This is a co-written oneshot made by both myself and HazelVex, the creator of Avril. Both of us have uploaded this story on our accounts with only small -but important - differences.
Much Ado About Nothing
Avril Nott & Carter Swine
Summer Before Alexis's First Year
Eight year old Avril Elladora Nott was not at all enjoying herself.
It was the last day of summer before her big brother would be sent off to Hogwarts without her and stead of spending the last day as a family, Avril's father made them all attend a Ministry funded ball instead. Avril hated Ministry funded anything as they always seemed to consist of people talking down to her, gossiping old witches, buttkissing Pureblood bigots, and boring Ministry work related conversations such as what measurement should be used in deciding a caudron's thickness. Usually the balls were at least made manageable by her big brother Theo keeping her company, but Theo had absentmindedly left her in favor of his own friends.
So now Avril, sitting quietly in her lovely blue dress with three-fourth sleeves and slightly puffy skirt topped with a white ribbon on her chest, had had enough.
Just as Madame Crabbe and Madame Longbottom were about to go at each other's throats over who had the better grandson, Avril let out a high pitched shriek in frustration that had the whole ballroom turning heads before she stormed out of the ballroom and onto the balcony. The night had a pleasant breeze that passed through her hair she was wearing down freely. She knew her action that had caused such a scene promised repercussions but she did not care. With one final groan in annoyance, Avril leaned against the balcony and rested her face in her folded arms.
"Rough night?"
Avril's head shot up and snapped to her left so fast she was almost certain she had gotten whiplash. She had thought she would be alone on the balcony but apparently she had been mistaken.
A man with long brown hair pulled into a ponytail sat in the far corner table, making it easy for him not to be noticed. He wore a more Muggle style dressing attire with a golden vest, a soft-to-the-touch looking white shirt, and black dress pants along with dragonhide boots. His eyes were a distant grey and when Avril looked back at him he was wearing a very sarcastic smirk.
Avril looked down at the man's hand and found a half empty bottle of firewhiskey occupying it.
"I could ask you the same thing," Avril replied when she looked back at the man's face. "Did they kick you out of the party?"
"Ouch," said the man still smirking. "Hurt me not, thou wicked child. I wasn't the one screeching like a banshee."
Avril bit back a giggle at the man's tone of mock hurt and sarcasm. She found him amusing and much less dull than the ball inside.
"Why are you speaking so weird?" she asked while taking an uninvited seat next to the man.
"I'm not," said the man dryly before taking a sip of his bottle.
"Yes you are," persisted Avril. "No one says thou anymore."
"There's nothing weird about saying -"
"Yes there is," cut off Avril and the man scowled.
"Shakespearean is not weird," he muttered defensively before putting his lips to the bottle again for a sip.
Avril cocked her head to the side.
"What's Shakespearean?" she asked and the man proceeded to spit out his drink along with a stream of hot smoke. He coughed viciously while trying to clear his throat.
"Do they literally teach you nothing?" he asked, sounding a bit more insulted than surprised. "William Shakespeare, the William Shakespeare, you don't know him?"
"Is he a wizard or something?" Avril asked curiously.
"Or something," the man said sarcastically, a cool humorless chuckle escaping him. "He's the first Muggle to be immune to the Obliverating Charm and one of the few Muggles outside of government leaders and Halfbloods and Muggleborns' relatives to know about the Wizard World..." Then, if as an afterthought, he added, "He also wrote plays."
"And his own language?" Avril asked, intrigued.
"Apparently," the man muttered dryly to himself before looking at Avril. "Shouldn't you be inside?"
"Shouldn't you?" Avril countered.
"Fair enough, but must you bother a complete stranger?"
"We could be friends," Avril offered.
"Alas," sighed the man dramatically, "I do desire we may be better strangers instead."
Avril grinned.
"You spoke in that Shakespeare thing again, didn't you?" she asked. The man refused to answer. "Will you teach me?"
