Fantasy +lumos; becoming the light+ (Closed)

[ZombieBaee]

Druella Malfoy

“Sometimes you Weasleys live up to your stereotypes you know, red hair? Check. Constant need to be within a few feet of food? Apparently also check.” Druella may have been teasing him but there was a slight hint of a smile on her face as Hunter prepared their picnic. Honestly she was shocked by the whole thing, what type of man always had these things packed let alone a man like Hunter! He was all rough edges and clumsy charm. He didn’t strike Dru as the plan ahead type of man. Maybe that’s what attracted her to him, that he was so different from everyone around her. That he was everything she wanted to have, if she could break the chains to have it. Woah girl, pump the breaks. Attracted to him as in enjoying his time and friendship, right? Dru shook the thought from her head and chose to focus back on the food instead.

-

They talked for what was probably the longest Dru had ever talked to another human in one sitting. And she didn’t ever find herself overwhelmed or annoyed. Every story he told had her on a hook and hearing all about his dreams and aspirations was so liberating to her. When Hunter asked her about her life and dreams, Dru was quick to give her normal speech. Marry Larkyn, have two children, work at the ministry until she can retire. Become Lady Gaunt. The last part always made her shudder, the whole thing was upsetting. Hunter didn’t seem to buy into any of it no matter how many times she repeated herself. She wasn’t shocked by that really, it wasn’t as if she could put the convincing passionate effort into it. It wasn’t the truth, it wasn’t her dream.

“I DO want to work in the Ministry, I always have.” Dru spoke quietly at first as the two of them slowly crossed the courtyard. That part wasn’t a lie. “I just want to work in a different department, however my father thinks the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is a joke. Therefore a Malfoy wouldn’t be caught dead working there.” She shivered a bit as they walked, both from the memories of constant arguments with Lucius and the temperature. “I wanted to grow up and be like Newt Scamander, I wanted to work to find and discover rare creatures and protect them.”

Dru fell quiet as Hunters jacket went over her small frame, it was heavy but comfortably so. It smelled of him and the sudden realization that Dru could recognize what Hunter smelled like washed over her like a cold shower. When did she fall so far into this hole? She liked spending time with him so much that it made her feel sick! And why was she telling him all of this ? Why did she want to? “I also don’t particularly want to marry Larkyn. He’s just my best option by far, though that sounds sad when it’s put out there like that. He’s my best friend, we’ve always been attached like that ever since I met him. Actually I’ve kind of attached like a barnacle but still. Loire too, she and I don’t have girls days or anything but we all understand each other. We have to have that to survive in our circle.”

Dru pulled the jacket tighter around her shoulders as they reached the door. Hunter paused and his words caught her guard yet again. Did she have a good time? “Of course!” She spoke with almost too much enthusiasm. “Thank you, it was gorgeous and I can’t believe that today was even real. I- I’ve been raised in magic my entire life and seen some unbelievable things but today was truly magical. So don’t thank me, I should be thanking you.” She smiled, honestly with no smirk or anything. Just warm. She reached one hand out to take his before leaning up and planting a quick polite kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire Gaunt

The way to survive any uncomfortable situation was to shut down. Emotionally, mentally, physically; it was how she survived the crucio curse since she was a teen. If she didn't she'd have a nice padded room at St. Mungo's long, long ago. So the moment she feared her fragile wrist would snap she completely froze and dissociated. She knew all she had to do was say 'yes, sir' but she couldn't force the words out. Instead she gave an obligatory nod as if to appease him in hopes he'd let her go. His eyes were cold and callous just like her fathers. Trapped yet again.

The last thing she expected to happen were the Weasley twins popping out of nowhere and antagonizing Nikolay. At first his grip only got harder, obviously angry with what the twins were saying, but after the hallway turned into a swamp and the firework went off she felt the pressure release from around her wrist. Still she was frozen in place, her heart pounding like a drum from the adrenaline in her veins. She couldn't move until she felt a familiar warmth take hold of her hand and drag her along with him. All she wanted to do was cry-- Cyrus meant safety, comfort, acceptance. For the moment she was incredibly thankful he was there to help her.

Now there was nearly a foot and a half difference between Loire and Cyrus. The woman was small, frail, petite. 100 pounds soaking wet and she found herself nearly tripping over herself to keep up with him. She was not the athletic twin. She couldn't stop him, couldn't speak, all she could do was move her legs as fast as possible. They ran through several wings, narrow hallways, flights of stairs, before they finally stopped at the bottom of the clock tower.

The anger was back. How was he fucking laughing right now? Did he not see how serious of a situation this was? A small bead of sweat formed on her forehead as she panted to desperately catch her breath. "You, are such, an ass." Loire spoke between heavy breaths. After a minute she was finally able to catch her breath, and that was when she felt her glare return full force on the man in front of her. "I-I had that completely handled!" Lie. "What is your issue? You said you trust me but you don't act like it! What did you do, pay the twins to follow me? And don't even give me the 'we just HAPPENED to see' nonsense-- everyone in the library is whispering about that damned map!"

Loire began to pace underneath the pendulum, her thin fingers running through her long white hair in frustration as she tried to make sense of everything. "Dru and Larkyn have been engaged for years. YEARS, and you know damned well she is ornery on a good day. What makes this any different? You say that we're your best friends but you don't treat us the same. I-I don't understand.” The anger fell and she quickly looked at him with tears burning in her icy blue eyes. “Why do you care so much about some stupid arraigned marriage? I’m the unfortunate one that’s going to have to deal with his temper for the rest of my life, not you.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

It was that smile, that enchanting smile of his that always disarmed the confident red headed woman. It took her breath away, caused her cheeks to heat to the color of her hair. Just when she thought she was rid of this silly crush. Since she had been here she noticed that smile of his dwindled over time; she couldn't quite tell why, but she had wanted to cheer him up while she was there. He of all people deserved to be happy! He was always looking out for others, and even if it wasn't her place she wanted to be the one to look out for him. So when he asked for just a bit long how could she say no?

Besides, a piece of her wanted to be selfish and stay with him as long as possible. "A bit longer then." Sapphira had a bashful grin on her face as she took a few steps to put her broom back on the stand. "How about something else though? I'm frigidly cold and could use a walk." Quickly her hands rubbed together in attempts to warm her hands up. The yellow dress clad woman wasn't properly dressed for the chilly November night air, she had a cozy knee length cardigan, black designer ankle boots, and that was pretty much it. She really didn't think that they would be out here this long.

Still though, Sapphira was an endless ball of energy. With a bright smile she practically skipped off, her icy hand catching his on the way and lacing her fingers together with his. To her it was just a natural thing to do, only after a minute or two of walking she quickly realized what she was doing. He didn't pull away though, so did that mean he was okay with it? She didn't question it, she just kept leading him to her favorite spot for late night walks.

It wasn't that far of a walk before the reached the boathouse. The moon was shining bright and illuminated the dark waters, and despite it being freezing out she was still so excited to bring him here. "I would sneak down here some nights when I was a student to skip rocks. Delaney always tried to talk me out of it so you're the first person I've actually brought down here. But, look. Pretty right? And sometimes you can see Toast waving his tentacles." She was rambling again. With a cheerful smile she finally released Larkyn from her grasp so she could scamper to the edge of the water and find a couple good skipping rocks. "Mm, this one, this one- Oh, this one's perfect!"

She loved the wizarding world but sometimes it was the most simple things that made her light up. She blamed being a muggle. "Here. You've done this before right? Need me to teach you?" There was a playful, teasing tone to her voice as she handed Larkyn a couple rocks, her bright green eyes watching him curiously.

