortment of flowers, sticking to the idea that girls still liked flowers. His hazel eyes widened and grasped the flowers,  ”Oh, yeah..These are for you.” he handed them over with a laugh and shrug, feeling a bit awkward now but he knew he was overthinking it so he smiled it off. His head cocked to the side curiously. ”Shall we move things over to a booth?” he asked, gesturing to a clean empty booth behind them. Toby knew the pub counter wasn't an appropriate location for a date and he wanted to give Penny the date she deserved. 

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

August 7, 2027

Hearing Toby assure her that it wasn't boring for her to order a butterbeer made Penelope feel better about herself. She didn't really like drinking alcohol very much, and she was glad that he wasn't pressuring her into drinking firewhisky or anything. Butterbeer, as Toby said, was delicious. It was sugary, and it had just enough of a kick to it that it wasn't unpleasant. Firewhisky, on the other hand, burned going down, and that was supposed to be the draw of it. Penelope didn't quite understand why, but she knew that she was probably outnumbered there.

Toby actually agreed to order a butterbeer for himself, too, in addition to the beer that he had already had. He paid for both their drinks, and they were soon met with cold mugs of butterbeer.

Before Penelope could take a sip from hers, though, Toby drew her attention to some flowers that he said were for her. Penelope could feel her cheeks reddening and was glad that they hadn't ordered hot butterbeer to make it worse. She had been so busy worrying about the whole date situation that she hadn't even noticed them! The flowers were pretty, and she definitely didn't mind the gesture. Even though she spent all day around flowers (and the occasional Mandrake), she didn't mind another bouquet. It wasn't as though she got to take her work home with her.

"Oh, wow. Thank you," Penelope smiled at Toby as he handed the flowers to her. She was still blushing. "They sort of match my dress, don't they?" she added, though she had skipped wearing a floral pattern. Between that and working at a florist's shop, she hadn't wanted to seem obsessed with flowers. (Then again, she found it difficult to believe that anyone could truly hate flowers. They were nice, and most of them didn't harm anyone.)

"Shall we move things over to a booth?"

"That sounds perfect," Penelope answered, surprised by how much a bouquet was making her gush over Toby all of a sudden. She didn't really have a good place to put the flowers there on the counter, anyway, to keep them from getting in the way.

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Toby was surprised how comfortable he was with the idea of going on a date with Penny. She had always been open and friendly, it was exciting to see her in a new light. Toby smiled, the blood rushing to his cheeks as she happily accepted the flowers. She mentioned how they matched her dress and he admired her dress with a nod. Hoping he didn’t admire her body for too long. ”They do. Looks like they’re meant for you.” he said, unsure if he was flirting or not.

As Penny agreed to the booth, Toby reached for both of their butterbeers so that she could grab the flowers. He set the drinks down and scooted into the booth. ”I feel like we have a lot to catch up about..” Toby started, his warm hazel eyes attempting to meet her gaze as they settled in their whereabouts. He wasn’t sure what Penny had gone through during the demise of Hogwarts and what she was doing these days so he was curious to find out. "Haven't seen you since before Hogwarts' final days.. What have you been getting yourself into these days? Anything new and exciting?" he asked, taking a sip of his frothy butterbeer and licking it off of his top lip.

Since Hogwarts burned down, the class of 2026 didn’t get a graduation, or any form of closure. He and Lusie broke up, which was obvious, so he wouldn’t bring it up unless if she asked. Now he was also a werewolf. It always felt weird telling his friends and family but he didn’t like to keep it a secret. He didn’t want to feel ashamed about who he was when it wasn’t his choice.

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

August 7, 2027

As they moved over to the available booth, Toby took both their butterbeers, while she carried the flowers. Penelope had never really paid attention to how much of a gentleman he was before, but she supposed she couldn't say that anymore. (Toby had always been nice, of course, but she felt that she was seeing a slightly different side of him, not that she minded it.)

She set down her flowers again on the table and sat down across from Toby after he set down their drinks. "I feel like we have a lot to catch up about," he said to her, which was probably true. "Haven't seen you since before Hogwarts' final days… What have you been getting yourself into these days? Anything new and exciting?"

Merlin, it really had been over a year since they had actually had the opportunity to chat with one another, Penelope realized. She didn't think that too much had changed in her life, except for the fact that she had Diana back in it. She was also working at Forget-Me-Knot Florist in Horizont Alley, so that was something, even though she was still living at home. Even living at home didn't feel as embarrassing to Penelope as maybe it should have, though, because she had been at Hogwarts for most of the seven years before that. Life at home wasn't as chaotic as it had been when she was much younger, either, and she didn't mind it the majority of the time.

