October 12th, 1894 — Harvest Festival; Corn Maze

Leander had come to the Harvest Festival with the private hope that he would be able to see Emma there. So far, he had not but he was enjoying himself nonetheless. He had seen some of his friends who were still stuck within the confines of Hogwarts since it was a Hogsmeade Weekend so that was something, at least. It was a shame that the Hogwarts students would likely have to miss out on the barn dance unless they had been signed out for the weekend.

That was hours away though and there was still a chance he could see other school aged friends. For the moment, however, he was in the corn maze, being amused by the enchantments and no true hurry to find his way out.

  

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Admire all of you
But fire burns me too
Can't stop that disco getting through
Can't stop that disco wanting you.

Emma stood at the edge of the corn maze, her fingers nervously twisting the ribbon of her dress. The festival was in full swing, the evening air crisp with the promise of autumn, but all Emma could focus on was the fact that she had not seen Leander yet. She had been hoping to—had, in fact, been planning to see him, even though she wasn’t sure what she’d do once she did. Meandering in the places where she thought she might see him - to meet not really by chance.

Her heart fluttered, a strange, light sensation in her chest as she thought about him. It was silly, really. She didn’t know what it was that made her feel so… off-balance whenever he was around. Was it because of his smile? The way his laughter seemed to float above the crowd, easy and confident? Or was it something else entirely, something Emma had yet to put into words?

Sighing, she started toward the maze, telling herself that it was perfectly fine to wander a little, just to pass the time. As she reached the entrance, she spotted him in the distance—tall, slightly turned away, looking amused at something in the maze. Her breath caught in her throat.

There he was.

Her fingers fiddled with her necklace, suddenly feeling too warm despite the cool evening. Emma hesitated, a flutter of uncertainty rushing over her. Was this a good idea? Should she just go over and say something clever? Or was it better to just… say nothing?

Leander didn’t notice her at first, and she found herself standing there for a long moment, unsure of how to approach him. What would she even say? He was charming, and smart, and… well, so much more confident than she felt at that moment. The thought of speaking to him made her stomach do somersaults, but not in a bad way. In a way that made her wonder if she could just stand there and listen to him talk for hours.

Finally, Emma took a deep breath and stepped forward, her voice small when she spoke. “Mr Hobday?” she called, her voice sounding a little breathier than she meant it to. “I didn’t expect to see you here… um, enjoying the maze?” - as though he could be doing anything else -seeing as he was at the maze!

The question felt rather silly as soon as she asked it, and she bit her lip, suddenly very aware of how much she didn’t know about what to say next. Still, the sight of him, his easy smile, made her heart skip again, and she had a feeling that maybe—just maybe—this wouldn’t be as awkward as she thought.

  

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MJ Did Beautiful things!

Leander turned at his name being called and broke into a bright smile. "Indeed I am. This farm always seems to go all out for their October Harvest festival," he said with a chuckle. There were all sorts of activities going on as well. He wondered what she had done thus far or if she had just arrived.

"Do you need to head back in the evening or have you been signed out by your family for the weekend?" Leander asked curiously. If the latter, he could perhaps steal a dance from her during the barn dance.

  

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Admire all of you
But fire burns me too
Can't stop that disco getting through
Can't stop that disco wanting you.

Emma felt warmth rush to her cheeks at Leander’s bright smile, her fingers instinctively tightening around the ribbon at her wrist. It was ridiculous how just seeing him could make her feel as though her thoughts had scattered like leaves in the wind.

“Oh, yes,” she replied, forcing herself to sound composed. “My father—” She hesitated, her lips pressing together briefly before continuing, “—well, he considers our attendance at these sorts of events something of a charitable endeavour.” She gave a small, wry smile. “A way to—how did he put it?—elevate the occasion with our presence.” Her tone was light, but there was no mistaking the flicker of embarrassment in her expression, her families rise in class still made her feel awkward and deeply uncomfortable.

She shifted slightly, looking at the towering corn around them. “So, yes, I will be here all weekend.” She stole a quick glance at him before glancing away just as fast, her heart giving an odd little skip. “Which means I shall have plenty of time to explore the festival properly. And perhaps even… the barn dance.”

She hadn’t meant for the last part to sound like an invitation, but as soon as the words left her lips, she wondered if that was what they had become. The thought sent another wave of warmth through her, and she quickly busied herself adjusting the lace cuff of her sleeve, hoping he wouldn’t notice how flustered she suddenly felt.

  

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MJ Did Beautiful things!