Written for the Quidditch League Season 9, on the team Caerphilly Catapults.

Round 5: We All Have Our Flaws

Thanks to my fantastic betas: S. L. Blake , charlotteredmond99

Using prompts:

Chaser 2: Jealousy

(word) fleeting

(object) bottle of wine

(quote) "Some nights are made for torture, or reflection, or the savoring of loneliness."- Poppy Z. Brite

Word count: 1438

Scotland's winter was unforgiving, beating relentlessly at the windows. Luckily, Rubeus seemed to have an endless supply of lumber for his fireplace which always seemed to be crackling away.

"Another glass," Rubeus said, his smile appearing from his thick beard. Olympe nodded at him even though it wasn't a question and he tipped the bottle, filling her glass up again.

She supposed the slight buzz of alcohol helped fend off the cold. The company helped too.

"And that's that bottle finished as well," Rubeus said. He placed the empty bottle down by the others and walked across to his kitchen, mere steps away. He returned with another bottle, his brows crinkling as they did every time he came back with a new bottle. "This one is Spanish — I hope that's okay. Saving it for last, guessing you would have liked the French ones most."

"They've all been excellent, Rubeus. You shouldn't worry so much," Olympe said. "Your taste isn't half bad."

Rubeus waved his hand at her. "Don't know what I'm picking. I like a brandy sometimes, but I ain't touched wine much."

Rubeus slumped down into the seat across from her. While he did have a couch, it wasn't big enough for them to both sit on comfortably. He'd all but demanded she take it, claiming it was comfiest and he took the armchair which was mostly wicker, with numerous cushions to make up for the space they had to fill.

Olympe looked around his cabin again, at the little home he'd made for himself. It was certainly a welcoming place, with a dinner table setup for multiple guests, but there was only one chair big enough for Rubeus. Suitable for guests from the school, but not her. She wasn't offended; it wasn't a step of hospitality that she would have expected nor ever received.

She'd glanced at his bed through a doorway earlier which was the same. A regular sized double, maybe a little longer but not wider, which was to say, just big enough for Rubeus and nobody else.

Her bed back in France was much the same, as was the one in her quarters at Beauxbatons. She'd never really thought about it except to get an extra blanket to cover her feet at night.

Her quarters and her home also had seating for others but they weren't nearly as well worn as Rubeus'.

This little cabin of his was his. He'd carved a space for himself, that suited how he wanted to live. It wasn't something built for someone regular that he just made do with.

"You like the place?" Rubeus asked, noticing her looking around. "I know it's not as fancy as what you're used to-"

"No, I do like it. It suits you."

"Oh," Rubeus said.

"In a good way."

"Oh, okay." Rubeus smiled. "Why do you say that?"

She drank her wine, thinking. "It's things like- Like your mug," she said, extending a finger at what he was drinking out of. He'd opted for a mug that you'd drink tea out of instead of wine, but he was joining her in experiencing some of the fruits of her home country. "Whenever I have a coffee in the staffroom, it's a one finger affair," she held her other hand out, curling her index finger like she was holding a regular sized mug. "It makes it difficult to drink, but you get by. But you've got something that fits you instead."

Rubeus looked down at the mug he was holding like it was the first time he had seen it. Olympe had to remind herself that he had drunk his fair share tonight.

"Ah, right. My dad always told me that I shouldn't try too hard to fit in. Said that we only get one life, that we have to make it work for us. Stuff it to anyone who's going to make it not work." Rubeus frowned. "He said it better than me. Smart man, my dad."

"He sounds it," Olympe said. She took another sip and stared into the fire.

"Yeah. I think every lesson he taught me, I still rely on it today. Be brave, be truthful, be honest. He always found the best in people."

"I wish my parents had been the same way."

Rubeus looked up at her curiously and she wished, for a moment, that she hadn't said anything.

"They much preferred that I tried to make my way in life the same as everyone else. Said I was exceedingly capable, which meant I had far more to prove."

"Well, you've proved them right. Beauxbatons Headmistress, Triwizard Judge. I'd say you're impressive."

Olympe smiled at the man, glancing away after a moment of eye contact. She had made a name for herself, was one of the most prominent figures in her country, head of the most esteemed school in France. Her parents had pushed her, because of what she had been born as, to excel, to show that she was just as capable as anyone else.

She was capable. She could do anything.

She looked around Rubeus's cabin once again, at the coat rack where there were some pegs higher up and more reinforced just for him. She looked at the kettle, twice as large as the usual size so that he could use it easily and fill his mug with a reasonable amount. She glanced across to Fang who was resting on his dog bed in the corner, a larger dog to fill a larger space for companionship.

"I don't know if I could do what you do, Rubeus," she said.

"What's that?"

She took another sip, finishing her glass. She put it down on the table in front of her, but instead of pulling her hand back she reached across to rest her hand on Rubeus's knee.

"Just be myself. It's harder than you make it look."

Rubeus nodded without breaking eye contact. He swallowed despite not sipping his drink.

"I just try to be honest with myself," he said and leaned across the table.

His beard brushed her face, scratchy. It felt like she was pushing through a forest thicket but she did at least have the wherewithal to realise that she was pushing, she was part of this, moving her lips closer to his.

The kiss was tender, but she knew that it would be. That was Rubeus through and through; a rough exterior, but what you found beneath was sweet. Truely, unbearably sweet.

He tasted better than the wine they'd been sharing. He felt like a promise, a chance to find who she might really be.

But the feeling was fleeting, and her responsibilities too great.

She leaned back, breaking the kiss and looking around the cabin again, searching for anything that wasn't iconically him.

"I think I have had too much to drink," she said.

"Oh." A single, heartbreaking syllable.

She stood up, only a little unsteady after all that she had drunk.

"I should go. Thank you. Your hospitality has been-" she searched for the word, but couldn't find one. "It's been lovely visiting," she finished lamely.

"Right," Rubeus said, standing up as well. He was clearly hurt, but he didn't move to stop her, instead walking her to the door. She slipped her coat back on.

"I'll see you up at the castle tomorrow," she said, reaching for her way out.

Rubeus nodded, brows furrowed again. She opened the door and the wind whistled in, bringing in the cold.

"I want you to stay," Rubeus said. He didn't get in the way, didn't grab her to slow her down or hold her back. Just stated what he wanted, being brave, being truthful, being honest.

She looked back at him and at the home beyond. She thought about the bed that would only fit him, about the couch that they couldn't both fit on, at the table they would struggle to both dine at.

There wasn't space for her here.

But he would make space for her, if she wanted him to. She knew it, just by looking at him.

She smiled at him softly, hoping that he could see in it all the hope she felt.

If she stayed here, it wouldn't be her own. Just another space that someone made for her to fill. A place where she would just try to fit in.

She had to make her own way.

"I'm sorry, Rubeus. I'll see you tomorrow."

She stepped out into the winter night, closing the door behind her. She began the walk back up to the castle where everyone else had a place they belonged.