with the best intentions }{ dorcas, elaine, vinnie

[ludovic aurelius bagman]

Ludo felt a brief moment of sheer panic when he slipped into the Three Broomsticks and realized none of people he was supposed to meet were there. Not Lainey, not Vinnie, and not Vinnie’s girlfriend, Elaine. Was he late? Impossible, for Ludo had left excruciatingly early. He just wasn’t used to being early, or even on time, for anything involving his girlfriend. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Dorcas Meadowes, he most certainly did. Did he love her? Probably, but Ludo wasn’t about to toss around the L-word like that. He wasn’t ready to admit it, but it was pretty obvious that there was something there. Why else would they keep getting back together? Ludo knew he was a terrible boyfriend. No wonder Dorcas felt that everything came before her. For the most part, it did. Quidditch was a full time job, and it didn’t leave a lot of time for other things. Then there was the fact that Ludo was his own worst enemy. No one in the world could self-sabotage the way Ludo could.

Take today, for a very good example. Ludo had asked Dorcas to meet him at the Three Broomsticks for a date. He didn’t specify that it was going to be a just them date because, well, it wasn’t. Ludo just had a terrible habit of getting himself into these sorts of messes Not that he ever realized it. He just couldn’t help himself! In his own, weird, way Ludo was trying to help Dorcas out. In fact, he was painfully excited about this endeavour, and couldn’t wait for everyone to arrive! Dorcas didn’t have many friends, and certainly not many friends who could tolerate Ludo. He was quite fond of Amelia Bones, but he had a feeling it wasn’t reciprocated. Marley was, well, Marley. They were cousins who saw their fill of each other at family occasions. So, when Vinnie had mentioned that he was going to be taking Elaine Easterly on a date to the Three Broomsticks this Hogsmeade weekend, well, Ludo couldn’t let the opportunity slide! Vinnie Kentwood was his best friend, and it was really important to him that Dorcas like him. And people liked friends, right? Even quiet people like Dorcas! Hopefully Dorcas and Elaine could become friends, too! They shared the same name, though Ludo knew Elaine Easterly hated to be called Lainey. See? They already sort of had something in common. In Ludo’s head they were all going to be the best of friends. But one rather unfortunate detail had escaped his notice. Elaine and Lainey despised each other.

Ludo was really trying today, still trying, in part, to make up for the trouble over the summer. With all the tryouts, and then the excitement over getting signed, Ludo hadn’t spent a lot of time with Lainey, and she had, of course, broken up with him right before the term started. Things were good now, but Ludo was still on his best behaviour. This time, he was sure he’d be able to stick with it. Lainey had been the first person Ludo had wanted to tell about his good news, even before his parents and brother. Her not being there for that had really made him realize how much he liked having her around. But, as always, old habits die hard. And even the best intentions had a way of turning into disastrous events.

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566 words for Dorcas Meadows, Elaine Easterly, and Vinnie Kentwood

OMG, Ludo. USE YOUR BRAIN.

[vinnie edmond kentwood]

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Hogsmeade weekend was always something that the students of Hogwarts looked forward to. And it was especially so for the students like Vinnie Kentwood and Ludo Bagman, because they were the type of students that knew what having a good time was all about. Vinnie, a dashing seventeen year old Ravenclaw, was about more than just books and finishing his N.E.W.T.S, he had a strong sense of party animal about it. It most likely sprung up from the fact that he played quidditch, and like most players who possessed some talent, he won on occasion -- most occasions. Those winnings led to celebrations and those celebrations led to a slight dependency on fire whiskey and butter beer. Making the Three Broomsticks a favorite place to be on a Hogsmeade weekend. See there was always a line of logic and reasoning in Vinnie Kentwood's life.

That line led him to a double date with Elaine and Ludo and Lainey. Vinnie and Elaine had just stated to blossom. He was most likely sure that taking her on a few dates would land him boyfriend status, and boy did he want boyfriend status. Elaine Easterly was almost as good of a player as he was, making her extremely attractive. They could talk about plays and brooms and the variations of quaffles from country to country all day and still find more to talk about. And since she wasn't Ludo, they could even talk about Ravenclaw winning the house cup without anyone's nerves flaring up. Vinnie had found his woman, that woman that makes his world spin 'round, or perhaps quidditch made his world spin 'round and she just happened to be a woman connected to quidditch. Either way, he was crushing hard. Ludo had set up a nice little evening, no pressure, just a friendly atmosphere where both boys could dig themselves deeper into strong, everlasting boyfriend status.

