Lives and Loves of Ravenclaw Girls
Chapter 25 – Sadness, Longing and Romance
By: Samantha, Julie and Megan with help from Heidi
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Megan stood in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom. She had been out shopping with her step-mom all day, looking for the perfect dress. And apparently this was it. It was a very long, off the shoulder thing. It was made of a fine red silk and was probably the most expensive thing in the store. The sleeves were tight until the elbow and then they flared out and swirled down past her fingertips. The bodice was tight until her hips, were it slowly flared out and swished with every move she made; it was beaded with intricate designs of roses and lilies. A lace bow was tied around her waist and a single rose was tucked behind her ear. Her dark hair lay down her back in soft curls that looked like shavings of chocolate. It was true to say that she looked nothing like her former self. She looked like the daughter of a rich muggle businessman.
To rebel in the slightest she was wearing leather, knee-high boots, which were almost completely obscured by her dress. She had also added a chocker necklace Tag had given her for her birthday in November. She sighed, thinking of what a dull night she had before her. Someone pounded on the door, jerking her out of her thoughts.
"Megz, I need my toothbrush! Will you get out of there already?" came Jeremy's annoyed voice followed by Braden saying, "My tie's in there, too."
"All right, all right," Megan said unlocking the door and allowing the boys in. They stopped dead when they saw her.
"You look different," Jeremy smirked and received a punch from Braden.
"You look beautiful," Braden said, smiling at how his baby sister had grown up.
"Thanks, but I don't feel like myself," Megan said doubtfully, looking back at her self once more.
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The party was as dull as Megan had imagined it. Nothing like any of the Hogwarts parties, where you could be sure something spectacular was coming from the Marauders. She got asked to dance several times by boys she knew throughout her childhood. Each surprised at how she had grown up. She couldn't really enjoy herself though because she didn't feel like herself.
"So, where's your boyfriend?" Craig, her old elementary crush, said.
"He's ... He couldn't make it," Megan said, not able to tell him what had really happened.
"That's too bad. I guess I'll have to take his place for tonight," Craig laughed.
Megan smiled wanly and looked away.
"Or, you know, not," Craig said, squinting his eyes, trying to figure her out.
"It's not you," Megan said, not looking in his eyes. "It's just ... I miss him. I haven't seen him since before school let out."
"I'm not trying to weasel my way into your life, Megan. I just thought we could dance and talk, you know, like we used to before you got all ... boyfriend-y," Craig said, not able to think of a better word.
"Ok," Megan said, smiling genuinely. "Let's dance."
And so she did. And for that night she let her thoughts drift away from Tag and into having some real fun.
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Will watched his girlfriends sleeping form leaning against him. She was currently wearing and old t-shirt of his and some pants, since her clothes were soaked. After he had gotten her into some warm clothes she went off into a rant that he had hardly understood. He got the gist of it though, which consisted of her and her father being very mad at each other. She had yelled herself hoarse and then had nearly collapsed when first given the opportunity. She had fallen asleep mere minutes later after whispering to him that she loved him.
And now here he sat watching her breathe. Her hair wet and stringy, make-up smeared and wearing clothes that didn't fit her and thinking he had never seen anyone more beautiful then his Heidi was at that moment. He knew it was corny but couldn't help just being happy holding her as she slept away her fights and arguments. If he had known he was the only thing that could have helped her sleep he would have been even happier.
Heidi muttered something in her sleep that sounded like, "Don't make me get the shoe." She then blinked her eyes and looked up at him and smiled. One of her genuine smiles, and he knew he loved her more than anything in the world. "I love you," he whispered, planting a gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled away and smiled before Heidi came up to give him a kiss. Then they just sat there, content to just be with each other and nothing more.
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"Shannon?" Rick asked, playing with a strand of her hair.
"Hm?"
"Do you think he'll come back?" Shannon stopped writing her essay and stared at him. "Tag, I mean. Do you ever think he'll come back?"
Shannon sighed and put down her quill. She looked up in to Ricks eyes and felt her heart plummet. She couldn't lie to Rick, "I just don't know."
"Well, if you had to guess. What do you think?" he urged her.
"I just ... don't think so. The odds are against him, all of them," she pulled her gaze away and looked down as she tucked her feet underneath her.
"But, he would come back if he could right?" Rick's heart was racing at the thought of his friend being gone for forever.
"If he could, then yes, he would come back. And I hope for yours and Megan's sake that he does come back."
"But you don't think he will?" Rick said narrowing his eyes. He was trying to hint to her that Tag could get out if anyone could; Tag was one of his team m-embers, one of the elite at Hogwarts. "You don't think he's strong enough or what?"
"Well, that's not the case, i mean look who he's dating," smiled Shannon slightly. She saw the corners of Rick's mouth twitching into a smile too.
"But?"
"But, can he? Is it even possible to escape you-know-who and live to tell the tale? No one else has done that have they?"
"Tag could make history," he said quietly.
"You're really optimistic about him, aren't you?"
"Well I've got to be. For Megan. She's all but given up on him. And if anyone could escape it would be Tag. He's one of Dumbledore's eli---" Rick stopped catching himself.
"One of Dumbledore's what's?" Shannon asked raising an eyebrow.
"Favourites. One of Dumbledore's favourites. You know that!" said Rick, carefully.
"Rick, what's going on," said Shannon, pulling away.
Rick sighed, "What if i told you Tag wasn't what he looked like? And that I'm not either? What would you say?"
"I'd say i want the truth Rick. What are you on about?" asked Shannon, inching away from her boyfriend.
"Well the truth is ... Tag's smarter than his marks show and so am I. Dumbledore's been ... tutoring us. Giving us excelled classes and such," Rick said, thinking it was not too far from the truth.
"Really? Wow that's wonderful, Rick!" Shannon said and threw her arms around him.
"Hm, you think so? That's why I know Tag can get back; I've seen his real potential." Rick nuzzled in to her neck helplessly. "Or at least i hope so."
"If you believe in him that much then maybe he will come back," Shannon said kissing his forehead.
"Plus, he's got a killer right hook," Rick said and received a giggle and a kiss from Shannon.
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Samantha blinked back the tears in her eyes from the swirling dust intruding them. Her eyes burned slightly before she stepped out of the fireplace, her bag in her hand.
She had just stepped out of the fireplace when a pair of arms encircled her and planted a ruff kiss on her lips.
"Well, hello to you, too," she said once she and Severus had parted lips. He smiled before devoting him self to kissing her again and again and again....
They stayed kissing like that until a throat cleared somewhere in the vicinity. Severus pulled away and took her hand. They turned to see an older woman looking back at them.
"Mother, this is Samantha," said Snape formally. Sam made her acknowledgment by bowing her head and a swift curtsy.
"Hullo Mum," Sam looked up and took in Mrs. Snape's appearance.
She was surprised at how different she looked from Severus. She had very long black hair that was pulled into a tight ponytail. Her face long and thin and her nose quite small in contrast to her son's. She wore dark purple robes with the Snape family crest embroidered on the chest.
"You must be Samantha," she said holding out her hand. Sam took it, slightly confused at why she was shaking her hand. "Severus told us you would be coming."
"I'm glad to be here Mrs. Snape," said Sam, taking the woman's hand.
"Are you now?" she retorted, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I am," replied Sam, trying to smile broadly.
"Let me show you to your room Samantha," said Snape. He took her hand and glared at his mother on the way out. "Sorry about her. She gets a tad bit overprotective. I am her only child."
"I understand, she doesn't like me because I'm going out with her little boy, understandable," Sam said smiling at him.
"Wow, I really love you," Severus said pulling her into her room and planting a kiss on her mouth.
They locked the door and plopped down onto the bed. Severus kissed her over and over, a new spot each time. Before Sam knew it her shirt was on the floor and was soon to be joined by her pants.
"Sev, I love you, I love you, I love you," she whispered over and over as she let him explore her body.
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Megan walked into the house after her father and nearly collapsed on the couch. Her father glared at her and she sat up straight.
"I'm glad to see you in a dress tonight," he said, nodding at her attire.
"Thanks," she said, restraining herself from rolling her eyes. "Patty said it flattered me."
"It does," came Mike's voice, as he walked in carrying a sleeping Mark in his arms. Charlotte came in behind him carrying an also sleeping Daniel.
"I told her she looked beautiful," she said smiling.
"Just like her Mother," Michael said, with slight tone of bitterness. Megan kept the tears at bay as everyone else remained silence.
"It's not my fault I look like her," Megan said, clenching her jaw. "It's not my fault you hate me because I look like her."
"Megan," he started but didn't finish because Megan had stood up and was storming up the stairs. He sighed and plopped onto the couch, "I don't think I'll ever understand what goes through her head."
"What's going through her head is what's going through all of our heads when you look at her, when you talk to her. You despise her because she looks like Mum and you miss her just as much as the rest of us," Braden snapped, glaring at his father. He folded his arms across his chest and waited for him to answer.
Michael sighed, "What do you want me to say? That I don't miss your mother? I miss her, I do. I just don't understand your sister."
"You don't even try," Caleb said, shaking his head. "After Mum died you pushed Megan away."
"I did no such thi–" but he was cut off by the looks on his sons' faces. They were all glaring at him. He sighed, "I did didn't I? I'll go talk to her."
"Don't," Braden said. "She's mad; there will be no getting through to her. You two will just fight and then we will all be back where we started. Give her some time to cool off." Michael nodded and made his way to his bedroom.
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Meanwhile Megan was lying in her bed letting off a string of curses all aimed at her father. As her knowledge of more words failed she started to cry. She tried to stop but they just kept coming. She slid off her bed and went to her window seat. She lifted the seat panel and pulled out an old worn book. Megan held it tight to her chest as she sat down and slowly opened it. The first photo was one of her Mother holding her right after her birth, her face was still a bright pink but you could see that her and her mother had the same bright green eyes. A tear slid down Megan's face and dropped onto the picture. She turned the page and spotted a picture, this one of her mother holding a sleeping Megan and her father planting a kiss on her forehead. Another tear fell. She turned the page and found another of her father reading her a bedtime story and her mother standing in the doorway, smiling. Tear after tear fell as Megan spotted pictures of her and her mother. When her mother stopped showing up in the pictures Megan was about 4. There was a picture of Megan standing in front of an angel tombstone reaching up to place a rose in the hand of the angel. Megan started crying even harder. The pictures changed from ones of Megan in dresses and skirts to her in cut off shorts and big t-shirts. Her tomboy phase had begun. There were pictures of her and Julie all over the place and they were the only ones where Megan had begun to smile again. They depicted the girls climbing trees and having adventures. When Megan got accepted to Hogwarts, there was one of her and Julie all dressed up in their school uniforms. And then Tag started appearing in the pictures. First as just a friend, with them sticking their tongues out and then of them holding hands, hugging, sweet little kisses. The last picture was the one of them on Megan's favorite trail in the mountains, the one of him on her back and her fighting her way up the mountain. Tear after tear fell. Megan slammed the book shut and shoved it back into the seat's compartment. She pulled out a book about location spells and started reading. She had to find Tag; he was the one thing in this world that held her together. He knew what her family was like, he knew her in ways her friends would never understand. Without him she felt as though she would just disappear into nothingness.
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Christmas Eve came fast for everyone. It found Megan asleep on the floor surrounded by books, face planted in one.
Julie awoke in her own bed (for once) and smiled as she got ready for another day with Remus.
Sam smiled in her sleep as Severus' arms wrapped around her.
