Dance with the Devil
"Thank you Starr," he said under his breath to her during their first potion lesson.
"For what? You chopped the hertweeds," she answered easily, glancing at him; those eyes were getting bothersome to him.
"Getting Jo'anna off my back," he told her, looking down and carefully cutting up the shrew beads.
"No problem sweet cheeks," she answered, smirking.
"I wish ye wouldn' say that," he said not so cheerfully.
"I know it!" she heated the pot with the wave of her wand, "Seriously though, we're okay. Don't worry about it."
"We're neve' okay," he seriously said, taking his turn to smirk at her and she rolled her eyes, smiling.
"Hey, so about that Slytherin slapper, when did you two start falling head over tits in love with each other?" Adarte teased, manipulating the new rumor of the school. "I mean, she is dead beautiful but her personality is...dead."
"Ye shut it. I don't even look at 'er, yeah?" Scabior coldly said, not taking it as a joke even though he recognized it to be.
"But you are always going googly eyes over each other, all that hanky panky going on in there. I see it," she persisted, grinning.
"Did ye seriously jus' say 'anky panky?" he asked, grimacing.
"Did you seriously just tell me to shut it?" she asked, cocking her hip but tending to the potion all the same.
"Fair," he murmured.
"So why so bitter?" she asked.
"Ye didn' put any sugar in it and if ye do, I damn well hope you drink it and not me. It could kill ye," he answered.
"That's not what I...hey, you wouldn't mind me dying from a potion we made? You're really that cold?" she said, throwing spare willow twigs at him playfully.
"I would mind cuz then I couldn' make you so 'ot," he smirked evilly.
"Well if ye like me bein' so 'ot then-" she started but he nudged her so she would notice that professor Slughorn was walking their way.
"I'm sure we could get out of another fight unscathed," she whispered tauntingly to him and she looked like she would do it.
"Ye are impossible Starr," he sighed in his accent.
"Sure am. Did you want help with your paper tonight?" she asked casually as Slughorn came close enough what they said would be audible.
"Yeah, definitely. I get 'elp from mudbloods daily," he sarcastically said.
"Now Mr..." Slughorn said but Adarte chuckled and said, "It's okay professor. These guys really need to think of a better comeback. You know how old 'mudblood' is? Also, I am proud of all the dirty blood in all my dirty little veins." She smiled, "Why get offended for it?"
"Regardless of your personal feelings about it Ms. Starr, no uncouthe language is permitted in my classroom during class time," professor Slughorn answered, obviously still upset over what had just been said.
"Ah well...anyways, about the paper Scabior?" she said, looking back at the boy who was much taller than before but not quite as tall as she thought he would get to be.
"Yeah, we could give it a shot," he said, nodding, "Over my dead body."
"I will arrange it then. Meet me in the library," she said as Slughorn walked away with a small chuckle.
"Dungeons," he countered, "I am not goin in the middle of everyone with a mudblood no matter yer inability ta be offended by me."
"Fine, the dungeons, whatever," she said, rolling her eyes and pouring their potion into a tiny vial provided. He smirked clear up until the bell ring and he collected all his things and left the classroom without her.
"Starr, a moment please," professor Slughorn said. She looked worriedly at the clock but then set her bag back down and waited. "I know you mean well trying to change him but don't get yourself hurt. He really does believe all that blood rubbish."
"I am NOT trying to change him professor, I like him just the way he is. He does not believe all that blood stuff, he just has fun with it and seriously, he isn't the most desirable bloke in the world but at least he has passion and understanding," Adarte crossly said. "Is that everything professor?"
"You're just like Lily," he laughed, "Yes there is. I wanted to tell you that your final exam paper was just absolutely brilliant. The ministry is really looking into it now, said it could be a real break through. They are willing to give you enough galleons for in the field healing training."
"Are you for real?" she asked, her blue eyes going wide.
"Completely," he smiled, handing her a signed parchment from the Minister of Magic, just as authentic as could be. She took it, her other hand over her mouth, complete shock taking over her body.
"Th-thank you," she whispered the words she could manage and she left, closing the door behind her and she sat next to that door against the wall, staring at the parchment and the shiny beetle black ink.
"About time. What were ya doin in there?" Scabior said, coming out from behind a suit of armor, smirking. She barely registered what he said but said nothing, looking at him then back at the paper. He snatched it from her, frowning now because she was acting so strange to him.
"I, Minister of Magic, grant Adarte Amethysia Starr full payment in St. Mungo's most prominent healer's school and labratories for four consecutive years. All twelve governors have signed and now I sign my name...whatever the hell those squiggles say, minister of magic," he read aloud, "What's yer problem?"
"I-I don't know I..it just...I don't know if I...oh my god Scabior, this changes everything I've been working on," she told him, still unable to put words and thoughts together at the same time.
"Accept it, tha's always been what you've wanted to do, am I righ?" he told her, sitting next to her, not intending to go to charms at all.
"Yeah," she practically whispered, "It was...is...but I-I've just been-"
"Bu nothin Starr," he said impatiently, lifting her chin so she would look into his eyes; he was then reminded that he hated her eyes and looked away, taking his hands to himself and staring at the opposite wall. "You 'ave nothin to worry about love, you'll do brilliantly, just no buts, okay."
"It doesn't add up," she finally managed, taking a deep breath.
"Yer exam was brilliant Starr, why so surprised?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow and looking at her again. She smiled, just liking the way he looked in that superior but not quite condescending look on his face.
"I'm not...surprised, I just don't know if...you know...I want to be fixing bleeding people for the rest of my life," she said kind of shyly.
"Love, just las' year ya were sayin how you wanted to cure death and heal people," he said in exasperation. "Honestly, when yer said tha' in first year, I liked you a bit more than I would 'ave in the first place. Ya can cure my death." He grinned.
"And maybe I would," she shrugged, "But, I don't know...I want a job more...I don't want to say alive...it fits though!"
"Curing death is alive," he said fairly.
"What do you want to do?" she asked him, biting her lip.
"You know I dunno Starr." His bad boy agitation was back again as he rolled his eyes, tired of trying to comfort the uncomfortable. "I wanna be a mercenary of sorts I suppose. Catch and interrogate withou 'aving the rules of the bloody ministry on me."
"See, that is alive, that is exciting, I don't like rules either, you know that, Merlin knows how but you do, Mr. Insensitive," she smirked, playfully pushing him and for once, he did not think about reacting about it.
"Really though, if ya cure death, bring me back to life, promise?" he joked.
"Promise," she said seriously. He thought she was joking but at the same time, she thought he was serious and she would happily bring a friend back to life; she did enjoy the concept of zombies.
Little did either know that the day would come that he was cursed by his own employers, or masters, and she was there to rob his corpse of that house and bring him back to life with one little potion...and he would breathe, not as a zombie but as a human being thriving to murder those who had slain him.