A/N: Ok, this is a recent RP between my sister and I. We were bored, went to see the new Harry Potter and felt inspired. This is all AU as far as we know, so don't be harsh. It's still in RP format as well, so don't kill me if all the responses to questions are together rather than a back and forth conversation. I'm lazy and I have finals, so I don't have the time or energy to change things. By the way, italics just mean that the people are Vera and Viktor.
Disclaimer: Obviously Harry Potter isn't mine, otherwise I would be rich like J. K. Rowling, but since I am a poor college student, you know I am not her! Wee! Don't sue! The Mary-sue's (I'm guessing that's what they are) belong to Wren Maxwell and her sister, whatever alias she happens to be going by at the moment.
Just like the last World Cup!
Two days before the World Cup, and it's chaos upon the camp grounds. Venders are making fortunes from the fans, entertainment is never ending, and spirits flow freely down Irish-men and Bulgarians alike. The match of the decade, and once again it's Ireland versus Bulgaria. Ireland being favored to win, but Viktor Krum again favored to catch the snitch. A repeat in history is what's predicted.
Music drifts from one large tent that is being used as a pub. Inside, people dance to the music, drink, eat, and leave behind big tips. For bar-keep Bennett Ashburn, this is nearly the perfect set up. Her grey eyes watch the dancers, a smile set upon her pale face. A green hat with a singing shamrock sits upon her auburn curls, singing the Irish's victory song, even though the team hasn't won yet.
Despite her Ireland wear, Ben wears a Viktor Krum pin, his number 7 painted in red on her cheek. She remains quiet at the present, not joining in the cheering, or arguing. It was a lot easier to keep your voice if you didn't over-use it.
Vera hurried into the tent/bar and shook vigorously. She had a huge smile on her face as she ran up to her sister, "It's snowing again!" she said excitedly, pointing to the white flakes in her dark brown hair. Her cheeks had a rosy tint to match the red seven on one of them. She was supporting the best seeker in the world. Plus she knew her sister has a soft spot for the duck-footed fellow.
She grinned some more as she spun away to take her coat off and see if any of the raucous people needed anything. It was a good year and she couldn't wait for the match to start. She had a green scarf on with a darker green shamrock to support her Irish background, she hoped they would win.
Ben laughs a bit. "Whoot. Snow! Lovely lovely... means it's cold ya' know!" Score one for Captain obvious! She laughs even more, realizing that hey, it was a very obvious thing to say. "My god... I need sleep, I'm pointing out the obvious."
A slight grin pulls onto the face of a pale young man as he enters the pub-tent and it's warmth hits him like a brick wall, a very welcomed brick wall.
He pushes a strand of white-blonde hair from his silver eyes as he wonders over to the bar and plops down on a stool. "One butterbeer bar-keep!" He calls to Ben, causing her to jump to life. Who could be this man clad in green and black? Draco Malfoy.
Vera looked up as a blast of cold air whipped her long dark hair into her face. She blinked a few times and her brows furrowed as she looked at the young man at the bar. 'He looks familiar...' she thought, cleaning off a table. Once done she headed up to the bar to get a better look. 'Still familiar... but why?' she watched him out of the corner of her eye as she quickly washed up the mugs.
"Psst!" she hissed at Ben. "Why do I know him? He looks really familiar..." she whispered, facing the back wall. While Ben had been living in England for years now, Vera had just moved there the previous summer to live with her favorite cousin.
Ben looks up a bit startled at her cousin. "Give me a minute! Customer!" She answers a bit hurriedly, as she grabs a mug of butterbeer and runs it over to Draco. After setting it in front of him she hurries back to her sister. "Now, what? Do you know who?"
Draco's eyes follow the some what antsy bartender. He silently arches a brow as he watches her converse with another woman. Something told him he should recognize the pair, but he fails miserably to recall names.
A dark cloaked figure walks through the revelry on the field. He was on the Irish side, looking for a particular tent. He know he'd finally found it when he started hearing it ten meters away. He shook his head. 'Always the center of attention...' he thought, picturing red hair and laughing grey eyes. Victor was hoping not to be recognized as he pulled his hood higher and entered the tent.
He looked around, spotting his quarry behind the bar speaking to another woman. He saw Draco Malfoy sitting at the bar and went to join him. They got along fairly well, as they were both raised for the dark arts, and both fought against them during the war. He gave a familiar nod as he sat down before focusing his attention on the pair behind the bar.
Vera gave an exasperated sigh, "The blonde, why is he familiar? I know I have at least seen a picture of him before..." she looked back at him. His hair was longer than she thought it should have been and flopped over his eyes. He looked a bit tired, but then again, almost everyone was nowadays. That's why the Cup was such a wonderful idea. It had been put off over the summer due to the war, but with that bit of madness over, people needed a bit to revel about. The Wizarding world decided to gather the remaining members of the Quidditch teams and hold the cup in the winter instead. Vera was all for it.
She had moved to England during the darkest time of the War and did all she could to help the fighters for good. She was quite ready for a bit of, how did Minerva put it, civilized frivolity? "Hey," she pinched her cousin, "you have a visitor," she pointed over her shoulder at the familiar hooded brow and nose.
Ben pauses to think a bit. "Blonde... Malfoy? You might have seen him before, he worked with Harry in the Order." She explains with a bit of a shrug. "I donno how else you'd know him. I mean, I hardly do. Personally, I think he's a bloody prat. A bloody stuck-up prat, but, you know how I see people like him. Never in a good light." All her words are spoken with hand gestures, something inheritedfrom her father. She yelps a bit as she's pinched. "Oy! Ow! That hurt!" She whines before looking at the hooded being. A grin graces her face, and she reaches under the counter, grabbing a can of green hair-spray, originally intended to be used in her hair. "I'll be right back, dear cousin..." She then flits off into a crowd of people in attempt to sneak up behind one Viktor Krum.
Draco glances over at the quidditch star. "Lo. How are you, Vicky?" A smirk graces his pale face as he torments Viktor with the most inappropriate nickname possible. "Miss Squidge much? Or you just miss our great, English fire whiskey?"
Victor looked up at the blonde boy. "How do you know it wasn't you I missed, Drakie-poo" he said in his thick accent. He laughed at the stricken look on the young man's face. "Don't worry, I was just looking for a certain redhead, for luck you know." he said, wondering if he could get a good luck kiss out of the Irish lover.
"Ah..." Vera said, thinking of Harry Potter, the boy who looked morelike her than her own cousin. "But he's a prat huh?" she laughed, "Sounds right up my torment alley." she thought. Perhaps she would have more fun this year than she thought. Or perhaps she could take that sour, tired look off his face. She smirked at the can of green paint, "Have fun!" she whispered.
Ben creeps up behind Viktor and slowly reaches for his hood. In one quick movement, she yanks it from his head and sprays a bright green 'I' on the black-fuzz covered hair infront of her. "Ha ha ha! You've been marked by the Irish! Ireland all the way!" She laughs, before moving out of Viktor's reach. Getting hit was not in the itinerary for today.
Draco scowls deeply. "Don't call me that, Krum." He states coldly, taking a swig of his butterbeer. "And that better not come out of your mouth again. Squidge. You're looking for Squidge. What do you see in that mud-blood bar-keep?" The blonde asks bitterly, hardly paying attention as the object of his insults inches closer. "Luck, pfft. Join the Irish if you want luck..."
Victor jerked when his hood was whipped back. Realizing what had happened he groaned and slouched lower in his chair. His cover was blown now. He thought for a moment before coming to a decision. Getting up he went and grabbed the redhead. She was too small to protest being thrown over his shoulder. Walking outside he dumped her into a snowdrift and stood back to admire his handiwork. There was a hole in the deep drift. Wiping his hands he went back inside. "Might want to go get your friend." he said with a pleased grin to the girl behind the bar.
Vera had been watching the whole time. "I like your way of thinking." she said with a grin," I'm Ben's cousin, Veronica Young, pleasure to finally meet her match." she held out her hand to shake.
Victor smiled back at the girl. "The pleasure is mine. I hope we can conspire together in the future." he gave her a nod and headed back to his table with Draco.
Vera grabbed another scarf and went outside to pull her cousin out of the snow.
Ben struggles to get out of the snow pile, cursing loudly. She eventually digs out her hat and begins stuffing it full of snow. "Oh, I'll show him! Stupid Bulgarian prat! Shove his head in snow!" With that she stands and pushes by her sister as she storms into the tent. She marches over to Viktor and slams the hat down on his head, being sure to yank the snow filled object as far down over his bighead as it will go. "Prat!"
Draco smirks a bit seeing the whole scene. "You know... she's gonna kill you for that, right?" He chuckles lightly, his chuckling bursting into full fledged laughter as the little red head slams an Irish hat on the opposing team's seeker's head. "Or she could always do that..."
"And you certainly can't borrow my lucky Australian three-pence now! You owe me seven knuts for a new hat!" Ben fumes, stomping off into a back room of the tent to change into drier clothes.
Vera rolled her eyes as she followed Ben inside to watch the madness unfold. She snorted with laughter as the snow started to melt and drip all over Victor. "Come on," she said, pulling Victor out of his seat, "Let's see about getting you dried off."
Victor gave Draco a shrug as he was pulled off towards the kitchen where Vera took a towel to his head rather vigorously. "She always holds a grudge." he grumbled. "Here is the money for her hat." he pulled it out. "But tell her I didn't want her three-pence for luck. That should get her thinking." he hoped Vera would play along.
"Oh, don't worry, I"ll make sure she gets the message." she obliged. She escorted Victor back out to his seat and dried his shoulders before grabbing him a complimentary fire-whiskey. She paid no never mind to Draco as she was more concerned with just how she was going to get her cousin to pull her head out of her ass and take a good look at the man right there harassing her.
Draco's eyes trail after the dark haired woman who was earlier speaking to Ben. Boy, would he have liked to be Victor at that moment in time. A few minutes alone in a back room, and a great opportunity, that could have pleased Draco for awhile. He arches a pale brow as Victor is escorted back to his seat and given a free drink. "It appears you've got yourself a new girlfriend... care to share her?" Just brilliant, and now he's talking about girls as though they are objects, though, he isn't too far off, at least not according to how he was raised.
Ben exits the back room, now clad in a Mexican-styled dress, the bright colors complementing her hair. She shoots a dark glare to Victor before settling down behind the bar and plotting against him. "Stupid prat..." How do you anger a Bulgarian seeker? Go and hang out with his opposition. A slight smirk draws itself on Ben's face as her eyes start to search the room for a certain Irish seeker by the name of Seamus Finnigan.
Vera raised her brow. "I heard that." Draco got a whack on the back of the head and his butterbeer walked off in the hands of the other woman, hips a-swaying.
Victor snorted with glee as someone finally put Draco in his place. "There's one you won't get on good looks and snobbery alone."
Vera stalked up to her cousin and took a swig of the butterbeer in her hand. "You were right, he's a prat." she glared over at him, thinking of ways to get to him. "Perhaps hard to get would be just the thing..." she mumbled to herself. She had thought to befriend him, nothing more, but now she was thinking of torture. Never once did it cross her mind that she might actually be just as interested in him, in her way, as her cousin was in Krum. Speaking of... "By the way, he wasn't looking for your three pence." she turned around and leaned back against the bar, finishing the butterbeer. She winked at her cousin suggestively and went to help another customer.
Draco scowls and absent mindedly rubs the back of his head. "Took my butterbeer... I'll get her though. I'll get her, I swear I will. I'm not going to screw up with this one like you screwed up with that one! With either of them 'that ones'! Squidge or Hermione!" He smirks at Victor, snatching his fire-whiskey and taking a swig of it.
Ben grins a bit. "I'm always right. Haven't you figured that out yet?" She questions slyly, spotting her target and standing. "Perhaps. At least, it could be fun." She shrugs lightly, glancing over at Krum, before turning her eyes back on Seamus. "Great... now I know just how to press his buttons." She heads across the make-shift dance floor to a sitting Irishmen. Casting a look to Victor, she taps the Irish seeker on the shoulder. "Lo, Seamus."
"Lo, Ben. How are you?" Seamus asks with a light smile.
"I'd be better if you'd give me the pleasure of dancing with you." She smiles innocently at him, and he stands up, offering her his hand.
"I'd love to." He states in his adorable Irish accent. Ben grins widely as Seamus escorts her out onto the dance floor and begins to dance.
Vera looked up to see her cousin asking Seamus to dance. Yep, just what she needed to deal with, running interference for her cousin. There was no way this wasn't going to get a reaction out of Victor. She glanced over to the man and saw all his attention was focused on her cousin. 'Well,shit.'
Victor was practically fuming, 'That brazen little hussie! What is she thinking?' hethought to himself. He considered going over and knocking Seamus on his ass, but he thought Seamus was an alright kinda guy, he didn't know Ben was using him. He motioned to Vera. "Make sure you tell her this, alright?"
Vera nodded, hoping he wasn't going to start cursing.
"I'm going to catch that snitch, all on my own. I don't need any luck from that haughty little redhead." he got up and stormed out.
Vera stood shocked for a moment before looking out at her cousin. "She ain't going to be pleased when she finds out he didn't even see her kiss Seamus, not that he wasn't getting the idea.
Ben glances up as a cold draft sweeps across the dance floor. She smiles at Seamus and excuses herself, saying that she has to check up on the bar and that she'll see him later. That done, she moves over to her cousin. "I really did piss him off, eh?" She asks smirk pulling at her lips. 'Arrogant prick didn't deserve it... but it worked' she thinks nodding a bit to herself. "He say anything before he stormed out pissed at me?"
Draco gets up after a second and heads out after Victor. Better stick with him then some filthy Gryffindor with a muggle father. "Would you wait up?" He barks at Victor's retreating back. Draco sighs and rolls his eyes, picking up his pace a bit. "Wait up! I have an idea! You want that damned mud-blood bar-keep or not?"
"Yes, I believe his exact words were "I'm going to catch that snitch, all on my own. I don't need any luck from that haughty little redhead." she said simply and went to clean off the bar. Her cousin was always playing games, it's not that she didn't play games, it's just that she wasn't always so mean about it.
Victor slowed to a halt, but didn't turn around, he was still fuming and hoping he could melt the snow with his gaze. The weather was getting worse and the match was going to be horrible, but he wanted to hear this idea. "Start talking Malfoy." he said as he headed off for the Bulgarian side of the campsite.
Ben's eyes widen a bit. She really did a number. "Oh crap... what have I done?" A bit of panic starts to set in, she didn't want to completely get rid of Victor, just scare him into confronting her, and not by throwing her into a snow-drift.
"Well. My guess is she's already panicking over you. I mean she did back in fourth year when you turned her down when she asked you to the Yule ball. She was completely shattered then. Bloody mess, and it was great, but that's beside the point. All you have to do is move in when she's completely broken. She'll probably give you anything you want just for you to stay with her!" Draco states hurriedly.
Victor glares at Draco. "You haven't changed that much I see. I don't want her to give up everything to be with me. I want her to be herself. She just can't seem to come to grips with what she wants." he mumbled as he walked away. He was wondering if Hermoine wouldn't be a better help with this problem. She had certainly had enough trouble getting Ron to take a spoonful of reality...
Vera snorted as she heard her cousin lamenting her actions. "You know what this means right?" she questioned, pointing her rag at the stubborn girl. "You need to do something to get him back, rather than stewing, otherwise he is going to go out and find a plenty willing fangirl to ease his loneliness." she continued cleaning tables as the place started to clear out. Everyone wanted to get 'home' before their tents snowed closed.
Draco arches a brow a bit. "Of course I haven't. You want her to be herself? You apparently don't know what a 'wife' is supposed to be. And since when have you been so deep?" Draco asks, tailing along still. "What are you going to do? Go running back to brunette mud-blood since the red-head was a prat?" Draco Malfoy's mean streak has definitely not died.
Ben shakes her head a bit, looking down at her feet. "Do what? Why would he want me back anyways? If he wants a fangirl, then he can have one. It doesn't concern me... right?" Instead of a headstrong redhead, a insecure child can be seen in the eyes of Ben. Sighing lightly, she sets about helping her sister clean up. The sooner the tent was cleaned, the sooner she could go to the one she's temporarily calling home.
Victor just shook his head. "She was right, you are a prat." and walked off. He would go find Hermoine without Draco, she would know how to help him.
Vera rolled her eyes at her cousin. "Of course it concerns you! Tell him how you feel. You know he isn't actually going to find a fangirl... too many diseases." she said to make the situation a bit lighter. "You two are never going to resolve this if you keep fighting all the time!" she practically hissed. "He likes when you mess with him, he just wishes you were a bit less mean about it. He likes you, could probably even love you if you ever pull your head out of your ass." Vera gave her cousin a hug. "I'm going to bed. Think about what I said." and she went to her room of the tent.
Draco scowls, grumbles and slinks off to his own tent. "Good night to you too, Vicky!" He shouts over his shoulder, not really caring for a response.
Ben nods a bit, a slight smile growing on her face. "You're right... too many diseases, he's too obsessive compulsive to risk getting any." She states jokingly. She sighs heavily, nodding yet again. "I know... wait... Love me?" Oh boy, now that was something Ben was afraid of right there. "Oh, I've really screwed up this time!" She groans then retreats to her own room.
Victor was able to talk to Hermoine with only a few death glares from Ron. Even after all this time he was still holding a grudge. Hermoine's advice was to make her jealous, just a little, but enough that she will work to get him back. After that if was up to him. There would probably be a confrontation, but it is best to shut her up with a kiss. Victor smiled wickedly at this and thanked Hermoine for her advice. He had good dreams that night.
Vera woke up the next day to see that the snow was up to her window. Considering that her window was on the 'second floor' it had snowed a lot! She was soooo excited but she knew she needed to get up and clear a path so customers could come in. After a quick shower she bundled up. Thick pants, tank, long sleeve shirt and sweater, big boots and a wool hat. She looked rather adorable as she went outside to blast a path up to the door of the bar. It was freezing out, but she enjoyed it none the less. After about half an hour she got into a snowball fight with the kids in the area. For the next few hours she could be found crouched behind a snow fort making snowballs for the youngest of the kids.
Victor woke up with a smile on his face, determined to get his girl, but first, Quidditch practice... and it was freezing.
Ben wakes up, hardly in the same mood as her cousin. "It's cold... and damp... which is just as good as cold and wet, and that's evil. Even more so then Viktor... come taunt me in my dreams, bah hum bug, evil, ripped, seeker!" She grumbles groggily as she gets cleaned and dressed for the day.
She pulls on a pair of ratty jeans, and a multi-shade green striped turtle-neck, not caring weather or notit made her boobs look any bigger then they actually were. After glancing at herself in the mirror, she ads a green skirt, green chucks, fingerless green gloves and a hat. The gloves, hat, and chucks all bearing shamrocks. Now that, is Ireland pride. Grabbing a thing of face-paint, she paints a shamrock on her cheek along with the words 'Go Irish'. No red seven today, no Viktor Krum pin, just green shamrocks. Talk about shutting down on a part of yourself.
Draco awakes to a wonderful sound- shrieking children. Dressing in normal garb he wanders out and grins widely at Vera, and for as long as she was out there, so was he, watching.
Around noon Vera called out to the kids, "Hey, its freezing! How bout some hot chocolate?" The children squeeled with glee and trooped into the bar with her, the youngest on her hip since her brother had stuffed her boots with snow. Vera smiled down at the little blonde girl in her arms. How cute was she? Vera took off her hat and stuck it on the little blonde head. The girl giggled because the hat was too big and stuck her tongue out at her dark haired brother. He gave a mischevious smile as he passed and pulled the hat down over her eyes. Vera laughed out when the little girl crossed her arms and gave a fake pout.
Victor spent most of practice keeping himself warm with thoughts of a certain redhead. "Victor! Could you be anymore zoned out today? The snitch has flown right past yourhead three times and you never noticed!" called out a teammate. He blinked in realization and smiled sheepishly as he reached out and grabbed the snitch. "Sorry, just trying to keep warm?" and he zoomed off the field. He was freezing his arse off, but he didn't really want to visit the bar where the girls worked, so he went to visit Hermoine. Perhaps Ben would here where he was spending all his time and get a clue. He didn't really want to resort to other means to make her a bit jealous.
Draco's eyes follow lazily, a small smile on his face. Boy, she'd make a great mother, and he'd love to make her one too. Shaking his head to awaken himself from his day-dreams, he stands, waiting a minute or so before slowly walking towards the pub-tent, wondering weather or not it was wise to enter. Eventually, he figures he's got nothing to loose and slips in through the front flaps. "Hey, mindif I join you lot for hot chocolate?"
Ben wonders into the bar and glances around bewildered. Children, Draco Malfoy and Vera. Something was going down, on one side or the other. Draco or Vera had to be plotting something. Right? Sighing a bit she casts a weary smile to Vera and holds up her broom. "I'm going to see if I can make it off the ground with out spontaneously combusting." She says softly before heading out into the snow and cold. Time to hike for the woods and learn to do something constructive.
Vera gave Malfoy a mischevious smile. "I suppose, but it comes with the stipulation that you join the snow war we started once we all warm up and dry off." She held out a hand. "Deal?" All the little kids looked on with hope in their eyes. Another adult would make this all the more interesting.
Dealings done Vera gave Ben an encouraging look. "Gook luck, don't break your neck!' she called after her.
Victor enjoyed the day, but he needed to get some good sleep before the game the next day, so he said his thanks to Hermoine and Ron for letting him visit before taking the walk back to his tent. He was in no hurry, so he took the scenic route, the walk through the woods. The snow was beautiful and undisturbed for the most part.
Draco returns the smile with an arched eye brow. He confidently takes her hand and gives it a firm shake. "Deal. But your side is going down." He states coolly, eyes sparkling with some hidden emotion.
"I'll try not to!" Ben calls back, laughing lightly. For the past five years she had been trying and failing at flying. Why not try one last time before giving up on it? She wonders in the woods and sets her broom on the ground, a hand held over it. "Up!" Nothing. "Up!" Still nothing. "UP!" She growls lowly as the broom only flops weakly on the ground. "It's going to be a looooong day, isn't it, you stupid broom?"
Once all the kids had their hot chocolate and clothes laid out to dry, Vera sat down in front of the fire with her mug of Irish coffee. Nothing like a tiny bit of alcohol to warm a person up. She sat contently sipping, watching the kids play. She was worrying about her cousin killing herself and thinking of home. It snowed there too, and she missed her big old house in New England, but she would go back for a visit in the summer and fall. Scotland was much different from America, but the snow alone was worth it. She smiled into her mug.
Victor saw a path in the snow, it looked like a person dragging a broom had went this way a few hours ago, but there was no path leading back to the campsite. He decided to follow it and make sure that the person hadn't frozen out there or anything, it was really cold. What he found was something not even he could imagine.
Ben, trying to ride a broom... badly. She was arguing with it rather vehemently as it bucked and swirled about ten feet from the ground. She was so pale that her freckles stood out like polka dots. And she was starting to match the green in her clothes. He wasn't sure if he should help her or not, she'd likely throw up in his face or something disgusting like that, but at the same time, he couldn't really leave her there.
Draco picks up his mug of hot chocolate and removes his lazy bum from the bar stool it had been sitting in since just after he made the deal with the dark-haired woman. He strides over, trying to look as tall and respectable as possible, possibly failing miserably, but not caring anyhow. Once at the hearth, he sits down beside the woman.
"Hey. I'm Draco Malfoy. Don't think I've ever caught your name, mi'lady." He states as curtly as humanly possible while still holding a laid-back air. By god, he'd do anything to get this woman next to him to talk friendlily with him. To be honest, it's not something he ever expected himself to be doing either.
Ben hangs on to the broom for dear life, until her fingers finally get fed up with the cold and begin to ache. She takes a deep breath and lets go just praying to fall in a deep snow drift and missing every tree-limb on the way down. Didn't care if she got a sprained ankle or not, just so long as she doesn't die. Then again, if she did die, who could call her a lame witch to her face? Who would even know until she didn't show up to the world cup? The broom would fly off and cause of death would be left a mystery. Though, thankfully fate has other plans waiting below in the form of a duck-footed man.
Vera smiled as Draco tried to walk over looking dignified. It didn't work, not with the hot chocolate and hair all mussed from taking off his hat and scarf. "Veronica Young of Massachusetts." she replied, looking up to no good. "And you are the prat... at least according to my cousin." she said, bumping shoulders with him. "I have yet to come to a verdict with you. We'll see how honorable you battle with the kids and then perhaps I'll decide." she grinned.
Viktor ran forward as Ben dropped, catching her lightly in his arms. "Never a dull moment with you, huh?" he asked, trying to save her dignity as well. She smelled rather good and he didn't really want to put her down, instead he hefted her up a bit and started walking... the broom followed rather sheepishly.
Draco nods and offers his hand for a hand shake. "Nice to meet you, Veronica Young of Massachusetts." He grins goofily. "THE prat? Wow, nice to know even more people see me in that light." He takes a swig of hot chocolate, not noticing that he has gained a moustache. "Well then, I guess I better go into 'Samurai of the Snowballs' mode. I'll be the most honorable Samurai of the Snowballs ever." He nods, not realizing how big of an idiot he sounds like.
Ben opens her eyes and lets go of her breath as she's caught. Her cheeks turn from a pale green hue to a bright red. "I-I-I'm s-sorry..." She stutters out, completely embarrassed. She lets out a squeak as she gets moved a bit instead of put down. "Um... you d-don't have t-to ca-carry m-" Her words trail off as she sneezes. "Excuse me. Carry me..."
Vera tried to hold back her laughter, she really did, but it just burst out. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she said, trying to catch her breath, but the indignant look on his face was just too much, and it set her off again. She ended up half leaning on him so she wouldn't fall over. Finally composing herself she took his green and white scarf and wrapped it around her neck. "Let's go samurai man." she said with a giggle as she grabbed her teammates and headed outside.
Viktor looked down at Ben. "Of course I do, you're practically frozen! How are you supposed to walk when you can't feel your legs? Of all the stupid irresponsible things..." he mumbled as he stalked to his tent. He was pissed. Was she stupid? Out in the middle of the woods alone in this kind of weather... she couldn't even ride a broom! What if she had fallen and gotten hurt! They were going to have quite a talk once she was warm. Viktor walked into his tent and threw her on the bed. Walking to his dresser he pulled out a big sweater and some pajama pants and threw those at her too. "Put those on and come out by the fire." he said and stomped out.
Draco blinks at her, turning a bit pink in the cheeks. His blush grows bigger as Vera leans against him, the contact to him, highly welcomed. He gets to his feet a little after her and grabs his hat as he rushes out. "Hey! That's my scarf!" He calls after her, trailing like one of the kids. "I need my scarf! It's part of my samurai status-honor-pride thing! You're stealing my pride!"
Ben looks down, nodding lightly, not daring to argue, afraid to anger him even more. "I'm sorry..." She manages to squeak out, and this kind of makes a person question how in seven hells she got in Gryffindor. Her eyes trace the scenery and she slowly works out in her head that he's not taking her back to her tent. She stays silent though, and let's Victor do as he pleases. Ben winces lightly as she is thrown on the bed. She takes the sweater up in her hands, eyes stuck on Viktor. She nods, acknowledging that she would do as he said. As soon as he was gone, she changes into the over-sized sweater and the pants. She wonders into the fire, her feet hidden by the pant legs, as were her hands by the sweater sleeves.
Vera smiles up at him as she runs backwards, making a snowball behind her back. "There is no pride in a snow battle Malfoy!" and with that she hurled her snowball with perfect accuracy and got him square in the nose. Her kids cheered as she smiled sweetly, threw him a pink scarf and jumped behind her snow fort. Her troops were already busy making snowballs. The little ones were the best since they couldn't throw them, they had plenty of practice making them. Vera thanked them for the small stack already sitting there and started hurling them over the snow fort like bombs. She heard squeals whenever she hit her mark and the older kids started making giant balls for bombing purposes.
Viktor was incensed. "What were you thinking!" he asked, shaking her lightly, "Something could have happened to you out there! You could have frozen, or fallen... or... or..." his words ran out as he looked her hard in the eyes and then wrapped her up in his arms. "I wouldn't have anyone to fight with..." he said simply.
Draco scowls a bit. "That's not fair!" He whines, before getting hit with a snowball. "Okay, that's it, this is war, missy!" He proclaims, rushing behind his team's snowfort. He lets the pink scarf fall to the ground, refusing to wear it. Real men do NOT wear pink! He slings snowballs at the enemy fort as fast as they're made, a wide grin on his face.
Ben looks downwards, staying silent during Viktor's verbal bombing. Her eyes start to water a bit as he pulls her into his arms. But teary-eyed fear turns into a short stint of anger. "Is that all I am to you? Is that all I'm good for? Fighting with you? Well then you should have let me be because I'm done with this game! I'm through!" She proclaims, tears rolling slowly down her red cheeks.
Vera helps one of the tallest boys as they sneak over to the other snow fort. The opposing team is hiding rather than watching so they are totally vulnerable. She grins at him and mouths 'one...two...three!' as they run up the side of the fort and throw the huge snow bomb down. It drowns at least three people in snow as they scurry back to the fort, laughing manically. No offense to Malfoy, but snow warfare was much different than real war, and he just didn't have the childhood that would give him the experience he needed to win this war.
Viktor sighed deeply as she started to cry in anger. "You are so stupid sometimes..." he said, whether to himself or her was still undetermined. "This isn't a game... quidditch is a game, you freezing to death in stupidity isn't! And I'm going to have a talk with your cousin and find out why the hell she let you go out in the cold like that when you can't even fly a broom!" he stated emphatically. "And don't you know you shouldn't wear a skirt while doing that? Do you have any idea what that can do to a guy!" he pulled her back and put his chin on her head.
Draco scowls and digs himself out, spitting up snow. "Curses upon muggle 'pollution'!" he grumbles, getting up and spitting out more snow. "Yuck... Okay! It's time you pay!" He announces to no one in particular. After a second of thought, he charges the enemy snow fort, dropping his shoulders against the snow-wall in attempt to knock it over on it's in habitants and turn a snow-ball war into an all out frenzy.
Ben hits him as hard as she can in the chest, getting a brief feel of the hard muscle concealed by Viktor's shirt. "Now you're calling me stupid? And it wasn't in stupidity! I was learning to fly! Fine, talk to her all you want! She knows I can't fly a broom and that I have to learn sometime and some how! I am not being a lame witch for the rest of my god forsaken life!" She argues, before starting to turn pink.
"Yes, I know not to wear a skirt while doing that, but I wasn't planning on you or anyone else showing up! Of course I know what it can do to a guy! I'm pressed right up against the results if you don't mind!" At this point in her angry retaliation, her anger turns into laughter. "You are a big boy, though, aren't you?" She laughs, hiding her face in his shirt.
Vera felt the wall as it started to collapse in, she yelled for her troops to attack, "Everyone out! It's time!" everyone grabbed the largest ball of snow they could and ran over the mound, throwing them on the other team. Most of Vera's went down the back of Draco's shirt since he wasn't wearing a scarf. Everyone had stuffed their pockets full of snowballs and started pelting the other team with them.
It was an all out battle as the kids starting tackling each other into snowdrifts, stuffing snow in ears, up shirts and down pants. Squeals of glee and mischief filled the air. Vera had a quick laugh at the look on Malfoy's face as the snow hit his back before sprinting off for the nearest tent, she ran around it and gathered some of the snowballs she had made earlier and went and stood behind a tree, waiting for her prey.
Viktor's eyes got big and he blushed horribly for such a grown man. 0 .0 "Er... you're not lame..." he said, trying to change the subject from his 'growing' attraction to her. He was trying to wiggle away a bit now, but it wasn't really helping. He gave the ceiling of his tent a pleading look.
Draco lets out a girlish shriek as the snow comes in contact with his bare back. He is to his feet in know time, trying to shake the snow from his shirt. "Cold cold cold cold cold!" He wails as he dances around. Eventually he frees himself from the discomfort at his back and runs in the direction Vera disappeared into. "Young, you are going to pay for my suffering! Just as soon as I can feel my spinal chord again!" He shouts, slumping down against the tree that incidentally is concealing the target of his shouts. "Eeeeii... cold..."
Ben looks up at him and laughs even more, grey eyes squinting with the action. "And it appears the apple ripens!" She pokes fun at his red face. "Changing the subject?" She questions slyly, letting go of him. "I am too lame. What kind of witch can't fly? A la me for one, that's the kind of witch that can't fly; lame. I'm lame."
Vera breaks into silent laughter when she realizes that her quarry just sat down on the opposite side of the tree. With one whispered word the entire content of snow that was sitting on the tree suddenly dumped itself on Draco. When she walked around the tree he was buried practically up to his neck, snow falling slowly off his head. "Do you concede?" she asks with a small smirk. At this point hehad no way to get out of the pill since she was fairly sure his wand was somewhere in his coat and his hands were stuck in the snow. Poor fellow... hehe.
Viktor shook his head as he walked over to pull her onto the couch. "You aren't lame, you apperently just never learned properly." he said simpathetically. "I could teach you..." he leaned down to see her face under her hair, "As long as you pr omise not to wear anymore skirts... otherwise it won't be a broom your learning to ride..." he said with a huge blush.
Draco frowns heavily, and shakes his head a bit, flinging snow from his blonde locks. After a second of thought he sighs and nods. "I wave a white flag, oh mighty snow queen." He states dramatically, like it's killing him to say it. "Oh my god, I'm freezing to death!" Leave it to him to whine loudly infront of a girl he likes thinking it will earn him some sympathy points, or something along those lines.
Ben smiles a bit, looking up at him as he leans down. "I donno if I'll learn, but you can try." Her grin widens at the second comment, and her face reddens as well. "Then I might just have to wear skirts, short skimpy ones... 'save a broom, ride a quidditch player'. I think there are a few brooms that could be saved from your wrath." Boy, isn't she a little devil.
"Snow Queen... I like it!" she said in a decided manner, pulling Malfoy from the snow. "Alright troops! They have given a surrender, everyone back inside to warm up!"
"Do we have to?" asked one boy who was shoving snow down the back of his squealing youngers shirt.
"Yes, unless you want your parents to hex me because you all froze to death..."
"Oh, alright." the boy conceded, pulling his brother upright.
Vera smiled and turned to Malfoy. "Come on in and I'll get you some dry clothes... I think I have some big enough to fit you." she started towards the bar.
