Magic Carpet Ride Date: Jack Lupin and Nicole Botts
 

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The sun is fierce throughout the day in Istanbul, and once it sets, the residual heat takes a while to dissipate, making the roof top dining room of Café Byzantine an ideal spot to catch a breeze. Gauzy curtains and clean white canopies ensconce the diners without blocking out the warm night air. Flickering lamplight falls on polished brass, blood red cushions, and cool white linens, harkening the diner back to antiquity without effort.

The menu is traditionally Turkish, a wonderful melding of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes prepared by a chef that learned to cook at her mother’s knee. The air is rich with exotic spices, and water and ayran are served chilled right on the table. The menu is extensive, from simple soups and spreads served with sliced pita bread to elaborate shwarma and kebab dishes. Very few leave the café still hungry; in fact, the chef would take it as an insult if diners didn't enjoy several courses.

Low walls surround the rooftop café, and the diners almost feel as if they are dining on a cloud, albeit a warm, cumin-scented one. Propped against one wall is a pile of ragged carpets that almost seem to twitch in the wavering lamplight. Upon closer inspection… the antique rugs are twitching, eagerly awaiting their passengers before soaring off into the night sky. Magic carpets are illegal in the United Kingdom, but they are very common sights in this part of the world. Once dinner is finished, diners are encouraged to work up an appetite for dessert by taking a short ride over the ancient and beautiful parts of this lovely city.

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Jack took a seat on the carpet and waited for his date, he wasn't sure what to expect but he was sure it would be fun, He had only been to Istanbul once and he was only passing through so this alone was interesting.

Jack turned his head and recognized Nicole from the office. "Hello, Nicole. You look lovely!" He said rising from his seat on the carpet.

"Have you ever been on a magic carpet ride before?" He asked with his most charming smile.

Nicole smiled sweetly at Jack and said, Thank you," she looked down at what she was wearing, forgetting a little bit and said looking back up at Jack, "You look handsome yourself."

After Jack asked her about the carpet ride she looked over at it and back at him, "No I never been on one before." She laughed a little and her lack of magical carpet rides and said, "Have you?"

"Well, thank you." Jack said. "I've never been either, although i've always wanted to." Jack gestured to the carpet as if to ask Nicole if she'd like to sit down. "So, Nicole what should i know about you. Tell me all about yourself. Who is Nicole?" Jack said joking/flirtatious tone and smiling.

Nodding Nicole smiled and sat down on the carpet once Jack gestured her to. Sat she sat she started to reply, "I've never thought about going on one before though." Looking around a little her eyes meet back up with Jack. Blushing a little she said, "Well... I don't know what is there to say about me." She thought for a moment and said, "Well first I am a half blood witch, I work in the International Cooperation -as you know- and I am currently living in America with my daughter." Once she was done she smiled a little. Telling others about her life seemed like a bore to her. "What about you Jack," she asked leaning her head to the side.

"What part of America do you live in?" Jack asked. "I'm a pureblood, my father was a metamorphagus and my grandfather a werewolf... unfortunately i'm the boring one, I wanted to be a magical archaeologist and spent years traveling the world but recently moved back to London to be near to a son i just found out i had." Jack said in a big breath "Also i enjoy long moonlit strolls on the beach." Jack said again in his joking tone. "This is a weird question but i think it says a lot about a person, what's your patronus? Jack asked.

"I live in the state Illinois." Nicole wasn't to sure Jack knew where that was. "Oh really? I like walking on the beach as well at night always was fun. It's fun doing that in Hawaii. You are on the beach with other at its night time and you can hear things in the city." she spaced out a little thinking about her trips. Looking up at Jack she said with a small laugh, "mine an owl. What is your?"

"Illinois, that's in the northern center of the country right? I've only been to America once." Jack said with a smile. "hmmm an owl, you must be very wise." Jack said with a smirk. "Mine is a Pegasus."

Nodding Nicole said, "Yes it's in that part but I'm more in the north part of Illinois. Why part of America have you been to?" Nicole giggled a little and said, "I guess I am. I don't know to much about patronous." that's one thing she wasn't to knowledges about.

"I only know what my son has told me, other than the actual practice, he's studying to become an Animagus." Jack said with a very proud look on his face. "How old is your daughter?"

"oh really? Thats cool. What is he try to be," Nicole asked with a sweet smile. "she is eleven," she said answering the question about her daughter

"I'm not sure, from what he tells me the animagi form, much like the patronus depends a lot on a wizards personality, so no one really knows until they see it." Jack said with a smile. "Mine just turned 13"

"Yeah I knew patronous had to do with personalities of someone but I wasn't to sure what each meant," Nicole told Jack. Smiling she looked up and him and said, "Does he go to Hogwarts?"

"I'm not sure, he studied those as well but we didn't talk about those much." Jack thought to himself that Nicole seemed more lovely than he had remembered. "Yes, He's a second year in Gryffindor. Is Your daughter at Hogwarts? or are there magical schools in America?" Jack asked curiously.

Nicole smiled, Jack really did seem like a nice guy. She only meet him once when he was new to their department but that's all. "She goes to Hogwarts as well and is also a Gryffindor. She is a first year so maybe she knows your son." From what her daughter told her Nicole knew she had friends, just not their names.

"That's funny." Jack said about the coincidence. "What about you? did you go to Hogwarts?"

Nicole laughed a little nodding her head, "Yes I went to Hogwarts. I was sorted into Hufflepuff. I'm not to sure why. Maybe because I am loyal or something?" She narrowed her eyes a little trying to remember her school days.

Jack smiled. "My grandmother was a Hufflepuff!" He said excitedly. "I was a Gryffindor, and a horrible troublemaker." He said with a devilish smile.

Nicole laughed at Jack for saying her grandmother was a hufflepuff. She turned to him when her laugh went down a bit, "So you where a troublemaker?"

"Oh, I was horrible. Most of my teachers hated me. But i didn't care, I had fun!" He said practically bursting with laughter. "So what about you? what were you like?" Jack asked.

Nicole laughed and said, "Did you get detention or anything?" She thought for a moment about her school life. For her being a busy after school she never thought about it ever. "I guess I was the type that just did homework and kept quiet when needed to. I had a bunch of friends though, I'd go out and hang out around them. I wouldn't do anything daring and get in trouble just talk." Nicole paused and thought about it more. "I got in trouble once for going out with my boyfriend after curfew."

Jack laughed at the question. "I lived in detention! it was a routine thing for me!" Jack said

"Sometimes i wish i was more like that then." He said smiling. "I never got in trouble over girls though. The only girl i ever dated was a prefect and a huge goodie-two shoes, so needless to say we were never out curfew...well at least i wasn't with her." Jack said thinking of the things he would do past curfew.

Nicole laughed at Jack's answer about living in detention. "I never got it. I never wanted to know what it was like though ever." As she sat and listen to Jack talking about one girl he dated, she smiled a little but frowned a bit once he finished. "Where you out past curfew a lot?" She smiled when she asked this. Nicole took a wild guess he has before.