It was the perfect plan. Vinnie dolled himself up in slacks and a sweatshirt to fit that laid back but sexy look, and dashed on down to the Three Broomsticks as fast as his chaser legs could carry him. Ludo had warned him of Lainey's temperament towards punctuality and he figured if one Lainey was like that then probably all Lainey's were like that. He was going to be either on time or early and start the night off right. And since he was Vinnie Kentwood he knew it wouldn't come off as pathetic, at least it shouldn't, I mean really...look at that face. He waltzed in expecting to be the only one there, besides of course that gaggle of four years that came to the pub first hoping to look cooler than the crowds dancing in Zonkos, but he found Ludo waiting there already. Lainey must really have a temperament if she could make Ludo Bagman early for something that wasn't a scouted match. Keeping the surprised looking planted firmly on his face, Vinnie shuffled up to his best friend and worst enemy on the pitch, wrapped an arm around his broad shoulders, and slapped his hand down on the table. "You sure there's gonna be girls at this shindig? Better not be lying to me man." Oh Vinnie, like you need anymore male bonding time...

five hundred & forty-six words
posting order: ludo, vinnie, elaine, dorcas work for everyone?
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[elaine veronica easterly]

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Dating is difficult while at Hogwarts. Ask any student; it’s true. About once a month they could go to a nearby town. Once a month! For the rest of the month, they had to entertain themselves at the castle. Now, it was a castle, so that was exciting, but by fourth or fifth year, most of the students had found most of the secret passageways, or at least, the ones they would find. Thus, Hogsmeade weekends always felt like an absolute treat to Elaine. Sure, Hogsmeade would never be considered the most fun town ever, but at least it changed up life a little bit. She loved going into all of the shops and browsing, sometimes making purchases after she thought about it long enough. She also loved sitting in the Three Broomsticks with a delicious Butterbeer. Heaven, almost.

The best part about Hogsmeade weekends was having a beau to attend them with. Beau felt like the right word to Elaine because her relationship with Vinnie was still undecided. They certainly both liked each other. Anyone with eyes could see that. Elaine found herself sometimes staring at Vinnie while she should have been studying or focusing on Quidditch plays. She spent a lot of time replaying their moments together. She secretly overanalyzed every word he ever said to her. That last part was a secret that absolutely no one knew, because she did not want to be one of those girls. But what did he really mean when he said he would see her later? Obviously he would see her on the Quidditch pitch and in the common room.

When Vinnie mentioned the two of them going to the Three Broomsticks, her eyes lit up with delight. Moments later when he said that Ludo and Dorcas would join them, she barely felt her spirits damper. Oh, sure, a little bit of rain drizzled on her happiness, but so little that it was hardly noticeable. Elaine rather liked Ludo. He sometimes became too much of a laugh and probably should learn to be more serious, but he still was great to spend time with. Dorcas, well, yeah. That could potentially create problems because Dorcas and Elaine had a difficult relationship. As long as she did not mention anything about the war, everyone could be happy. Elaine’s plan to enjoy herself was just to keep topics focused on Quidditch, and if it got too out of hand, just pinch Vinnie’s leg so they could leave. She did not tell him this plan, but any normal person would obviously know what a pinch meant. It meant let’s get the hell out of here before I curse Dorcas to act like a chicken for an hour.

Elaine felt a little damper that Vinnie would not go with her to Hogsmeade. She didn’t really know why he chose to go separately, but she would not complain. She would just have to make her grand entrance into the Three Broomsticks, and she would. Elaine woke early in the morning, much earlier than she usually did on weekends, so she could pamper for her date. She took meticulous care to make sure every hair on her head lay perfectly straight. She applied cover-up, mascara, blush, eye shadow, and lipstick… three times. On the third time, she finally felt satisfied. Growing up in a pureblood household, Elaine never really ran around without a robe on unless it was way too hot. Assuming that would not be today’s case, she wore her green robe, the one that made her eyes “pop” as she was told several times in the shop. She wore a low-cut, but not revealing grey sweater and a pair of jeans. She finished the outfit with a pair of plain black flats. Luckily, she had planned her outfit the night before so she did not waste too much time on it. Eventually, Elaine felt ready for her date.

Finally arriving at the Three Broomsticks, Elaine paused with her hand on the door. She took a deep breath, smiled, and opened the door for herself. As always, loud conversations caught her ears, all running into each other, so that it was impossible to hear more than a few words from each. She stayed in the doorway until she found where Ludo and Vinnie sat. Her smile widened as she saw them and walked over. Thank Merlin she wasn’t late. She hated being first and she hated being last. They both felt so awkward. Arriving in the middle was fine by her. Not sure where to sit (why are double dates so awkward? She should sit next to Vinnie, right? But then she’ll have to face Dorcas the entire time!), Elaine decided to stand by them, “Hello, boys.” Here goes nothing.