 

[Sir Damien]

Weasley.

Truthfully he didn't believe in her dreams. Not the ministry part, she seemed completely honest about wanting to work in the Magical Creatures department, but the whole thing about marriage and becoming Lady Gaunt? It all sounded rehearsed, like she had been doing it all her life. It sounded fucking exhausting, to be honest. Yeah he grew up poor but, his parents let them dream. Reach for the stars or fail, they had the family to fall back on. It didn't seem like Dru had that, like any of the pure bloods had any of that. They had a cookie cutter life that their parents designed for them. He didn't envy any of them. It sounded so... stifling.

Seeing Dru in his jacket, underneath the moonlight with that breathtaking smile of hers, she looked like ethereal. Hearing her say that she enjoyed their time together... It caused his heart to skip several beats. And then she took his hand, and before he could even process what was happening her soft, warm lips were pressed to his cheek briskly. Hunter had made the acquaintance of a few women on his travel; he was a good looking guy with a dangerous job, who wouldn't be attracted to him? They were all people to pass the time with. A night here, a forgettable night there. He... had never seen him as a settle down type of person. But that swift kiss to his cheek, it made the world stop turning.

As she pulled away he could smell her and, Merlin, it was enchanting. Let's just say he didn't notice that his face was as red as his hair. "Anytime." His green eyes captured hers for a moment, the genuine smile on his face confirming that he would, indeed, do this for her anytime.

"Well Newt Scamander, I'm glad you're being honest. Don't worry, I kinda figured that you don't want to marry him. The way you look at each other looks platonic, like it's almost a chore to keep up this appearance you two have." Back to annoying ass Hunter. If he could see straight through them he was sure others could, the only difference was that Hunter wasn't afraid to say it out loud. He shot her a warm smile and gently smoothed out her disheveled platinum locks. "I totally get sticking together. I don't blame you. Being labeled a blood traitor puts a target on our back so it's just been our little clan against everyone else for the longest time." Ah, what a mood dampener.

As the two of them entered the castle he decided to make a move. Before they got back to reality, her fiance, any other distraction. He pulled her into a sudden tight hug, his chin gently resting on top of her head with a small sigh. "You'd be great at finding and protecting rare creatures, by the way. If it's any consolation I'd be there to back you up. I think you'd need a professional beast tamer to help you along the way anyways."

He didn't want to pull away. His strong arms held her close to him, one hand caressing her hair absentmindedly while his hand held the small of her back. But, he did have to let her go. Dru was an engaged high class woman, socializing with a Weasley was detrimental for her reputation. So he released her from his hold and gave her one last smile. "C'mon, I'm sure the others are waiting for us."

 

[Colt Voltage]

S. Longbottom

Delaney always tried to put on a brave face. Whenever he was around no one dared bully or poke fun at her-- he was fucking Sebastian Longbottom and was not afraid to put someone in their place. Outside he was a sweet, charming plant enthusiast, but he was still a pureblood. He was a Ravenclaw with the top OWL's, the son of a famously powerful auror, he was not one to trifle with. He knew that didn't mean much when he was gone from her side, even wizardkind kids bullied one another. She always tried to hide what happened, but it was without fail he'd get it out of her.

Not mean at least. Ah, there it was. He had been practically pouting in his seat at her stubborn attitude, but it seemed he finally cracked her. However, the moment they met each others gaze he felt like he was punched in the gut. This was a new look to her, one he didn't like. "Laney belle, I-" Seb paused. From the sounds of it Anna had been civil, but not civil enough to keep away from her. He hadn't expected her to feel so... self conscious about herself just meeting the woman. "Why would you ever let that bother you?" Seb was genuinely confused. To him, Delaney was the most beautiful creature in all of the lands. The women he slept with were, well, forgettable. He did it to fill the void of not having her in his life. Sapphira, Anna, the countless others were distractions from the overwhelming feelings for the gorgeous woman in front of him.

Sebastian moved from his seat to in front of Delaney. He bent down on one knee and gently took her hands in his, a small smile spreading on his lips. "To me, you are the most radiant flower in the garden. I- yeah, she's pretty, but looks only get you so far. That's all she is. Personality wise, interest wise, she has none. Truthfully I've been trying to keep you away from her, I'm so sorry you had to run into her." His thumbs gently caressed her soft digits, his bright eyes looking up at her as if she was the only person in the world. "She'll never have your effervescent personality or that breathtaking smile of yours. Your love for your students, your passion for plants, they outshine any bit of pretty that woman has. When I look at you I see you in the most vivid of tones, so please, no more sepia. Don't let her get you down."

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

“Are you being fucking serious Loire?” It was rare for him to be truly annoyed with her, hell it was even verging on angry. How was she actually pissed with him right now? Cyrus turned and looked at her, his eyes slightly crazed however it calmed a bit when he took in her expression. She wasn’t just angry, she was angry, scared and hurt. Didn’t she realize that’s why he did what he did? To get her away from that asshole fucking grabbing her and ordering her around like she was his property. “I didn’t PAY them Loire, they’re students. I bartered for their help.” Semantics.

Loire was fully yelling at him now and Cyrus felt the anger return to his chest, “I do trust you! I don’t trust him! Clearly I was right to not. And just because you think you can handle it doesn’t mean you can! I couldn’t even take that dude in a fight and it doesn’t seem like he’s above hurting you.” He growled, watching her as they yelled back and forth at each other. Now she was bringing up Dru and Larkyn. “Because those two protect each other, they’re not in love but they love each other. Dru would kill someone if they hurt Larkyn and Larkyn would rip off that guys arm if he had seen what happened tonight to you or her! That’s the fucking difference Loire! Their situation sucks but at least they get to go through it together! With a guy like that you’re going to end up-“

Cyrus stopped short of dead because the word fell flat in his throat. He couldn’t bring himself to say it but he meant it. His mother… his mother died because of a man like that, it wasn’t as far fetched as people thought. Plus it was Loire, even without his past Cyrus would have been feral seeing her be treated poorly.

Then Loire got quieter, sadder, talking again about how he treated her differently than Larkyn. Cyrus pushed a hand through his long dark chestnut hair with a grunt. So frustrating this woman. Then when she looked at him, tears glossing over her pensive blue eyes; something snapped. Cyrus didn’t even know he had crossed the small space between the two of them but suddenly his large hands were holding her close and his lips crashed against hers. One of his hands snaked its way across her hip and to the small of her back to hold her close while the other gently but firmly cradled the back of her head. For a moment the kiss was wild, like both of them were still angry, but then it calmed down and turned sweet, slow and slightly tortured before Cyrus pulled away with a gasp and let his forehead rest against hers.

“Because if you marry him, I will be absolutely miserable for the rest of my life and I am a very selfish man Loire. It’s getting hard to not give in to that.”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn Gaunt

“Something else sounds great.” Larkyn agreed, sheepishly scratching at the back of his neck. “I suppose it’s not very kind of me to expect you to keep taking tumbles yeah?” He let out a soft laugh, returning her bright smile as his chest fluttered a bit. Sapphira was gorgeous, even more so currently. Larkyn supposed that was a strange thought, especially for a man who came from the family he didn’t still. There she was, a bit unkempt from the flying lesson and clad in bright loud colors and he found her breathtaking. She was so different from his world of black and grey, the occasional touch of green. A touch of guilt set in as he thought it but it was true, it was no secret to anyone either that Larkyn was cut from a different cloth from the rest of his family.

