New chapter, yay! Greetings to the new followers! Hope you enjoy, don't be shy and leave a review, I would love some :)
Ta-Ta
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Orphan Black or Harry Potter. They belong to BBC America and J.K. Rowling
December came accompanied by heavy, long snow storms and gloomy, grey days that were hardly distinguishable from the bitter-cold, dark nights which often cause Cosima to long for her foster mother's warm, brightly lit living room, where she can spend hour upon hour in front of a crackling fire, sinking into the comfy couch while her mind drifts and sashays aimlessly through the house.
Of course, there are magnificent fireplaces in Hogwarts too but they lack this certain secure aura she only experiences with her family. She loves her house, really does, how challenging the riddles can be for someone like her, who is not a great philosopher, at least sober, the hunger and passion of her fellow Ravenclaw's for knowledge, the common room, so high up above the rest of the school it's a suitable place for their heraldic animal, and the colors on their crsst and generally the things Ravenclaw stands for. But even though this is her home for most of the year, it doesn't always feel like it. Ravenclaws usually are quiet, dedicated, ambitious people which keep to themselves and stick to the rules. In contradiction to Cosima which likes to be queer and silly, to turn strangers into friends with a single broad grin, tongue poking out from between her teeth, who bends rules until they fit her needs and ignores them all together if they don't. She is a little different than the others with her love for muggle science and girls and although no one ever called her out on it she gets enough silent looks to imagine that not everyone is truly as accepting as they pretend to be.
The only other kid in her house with whom she has a closer relationship is Scott. He's cute in his own way, smarter than he gives himself credit for and whilst he is pretty much into Cosima since their third year, he manages it to stay a really nice guy. Neither with him, though nor with any of the other students she wants to sit in front of this comforting fire that doesn't quite chase the chill out of her bones with its blazing flames in bright orange and ruby red.
The person she wants to lean into, instead of the backrest, has been abducted hours ago by unknown commands to foreign places Cosima can only hope are still within the castle.
Delphine's secrets are still secrets not about to be revealed anytime soon and they take a heavy toll on Cosima's meek patience filling her heart with anxious worries and her head with grim frustration and defeat. She is more of an instant gratification type, even with her experiments at home, she checks on way too often due to her impatient vigor, even when she sits in the library, battling with the horrendous amount of DADA homework Snape dropped on them and demands the kisses Delphine promises her if she finishes her work in advance, pointing out that they'll boost her motivation.
The kisses, Delphine grants her every time she asks for them, demands them boldly, intentionally right before the blonde leaves her yet another time or when she doesn't even know she wants them, when her body seeks them unintentionally, drunken on sleep in the middle of the night when Delphine returns to the bed they started to share not so long ago. Albeit the secrets stay secrets unsettling, mocking Cosima so much that she is close to chaining Delphine to the bed every morning when she has to leave for her first class.
Although Delphine never actually told her the times when she has to meet with McGonagall, or who knows whom, Cosima crafted herself a pretty clear picture of her schedule. In the morning she is given the benefit to sleep in, something Cosima definitely envies her for, giving the blonde the opportunity to wander through the castle when everyone else is trapped in class.
Occasionally Delphine uses her free-time to walk with Cosima from one class to the next, to bring her books she forgot in the hurry of dawn or to tell Cosima that she stumbled headlong into a secret passage while she ran away from some Slytherins whose shoelaces she hexed together. After Cosima's last class, before the afternoon, they share lunch with the other twins and during that time Cosima can pretend they are like a normal couple.
During the brief hours they get to spend after the Ravenclaw's classes finished, relaxing, with Delphine's head in Cosima's lap and her fingers threading through blonde hair, on a couch in the Ravenclaw common room, Cosima is already dreading the moment when Delphine's pocket-watch begins to vibrate. The geeky girl observes that it doesn't come to life at the exact same time every day.
On Tuesday it started to move against Delphine's creamy white skin the second Cosima's nimble fingers finally, finally managed to open the last button of the French's blouse at 6:15 p.m.
On Wednesday it woke Cosima with a start from a nap she had taken, with her head resting on the taller girl's shoulder, startling her so much that she almost tumbled out of Delphine's embrace and their shared armchair at 7:00 p.m. and yesterday it disturbed their heated discussion on the perfect measurement of the ingredients for the Blood-Replenishing Potion at 8:30 p.m.
Cosima thanks Merlin and the couple muggle gods she knows that today is a Saturday and that means Delphine is allowed to stay with her the whole day.
Currently they are in the Room of Requirement which is a nice addition to Delphine's presence because it was seldomly unoccupied these days and is one of the few places Cosima knows where members of different houses can mingle. The rest of Clone Club, a name Beth came up with in their second year, explaining it by saying:
"You know…if I didn't knew you five were twins I'd bet you were clones!" is scattered around them.
They wished for the room to look like a common room with plush couches, a couple of love seats, a small table on which rest several pairs of feet and a roaring fire which illuminates their relaxed faces with a soft glow.
It is the last weekend they get to spend all together before Christmas break, apart from Helena who chose to visit Hagrid because his giant spider friend Aragog was sick, and they are discussing their various plans:
"Man I bet Fee has grown another couple of inches since summer…one day the kiddo towers over all of us." Cosima yawns and stretches like a lazy cat in summer's heat.
"Can't wait to see the little shite." Sarah grins from ear to ear, bouncing in her seat with excitement over seeing the little boy again who is like the brother she never had.
