Disclaimer: This is all for fun and I do not own any characters or author names mentioned below. No profit is being made from my fanfiction.
Shine This Bright
Humans can be very much like magpies. If something glimmers and shines, they want it. Sometimes it's something small, like a stone or a pretty piece of nature, or maybe it's a golden ring... Sometimes it can be a person. Some people don't understand that you can't keep a person, not like a ring or a piece of weathered glass. But it doesn't stop them from trying. They either will give up, or learn the hard way.
o0o
All that mattered was that she had agreed with him. Scabior could still feel the cool touch of her pale hand, how well her slim fingers felt as they curled around his palm. He could still see her eyes, lit with the smallest tinge of gold as she considered his words, her lips pressed thin in a small gesture of displeasure. He was lucky. The circumstances were completely different from... that time, and because of that, Scabior told himself that it would all be alright. This time, it would be different. He was the seducer, if you could, even laughingly, call it that. Hermione Granger wanted nothing to do with him, and Scabior knew it. But he was selfish and he would keep true to his words - even the ones he had declined to share, maybe, especially the ones he had declined to share.
He straightened his jacket, and gave himself a quick glance in the mirror. His hair was a nest of snarls, but clean and the last remnants of bruising were hidden behind a bit of black shadow, not that he would ever admit to it. He'd foregone the waistcoat today - it was torn and needed mending, but he hadn't the time. Scabior turned away from the mirror, he didn't like to dwell on his appearance when he was nervous. And with a small sigh, he realized he really was nervous, no matter that everything was completely different. Scabior momentarily wondered if he would ever get over it. He sighed and grabbed his jacket, slipping it on in a quick, practiced turn and patting the pockets. He removed the cigarettes and lighter - he was usually a social smoker, and he wanted to stay that way. If he kept them, he would want to smoke because he was nervous, it would give his hands something to do.
Hermione wouldn't like that, and the majority of his brain was making decisions based on how he thought she would react to them. Finally, rolling his blue eyes at his own stupid thoughts, Scabior grabbed the pink scarf and went out the door, winding the material around his neck in a loose knot. Being serious with only himself for company was becoming annoying. He picked up the pace as he headed towards the school.
By the time he strolled into the parking lot, the bell had already ringed. Students were still making their way to cars, or to their rides, drifting about in clumps of twos and threes. He settled comfortably on part of the wall near the stairs and waited. She had agreed to spend time with him, but most days Hermione was caught up with something in the library, or so she had said. Scabior had wondered if it was a ploy to get him to show up too late and decided not to take the chance. While it was true, that first day, when she had pepper sprayed him, she had been coming out of the library... Scabior shook his head again. Did it really matter? He was here and he was waiting. He people watched, trying to occupy his mind.
Not too far in front of him was a blonde girl, her eyes a bit vacant, while a slightly pudgy boy stood next to her, smiling like a fool. Her shirt looked like it said something along the lines of 'I Believe', but Scabior couldn't spy the rest. She stopped staring towards the school field, almost blinking herself out of a trance and then smiled at the boy, slipping her hand into his before they walked away. Scabior raised an eyebrow because he was sure, even now, that he recognized a couple that was most likely ostracized from their fellow students.
A group of girls walked by, twins, one dressed in red and the other in blue, leading the pack of them. Nearly all of them were giggling and whispering to each other. Scabior was very happy he was no longer in high school.
To his left, there was a small group of students who were beginning to talk a little bit louder than normal, as if they wanted everyone around them to hear what they were saying. Raising an eyebrow at the antics of teenagers, Scabior tilted his head, listening, even as he noted who was in the group. There was that girl - Parkins? Perkins? It was the same one who had come up to him, demanding to know if he was dating Hermione Granger. Her nose looked like it was permanently wrinkled, as if she were always displeased with something. There were two boys who looked like they didn't have an ounce of brain between them. One was tall, the other short and squat, but both had beefy arms and vacant looks on their faces. And the one talking, his white-blond hair a beacon shining in the afternoon light, mentioned Granger. Intrigued, Scabior hopped down from the wall and moved a few paces closer.
