Every Other Time
Chapter Thirteen: Dizzy
Dove: Omigod… can't believe it's over… well, epilogue, but… yes… God. I want to hug them, except I'd be scared to go looking for them. Who knows what and where they're using to… amuse themselves? Surely Filch can't watch all the broom closets at once…
Thalia: See what a monster has sprung out of a bit of fun RPG speculation! Not to mention all the ships that snow-balled into life from various... random places in ours and others' heads! At least it has been quite the entertaining monster if I say so myself. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as we have. Look forward to a happy fun epilogue soon-ish!
Disclaimer: McGonagall can keep her prude outlook, and Filch can keep his paranoia. We don't want them anyway.
"You're cynical and beautiful
You always make a scene
You're monochrome delirious
You're nothing that you seem
I'm drownin' in your vanity
Your laugh is a disease
You're dirty and you're sweet
You know you're everything to me…
Everything you are
Falls from the sky like a star
Everything you are
Whatever ever you are..."
-Goo Goo Dolls, "Dizzy"
Cassius Warrington punctually arrived in the main hallway at eight o'clock, a studiously serious expression on his face. There was absolutely no hint of any of his thoughts, or any sign indicating that underhanded machinations had taken place before he'd arrived.
Argus Filch and his cerulean feline were both waiting quite grouchily as he arrived, and the caretaker muttered something about waiting for the other culprit before doling out duties. Cassius merely nodded, and leaned against the wall as quick footsteps sounded down the hallway, signaling the arrival of Su Li.
She, too, was decorous at the moment, merely giving him a slight nod before turning towards Filch with angelic expression in place. "Where are we to go, Mr. Filch?"
"You," he jerked his thumb at Warrington, "Clean the desks in the history of magic classroom. All the brats doodling on them in class... and before you ask, WITHOUT MAGIC!"
"Of course," Warrington replied blandly. "What's the fun in things unless there are rags and buckets of Mrs. Scower's?"
Filch glared at the Slytherin, but Warrington kept his face blank. Su politely asked what she was to do.
"Trophy room," Filch instructed curtly, "All of them, girl. Also without magic."
"What he said," Su murmured, before catching the rag that Filch all-but threw at her, and picking up a bottle of metal polish. Giving all and sundry (but especially the blue cat) a sweet smile, she walked off.
Warrington walked away down the hall to the history of magic classroom, and busily started scrubbing at a caricature of none other than Percy Weasley (no one else had that precise combination of glasses, freckles and prissy expression) with an enormous head, initials 'F. W.' scribbled in the corner. Filch watched for a few moments like a suspicious jailer, before slamming the door shut behind him to check on Su.
As soon as the caretaker's footsteps died down the hallway, though, Warrington abruptly stopped what he was doing to stand by the door, almost as though waiting for a signal.
About five minutes later, there was the sound of an explosion from far away, and a distant cry of rage. The Head Boy smirked, and quite unconcernedly took out his wand.
The desks were spotless in another five minutes, and half the container of Mrs. Scower's magicked away. Never let it be said that Slytherins were not thorough.
As it happened to be, Peeves, for some indiscernible reason or another, had decided to replace a few of the candles in a chandelier not far from the Astronomy tower with fireworks. This brilliant and anticlimactic explosion was followed by a barrage of water balloons, and in the trophy room, Su jumped back as a plaque fell from the wall from the explosion.
She was just picking it up and wiping the dust from the floor off the shiny surface when the door opened to reveal a smirking Warrington, who looked quite unaffected by the enormous boom and in fact, rather pleased with himself.
Taking a glance at what she held in her hand, he chuckled lightly. "Polishing a Slytherin plaque, I see."
"It's been fifteen minutes, if that," Su said flatly by way of a response. "Don't tell me you're done already."
"I'm just that skilled," he replied complacently, before looking at the plaque. "You missed a spot." Taking out his wand and muttering a spell, the surface was immaculate, and he grinned at her. "No one said anything about me using magic on these things."
"Who did yours, then?" she asked, setting the now-sparkling plaque back in place. "And what if Filch comes back?"
"He's otherwise occupied, and likely to stay so for a good portion of the next hour," Warrington said, rather glad he had arranged it. "No one wants to spend Christmas in detention. Besides, I would think skiving off of detention would be nothing after your… performance earlier this evening." She managed not to blush this time. "Yes, well, then again, you seem to have made rather a habit of attacking me. Doing so in public seemed a reasonable next step."