][Ludo, Vinnie, Dorcas?!] TAGGED;;
] NOTES;;
][793?!] WORDS;;

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THIS TEMPLATE IS MADE BY
KATE LOVES PIE!? of CAUTION TWO POINT OH.
STEAL THIS AND SHE'LL KILL YOU! KTHXBYE.

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[dorcas elaine meadowes]

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Although Hogwarts had started out as a scary new adventure, Dorcas Elaine had grown to understand it and accept it. Hogwarts wasn’t the adventure waiting around the corner anymore. Now the adventure was love. Love seemed to creep around the corridors late at night and early in the mornings with one of two goals: destruction or creation. It was an adventure that asked more out of the witches and wizards of Hogwarts than school work or duels did, because love wasn’t something that a charm could fix or a star could predict. Love was something more than that, which made it much scarier than a silly school with moving staircases. Dorcas Elaine was now a seventh year, and though she felt like she had conquered the magic of Hogwarts, she was still working on figuring out her love life. It seemed to change every day and that change came galloping at her with bounds of emotion. Half of her days she was a depressed wreck, the other half she was as giddy as Rita Skeeter with a new story, now she just had to figure out how to understand those feelings.

Ludo Bagman, her on and off boyfriend since a couple years back, was inevitably both a part of the problem and the solution. His fantastic abilities on the pitch lead to disasters in romance, dividing his time between becoming that brilliantly shining star and spending it with Lainey. And Lainey was in a strange time right now, where she wanted all of Ludo’s attentions, hoping that it would mean she had a set thing going for her when she left Hogwarts. Seventh year was the end, the last stop before the real world, and she was really hoping she’d have someone to stand by her side when she left. Amelia was headed directly for the ministry, but Dorcas could never trust that lot with her livelihood, and who knew where the Mckinnons would be bounding off to next. Ludo was her only sure fire thing, and she was hoping that this year they could manage to stay together the majority of the time.

So when he asked her to join him at the Three Broomsticks on the next Hogsmeade weekend, Dorcas Elaine was thrilled. He really wanted to make things work between them, and that made her skin nearly glow with all of the excitement welling up inside of her. So this is what it felt like to be that crazy Skeeter and Davies duo, perhaps she had misjudged them. Now, however, wasn’t the time for deciding on friendships. Now was the time for getting ready for a date that meant everything. She stood in front of the mirror for a solid hour, making sure her hair fell down just right off her shoulders, and applying just the right amounts of make-up to look as naturally beautiful as Ludo did day in and day out. Little did she know the one girl that was the closest thing Lainey had to an enemy was doing the exact same thing.

Elaine Easterly hadn’t ever done anything wrong, at least nothing that Dorcas had seen or heard of. But neither did she do anything right as far as she was concerned. Elaine was one of those people that stayed neutral on any kind of social issue, and Dorcas didn’t really trust that. She didn’t trust Elaine to not turn around and curse her for being anything other than pureblood, not that Dorcas knew if she was muggle born or wizard born or anything. She didn’t trust Elaine to not also do the same to her good friends like the Mckinnons. Dorcas generally thought that Elaine’s high spirits were just the thing to set off an explosion of awful deeds within Hogwarts or around Hogsmeade village. Not to mention, Dorcas’ quieter demeanor wasn’t exactly the greatest match with Elaine’s boisterous opinions. She felt overshadowed and shoved into the corner, and her heart sank to the pits of her stomach to roll around with the acid when she saw Elaine standing next to Vinnie Kentwood, and her own Ludo.

No. This couldn’t be happening. What was she doing there? She and Vinnie weren’t a thing, not the last time she had checked, and Ludo was very much preoccupied with Dorcas in his life right now. Dorcas couldn’t help already feeling like the odd man out. They were all quidditch players, and besides Elaine, they were good at it. It was practically their life. Dorcas rarely made it into the stands to watch, unless she and Ludo were on good terms that week. Hadn’t Ludo invited only his Lainey to a date at the pub? Hadn’t Ludo been looking out for their relationship and showing her how much he really cared? He had, and Vinnie and Elaine were ruining it. Vinnie was a common annoyance, something Dorcas had forced herself to get used to, but Elaine wasn’t going to grow on her any time soon. This wasn’t what she had expected. She stared across the room at Ludo, mouth opened wide, eyes fiercely glaring, and hands on her hips. This wasn’t a date. This was a nightmare.

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eight hundred and sixty-two words
I LOVE THIS DOUBLE DATE ALREADY! <3