"Make sure you give him a big fat bear hug from me." Cal rumbles next to her, wraps his arms around his girl and squeezes until Sarah yelps with laughter.
"You're not coming with us?" Allison turns to him with raised eyebrows.
He shakes his head along with his long hair:
"Nah…sorry, my dad and I, we're going to spend Christmas in the cabin. Said he finished renovating it and…guess he just wants to spend some time with me."
"And you?" Allison asks her girlfriend alarmed.
"Course I'm still coming, baby. Right on Christmas morning, I'll be the first present you'll unwrap." Beth chuckles suggestively and puts an arm around the Slytherin's shoulder.
From across them Rachel scoffs:
"Please make sure you do that in her room and not downstairs. Your amount of PDA is disturbing."
"Yeah…like you're one to talk. Gave the neighbors quite a show when you shagged Paul in front of the window." Sarah sniggers and is joined instantly by the rest of their group. Paul buries his face in his hand and mutters:
"I'm never doing it in front of a window again."
"Well, certainly not this Christmas." Rachel agrees stiffly, shifting uncomfortably on the couch, cheeks tinged with red due to the roaring laughter around her.
"Why? Ms. S. gonna kick him out again?" Cosima wheezes after she calmed down a bit.
"No…" Rachel mumbles looking uncharacteristically downcast, "he will not come with us this time."
"Oh...I have the feeling Felix will be a little disappointed that you will not run half-naked through our house during the holidays." Alisson smirks at a rather embarrassed Paul.
"Ali! What the hell!" Sarah gasps: "He's way too young for that shite!"
"Just saying." The prim twin answers, hands up in mock surrender.
"It's not like that…he's still a damn kid, Paul." Sarah tries to convince him.
Paul shrugs:
"Yeah…it's okay…it's not that…I'm going to visit my parents in Afghanistan…they got relocated there as chancellors for the ministry."
"Oh okay…okay." The punk sighs, relief all over her face that Paul is not annoyed by Felix' innocent admiration then she focuses her attention on her geeky sister and the foreign blonde:
"Oi, Delphine!" she calls.
Delphine which has been only half listening to the conversation around her, happily peppering Cosima's palm with innocent pecks, looks at her expectantly:
"Quoi?"
"You two are officially rolling in the hay now?" Sarah motions between the two of them.
Delphine looks puzzled at Cosima who is sitting in her lap with one arm around her shoulder and index finger twirling golden strands:
"Qu'est-ce qu'elle a dit? A roll…in…hay? "
Cosima giggles at her adorable expression and brings their interlocked hands closer to her chest:
"Sarah…wants to know…if we're dating." She drawls out, absolutely loving the way Delphine's skin and hair colors a crimson red.
"Oh…oh…" she squeaks so embarrassed she has to hide her face in the crook of Cosima's neck.
Her voice is so low that only Cosima can hear her whispered, scared words:
"I'd really like that, Cosima but I don't know..."
Cosima immediately understands what Delphine is talking about and it takes her about two seconds to decide what she wants. She places a hand on the fine curve of Delphine's jaw and makes her look up, bumps their foreheads softly and mumbles:
"Me, too."
"Really?" Delphine wonders hopefully with a shaking voice.
"Mmmhmm." The Ravenclaw hums and rubs her nose gingerly against Delphine's:
"I want to trust you…it's not nice or easy…but I do." She mumbles with her lips so close to the blonde's she can feel Delphine's sigh dancing upon them and then Delphine kisses her firm and sweet around a light laugh that makes Cosima tingle.
They grin widely at each other, mirroring their giddiness and gleeful happiness before Delphine turns to Sarah:
"Oui, we are rolling the hay!"
Rachel groans, muttering something about gay-genes while Sarah and Allison cheer and Beth gives Cosima a rather awkward, upside-down high-five.
"Anyway…what I really wanted to know: You're coming with us or you're going home to France?"
Hearing this Delphine stiffs in her arms and Cosima internally cries at how fast the full-blown smile on the French's face is replaced with a sorrowful scowl:
"I am not going back to France." She mumbles, says France not home, eyes falling down to her hand that still is entwined with Cosima's:
"I am supposed to stay in school…but," she continues, searching Cosima's face with unsteady big eyes, "I really want to come with you."
Cosima damns the person and the circumstance which lead Delphine's free will to be taken away from her and damns Delphine, too a bit because she led it happen. Cosima sighs, tired of how shaky the ground is on which she and Delphine attempt to balance their fragile relationship, gulps down her second thoughts and gives the blonde a reassuring smile:
"Ask her, okay?"
Delphine's head sinks to her collarbone and she feels her breathed words ghost over her skin:
"Thank you."
"Uhm…so?" Sarah queries with raised eyebrows while Cosima doesn't really know how to answer when suddenly the door bursts open and Helena enters the room covered all over in milky, white spider-webs and arms loaded with pumpkin pies and an old, kinked wizard chess board:
"I have food…Who beats me gets a share." She announces and plops right next to Alison on the couch which shrieks loudly and cowers into Beth's body.
Cosima is thankful for the commotion her older twin sets in motion since now she doesn't have to explain the whole complexity of Delphine's situation, whatever it actually is.
On the next day, during lunch, Cosima is greeted by her girlfriend, the term giving her bittersweet chills, with arms that wrap around her shoulders from behind and an over-joyed, enthusiastic kiss to her left cheek:
"She said yes."
#savecosima
tbc.