Viktor practically passed out at her statement. 'Don't jump her, don'tjumpher,dontjumpher!' ran through his head in a quiet mantra as he tried to calm down. "Um.." he squeaked, "er, ahem, uh, I have to sleep tonight because of the match tomorrow and if you don't leave now I'm not going to get any sleep and I really need it for the match tomorrow and I already said that, but its really important that you know that I'm not kicking you out because I don't like you, its just that I"ll never sleep with you here and smelling good and wearing my clothes and oh lord..." he spoke until he could no longer breathe as he gathered her stuff and ushered her to the door, hoping not to give in to his baser needs since, like he'd said, he really needed his sleep.
"Glad, it suits you perfectly..." Draco mutters allowing himself to be helped out of the snow. He nods. "Well, troops, we put up a good battle, alas, not good enough, maybe in another four years we'll be prepared!" He salutes his troops before grinning sheepishly at Vera. "Dry clothes? Really? Sounds wonderful. Weather or not they fit, I'll make them work." He states cockily, running a hand through his hair. "Cause I'm just that good."
Ben laughs at the squeak, but quiets as he regains his composure. "I smell good? Really? I knew there was a reason why I decided to use my cousin's shampoo today." She jokes just trying to delay leaving. She sighs heavily as she reaches the tent-flap. She pulls on her boots and gives a second, more dramatic sigh. "I see how you are... how much you hate me…Sending me out into the cold night all alone." She chuckles a bit before going up on her toes and giving him a soft kiss. "Good night, Vicky." With that, she heads out into the snowy dusk, not stopping her hips from swaying with her every step. She is going to milk this for every drop its worth.
Viktor groaned as she walked away. As much as he knew he shouldn't watch, he just couldn't help himself. After she was out of sight he turned back into the tent and flopped onto his bed, somehow he didn't think he would be getting the most restful sleep that night. Rolling off the bed he grabbed a dreamless sleep potion that was only supposed to be for emergencies and downed it.
Vera made sure all the little kids clothes were laid out drying before leading Draco upstairs to get him some dry clothes. She pulled out a pair of black men's pajama pants and a tight black long sleeve shirt. She had already predetermined that black was Draco's color of choice, although he didn't seem to mind green. "I'll just uh, be downstairs. Coffee will be on when you come down!" she yelled over her shoulder as she rushed from the room. She hadn't really given him much thought before, and she still thought him a bit of a prat, but after seeing the wet clothes clinging to him, her hormones started seeing him in a whole new light.
Draco arches a brow at the fact that a girl about a foot shorter then him has clothes big enough for him to wear. He nods a bit before realizing that she can't see him. "Yeah, okay." He answers, starting to inspect the clothing. After finding it to his satisfaction, he strips down and changes. The shirt felt like a second skin to him- too tight. He brings his arms into it and begins to squirm, trying to stretch it out some, and failing miserably. Groaning, he slinks back downstairs. "Bloody hell... how do you women wear these kind of shirts? They're worse then a boa constrictor!" He complains plopping down in front of the fire to warm up.
Vera went downstairs with her choice in clothes and changed in the back room. She came out in a pair of big wool Dobby-esque socks, a pair of dark green pajama pants and a fitted green sweater with a black dragon on it, courtesy of Mrs. Weasley. The little blonde girl clung like lint again as she went to sit before the fire with some coffee and a book. She was reading to the child when Draco came down grumbling. Since the little girl was almost asleep in her lap, she didn't mind indulging in a laugh as Draco tried to get comfortable in the shirt. It was a man's shirt, just a bit tighter than he must have been used to. Vera didn't really mind, he cut quite a figure in that black shirt. She eyed him appreciatively without realizing she was doing it.
On a side note, since the sleeping potion was only for emergencies, Viktor didn't really know how much to take, and overdosed... try waking up a drugged seeker in the morning when he should be getting ready for the match...
Draco glances around and then at his watch. "Do you think the kid's parents will be ready to kill us soon? It's almost nine-thirty..." He mutters scratching his head, and scuffling uncomfortably. What was it that this woman had that could make him squirm?
Vera looked around the room at all the half asleep kids. After a few calls in the fire, parents started showing up to get their kids. By the time they were all gone it was after ten and she was exhausted. "Well, your clothes should be dry by now, so... you can keep the ones you have on and I guess I'll see you at he match tomorrow?" she said, loading his clothes into a bag and walking him to the door. "And now hopefully I can track down my wayward cousin..." she said, putting on her boots and getting ready to leave."I'll see you..." she said as she headed off into the snow.
Draco nods, smiling lightly. "Sure will." He slings the bag over his shoulder and heads across the way to his tent, humming a bit.
Ben grins as she jogs up to her cousin, finally free of the maze of tents on the Bulgaria side. "C'mon, sooner we sleep, the sooner the match arrives!" No doubt the red-head is exited. Expecially after what she did to poor Viktor. "And the sooner I can torment Viktor! He will be so uncomfortable..." She snickers, a demon-like grin on her face.
Vera raises a brow, but doesn't ask. Shaking her head she goes back to their tent and heads off to bed and sweet dreams of ... well, I"ll leave that up to you.
A/N: Don't act like you're surprised, if you've read anything else by us you will know we are crazy about author's notes. So, what do you think? Tell me by clicking that little blue button on bottom, yea, you know its there, so use it! Perhaps I'll post the rest when we have RPed enough to have a real chapter.