Though her life was fine as it was, Penelope couldn't say that her life had been terribly exciting. "Er, nothing much, really. I've been working, but I'm not sure what I'd like to do with my life. I always thought it might be nice to learn to teach yoga or something." She shrugged her shoulders, unsure how useful that would be in the magical world, at least.

"How have you been? You were going to start Healer training, weren't you?" she recalled. Becoming a Healer was impressive. Most people only entertained the idea until they realized just how well they would have to do on their exams for that, and then they decided that it really wasn't for them.

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Toby wondered what Kinsey would think if she knew that he and Penny were on a Blishwick date. There was something deep down that told him she wouldn’t mind, she’d probably be excited. However, he wasn’t trying to think of Penny’s older sister during their date. That would have been weird. Plus, Penny did look very pretty for the occasion. Somehow the dimly lit pub lighting casted the most ethereal glow through her blonde tresses. He found himself captivated as she spoke, truly interested.

Raising the ice cold butterbeer to his lips, he watched and listened attentively as she shared about what was going on her life. She sounded down about not knowing what to do, but had an interest in yoga. He offered her a soft smile, ”Try not to be too hard on yourself. No one really knows what they’re doing, and to be fair, it’s frustrating that we’re expected to decide on careers at such a young age when teenagers are infamous for changing their minds.” Toby said, wanting to make her feel better. ”Yoga is excellent. Nothing is better than a good stretch. I reckon that’s something you’d be able to learn and teach during your free time and it's very beneficial.”  he said in his typical nerdy drone so his cheeks started to turn red. He always had the problem of talking too much, or not enough. 

Toby never liked talking about himself, even before his big change. When Penny asked him the same question, he felt his mouth go dry. Toby took a drink to earn himself more time. Since Penny was easy to open up to, he figured he’d just tell her, rather than try to make up some bullshit answer. Running a hand through his hair, he swallowed, ”Things have been alright,” his head bobbed into a nonchalant shrug, ”Yeah, training is in full swing. It’s..okay. Just very tiring.” he said honestly, ”I still work at the wildlife reserve part time and-” he paused. His face changed as he tried to figure out how to formulate the last part. His warm hazel eyes fell on Penny as his hands clutched the butterbeer for comfort. ”Last summer I got bitten by a werewolf so it’s been difficult trying to figure that out with healing training but I'm getting through it. So yeah-” Toby chuckled awkwardly, sometimes laughing was the only thing he could do when he wasn't sure how else to act. He felt like he was too honest already.


penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

August 7, 2027

Toby, ever the Ravenclaw, gave her a pep talk about not being hard on herself because it wasn't really fair that they were expected to know what they wanted to do with their lives as teenagers. Penelope knew that he was right about that. She couldn't imagine having chosen a career at sixteen in preparation for NEWT-level courses, but that was what they were told they should do. Did it make sense to hold them to those decisions? Penelope didn't think it was, especially not after the fifteenth of May of the previous year, but that was another conversation.

Yoga, though, did seem to be of interest to Toby, too, enough that Penelope noticed that he was blushing while he spoke about it. She wasn't exactly sure where—if anywhere—she could train as a yoga instructor in the magical world, but she didn't think that she would mind going into Muggle London to do it if she had to. Her father was a Muggle, so she could check with him and make sure that she would blend in.

It took Toby a moment to reply to her question. Penelope wasn't sure if he had taken another sip of butterbeer because he was stalling, but she took a sip of hers while she waited for his response.

"Things have been alright," he answered. Penelope couldn't imagine that things could be perfect for anyone from their year anymore, so it was about what she expected. Toby had gone into Healer training, apparently, though he said that he was still working at the wildlife rehabilitation center part-time. That did sound to Penelope like an awful lot of work, but she kept listening. The previous summer, Toby continued, he had been bitten by a werewolf, so he had been working on figuring that out, too.

At Toby's dropping the news that he had been bitten by a werewolf, Penelope's eyes widened over the rim of her butterbeer. She wasn't afraid or put off by his revelation, but she was concerned for him. "…Like, at the full moon?" Penelope asked for the sake of clarification, hoping that she had misunderstood what Toby had said.

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Fuck. Toby should’ve known there was no way to nonchalantly drop the ‘I’m a werewolf now’ line to friends and loved ones. Especially on a date. That was one way to kill the mood.

Pennys face shifted to a look of genuine concern at the news. Toby swallowed thickly at her question and nodded with a shy smile, ”Yes, it was during a Full Moon..” He confirmed, heartbeat escalating as vision flashed in his memories. His eyes shifted down to the table and back to Penny’s. ”I was camping with a group of people and a uh werewolf came through and killed a bunch of people.” Toby shared. Sometimes it felt crazy talking about it. His hand raised slightly to dismiss any concern, ”I’m okay now, it was just fuckin’ scary when it happened.” Toby assured her, offering her a smile to show he didn't mind talking about it. But he'd much rather talk about her.

