It was a warm day in March when Benedict found himself on the Promenade in Skegness in the North of England. Seagulls called overhead and every so often there was the ding ding of muggles riding along in strange four-person peddled vehicles with questionable steering.

He had been excited about today, a day trip out with his best friend over the Easter break from school. Just He and Millie, and of course a couple of her family that he had become at least a little familiar with during their occasional meet-ups over the last year. Millie Potts walked beside him, Zinnia Gallagher and her adorable baby Emery were a few steps ahead and every time he heard little cooing noises from the older woman into her pram he couldn't help but grin. There was nothing more important than family to him and this was Millie's family, so he felt quite privileged, even if the looming chaperone did mean there was significantly less opportunity for hand-holding or perhaps another stolen kiss. It was a curious feeling being here, they felt like an island, the three of them, walking along with their wands hidden away pretending to be muggles for the day to enjoy the seaside. He was almost surprised when they had earlier entered a small dusty bookshop and every single one of the books sat firmly on the shelves as if they hadn't even realised that books could fly yet. Well, at least three tomes would now rehomed into the wizarding world.

He felt something, two hazel eyes staring at him and he realised he had been daydreaming for some time and had not actually spoken for a few minutes. He blushed a little and smiled kindly at her. ”I'm sorry, I was miles away just thinking how lovely it is out today, I think we got quite lucky considering how cold February was.” he chuckled, how grown up he was, musing about the weather as they promenaded together on the front just above the beach. He took his eyes again off of the pretty girl by his side and looked down past her to where a gentleman with a pipe was trying to get a heavy-set woman onto a rather disgruntled-looking donkey.

”We should have a little walk on the beach, I've got some coins for a donkey ride if you want one, perhaps Emery would like one too?” he elevated the last part of his sentence so that Zinnia could hear the offer, although he questioned just how well the pram might handle the sand.

She was right, it did feel a little too perfect, like it would be snatched away from them and they would be plunged back into the daily grind of school and their associated lives. It wasn't that he disliked school at all, far from it. It was just that certain aspects of his personality were outgrowing and he was feeling ready for freedom in fourteen months. He'd miss seeing Millie every day when that happened so he shouldn't wish it away.

"I don't know if it's as cold but I bet it's got fewer monsters in it." he laughed and then felt fingers on his elbow like they were tapping for an entrance. He moved his arm and was rewarded with Millie's sliding into the crook of his elbow and taking hold gently. It all felt so easy being able to just walk and publicly be a couple with no one gossiping and no one chastising them because they had found each other's affection. "I don't think we'll swim though, Mum would kill me if I got salt water on my clothes and I don't think anyone wants me running down the beach in my undergarments." he gave Millie an open-mouthed mock look of scandal.

They walked a little further soaking in the atmosphere, he got the impression from Millie that she wasn't keen on a donkey ride, and pushing the pram in the sand seemed far too difficult to be worth it. "I think you are right, in a few years that will be lovely." he could picture it right now, except in his head it was just him and Millie put together playing like a family, he would like that a lot. "I'm hoping to get my apparition licence next month, and then when I am seventeen I can visit places like this much more often." he looked forward to being seventeen and being able to legally cast magic outside of school. He would need to be careful though, apparating into a popular muggle area could be an easy way to get in trouble.

He thought about her comments on fiddling with charms and modifying them. "Do you think you would want a career in charms after school then or just wait to be snapped up by one of the wealthy lads at coming out?" he squeezed her arm subconsciously at this, only now realising that that was a possibility, he had no claim to Millie but the idea of some older more established man whisking her out of his life, probably forever made him feel quite fretful. He gave a slightly apologetic look to Millie as if she knew the selfish thoughts he had in his mind right now. She looked so lovely with the freedom blowing in her hair.

Another bike whirred past them with a ding drawing Ben out of his inner turmoil. "Sir, where did you hire that?" he asked after him. The other gentleman gestured up the Promenade to a spot near the base of the long pier where Ben could see more people riding up and down. Benedict thanked the man and gave a goofy smile thinking of the two teens sailing along like proper dandys.

He nodded when she replied that he made it seem so easy, he was an optimist, a gentleman ought to be, at least in public. No good came of moping about things that might never come to be, but her did have his thoughts on the matter and his own successes worried him. "A gentleman needs his successes to be allowed to court the right sort of ladies, that is what I am told, so I try to plan for that." he mused to himself with a smile. He had not even got those successes yet and somehow the right kind of lady was willing to have him by her side, but Millie wasn't looking for a husband who would provide, so he got a pass on that, what the future would say about the matter was anyone's guess.

"Nothing you would do could be unseemly, it's not in your character." he complimented to her with warmth.

He gave a murmur when she mentioned DeCroix and Grace being snapped up, from what he had heard the pretty French girl would be leaving soon anyway, and Grace, seemed like she could find a good match, she was a little peculiar by reputation but he couldn't find any reason to mark her down. Ben wouldn't go too far into talking about other girls that he knew little of though, it was impolite. He did have a little smirk though. "I hope Miss Moony finds someone to suit her too." He was unsure of Anne, her reaction to him and Millie was quite abrupt, but it came from a place of love so that was that.

His heart skipped a beat as her head came resting on his shoulder as if it was the most natural thing to do, they had shared closeness but today's public closeness was a declaration to the world of their affection for each other. At least to the part of the world who had no idea who they were and would not spread gossip about the school about them. Oh, and of course Millie's cousin, there would be no pretence around her any more, and falsehoods of mere friends would be impossible to maintain now they had been so affectionately walking. So Ben leaned in a little, not to place his lips to her head, but to briefly rest his cheek on her hair and make a noise with his mouth to kiss her by implication.

They walked in silence before Millie would feel the grip she had loosened and Benedict's attention was drawn to the row of pedal cycles waiting to be taken up the long pier out to see. "I want to do that." Neither Millie nor Zinnia protested the idea, although Zinnia and Emery would need to wait at this end of the pair as the cycle would not accommodate the baby who was just now waking up to feed. It was pleasing that Zinnia trusted them both, or at least she trusted that Millie would not associate with a boy of ill intent.

One side was for the man, he with the strength to cycle and show off to the woman who would sit on the other side and glide gracefully along under her man's effort. Benedict liked that, it spoke to the little knight inside him yearning to be chivalrous. He held Millie's hand to help her into the saddle before taking his seat and beginning to ride. The wheels made a wonderfully quaint noise on the wooden pier but soon they were off, they could enjoy the breeze, and the smell of the ocean, and quickly found themselves distanced from the shore