"-the school board should come in and take her down a peg or two. Can't stand the girl! Little Miss-know-it-all, always showing off in class. The only reason she has the highest marks is because she never gives anyone else a chance to say a thing. At least Mr. Snape always accounts for her pig-headedness." The boy was a quick speaker and Scabior wondered, with a silent laugh, if his friends always let him carry on like a melodramatic villain. But as he watched, he found out that that was almost exactly the case. None of the other teens even appeared to be annoyed, which means they either weren't listening - or agreed with him. He frowned and turned his blue eyes away, but stayed where he was to keep eavesdropping.
"I say she needs to be pranked a few times before Graduation this year. What do you say? We could take a couple hints from the movie Carrie maybe. Wonder what Granger would do if she was drenched in pigs blood-" Before the boy could continue, Scabior found himself moving. He saw the Perkins girl see him, eyes wide and her jaw dropped, but the other boys didn't notice anything until he placed a firm hand on the blonde boys shoulder.
"She would most likely cry and tell me about it - in which case, you're standin' on thin ice, boy," Scabior snarled in a low voice. The boy jumped and whirled about, pulling his shoulder free from Scabior's grasp.
"Who do you think you are?" The boy shouted in a thin, wavering voice, his face flickering uncertainly between anger and fear. The Perkins girl interjected, one of her hands reaching to pull the boy closer to her.
"Draco, that's Granger's boyfriend," she mock-whispered, which seemed to give the boy a bit more backbone.
"Granger? Well, she would only be able to find someone who may as well be a bum. What's she doing? Paying you so you can buy some new clothes?" Draco shared a laugh with one of the boys, but before Scabior had the chance to react, the boy continued on, as if he hadn't dug himself a hole already. "Oh, but that's right, I doubt Granger's family has the money to afford to help someone else. They're always pouring a bit into the Weasley travesty - which means what? Is she feeding you?" Scabior had had enough, he reached out, quick as lightning and twisted a hand into the boys designer shirt, lifting him an inch or two off of the ground. Shock filled the boys gray eyes, his hands immediately shooting up to grab onto the arm holding him.
"Listen here, you little rat - didn't your mummy ever tell you that if you don't have anythin' nice to say, don't say anythin' at all? You prank Granger, you even think about bullyin' a woman who should just step on a cockroach like you-" Scabior dropped him and Draco fell back into his friends, just barely keeping his feet. "You'll have to answer to Scabior, and believe you me, I ain't afraid to go back to jail." Draco straightened, his hands quivering and fear written all over his features and tried to push his friends out of the way, but not before he shot off one last thing over his shoulder.
"My father will hear about this!"
Scabior watched the boy and his friends depart, dispassionately, his back to the stairs and to whomever was watching. He inhaled deeply and for a moment felt a strong sense of pride fill him. He'd always been bullied back in school, especially by people like that kid, and it felt good to put a little fear into someone who so obviously deserved it. Someone cleared their throat behind him and Scabior jumped, his heart falling into his stomach as he whirled - only to see Hermione standing at the top of the stairs, a strange look written on her features. His shoulders drooped in relief, for a moment he had thought it had been a teacher, of heaven forbid, a cop.
"While that was very... Chivalrous of you, defending my honor and all, you really shouldn't bait Draco Malfoy. When he tells his father, and I have no doubt he will, the man will try and bring hell down upon your head." The strange look left her face and Scabior wondered if it was because she was worried for him, or if it was because she had just gave him, however small, a compliment. Scabior gave her a half smile and shrugged, nearly all thoughts of the pitiful blond leaving his head.