The two of them walked off, Larkyn allowing himself to be lead by Sapphira. At some point they ended up hand in hand, Larkyn nearly jumping from how cold the poor girls fingers were. “Sapphira you’re freezing! Here!” He pulled free for a moment and pulled off the cloak around his shoulders off and gently placed it around her shoulders before helping pull her hair out from under it. It was his Auror cloak, well one of them. It was a fairly heavy wool and complete with an embroidered crest on the breast. “That should help.”

Before long the two of them ended up at the boathouse, a venue that slightly shocked him. What were they doing here? The two of them finally let go of each others hands and Larkyn watched the red headed woman with a raised brow. Skipping rocks? It brought a slight flush to his cheeks. It wasn’t something he was familiar with doing. It was actually something he was fairly sure his mother would have scoffed at and called dirty. “Count me in.” He joined her closer to the water and watched as she looked for a rock, examining the one that she claimed was perfect. Must be because it was flat? Sapphira spoke up again only this time he caught a hint of a tease in her voice, one that made his heart do that same little flutter again.

“Are you teasing me Miss Sapphira?” Larkyn looked over at her with a sideways smile and paused for a moment before admitting, “Yes I need some help.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Malfoy

The way that Hunter was looking at her was making her self conscious and regret the kiss that she had just planted on his cheek. Actually Dru slightly regretted it already, it was embarrassing being this soft and squishy in front of a man she had only known…. Well, she supposed it actually had been a while now. They had gotten here nearly four months ago now and it wasn’t like she didn’t know him from their Hogwarts years. Still! It was making her shrink under the intense gaze he was giving her. Then Dru caught his gaze and he smiled, Dru melted. Honestly her legs felt fucking weak and she hated herself instantly.

Hunter Weasley. Dru said the name mentally, cursing herself for the feeling it brought her. She wasn’t an idiot, some lost heroine in a romance novel. She was falling for Hunter Weasley and today was the nail in the coffin. It didn’t matter, she was engaged and he was… well he was a pure blood but not one who was accepted in her world. Actually being with him might have been worse than a muggle. Likely not but she was sure it would have been a close match.

“It is.” Dru said it plainly, there was no point in the facade anymore. Hunter had hit the nail on the head and honestly she didn’t want to hide it from him. She knew he would end up making her admit it anyways. He moved his hand to her hair and Dru’s eyes closed, listening to his words and enjoying the moment of contact. “I’ve never understood why they call you lot that, you’re not blood traitors. Your parents are a pure blood couple and all of you children are too. To my knowledge no one is married yet… if all it takes to gain the title is friendship with half bloods aren’t we all?” Dru knew the title had more to do with their allegiance to the Dark Lord during the first wizard war, or lack thereof. Even so, it didn’t make sense. “I mean you’re all right annoying sometimes but I don’t get why you all are being outcast like you are.”

As they talked they made their way inside, slowing a bit the closer they got to their quarters. As if they didn’t want the night to end. Dru didn’t, something about it felt like when they woke up tomorrow all of this would have to be a distant memory. Just as the thought passed her mind, Hunter pulled her into a strong embrace and Dru fought it for the shortest of moments before fully melting into him. Her thin arms wrapped around his torso and held his back. Her face was resting against his chest, breathing in; he smelled of leather and smoke but also like what she could only describe as fresh rain. “Hunter…” she sighed as she listened to him. This hurt. Hearing that quite literally everything she wanted was within reach, if only the shackles around her feet didn’t keep her in place.

Eventually Hunter let her go and Dru moved away silently, noticing that his shirt had a small wet spot and reaching up to realize that she was crying. Dammit. “Oh.” She quickly wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. She wasn’t falling for Hunter Weasley, she had fallen for him. “Right, it’s late.” Dru looked up at him with a sad smile, willing her feet to move despite how hard it was.

They made their way back to the staff wing and she hesitated for a moment at the door, “Thank you for today Weasley, I know I already said it but I really don’t think you understand how much it meant to me.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Delaney Wilson

Seb had plenty of girlfriends or dates in his lifetime, plenty that Delaney had seen before or met. Heck some she even knew pretty well. But for the last few years she was able to finally ignore it, she didn’t have to see these girls, women now she supposed. Plus most of them seemed obviously casual… something felt different about Anna. Maybe it was the way she spoke to Delaney, maybe it was the Veela. Either way it had really put her in a strange state of mind.

Sebastian moved to kneel in front of her, Delaney watching him in a mild shock as he took her hands gently and stared up at her. This was a new interaction for the two of them, at least with him looking so earnest about it. “I don’t know.” She answered his question with a lie, she did know why it bothered her so badly and it was because it was him. It was Seb, the boy she grew up with who became the man she was head over heels for. The man who was always the subject of many a school girls crush and the one that had never picked Delaney, not like that anyways. It was okay, she didn’t expect him to love her like that just because she loved him but despite many years of trying to move on or change those feelings they were always there taunting her for falling in love with someone so out of her league.

His fingers moved against hers and Delaney shifted uncomfortably in her seat, the butterflies in her stomach turning restless. The way her looked at her made Delaney stop breathing for a moment, Sebastian was looking at her like she was the only person in this entire castle. No it was even more intense than that. “Seb-“ She said softly, almost a warning, afraid that they were starting to encroach on a territory that would affect things forever. That was always the fear, the reason she never told him, their friendship was too precious to her. Without it she wasn’t sure she would go on and be the same person she was today. That always kept her from sharing the way she felt with anyone but Sapphira. But Seb didn’t listen, he was still speaking. Saying words that made Delaney turn as red as a rose and her chest feel uncomfortably warm. Breathtaking, effervescent. Neither were words that Delaney had ever heard used to describe herself.

“Seb come on.” Delaney rolled her eyes and scoffed in an attempt to make a joke out of it but when she caught his gaze again she shut down. How could he say stuff like this so honestly and seriously?! It was hard for her to even look at him without feeling like she was going to throw up and he was the one doing all the talking. “Okay I won’t. If I even up talking to her again, I’ll try okay?”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire Gaunt

Did she ever says she hated when Cyrus was right? Because she did. Loire was a tiny woman that couldn't defend herself against a fly without her wand, there was no way she could defend herself against Nikolay. He was even right about Larkyn and Dru and- and she hated that. And then he kissed her-- her first kiss mind you. A wild, passionate kiss that quickly became slow, heated, her arms instinctively snaked around his neck to pull them closer together. Every bit of anger, sadness, confusion, it washed away and all she could focus on was him.

Loire was completely broken. Tortured egregiously by her father since childhood, cursed by her mother as a babe, convinced that all she was good for was bringing pure bloods into the world. Cyrus was, well, he could do whatever he want with his life. He was an amazing wizard that she was sure would've been an auror with her brother. Instead he was busy protecting Potter, an admirable feat and he had that freedom to do so! Despite their closeness over the years, their teasing, and the fact that they were around each other more than him and Larkyn she never truly anticipated that he'd ever be crazy enough to fall for her.

By the time Cyrus pulled from her Loire was seeing stars. Her heart was fucking pounding in her chest, her scarred lungs desperately trying to catch her breath. "You are clinically insane, you know that O’Connor?" The words heated the pale woman's cheeks, her dazed orbs quickly focusing on the hazel eyes of the man in front of her. A warm smile spread on her face as her fingers reached up to gently caress his cheek. "I meant it when I said I want to stay with you. So, let's be selfish." If it was just Loire she would leave the family entirely. Run away to where the Gaunt's couldn't find them, live a peaceful, happy life together. Then there was Larkyn. Her best friend, her brother, they shared everything together since birth. He always took care of her when she couldn't breath, when she was got herself in trouble... She'd die before she abandoned him.