The blood started to rush to Toby’s ears and cheeks. He hated that he blushed so easily when he was uncomfortable, ”Wow, sorry, I didn’t mean to put a damper on things.” Toby told her with a light laugh, shaking his head at himself in shame. 

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

August 7, 2027

Toby clarified that he had gotten bitten by a werewolf during a full moon, and Penelope didn't need it spelled out for her what that meant. Since the last time they had seen each other, Toby had become a werewolf. He told her more about what had happened when he had been attacked, too. He had been camping, he said, when a werewolf had come through and killed "a bunch" of the people with whom he had been camping.

His description wasn't gory or anything, but it still made Penelope wince. She knew how bad it had been to escape Hogwarts while knowing that people were dying and there was nothing that she could do to save the vast majority of them, and that was without being attacked by a werewolf. Toby, on the other hand, had lived through both in a matter of weeks or months. She felt bad for him that he had been through what he had. Surviving Elaine Dupree's attack on Hogwarts had been bad enough for anyone.

"Wow, sorry," Toby apologized after he had finished retelling his experience. "I didn't mean to put a damper on things."

Although she didn't want to experience it for herself, Penelope didn't mind that Toby had elaborated to her about what had happened to him. She wouldn't have known otherwise, she imagined, apart from if rumors had started to fly, and she wouldn't have wanted to do or say anything insensitive about it.

"No, no," she reassured him with a smile, noticing how he had blushed again. "Thank you for telling me. I mean, it's not… I— Obviously, I wouldn't want anyone to go through that, but…" Merlin, why couldn't she string a sentence together, either?

tobias charles watkins

[tobias charles watkins]

Toby noticed Penny's face change. He didn't want to make her feel bad for him or pity him, that was the last thing he wanted, but he also knew he could share with her. "No-yeah, I know what you mean.." he assured her with an awkward laugh, hating that the color in his cheeks was creeping again but he smiled. "It has been a bit of an adjustment, but it's not that bad.." he lied, more be polite, and an attempt to make her feel better. The weeks leading up to the Full Moon were always dreadful, often he felt terrible and could barely pull himself together for class and work. Thank Merlin for potions getting him through most days.

The young man cleared his throat, fingers aimlessly tracing the handle of his mug as he bit his lip. A part of him wanted to get past the uncomfortable werewolf talk because he wanted to have a good date with Penny. His gaze carefully met hers, he never noticed she had such pretty green eyes in the past. "Still kinda gettin over the initial shock of you being my date. Ha, I wonder what Kinsey would think."  he said with a light laugh, knowing she wouldn't mind since she had a lovely life with Riley. "Have you been on a Blishwick date before?" he asked her curiously, an attempt to make more light date conversation.

penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

August 7, 2027

Fortunately for Penelope, Toby sounded as though he understood what she had been trying to say even though she had stumbled over her words in saying it. He described having had to get used to being a werewolf as "a bit of an adjustment," though that felt like it was probably an understatement to Penelope. It must have been incredibly painful to have to transform into a wolf at every full moon and have no say in it, she thought.

Beyond that, Toby didn't discuss more about being a werewolf, nor did Penelope think that he really needed to do that for her. From her side of things, it had been bad enough to hear him describe more about how he had been attacked and that other people had been killed by the werewolf that had attacked him. Rather, he mentioned that he wondered what her sister Kinsey would think about their date.

"I don't know, actually, but I can't imagine that she would be angry with either of us," Penelope answered. She wasn't sure what Kinsey would think about her being on a date with Toby, but she didn't think that she would mind. If any of her siblings were the jealous type in general, it was probably Cara, but Penelope didn't think that Cara would be jealous of her for going on a date with Toby specifically. Given that all of her siblings knew Toby, though, she knew that they would probably have some strong reactions to their date in some way or another. She didn't want to tell them all that he was a werewolf, though, unless he gave her his explicit permission to tell them.

She wasn't opposed to being in a relationship with a werewolf, not that she had given it too much thought before. She knew Toby and knew that he posed no danger to her. Would she have been more cautious about entering into a relationship with someone she didn't know and where the only thing that she knew about them was that they were a werewolf? She was pretty sure that would have been the case in that situation.

Moving from friendship to the possibility of romance was still a little weird, though, werewolf or no werewolf. Penelope assumed that there were a lot of little details that they would need to work through if they were going to date, but she didn't want to get too far ahead of herself and make Toby think that she was jumping from friendship to wanting to marry him in the span of a few minutes.

"Have you been on a Blishwick date before?" Toby then asked her.

Penelope shook her head as she replied. "No," she told Toby. "This is my first one." Plenty of people had used Blishwick for some sort of matchmaking service, so she hadn't been completely deterred from trying it. So far, it had been better than she had expected it to be. "You?"

tobias charles watkins