"Nothin' new, havin' someone dislike me. I seem to have that effect on people," Scabior murmured, though he was still giving her that small half smile. Hermiones eyebrows drew together and she looked away, as if she felt uncomfortable, which, Scabior reminded himself, she most likely did. His smile faded away, but he made himself straighten and he gave a little cough, waiting for her to continue down the stairs. After a few moments, she did, her tennis shoes a soft patter against the cement, and began walking at a slow pace, arms wrapped around one of her textbooks. Scabior trotted for a moment, catching up with her and glanced at the book, letting out a startled laugh.
"You didn't bring that as a weapon, did you?" He motioned towards Advanced Chemistry, a small wince the only sign that he really meant what he was saying. Hermione's cheeks turned the very lightest shade of pink.
"No, I did not bring it as a weapon. But thank you very much for reminding me. If you decide to get out of hand, I'll know what to use." Hermione's eyes rolled quickly before she turned her face away from him again. She wasn't very comfortable around him, she was much more used to their quick, tense meetings, where she ended up storming off. Staying in his company was... Odd. They walked in silence for a moment, Scabior's hands in his pockets, glancing at her every so often, before he realized they weren't walking towards the park.
"I'm not walkin' you home?" Scabior suddenly asked, not realizing that it would be taken personally.
"Of course not," she told him in a scandalized voice. Her head had whirled back to look at him, her fly-away curls being teased by the wind of her movement. Both of Scabior's eyebrows rose and slipped his hands out of his jacket, as if to show that he didn't have any weapons on him. "I agreed to spend time with you, but there is no way that we would be spending that time in my home."
"Alright, I get it! I just, didn't know where we were headin'." Scabior gestured to the sidewalk in front of them. He knew the dives in this town, of course. That was where people like him thrived. The bars, the motels and the casino, a few miles out. He knew where the cheap food places were, the best places to pick pockets... But the "dates" he had, he usually ended up meeting in those same dives and he had not thought about actually - about taking Hermione on an actual date. At least, not today. Hermione still looked scandalized, as if she had read his thoughts about the date idea.
"Oh. Well, I had wanted to go to the bookstore today actually, and seeing as..." Hermione trailed off, one of her hands moving her fingers in a rippling motion, as if she had no words for their situation. "But of course, you don't have to accompany me," she hinted, her dark eyes flashing away from him again. Scabior wondered if she wanted him to accept that offer. Had she decided on the place in hopes that he would turn tail? Figuratively, Scabior dug his heels into the situation, though his smile looked like the farce it was.
"Sounds just fine to me, beautiful. Are you lookin' for anythin' in particular?" Hermione turned back to him, toffee eyes calculating, but gave a small shrug of her shoulder.
"I enjoy reading as a past time, besides the reading I do for school, though I enjoy that too. Honestly, I fear some of the workers at the store get a bit annoyed with my questions and asking for opinions." Hermione's lips twisted in a wry smile, as if she couldn't quite believe herself. "I enjoy knowledge," she said firmly, though she tilted her head as if she were mulling over her words.
The walk to the book store wasn't actually a long one, but was made so by the awkward pauses in conversation. Scabior didn't want to push her to talk about herself and Hermione felt that she didn't want to know about his personal life. The sound of the tinkling bell on the bookstore door was a relief to the both of them. She hurried off, nearly skipping, to the Mystery section first, while Scabior hesitated next to Horror. He watched her, quietly and a tremor went through his arms and down to his hands as he breathed in, catching the scent of her both because of her recent proximity and the scarf he still wore. Trying to shake out his hands, he brushed some hair out of his eyes and looked at one of the shelves he was leaning on, spotting the name Stephen King on one of the book spines.
His mind flashed back to the Malfoy boy and the threats about taking notes from the Carrie film. Scabior was frowning as he made his way into Mystery, leaning on a shelf next to Hermione, his elbow tilting a couple of books. Hermione spared him a quick glance, but attempted to go back to browsing before he spoke.
