By: Jondy Mamcillan
A/N:There's a way to kill the romance; summarize…so I won't bother. Sorry if it's a bit short, but this fic is now and forever dedicated to Kaiyan, or Zel-chan, girl of many names. I know it's a bit later than I promised, but I am delivering, and I guess that's what counts. Keep in mind that although it's about June now (and four days from graduation!), its easy to fall victim to the frost within our own hearts. We live on by depending on others, no matter how much it hurts, and every once in a while, some of us find something magical. And that's what its all about, ain't it? grins Love you much, Kaiyan, and good luck forever, especially in college!
I need a
new heart for xmas
Cos you broke it all apart
Put it back together again
You hit me oh so hard
Put me back together again
Kill Hannah
The presents were great, but then they always were. She opened them alone, but then she always did. None of the Ravenclaw girls were early risers, say crack of dawn, much less the boys. Her parents sent all sorts of goodies, candy and cakes and little stocking stuffer treats, and a note saying her mum was due any day. Her new baby brother would be named Demetrius Alacard Kingston, joy of all joys. Personally, Elanore would have preferred to stay an only child. Still, the very last part of her mum's letter on Demetrius did seem a bit harsh; her moronic father had arranged some kind of marriage agreement with the Percivals, close friends of the family. Ruby Percival went to Hogwarts, but she was a fifth year in Gryffindor, so Elanore hardly ever saw her.
Serendipity gave her an amazing black sweater with gothic trim that re-laced in different areas every time you wore it, but it obviously wasn't going to fit right in the chest area. If there was one thing she envied the redhead, it was her amazingly large boobs. Casey had sent cute earrings over her way, and Frank got her a huge book of hexes, vexes, and jinxes. She'd have to thank him for that. Quant had given her a huge potted plant and some rose seeds, but she was pretty sure they were from Fortune as well, and Sylvester gave her a very pretty heart locket, already filled with his picture, right next to hers. She wasn't quite sure what to make about that.
From Prue there were funky glasses in multi-colored shades that claimed to be x-ray vision, but she had no one to try them out on at the moment, so she couldn't test their claim. Rufus had left a pretty bouquet of flowers, right next to Quant's dubious plant, which she immediately threw away, then rethought it and dug them out of her wastebasket before the house elves came. Bobby's gift was a book of poems, and from Antoinetta and Seprie there were some tacky little charm bracelets. Quite charming of them to have thought of her, no pun intended.
By far, the best gift she received was Chrysalis, her newly received elf owl from a mysterious sender. The beautiful creature was small and glossy brown, and fit neatly in the palm of her hand. It wasn't a messenger, just a pet. Elanore had never had a pet before. And she was pretty sure she knew who sent the bird.
Elanore hadn't seen Joshua Kenth since the party, where she'd admittedly gotten slightly souped up on Firewhisky. He'd been so sweet, if she recalled correctly. The note on the owl's cage said to meet her admirer near the whomping willow at six. That was over ten hours from now. Unless he meant six in the morning, she mused, but no one got up that early. Except her.
Still, she walked down the empty corridors, out into the courtyard, hoping beyond hope that if indeed her admirer was there, he would have Joshua's face and voice, not to mention his strong arms.
Something in her head told her that she didn't want him. Any sensible girl couldn't want to date a Slytherin, even one as good looking as Joshua. They were players, pure and simple. Just like Rufus, her mind interjected. She shook the thought away. And even still, Joshua was one of the worst Slytherins. His best friend was Dirk Drake, for god's sake, who, no matter what Prue said, was nowhere near good news, and the boy himself was a close-minded bigot.
Yet, if he was all that, (yes, her mind said) why did he have such a gentle voice? Every girl wants something different. Serendipity, Elanore knew from pajama party chats, liked slim waists, long torsos, and long fingers (like Polaris, she snickered out loud). Prue went in for rough hands, broad shoulders, and shapely legs, which only proved the girl was screwed up in the head. Seprie had mentioned once that she liked guys with good complexions and big smiles. Antoinetta preferred nice hair, nicer looks, and oodles of money. As for Elanore, it was always the voice that did her in. She was hopelessly romantic in that respect, always wishing for the sensitive guy who might just understand.
Apparently, that hadn't been Rufus.
It didn't seem like Joshua was quite the type who'd take the time to sort out his feelings, much less talk about them.
Even so, she went to the courtyard.
Tacked on a nearby tree was a note, written ins sparkling calligraphy. Shortly, the message said, 'Quidditch field. 5 minutes'. Well then, wasn't this mysterious. No way it could be Joshua. He obviously had no flare for the dramatic. Yet when she arrived at the dewy green field, there was another note, bidding her over to divination. Then the gamekeeper's hut, then the astronomy tower. It was a right pain in the arse running around following them. Still, she mused, why not follow one last time?
Elanore arrived on the terrace nearest the owlery at a quarter till. The bright morning sun was just breaking over the winter clouds, but snow still threatened to fall in the distance. The house elves had already brought the little elf owl and placed her in an empty gilded cage. Even though the school charged a sickle a month to keep the owls in normal cages, which were really no use at all, it was a galleon per to use the brightly shining golden ones. Since Chrysalis was still a baby, it was safer to keep her in a cage than let her roam the high rafters with the other owls. Elanore figured it was worth a couple of galleons.
"Be good," she told the tiny bird as the headed toward the terrace, carefully making her way over droppings and hay, not a very romantic setting. The three tiered terrace, on the other hand, wound with it's roses and ivy, all now dead and snow covered, was rather appropriate. Appropriate for losing her heart, once more. But then, Elanore mused, isn't that what girls are made for?
Always the proper child, Elanore was raised on romantic notions of chivalry and damsels in distress. Although she'd vowed never to be one of those damsels as a child (after all, once prince after another on that same old white horse could become boring very quickly), she found herself requiring a rescuer all the same. Once upon a time, Elanore had met Rufus, who very much looked the part of a prince but had no apparent stallion in tow, and fallen long and hard. That had been around pre-school. They hadn't actually become an item till fourth year, when he'd presented her with a ginormous bouquet of daffodils during the Valentine's brouhaha they called a dance. Since then, it had always been Elanore-and-Rufus, Rufus-and-Elanore, until the day it became Seldom-and-that-back-stabbing-cheating-bastard-of-an-ex-boyfriend, that-back-stabbing-cheating-son-of-a-bitch-ex-and-prissy-little-Seldom. Where had she gone wrong?
Don't think about that, her mind chided, think about Joshua, if that's who is sending you on this wild goose chase. So he was a Slytherin. Read: Evil Incarnate. What else did she know? His little sister was a witch in a more loosely figurative usage of the term, and his best friend was a scummy playboy. He kissed like nobody she'd ever kissed before, and he made her knees go weak with his debonair attitude and charming smile. Prince Charming, ha.
Bitterly, Elanore mused, maybe I should just screw the Prince and go find a stallion of my own. The connotations of that thought made her blush, which was how Joshua found her. In his perpetually teasing, taunting voice, he inquired, "Thinking dirty thoughts…about me, of course."
"You wish," Elanore grinned, turning to face the boy. He was wearing loose jeans and a black jumper, and work boots. Very stylish. He also looked damned freezing, she observed beneath her layers upon layers of Parka and jumper cloth.
"Actually, as terribly mood-setting as this place is, I wish we could go inside. Unless you plan on inviting me into that coat anytime soon," he drawled wryly, a single eyebrow raised.
"I don't think so. I'm not that kind of girl…at least not until the third date," she mocked in reply.
"Is that so?"
"…No. But I recommend we go inside too, before your lips turn to ice. Although you probably deserve it if they do, making me run along out there."
"I thought it was cute. I was watching, you know. And if my lips do turn blue…you could warm them," he said, but his suggestion was ignored as she breezed by him in what she hoped was an airy and elegant manner. Only her foot got tangled in one of the dead strands of ivy hidden beneath the snow, toppling her unceremoniously legs over head.
"That- er- looked painful," Joshua chuckled as she tried to recover, brushing pure white snow off her cheeks.
"S'not," Elanore sniffed, embarrassed, "Just- Brr, cold!"
"So sorry."
A gleam took to her eye, and in a swift movement, Elanore pulled Joshua down next to her, the icy ground immediately soaking into his pants and sweater like some sort of super-absorbent sponge. While she laughed, he growled, not finding the situation quite so funny anymore. If there was one thing Joshua Kenth didn't like, it was being cold and wet.
Snowballs to the face didn't help either. Furiously tearing the flakes still sticking to his face he admonished, "Kingston!"
By this time, Elanore was rolling, laughing hysterically, creating a tiny snow angel in the space where she lay, "You- you should see the look on your face. Lighten up!"
"I'll show you light," Joshua sneered, and with that said, he scooped up a handful of snow, molding it into a large ball. Shrieking, Elanore ducked behind the only bench on the terrace, plotting her counter defense. Just as he threw his up in the air, she chucked a much smaller module packed more full of ice than powder straight at it. The ball exploded mid-air, showering them with tiny bits of snow, coating their noses and cheeks.
"Beautiful," Elanore cried, smiling in a way she had thought she never would again, wanting so much for him to place his arms about her shoulders and agree.
Obliging gentleman that he was, Joshua did so, and went one step further, "May I kiss you?"
"Don't be a git," Elanore chided, "You shouldn't have to ask."
When their mouths collided, it wasn't in the same chaste way Serendipity or Prue experienced their kisses, but rather in a hungry rebuttal of all innocence. Neither party was an amateur at this game, and neither wanted nothing more than to be there, at that very minute, wrapped up in each other's arms.
"I think," Joshua muttered, clumsily extricating his tongue from Elanore's mouth, numbed from the outside chill, "That a large clump of snow has just fallen into my pants."
"Oh yes," Elanore agreed, dancing away from him, "I just slipped that in there," she dodged another snowball.
"You sure know how to ruin the mood, Kingston," he chased after her as she departed the terrace, racing through the owlery into the still darkened corridors.
When he caught up to her, near one of the empty classrooms, Elanore whispered seductively into his ear, "Oh no, I think the mood's quite content on sticking around."
"Hope you're right," Joshua slid his arms around her waist, pulling her into the adjacent room, already equipped with a fireplace, "Think you're right."
"I am right," she giggled, lighting the fire with her wand, "I liked my present."
For the first time, he smiled, a sweet, sincere smile, laced with delight, "Really? I had hoped you would."
"Loved it," she wanted to cherish the moment, that smile, so rare, "So much."
Later, wrapped tightly in his arms, butt slightly cold from sitting on the chilly cobble floor of the classroom, but otherwise totally sated, Elanore said, "I don't suppose I should get used to getting presents from you. I mean, I've heard you're not a nice guy."
"I'm not nice at all," he affirmed, face serious, "But you don't need a 'nice guy', Kingston."
"I don't?"
"No. Nice guys will smile while breaking your heart, won't they? And they'll make you feel like the guilty one afterwards. Because they're too nice to make something like that feel so sad. You don't need someone like that."
"I need an arrogant bastard like you, hmm? A guy like you…I could really hate," She was falling asleep, his warmth was so comforting, and his finger were working at her neck, loosening her tense muscles, aiding her aim to drift away to dreamland.
"Of course. I would never presume to break your heart without your consent," she could feel him smile again, against her hair. He breathed her scent in, pulling her closer, enjoying the way she cuddled up in his grasp.
"Okay," Elanore's eyes fluttered closed, then open, "Um, I don't ever give you permission to break my heart. I don't want that…to…ever…happen…again," her eyes closed once more, and her breathing lengthened steadily, gently.
Leaning his face against her head, her soft crown of dark hair, Joshua quietly replied, "Okay."
And he meant it.
RR