Her arms fell to her side, her small frame taking a deep inhale as she took a small step back. Time to brainstorm. "I hate to admit it but I'll need your help. If I leave the family then father will just torture Larkyn like he does me and I can't let that happen." Whoops, did she let that just casually slip? "I- Just keep that a secret between us. And if I leave the engagement then I'll be forced in the family business," she assumed that he could read into what she was saying, "the only option I can see is convincing Larkyn to leave the family too. You're his best friend and he listens to you." Cyrus and Loire always came up with better ideas when they put their heads together, now was no different. "Now how is the question."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

Sapphira had been so lost in her excitement she didn't really notice how cold her hands were. Sure she was cold, but cold enough to give her jacket to? The thought heated her face and before she could say anything he was donning her with his Auror cloak. Her thin frame stood still as she was engulfed with his intoxicating scent, the warmth of his cloak warming every fiber of her being. With him being so close to her, doing this for her, Sapph forgot to breath. All she could do was gaze up at him with bright, emerald green eyes. From the concern in those pensive blue eyes, his strong jawline and features, even the attention to her messy red hair, it caused a familiar pang in her chest. "T-Thank you," Sapph hugged the cloak a bit closer to her so she could breath in Larkyn's scent. He smelled of pine, evergreen, with a hint of cedar. It made her smile to herself.

This crush had somehow along the course of these last few months shifted into a far more dangerous territory. Sapphira had only truly loved one person. They had been together for three years, engaged for one. While he was a tad bit older than her for once in her life she didn't feel like a piece of meat. He cherished her, treated her like she was truly special. That is, until she got a call from his wife. They lived together with their three kids, and all along she was being used. Again. She came here with the renewed spirit that she'd never go through that pain again.

Unfortunately it seemed her heart didn't get that memo because Sapphira had fallen completely head over heels for Larkyn. She was fucking kicking herself. No! There was no way. Larkyn was an honorable man and would never even look at her like that, it was shameful that she was feeling this for him. At least, that's what she told herself as she held a handful of flat rocks. The giddiness she felt hearing that he needed help from her? Shameful. "Tease you our dear residential Auror? No, I would never." Sarcasm laced her words as she approached him, the sweetest of smiles plastered on her face. "I'd love to help you."

And so that's how they spent the next while. Sapphira could skip a rock nearly twenty times across the lake before it fell into the water, but Larkyn? It seemed like he was struggling with it. At some point she ended up standing closely in front of him and put his hands on her hips so he could feel how to angle himself and his arm properly to get the rock to skip. It was clear he didn't do things like this often and it was ever so endearing.

Finally he was able to skip a rock! It was a good thing too, they were running out of rocks. When he skidded it across the water Sapph lost count at how many times it skipped-- she was just way too excited for him and it showed. She spun around and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close so she could give him a tight hug. "I knew you could do it!" With a quiet giggle her soft lips pressing to his cheek swiftly for a quick kiss. That was when she realized what she was doing. "I-I'm so sorry- I got lost in the moment." She said that, yeah, but for a moment she stayed there hugging him. She liked the closeness between the two. "U-Um, let's get inside. Yeah?"

 

[Sir Damien]

Weasley.

When Dru pulled away Hunter could of sworn he had seen something in her eye, but she had been so quick to wipe it away he missed it. Green eyes glanced down to notice the tear stain on his plaid shirt though and his face heated up, his eyes looking from Dru and the stain a few times. She had been crying? He hoped he didn't say anything offensive. The thought twisted his stomach into knots and he fought the urge to apologize. She didn't seem mad? At least, she wasn't cursing him out or insulting him like she had done to Sapph the other night. She almost looked... sad.

At the staff wing door he lingered, leaning against the nearby pillar and thinking of a way to get this to last even seconds more. After he straightened his leather jacket he crossed his arms over his chest, a warm smile spreading on his face as she thanked him yet again. "I'll try to plan up some more fun things for us to do. We've only got a couple months left of being here, right? We should make the most of it."

Then a thought struck him like a bolt of lightening. "Wait, Dru- I- Um." It wasn't easy by any means for Hunter to ask for help. Asking family for help was like pulling teeth, even when he was younger! This however wasn't something he was strong enough to do by himself. Dru had been like a bright light in the dark world he had been living in the past few years, something he hadn't expected to ever see again since being branded. If there was anyone he could turn to in his hour of need, he wanted it to be her.

"I- So it's complicated and won't be as fun as dragon hunting, though it is by far my most dangerous feat to date. I've had this unfortunate situation happen a few years ago, no need for the dirty little details or anything, but I haven't seen my parents since. Turns out my brothers have big yaps and told mum about me being here, go figure right?" By his sides his fists clenched tightly, his heart palpitated fiercely in his chest, and his body was nearly shaking. "I, um, need to go see my parents. Now I totally understand you not wanting to be seen with a Weasley in public, or going on Christmas. But it's in the Burrows and I doubt anyone will recognize ya' in your winter gear, though the fancy clothes might be a touch out of place." A small, nervous chuckle passed his lips as he took a fierce swallow.

"Would you mind seeing them with me? My mum would love you. She uh, makes a mean meal and a killer pie." The brave face fell flat, his brows furrowing ever so slightly as he sighed. "She's gonna skin me alive and she won't do it in front of guests, is what I'm trying to say. You're really the only person I trust at this point. 'Sides, it could be fun yeah?" The ginger haired male smiled down at her hopefully. There wasn't much hope in his life anymore, not with the Dark Lord being back and Hunter being branded, but he had hope for this. One last holiday with his family with the girl that meant the most to him? Who wouldn't want that?

 

[Colt Voltage]

S. Longbottom

Delaney Wilson: the only woman completely immune to his charm, so much so that she shattered his heart at every turn without batting an eye. It caused a defeated, wry smile to take over his lips. How many times had he bared his soul to her? All but said those three little words Gran forbade him to repeat? Sebastian had been desperately trying to figure out a way to tell Delaney how he felt about her all these years yet, it always fell flat. Sadness creased his handsome features as he gazed adoringly up at him. Sapphira, Anna, any of those distractions were just that; distractions. They would never be Delaney, his best friend, his confidant, the love of his life.

This was why he traveled so much. While all he wanted to do was embrace these feelings he knew that she didn't reciprocate, so he spent his money and time trying to run from these feelings. They never stayed away for long. "Good-" For the first time in his life Seb could feel his voice break a little. Suddenly his eyes got glossy, his eyes quickly blinking the tears away. He had never cried before, not over a woman. Maybe when his father passed? That was so long ago though. "Good."

With a deep breath he stood up, his strong hand moving to the back of her pretty brown hair to bring her forehead to his lips. He lingered there for a moment. Savoring the feel of her soft skin, inhaling her floral and honey scent, just enjoying the closeness between the two. Begrudgingly he released her and moved back to his spot to finish off his cup of tea. "How about a night on the town? Christmas is coming up soon. Neville and Gran will be home so we can celebrate the day with them, but Hogsmeade is always fun Christmas night. We could get a drink? Haven't gotten one of those with you in a while." Seb smiled hopefully over at Delaney, hoping-- no, praying to Merlin that she'd accept the invite.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Malfoy

This was bad, this was so so so bad. It was the only thing on repeat in Dru’s mind, well that and the flashes of her father. Of the life she had growing up. The cold, the judgement, the fear. It wasn’t until right now that she realized that she wasn’t living, she was surviving. What her and Larkyn, hell even throw in Loire, what they had was a mutual agreement to keep each other alive. The way she felt chasing dragons and feeding the mooncalfs? That was living. The way she felt with Hunter. Merlin, she should just run away now, make up so excuse to leave and go home.

His voice pulled her out of her revolving panic, Dru looking up to the man with slightly widened eyes that showed he had caught her in a moment of deep thought. Make the most of it? The idea brought a sad smile to her face, it sounded lovely but she could already imagine the pain she would feel in a few months… why make it worse? Why not rip off the bandaid now? “Hunter I don’t know if-“ Then he brought up meeting his family and the words caught in her throat. Listening to his story, well his barebones of one, made her feel a little conflicted. On the outside the Weasley family was iron tight, closer than close, to hear that he was somewhat estranged from them was honestly surprising.

“Yeah.” That was also honestly surprising, it was like her heart formed the word before her brain could actually consider the proposition. Dru cleared her throat and forced herself to stand a little taller, pull herself together just a bit more. “Although your mum loving me seems a stretch.” She laughed out the last part, Molly Weasley was the only one that she had yet to be acquainted with but she was known to be the fiercest, less forgiving than her spouse and quite protective of her children. Her children that Dru’s family had been less than kind to on more than one occasion. Silently Dru prayed that her relationship with Hunter and saving Ginny back the the Cup would be enough for the woman to NOT hate her. They could work on the liking her after that.

Dru reached out, her hand wrapping around Hunters leather clad arm as she looked up at him silently for a long moment. “Good night. Will y-“ She let out a long breath, “Will you please stall here for about a minute longer so that I don’t do something stupid? So that I can just dart past whoever is in there and go to bed without doing or asking what I would rather do?” It was bold and she knew it but something unspoken was happening here and Dru could tell it wasn’t just her that had feelings. The woman wanted to invite him to her room, follow him to his, kiss him goodnight. Any of it; all of it. But she knew that she shouldn’t. “Please.”

Dru dropped her hand and took a large step backwards and pulled open the door, quickly making her way towards the small living space they all shared. Delaney and Seb were on the couch but she darted past them without a single word, straight to Larkyns room. She hoped that seeing him would snap something in her brain straight, make her realize that she was being insane. Only he wasn’t home, and that made it all infinitely worse. After silently closing his door and slipping into her own, Dru finally took in a long deep breath.

“Hunter fucking Weasley.” Dru repeated, scowling as she changed into her pajamas for the evening and fell into her large bed.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Delaney Wilson

“Seb?” Delaney’s voice was soft, her body flinching slightly when she heard his broken voice. What was that? “Are you okay?” For a flash of a second she say something in his eyes, a sheen of tears and a little hurt deep within them. But as soon as it appeared it was gone, masked. Had she said something rude? Mean? For a moment genuine panic shook through her but then Seb seemed to snap back to normal, voice and everything. It was rare to ever see him upset, he was good at staying aloof, even though she could normally see through it.

The man moved to stand up, stopping to cradle the back of her head and plant a kiss on her forehead. Delaney leaned into it, her hands clasped together on her lap as she tried her best to remain calm and just enjoy the time together. When he pulled away Delaney could have sworn that the room cooled ten degrees, it caused a shudder to run down her body. Seb returned to his earlier seat next to her and Delaney moved to pull a throw from the back of the couch, pulling it around her shoulders and nestling into his side without a second thought.

Druella was the first to come home, besides Sebastian, and she didn’t speak to them at all and just ran to her room. She noticed that the woman tried Larkyns door first and found he was still out. It made Delaney shift uncomfortably, Sapphira was still gone too. She was waiting for Dru to have another freak out however when Delaney turned to look the woman was already gone. “Thank Merlin.” Delaney sighed and turned her attention back to Seb, resting her head on his shoulder as he spoke.

“That sounds lovely.” The woman spoke slowly, her voice heavy with exhaustion from the day. “Hogsmeade is always pretty for the holiday and it’s not like we can go far for the break with the Yule Ball and everything. But sneaking away to see Gran then a drink should be easy as pie.” Anything to spend more time with him. Delaney’s eyes fell shut and she smiled softly, a comfortable hum escaping her throat. “I’m so excited, I missed you so much Seb. Please don’t leave me for that long again, I can’t take it.”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn Gaunt

Larkyn wasn’t a saint, he may have moonlighted as one and seemed like one due to his currently lifestyle but he was still a man. Though sometimes he suppressed that side to remain a gentleman. Actually more often than not. However this night with Sapphira was enlightening to say the least. It had been a long time since Larkyn could say with confidence that he found himself genuinely attracted to someone. It wasn’t just that she was attractive or kind. It was everything, it was the confidence and brightness that came from her, the energy she exhibited and he would be a fool to say that her beauty didn’t help.

The rock skipping lessons didn’t help.

Never had Larkyn been so bothered by a woman like this, so completely intrigued despite knowing it was stupid. His fingers holding her hips as she attempted to teach him this mundane task, a lesson that should have taken seconds but one that he selfishly extended. Eventually he took over control of the throwing and it wasn’t long before he was finally able to skip the damn thing across the lake. He wasn’t sure how far it had gone, for a few moments he could hear the splashing but then the dark night took over the scene and he shrugged. “Well that took me long enough.” Larkyn chuckled and was about to bend to pick up another rock when suddenly Sapphira was attached to him.

Thankfully the man had decent reaction time, his arms moving quickly around her waist to support her weight and keep them both from toppling over. He was a fair bit taller than her, the awkward hug forcing him to bend slightly at the waist, a motion that made it easily possible for the woman to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. Larkyn felt his face go hot, watching her with amused eyes as she pulled away and began to panic. He felt himself move before he really actually knew what he was doing, his face was centimeters from hers when it suddenly clicked and he pulled back an inch. Instead he held her waist tighter, standing tall and spinning her around a few times with a laugh before placing her back on her feet. Good save.

Even with Sapphira back on the ground, Larkyn didn’t let go. At least not immediately. “You’re right.” Finally his arms loosened, sliding away from her waist slowly, lingering slightly as his finger passed over her sides. “It’s late, I’m sure the others should be back by now.” He smiled, offering her an arm before they began to walk back to the castle. Dru must have been back by now right? The thought made him anxious, after their talk he hoped she wouldn’t blow up on anyone again. At least not Sapphira.

The two were back at the staff wing and found Hunter standing alone outside the door, Larkyn eyed him with a raised brow. “I didn’t know getting locked out was possible here.” He moved past and opened the door without issue, causing his face to contort even more. “Well… we’ll leave you to it? I suppose?” As soon as he stepped inside he saw Druellas door close, causing the thoughts to all click together in his head. Had she been out with Hunter this whole time?

Larkyn rolled his eyes and turned to Sapphira with a lopsided smile, taking her hand and kissing the back of it with an over the top bow. “Goodnight my fair lady, thank you for taking the time to teach me the noble art of pebble skipping this evening.”

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

Years and years of yearning and anticipation came out in that kiss, Cyrus had been fully prepared for Loire to slap the shit out of him or worse. But she didn’t she was kissing him too, her hands moved around his neck and she was fully invested in this as well. That realization was enough to make Cyrus feel like he was bloody flying, it was insane. It felt so good and right, like all of a sudden it all made sense and he felt so stupid for not kissing the woman five years ago.

“I try.” Cyrus flashed a wild grin, a cocky one that was finally a piece of his old self coming back. Part of him that he lost with the constant fear and need to protect everyone. It was like letting go of that panic of hiding his feelings at least allowed him to relax enough to shine a bit. “Get me a bed ready at St. Mungos then because I’m going to be doing that again, and again and again.” Cyrus moved his hands from her face to around her waist, loosely keeping her close to him as they watched one another. He was about to move in to kiss her again when he noticed something going on behind those stormy blue eyes of hers.


“Loire.” Cyrus said it as if it was a warning, one to keep herself from overthinking things and it was clear it was too late.
She was stepping away from him, her arms going limp. Cyrus stepped back too, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to shield the blow that he was sure was coming his way. He was waiting for the regret, the realization that they shouldn’t do this… but when Loire spoke up he realized how wrong he was. It felt shitty but Cyrus couldn’t help but let out that wicked smile once again, his hands reaching out to take hers and pull her into his embrace once again.

There was a lot of emotions swimming around in him, fear, worry and anger. But how fucking happy he was overshadowed it all. “We’ll make it happen.” Cyrus said it as if it was the easiest thing in the world. “I’ll make it happen, even if you hate asking for my help. I’ll do it.” He looked down at her, serious but still smiling only now it was softer, kinder. “I’m not letting anyone hurt you, or Larkyn, especially not your dad or that shithead fiance. Trust me, I have some friends with a talent for disappearing.”

“You know Larkyn doesn’t want to be a part of that world anymore than you do, if you truly want out he will go too. Or come up with a way for it to happen. Your brother is the KING of cool calm and collected, he basically invented damage control. We can do this Loire.” Cyrus smoothed over some of her nearly white hair and winked at her, “We just have to get a little inventive.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire Gaunt

The next few weeks Loire found herself internalizing plenty of overwhelming feelings. Add on work, avoiding Nikolay, traipsing about the castle in her other form to keep an eye on Harry, and sneaking around with Cyrus to brainstorming their next move-- she was fucking exhausted. For the first time though she could honestly say she was happy. This thing with Cyrus wasn't labeled, all she knew was that it felt right. There was absolutely no regrets. She had been bottling up her feelings for him for years because, well, she didn't think it was possible he'd reciprocate the feelings? That, and there was a massive amount of guilt. Larkyn didn't have many friends and it was bad enough he had to share his friend-- now she was stealing even more of Cyrus's time. Would he be mad at her? How would he react when he found out she wasn't going through the marriage, let alone her plans to get them to leave the family?

There was an enormous amount of stress on her shoulders, but what was new? At least now she had Cyrus to help her manage. He was so positive about everything it almost made her believed that things would turn out okay for once.

"If a boy asks you to do something one on one then it's a date, regardless of how long you've known him." The girls were all hanging out in Delaney's room as they got ready for their busy day. Delaney mentioned something about Seb asking her out to Hogsmeade at breakfast and, well, Sapphira flipped out in excitement. Delaney was quick to deny it as a date, but dammit if Loire and Cyrus can make things work then so she could her and Seb! Dru even somehow ended up on the 'date' bandwagon and the lot of them ended up getting ready together.

It was the weekend before the Yule ball and it seemed like Dru and Delaney had a big day ahead of them. Loire had to stay in hiding to keep away from Nikolay, so she had made set something up for her and Cyrus. Loire's white curly locks fell effortlessly down her back, per usual her thin petite frame was dolled up in a knee length black dress, black wedges, and a long black cardigan. A swoop of black liner, a simple gloss, and a velvet black choker wrapped around her thin neck completed her outfit.

"I for one can't wait to see Sebastian Longbottom speechless for once." As they left Delaney's room Loire gave a quiet yawn, her tired blue eyes giving the room a quick glance and landing on Cyrus. She shot him a look that said ‘just go with it’ before turning to her twin. "Dru and Delaney are busy, I assume you're just as busy as ever, so I'm recruiting Cyrus for his assistance in the library. I think some troublemaker is putting my books in the wrong spot. I can’t tell if it’s a poltergeist or a student; either way there goes my whole Saturday.” Of course it was all a rouse, she just knew that Larkyn wouldn’t go snooping in the library for them. “If you’d like to join though you’re always welcome. I know how much you love organizing books.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

The next few weeks Sapphira had convinced herself that she was misreading the signs between her and Larkyn. His face had been so close to hers, his lips nearly hovering over hers. Each time she thought about it her heart threatened to spill out of her chest. It was just Sapphira over thinking things, yeah? Her past with Sebastian, her ex, it made things feel so convoluted. Seb only wanted her when he was down on his feelings with Delaney. Her ex, well, he acted like he loved her. She didn't want to ruin things with Larkyn-- he was the absolute highlight of her day. He was smart, they laughed, earnestly smiled. After a long day of helping Cedric, helping Hermoine with S.P.E.W., their flight lessons brought the biggest smile to her face, even if she wasn't improving! And seeing Larkyn smile and have a good time? That was worth the pain in her chest.

Still, the feeling of being wrapped in his arms kept her up late at night. Even just holding his arm, the warmth and lingering smell of his Auror cloak, it all stuck with her. Speaking of the cloak-- she had yet to find a good moment to return it to him! Dru would surely freak if she saw Sapph with her fiance's cloak so, it just stayed hung up on the post of her bed. Not that she minded it, seeing it every morning made her smile.

"Seriously Delaney, this is all over due. He's going to lose his mind seeing you." It was no shock that Sapphira had the finer tastes in life; from hair to makeup, her clothing, shoes, she loved it all. She pulled out all the stops dolling up Delaney, she even found a dress in her luggage that SCREAMED Delaney. She knew that they were just going to see Gran and go to Hogsmeade but, she wanted Delaney to feel top of the world. All she wanted was the best for her friend and have the time of her life, maybe even start dating Seb! How cute would that be?

"Oh my gosh, Delaney you're SO cute." Sapphira finished fluffing Delaney's curls she had just sprayed, a sweet smile on her face as she gave her friend a pat on the back. "Come on, show time~" Truthfully Sapph had no plans for the day, maybe make tea for the Hufflepuffs? A tight mustard yellow dress hugged her hourglass figure with a black belt to accentuate her waist, black heels on her feet, and her crimson waves pinned up to keep out of her face with one lone curl framing her feminine features.

For some reason hearing that Dru and Larkyn didn't have plans together surprised her? Dru looked so excited for the day, she would've sworn they were spending the day together. "Oh, are you staying in tonight Larkyn?" Sapphira's dress was already delivered, she really had no reason to go out at all today. Maybe they could spend some time together? Down, girl. Stop being so giddy.

 

[Sir Damien]

Weasley.

Hunter had wanted to follow Dru. Hell, it still bothered him that he didn't. He was sure he wasn't reading too much into this. That moment, the way they looked at each other, the amazing times they had been having-- Dru felt that too. He could see it when he looked into her eyes. She asked him to stay though, so of course he stayed. He stayed with a sad smile on his face, watching the woman he love walk off. It's not like they could ever be anything, right? She was engaged to the future 'Lord Larkyn Gaunt' for fucks sake. Beautiful, bloody brilliant, and the most headstrong woman he had ever damned met. Marked or not, Hunter never stood a chance. He was a Weasley, and in their world all he would do was dampen her glow.

Besides, the guilt and shame that Hunter felt when Larkyn addressed him was a punch to the gut. He had done nothing to feel bad about but, these fucking feelings he had for Dru were powerful enough to make him feel guilty. God when did he fall so hard? He had to pull himself out of this somehow. Oh, hells maybe his mum would do him the favor and put him out of his misery.

As the next few weeks passed he found himself extremely bored. The dragons were gone, the Gryffindor's really didn't need him for much besides to tell a tale or two, and he was downright shite at school work. For the sake of their grades he did not assist in homework, least of all potions. So he, well, asked to help Dru during the day. She always seemed busy and he was god awfully bored of the Gryffindor common area. That, and it helped him escape the rage he felt whenever he seen Larkyn and Sapphira. Why didn't he show Dru that attention? He was constantly sneaking off with her to, what? Fly brooms? Ridiculous. He had DRU for fucks sake! He should be showering her with attention, being by her side and supporting her! The guy had to be absolutely mental.

Great. In love AND jealous, a rock and a fucking hard place.

Today was the day. Time to see the family. Hunter was pepping himself up in the mirror of his room. He wore a black button down long sleeved shirt to make sure his mark was covered, but would it be enough? He knew it was there, he felt it, he feared that others would find it. How would he explain to his parents? Fuck-- how would he explain that to Dru? The thought nearly made him vomit; beads of sweat formed on his forehead with anxiety. No, no he could never explain this to her. That's why it always had to be hidden, his greatest secret and deepest shame.

"Fuck me." Red locks pushed back out of his face he then threw on his dark leather coat, fixed his red scarf around his neck, and gave himself one last internal pep talk. Show time. Quickly he stepped from his room with a nervous smile plastered on his face as he looked over the room for Dru. She was his one comfort in this world as of late.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Malfoy

The past few weeks Druella spent a lot of her time with the Slytherin students, helping tutor them in their various classes or offering the girls advice on their outfits for the upcoming ball. It was actually quite fun, though Draco didn’t seem to keen on his older sister constantly hanging around. She could understand that, no teenage boy wants their adult sister cramping their style plus the two of them hadn’t been close in years. The young man was turning more and more into her father every day and it scared her to bits. The path he was going down wasn’t good, her mother hated it as well. But Lucius was the head of their household and in their world that meant a lot. Behind closed doors they were allowed to question him a little but in public he was their spokesperson. She didn’t want her little brother to grow up to be like him, mean and cold. Prejudiced.

There had been a day that Hunter joined her, Dru was excited to show him the common room because she liked to think that the Slytherins got the best one by far. All the jokes about being put in the dungeons always made her laugh because their space was gorgeous and old in a good way! Plus the view of the black lake was stunning, she actually thought it was the reason she became interested in magical creatures… all the hours she spent next to those giant windows. However bringing a Weasley was apparently too much for her brother and had led to a heated argument between the two of them that ended with Dru crying. She hadn’t been back since.

“Delaney, I cannot stand bright colors but even I think you look hot.” Dru said it with a chuckle, leaning against the bed as Sapphira finished doting on her friend. The girls had gotten a bit closer recently, more tolerable. Sapphira didn’t bother Dru as much as she once had, it was clear her and Larkyn were flirting still but could she really get mad? She was spending any free time with Hunter and the night they had… it was far closer to cheating than flight lessons or whatever it was they had been doing. “Seriously his jaw will be on the floor.” Dru on the other hand was a stark comparison to her normal ensamble and Delaneys gorgeous get up. Today was the day she was going with Hunter to see his family and Dru didn’t want to be flashy. Instead today she tried her best to look… normal. She had asked the other girls for help, she still wanted to look nice but she didn’t want to look like a Malfoy. So today she wore a pair of black jeans that she hadn’t even touched in years, paired with a patent leather belt and a partially tucked in green loose sweater. On her feet were her normal black boots and a grey pea coat was hanging over her arm for when they got ready to leave. Her hair, normally slicked back, was down today in stark straight lines of platinum blonde that stood out against her dark ensemble.

The girls were all ready to head out so they began filing from the room to find all the men waiting out in the common area. Sapphira was the first to speak up, causing Dru to roll her eyes slightly. “He is.” Dru said it a little more coolly than she should have but she couldn’t help it, she looked Larkyn over slowly before her eyes drifted to Hunter. She hadn’t told anyone where she would be today but apparently it wasn’t something she would be able to hide, not that she should have to. They were all friends. She was just going to help a friend. Dru looked him over again, her eyes stopping when they met his. A friend that she was hopelessly in love with. Fuck.

“Hunter and I will be back late, I have to go help this poor sap find something presentable to wear to a ball. Not an easy task for a Weasley I’m sure.” She walked to him as she spoke, the smirk on her face telling him she was joking with the Weasley comment. “Well, are you ready then? We should get going…” Dru continued, lowering her voice so that the others couldn’t hear her, “It’ll be okay, they love you! I’m sure they’ll just be happy to see their son. Don’t look so scared, I’ll be there and I’m sure they’ll hate me more.”

 

[Colt Voltage]

S. Longbottom

Calm and level-headed— common adjectives used to describe Sebastian on an everyday basis. Normally that was true. The last few weeks, however, Sebastian felt so far from any of those. For the first time since he was younger, since before Gran spat all over his young heart, he felt hopeful for the future with Delaney. She… didn’t want him to leave again. The closeness the two had been sharing as of late felt completely different than that of the past, that or it just felt like it because he had been gone a year. Delaney even agreed to their rendezvous after getting her dress from Gran. He was on top of the world, like the high from winning a Quidditch game, or breeding a new type of plant, but vastly better.

Not even Moodey’s mile long task list a day perturbed his mood. It was all silly things truly, more busy work he felt than necessary, but Moodey said Sebastian lacked patience. Seb always felt like one of the more patient individuals, but he wasn’t the professor. Delaney, Larkyn, they all backed the guy up and said he knew his stuff. So… he just did as he was told, even if he didn’t completely agree. Besides that he helped some of the Ravenclaws study for their OWLS in his free time because, well, Seb had one of the top scores in all of Ravenclaw. You know, not to brag or anything.

Today was D day— Date day. The day he had been looking forward to for weeks. Seb was parked on the couch looking over the statements from his shop, reading glasses stationed on his face and helping him look a bit more distinguished. He had a few trusted employees that ran it while he was gone, save for the times he popped in to help with a foul tempered plant, and it seemed as if business was booming. Who knew there was a need for odd plants such as his? Bright eyes looked down at his watch to only realize how late they were running. Delaney usually was ready on time, he wasn’t quite sure why all the girls were in her room presently. Of course he’d never rush a woman, least of all her. Gran and Neville could wait.

“You know for an Auror you have a lot of free time. You ever consider a hobby? I could get you into gardening.” Seb looked over to Larkyn with a small playful smirk before glancing at the door. For some reason he was so anxious to see Delaney. Was she just as excited? Did she see this as a date? Unable to focus on the numbers on the paper he plopped them down on the table and rose to his feet. In the mirror he looked himself over; a tad bit overdressed for any date, but this was with Delaney. Their first of many dates he hoped. He wore a light blue button down, a dark blue bow tie perfectly tied around the collar of his shirt, and dark blue slacks. His dark shaggy hair was styled out of his face, and he liked to think he looked nice. Fixed to the pocket of his dark blue suit jacket was vibrant and bright lilly— to match the dozen lilies he had laying on the table for Delaney.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn

Recently Larkyn was feeling like Jeckyll and Hyde. It was almost as if his personality was splitting in two, it wasn’t like the person he was before wasn’t truly him, it was more like another part of him that had been laying dormant was waking up due to his time here at Hogwarts for this project. His time with Sapphira. Larkyn was calm, cool and collected; he was a professional through and through. Larkyn was a carefully curated piece of art, made in order to appease both his family and himself to some extent. A person whose main concern was to protect his twin sister and his fiancé from the shitty world they lived in. But the truth was that he hadn’t done so well at the last part. Not when he truly thought about it, which is what this new part of him was making him do.

Larkyn had been floating through life as a cognizant pawn, thinking his actions were his own because he was brave enough to become an auror but that was the fucking extent of it! He chose Dru but from a small pond, he chose her because they were both indentured servants to their bloodlines and at least they would get to suffer with someone rather than alone. If Larkyn was protecting them he would stand up against it, tell his parents no and walk away from it all with Loire in tow. She wouldn’t be engaged to some random man her parents chose, she would meet someone she loved. His courage would be used as support for Dru to do the same and take Draco with her, so they could all walk away from the dark shit in their families closets.

That was what the Larkyn that was present with Sapphira would do, the one that had been learning how to let loose and have fun again over the last few weeks. Larkyn had been like this before, when he was a student and away from his family long enough to realize what doing the right thing would be. But that died the moment he graduated. Now it was like the two parts of him were fighting. He would spend his days having the best time only to go home and fall into a wicked depression at night.

The girls had been together behind closed doors all morning. Apparently Dru would be out today though she had been dodging the question as to why, it was an interaction that had played to the depressed side of him and made him pissy all morning. They used to talk about everything! Plus Loire was never around and neither was Cyrus. He was loving hanging out with Sapphira but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to see all the others too! So this morning Larkyn sat on one of the couches, drinking his coffee and reading a book with a scowl until the girls joined them.

“I don’t usually have this much free time, it’s this special assignment. Otherwise I’d be at work all day.” Larkyn grumbled towards Seb following his comment in gardening. “So while I appreciate the concern, the plants would perish as soon as I left and got back to normal life.” As he said it they were joined by the others. Loire was quick to speak up, causing Larkyn to look at his twin with a strange expression, she was acting off. “Okay?”

Larkyn thought for a moment about joining them, but she was right that did truly sound like the worst. “That sounds genuinely awful so I will excuse myself from your invite thank you.” Then came Dru and Sapphira, his eyes scanned them both before following Dru as she walked to Hunter. Where was she going with him that required being dressed like that? “Well gee, guess I’ll just have to find something to entertain myself this evening.”

“Sapphira, would you like to join considering it sounds like we’ve left out of everyone’s plans for today?”

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

It felt amazing to finally show Loire how he felt, it felt even better to know she reciprocated his feelings. He didn’t have to be afraid anymore, he didn’t have to keep it all buried down deep and hidden away. The worst part was over, he could handle figuring out how to get out of this marriage and telling Larkyn, he couldn’t handle what would have happened if Loire had completely rejected him. The two of them didn’t define whatever this was, it didn’t feel like they needed to; they were simply together. Who gave a shit about titles.

They spent the last few weeks trying to figure out more about what was going on with Harry and the Goblet but constantly came up empty handed. At this point it really seemed like it was just some silly prank, but the few extra incidents like the dragon made Cyrus really doubt it was just child’s play. When they weren’t tracking Harry or snooping, Cyrus was helping Loire avoid that idiot fiancé of hers. She had been right, the whole swamp prank from the twins had only pissed the big guy off more but who gave a shit. Have a sense of humor right?

“Larkyn used to have hobbies, then he went and got all serious and adult on us.” Cyrus said it with a laugh, shaking his best friends shoulder in an attempt to get him to smile. Recently the guy had been so hot and cold but didn’t seem to want to talk about whatever was going on. “Although I agree, anything to do with plants doesn’t strike me as a Gaunt type past time.” Cyrus was leaning against the back of the couch and Larkyn was on reading. All of the girls had been holed up together for some time now and Cyrus knew he and Loire were supposed to do some research this afternoon…

As soon as he thought it the door opened, “Well finally! How many dames does it take to get dressed?” He smirked at them all before looking each one over with a small eyebrow raise. He wasn’t well versed in fashion but he could tell that both Delaney and Dru seemed to be dressed differently than normal for them. Loire started talking about something with the library and Cyrus just shrugged, “Sure, no task today and the kid is too worried about a date for the ball to start thinking about the egg clue. So he shouldn’t need me today.”

Cyrus could feel that things were getting a little awkward in the room so as soon as Larkyn said no thanks to joining them he gave Loire a look that screamed let’s get the fuck out. He turned and walked away towards the door with a quick wave to the others, however once he got close he could hear a loud voice yelling at someone that he was here to visit his wife. “Oh shit. Well, how about we take another way yeah?” He turned back to Loire, grabbing her shoulders and turning her around swiftly before gently pushing her in the direction of the other staircase. Thank god for Hogwarts and its many twists and turns .

 

[ZombieBaee]

Delaney Wilson

Delaney was pretty sure that she had said the words it’s not a date over a million times in the last twenty four hours. Despite this it didn’t really seem to be clicking with any of the other girls. At first it had just been Sapphira who was on her case but somehow now it was even Loire and Dru! “Guys!” She whined for yet another time, cringing slightly as Sapphira fluffed out her curls. She hadn’t gotten ready like this in a long time, most of her days she spent in dirt so it wasn’t worth getting dolled up. It felt weird, her hair felt heavy and the makeup wasn’t uncomfortable but it was different. Thankfully the outfit itself was fairly normal in the way of it being a dress and she often wore them. This one however was a little bit fancier, clung to her skin a bit more on top although nothing like it would have fit on its actual owner. Sapphira was all hourglass curves while Delaney was taller and boyish- as Gran would say. It was an overall style tartan dress, very structured and beautifully colored in autumn hues. Under it Sapphira had styled her with a cream colored turtle neck and matching stockings paired with brown knee high leather boots and a long brown leather jacket of her own on top to combat the chilly weather. Her hair was curled and down for once, some pieces pinned back from her face. “I’m just going to see Gran, she’s going to make fun of me to high hell for this.”

Everyone’s comments on Seb made her blush, for a moment she hoped the were right then she instantly squashed it so she wasn’t met with disappointment. “Seriously guys, NOT a date.” Delaney shot herself one last look in the mirror, she had to admit she felt pretty. When Sapphira offered some of her clothes Delaney had been worried, they were gorgeous and Sapphira always looked amazing but the two girls had very different styles. But this was all very- heightened Delaney.

Delaney trailed behind the other girls, tugging awkwardly at the hem of the dress as she tried to make herself feel comfortable. It was just a visit to Gran, then to get her dress. Not a big deal at all! That was at least what she had thought until the other girls got in her head. The moment she stepped into the common area a little gasp escaped her lips, stopping where she stood when she saw Sebastian. The others were already all bickering but she didn’t pay them any mind, instead she was mentally doing flips to make herself not feel overly excited.

Seb was also dressed up, he looked amazing and suddenly despite all the work the girls had done she felt like she didn’t deserve to stand next to him. “Hey.” Delaney spoke softly, finally moving to him as he freshened up in the mirror. “Sorry I’m running a little late, I didn’t expect the makeover squad to hold me hostage.” She laughed nervously, stumbling over her own feet a bit in the stupid heeled boots. “Uh anyways, you look really nice Seb! I-“ Ugh, why was she so damn awkward?