She grinned. "I notice you're not complaining too much."
"It's rare I find someone as… similar-minded as you," he said nonchalantly. "I may just keep you after all, little girl." Her grin became wider.
"I may just let you, you swarthy git." She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him, he leaned down obligingly, and there was silence for a few moments.
"Now that that is settled," he said finally, "are you coming or not?"
"Coming where?" she asked.
"Certainly not the Astronomy Tower," he replied promptly. "Does it matter? Away from the odor of silver polish, which isn't at all pleasing." She wrinkled her nose in agreement with him. "Well?"
She grabbed his hand in her own. "Of course I'm coming." As they left the room, she muttered, "Honestly, kids these days… it's cold in the Astronomy Tower in December."
Surprisingly enough, nothing particularly shocking happened in the school for the rest of the year, barring perhaps the simultaneous Howlers from Lucius Malfoy and Molly Weasley. Curiously, the words of thesehad beenso eerily alike it had almost seemed like the same personhad writtenthem, so both of the recipients had a laugh about it once they had exploded, although Ginny's face was rather white and Draco's rather green. After the splashy spread in the Prophet (rather expected) there was no word, at least publicly, about the scandal that they had created. While they looked worried more often than not, they also walked the corridors hand in hand, and Ginny began violating the uniform by wearing a Slytherin tie about half the time.
Other changes occurred, these more peaceful in the wake of this explosion. Nothing that could be pinned down perhaps, but the younger Slytherins seemed slightly less likely to snap at those of other houses and the youngsters from elsewhere were less likely to exclude the Slytherins from their games, and while this change was small and gradual, Dumbledore certainly seemed to have noticed it. This was perhaps the reason he was so often smiling, despite the dark news that reached the school from outside the walls. This new reach towards cooperation caused Echo Hayama and Benedick Jeunet to get off only with a slight scolding when they were discovered in an empty room at four in the morning bent over a chessboard.
Winter slid into spring, the fifth years and the seventh years retreated into furious studying, then testing, and the days continued to get warmer until Defense Against the Dark Arts classes began to be held outside, and the Astronomy Tower began to be locked after dark by the now-paranoid Professor Sinistra. The Quidditch Cup was won by a tiny margin by the Ravenclaws despite the Slytherins managing to overpower them in the last game of the season. The school was treated to the spectacle of Su being yanked off of her broom by Warrington after the end of the game was called, and pulling him down to the ground with her instead of compliantly re-seating herself in front of him on his broom as he had intended. In the few moments it took McGonagall to wrest the megaphone from Lee Jordan, the school enjoyed quite an amusing tussle, which was broken up when Warrington finally pinned Su's arms (quite heedless of the screech of "DETENTION!") hauled her up on her feet, bowed, and the two of them exited in a direction unknown amidst cheers. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that Filch now watched his broom closets with an eagle eye, no one ever caught hide nor hair of these two anywhere they should not be. "Which is very likely because Cass has his own quarters, and Johnson is too busy studying to complain," Susannah was known to say with a wise nod. "At least they're discreet, I suppose." No one doubted she was right.
And before everyone knew it, the last days of school were past, and it was time to pack and board the Hogwarts Express for the trip home.
The students were all packed onto the Hogwarts Express, and though some things had certainly changed that year, Su Li was still riding with the Ravenclaw girls. She really had not gotten a chance to speak to him that day, but then again, he had been busy since last night, together with Angelina Johnson, organizing all that needed to be organized for the journey back on the train. He had looked mildly frazzled after a long meeting with Angelina and Dumbledore, and for someone who wore a habitual smirk... well.
The train came to a halt at long last, pulling into King's Cross station as the sun began to set. Su stretched her limbs slightly, and gave her friends a vague sort of smile. They hadn't discussed... what was going to happen, really, after he'd left the school.
With Cho's help, she hoisted her trunk up onto a cart, and started pushing it out of the compartment.
"Hello there, kid." She had just passed one of the compartments towards the front. He stepped out, easily levitating his own trunk and smirking (damn him for now being able to use magic outside of Hogwarts). "Why the long face? Who else didn't fall for the angel act today?"
"Shut up," she told him, glaring up into his face. He grinned.
