september 25th 2023; awaiting interaction with Lorelai Diniz @Hannah Blossom

The previous times Daniel had a chance to go overseas, there was no point. He still had siblings to take care of at home during that summer camp at Hogwarts since his parents were busy people. Besides, he wasn't representing the school in any sports.

However, the new year came and he signed up, just like that. He became Castelobruxo's newest chaser, so maybe it was time to arrange a proper babysitter for the summer when he would be away next year. Oh well, that was a problem for future Daniel.

For now, there was that ball at Hogwarts (again) coming up. What did they call it? 'Festival of Lights'? It sounded cute and reminded him of that scene from Rapunzel. But going to the ball alone sounded scary despite his confidence in having a good time. What if he couldn't talk to anyone at Hogwarts? They spoke English, right? Daniel's English was worse than his Portuguese.

Who else in this school would go to the ball? Actually, scratch that, who at this school has already been to Hogwarts? He was sure some of the seniors had.

Then he was reminded of a girl in his year participating in the broom racing tournament. Perfect. Daniel looked around the place. This school was small so he was sure to find her somewhere.

25/09/23

"english" "portuguese" "spanish" thoughts

outfit

september 25th 2023; interacting with Lorelai Diniz @Hannah Blossom

Daniel rehearsed the conversation in his head. Despite his confidence, he needed to have a quick run-down of what he would say to her, especially in Portuguese. He spent a good chunk of his brain translating Spanish into Portuguese and rebuilding sentences until it made sense. Despite the similarities of both languages, a Spanish speaker learning Portuguese was a nightmare.

He could only hope Lorelai understood Spanish as well or else he'd be a fumbling mess in front of her. Not attractive. Totally embarrassing.

Again, the school was small, so it wasn't hard to find Lorelai. He caught her in the corridors and called out her name. "Lorelai!"

Daniel sped-walked over to her and gave her a cheeky smile. Instead of asking straight away, he decided they'd ease into it. After all, they hadn't talked much despite being in the same school, the same year, and almost the same classes. Some phatic expressions were a good place to start. "How are you?"

As he listened, he kept his hands in his pockets and nodded. "I haven't been up to much except Quidditch. Gotta keep up to shape when playing that sport," he chuckled, "Have you heard about that event at Hogwarts?"

25/09/23

"english" "portuguese" "spanish" thoughts

outfit

september 25th 2023; interacting with Lorelai Diniz @Hannah Blossom

"Yes," Daniel breathed, "My name's Daniel."

When she started speaking in Spanish, the metaphorical weight on his chest disappeared and he sighed in relief. Her Spanish was good, too! It made him slightly embarrassed that his Portuguese was still not up to par. Did she also speak English? How was she able to communicate with her racing teammates?

He snapped out of his thoughts almost as quickly as they came. The next words came naturally now that he was speaking in his mother tongue. "Not too bad. Oh, and congrats on your racing win overseas!" He winked.

"Speaking about Hogwarts, are you planning to go again? For that ball they're hosting?" He hoped she was. If she wasn't, he would just not go; no point going if none of his classmates would. He didn't know any of the upperclassmen and there was a likely chance that wouldn't change anytime soon. A flattering phrase quickly dawned on him and he didn't hesitate to say it. "I think you'd look quite lovely under the lights."

Being a Muggle-born, he suspected the theme was inspired by that Disney movie about a girl with glowing hair. Imagine being in a boat and releasing a lantern. Daniel smiled thinking about it. "The theme they've picked is quite beautiful."

25/09/23

"english" "portuguese" "spanish" thoughts

outfit

september 25th 2023; interacting with Lorelai Diniz @Hannah Blossom

Daniel shrugged. "I'm alright for a beginner, I'd say. I'm a first-string chaser. So, I'm the one flying around grabbing the quaffle and scoring points." He had gotten to know a few of the team members last practice but everything was still very new to him. His role was pretty dynamic and he hoped that, come the summer games, he would put up a good show.

Hearing no was... a shock. Back at home, girls were desperate to even make eye contact with him during his basketball games. This was a first.

Yes, at least Lorelai was going to the ball so going on that trip wouldn't be awkward. But having no date? What if she was saying that just to deter him?

"Oh, really?" He asked. "Who are you going with?" The question came out of both curiosity and scepticism. As he waited for her response, he thought of other people in the school. Who else could he ask to go with? He might just have to go with one of his friends. The question would then be, would they even go?

As an alternative, he asked, "You probably know your way around the place, right? I might need some help getting around. First time at Hogwarts for me."