Heidi, in Will's bed (he was napping on the floor), was just awaking to remember her fight with her parents.
And Shannon found herself in Rick's arms lying on the couch.
They were all excited for the day that had just started to end so that it would be Christmas already.
Megan slowly rose when someone knocked on her door and told her in an excited little voice that tomorrow was Christmas. Megan opened the door to reveal little Mark and Daniel. "You look funny," giggled Mark, as he pointed at Megan's tangled and all over the place hair.
Julie was putting her make-up on when a voice from downstairs called to her. Remus. She bounded her way down the stairs and tackled him to the floor. "Good morning, Sunshine," he whispered kissing her nose.
Sam opened her eyes to see Severus still sleeping and planted little kisses on his chest, effectively waking him. When he saw her he smiled and laughed as he kissed her gently.
Heidi rolled off the bed and fell onto Will, waking him as she did so. "You're a cute Klutz, did you know?" he smiled at her.
Shannon woke to something kissing her neck and moaned before opening her eyes to reveal her boyfriend kissing her passionately.
"What a good morning," was on all of their thoughts as they ate their individual breakfasts.
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The day passed slowly for all the girls.
Megan played games with the little boys to keep them entertained while their parents were out delivering gifts to the neighbors. She soon grew tired of the games and decided to read to the boys. They were asleep in minutes and on top of her, so she decided to take a little nap as well.
When Mike and Charlotte came in and spotted the three of them on the couch they let them be seeing as this meant some free time for themselves.
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Heidi met the rest of Will's family by welcomed arms. And spent the rest of the day in a carriage with them on the way to extended family's houses to give gifts and a little Christmas cheer. She sat holding Will's hand under the blanket, nervous as hell to meet the rest of his family.
It turned out they all loved the girl who had the same interests as their beloved Will.
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Sam finally met Severus' father, who was a lot taller and bigger than she had expected. But the two looked a lot alike. They had the same eyes and nose. And he seemed awfully pleased to see her.
He kept questioning about her family and loved the answers she gave.
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Shannon passed the time by meeting Mr. and Mrs. Masters and making out with Rick, which was perfectly okay with his parents. Rick's parents were very lenient and seemed to care more about how Rick felt than about if he had the chosen the 'right girl'.
He seemed to have the perfect family. He had an older sister but she had moved out and was living in a flat with her boyfriend. Which, amazingly enough, was also okay with Rick's parents.
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Julie spent the day taking walks around the frozen lake with Remus and playing chess. He almost always won, but sometime she would. And when she would she would do a victory dance that would make Remus want to kiss her again and again.
Tired of the chess and with the sun setting they headed up to Remus' room. They laid down on his bed and begun to kiss. Slow and sweet at first but as they continued it got more passionate. Before Julie knew it her shirt was unbuttoned and Remus was slipping it off her shoulders. He went from kissing her lips to kissing her neck. Julie moaned with joy. It was one of the best feelings ever. They only paused their kissing to allow Julie to slip his shirt of his head. She straddled him and began to kiss his muscular chest. When she got to his pants she began to unbutton them when she felt him tense under her. She looked up at him lips pouting.
"Are you sure?" he whispered to her. Julie crept back up to his face and planted a deep kiss on his lips, slipping her tongue past his lips to touch the tip of his tongue. She pulled back and licked her lips.
"I've never been surer of anything else. It just feels right," she whispered, letting her hands roam over his chest and back down to his pants where she finished what she had started by pulling them off. Remus grabbed her hips and pulled her close to him. He slipped her pants off her with such ease that she barely felt them leave. And then he brought her lips down and kissed her again, the explored each other's bodies like if they didn't they might not remember it. And they became one, one body and one soul.
And at that moment Julie knew she had never loved anyone else with such passion and grace as she loved Remus at that moment. She'd die for him, and he for her. He didn't know what he would do if he ever lost her.
--End Chapter 25