"Are you going to move past, or stand there giving me misty-eyed looks all day?"
"You'd hate me if I did that," she remarked blandly, but moved past anyway. He idly waved his wand at her trunk with a Lightening Charm, and she easily lifted it down the steps. He followed not far behind.
"Well."
"Well?" her voice was soft as she glanced back up into his face. They really hadn't discussed... things, on how it would be after... well. He was scrutinizing her, his eyes somewhat unreadable but fixed upon her face. She wondered if he were trying to make her blush or something.
Finally he reached out, brushing the side of her face with fingertips for a moment, before giving her a pat on the head and a smirk. "Well then... take care of yourself, kid. And try not to have too much fun without me."
And then he was turning around and backing away and Su felt a presence behind her. A slight furrow on her brows, she turned around, to see a tall, ice-blonde girl with an unusual wry smile on her face.
"I suppose this is where you're to pounce my idiotic cousin and I make sure that no one makes obnoxious comments?"
Su grimaced slightly, though through the course of the year she had come to some sort of understanding with Susannah Caligo. "Why do I always have to do the pouncing?" she asked jokingly. "I've already gotten detention for that... twice!"
Susannah laughed, a melodious, slightly brittle note, "Well, because he's bigger than you are and might knock you over."
"Still..."
Susannah gave her an amused look, before raising her voice to call out. "Okay, fine. Cassius Warrington, get your despicable, smarmy arse over here before I suggest that your girl go for the Entwhistle bloke!"
Warrington turned back from where he was chatting with Kevin Bole. Raising an eyebrow, he made his way back towards where his cousin and Su were standing. "You called?" his voice was bland. "Why are you taking her part, Susie?"
"Because I feel sorry for her that she has to put up with you. I'm going to tell Aunt Cordelia to leave you alone for five minutes. If you're not going to make the most of that..."
"Yes, yes..." Warrington gave a dismissive wave, "I understand. Now stop harping on me, really..."
Susannah seemed satisfied with this, and walked off towards the barrier. Warrington unceremoniously pulled Su by the arm towards a nearby wall. "You're not going to go for the Entwhistle bloke," he told her mildly. She rolled her eyes.
She smirked up at him, feeling slightly giddy. "You know, I feel sorry for myself that I have to put up with you."
He laughed and ruffled her hair again, "Oh, come off it. I make your life so much more frustrating and you're a glutton for punishment." She pouted slightly, and he grinned. "You realize that pouting is an expression specifically and deliberately used by people as an invitation for snogging, and if you had wanted that, you could have just said so."
"You're an evil swarthy git, and I really don't know—" But her words were cut off abruptly, because he was kissing her in earnest, lifting her slightly and warm against her and she was clinging to him almost for support. It wasn't something that she was used to... yet, but she smiled somewhat against his lips.
When he pulled away, she was somewhat flushed, and he smirked at her appearance, lips dewy, hair mussed. "All right, then. I suppose that's that. Try not to get into too much trouble."
He disappeared into the crowd after that, and she brushed her fingertips against her lips. Later on, when she had made it out through the barrier, she was immediately pounced upon by her mother.
She might have seen him a distance away, speaking to a man with dark hair barely flecked with gray, and a stately blonde witch. She wasn't sure as she left the station.
She didn't know if she should owl him. They hadn't made any... promises to do such a thing, and then again, the first two weeks had passed without a word from him.
She told herself fiercely that if he'd been interested in just a fling, he would have seduced her and then be done with her. And that it wouldn't even have been her, anyway, but rather someone like Tracey Davis or such.
The third week had passed, and she was just about to attempt owling him... just casual, to see how he was doing... when a handsome tawny owl had flown through her window rather late at night, and dropped a piece of fine parchment sealed with green wax upon her lap. The bird had given an almost-mocking hoot before flying off, as if telling her that she was being silly.
The seal opened, she started to read, a little grin spreading across her delicate face.
"Li,
Hopefully you've been taking my words to heart and not having too much fun without me. I've been a bit occupied myself, though with rather monotonous things.
I have a job now. Apparently, several people are envious, but it's been rather boring so far. Everyone's so OBEDIENT around here. But then, I didn't mind having blindly devoted minions and nothing else until you came along, evil little wench..."
If she'd throw aside the feeling of having been very silly to worry, she would be quite happy and secure in her love.