"Malfoy, was it? What has the boy got against ya that he wanted to take notes from a horrid thing like Carrie?" Scabior wrinkled his nose at the thought and he saw Hermione blink in astonishment. Maybe she hadn't heard that part? Hermione stood, her lips thin as she considered his words.
"I confess, I didn't know that he had said anything of the sort. We don't- we don't get along. He is intelligent, but he puts more stock in the fact that his father has money and he can get away with nearly anything in this town. And it's only nearly, because our Principal, Dumbledore, won't stand for it. We would be neck and neck for head of the class, if he would put just a little bit more effort into school... Malfoy has never liked me. Mostly because I'm friends with Harry, actually, but everything I told you is a contributing factor." Hermione slipped a brightly colored orange book back onto the shelf, beginning to walk away. Scabior followed at a steady pace, still frowning. The kid was a rotten apple if he got so worked up about things... But Scabior felt he didn't have much room to say anything. He had never been top, or even near the top of his class and his family was also not wealthy. The situation would have been foreign to him, when he was in school.
"Kid sounded like a monster, if you ask me," Scabior muttered, glancing at the sign above them that read Mythology, Fables and Folklore. Warming to the subject of the rude boy, Hermione continued on with his bad faults.
"Indeed. He's also always picked on our friend Neville quite a bit. Neville has a good heart and has never given Malfoy a reason to be cruel, but he does have the worst luck." Hermione's eyes brightened as she slipped a very large, hardback folklore book off of a shelf, flipping idly through the pages. "Absolute horrid pranks. When we were freshman Malfoy locked Neville in an old, rickety locker. It might not have been quite as bad, but they were renovating that area of the school and no one was around to see it. Neville was in there for hours before Mrs. McGonagall found him. If Malfoys father wasn't on the school board, I'm sure he would have been expelled." Hermione shook her head, disliking the thought, and the book apparently. She quickly slid the thick volume back where it belonged.
"So the boy is gettin' a free ride because his father has good social standin'," Scabior determined. Hermione quickly nodded her head in agreement, but gave a shrug when Scabior let out a disapproving noise.
"This is usually the way things work though, isn't it?" Hermione murmured. "Those who deserve to be better off, or are working hard for what they have, end up losing it all, or never having it in the first place." Scabior was about to reply, when he noticed how calm she was. The conversation, something that, while at first might have pertained to her, now had nothing to do with the both of them. Not really. They had found a common ground in which Hermione was comfortable debating, and he could sense that she did this often. Scabior felt his lips twitch, and just barely held back the smile in time, because she focused her eyes on him, as if she had recalled whom she was speaking with. The tension entered her face again, and Scabior wanted to sigh. Having already lost the casual feeling, he pushed on ahead with his original reason for bringing the boy up.
"Do you really think he would do somethin' that cruel to ya?"
The silence was the only answer that Scabior needed. The next time he saw the kid, he would give him another piece of his mind. Even Scabior had been raised better than that, which made him wonder how the kids life was at home, if he thought it was okay to prank girls in such a horrid way. Scabior grumbled quietly as he flipped through a mythology book, the Greek names only added to his irritation. He couldn't pronounce any of this. Scabior laid it back down before looking at Hermione again, his blue eyes serious.
"If he does somethin', tell me. I'll take care of it." It Hermione had been a furred creature, her hair would have bristled. She stood up and returned Scabiors gaze, balancing her Advanced Chemistry book between her hip and her palm.
"Once again, Scabior, thank you for your attempted chivalry, but one: I really can take care of myself. Two: Do you really think that would make my situation with him any better? It won't. He can bully me all he wants, but I'm not going to stoop to his level and find someone else to take care of my problems. And let me remind you, the Malfoys have influence. If Mr. Malfoy hears that you were threatening his son, he will not hesitate to do something about it. If it happens more than once?" Hermione grimaced and paced away towards the counter, where she placed a small book, maybe the size of Scabior's palm in front of the cashier. Scabior wondered when she had decided upon her purchase, but didn't comment on it, or attempt to answer her question. He was sure that she would answer herself sometime soon and save him the trouble. He didn't have to wait overly long. The moment he closed the door behind them, Hermione started speaking again.
