Well, second chapter - second year! This time with Robert's point of view!
Hope you guys like it!
P.S.: I totally forgot to thank my brother! And I cannot believe I did that! The guy helped me through it all, reviewing it twice with me! So sorry brother! But THANK you VERY much! Really! I really appreciated all you did! =D
SECOND YEAR – REAL FRIEND
After checking his tie one last time and pocking his wand, Robert made his way downstairs. It was the return of Christmas' break; the Great Hall would probably be flooding with people by now. Again Robert had not gone back home for the Holiday. It was not that his parents didn't want him there, but between meetings and travels for the ministry there would not be much time to spend together as a family. It didn't bother him, he was used to it. It had always been like that. Most of his life, Robert had been left alone in their castle and, when he was smaller, the house elves had taken care of him.
Though his parents always tried to be back for the important dates, they hadn't always succeeded. Whenever they did return, the three of them would make a small celebration - presents were normally involved. He wasn't sad. He knew his parents loved him, even if they didn't say it often. The Golds were not used to express their feelings. They were more reserved than other families, but that did not mean they did not care. Every one of those presents were bought thoughtfully, and because they were sure he would like them. Though most were expensive, the money spent was not what mattered. If they realized he was developing a liking to a specific subject, they'd go out of their way in their travels to try to find something on it to bring back to him.
He loved them, but true to the family, was not the best at expressing it. He'd ordered a custom made pair of cufflinks, with their family crest on them for his dad. Their family history was really important to Mr. Gold. For his mom he had ordered a bouquet with her favourite flowers and a book he was sure she'd love. He would see them at the end of the semester, and until then there were letters. Who knows? They could even stop by Hogwarts one day to talk to the Headmaster.
As he was coming down the last flight of stairs, the Slytherin looked over the people in the Great Hall, recognizing a few of his classmates, but searching for someone in particular. Ever since he had first crossed gazes with Belle French he had been intrigued. She had looked at him with curiosity. Pure and simple. So different from the way others looked at him. Even his fellow Slytherin friend, Jefferson, had looked at him apprehensively at first.
A sort of friendship had seemed to blossom after that day and their first conversation the following evening. The two loners (as he came to find out she was) found out they rather liked to talk to each other. Therefore, from the start, whenever they ended up side by side on a class or the library, they got in long discussions about the subject in question or on the essay they had to write. Gold sighed as he walked down the last step. Things got awkward, however, when they met at a corridor or outside, on the castle grounds. For some reason he never seemed to know what to say, he just knew he wanted to say something.
Still not finding her in the middle of all those people, Robert decided to lean against outer wall of the Great Hall. He would wait for the flow of students to die down before heading to dinner himself. And if that offered him a chance to look over the whole place better, it was just as well.
Resting his head against the wall, Robert asked himself again if sending her that book for Christmas had been a good idea. He remembered her talking about it and had sent her one of the copies he had in his library. He hoped she had liked it. She had been thoughtful enough sending him a dark green scarf made in Australia. Yes, it had been a good idea. After all, she had remembered him. It was a very nice scarf too. Simple but refined, just the way he liked it. Maybe he should stop considering her as a 'sort of a friend'. Just admit it at once.
So focused was he on his own thoughts that even his advantage position did not allow him to see the French girl arriving.
"Hey!" Belle said, showing up in front of him.
Robert startled out of his reverie and turned his head quickly in her direction.
"French!"
Belle seemed to deflate at that. Was she pouting? It was then that Robert realized his mistake. She had asked him to call her by her first name in the beginning of the year, and he was still having trouble with that. Growing up the way he did, he was used to last names. They were safe and formal.
"I mean, Belle. Sorry." He gave her a quick smile to compensate. She had, after all, told him to call her that. It was rude not to. He rather liked it. Made him feel that he really was her friend. Now all he was the ability to actually talk to her. "I… Hope you enjoyed the holidays at your father's."
The smile she gave him made him pat himself in the back. Good first line.
"Yeah, it was very nice." She said "How about yours?"
"It was fine." He said, smiling back at her. "The feast at Hogwarts was very good as always."
"That's good." Belle said, and her smile growing.
Then, they were both silent.
There it was. The silence after the small pleasantries. They never seemed to know what to say. He had to find something; she had seeked him out, for Merlin's sakes. It was the gentleman thing to do, finding something to carry on the conversation. He'd asked about the holiday. Something else now. Argh! It had been the same thing with the present and all the other times. He didn't want to upset her and risk losing a frien- wait. That was it! The present!
"Thank you very much for the present by the way. It is very nice and warm. Perfect for the cold on Christmas day." He said very proud of himself. Two in the same conversation! Belle's eyes shined.
"Oh, I'm so glad you liked it! I had no idea what to buy you, but when I saw that I immediately thought of you!" She said brightly. "Oh, and thank you so much for the book! I absolutely adored it! I read all of it in two nights!" Gold's own smile grew at that, glad that had liked his present so much.
"Oh?" He said, in an attempt to keep her talking. It worked.
"Definitely! All those characters are so interesting! And the book itself is beautiful! The old leather jacket makes reading it even more of a pleasure." Gold chuckled at that, his mother was of the same opinion. Though Gold liked books enough, he never saw what was so important about leather covers.
"You think I'm silly." Belle said looking down embarrassed, misinterpreting his chuckle.
"No! Not at all, my mother thinks the same, actually." He hurried to reassure her.
She smiled again at that.
"Really?" She asked happily. Gold realized it was the first time he had talked about one of his parents. He got excited. Talking about parents meant that they were really friends, right?
"Yeah, I – " Before he could say anything else, though, he was interrupted.
"Beeeeeelle! Come on! Food's going to go cold!" The voice of Ruby Lucas carried on to them, followed by the girl herself and another Gryffindor, Emma Swan.
"What she means is that she'll eat all of it." The blond girl said, nudging her friend on the rib as they came to a stop on Belle's side. Robert straightened his shoulders and put on a blank face.
It was no secret between them that none of her friends approved of their friendship. Swan and him had been at wits end since the beginning. The Lucas girl had taken a teasing approach, after the initial complete reclusion, apparently more willing to respect Belle's choice. Robert didn't mind. As long as they didn't give Belle a hard time over it, he was fine with the arrangement. He did mind the interruption however, and if Belle's biting of her lip and frown was any indication, so did she.
"Hey! I'd never do that!" The dark haired said indignantly.
"You do have a kind of wolfish hunger" Swan smirked. Lucas only narrowed her eyes at her friend, while Belle's widened. Hum… odd.
"I mean, I don't think it's physically possible to eat all of the food! It has magical refills!"
"Alright girls, I'm going!" Apparently, Belle had had enough, and had guessed that the two of them would not leave without her. She turned back to Robert and gave him a smile, and he could see she didn't really want to go now. Maybe she did consider him a friend. "I'll catch up with you later? So we can…talk?"
"Aye, of course. I'll see you later." He gave her a quick smile again, a brisk nod to the others and started heading to the Great Hall. Before he was out of earshot however, he heard a bit of their conversation.
"You know" Swan had started, being quickly interrupted by Belle.
"Nope, don't start, Emma. Now, let's go. I am hungry and you said something about Ruby eating all of my food?"
Gold smirked. Yep a friend. A good friend. As he turned to enter the Great Hall, the last thing he heard was Ruby's loud voice.
"I'd never do that! And I do NOT appreciate the 'wolfish hunger' commentary by the way."