Heart and Harmony (IX) (CH 30)

Silvia left to make her call to London, leaving Edward alone with Maverick and Isabella.

Edward looked at the two sitting there with their heads down, looking nervous. The silence in the room grew heavier with each passing second.

Some time passed like that, and finally, he couldn't take it. He cleared his throat, and couldn't help but smirk a little seeing the two in front of him visibly tense up.

"So… you two are now…?" he began, leaving the sentence open for one of them to finish.

Maverick took a breath, steadying himself. He glanced at Isabella and saw her shaking off the awkwardness as well.

But Maverick didn't let her speak first; he thought he could explain their situation better.

"Actually… Teacher," he began, meeting Edward's and then glancing at Isabella, "I think you and Aunt Silvia may have misunderstood."

Isabella didn't interrupt and let him explain.

"Misunderstood? You two aren't in some romantic relationship? " Edward asked directly, raising an eye brow.

Maverick took a moment to better arrange his words. The silence made Edward misunderstand that his student may be afraid to admit, so he spoke up.

"Actually, i don't mind. In fact, I'm relieved it's you. I can't think of anyone better suited to take care of my daughter in the future." he glanced at both while speaking.

"Daddy..." Isabella whispered softly, her eyes slightly moist. She didn't cry, but gave him a grateful smile.

Maverick felt a wave of relief at Edward's words. He was happy and deeply grateful to his teacher, not just for mentoring him, but also for trusting him with Isabella's future.

He started to have second thoughts. At first, his concerns were about not wanting to disrupt Isabella's education if they started a relationship now. He also assumed Edward and Silvia would feel the same way.

Maverick's thoughts were influenced by his previous life, but this was a different world. It turned out that Isabella's parents actually encouraged them to commit to a relationship now.

Of course, there was the issue of being apart for long periods during his travels. But now, as he thought about it, there were plenty of magical ways to stay in touch.

But he needed to be sure, so he decided to speak his mind.

"Well, teacher..." he began, glancing at Isabella and giving her a nod before turning to Edward. "Isabella and I do have feelings for each other. But, as you know, I'll be gone for the next two years, and Isabella still has two years until graduation. At first, we decided to wait until then to make it official—if our feelings are still the same by then. But if you and aunt Silvia don't mind, and if Bella here accepts," he met her gaze, "I'd like to ask for your consent to start a romantic relationship with her." He said it all in one breath and again turned back to Edward.

Isabella stared at him, her eyes wide. After a moment, she blurted out before Edward could respond, "Of course I don't mind..." Her face flushed, and she lowered her head, waiting for her father to speak.

Maverick smiled and scratched his head, also waiting for Edward's answer.

"Like I said, I couldn't find a better person to take care of my daughter than you. I know you, my wife knows you, and we've known your family for a long time. But I..." He paused, making the two in front of him tense.

Edward tried to arrange his thoughts carefully. "Well, you both are still young, and... just be careful. You can start your own famil—"

"Dad!" Isabella cut in, her face red as a tomato. Maverick looked equally speechless.

Maverick quickly added, "Teacher, please don't misunderstand what I said earlier. Although we have feelings for each other and are committed to a relationship, we're still young. Isabella will graduate in two years, and I'll be traveling during that time, just as I mentioned when I spoke about my plans."

Edward gave a sheepish smile, showing all his front teeth. Though Maverick could pick up the subtle shift in his expression that showed he was relieved.

Just then, Silvia came back after finishing her phone call. She noticed the tense atmosphere and immediately gave her husband a blank look.

"What... I didn't do anything," Edward said, raising his hands. He knew his wife well enough to understand what she was asking without her having to say it.

She turned to Maverick and Isabella. "Is he giving you a hard time?"

"No, Aunt."

"No, Mom. Dad's just being a super idiot..." Isabella said, glaring at her father.

"Uh..." Silvia didn't know how to respond. She brushed the worry off and got back to what she had been about to say.

"I called your mom," she said, looking at Maverick. "I told her we'll be visiting tomorrow, morning London time. She said she and Mike would take the day off..." She finished, her face lighting up with an eager, happy smile.

Maverick smiled back, then remembered something and asked, "We're taking the Floo, right? I arrived normally, so the Muggle records would still show me here in America..." He looked at his teacher.

"You can come back and travel normally anytime later... we'll take the Floo, yes," Edward answered.

"Uh... okay."

"Wonderful..." Silvia said, then glanced at Edward. "Husband, come with me. I need to speak to you..."

Edward sighed and stood up. Before leaving, he glanced at Maverick. "Little Rick, come to my study tonight..." he said, not adding any more details. Maverick was left in suspense and could only nod in agreement.

The adults left, and Maverick and Isabella sat alone. It was quiet, but both of them wore expressions that said they had too many things to say.

"Bella... Sorry, I didn't discuss this with you first," Maverick began. "When your father gave his blessing, it just relieved me so much that I couldn't help but change my mind right there on the spot."

Isabella met his gaze, smirking and raising an eyebrow. "So that two-year waiting thing was all because you were afraid Dad would beat you up?"

Cough.

"No... well, partially. I didn't want any negative influence affecting your education. I mean, because we started dating early."

"What dating? You're going to Merlin knows where, and we'll be speaking by letter, at most. My grades are going to be fine, idiot."

Maverick gave her a sheepish smile before becoming serious. "Bella, are you sure? I mean, we won't be seeing each other often for a long time—"

Isabella grabbed his collar, pulling him closer and locking her lips with his. It was her first kiss, but impressively executed. Maverick's eyes widened; even his magical sense didn't alert him to her actions.

They shared a short kiss before separating. Isabella stared down, her face red with blush. "Does that answer you?" she said, not meeting his eyes.

"Uh... well... yeah..." he answered, feeling embarrassed as well, though not as much as her.

The room fell into silence again until Maverick spoke after a moment. "You want to do something?"

Isabella gave him a glance. "Do what?"

"Well, we've got the whole day."

"Duel?" she asked.

"No." Maverick rejected the idea. He didn't want anything to do with magic today. "Let's go visit some Muggle places. Buy some gifts for my parents, go to a restaurant..."

Isabella's eyes lit up with excitement. "A date?" she asked.

Maverick smiled. "Sure..."

And so, they both left after letting Edward and Silvia know, off on their first ever date.

Time passed as Maverick and Isabella spent their day in the Muggle world, mostly shopping and then going to a restaurant to grab a meal.

They returned around sunset, each carrying many bags—mostly clothes Isabella had bought for him, along with some gifts for Maverick's parents.

They spent some more time together before joining Edward and Silvia for dinner.

After dinner, around nine o'clock, Maverick headed to Edward's private study, where they usually had their evening lessons. He reached the door, and before he could knock, Edward's voice called from inside, inviting him in.

Maverick opened the door, his expression tense. After all, this was his first one-on-one with Isabella's father since the events of the morning.

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Author's Note:

Just a quick update — up to Chapter 64 is already available on P AT r30n!

PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic