~* A Serendipity/Polaris story*~
A/N: This fic is now and forever dedicated to Fishy, who makes me write when I don't want to, makes my stories come to life on paper, and listens to me bitch when no one else will. Oh yeah, and the only one I would right this corny mush for. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and good luck in whatever ventures you undertake, ever. Remember, always, that brave people may die young, but the cautious (and prudent!) never live at all. It may seem that magic lives within the halls of Hogwarts, but magic lives inside each and every one of us; in our hearts if you believe in such things, and in our souls, which are the only truly free creatures in creation. All we have to do is work up the guts to let it out.
Disclaimer: As always, I, Jondy Macmillan, do not own Harry Potter. However, the characters of Giddy Brew are completely and utterly of my own creation. No stealing, reproducing, etc, without my permission, please.
I wish it were raining, because I hate every beautiful day.
~Sugarcult
Serendipity was frustrated. It was Christmas Day, and after a rousing bout of present opening, everyone had disappeared. They had left her alone. Nobody liked to be alone on Christmas, even with the tremendous amount of booty Serendipity had accumulated. Actually, the presents Serendipity had acquired were very nice. Prue had given her a makeup kit, so that she could take out what Prue coined her 'sexual frustration' in gentler fashions. Meaning, no more hexing. Or, she could use the actual box in violent, hitting ways, Prue assured her, when she had turned the evil eye on the blonde. Elanore had given her a box of new quills, finest swan feather. Prue had been up in arms about that until both Serendipity and Elanore managed to get it through her head that the swans did not have to die for the quills to be made.
In a surprising act of kindness, Casey had given her a set of dangly earrings made out of stones that represented chakra centers. Casey hadn't been sure what chakra centers were, but he said the woman at the store had assured him they were good. Even Sylvester had bought her a large bag of unbreakable jawbreakers, but Prue mused it was only because he didn't want to have to buy her another present next year, the cheap git. This way, she'd have enough for a whole seven years in a row. Frank had given her a scarf that touched her toes, even if she wrapped it around her neck over three times. Antoinetta and Seprie had given all three girls tiny stocking stuffers; little charm bracelets that they claimed had magical power.
All the generosity was making Serendipity feel bad. She had only gotten Prue, Elanore, and the Icemen presents. Although she was sure the bracelets Antoinetta and Seprie had given the girls were coated with poison or some sort of crazy drug. And now everyone had disappeared. Serendipity hoped they were all doing something productive with their time. Actually, she was wishing Prue and Casey would make up and get busy, Sylvester would work up some guts and confess something to Elanore, or at least she would score some action with Joshua, and Frank would either confront Dana or decide he really did like Noah Weslen. Allowing Christmas spirit to pervade her mind, Serendipity also wished Antoinetta and Seprie…well.
Bored, Sere left the common room, where she'd sat pondering the fire for at least an hour, and decided to walk the halls. Only minutes later, she heard a loud crash from a nearby classroom.
"Polaris?" Serendipity hesitated at the door of the empty classroom she'd found him sitting in, "What are you doing?"
Head snapping up, the raven-haired boy's eyes met hers, "Serendipity?"
"That is my name," she laughed, trying to break the tension in the room, "I was looking for Prue, but she's disappeared again. She probably went to argue with Casey." Actually, Serendipity knew full well that Prue had gone to confess a few things to Casey. Serendipity had practically beaten the girl into it.
"Casey?" Polaris asked, unfamiliar with the name.
"Oh, uh, Cerulean Hargrove's little brother. He plays the guitar for The Black Orbit," Serendipity explained, flustered. She'd forgotten that Polaris wasn't one of the pillars of her daily life and didn't know all of her friends.
"One of the Hargroves," Polaris breathed, "Are you always surrounded by them?"
"No, that's Prue. Boys like that don't go for girls like me," Serendipity said thoughtfully, "She's like a giant light, and they're the moths. They have the attention spans of moths, too. In the face of her brilliance, there's not much reason for the rest of us to get noticed."
"That's not true. I don't think Gelliston's very brilliant at all. In fact, she seems kind of dumb to me."
"Hey, that's my friend you're talking about," Serendipity said, placing her hands on her hips, "I'm the only one who can make fun of her."
Polaris held up a hand, "What I meant is she's more of a beauty and brawn type of girl."
"But," Serendipity tore her gaze from his abyssal eyes, "I'm like that too. I jinx first, think later."
"You think," Polaris told her, "Which is more than I can say for Gelliston."
"Maybe we shouldn't talk about my friends. It'll only succeed to piss me off," Serendipity laughed, "And I can't imagine being mad at you, ever."
"Why not?" Polaris's gaze was incredibly intense, even though her own green eyes were now focused on her designer shoes.
"You're not a confrontational kind of person. Which are the kinds of people I usually, um, get mad at," Serendipity finished lamely. She didn't want to say she couldn't imagine getting mad at him because she sort of had the hots for him, despite an equally overwhelming passion for one of his best friends. Somehow, it didn't have the right ring to it.
Polaris shrugged, "If you say so, Watson. Listen, are you doing anything tonight?"
"Depends what you have in mind," she replied coyly, heart racing. He was NOT asking her on a date. He couldn't be.
"I have a surprise in mind. Just meet me at the Quidditch pitch in an hour, okay? It's a good surprise. Trust me?" He extended a hand and a wolfish smile as he climbed off his feet. Serendipity took his hand, which was smooth and long fingered; totally un-calloused, unlike hers.
"I do," she whispered.
"Good," Polaris's fingers intertwined with hers, and the air around them fell still. The dead silence around the two enveloped them, cloaking their bodies, pressuring them together. Instead of obeying what physics demanded, Polaris pulled away, "One hour."
**************************************************************************************
Just as the day had been bright and chipper, the night air was crisp and cool, the stars clearer than ever. Polaris was leaning against a goal post as she walked intrepidly up to him, trying to hide the way his smile made her knees go weak. He had a basket in his hand, the neck of a bottle peeking out of it, and two brooms in his other hand.
Mischievously, he said to her, "I figured you wouldn't have sense enough to bring your own, so here."
He had handed her a lighteningrod, the newest top of the line broom in the wizarding world, "Wow. I didn't even know these were out yet."
"Consider it a part of your Christmas present," he smiled kindly.
"What? I can't take this. I mean, it's really expensive. You probably can't-" Serendipity stopped when she realized she was very close to insulting him.
"You, Miss Watson," he chuckled, "Are not the only…wealthy person in this school. Trust me, I can afford it."
"You wanted to say 'poor little rich girl', didn't you?" She asked, smiling.
"Well, not quite. Seeing as I'm male, I couldn't really think of the right word," he mounted his broom, cradling the basket gently in the crook of his arm, "You don't mind breaking the rules, do you?"
"I'm all for it," she grinned mischievously, "We leaving school grounds?"
"We're leaving this world," he laughed, pushing off the ground. Polaris was a fast flier, but she was fast too. For a little while, it was just he and she, racing a path through the stars that only they could see. They wove beneath the Orion constellation, leaving the lights of Hogwarts far, far behind, over the Forbidden Forest, past the line of mountains that hid the entire scene from view. Soon the castle, the lake, the trees and the peaks were just a dream, something Serendipity was sure she had only imagined.
"Can you feel it?" She screamed through the wind, a crazy smile gracing her lips. She felt totally free.
"Yup," he called back cheekily, pointing to a flat plateau where they could touch down, "It's magic."
When they reached solid ground, Serendipity was already missing the feeling of flying, even though she was sure her cheeks were wind-burned. The sky was darker than it should have been, and she was positive that as soon as the stars disappeared behind clouds, it was going to snow.
"That's okay," Polaris said, following her gaze, "I like the snow."
"Yeah," she agreed, "It is nice, isn't it? So, what'd you bring for me to eat?" She sat cross legged on the cold ground, glad she hadn't worn a skirt for this venture, posing like a pompous princess.
"No, no," Polaris grinned a feral smile, "You have to work for your food."
"Aww," Serendipity pouted, "That's no fun at all."
"It's easy work," he offered, "Light a fire."
Obediently, she pulled her wand from her waistband and did so. Cheery warmth spread over the site, and Polaris pulled out a blanket for her to sit on. The food was nowhere near gourmet, just simple cheeses, cold cuts, and a custard pie, along with a bottle of butter beer, "I hope you weren't expecting champagne."
"Silly, I'm too young to drink."
"Doesn't stop most people," Polaris said softly, referring to Noah the other night.
"I'd rather watch the drunks make fools of themselves anyway," she waved a hand in the air.
"Ditto," he poured her a glass of butter beer, and arranged some food on a plate.
"This is so sweet," she squealed, so happy she could burst. Despite her stature, Serendipity really wasn't the kind of girl who required too much maintenance.
"You're sweet," Polaris said kindly, causing her to blush much more than she would have liked.
"Don't say that," she muttered, "My complexion can't handle it."
"Okay. Is it okay if I say you're beautiful?"
"Maybe we shouldn't go with compliments," she giggled, "I really don't want to look like a cherry."
"Aw, you're a cute cherry," he laughed, but stopped, which she appreciated. Compliments made her uncomfortable. Then she considered the implications of the word cherry (oddly enough, it brought glitter and eyeliner to mind, which she thought would really make Polaris look great), and turned redder.
"So, what makes the famous Polaris Morgan tick?" Serendipity asked curiously, after she'd finished off her dinner, staring at the quickly moving clouds in awe.
"Not much," he shrugged, "I'm not really that famous."
"Are you kidding? Dark Symphony is great," Serendipity bit her lip to stop herself from saying something about how she admired Orpheus.
"If you say so," Polaris mused, then suddenly said, "Hey, do you know anything about the stars?"
"I know you can't really see them right now," she joked, "I can't wait for the snow to fall."
"I reckon you can wait a little while," he grinned, mouth curving lusciously. Blushing, Serendipity turned away. You should not be staring at his mouth, she ordered herself. Oh god, even worse, don't look at his lips.
For once, she was grateful that Prue had dragged her over to Leonardo Quince's little lesson, even if he was such a player-faker. Not that she thought Polaris would kiss her or anything. But why not, she wondered. He did go through the trouble of brining me out here. And I've been blushing non-stop. And, her mind continued, he's been complimenting me outrageously. God, if he wasn't so cute, I'd smack the git.
"Why did you want to know if I knew about stars?" Serendipity inquired, taking a sip of her drink and hoping she didn't catch foam on her lip or anything of the sort. Then again, maybe Polaris would lick it off and- dirty, dirty thoughts!
"Did you know Dark Symphony wasn't my first band? First and Second year I was in one called Ursa Minor. You know, the little bear constellation? Heh, if you'll believe it, Jacob Dibson was in it as well. Before we discovered the whole Slytherin-Gryffindor rivalry thing."
Serendipity considered burly, surly Jacob, and decided resolutely she couldn't see him having much musical talent at all. Then she remembered astronomy class, "Hey, isn't Polaris part of the Ursa Minor constellation? Like, near the tail?"
"Sure is. That was Noah's little joke," Polaris's face darkened, whether with anger or embarrassment, she couldn't tell, "He has a lot of those."
"Um, I know this is a stupid question, but Prue's had such a crush on him for such a long time, and, well, the other night as well, and- is he…?"
"Gay?" Polaris laughed, "I thought everybody knew that. He's flamboyantly so. Not quite a stereotypical pansy, if there is such a thing, but…if Noah Weslen had his way, glam rock would be a thing of modern times."
"Flam rock, I think," Serendipity smiled, "Does he like Frank?"
"Hell, I like Frank. That boy's got one rock hard body," he replied teasingly.
She did smack him this time, though lightly, "Oh, I see how it is."
"I like you better though," he said apologetically, but his eyes were still teasing, and she couldn't tell if he meant it.
"You better," she growled, but she didn't mean it, "So who else was in this band?"
"Everyone!" Polaris threw his hands up in the air, "We sounded terrible. I was keyboardist, naturally, and Noah was drummer."
"Naturally."
"Jacob sang, if you could believe it, but then so did Rama Marcus. Actually, he had a rather good voice."
"Rama? The head boy?"
"If by head boy you mean the pompous kid with the effed up bindi on his head, yes, that's him."
"I always wondered if that was supposed to be a picture of something," she laughed.
"Oh, it is. It's an elephant, can't you tell? He's not even from the middle east or India or any country that might encourage the wearing of those things. He's Irish," Polaris confided, as though it were some big secret.
"That explains the red hair, then," Serendipity said thoughtfully, finishing up her butter beer. The food sat untouched. A few butterflies were making her stomach feel rather full.
"Hey, Watson?" Polaris asked, eyes wide and innocent.
Something wet fell on her nose, followed by tiny lace doilies tracing patterns through the air, "Look! Snow!" She laughed wildly. From her comfy spot on the ground, it looked like the sky was falling, caving into perfect pieces of ice sculptures, fragment by fragment.
"It's beautiful," he said dismissively, "Watson?" Polaris asked again, bringing his face closer to hers.
Serendipity gulped, "Uh, what is it?'
"Can I kiss you?"
For a moment, everything stood stock still. Even the snow seemed to stop, midair, as though waiting for an answer. She couldn't speak, she could barely breathe, and it was all she could do to move her head slightly, hoping it looked like a nod.
Slowly, his face came closer, their lips just barely touching, her mouth dry from anticipation. They stayed like that for minutes, his piercing eyes boring right into hers. And then he tilted his head slightly, and she gave into the sensation.
When he pulled back, he asked, "Was that okay?'
Fireworks were still bursting in front of her eyes, and so rather than respond, she pulled him forward. And so his lips touched hers again, and everything was right.
"She fell like a meteor
I feel like an animal
One day I'll make you proud
It's raining all the time
Your world, it brings me down"
~Kill Hannah
~End~ R+R please….Fish, you better like it. If not…phooey on you. I HATE MUSH.