"If you threaten Draco Malfoy more than once, if his father hasn't attempted to do something about it already, you will surely be unhappy. Mr. Malfoy is on more than just the school board and I've no doubt that he pulls strings as often as he can grab hold of them, to get whatever he wants." Hermione gave him a serious stare before she began walking again, this time back in the direction they had come from, towards the high school and the park. Scabior didn't hurry much, she wasn't walking very fast and he wasn't going to risk scaring her if he tried to run up behind her. No thank you, he had more than enough dealings with both text book and pepper spray. Instead, he seized on her own words, twisting them until they would make her suitably embarrassed.
"Oh beautiful, I didn't know you would worry about me that much if I did somethin' reckless. Maybe I'll have to use my rusty chivalry a bit more often, yeah?" Scabior grinned at her when she whirled back to him, jaw dropped and her face filled with astonishment.
"Worry? You think I – I am not worried. Maybe I'm trying to do you a favor, seeing as I have caused you two injuries already. Besides, if you have common sense, I'm sure you'll be fine, because you won't try and – wait. What am I saying? Common sense? The man who runs after a lone girl, trying to compliment her, has common sense? Excuse me, I forgot whom I was speaking with." Hermione huffed in indignation, turning back to the sidewalk and walking ahead with her head held high. Scabior wanted to laugh, she was so terribly easy to bait.
He had found her worry - and he truly did believe she was worried, she obviously knew first-hand how the Malfoy family worked – rather flattering, though he wasn't about to tell her that. But he preferred the fiery girl, even if it meant she was insulting him. He'd heard disparaging remarks most of his life, and he could deal with Hermione Granger, because she wasn't trying to hurt him, but speaking out of her own temper. Scabior rolled his eyes when she shot him another glare over her shoulder, beginning to pick up the pace.
"Oi, wait now, wait! Calm down a bit, lovely." Scabior jogged until he was a few steps behind her, happy that she hadn't turned and thrown her book at him, because he really didn't fancy another broken nose. "I'll hold off on the chivalry then, does that sound good to you?" Once he had caught up with her and Hermione wasn't shooting him glares full of death, Scabior relaxed the slightest bit. She hadn't told him to take a hike yet and he was more than sure that they were on the way to her house now – though sometime soon she would tell him that it was the end of the line. He pursed his lips and gave her another sideways glance.
"I can take care of myself. And honestly, Scabior, I still don't know you. It would be very unlikely that I would share any of my horrifying experiences with someone who…" She trailed off, biting her bottom lip for a moment before she continued. "Well, I wouldn't share those experiences with someone who has been the cause of similar scares. Not that you would ever think to pour blood over me. Really! I believe Malfoy missed the whole point of the movie, don't you?" Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed a few bushy locks behind her ears as they passed by the high school.
"Do you think he's even seen it? He doesn't strike me as the type to sit and watch horror movies with his buddies," Scabior told her seriously, shaking his head. Hermione considered this for a moment and agreed in a soft voice, her hand reaching out to trail against the chain-link fence they were passing. The soft cling-cling noise seemed to echo around them, but Scabior didn't mind it, he was too busy watching her face, the scent of her perfume almost drowning him. What on earth was it about the girl? Why did she make him so absolutely crazy? Crushed gravel ebbing around his boot made him pause, looking around to realize that they were standing at the park entrance. Where had the time gone? Hermione was biting her lip again, staring off into the distance as she adjusted the book to a more comfortable position in her arms.
"Well, it was – it wasn't too bad, today," she shared, though her voice wavered, as if she were lying. Scabior leaned back against the park sign, raising an eyebrow. Wasn't bad? Hermione was definitely not one to inflate a man's ego, was she? He let loose a small chuckle and took a few steps past the sign, looking back at her over his shoulder.