"No," said the man bluntly. "I don't know you, I don't want to know you, and I would very much appreciate it if you were to shove off. Now get."
Avril gave the a sharp look one would expect from a child not getting her way before suddenly smiling madly. It unnerved the man but not as much as when Avril started giggling.
"Nope," Avril said cheerfully as her giggles began to subside. "Because I'm Avril and your -"
She motions for the man to give his name but he makes no attempt to do so. It isn't until five minutes later in which Avril spent to whole time poking the man mercilessly in the arm did he answer.
"Carter," he grumbled making Avril smile wider. She continued exactly where she had left off minutes ago.
"- Carter and you're going to teach me Shakespearean so we can be friends."
Carter looked at Avril through narrowed grey eyes for a long time before abruptly shrugging his shoulders with a loud - and over exaggerated if you asked Avril - sigh.
"To hell with it," he said in mock defeat. "Fine, I'll teach you."
Avril let out a triumphant cry which included its own victorious fist pump while Carter merely finished his bottle of Firewhiskey in one long gulp.
"But we're not friends," Carter threw in when Avril began looking too excited for his liking. "You're like, six."
"Eight!" Avril shot back, defensively.
"Whatever," said Carter, waving his hand impatiently.
"Are you going to teach me Shakespeare or not?" Avril pouted, still irritated at being under-aged.
For a brief moment Carter simply stared at her with an impassive look before his grey eyes softened against his will. Running his finger over the mouth of the bottle absentmindedly, he said, "Romeo and Juliet..."
.
Carter officially felt peeved. The girl had made so much fuss for him to teach her and she goes ahead and falls asleep half-way through the explanation of the Tempest- and he was getting to some really good insults as well. As he watched her though, his expression softened slightly. She really was a damn cute kid and one, he was sure, had everyone wrapped round her little finger. He became so lost in his speculations that he barely realized when a boy of about eleven walked over.
The boy sighed. "There you are Avril," he said more to himself.Carter wondered how the hell he could have lost her considering how she made her exit to the balcony.
"She's asleep," he said. "If you're wondering."
The boy jumped and looked at him with the same frightening speed Avril had. "And you are?" he asked, recalling his composure.
"Carter Swine. You?"
"Theodore Nott," the boy said, walking over. "And I've come to reclaim my sister, so if you don't mind…"
Theo went to pick her up, and half-asleep, she wrapped her legs around his middle and arms around his neck, whilst he just supported her underneath.
"You abandoned me Theo," she said, her voice muffled by his robes. "It's okay though, I met a moody man who taught me Shakespeare."
"Uh huh," Theo said, making to leave. "Night," he said to the man, who just gave a short wave as answer.
"Bye, bye," Avril yawned, glancing his way.
As the two left, Carter gave a faint smile at the eight year old's farewell. Yes, he thought, she definitely has everyone wrapped round her little finger. He scoffed, "God Carter, you're getting soft."
Nott Sr, however, was getting anything but soft. As he waited, impatiently one might add, his temper grew thinner and thinner to the point where he had rehearsed his lecture for his daughter three times over. When his son finally did arrive, with the girl in question hanging off of his neck, he was ready.
Seeing the look on his father's face, Theo interrupted his opening mouth. "Father, she's tired and not going to take in a thing you say. Lecture her tomorrow if you must, just not now." And as an afterthought added, "Please?"
Nott Sr growled quietly but relented. "Fine," he muttered. "Time to go anyway."
Theo nodded and stepped into a nearby fireplace with a handful of floo powder. He, along with Avril, was gone in a roar of green flames. Their father followed and at long last, the night was over. For some at least. Back on the balcony, Carter Swine was opening a bottle of Firewhiskey, his thoughts bitter and dark. For him, the night was going to a long one. One he'd spend drunk. Avril had no idea just how much she'd distracted him.
oneshot to explain Avril and Swine's friendship as so many of you were curious about it.