"Are you just goin' to stand there?" Scabior should have been ready for her volatile emotions, she was obviously trying to dismiss him, but he was still surprised when she let out a small, angry shriek.
"You simply cannot take a hint, can you?" Her feet may as well have been stomping as she made her way to where he was and faced him. "I don't want you to walk me home. I will be quite alright with you leaving me right here, I assure you."
"Yeah, but it wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to let the lady walk home by herself, now, would it?" Scabior gave another smile, though he knew it would only infuriate her a little more.
"We've already discussed this, you're not a gentleman, Scabior. And I, apparently, am not prone to doing lady-like things. Now, please, let me walk home in peace? I did agree to spend time with you, but I also told you, you are not going to find out where I live. You already wait for me at my school, I would very much like for you to stay away from my home." Hermione tilted back her head to look up at him, her features set as if she were preparing for a staring contest.
"Are we back to that stalker bit then?" He asked seriously, the smile finally sliding away from his face. Hermione winced, but quickly cleared her expression once more.
"While you told me that you hadn't followed me that day, you didn't deny anything about following me before. I did agree to spend time with you, and for today, I have. The time spent will not include any time near my home." Her voice was firm and she looked like she was ready to add something else, when the sound of a car made Scabior tear his eyes away from the girl. A police squad car was driving slowly by the park. His heart did a funny little dance in his chest, before it felt like it fell into his stomach and he clenched his hands tightly. Ignoring her, he immediately walked further into the park, panic crawling up and down his spine. He could still hear the engine of the squad car, purring smoothly as it drove by. Hermione squeaked out a few more angry words, hustling to catch up, and then pass him.
"I told you no – didn't you hear me?" Hermione questioned, stopping a few feet in front of him and planting her tennis shoes firmly into the ground. Scabior would have laughed again – she wasn't nearly as intimidating as she hoped she was being.
"It so happens that I did, but I feel like having myself a nice seat on a bench over this way," Scabior told her, motioning to a bench that sat behind the massive structure of slides. There were currently no kids on the playground and the bench was blocked by all of the slides. If he could just get over there, sit for a minute, he would be able to get out of sight. Hermione's confused expression was definitely warranted and her eyes widened exponentially when she noted the fearful look on Scabior's face.
"Alright," Hermione murmured, letting him pass by her quickly. He was past the slides and sitting down almost before Hermione could blink. What was his problem?
"Okay then, beautiful. Had a lovely time and all that, see you in a few days, hm?" Scabior rushed through his words, knowing that they sounded clumsy and more than suspicious, especially to a girl as intelligent as Hermione.
"You're giving up? Just like that?" Both of Hermione's eyebrows had risen, her toffee gaze searing him. Scabior felt near-hysterical. Now she was staying?
"Just like that," he assured her.
"Very well. That's – that's good. Enjoy your day." Hermione frowned at him before she walked away, more confused than ever. Scabior waited a few beats, his heart still thundering in his chest and peered out from behind the slides. There was no sign of the squad car and he hadn't heard anything while Hermione questioned him. He released a deep breath and tilted his head back, letting the weak rays of sunlight just barely warm his skin. He was playing with fire. All it took was just a bit of recognition and he would either be chased out of town, or thrown into jail. Scabior was wonderful when it came to escaping – but he wasn't infallible. He would wait a few minutes more, just to make sure that the police were well and truly gone, before he high-tailed it back to the motel.
Scabior did let loose a small sigh of regret though. He was more than sure that he could have weakened Hermione's resolve, if he had been given the time. Scabior would try again in a few days, and hopefully he would have better luck.
A/N: Oh goodness. I hate this chapter. It has some important stuff in it, but I still feel like I need to edit out huge chunks of the Scabmione interaction. Next chapter though, will go a bit faster. And stuff is goin' down.